She had come to Little River to marry without a hope of love, but God had proved to have other plans. Much better plans.
“Let’s settle down together,” he whispered.
Now, looking into Raymond’s eyes, she knew he was part of God’s plan. And what a good plan it was.
THE END.
The Christmas Orphan
Mail Order Bride
CHRISTIAN MICHAEL
Bianca Cassidy tried to put on a brave face while being offered the condolences of so many people lined up at the receiving line. The shock was only just starting to wear off. As much as she tried to control them, her eyes kept straying to the two large wooden caskets lined up neatly beside each other. Inevitably, her gaze would eventually land on the smaller one next to them.
God, what am I going to do?
“Thank you for coming, Mrs. Casey. I really appreciate it.”
“Oh my dear! You poor thing!” the little rotund woman sniffled into her lace handkerchief. “To lose your family like this!”
Yeah, you’re really not helping me out right now!
But of course, she couldn’t say that out loud. Bianca just nodded and hoped her smile didn’t appear too pinched. She wished it were all over. She was ready to go to her room, shut the door and bury herself under her covers.
An orphan. That’s what I am now. And I don’t even have little Betty anymore. And those two vultures! How dare they just waltz into our house like they own it and think to stay! Oh for shame!
Her aunt, Jessy, and her greedy cow of a husband, Gerald, had moved into her house like they owned it. When her parents were still living Jessy and Gerald wanted nothing to do with them, believing themselves too good to mess with “common folk” like May and Jim. But all that had changed when Papa had been lucky enough to strike a line of gold in the mines just two months ago. Overnight their fortunes had changed and there was now talk of getting an education for Bianca – and a good husband – and raising little Betty up right and in style. Her parents were generous souls who gave to anyone in town who was in need, even when they had little. When they became wealthy, they gave even more generously than before. They were beloved by everyone.
When Jessy and Gerald heard of the news, they had become like flies in honey with Mama and Papa. And the poor souls had swallowed their sap, never questioning why the two vultures were all of a sudden proud to call them family. Bianca knew better. She also knew that Jessy and Gerald would soon try to marry her off to some poor fellow far away so they could keep all the money for themselves. She had heard them talk about it just the night before.
At twenty-one, Bianca knew that she was pretty much on the shelf. When they were poor, no man wanted anything to do with her even though she was widely regarded as a beauty. When they became rich, all the eligible men began to flock to their door. But Bianca refused to let her head turn for some man who was just after her newfound money. She was a practical soul. She knew that they did not truly want her. And as soon as she realized Jessy and Gerald were planning to stay, she had gone to Mama’s hiding place and took the “rainy day” cash that was stored in the little cubby under the floor. She hid it in her bodice and rushed to her bedroom; there she was astonished to find four thousand dollars in her hands. It seemed more than enough to last a lifetime if she was careful with it. She could even live a little lavishly if she saw fit. Bianca had secretively hidden the funds in the bottom of her trunk under some old scraps of paper. No one would ever be the wiser should some be snooping.
Now as she stood with Jessy and Gerald at the funeral, she was glad that she had taken the money when she had. No doubt, the vultures would go through the rest of Mama and Papa’s money in no time at all. And their plans for Bianca surely did not include any mercy or generosity.
I wish they were still here. Oh why did you even have to go to that place, Papa? If you hadn’t, all of you would still be here now.
When Papa had struck gold in the mine that everyone had thought to be useless and dry, he went out and bought it that same day. Since no one knew the value hidden in it, he practically got it for the price of dirt. Then, when he began to mine the gold, the cave’s value had soared and many people desired to buy it from him. Rather than sell, he instead took up position as an overseer of the mines and hired others to do the work for him.
The day Bianca saw him for the last time, he had gone over to speak to the foreman about opening up another cave, connected to his own, that had just been discovered. Mama and Betty had gone with him because they were going to go shopping later for the annual town Fall Picnic and Dance. Bianca had opted to stay home due to a headache.
When she woke up from her noon nap, and discovered no one was home, she decided to go to town herself to join her mother and sister in shopping. On the way, she saw several people milling towards the mines on the edge of town. When she heard the dreaded words “cave in” fall from the lips of several people, she threw caution to the wind and made her horse gallop there in a frenzy.
Everything was still a blur in her mind. The only thing she remembered clearly was seeing Papa, Mama and Betty lying still and lifeless on the ground. Dr. White’s old and cloudy blue eyes filled with tears when he saw her. Bianca did not scream or cry. She slowly and unsteadily made her way over to her family. She sank to the ground, placing her head and arms on Papa’s chest for the last time. She laid there until the undertaker came to take them away.
Now here I am, alone, without a clue of what to do.
The funeral ended and the crowds made their out. The bodies of Mama, Papa, and little Betty had all been laid to rest in their graves. Bianca was back home, in her room while the Vultures were downstairs. She slowly pulled off her clothes and dressed in her regular woolen dress and stockings before getting into bed. She needed to sleep. When she woke, she would face her future again.
