Maddie suddenly asked in the middle of their game. Trinity involuntarily looked up at the clock that was on the mantle. It hadn’t been that long since breakfast, and Maddie had hardly touched hers.
“Not for some time, Sweetheart, but you just had your breakfast. Why don’t you go play in your room for a while? I am going to see how the back fields are holding up to all of this rain.”
Emmett groaned as he stood, and exclaimed that he was becoming too old to play dolls.
Maddie stamped her foot on the floor and put her hands on her hips.
“No! You will never get too old to play dolls with me. Never! Can I go with you?”
Emmett laughed and looked out the window.
“I don’t know, Darling, It’s pretty wet.”
“Please? Please Daddy? Please Please Please?”
“Oh, all right. I am going to walk the whole back way… are you sure you want to?”
“Yes!”
“All right then, we’ll only be gone an hour or two, Trinity. When we get back we can start dinner. What do you say?”
Trinity looked up from the project she held in her hands and nodded. She wondered if Emmett even realized nobody had asked her if she wanted to join them. Maddie whooped and ran to get her things on, and Emmett pulled on his jacket. They both bid Trinity a good morning, and headed out the door.
Trinity rose from her spot and walked over to the window, looking out to see if she could find them. Maddie was chasing after her father, jumping in the puddles as she did. Trinity laughed to herself. That little girl was awfully cute. Part of her wished she was out there with them, but that feeling that told her she didn’t belong crept back up.
With a sigh, Trinity walked back to her room and grabbed the letter. She was going to leave it on the counter for them to find when they got back. By then, she would be well on her way to town, if not on the stage already. Trinity gathered her things, buttoned her coat, and made sure the note was where they would find it.
Then, with one final look about the house, she took a long breath in and let it out again slowly, and she left.
Chapter 8 – Coming Home
The rain started again before Trinity made it to town. She hoped it wasn’t raining enough back at the house to make Emmett and Maddie come back early. Trinity wanted to get a good start before they got back. She didn’t have much to carry, Trinity only took a couple of dresses to begin with, and the only thing she really wanted to keep was the glass figure Emmett had purchased for her the day she had arrived.
The stage was in and out of town often enough, Trinity knew it wouldn’t be hard to find a ride today. If she had gotten enough of a head start, she may even be to the next town before they found out where she had gone. It wasn’t that Trinity wanted to run away from them, but she didn’t’ want them to feel badly about her leaving.
It really wasn’t anything they had done. It was the fact she didn’t feel she belonged anywhere, and that was something she explained right in the letter she had left. Trinity hoped they would understand, and that they wouldn’t blame themselves. She had even left her address in case they wanted to write to her when she got back.
All in all, Trinity didn’t feel good about what she was doing, but she felt worse about staying. She wanted to be where she felt she belonged, and she didn’t here. At least back home in the church she felt like she had a place, even though it wasn’t a place she liked. A place was a place, and that was all that mattered to her.
Trinity purchased a ticket for the next stage that was coming through. It was set to run through in an hour, so she had some time to wait. Trinity pulled her bag over to the side of the platform, and sat down. If they took their time on their walk, she should be getting on the stagecoach about the same time they were getting back inside. All in all, it would be perfect timing.
When they got to town, she would be gone, and things would all go back to the way they had always been before. Trinity ignored that gnawing feeling inside of her that told her she was making a mistake, and with resolve in her posture, she sat tall, waiting for the stage to arrive.
As she sat there, Trinity couldn’t help but notice the emptiness that filled her heart. She didn’t know why, but there was something that felt like it was missing. She had never noticed this feeling before, and wondered if she had always felt this way without even realizing it. It wasn’t really a pain, but more of a dullness that was in her chest.
She sighed, hoping it would go away, but it didn’t.
As the minutes passed, it got worse, and for the first time in a long time, Trinity thought she was going to miss them. She wondered if she was making a mistake, but shrugged off the feeling, telling herself she was just nervous for the journey.
Suddenly, Trinity thought she heard something.
It wasn’t the stagecoach.
It was her name. Someone was calling her name.
Trinity rose, and turned around. There, running up the road as quickly as she could, was little Maddie. Emmett wasn’t far behind. They both looked worried, and Trinity could see that Maddie had been crying.
Maddie threw her arms around Trinity as soon as she reached her, sobbing into her shoulder.
“Don’t go, Trinity! Please don’t!”
Trinity held her, but stood up when Emmett reached her.
“Emmett… what’s all this about? Didn’t you see my letter?”
“I did, and I came as quickly as I could. Trinity… do you really think we don’t want you there?”
Trinity didn’t know what to say. She had felt that way, but she didn’t know why. They hadn’t done anything to make her feel that way. She nodded, then shook her head.
“It’s not that you did anything, Emmett… It’s just that I don’t belong. I have never had a family. I have never had a mother or a father, or any brothers or sisters. I don’t belong in one. You have each other, and it is wonderful, but you don’t need me.”
