The concern in her eyes made her stomach twist into knots. “I’m all right, but there’s something I must tell you.”
Her heart began to beat rapidly with the knowledge that the truth would soon be out. But she couldn’t go back now. She’s already let this go on long enough without being honest with him.
“You can tell me anything.” His kindness melted her and made her afraid all at the same time.
What would he say once he knew? Would he be angry? She wouldn’t blame him if he were.
“I—” her voice broke.
“Millie, what’s wrong? You’re as pale as a sheet. You aren’t getting sick are you?”
“No, no it’s not that.”
“Then what—”
“I was the one who wrote the letters to you.”
He blinked, a look of confusion coming over him. “Letters…I—I don’t understand.”
“I’m sorry,” she began, “I should have told you when we first met.”
“Told me what?”
“When you first started writing to Miss Hoff—that was me.” She held his gaze despite the urge to look anywhere but into his eyes. “You were corresponding with me that whole time. But then…well, we found out that Morgan was pregnant, she was assaulted,” she was quick to add, “and she needed a husband more than I did.
“By that time I admitted my name was Morgan to you but, because my sister never learned how to write, I continued our letters on her behalf. When she died…I just…I didn’t know what to say.”
He blinked. “You lied to me? You were going to trick me into marrying your sister? I can’t believe this. I—” he stopped, shaking his head in the silence.
“I’m sorry. I…I’ve been meaning to tell you but I didn’t know when. Then, seeing Josie sick, I knew that I cared for you both too much to keep the truth from you.”
“I can’t believe this. You’ve been lying this whole time. No wonder you knew so much about me. I feel like a fool.”
“Please, don’t, it was my fault completely.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth now? Are you just trying to fool me so I’ll marry you? Is that what this is all about?”
She was surprised at the ferocity in his voice. “No!” Tears flooded her vision and she knew the whole truth had to come out then. “I wanted to tell you because…because I care for you. No matter what you think of me, you’ll always be Mr. D to me.”
Her use of his nickname made him flinch and he backed away from her. “I need time to think.” Then, without another word, he left the room, stepping out into the gray light of the morning leaving her alone and wondering if she’d done the right thing.
Chapter 6
Lloyd stood at the back of the parish house staring into the growing light of the morning. Cool air surrounded him but he didn’t move—wouldn’t acknowledge its effect on him. How could he have been so stupid?
Of course Millie had written those letters to him. It was clear now. The way she spoke, the things she laughed about, the times she’d slipped into teasing him. All of it added up to complete the picture of who she’d become to him. She’d always been Miss Hoff even if he hadn’t seen it at first.
“The sunset doesn’t hold the answers you’re seeking, son.” Peter’s voice broke through the silence around him.
“I suppose it doesn’t. Did you know?”
“Know what, Lloyd?”
“That she was the one who had written me the letters. How she and her sister conspired to trick me? That she’s been lying to me?”
“No, I didn’t know any of that. I’m not a mind reader, you know.” Peter laughed as he stepped up next to Lloyd, evaluating the morning with him. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that everything has worked out in your favor. Aside from the death of that poor girl of course, God rest her soul.”
“But…” he searched for the words to express what he was feeling. “But she lied to me.”
“True, but can’t you see why?”
“That doesn’t make it all right?”
“Of course not, but she did tell you the truth. I think that has to count for something. Especially when you care for her.”
He shot Peter a sharp glance.
“It’s obvious, son,” the pastor said, his smile as bright as the sunlight now flooding over the mountains before them.
“I do care.” He admitted the truth out loud but allowed his heart to feel it as well. It was more than care—it was love. But with that feeling came fear. Fear to love again, fear to know what would happen in the future. How could he commit is life to her knowing that the sting of death was more painful than anything he’d experienced? Was he really willing to open himself up for that pain again?
“You’re doing it again,” Peter said.
“What?”
“Trying to reason through every area of this and not leaving anything up to the Lord. What does your heart say, Lloyd?”
His heart? He hadn’t considered that in a long time—unless it was regarding his daughter. She was the only person who fully held his heart, and look at what had happened? She had been close to death. It reminded him that life was fragile. But it also reminded him that to live without love was pointless. If he didn’t have Josie in his life…he didn’t even want to think what it would mean. He’d rather have loved her well than to never have had her.
“It says to be reckless.”
“Then be reckless in love, dear boy.” Peter turned to him, resting a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Take every opportunity, forgive often, and enjoy your life. God will see you through—despite all of the things that may or may not happen.”
Peter turned to go but Lloyd stayed with is gaze fixed on the sunset. He wanted to believe that what the pastor said was true. In fact, he wanted to do more than believe it; he wanted to live it.
When he considered what Millie had done he could see clearly how, in the grand scheme of things, him holding it against her would do neither of them any good.
With resolution, he turned to go inside but stopped short when he saw her standing a few feet behind him, shawl pulled tightly against her shoulders and a look of nervous fear on her face.