That evening, Jessy, Gerald and Bianca all sat down for dinner. Jessy rang the bell for the servants to bring in the food. It was an aspect of life Bianca was not used to. Even after they had money, the family still preferred to live humbly. Mama had hired a maid to help her cook and clean but she had also done a lot of the work herself. And she continued to serve the food to her family by herself as she had always done. Jessy though, loved to play Lady of the Manor. She lorded herself over the maids and demanded that they wait on her and serve her. Gerald had already set plans in motion for a contractor to come and discuss building a grand home for them because he absolutely refused to live in the “hovel” that Papa had built with his own hands, any longer than necessary.
Over dinner, Jessy pushed some ads under Bianca’s nose.
“Here, Be-Be dear. Take a look at these. Gerald and I think it is high time you are married. Why, you are twenty-one now – almost twenty-two! You are an old maid and no one here wants to marry you – trust me, we asked – you’re too old for their tastes.”
Bianca nodded silently. She refused to rise to Jessy’s baits. What was the use anyway? The two of them desperately wanted rid of her and marriage would be the most logical method to make it happen. As Bianca perused the ads, she saw that they were all for mail-order brides.
It’s not enough that I be married, they want to ship me across the country?
“We hired an agent to help you select a man,” Gerald said as he wiped his chin of gravy. “He will be here tomorrow.”
Select a man? As if I am choosing a horse?
“You should be grateful girl,” he we went on. “We’re settling quite a sum on you – one hundred dollars, in fact – so that, if you’re lucky, your age won’t be too much of a deterrent.”
If you’re lucky, you mean? If I am out of the way, and some other man’s property and burden, you will have your hands all over Papa’s money after all.
Bianca smiled calmly, but inside she was seething.
“When will this agent be coming by?”
“He will be here tomorrow morning” was Jessy replied.
“Then, if you will ex
cuse me,” Bianca said, pushing away her plate. “I will like to get an early night and go through these ads before he is to arrive.”
Mr. Renault, a wiry man, appeared at the front door at the stroke of nine the next morning. Bianca swallowed her nervousness and rose from the settee to greet the man as he was shown in by one of the new servants. She waited patiently while Jessy gushed over the man before inviting him to take a seat.
“Now, Ms. Bianca, your aunt here tells me you want to be a mail-order bride on the frontier. That’s very courageous of you. Very courageous. We need young women like you to stand up with those brave men to settle the new lands we have acquired. ‘From sea to shining sea’ indeed!”
Bianca smiled politely and murmured what she hoped sounded like an agreement.
“Yes,” Mr. Renault coughed into his palm, “let’s begin then, shall we?”
As he spoke, the man began to place several small photographs on the table, explaining a little about each man: where they were, what they did, and what kind of woman they were looking for and so on.
Many of the men were downright unpleasant to look at. Even through the black and white photos it seemed like some of them had never seen bathwater in their lives! Others were old enough to be her father or worse, grandfather. There was even one family looking for a young bride for their seventeen-year-old son! There were only three men in the stack of some fifty photos that were even mildly attractive. Of the three, only one, at twenty-seven, was close to her age, and that was the man she chose. His name was Jonah Cassidy.
At least I won’t have to change my last name. I will always be Bianca Cassidy.
But there was no other term for the entire charade. It was a business transaction pure and simple. The man was willing to pay one hundred and twenty-five dollars for a suitable bride – according to the agent’s discretion – to be paid to the family of the bride for the “loss of their daughter”. The agent would be paid the hundred dollars that was to be her “dowry” and Jonah Cassidy would gain a wife.
And, dear Lord in heaven, I have gained – perhaps “been saddled with” would be more appropriate – a husband.
Jessy told the agent that Bianca would be ready to leave in two days’ time and would arrive in Louisiana in two weeks.
Two days? Is that all the time I have left?
The two days flew by in a whirl. Bianca packed everything she wanted to keep in her trunk, including a doll that belonged to Betty, and May’s porcelain hair combs, an anniversary present from Jim, which she had gifted to Bianca on her eighteenth birthday. She also took Jim’s Bible; it was old and worn and well loved. He had read from it, for them, every night after dinner and had counseled the family on how to live according to it.
Jessy had refused to allow her to buy a few new articles of clothing, stating it was a waste of precious money. Apparently though that thought had obviously not crossed her mind when she bought a small hat with ostrich plumes on it that very morning for an exorbitant amount of money. Bianca was instead left to mend some of her old and torn petticoats by the light of a candle.
She now regretted putting off buying new clothes when May had told her to. At that time, what she had suited her just fine. But Bianca found herself wanting to look extra nice and special when she met her new husband-to-be in the hopes that this match, which in her mind began as a business transaction, would become much more meaningful. She found some old clothes in May’s trunk that fit her and decided to take them because, if they were altered properly, they would look almost new and fashionable.
Friday came and Jessy and Gerald loaded Bianca onto the train with as much tender loving care as they would show a sack of potatoes. Luckily some of her neighbors and friends were there on hand to treat her caringly. Wishing her all of the best, they stuffed her hands with as many tiny packages of food as she could carry. Bianca hugged everyone, even Ms. Casey, with genuine warmth. She was really going to miss them. When the whistle blew the warning signal, Bianca boarded the train with a little anxiety in her heart. She knew she was saying good-bye to a part of her life for the last time. It was time to begin a new chapter in her life.
