“I can imagine. That’s awful.”
“Yes, this last year’s been tough for Austin. Well, it’s been a tough one for all the boys, but I’ll tell you about that later. I don’t know how much he told you in his letters, but he stopped working for a while and even had to sell his land.” Beth eyed Leah. “He’s perked up now with your arrival. I think that you’ll do him the world of good.”
Leah couldn’t help but smile. “What do the rest of your family think about my arrival?”
“They don’t say anything.” Beth patted Leah’s hand. “You’ll meet them all tonight. There’s James, Brock, Hank, Calvin, and Dustin the youngest. We have a younger sister, but she’s not here at the moment. Oh, and Mother, of course. Father’s been gone two years now. He was a judge, and was very well respected in the town. Mother still lives in the same house.”
“Well, it’s very nice of her to have me stay there.”
“Yes, your room is all ready. Don’t worry about a thing.” Beth took a sip of tea. “What did you think when you first saw my brother?”
Leah smiled. “I wasn’t disappointed.”
“I can tell that he wasn’t disappointed with you.” Beth gave a giggle.
“Why has this year been so hard for all your brothers?”
“Brock’s wife died two years ago. It’ll be something he’ll never get over; he hasn’t been the same, he’s always in a bad mood now.”
Leah put her fingers straight to her mouth. “Oh, that’s terrible,” she said, blinking rapidly.
“Yes it wasn’t easy for anyone. They’d been inseparable since they were teens. Her father was the Marshal before Hank, and our father was the judge, as I said. Anyway, they were together all the time, and got married when they were both eighteen. They never had children. I suppose that was a blessing in a way, with her gone now.”
“How did she die? I hope you don’t feel I’m being too nosey, but it’s hard meeting all these new people, and knowing nothing of them.”
“She drowned. She went swimming with friends one day, there was a sudden squall, the water swelled up, and the rising river carried her away. She was found further up the creek two days later.” Beth shook her head.
“So sad.”
Beth nodded. “Then there’s James, he was about to get married, and two days before the wedding, she was gone. James had been writing to her, too, just like you and Austin have been writing to each other. No one saw it coming. James is writing to another lady now, so we might have another wedding soon. It seems his first experience didn’t deter him.”
Leah looked into her tea.
“Victoria, I don’t mind telling you that I was against Austin writing to you, and having you come here to marry him. But now that I’ve met you, it seems right.” Beth put her hand over her ample bosom. “It feels right in my heart.”
Leah looked into Beth’s hazel eyes, which were tearing up. “Thank you, Beth, that’s nice of you to say. I’m glad James’s experience didn’t stop him from trying to find happiness.”
“No one can change James’s mind when he gets it made up about a matter. He’s a determined man. Well, all my brothers are just as determined, probably. Now, before Austin gets back, tell me something of your family.”
Leah coughed and then cleared her throat. “It’s just my mother, father and me. My only brother is abroad. There’s nothing for me back there, and that’s why I wanted to come out here. I’ve been hearing good stories about the opportunities out here.”
Beth nodded, and took a sip of tea.
“I guess it’ll take a while to get used to living here, but it would be harder for those folks trying to make a living on the land, like you and your husband,” Leah said.
Beth stared into her tea, and nodded. “There’s nothing like good honest hard work, and that’s what I’ll be doing as soon as the house is built. I’ll be side by side with Albert on the land.”
“I don’t mind saying that I’m more than a bit nervous about meeting all the family tonight.”
“Oh, nonsense. It will be just fine; you’ll see.”
Leah laughed. “It might not be, though.”
For Leah, things were happening fast. One minute she was lying about who she was to Austin, and the next, she had met his daughter and sister. Soon, she would meet, and be lying to, his family.
She had never been courted, and to think that she had put herself in a position where a man thought she was going to marry him was unthinkable. Leah shrugged, and reminded herself that she wasn’t Victoria, and that she wouldn’t be there when Austin was getting ready to marry her. Leah was living a lie, and as soon as she could figure out where she was going next, she would be gone.
