“Oh.” He watched her, without the smile that had previously touched his lips.
She turned fully and walked away. Leah walked over to a nearby bench, and sat down before looking back over at him. He appeared lost and confused. The man lifted his hat slightly, and scratched the side of his head. She wondered whom the person was that he had named. It didn’t seem right that she wasn’t there. He looked dejected and hurt as the train pulled away from the station. She reminded herself that she was there to find a place she could call home, not there to look for a man. Watching him still, she saw him walk to the ticket counter.
She waited to see what he would do, and then the loud speaker came to life. “Attention passengers, if there is a Victoria Hadley nearby, please come to the ticket counter. I repeat; Victoria Hadley, come to the ticket counter.”
Leah sat there waiting, looking around for any sign of the woman they had called.
After fifteen minutes, and another announcement, she knew Victoria was not coming, and that’s when she knew that she could make her move.
What would be the harm be if she pretended she were Victoria? It wouldn’t be lying; it would be more like a game, a game of make-believe. After all, this Victoria person hadn’t shown up, and she must have looked enough like her for the man to believe that she was Victoria.
* * *
Austin was disappointed when the attractive woman wasn’t the one he was looking for. He’d been more than delighted when he thought that the woman he’d seen was Victoria. She matched the description in Victoria’s letters: slight build, fair, and blue-eyed. Since she’d refused to send a photograph, Austin only had the description to go on.
He glanced at the woman waiting on the bench, whom he’d thought was Victoria. Her fair hair fell beneath her bonnet in ringlets; her eyes were large, and her skin was creamy. When she had blushed, he had been caught completely off guard. It bothered him that he could be drawn to someone like that. The last time he’d had that feeling in the pit of his stomach was when he was being introduced to Charlotte. He was drawn to this woman who claimed she wasn’t Victoria, and wondered if he should go back and find out more about her.
As he waited by the ticket counter to see if Victoria would appear, he couldn’t help but feel rejected. Maybe Beth had been right all along. If he were to go home empty handed, that would mean she’d been right. He’d have to listen to Beth retell James’s tragic story one more time. He didn’t want his experience to be bad like James’s. Austin was just glad that his daughter, Violet, wasn’t old enough to be aware of what was happening.
He looked back to the man at the ticket counter. “Thank you, Warren.”
“Do you want me to try again?” Warren asked.
Austin looked around the train station to see that the crowd had thinned. “I’m sure if she were here she would have shown up after the second announcement. Thanks, anyway.” He turned away, and nearly ran into the young woman from earlier.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hello. You’re still here?” He was pleased that the decision of whether he should speak with her again or not had been taken out of his hands.
“Yes.” She laughed, raising her arms slightly.
He smiled, looked at the ground, and then his gaze settled back to her bright eyes. “Might I drive you somewhere?” He looked around about him. “It looks like whoever was supposed to collect you isn’t here.”
She leaned forward slightly. “I have a confession to make.”
He drew his eyebrows together. “Yes?”
“I’m the one that you’re looking for. I’m Victoria,” she blurted out.
He tried to process the information. He was hesitant, because he did not know what reason she would’ve had to say she wasn’t Victoria in the first place. “Hmm… interesting,” was all that he said.
“I don’t know why I didn’t tell you straight away that I was Victoria. I’m just scared, that’s all.” Leah blinked rapidly, and looked down.
He thought her a strange woman, but in his heart he was glad that she was Victoria. Why hadn’t she told him? He thought himself a fool for not realizing it before; he could’ve saved himself a good fifteen minutes. “Well, it is very nice to meet you, Victoria Hadley. I’ve heard many good things about you.”
“You have? What have you heard, exactly?” She tipped her head slightly to one side.
He held out his hand, and she shook it. The moment their hands touched, he knew that he’d done the right thing by finding a new wife.
“What have you heard about me, then?” she asked again.
He laughed. “I’ve heard nothing about you except from your letters. I’ve read your letters more than a few times, I must say. I like what you’ve told me about yourself.”
Leah breathed out. “Oh, good.”
He leaned down and took hold of her satchel. “Is this all?”
She nodded. “I don’t need much.”
He rubbed his chin. “I thought from your letters that you were bringing much more than this.”
“Yes, that’s right. I was, I mean, I did, but it was stolen on the way, along with the money I brought with me.” She blinked rapidly, as she stared at him.
“It was?”
She nodded.
He shook his head and breathed out heavily. “There’s more of that happening all the time. Did you see who robbed you?”
“I was asleep and when I woke, I saw that there was only this satchel. All my other cases had gone. I asked those nearby, but they didn’t remember seeing anything.”
He nodded in the direction of the carriage as he started to walk. “Did you report it to anyone?”
She walked quickly to keep up with him. “I didn’t think that anything could be done.”
“I’ll let my brother, Hank, know; he’s the Marshal.”
“Really? Having a brother who’s a Marshal must come in handy.”
“Sometimes.” He glanced at her. “I suppose you’re tired?”
“I am. I’ve been traveling a long time.”
“We don’t need to go see Hank straight away. We’ll see him tonight at dinner anyway.”