There were tears in her eyes as she spoke, and Emmett reached out and pulled her close, with Maddie in between them.
“Trinity. You have meant more to me than anyone has in years. And Maddie, too. You are the mother and the wife that I needed, and everything to Maddie. I know it can be hard, but I can’t just let you go. I need you. Maddie needs you. I love you, Trinity.”
“I love you, too!”
Maddie was still crying into Trinity’s dress, and at that moment, something came over her. She felt that wall that she held in her heart melt away. It was a new feeling… one she never experienced before. It felt as though a burden had been lifted, yet all of her emotions came out all at once.
Trinity burst into tears, and let Emmett hold her.
“You guys really want me to stay?”
“More than anything!”
Maddie chimed up in her shrill voice.
“More than anything. Please stay.”
Emmett whispered the words in her ear, and for the first time in her life, Trinity felt loved. She felt like she truly belonged here, and she felt she needed these two as much as they needed her.
For the first time in her entire life, Trinity had found her family.
THE END.
The Wondering Bride
Mail Order Bride
CHRISTIAN MICHAEL
Chapter 1 – Broken Dreams
“I said it before, and I am going to say it again, but this is the last time! A woman’s place is at home and in the kitchen, and that is where you are going to be!”
“I get my work done, and I make sure everything is ready on time, I just want to go to the library for a few things, then I will be home!”
“Amelia! I will not have this, you are going to stay here, and that is the end of it!”
The door slammed, and Amelia flung herself onto the chair by the table. It wasn’t unusual for her to fight with her step father, for they had never gotten along. Amelia’s mother had married the man when Amelie was eleven years old, and since that time, she had clashed with him and his wishes.
Her mother had passes away when Amelia was fifteen, and it had been just her and her step father ever since. She hoped after her mother had passed that things would be better for her and her dad, but they only seemed to get worse. The older Amelia got, the more he wanted her to be home and working in the kitchen.
When Amelia turned nineteen, she hoped her step father would allow her to attend the academy in town. It was one of the only academies in all of Georgia that allowed women, and Amelia felt it was an opportunity for her to better herself, and maybe get to travel.
But Toby, her step father, was clear on his point of view. He wanted her home, at all times. She could go down to the general store and fetch the things they needed for dinner, or she might walk up in the back pasture when her things were done, but she wasn’t going to any academies, she wasn’t going to the library, and she certainly wasn’t going to be out meeting young men in the town.
And so the fights ensued. When she was younger, Amelia’s mother was the one who kept Toby busy. She would often cook and clean, and mind the house while he was down at the saloon passing the day away. She taught Amelia to cook and clean, and how to mind the house, but she never told Amelia when she should find her own house.
At the time, Amelia never gave it a lot of thought. She was happy there with her mother most of the time, as long as she stayed out of Toby’s way. The few times their paths did cross in a day, it was usually short and sweet, and Amelia would get back to her schooling and her chores.
Then Amelia finished her school, but instead of moving on to apprentice with one of the other women in town, she took care of her mother, who had fallen sick with Scarlet Fever. In spite of all the care and tears Amelia cast for her mother, the sickness won out and she was left alone with Toby.
Toby hadn’t been around for her mother when she was ill, and Amelia partially blamed him for her passing. If he had spent more of his money on medicine and more of his time with her mother, she may have been able to recover, but as it happened, her mother had to suffer with the little things Amelia was able to make for her, but never with any real medication.
Amelia had begged Toby to allow her to send for the doctor, but he had refused. Time and time again he told her the doctor wasn’t any good, and he was only going to take the little money they had. There would be no sense in hiring a doctor to do what Amelia was able to do without one, so they never sent for one.
The years after her mother passes were rough for Amelia. She was in the home whenever Toby was home, doing the things that he required of her to do. She would cook and clean, and mend the clothing. If there were errands to run, she would do them, and if a guest were to be coming for dinner, it was Amelia’s job to purchase and make the food.
She had little time to herself, but even the time that she did have Toby controlled. He didn’t allow her to go anywhere. If there was a chance she may meet someone and fall in love, he didn’t allow her to attend, even if he would also be present. She wasn’t allowed to go to any of the parties, and going about town except for errands was strictly forbidden.
Now, as Amelia sat on the chair in the kitchen, she felt as though she had reached her breaking point. Enough was enough, and this was getting to be unbearable. There were times when she considered going to the sheriff, but she knew she couldn’t prove anything, and she felt she would likely get in more trouble with Toby if she did.
She begged him to go to church with her, but as the weeks passed, he not only refused, but he tried to keep her from going as well. Amelia knew it couldn’t go on like this forever. She had to do something.
She had already given up on her dreams, her hopes, and any of the plans she ever had for the future. She forgot what it was like to be happy, and whenever she thought of the things she wanted, an overwhelming sadness fell over her that took hours or even days to shake.
