Mail Order Bride: JUMBO Mail Order Bride 20 Book Box Set

by Hope Sinclair

  “Sure enough they were,” Patty answered. “Not all of them, mind you. But, I wasn’t able to account for a good number of articles. They weren’t in her hamper. Nor were they in her drawers or closet.”

  “How strange,” Anna said. “Which girl are you talking about anyway?”

  “Caroline,” Patty said with another loud sigh.

  The women were silent for a moment.

  “The flighty one,” Patty clarified. “The one who always has her head in the clouds.”

  Again, there was a moment of silence.

  “The prettier one,” Patty added.

  “Ah, alright,” Anna responded. Apparently, that last piece of “information” was what she needed to know who was who and tell the Walked sisters apart.

  Sarah and Caroline were twins—and, generally speaking, they were identical. They both had the same big glue eyes; the same full, voluminous mops of chestnut hair; the same long, slender noses; and the same pouty pink lips. Their bodies were roughly the same size too, and their clothing and shoe measurements were equal.

  But, despite being basically identical, the twins were each very different. As Patty had so coldly noted, they had different personalities, dispositions, and interests; and, they each carried themselves, and cared for themselves, in distinct ways.

  Sarah was a bit shier and typically kept to herself. Truth be told, she preferred the company of the fictional characters in her books to the company of real people, and often had a hard time communicating effectively, or getting along, with others.

  Caroline, on the other hand, was what you could call a “social butterfly.” She had many friends and was very outgoing, and she hadn’t “wasted” her time with books since she’d been required to do so in school.

  The girls’ behavior was the biggest thing that distinguished them. But, so, too, did their personal grooming, clothing choices, and total appearance. Sarah always pulled her chestnut hair into a tight bun; whereas Caroline let hers hang free or, on occasion, put it in a ponytail.

  Sarah usually wore loose, dark-colored clothing that covered as much of her body as possible. Caroline, however, preferred more fitted garments and was not afraid to let the lower part of her arms—or legs—show. She tended to dress in lighter shades, and, over the years, had acquired a number of vibrant, colorful items brought back to her by her parents, as gifts from their travels.

  All told, these numerous differences made the identical twins not completely identical. And, though it pained Sarah to admit it, all things considered, what Patty had just said about Caroline being “the prettier one” was true and was, for the most part, a commonly held perspective. For years, Sarah had felt considerably “less than” as compared to her sister, so far as looks were concerned, and Caroline had garnered much more attention, and favor, because of her more pleasing appearance.

  But, no matter. Patty’s observation was salt on Sarah’s wounds, but it was the least of Sarah’s concerns at this particular moment. She was far more concerned with the other things Patty had just said—the things about Caroline’s clothes being unaccounted for, and her concerns that Caroline was “up to something.”

  Over the past few months, and especially over the past few weeks, Sarah had noticed Caroline acting strangely at times, and had had her own concerns as per what she was up to. And, now, with this new piece of information she’d overheard Patty sharing, she had even more cause to worry and be suspicious. The missing clothes, like the snack Sarah had wanted to acquire only moments earlier, were like the icing on a cake—and, Sarah wanted to dig in and get to the heart of the matter.

  Saran turned and left the housemaids to their conversation. She went back to her room, put her book away, and, then, left her room again shortly thereafter… to find her sister.

  TWO

  “What are you doing here?” Caroline asked in a mocking, patronizing voice. “Shouldn’t you be at home reading your stories?”

  “Stop it,” Sarah replied, shaking her head and furrowing her brow. “I need to talk to you. It’s very important.”

  “Whatever it is, it can wait until we’re back at home,” Caroline retorted. “I’m spending the afternoon with Amy and her son Jacob—and, I won’t let you, or whatever it is you want to talk about, spoil our enjoyment.”

  This exchange took place on a busy town street, in the sunny afternoon hours. Caroline had met up with her friend Amy to help the new mother with her shopping, as Amy was not yet accustomed to conducting errands with the 4-month old babe along.