If she asked too many questions, it wouldn’t take Austin long to figure out that she wasn’t Victoria.
“Ready to go to Mother’s then?”
Both women looked up at Austin.
Chapter 4.
Leah was traveling with the man she’d only just met at the station, his sister, and his daughter, to meet his entire family. She reminded herself that she must answer to the name, ‘Victoria.’
“Don’t mention Maude to my mother,” Beth said.
“Maude?” Leah asked. She had hoped that she wouldn’t be asked something she should know. Should she know something of Maude?
“I haven’t told Victoria about Maude yet,” Austin said.
Leah relaxed, and then felt free to ask, “Who’s Maude?”
“Maude is our younger sister. She disappeared six months ago. Ran away with a man, and she’s only sixteen.”
“Oh, no. I won’t mention a thing. Your mother must be worried sick.”
“She’s distraught,” Beth said. “We can’t mention Maude’s name, for she runs out of the room crying.”
Leah nodded. It seemed odd to her that Beth had never mentioned Maude to her when she’d been telling her about the rest of the family. “Do all members in your family get along well together?”
“Mostly,” Beth answered
“Yes, we all get along well. James works with me at the newspaper; he’s a photographer. Brock has taken over Father’s ranch. Hank is the Marshal as you know already, Calvin’s the doctor, and the youngest, Dustin, is still finding his way.”
“That’s quite a lot to remember.” Leah knew that she wouldn’t be around long enough to worry about who was who and what their employment was. She figured she would enjoy their hospitality a couple more days, before she planned her next move.
They traveled to the main street in the town, then around the corner, and down a couple more streets, before Austin stopped the carriage in front of a majestic home.
Leah looked up at the house. “Is this it?”
“Everyone out. This is it,” Austin said. He swept Violet off Beth’s lap. “I’ll hold her while you get out,” he said to Beth. Once Beth was out, he handed Violet back to her, and picked up Leah’s satchel. He laid a soft hand on Leah’s shoulder, and with a comforting smile said, “Are you ready?”
Leah smiled back at him, and, with her hand across her stomach, said, “I don’t think so.”
“Trust me; you’ll be fine. Mother will love you.”
Leah headed toward the house with Austin beside her, and Beth walked in front of her, holding Violet. The front door swung open. An older, small lady stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Her hair was severely pulled back from her face, deep wrinkles were etched into her forehead, and her thin lips curved slightly upwards at the corners. Her eyes were set on Leah.
“Mother, this is Victoria,” Beth said.
“Hello, Victoria. I’m so pleased to meet you at last; do come inside.”
Leah smiled at the woman. “Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Wright. Thank you.” Mrs. Wright looked at her son. Her gaze dropped to Leah’s satchel. “Put that up in Victoria’s room, will you? I’ve put her in the yellow room.” Mrs. Wright fussed over Violet, and took her from Beth.
“No one is here yet then,
Ma?” Beth asked.
“No, but they’ll be here soon enough.” Mrs. Wright looked Leah up and down. “Would you like some iced tea, dear?”
Leah was neither thirsty nor hungry, but thought it would be best to agree to have whatever was on offer. “Yes please, that would be lovely.” Leah was so nervous that she could scarcely breathe as she followed Mrs. Wright and Beth into the kitchen.
“Would you like me to take Violet?” Leah asked Mrs. Wright.
Mrs. Wright nodded, and Leah clapped her hands to the large baby, who put her hands out toward her. “That’s better, she’s getting used to me now.” Leah sat down at the kitchen table, while the two women fixed the tea. She wondered if that’s what the women did around these parts: drank tea and ate all day. She could smell the dinner, and it looked as though Mrs. Wright had done a lot of work toward the evening meal. Leah relaxed for a moment, and thought what it would be like to have a real family, brothers, sisters, and people who cared about her. That was something that she’d never had before.
Just when a cup of tea was placed in front of Leah, Austin came into the kitchen.