Without thinking and without considering the future or even the present ramifications of what would happen between them, he went toward her and pulled her into his arms. The moment before their lips touched he felt her hand resting softly over his heart and peace flooded him.
***
Millie couldn't have been more shocked had Lloyd yelled at her. To be here in his arms kissing him was at once completely right and confusing all at the same time.
When he pulled back just far enough to look down at her, he kept his grip—light and gentle—on her arms.
“Does this mean you forgive me?”
He cracked a smile. “There’s the humor I’ve been missing Miss Hoff.”
“Have you really Mr. D?”
He bent down and kissed her again. This time the passion nearly overwhelmed her and she leaned into his warm embrace, breaking away to tuck her head against his shoulder. They stayed like that for several minutes before he spoke again.
“I forgive you.”
They were the sweetest words—the ones she’d longed to hear but couldn’t have hoped to achieve had she not said anything. Her heart felt light after the weight of confession was lifted.
“I’m so sorry. I should have told and—”
“It’s all right. It’s in the past. We can move on and be Mr. D and Miss Hoff now. Or,” he held her gaze and a smile quirked the corners of his lips.
“Or what?” she asked, curious.
“Or we could Mr. D and Mrs. D.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
“I’d done it once before, if you remember, and I suppose it still stands—though I do remember asking you by another name.”
“Would you ask me again? The real me this time, please.”
He smiled, reaching up to push her h
air back from her face. His hand stayed behind, resting there. “I finally understand why I felt so drawn to you before. I know you, Millie. You. Not your sister. And, though I’m sorry she’s gone, I am glad you are here. I want to face this life—it’s ups and downs—with you by my side. I want you to become a mother to my daughter. And I want to walk through the unknown of life with you. I can’t know the future, as much as I may try to plan for it, but I do know that I’d rather risk loving you than to not have you in my life.”
She knew she was crying, the tears falling gently down her cheeks, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t afraid for Lloyd to see her tears because, through their letters and now in real life, he’d seen the broken parts of her and accepted her just the same.
“How could I say no to such a beautiful proposal?”
“I’d hoped you wouldn’t be able to,” he admitted with a laugh.
She smiled, entwining her fingers with his. “Then my answer is yes.”
“I knew you’d see reason Miss Hoff.”
She grinned. “Of course Mr. D.”
They sealed their love with a sweet kiss. It symbolized the beginning of their lives together—not as two strangers getting to know one another, but as two hearts that had started to fall in love only to be interrupted.
Now that the interruption had been discovered and passed by, they were free to love in the way they had started at the beginning of their letter writing. Just to hearts, knitted together by the plans of the Lord.
THE END.
Included with this purchase is a collection of Christian Michael Mail Order Bride short stories. I do hope you take the time to read them! Enjoy!
Butler Love
Mail Order Bride
CHRISTIAN MICHAEL
Chapter 1 – It’s Duty
“Thank you, Brahms, that will be all.”
Charles Brahms bowed and closed the door behind him. He had finally reached the top of the line. He was the butler in his own mansion. Well, in his master’s mansion. He was the butler for one of the wealthiest families in the countryside, and it felt great.
Most of the time, anyway. There were still times when Charlie felt as though there were other things in life he would rather have. Today he helped Sir Hanes to dress for his wedding ceremony. Charles had been friends with Sir Hanes as a boy, and now they were both grown, and Sir Hanes was getting married.
Charlie liked the girl his friend and employer was marrying. She was kind, pretty, and new how to handle herself well. She was just the kind of girl Charles hoped to marry himself. But of course someone that was going to marry Sir Hanes was not the kind of girl that was going to marry a servant.
Sir Hanes was the heir to a great mansion. He had more money than anyone else in the entire region, and he had the favor of countless more. Sir Hanes was attractive, wealthy, and charming.
Brahms, on the other hand, was charming. Only charming. Some might say that he was also attractive, but any of his good looks faded out when he donned his butler apparel. Though he was as kind as his friend, and as charming as any of the fine young men in the countryside, he was constantly looked over because of his occupation in life.
The best he could hope for was that a kind young woman would gain her own employment in the house, and that he might fall in love with her, and she with him. The only trouble was, he wasn’t around the new recruits. When there was someone new in the house, it fell to the maids to train them.
Even the young men that started were trained and instructed under the women, after all, he was the butler, and as such it was his duty to mind the mansion and the family that lived in it, and not be hindered by the servants and their petty jobs.
“Ah, I say there, Brahms! Is Sir Hanes ready?”
Charles stopped to speak with Gregory. He was Sir Hanes’ uncle, and the only one standing in between Hanes and his fortune. Sir Hanes got along with his uncle well enough, but Gregory wasn’t pleased with Hanes choice of a bride. He wanted his nephew to marry a young woman with a fortune of her own, not a young woman that could take his fortune from him.