  “No. I need to talk to you now,” Sarah said firmly. She glanced over at the baby and couldn’t help but smile. Sarah longed to have children herself one day. But, as she looked at the infant, she thought of what Patty had said earlier, and she feared that, for her, that day might never come.

  “Not now,” Caroline barked.

  “Yes, now,” Sarah barked back.

  Caroline was just about to say something else, when Sarah leaned closer. “I know about your clothes,” Sarah whispered. “I know that they’re missing… And, I know that you’re up to something.”

  Caroline took a deep breath and turned to her friend “If you’ll excuse us for a moment,” she said, “we have to go discuss something. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Amy smiled, nodded, and cooed at her son, and Caroline walked off in the other direction, gesturing for Sarah to follow.

  “Whatever you think you know,” Caroline said once the two of them were out of Amy’s earshot, “you know nothing.”

  “Then tell me,” Sarah demanded. “And, if you don’t, I’ll talk with Patty and tell her I’m suspicious of your behavior. Then, no doubt, she’ll keep on you like a dog on a bone—and, whatever it is you’re trying to do, rest assured, you will not accomplish it.”

  Caroline bit her lip and looked at the people, places, and things on the street around her. She considered lying to her sister for a moment, but, in the end, decided against it. Though the two girls regularly had differences in opinion and occasionally fought, they were, at the bottom line, best friends—and, beyond the honesty that Caroline owed Sarah, Caroline also knew that, should she lie to Sarah, Sarah would see right through it.

  “Very well,” Caroline sighed, defeated. “I’ll tell you. But you better not breathe a word of it to anyone—especially Patty.”

  Sarah nodded in the affirmative and waited for Caroline to continue.

  “I’ve met someone,” Caroline said, after a moment’s pause. “And, we’re going to get married.”

  “What?” Sarah asked, widening her eyes. She hadn’t known what to expect, as far as her sister’s explanation—but, whatever she’d expected, it certainly wasn’t this.

  “His name is Russel Meyer,” Caroline went on. “He’s 27 years old, and is a rancher… in the settlement of Green Bush, outside of Parks, Arizona.”

  “Arizona?” Sarah asked as her jaw dropped. “But, how on earth did you meet someone from Arizona?”

  “I haven’t met him in person yet,” Caroline clarified.

  “But, we’ve been communicating via letters these past six months. And, about two months ago, he proposed marriage to me—and I accepted.”

  Sarah narrowed her eyes and looked at her sister inquisitively.

  “Remember Alice Janson?” Caroline asked.

  Sarah nodded her head. Alice had gone to school with the twins and was one of their marginal friends. She’d gone out west to marry a “rich” man many months ago... six months ago, in fact.

  “Well, Alice didn’t go around telling everyone her secret,” Caroline continued. “But she met her husband through a periodical—the Matrimonial Gazette, to be exact. It’s a mail-order bride newspaper that aims to help unmarried men in the New West to find brides.”

  Sarah shook her head in confusion. “I, I—,” she stared.

  “I don’t understand.”

  Caroline sighed. “Okay,” she said, trying to speak patiently, though she sounded anything but. “The Matrimoni
al Gazette publishes advertisements, mostly placed by—”

  “No, no,” Sarah interrupted. “I understand about the periodical. But, what I don’t understand is why you turned to it.”

  Indeed, Sarah had good reason to wonder. As already described, Caroline was very attractive and very social, despite her flightiness and other flaws, and Sarah couldn’t understand why she would need, or want, to use a mail-order catalog to find a spouse.

  “At first, I looked at it just out of curiosity,” Caroline replied. “Or, perhaps, I looked at it for a lark. I wasn’t all that serious about it, and I just wanted to see what types of advertisements it contained. But, then, I saw Russel Meyer’s ad. It moved me, and I felt compelled to write to him.

