by Emily Woods
“Yes,” she said without hesitation.
3
Albert wasn’t exactly sure what he would do after the walk—or even during it—but he knew that he didn’t want his time with Della to end. He also knew that something bigger than himself had welled up inside when he saw her being cornered by the drunkard in the alley. Something almost primal. He would have gone to any lengths to make sure that she was all right.
Now, as they fell into step with one another, her delicate hand wrapped through his arm, he wondered what he should say next.
“I hope this was not an indelicate request seeing as to your…previous state.” He fumbled for words. “I likely should have asked if you’d rather go home.”
Though she kept her head down, he noticed the slight lifting of her lips into a soft smile. “I’d prefer this, thank you.”
Good. So would he.
“Tell me about yourself, Miss Della Wolfe.”
Now she did glance up at him, mischief in her glittering blue eyes. “What is it that you would like to know?”
“You work in the restaurant every day?”
She shrugged, turning her attention before them. “Not always.”
He struck out on that topic. “Does your family live in town?”
“No. They are no longer with us.”
He definitely mis-stepped there. “What is it that you like to do for…diversion?”
She laughed, the sound light and airy.
“I’m sorry. I’m not typically this awful at conversation.” He fell silent before he could say that her presence made him feel tongue-tied and bewildered.
“No, you are fine. It is I who must apologize.” She paused as they came up to a small park. Indicating a bench, they sat, and she looked over at him. “I live in a home for women and I sneak out to work at the restaurant. It is my greatest desire to leave the home, and I am saving every penny possible to ensure that.” She took a deep breath as if there was more to say, but then let it out in a rush. “That man is from the home, all the more reason I want to leave it.”
Then, as if she’d spoken her peace, she leaned back against the bench and the will seemed to slip from her. Her words could not have shocked him more, but their honesty rang true to him somewhere deep inside.
“Thank you for telling me that.”
She looked up at him, surprised. “I rather thought you’d say good-bye after all of it.”
“Hardly.”
Their gazes locked, and he felt that same sense of connection. It was more than attraction. She was beautiful, yes, but he wanted to know more about her. Wanted to know the small details as well as the big ones. Wanted to take her away from what pained her. From that man! His pulse thudded in his ears and blinked.
“Are you all right?”
It was his turn to lean back now. “I could have seriously injured that man for even thinking to touch you.”
“Thank you. For rescuing me.”
“I’m sorry that you were even in a position to need rescuing,” he said, looking down at her.
“I should have known better.”
“What do you mean? It was not your fault.” Albert took a moment to calm himself before he spoke again. “You are not at fault for someone’s sinful actions. Never. Do you hear me, Della?”
She took a shuddering breath and nodded, seeming to take in what he was saying, hopefully accepting it.
They sat in silence for a moment before Albert spoke again. “Della, what do you want out of this life?”
Surprisingly, she didn’t flinch at his question, merely nodded. “I want happiness and freedom.”
Two simple, not-so-simple things. Lord help him, he wanted to give them to her. Could it be… No, he shook his head slightly. It was a foolish idea. Wasn’t it?
“What are you thinking?” she asked, turning toward him with curiosity in her eyes.
“I’m thinking that, if I could give those things to you, I would.”
Her soft responding smile made his heart beat loudly in his chest.
With the assurance of a locked door, Della packed her few belongings into a well-worn carpet bag. She placed the last item on top, a handkerchief embroidered by her mother, and closed the bag. She was ready.
Butterflies circled in her stomach, an erratic pattern that made her both nervous and excited. One glance to the dark window told her that morning could not come soon enough for her.
She slumped down on the bed and recounted the day’s events, skipping decidedly over the terrible happening in the alleyway. She had taken a walk with Albert. They had sat and talked about their hopes and dreams.
He had asked her to marry him.
Blinking, she replayed the moment in her mind. She had sat for a long time thinking about what she wanted after telling him happiness and freedom, but she hadn’t come up with anything different. Anything better. She wanted to be happy and she wanted the freedom to enjoy that happiness.
Then he’d turned to her, a gleam in his eye, and said the strangest thing. He asked, “What do you think about ranching?”
At first, she’d wondered if he’d changed the subject because her answers were too vague. Too much. But then he’d continued to talk about the ranch that he owned part of. About his family still there and about the meeting she’d seen him at earlier.
Through the whole conversation, she had tried to keep up and tried to see how it would tie back to his earlier question. She also tried to keep her thoughts from straying down that path that said he could be the answer to his own question.
Finally, at the end of his long explanation, he turned to her and boldly took her hands in his. He’d done it so naturally that he almost seemed to forget they’d only met that day. He’d apologized for the boldness, but her only response was to squeeze his hands tightly in hers.
Then he’d done it. He’d asked her to marry him.
The moment had seemed wild and foolish. A type of moment that you pause and laugh at after, claiming it as a joke, but she’d seen the truth in his eyes. And, what was more, she’d felt the truth in her own heart.