Charles didn’t care for Gregory. He thought Gregory was greedy, and two faced. He feared that there would be issues with Gregory once Hanes had a son, but as the butler Brahms knew it wasn’t his place to say such things, even though Sir Hanes was his friend. He smiled and nodded, then retired to the back room.
Charles watched the proceedings of the wedding out the window. The bride looked beautiful, and his friend looked pleased to see her walk up the aisle to him. Charles thought they made a smart match, and was genuinely happy to hear them announced as husband and wife, but he felt a pang of solitude as he motioned for the maids to make the reception hall ready.
There was something missing in his life, and he knew what it was. He wanted a wife. He wanted someone that he could love and hold and cherish, but that wasn’t going to happen here. He was a butler, and he was destined to stay a butler for all of his days. Charles glanced back out the window before he placed all of his attention back to the reception hall.
Outside, he could see his friend Sir Hanes holding his new bride, and talking to her. Though Charles couldn’t hear anything anyway, he knew that nobody outside could hear what they were saying. He wanted that, too.
Here, he had to share what he was thinking with most. Here, he had to follow rules and ensure that others did, too. Here, he wasn’t going to get a bride. Here, he was doomed to the life he thought he wanted. And right now, he was afraid he was going to be stuck in that life for good.
And he would be.
Unless something changed.
Suddenly, Charles stopped. Did he really think what he thought he was thinking? Was it possible he wanted to leave here and go out into the world to find his own way in life? Should he really take the chance of working his own home with his own wife and his own responsibilities?
“Sir Brahms! The bride is going to come in here soon, we must make ready the cake!”
One of the maids hurriedly pushed the doors of the kitchen open, then disappeared back behind them as quickly as she had been there. Charles snapped back to work. He could let his thoughts wander later on, right now he had his duty to attend to.
After all, brides weren’t something that he should be worried about. Right now, he was at the top of his world. A butler in a fine house, and now he was in charge of the wedding reception for his master. If he were to ever have his own wedding, it was going to have to wait. Right now his mind was on one thing, and one thing only, and that was his duty.
Chapter 2 – It’s Made for a Maid
“Don’t be silly, you are going to wear pink! It goes perfectly with my sash.”
Fanny sighed and held out her arms, while Miss Jasmine piled the dresses high on top of her. They were gathering the dresses for the bride’s maids, and Fanny was given the role as the most important.
It wasn’t a surprise to her, she had been a favorite of Miss Jasmine’s since she had started working for her father, and she had accompanied Miss Jasmine on many of these shopping trips. Fanny often wondered what it would be like. Not just having such money to spend on anything, but to be loved by a man, and know that you were going to spend your whole life with him.
Miss Jasmine never said much about love, she only talked about the trips she and her new husband were going to take, and the parties they were going to have, and the people they were going to impress. There were times when Fanny wondered if Miss Jasmine even loved the man she was marrying, or if she was in love with the rich life.
Miss Jasmine had chosen an elaborate gown, with a soft pink sash about the waist. It was her dream to be attended by a group of girls that were all dressed to match her own, and she felt she had found just the dresses.
The two girls had been all over town this morning, in and out of various stores, discussing various dresses with various tailors. Miss Jasmine was trying to find the perfect set of dresses, but it seemed that nobody had what she wanted. Until they had come into this
store.
Fanny didn’t mind shopping with Miss Jasmine. She liked to see all of the different things that were for sale on the racks, but today it was getting old. They had been in and out of so many stores, and Fanny had seen so many things she wished she might be able to buy but knew she couldn’t.
Yet here they were in this next store, and Miss Jasmine was pulling out fancier and fancier dresses.
Fanny, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure she wanted to be up there with Miss Jasmine. Miss Jasmine liked everything to be perfect, and she wasn’t good at making everything perfect. Fanny had turned to the service part of work when she failed at being a seamstress as well as a waitress.
It had been her last resort at a job, and now she was feeling even less enthused about it. All she really wanted was to get married herself, yet here she was attending another girl’s wedding, in a dress she didn’t like.
“I would think you should be thrilled to get to wear something this nice. They don’t often make dresses this nice for maids.”
Fanny looked up at Miss Jasmine in surprise. It was almost as though she had the ability to read Fanny’s thoughts. Jasmine was too busy rifling through another rack to take note of Fanny, however, so Fanny turned her attention back to the other things in the store.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. A newspaper on the counter had blown open when a customer opened the door, and the page it opened to had an interesting title printed at the top.
Wanted: Mail Order Brides
The dark print was all she could read from where she stood, so she leaned over to try to read further.
“What are you doing? I can’t reach you when you are on the other side of the store. Pay attention!”
Fanny turned her attention back to the task at hand, embarrassed that Miss Jasmine had snapped at her in the middle of this store. She was paid to be her attendant, but there were times when Fanny felt Miss Jasmine took that privilege too far.
[2016] My True Love Page 3