  “I know that, in time, I could find a man here in Philadelphia to marry. Mother has already hinted that Father’s new associate, Leonard White, is sweet on me. But, I don’t want to marry Leonard—or anyone like him. He’s far too uptight and business focused, and he’s a bit of a fuddy-duddy.

  “But, let’s face it, if Mother and Father have a say in my marriage, that’s precisely the type of man I’d end up with. And, then, I’d be miserable, and my life would not be full.”

  Sarah stood by and tried to process everything that Caroline had just said. While she believed that Caroline was overreacting a bit, she also couldn’t help but see her twin’s valid point. She, too, knew that her parents would insist upon having a say in either of their marriage plans—and she knew that, if they did, they’d both end up with stern businessmen, like Leonard and their father.

  “I could live a very full, very happy like with Russel, however,” Caroline went on. “In his advertisement, he said he liked adventure and travel, and that he was looking for a free-spirited woman to share his blessings with and discover life’s mysteries. So, I wrote to him. And, he wrote back.

  “In sum, I learned a great deal about him over these past several months, and I’ve fallen head-over-heels in love with him. I know that he’ll be a great husband, and he’ll encourage my interests, rather than trying to subdue them… like Leonard would.”

  Caroline reached into her pocket and carefully extracted something from her pocket, which she then, reluctantly, handed to Sarah. Sarah took the object and glanced down at it. It was a photograph and of a very attractive man.

  “That’s my Russel,” Caroline said with a dreamy sigh.

  “You might not be able to tell from the photo, but he has the most beautiful baby blue eyes.”

  Sarah more closely examined the photograph—and Russel’s eyes, in particular—and, then, handed it back to Caroline. “He’s very handsome,” she said out of courtesy as much as honesty.

  Caroline placed the photograph back in her pocket, just as carefully as she’d removed it.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about any of this earlier,” she said, leaning closer toward Sarah. “I don’t like keeping secrets from you. But, I had to keep my lips sealed about this for as long as possible, so that nothing would happen to interfere with my plans.”

  “And, what are your plans?” Sarah asked.

  Caroline bit her lip again and took pause before she continued.

  “I’m leaving for Arizona… in two days,” she said.

  “Two days?” Sarah asked, astounded.

  “Yes,” Caroline confirmed. She bowed her head and looked away from her sister. “I was going to leave you a letter explaining everything,” she added. “Though, now, I guess that’s no longer necessary… And, I guess I no longer need to leave one for Patty either, since you can tell her about Russel once I’m gone.”

  “But what about Mother and Father?” Sarah asked. She already knew how Caroline would respond, but she asked the question nevertheless, to buy herself some time.

  “Mother and Father?” Caroline asked with a snivel of laughter. “They’re barely ever in Philadelphia anymore these days, and I doubt they’d even notice I was gone until they had some need for me or wanted to show me off to their persnickety friends… But, in any event, I figured you and Patty would fill them in on the details when they return from England. And, perhaps, I’ll write to them once I’m settled in in Arizona.”

  “Once you’re settled in?” Sarah repeated, changing topics slightly so as to buy herself even more time. She could tell from the way that Caroline was talking that this conversation was soon to close.

  “The way I see it,” Sarah went on, “it’ll take you ages to settle in. You know nothing about living life on your own, let alone being a wife. You’ve never done a single chore in your life, and you’ve never prepared a meal. Plus, you aren’t familiar with the climate in the west. From what I’ve read, it is very hot there, year-round, and it’s a dry heat, the kind that—”

  “I don’t care what you’ve read about western weather,” Caroline interjected. “And, I don’t care to hear your opinions on how prepared—or unprepared—you think I am for married life. Russel and I are deeply in love with each other, and that’s all that matters to either of us at this point.

  “And, you, my dear sister, should be happy for me rather than giving me guff. You should be happy that I’ve found a man who will make my life complete, and that I’ve found a way out of the boring, monotonous life we live here.”

  Sarah took a deep breath and sighed, and, just then, Caroline’s friend Amy returned to the scene. Her baby was crying, and she looked at the sisters expectantly.