As she sat there with her head in her hands, she let the tears fall. She prayed to God that something would change for her, and soon. She couldn’t stay a prisoner in this house forever, she just couldn’t.
Something had to change, and soon.
Chapter 2 – The Lost Biscuits
“Where are the biscuits? Amelia!”
Amelia jumped at the sudden shout in the kitchen. She had been spending the past few days trying to get on Toby’s good side, but to little avail. She had spent all of the money she saved on his favorite foods… jerky, nuts, and those little dried fruits the general store had every now and then… and she had been certain to get all of the chores done before he got home.
Toby liked it best when the work was done when he wasn’t around. He wanted to wake up to breakfast on the table, and leave the work at home as he went about town. When he returned, he expected dinner to be waiting for him, with all of the other chores in the house done.
Amelia remembered how her mother had always worked so hard to make it happen, and how many nights she had failed. There was simply too much to do in their large house. There were the chickens in the back of the house to tend to, the milk cow and the horse in the stable, and there was the cooking and the cleaning to do inside.
Back in the olden days, there had been a handful of servants that did all the work for the master of the house, or at least that is what Toby had told them. Amelia often wondered how old Toby had managed to get such a fine house when he didn’t work much.
As a child she had foolishly asked him how it had happened, and he had become very angry with her. He told her that it was his house and she ought to be grateful she got to live in it, and never mind asking the questions of where it came from. Amelia never asked another question after that.
Her mother never mentioned whether or not she knew, nor would she answer if Amelia asked her why she married such a hard man. All in all, Amelia had to live her life as it was, and never wonder if there was something better out there.
Now, her heart pounded in her chest as she hurried down the hall to the kitchen. She had been certain she had made the biscuits. That was the first thing she had done the afternoon before. Where could they have gone?
“I made a whole mess of them and left them in the basket on the window.”
Amelia was already explaining herself before she got to the kitchen. She knew if she didn’t start early, he would do all of the yelling, and she wouldn’t be able to get a word in edgewise. Toby’s face was red, and he had bulges in his forehead and neck from where his veins were.
Amelia looked around the kitchen, trying to remember what she had done with the biscuits.
“You left them on the window did you? On the window?! How many times must I tell you never to leave the things on the window!? There are way too many quick fingers in this neighborhood for that, you stupid girl! Look there!”
Toby pointed out the window, and Amelia leaned over the sill to look out into the yard. There, on the ground, was the basket. There were a couple of biscuits on the grass where the thief had dropped them in his haste, but the rest of them were gone.
“I’m sorry, I thought that since I was home I would hear someone coming over the fence.”
Amelia’s voice was small. It was true, he had told her not to leave the food there on more than once occasion, but Amelia never thought that this would really happen. She was now backing to the door, hoping to avoid the lecture she knew was about to come down on her.
“You get out of this house right now, and you go straight down to the bakers! I want you to get one… no… two dozen biscuits! You go down there and you purchase those biscuits with your own money, and you get back here by four o’clock, do you understand me?!”
Toby was still yelling, and the louder he got, the redder his face got. Amelia nodded, her own face pale, and she hurried out into the street. She was in such a hurry she didn’t even put on her bonnet, and the sun beat down on her head. The dust was blowing the dry ground, and it settled in her eyes.
Amelia was always a young woman of pride, she never wanted to be seen by anyone in anything less than her best, and
she now felt more embarrassed than she could describe. Her face was red with shame, feeling the stares of the other people on the street.
They all knew her step father, and many of them respected the man. They were ashamed of her for his sake, and this sight only solidified in their minds how she was. Amelia wanted to hide in the trees she passed, but she was on a mission. The time she had to be home was fast approaching, and she didn’t want to endure the wrath of Toby for being late on top of losing the biscuits.
Amelia hurried at the baker’s, and tapped her foot impatiently as the baker went to the back to fill a basket with biscuits for her.
There’s got to be more to life than all of this. This can’t be it. I’m too young for this sort of thing. I just know it.
A flood of emotions swept over her, and she felt tight in her chest. For the first time in a long time, Amelia felt something different than resignation. As she stood there, watching the doors gently swing back and forth from the baker passing through them, she realized if something was going to happen, she had to do it herself.
Life wasn’t a pile of flowers blown by the wind, and she didn’t want to end up the same way her mother had. She wasn’t going to stand for this any longer. She was going to make a change.
Amelia decided she was going to run away.
Chapter 3 – The Paper on the Wall
The baker seemed to take an eternity to get the biscuits in the basket and bring them out to her. It was getting to the point Amelia was about ready to leave without them. The only thing that kept her there was the fact she would have to deal with Toby when she got home.
He is going to be mad enough I was gone so long, I hardly dare show up again without his biscuits, or I will really be in for it.
Finally, the baker reappeared, with the basket heaping over with hot biscuits.
“I thought I would wait a few minutes to pull the fresh ones out of the fire. What do you think?”
[2016] A Bride's Journey Page 52
