The driver pulled up in front, and she leaped out without waiting for him to give her a hand down. “Set my bag here on the ground,” she directed, then looked around in bewilderment. There was no more front door—only a pile of ashes. She stepped over it and walked down what used to be the hallway. Because the structure of the house had been made of stone, the walls were still intact, but the wood that had covered the walls was no more. The furniture was nothing but rubble. The rugs, the curtains, everything that made the house beautiful was gone. Instead, Hope walked through ashes which turned the edge of her dress black.
“Hello?” she called out, startled by the echo that answered her. Where was everyone? Surely . . . surely they had made it out safely. Or was that what the station master and the driver had been trying to avoid telling her? The cowards.
She picked up her skirts and passed through room after room. For this kind of devastation, the fire must have blazed all night unchecked. She supposed that after it had consumed everything made of fabric, it snuffed out easily enough, as all that was left was stone. Her breathing constricted as she looked upon all the damage. “Hello?” she called out again.
“Hope. You came back to us.”
She whirled around to find Mrs. Green standing behind her. “Yes, I did. Oh, Mrs. Green, I’m so glad you’re all right. Please tell me—where is everyone else? Are they all right?”
Mrs. Green held up a hand. “Addie is safe and staying with my sister in town. As for the rest . . . there’s a bit of a story.”
Hope closed her eyes. “I will listen to your story, but first I must know. Tell me quickly. Is Mr. Edwards dead or alive?”
“He is alive. But there are things you must know.”
Hope took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and nodded. “Go ahead.” Now that she had that most crucial fact, she could hear whatever it was Mrs. Green had to say.
“Mr. Edwards went to your room again to see if you were ready to speak with him and discovered that you were gone. He ran through the house, calling your name. Agnes heard him and got angry. She overpowered her caretaker when she was brought her meal, grabbed the candle that was on the tray, and ran through the house, setting all the curtains ablaze. Then she climbed up the steps to the highest turret. Mr. Edwards followed her up there and tried to convince her to come down, but she was determined to jump off. She . . . she did, while he watched. There was nothing he could do.
“Then he had to get back downstairs. Everything was in flames, and in order to reach safety, he ran through the fire. He was badly burned, Hope. The doctor is with him now—they’re out in the back garden. You may go see him if you like, but I’m warning you that he’s not the same man he was even two days ago.”
Hope’s breath had become more and more shallow as Mrs. Green told her story. She nodded, trying to understand everything she’d just been told. “And Addie is all right?” she asked, just to be sure.
“Addie is fine. One of the maids was near her room when the fire broke out, and she was able to get Addie to safety before it became too bad.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.” Hope took a deep breath, trying to dispel the lightheadedness she was feeling. “The back garden?”
“Yes, dear. That way.” Mrs. Green indicated the right direction, as though Hope had forgotten. To tell the truth, Hope was so befuddled, she had forgotten, and appreciated the hint.
She made her way slowly, stepping around piles of debris. Once clear of the house, her path was much clearer, and she could see two men up ahead. One sat on a bench beneath a spreading tree, and the other was examining the first’s eyes. She picked up her pace, all but running. As she drew nearer, it was easy to tell that the seated man was indeed Mr. Edwards. Her knees almost buckled when she saw him. He was alive. He was alive!
She slowed and approached quietly, not wanting to interrupt the doctor’s examination. Her heart pounded with a mixture of fear and excitement. She wanted him to hold her again, and yet she feared whatever it was that he would say.
“I’m afraid I can’t give an accurate prognosis at this time,” the doctor said at last, stepping back and regarding Mr. Edwards seriously. “It could be permanent, or it could heal over time. Take it day by day, Mr. Edwards. Accept your fate.”
Mr. Edwards dropped his head. “It’s a fate too cruel to accept.”
The doctor glanced over and noticed Hope. She held up a finger to her lips, and he nodded.