She’d hesitated only a minute before her resounding yes had surprised them both. Of that, she was certain.
It was only later that she considered the rashness of her actions. The reality that she had shared so much with him and yet it wasn’t nearly enough.
But he had blinked rapidly, as if his words were finally catching up with him, and his only response was to smile back at her and nod. He’d meant it, she was sure of that, just as she was sure of her answer.
By that time, she was good and late in getting back to the home and she’d told him as much. Knowing that they would never simply release her to him that night, nor would it be appropriate, she’d agreed to go back and make her excuses as best as possible, pack, and then meet him at first light to meet with a judge and board the train to go back west with him. To the ranch. To a new life.
But now the waiting began and along with it came the notion that she was getting married in the morning to a man she’d only just met. And to a man who didn’t know her biggest secret. Was she losing her mind?
A soft knock on the adjoining door made her jump. “It’s me. Sonia.”
Della rushed to the door and unlocked it. Sonia slipped inside, and she locked it again.
“Why are you locking it?” the girl asked. Her lilting Irish speech sounded musical to Della’s ears.
Before reason could stop her, Della blurted out the whole story to her friend. Sonia’s eyes only widened with every detail, but by the end of it, she was smiling like a school girl.
“You’ve done it, lass. You’ve found a way out.”
While Della wouldn’t have thought of Albert in quite those terms, the girl was right. She was leaving, and Albert was giving her the way to do it.
“Yes, but he doesn’t know.”
Sonia’s eyes widened. She was the only other person who knew Della’s secret.
“You didn’t…you didn’t tell him?”
> Della hated the worry in her friend’s tone.
“I couldn’t.” She smoothed a hand over her abdomen and paced to the small window. “All I could think about was the ranch he talked of and the excitement of it all and…my feelings toward him.”
“But what’ll he do when he finds out?”
She’d asked herself the same question once she’d taken her leave of him. He was an honorable man, and she liked to think that he’d do the right thing, but she couldn’t be sure.
“Della,” Sonia said, stepping up to her and taking her hands. “He has a right to know the woman he’s marrying is with child.”
With child. Della felt the words with the weight they carried.
“He does, but I can’t bear to tell him. Perhaps…” But no, was that even crazier?
“What?”
“Perhaps I could tell him once I’m out west and then, should he want to annul our marriage, at least I’ll be away from this home. Away from Boston.”
Sonia nodded slowly and walked back to the bed where she looked down at Della’s travel bag.
“You might be a wee bit crazy, but I think any girl in love is.” Sonia sat on her bed and squeezed the threadbare pillow to her chest. “And I think I at least see the beginnings in your eyes. If he’s a good man like you say, he’ll not turn you away when the time comes for the truth to come out.”
“Love?” Della blushed and shook her head, sitting down next to her friend. Was it that?
“Aye. Doesn’t mean it’ll be easy, though.”
Della nodded in agreement.
“An’ think of this way,” Sonia continued. “We’d talked about many ways to make our freedom from this place. Being a mail-order bride was one, was it not?”
“It was,” she agreed.
“Well, you know this Albert as well as you’d know any man you’d go out west to marry. Maybe even more since you’ve seen him in person.” She gave a roughish wink. “So don’t think this any less a commitment than if you were to be a mail-order bride. You’d likely have omitted the truth to them too, I’d wager.”
Della hated how duplicitous it all sounded, but her friend was likely right. She nodded.
“Then do what ye must. For you, and for the wee one you’re carrying.”
Hope renewed, she thanked her friend and hugged her fiercely. Then she told her to stay away from Mr. Frederickson. Sonia stayed with her the rest of the night, talking and giggling until the morning sun split the sky and it was time for Della to say good-bye to her old life and hello to the new. It was a new day, and with it a new adventure. One she would face head on.
4
Albert swallowed, but the lump in his throat only increased as Della stepped in front of him. How had he gone from no desire of commitment to…well, this? Marriage to a woman he’d just met.
“You all right there, son?” asked the judge who sat behind his desk looking between the two of them.
Of their own accord, Albert’s eyes traveled over Della’s beautiful, fine features. She was stunning and, more than that, she was honest and kind. He was sure she was more than this, but without knowing her longer, he couldn’t be sure.
A flicker of doubt reared its head. Was he being foolish? Impulsive? Reckless?
“Albert?” Della asked, stepping forward and slipping her hands into his. The shock of their warmth pulled him from his cold, dark thoughts.
He was ready for this. For her. Sure, he had no idea what to expect in marriage and no logical reason for finally choosing to settle down with a woman he’d just met, but he could only put that to God and say that His timing was right.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just excited to marry this beautiful woman.”
“I see,” the judge said, sounding weary if not a little skeptical.
The ceremony was less than ten minutes long and ended with a light kiss that left Albert wanting more and his bride blushing. He could get used to her delicate blush and quick glances up at him when she thought he wasn’t looking.
They walked out of the courthouse, hand in hand and man and wife. It was surreal, and yet it fit. She fit, in every single way. Everything about her was…perfect.
