“The prince was scared because he loved her so much. He had to leave her for a time and feared he would never see her again,” Caleb said. “He was miserable the entire time they were apart. He dragged his feet all over town, downtrodden and self-pitying.”
“If he is afraid, how will he ever live happily ever after?” Milly questioned.
“He had been granted a gift. Three questions. Two were gone, but he had one remaining. These questions were special. If he asked them, the princess had to answer. He decided to save that final question, and when he was certain he could not live without knowing if the fair maiden would be his queen, he got down before her and pleaded with her to marry him.”
“What did she say?” Mae asked, impatient for a happy ending.
Abigail entered the room. Or had she been there all along? “Em, I’m so glad you’ve returned. And I can’t wait to hear all about your trip. But I think I’ll ask all about it after dinner. Girls, follow me into the kitchen.”
“But Mama, we want to hear the end of the story,” they both said.
“You’ll hear it. But not until later. Come along now.” Abigail gave them a look that told them not to question her.
The girls stomped out of the room, resigned to their fate.
Caleb knelt in front of Em. “I have one question left. I’ve saved it. I was too afraid to ask it. When you were gone and I feared you would never return, I vowed to use it if I ever saw you again.”
Em tried to blink away the tears that were already coming to her eyes.
“You are the princess. The only girl who holds any charms for me. My third question is, Will you marry me? Live on the land with me, climb trees with me, dance with me. Will you be my wife?”
“Why?” Em reached out and put her hand to his cheek. “Why me?”
“Because when I think of what beautiful is, now I see you. I see freckles and yellow hair. You will always be what beautiful is to me. When your hair is gray—that will be my definition of lovely. No one else will ever be right for me. I want to grow old with someone I can laugh with. I don’t want a woman who always says the right words and has forgotten how to have fun. I want a future with you. You told me you had decided to live. Live with me. Marry me, Em. Let me look for rays of sunshine with you.”
The words from her mother’s letter floated through her mind. Live and love. “Yes. My answer is yes. I will marry you.” A little laugh escaped despite the tears. “My very own prince.”
Two little heads crept from around the corner. “You are the princess, Em! I always thought you were the most beautiful and wonderful. You are a princess. And you get to marry the prince!”
Taking Mae in her arms, she twirled her around. “You are a princess too, little Mae-berry.”
Setting Mae down, she planted a kiss on the top of Milly’s head. “You too, Milly-girl.”
Milly looked at her and said, “Now you will live happily ever after.”
Caleb’s voice boomed above the others. “We will. We will live happily ever after.” He took Em in his arms then and kissed her. Closing her eyes, she felt just like she always dreamed a princess would.
Epilogue
Em, are you ready?”
“Yes. Let me just get John’s coat and I’ll be right along.”
The three loaded into the wagon and headed into Azure Springs. The ride was bumpy as usual, but Caleb had bought Em a cushion to sit on and the bumps delighted John. Each rut brought a roar of laughter from the couple’s two-year-old son.
“Do you think we will get there on time?” Em asked, looking at the sun as she tried to guess the hour.
“We will be the first there. I don’t think anyone else in town is nearly as excited as you.”
“I’m more nervous than I thought I would be,” Em confessed as they bounced along.
Caleb took her hand in his. “Don’t be. I think we will know what to do when we get there.”
“But Caleb, how will I pick and not help them all?”
“Let’s not worry yet. Let’s just enjoy the day and embrace whatever is ahead.” They rode on, giggling whenever they heard their son’s laughter.
They arrived in Azure Springs early enough to visit with the Howells before the children arrived.
When the clock announced four in the afternoon, Em held Caleb’s hand and together they made their way to the train depot. Lined up across the platform were wide-eyed children of all shapes and sizes. Some looked afraid, while others seemed excited. Each had a number pinned to their chest.
Suddenly, knowing what she must do, Em walked to a woman who was ushering the children onto the stage. “Have you any siblings?”
“We don’t worry about relations. Just try to find homes for them all. Pick whoever you like,” the woman said, her face void of expression.
Em looked at the rows of children as she walked away. A little girl with stringy brown hair was in tears. Crouching in front of her, Em met the girl’s eyes. “My name is Em. What’s your name?”
The girl raised her head a little. “I’m Bessie.”
“I’m glad to meet you, Bessie. Why are you crying?”
“I want my sister.”
Em felt her heart skip a beat. “Where is your sister?”
“Hattie is over there.” She pointed a chubby finger down the line. “They won’t let us stand together.” Em followed the finger and saw a taller version of Bessie at the other end of the platform.
“Wait here, Bessie.”
She ran to Caleb and told him about Bessie and Hattie.
Caleb scooped up John and together they returned to the rows of children. He squeezed Em’s hand and whispered, “I knew you would know what to do. Let’s go get our girls.”
Em remembered her dream from long ago. The dream where she found Lucy. It had not come true. These girls were not Lucy. They lacked her perfect curls and bright eyes, but Lucy was there all around them. Em knew it, and the world felt right.
That night when Em tucked Bessie into bed, Em handed her the doll that Olive had given her. “This was my sister’s doll. I want you to have it. But you must share it with Hattie.”
“But Hattie is too big to play. She doesn’t ever play. She doesn’t even smile.”
“Not now she doesn’t, but she will. Here everyone plays. When you wake tomorrow, we will take you outside and show you many wonderful places to play. Hattie will remember how. I know she will.”
Em stood and started to leave but then walked back to the little bed and knelt once more by its side. She kissed the girl’s cheek and whispered, “Good night, princess.”