  “I should get back to Amy and Jacob now,” Caroline said, appraising the situation. “He looks fussy, and she might need me to look after her things or complete her errands as she cares for him.”

  “Very well,” Sarah replied. There was a great deal more she wanted to say, but she understood that the innocent infant’s needs came first.

  Caroline turned and started walking toward Amy, but, then, she stopped and went back to her sister to say one more thing.

  “I know that this is a lot of new information to bear,” Caroline said calmly and as politely as she could. “But, please, bear it with grace—and, I beg of you, keep it to yourself. Don’t tell Patty, or anyone, what I’ve just told you… Okay?”

  Sarah bobbed her head up and down, indicating that she agreed. Then, she watched as her sister scurried off to help her friend with her child.

  THREE

  That night, Sarah tossed and turned in bed. She found it very difficult to sleep. Each time she’d doze off, she’d wake up a few minutes later, startled by some disturbing dream or thought. She was terrified about what could, or would, happen to her spoiled, flighty sister in the “Wild West,” and she was gravely saddened by what would become of her own life once her best friend and only confidante was gone.

  Sarah had tried to speak with Caroline more on the matter once Caroline came home from her afternoon in town. But Caroline refused to entertain such conversation and, instead, remained holed up in her room. She only came out for dinner, and, then, feigned a sick stomach in order to go back to her room and “rest.”

  But, regardless of whether or not Caroline did, in fact, find rest, it was unquestionable that Sarah did not. She could not, given the circumstances. Her mind was so heavily burdened by this secret and, in turn, the concerns it caused. She didn’t like what her sister was doing one bit. She thought it was dangerous and unnecessary, and she feared her sister was bound for failure or, at least, misfortune of some sort.

  Sarah wanted more than anything to convince her sister to abandon her foolish plan. But, she realized there was little, if anything, she could do to that effect. Still, however, she spent the bulk of her sleepless hours trying to come up with a way to sway Caroline against going to Arizona without breaking the promise of silence she’d made.

  By the time morning arrived, Sarah had only gotten a few hours of sleep, at max, and was frazzled. She hadn’t come up with anything to persuade her sister, and, with the clock ticking, had little faith that she would.

  At breakfast, however, a unique opportunity presented itself, and
Sarah hoped, and prayed, that it would help her accomplish her goal.

  “Looks like that sick stomach you suffered from last night might have spread,” Patty said, placing a plate of biscuits splattered with jam on the table. It was not the normal breakfast of eggs and meat they were used to, but both sisters’ eyes lit up at the sight of the sweet treat.

  “Anna is sick now too,” Patty went on. “She’s complaining of horrible stomach cramps, and has visited the water closet countless times since dawn.”

  “How unfortunate,” Caroline frowned, reaching for a biscuit. “I’m feeling much better now. So, I hope her sickness passes soon, too.”

  “It can’t pass soon enough,” Patty replied. “Until that girl gets better, I have to do everything around this house on my own—and, that’s a lot of work, especially for someone of my age.”

  This was it. This was Sarah’s chance to do something.

  “Let us help you today,” Sarah said with a smile, reaching for a biscuit.

  Caroline’s jaw dropped so low, it nearly fell from her head. She gave her sister a disparaging look, then shoved another piece of biscuit into her mouth.

  “You and your sister?” Patty asked, fighting back the urge to laugh. “You’re going to help me? But, neither of you know anything about chores.”

  “Well, it’s about time we learned then, isn’t it?” Sarah asked. “We’re both getting older, and, if we ever want to be wives and mothers one day, we’ll need to know such things, won’t we?”

  Patty looked at Sarah suspiciously, then shrugged her shoulders. “That’s fine by me,” she said with more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “I could use the help. And, sure enough, you girls could use the experience… Once you’ve finished eating, you can start helping by tending to the pots, pans, and dishes in the kitchen. There are still plenty left over from supper last night.”

  “Alright,” Sarah replied.