“Are you happy?” he asked, pulling her toward him discreetly as they stepped into an alcove.
“I am,” she said, her smile flickering. “But there’s something I must tell you.”
The sound of the train whistle not far off alerted him to the time. “Can it wait?”
“Sure. Yes, yes, of course.”
He nodded and led the way, paying a young boy to fetch their belongings and make sure they were placed on the train. Then, as the locomotive came to a screeching halt in front of the station, he pulled Della to his side. Her warmth and curves fit against him perfectly and he felt a sense of settled peace descend on him in waves. It was right to be here, to be married to Della, and to be going home.
Home. He thought of the shock his mother would have—and his brothers and their wives. Would Aaron be there with Lulu? Likely they would, but he didn’t mind as much now. He had his own family now and, ultimately, he was happy for his brothers and their happiness.
Peering down at Della, he let her profile fill his vision and the contentment it brought to soothe his previous worries. Committing to an honest, beautiful woman like Della was an easy choice.
Della fought the urge to squirm under Albert’s gaze. She was happy—so happy—that they were married, but the nagging thought in the back of her mind was the reality that he didn’t know the whole truth about her. He couldn’t because she hadn’t told him.
Swallowing hard, she subconsciously felt her hand go to her abdomen. It wouldn’t be long before she would no longer be able to keep the truth from him, but she didn’t want it to go that far. She wanted to tell him first, and she almost had before they’d been interrupted by the train.
And now, as they boarded, she wanted to pull him aside and come clean. As she thought of it though, something pulled at her—hesitation. Wouldn’t it be better to wait? Wouldn’t it be less likely he’d try and annul their wedding and leave her in the East if they were already close to—or at—his home?
She bit her lip, worry coursing through her. He was a good man, an honorable man, and up until that point, she’d been mostly an honorable woman who’d fallen prey to one big mistake. A mistake that would now define her.
And hadn’t he told her she wasn’t a fault for someone else’s sinful actions? The mere thought sickened her. It had happened once, and it almost had happened again. If Albert hadn’t been there…
Pressing her eyes closed, she rested her head back against the seat. She and Sonia had stayed up all night, and the lack of sleep was now catching up to her.
“All you all right?” Albert asked. His genuine look of concern filled the deep, empty spaces of her heart. It was very near a feeling of happiness and that realization brought tears to her eyes. Already she was experiencing one of the things she’d wanted. The next was freedom…but freedom from what exactly?
“Just tired,” she admitted. And a little queasy, thanks to the baby, but she’d avoid mentioning the sickness as much as possible.
“I…I’m sorry we will have no privacy,” he said, looking hesitant and timid.
She blushed, realizing his intended meaning. She’d thought of that as well and, shamefully, had wondered if they consummated their marriage, she could pass off the babe in her womb now as his child. But it was dishonest, and she would not heap lies upon lies.
“I understand,” she said, meaning it more than she could explain.
He nodded once, cleared his throat, and said, “There will be…time when we get to the West.”
Her flush deepened and she nodded her agreement, not knowing what else to add. Would he even want her by that time? Once he knew the truth about her? That she’d been soiled before they had sealed their marriage vows?
“I’m going to rest now,” she said, laying her head back.
“Of course, my dear.” He s
at back as well, and she closed her eyes.
The thoughts that assailed her were mostly of an accusatory nature. That she had kept the truth from him. That he would never forgive her. That he couldn’t understand. And it was possible he couldn’t, but she could hope—and pray—that perhaps he would understand.
Albert felt out of his depth. He was married, and yet his wife seemed only to want to sleep. She even looked a little ill, and he wondered if he should have sprung for a compartment for them. Would she have been more comfortable? But then he knew that it would be an expensive trip that way and he’d only just been able to secure passage on the train for her, seeing as his ticket had been purchased in advance.
He leaned back and let his gaze rove over his wife’s delicate features. So refined and with such creamy skin. He longed to know her well enough to caress that skin, and to kiss it. His blood grew warm and he reached out to take her hand in his. She didn’t stir, perhaps already asleep, and he allowed her fingers to rest between his palms.
She was a blessing to him, more than she knew, and he would cherish her the way his mother had taught he and his brothers to cherish women in their lives. Not to take advantage of them as some men did, but to see them as gifts and as special. He’d seen his father do as much for his mother, and how his brothers did the same. Now it was his turn and he would do all that he could to prove to Della that he loved her.
He’d be patient, with everything, and know that when the time came for them to be closer, he would show her his life as much as tell her of it.
He sat back, overwhelmed with emotions. His love. He’d thought it before, but now he knew it was true. He loved the woman he’d married, and he knew that that love could only grow and strengthen in the coming days, weeks, and years.
What a blessing Della was.
5
Della checked her stomach in the mirror from the side. There was a definite bump there, but thankfully, her dresses were not so tight that it was visible yet. Thankfully, there was no way that Albert had noticed, not yet at least, but she feared that the day was fast approaching. Better for her to tell him.