“Let me take Violet, so you can drink your tea, Victoria. I’ll take this little lady outside for a walk.” Without waiting for her to reply, Austin scooped Violet up into his arms, and strode outside with her, leaving the three ladies alone in the kitchen.
“How was your train journey, dear?” Mrs. Wright asked.
“It was a little tiring, and someone stole most of my luggage.”
“That’s not good.”
“Austin said to tell James of it tonight, when he comes for dinner,” Leah said.
Mrs. Wright and Beth looked at each other, and smiled.
Mrs. Wright said, “It would be better if you told Hank, he’s the Marshal. James takes photographs.”
“Oh, dear, I did mean Hank. There are so many names to remember.”
“I told Austin that it might be too much for you to meet everybody the first day that you got here,” Beth said.
“Don’t be too hard on him, he wants to show off his new bride,” Mrs. Wright replied. “And he has got a pretty one to show off.”
Leah smiled at Mrs. Wright; she wasn’t nearly as frightening as she first appeared. Everyone was quiet for a while, and Leah wondered if they were thinking about Charlotte, Austin’s late wife.
The conversation over tea was light and easy. Neither of the ladies asked Leah any hard questions, for which she was grateful.
“Come upstairs and I’ll show you where you’re staying, Victoria,” Beth said.
Leah followed Beth upstairs and into the yellow room. On entering the room, it was plain why they called it the yellow room. Yellow and gold wallpaper lined the walls; the bed was covered with a brocade yellow and gold quilt. The furniture was a matching set in carved walnut, with a grand four-poster, matching washstand, and a chest of drawers. Leah sighed. “It’s a beautiful room.”
“I guess it’s okay.”
Leah turned and looked at Beth. “Where do you and your husband stay?”
“We’re on the other side of the house.”
“You must be so excited, having a new house built.”
“It’s taken a long time coming. It’ll be good to get out of this place, but I suppose it’s been nice staying with my mother.”
“Yes, I guess so. Will your mother stay here by herself, in this big house?”
“Oh yes, she’d never leave this place, as there are too many memories.”
Leah liked Beth more the longer she spent time with her. It didn’t sit well with Leah to deceive good people like this; that had never been her intention. She wandered to the window, and looked outside, remembering what Austin had said about his former ranch.
Beth moved to stand beside her. She looked out the window too.
Leah said, “Austin said I could see his old ranch from the window.”
“Yes, that land as far as you can see into the distance, that was his land and he sold it to me. Austin was sad let it go when Charlotte died, but he never was much of a rancher. He’d always preferred to work at the newspaper. He couldn’t do both things, and it was costing too much to pay someone to run it when he wasn’t there.”
Leah walked back over to the bed to unpack her belongings.
“This is all you’ve got with you?” Beth asked.
Leah nodded. “The robbers took everything else.”
“Well, we’ll just have to fix that. We’ll go shopping tomorrow.”
Leah’s hand flew to her neck. “No, I can’t. I mean, I don’t… I just can’t.”
“Don’t worry about anything, a good friend of mine is a seamstress, and she can have a couple of outfits sewn for you in no time. And the price will be right.”
Leah swallowed hard. Beth seemed so insistent, it felt awkward to say no. “I only have a little money left.”
“Don’t worry about the money, Austin will cover it. You will be married to him soon enough anyway.”
“Oh, I don’t think I could - I mean, I could when we’re married, but not until then.”
Beth threw her head back and laughed. “You are very sweet, Victoria. Austin will be more than happy for you to have new clothes. I mean, you must have clothes to wear.”
Leah frowned and looked down at the blue dress she wore. It was serviceable enough, and sturdy. Besides that dress, she had her green Sunday best dress.
“We’ll go first thing tomorrow,” Beth said.
Leah took a deep breath, and said, “Thank you, Beth.”
“I’ll see if Mother needs any help in the kitchen. You come down when you’re ready.”