Two weeks later, Bianca arrived in Louisiana. She had altered the last of her mother’s dresses the day before on the train and now sat in a soft pink crinoline gown, waiting for the train to come to a stop. As passengers got off the train, she took the time to look around at the little depot and the people milling about. Some were shopping in the stores; men were coming out of saloons with bottles and pipes in hand. There was a tiny white dog yapping after the heels of a little girl trailing behind her parents and sipping on the new novelty, ice cones. As she took in the sights and sounds, her eyes came to rest on a man standing at the docking station looking over every woman that came off the train.
Jonah Cassidy.
My, he is handsome. I rather like that stubble on his jaw, makes him look quite masculine.
He had broad shoulders and powerful legs. When he paced around the dock his legs ate up the breadth of it in long easy strides. His face was all angular lines and harsh planes, as if he didn’t smile much, but there was still a beauty to it she could not describe. With a deep breath, Bianca got up and walked off the train. Jonah saw her almost immediately. She nodded to him as he came her way.
“Madam Bianca?” he asked. When she nodded again, he let out a breath of air and held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you ma’am. Thank you for answering my ad. I am glad you are finally here.”
Bianca smiled at him and greeted him with kindness in her eyes.
Well at least he is nice. Thank you, Jesus!
He showed her to his carriage and then went back to the ticket master to collect her bags. After they were loaded on the back of the cart, he climbed in beside her. With his powerful frame next to her and his strangely unique scent surrounding her, Bianca suddenly found it quite difficult to breathe.
In through the nose and out through the mouth, Bianca, it’s not that hard.
As he drove, Jonah pointed out the sights around town. The low rumble of his voice made her tingle all over and she couldn’t fully focus on what he was saying.
Jonah, for his part was also having difficulty talking. He was usually not one to ramble but he couldn’t seem to help himself around Bianca. She was beautiful, not at all what he expected. He had seen other mail-order brides and they were usually the kind of women, at least in these parts, who could not get a man any other way.
She’s just another pretty face, Old Man. Calm down. You don’t need to go around being attracted to her. She’s just supposed to be a wife, someone to help you around the house, nothing more, and nothing less. Keep it professional. Yes. Professional.
When Jonah’s voice trailed off into silence, Bianca heaved a silent sigh of relief. At least now she only had to focus on breathing without also having to provide responses to what the man was saying! But honestly, she was grateful she was attracted to him. Maybe there was an opportunity to make this into a real marriage, at least based on friendship if not love.
They went straight to the church where the local reverend awaited them. Before she could really take it in, she was repeating her vows to a total stranger as he was to her. And then it was done. They were married. She was a wife. She had expected it, of course. Mr. Renault had explained to her that they would be married the same day she arrived (after all, a single man and a single woman cannot live together without a chaperone). Still, she had hoped for a little more something. She wasn’t sure what, exactly.
On the drive home, she realized that Jonah might expect to consummate their vows that very night. Bianca began to panic inwardly. No one had told her what to expect on her wedding night. She had completely forgotten to ask about it.
Not that Jessy would have helped but maybe I could have asked Ms. Casey or something!
When they arrived at Jonah’s sprawling ranch a little while later, Bianca was stiff with worry and fear. She had no idea what she was to do. Jonah helped her out of
the coach and she waited patiently as he took down her bags and trunk. But instead of heading to the front door, he walked around the house altogether. Curious, Bianca followed him. While he headed for a little cottage behind the main house, she became even more confused.
Jonah set Bianca’s bags down on the porch and opened the door before carrying everything in. When he emerged from the bedroom, he handed Bianca the key and showed her where the kitchen and the connected outhouse were. He led her through the dining nook and past what appeared to be a study, to the bedroom he had just emerged from a few minutes earlier. When he ascertained that she was comfortable with her surroundings, he told her that if she needed anything, she could find him on the grounds or in the main house.
“But,” she stammered, “Aren’t you going to stay here with me?”
“No, ma’am. I will be in my house. This cottage is for you.”
“Forgive me, but I am confused. Why are we living separately? I thought the point of getting married today was to live together in proper manner.”
“Did the agent not explain to you why I needed a wife, Ms. Bianca?”
Dumbly, she just shook her head.
Jonah sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. I should have expected that I guess. A pretty thing like this probably has her heart set on love and a fantasy.
“Darling, I don’t need a wife to be a wife. What I really need is a cook and housekeeper, to put it to you straight. We are married officially to give the proper appearance to everyone. I don’t want someone temporary because they all leave way too soon. The best solution for me was to find a wife.”
“Oh,” Bianca said softly. “Mr. Renault only mentioned that you needed a wife, nothing more than that. Thank you for making the situation clear. In that case thank you for the separate living quarters. I am sure we can make out alright now that I know what you are expecting from me.”
[2016] A Bride's Journey Page 47