Discussion Questions
When Em is first brought into the town of Azure Springs, she is slow to trust those around her. What causes her hesitancy? Is it justified? Have you ever entered a new situation and struggled to feel comfortable?
Caleb makes quick judgments when he meets Em based solely on her looks. How did his early judgments affect the story? Would their relationship have progressed differently if he’d been able to look past her outer shell sooner?
Abigail and Abraham Howell are very quick to welcome Em into their home. Why is it that some people are more eager to help others? Have you ever known anyone like that? Why was Eliza slower to embrace Em?
Abigail is still grieving the loss of her sons. Margaret grieves her husband. The women approach their losses very differently. Is there a right way to handle grief?
Lucy plays a significant role in the story. Em says that wanting to be with her is what kept her alive all those years. What people or things keep you going when life is hard?
Caleb spends a lot of his energy trying to please his parents. In what ways was Caleb’s desire misguided? Is it wrong to want to please others? Have you ever gone astray when you thought you were doing what was right?
How do your feelings toward Alroy change as you learn his story? What was it that kept Em from becoming hardened like Alroy?
Caleb’s father, Gideon, talks to him about defining beauty. Do you agr
ee or disagree that we have the power to choose our own definition of beautiful? Has society’s definition of beauty ever caused difficulties in your life? How can we help those around us see their true worth?
Em decides to stay in Beckford even after Caleb returns to Azure Springs. What ultimately gives Em the courage to return? How would the story have been different if she’d been reunited with Lucy?
Margaret is often a voice of wisdom to both Caleb and Em. Who have you turned to when you’ve needed advice? What qualities must a mentor possess for you to listen to their advice?
Em has to learn to do more than just survive. Have you ever had periods of time when you’ve simply been getting by day after day? How did you get past that and learn to really “live” again?
Eliza’s character goes through a difficult transformation. How did the way you felt about her change from the beginning of the book to the end?
The packet of letters from Em’s ma plays a role in her healing. Is there someone from your past you wish you could speak to? What would you say? Or want to hear?
In the epilogue, Em and Caleb bring home sisters from an orphan train. How does this act bring the story full circle? Have you ever found beauty despite trials?
Acknowledgments
The Hope of Azure Springs is the second manuscript I’ve ever completed (someday I hope you’ll see the first). Writing this book was a strange experience for me. In the beginning, I flew through it. The words just jumped onto the page. I felt like I knew Em from the very start. I knew her and I loved her. I found myself rooting for her as I wrote her story. Everything about the writing experience was ideal. Every writer loves it when the story just tells itself, and that’s what this one was doing for me.
But then my son, who was four at the time, became very ill. One night I drove him to the hospital, and he was unresponsive and stiff. I was so afraid. After a lengthy hospital stay and weeks of tests, he was given the diagnosis of adrenoleukodystrophy. Our world changed that day. And though we were blessed to find out early enough to try treatments, it was daunting (and still is). For five months I didn’t open The Hope of Azure Springs. I couldn’t. It all felt so trivial in comparison to the battle my sweet boy was facing.
I remember when I finally opened my Word document—it felt strange and almost foreign. I’d been so removed from it. There was a level of guilt just knowing that as I typed, the future was uncertain. And yet, I’d felt called back to it. So much of Em and Caleb’s story was already written and I wanted to finish. I wanted something I could control, and writing their story was something I could take into my own hands. As I dove back in, I found Em’s experiences of grief and tragedy more relatable than they had been before. I cried with her and cheered her on. Em learns to do more than survive—she learns to really live despite hard times. I had to discover that again as I went through my own trial.
I’m happy to report that my son is doing well. His road is uncertain, but he, like Em, is a fighter. He’s one of my inspirations. In fact, his name is in this book along with all of his siblings’ names. I have the greatest kids (call me biased if you wish). I want to thank them for being patient with me as I wandered down this new path called writing. They’ve been my biggest fans from the start. I hope they know I am grateful and they are my world.
This book couldn’t have reached completion without the many people that read the early versions of it. Thank you, Mom, Anna, Stephanie, Heather, Leah, Amy, and anyone else I missed. Your feedback made Caleb and Em’s story possible. You caught loose ends and called me out when I got off base—I love you for it.
I’m beyond grateful for my agent, Emily Sylvan Kim, and my editor, Lonnie Hull DuPont. You both were incredibly patient and kind as I peppered you with questions and tried to make sense of the publishing world. I couldn’t have asked for better people to start this journey with. Everyone at Revell has been welcoming, helpful, and kind. They are amazing people. Good people.
My acknowledgments page would not be complete without thanking Tyler. He said to me one night, “You read so much, why don’t you write a book?” And never once has he doubted that I’d be able to do it. Thank you for encouraging me in all I do.
Writing this book has been a pleasure. I thank the good Lord for giving me this gift and allowing me to share it with you.
It’s my wish that this story touches other hearts like it touched mine as I wrote it.
Rachel Fordham has long been fascinated by all things historical or, in the words of her children, “old stuff.” Often the bits of history she discovered and loved were woven into bedtime tales. Despite her love for good stories, she didn’t attempt writing a novel until her husband suggested it (and now she’s so glad he did). Since that time, she’s often been found typing or researching during naptime or while she waits in the school pickup line. In addition to her passion for storytelling, she enjoys reading, being outdoors, and seeing new places. Rachel lives with her husband and children on an island in Washington state. Visit her website (https://rachelfordham.com/) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/RachelFordhamFans/) to learn more about her life and current projects.
RachelFordham.com
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