As soon as Beth was out of the room, Leah flopped onto the bed. She needed some new dresses if she were to fit in with the Wright family, but taking the dresses would be like stealing, since she wasn’t Victoria. It was bad enough to be liar and an impersonator, but now she was about to add theft to her growing list of crimes.
Leah was aware that one lie had grown to many, as she finished packing her last things away. She shrugged off her guilt, and instead enjoyed her surroundings, running her hands over the beautiful, chest of drawers. The Bradburys had some nice furniture like this, but not nearly as fancy. She wondered if she would ever own anything like it.
Why hadn’t Victoria been on the train? Leah wondered. Maybe she’d had secrets of her own, since she hadn’t sent a photograph of herself. Maybe she told Austin lies, and was scared to be found out, and that’s why she hadn’t been on the train. The sound of horses’ hooves near the house drew her to the window. She stood a distance back from the window so she couldn’t be seen, then looking out, saw two carriages pull up and men getting out.
“Austin’s brothers,” she murmured to herself. They all looked similar to Austin. She made her way downstairs. Before long, men surrounded Leah, each one as handsome as the next. She took a deep breath to stop her heart from fluttering. Mrs. Wright introduced her to her sons. Leah tried to remember all the names, but knew she had no hope.
While the men talked between themselves in the living room, Beth followed Mrs. Wright back into the kitchen, and asked if she needed any help.
“You’re still a guest,” Beth insisted, before Mrs. Wright could speak.
Mrs. Wright turned away from the hot stove, and said, “Go outside for a walk in the fresh air.”
“Are you sure you don’t need help?”
Beth shook her head. “Off you go.”
Leah hurried outside past the men in the living room, hoping that they wouldn’t call her to join them.
Chapter 5.
Leah stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, and walked over to the corral where the horses were kept. She watched them, and smiled to herself, wishing she were as free as a horse. Lifting up her dress slightly so it wouldn’t drape over the dirt, she walked closer to the horses. She leaned on the wooden fence, and then a large, black horse wandered over to her. “Hello, boy.” She stretched out her hand to the horse. “I’m
sorry I don’t have any sugar to give you.”
“Sugar’s bad for the horses.”
Leah spun around to see a man who looked very much like Austin. He tipped his hat slightly.
“Hello.” She stared at him, and waited for him to say something else.
“It’s Brock.”
“I’m sorry, Brock. It’ll take me a while to remember everybody’s names.”
“Well, that’s only understandable. I haven’t got that great a memory myself. Now, where did you come from again?”
Leah frowned. Did she know where Victoria came from? “Chicago.” She assumed Victoria must have come from the Chicago area, since she was supposed to be on the same train that Leah had been on.
“And you’ve come to this lovely town to marry my brother?”
“That’s right. Do you live close?” The black horse distracted Leah, as he pushed his nose on her arm. Leah laughed, and stroked his neck.
“This one’s called Night.”
“Hello, Night. You’re a real beauty.” Night lowered his head, and Leah scratched him behind his ears.
“He’ll take that all day. Anyway, to answer your question, I live half an hour away.”
“On a ranch?”
Brock nodded. “Yes, I’m the only one out of the six of us who took to ranching.”
Leah was pleased that he wasn’t the Marshal. This man was asking far too many questions. “Six of you?”
“Six boys in the family, two girls, but I guess you already know that.”
“Yes, I do.” Leah had learned a little from Beth, and thought she’d show off her knowledge. “Six boys and two girls, but Maude’s not here at the moment.”
Leah felt the atmosphere change the moment she mentioned Maude. “Oh, I’m sorry for mentioning Maude. I thought it was only your mother I should be careful of mentioning her in front of.”
“Well.” Brock rubbed his forehead. “I don’t think it’s good to mention her at all. Everyone’s upset about her, but there’s nothing we can do about it, which makes the whole thing worse.”
Mail Order Bride: Deception (Historical Western Romance): Clean Romance Series (Western Mail Order Brides Book 1) Page 3