“We will; at dinner?”
“Yes, and you can tell him all about it then. My mother is cooking dinner for the whole family tonight, and all my brothers will be there, the five of them, along with my brother-in-law, and one of my sisters.” Austin helped her up onto the carriage, and then he joined her. He was sure that they would get along just fine. “You’ll stay at my mother’s house until after our wedding if that suits you. My sister, Beth, lives there temporarily with her husband.”
“Wedding?”
“Yes. My house is only a five minute ride away from my mother’s.”
“Oh, good.”
Austin noticed that Victoria was wringing her hands in her lap. He leaned toward her, and in a low voice said, “I’m nervous, too.”
She swung her head to look at him. “You are?”
He nodded. “It’s strange for me too. It’s been over a year since Charlotte’s been gone, but I guess you know all that, and all about Violet.”
“I don’t mind if you tell me again.”
Austin looked at her. “Good.”
“Tell me more about Violet.”
“She’s turned one a few months ago. She’s the most precious thing in my life.”
Leah put her hand to her bonnet. “I’m looking forward to meeting her. I’m just a little vague today. It must be the long journey.”
“I hope you won’t be too tired to meet everyone tonight. They’re all anxious to meet you.”
“I am tired, but I’ll be glad to meet everyone. Tell me some more about them.”
“Well, there’s my sister, Beth, and her husband, Albert. They’ve got a ranch, and they’re building a house on it. While it’s being built, they’re staying with my mother.” He raised his hand. “Don’t be put off by my sister. She and Charlotte were best of friends, even before I married Charlotte.”
“I see that I might have a lot to live up to.”
“No, I don’t want you to feel like that, not at all. I’m sorry; maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned anything. I’ll let you take us as you find us. Don’t be disturbed by my brothers either. They can be awfully bad mannered, but they behave in front of my mother.”
A small giggle escaped Leah’s lips. “Are your brothers married?”
“Brock was married, but she died. James nearly got married, and the others have never been close to being married.”
Chapter 3.
Leah put her hand to her throat. She had nearly choked when Austin had mentioned that Victoria was supposed to get married to him. What a mess she’d gotten herself into. If she’d known his brother was the Marshal, she might have thought twice about her little deception. At least, she’d have a roof over her head, and be well-fed for a few days before she moved on. She might be able to stretch her stay for a week, but it would only be a matter of time before the real Victoria Hadley showed up. With free accommodation, the little money she’d brought with her would stretch a bit further.
Leah wondered whether she should confess her deception then and there. She took a sideways look at the man who’d introduced himself as Austin. Just the look of the man told her that he was someone of whom she could grow fond. His story about his wife and child had touched her. This man would be a good father and a good husband, not like the father that she’d had.
She bit her lip. The man she was deceiving was well-mannered and charming. She should confess her wrongdoing immediately. Maybe Victoria had missed that train, and was on the next one. She could be found out to be a liar in a few days’ time, or whenever the real Victoria showed up. She should’ve just told him that she wasn’t Victoria.
Austin glanced at her. “You’re very quiet.”
“Just enjoying looking at the land.”
He smiled, and turned his gaze back to the road. “I’ll take you to my house first. Beth is there looking after Violet. Then we’ll head to my mother’s house.”
Leah nodded, and forced a smile. She was not looking forward to dinner, and neither was she looking forward to meeting so many people at once; especially when all these people thought that she was Victoria, Austin’s soon to be wife.
“How are your parents?” Austin asked.
“They’re well. They send their best regards. They’re upset that they weren’t able to make it to the wedding, being so far away and all.”
“And Stephen?”
“Oh, Stephen’s just the same.”
“You’ve seen him then?”
Leah pushed out her lips. “Ah…”
“He’s come back from abroad?”
Who was Stephen? Perhaps her brother? “I mean, he’s still abroad and nothing’s changed regarding his situation.” Leah desperately wanted to change the conversation, but daren’t open her mouth in case she made a mistake. How much did this Victoria person know about Austin and his family? How long had they been corresponding?
“Not long to go now,” Austin said.
“The country out here is so beautiful.”
“You wait until you see the orange and pink sunsets out here on the prairie.” After a moment of quiet, he said, “You know, Victoria, I must tell you that the things that attracted me to you were your honesty and your devotion to God.”
Leah felt sick to the stomach. That was the last thing she needed to hear. God would surely judge her harshly as a liar for her game of make-believe.
“Don’t concern yourself about tonight. I’ll let everyone know that you need to rest. You can retire straight after dinner if you wish. Mother’s got a room arranged for you. You can see all the way across to my ranch from the window. Well, what used to be my ranch.”
“It’s not yours anymore?”
“I sold it. I sold my land to my brother-in-law, and now I’ve just got the newspaper. I wasn’t much of a rancher, I’m more suited to ink on my hands than dirt. I’m going back to work shortly. As you know, I’ve had some time where I wasn’t working.”
“Yes, I know.” Leah nodded. “When will you start work again?”
“I thought we’d take a two week vacation after the wedding.”
Austin noticed that Victoria looked a little apprehensive when he mentioned the wedding and the vacation. They turned off the road onto a wider dirt road.
“Are we close?” Leah asked.
“Just around the corner.” Austin pulled the carriage to a halt and turned to look at Victoria. “Victoria, I must say a few things.”
Leah’s eyes widened.
Austin continued, “I know in our letters we agreed to marry, but I don’t want you to feel this is something you must do just because we agreed to it in our letters. You are quite at liberty to take your time with this, or even to change your mind.”
* * *
Leah pouted at his comments, wondering what the real Victoria would say. “Do you find me objectionable, Austin? Do you want to get out of your promise to me?”
“No, Victoria, forgive me.” He scratched his chin. “No one would ever find anything objectionable about you, I’m certain of that. I was merely thinking of you. A woman such as yourself might find someone more suitable than me, and taking on someone else’s child might not be to everyone’s liking.”
Leah wondered what to say to him. She couldn’t speak on Victoria’s behalf, but she had an idea that Victoria might be happy to marry a man such as he. “I didn’t come all this way for nothing.” She coughed as the words caught in her throat. “I knew all about you before I came, and I knew about your child. Don’t disappoint me now after I’ve come so far, Austin.” She stared into his eyes.
“Forgive me. You’ve had a long day. I’m not having second thoughts. I wouldn’t have agreed for you to come here if I was the type of man to go against my word. I’m delighted that we’re to be married.”
“Well then, there’s no need to say anything at all. We’ll just carry on with the decisions we made in our letters. I’ve come here to marry and that is what we shall do.”
He gave Leah a huge smile, and clicked his horse forward. When they rounded the corner, a white double-story house came into view.
“Is that your house?”
“That’s it.”
“It’s simply splendid.” It was much grander than Leah had expected, and it was then that she knew that Austin was a man of considerable means.
He stopped the horse at the front door. A woman holding a baby stepped outside of the house. “That’s my sister, Beth, and Violet.” Austin tied the reins to the post, and helped Leah down from the carriage.
Beth walked toward her. She was much shorter than her brother. Leah guessed she was a little above five feet tall. Her build was solid, and she didn’t have the same look of refinement about her that her brother had.
Leah smiled, and the woman smiled back. “Beth, I’m guessing?” Leah asked.
“Hello, Victoria, I’m so pleased that you’re here.”
After he introduced the two women formally, Austin moved in toward his daughter. “And this little one is Violet.” He put his hands out to Violet, and she stretched her chubby hands toward him. He took her from Beth.
“Hello, Violet.” Leah leaned toward the child. Violet looked at her and put out her hand. “Do you want to come to me?” Violet turned her head away. “Well, maybe not today, then.” Leah straightened up and laughed.
“She’s a little shy at first,” Beth said. “Come in and I’ll fix you a glass of lemonade before we head to Mother’s house.”
Beth was so warm and friendly that Leah was put at ease. As she followed Beth into Austin’s house, she said, “I want to thank you for having me stay with you, Beth. It’s very good of you.”
“Strictly, it’s my mother you’ll be staying with. Anyway, it’ll be nice to have some female company around, besides my mother.”
“Austin says you and your husband live with your mother?”
&
nbsp; “Yes, she lives in the downstairs bedroom. She can make it up the stairs, but they’re beginning to tire her out. Albert and I are only staying there while our new house is being built on the ranch.”
“Oh, that’s nice to have your mother so close.” She was nearly going to ask about their father, but since neither of them had mentioned him, she assumed that he might have died. Victoria might have been given all the information about the family in letters, and that was another reason she couldn’t ask them too many questions.
The aroma of fresh bread wafted under Leah’s nose as she entered the kitchen. “Have you been baking, Beth?”
“I like to do a bit of cooking when I come here. It’s not been easy for Austin without a wife, but I suppose all that’s going to change soon.” Beth smiled across at Austin who had entered the kitchen right behind Leah.
Austin took one hand away from holding Violet and pulled out a chair for Leah to sit in. Leah smiled up at Austin before she sat down. She wondered why a man so nice and handsome as he was, had to find a bride the way that he had. She had heard that the men outnumbered the women greatly in the west - now she knew that it must be true. “It’s lovely here,” Leah said.
“We like it. Don’t we, Violet?” Austin tickled Violet, and she giggled.
“Not at the table, Austin.” Beth frowned at him.
After they drank some lemonade and ate cookies, Austin excused himself, saying he had a little paperwork to do. He took Violet with him, and the two women were left alone in the kitchen.
Leah seized her opportunity, and speaking in a low voice, she asked, “Beth, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what happened to Austin’s wife?”
Beth took a deep breath, leaned forward, and whispered, “She died shortly after giving birth to Violet. They found out later that she had some sort of heart condition. They’d been married for eleven years before God blessed them with Violet. For most of their married life, she was deeply disturbed that she hadn’t been able to have children.” Beth tapped her head. “It affected her in the head, and then, for her to die after having Violet was just tragic.”
Mail Order Bride: Deception (Historical Western Romance): Clean Romance Series (Western Mail Order Brides Book 1) Page 2