She stepped forward as softly as she could and then placed one hand on Mr. Edwards’ shoulder. His back was to her—she wondered if her shadow would give her away.
Mr. Edwards straightened, and his hand came up to grasp hers where it lay. “Who’s there?” He felt her fingers. “I know this tiny hand. Hope. Hope Middleton.”
“I’ve returned, sir,” she said, wishing she could think of something better to say, but her voice would barely work as it was.
“Hope,” he whispered. He clung to her hand, and then brought it to his lips and kissed it. She noticed that his cheeks were wet. The doctor stepped away, and she was grateful—she wanted this moment of privacy.
“Why? Why have you come back?” he asked.
She walked around to sit beside him. Now she could see the burns that covered his face. They must ache horribly. “I heard you calling me. I had to come.”
“You heard me?” He looked around wildly. “How did you hear me? Where were you?”
“Truthfully, sir, I was on a train for Missouri. But I heard your voice.”
He shook his head. “How is it possible? How did you know?”
“I have no idea, sir. It seems miraculous, doesn’t it?” She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. “Why won’t you look at me?”
He lowered his head again. “I can’t look at you, as much as I want to. I’m blind, Hope. When I ran through the fire to escape the house, the flames took my sight.”
Tears coursed down Hope’s cheeks. The scratches on her face still hurt, but after seeing his burns, she didn’t think she could ever complain again. “But you’re alive,” she whispered.
“I am alive, but I didn’t think I would be. I called out for you as they dragged me away from the house, my clothes smoking. I believed I would die, and I wanted you here so desperately.”
The tone in his voice made Hope cry all the harder. She couldn’t even imagine what he’d just been through, and knowing that he’d wanted her by his side made her heart break. “I’m here now. I’m here.”
He reached out, fumbling a bit as he searched for her face. He cupped her cheek with his hand. “You’re staying? You’re not leaving?”
“No. No, I’m not leaving. How could I? It ripped my soul in half to be apart from you, and when I heard your voice, there was nothing that could keep me from coming. I tried to convince myself to stay away, but I had no choice.”
He chuckled. “You told me you weren’t a silly woman, Hope Middleton, but a wise woman would have kept running.”
She raised a shoulder, even though he could not see the gesture. “I suppose that in one very large way, I am a silly woman.”
He stroked her cheek with his thumb, then dropped his hand. “Hope, there’s something you should know. I may be blind forever, or I may heal. The doctor isn’t sure which. I’m also scarred across my chest and down my arms. I never was a handsome man before, but now—now I’m ugly beyond my worst imaginings. Despite all this, however, I’m going to summon up my courage and ask you to marry me.”
Her breath caught in her throat.
“I was wrong to ask you before, not when I wasn’t free. Now that I am . . .” He paused. “I never wanted Agnes to die. I tried to take care of her. I tried to save her, but I failed. Her death was not planned or caused. But it has brought about one blessing.” He reached for Hope’s hand again. “I’m no longer bound to another woman. I can give myself to you freely and devotedly. Granted, I’m offering you somewhat less of a man than I used to be, but what I am is all yours. Hope, will you forgive me? Will
you marry me?”
Forgiveness came instantly and easily. She didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes, Roscoe. Oh, yes.”
He took her face in his hands and kissed her, despite the pain it must have caused him. “Thank you. And thank you for coming back to me. We’ll find a way to rebuild. We shall have a home again, you and me and Addie, and we’ll be very happy.”
“We will be blissfully happy,” Hope replied, tucking her arm through his and snuggling into his shoulder. There would be time enough to tell him about her inheritance later. At this moment, all she wanted was to hold him, knowing he was hers to hold forever.
Epilogue
Hope and Roscoe were married the following week and set about restoring Hazelbrook to its former grandeur. It frustrated him not to be able to see the progress on the house, but Hope described everything to him, and being able to serve him in that small way made her happy. He, in turn, gave her every ounce of love there was to be had in his heart, and she basked in it.
His business prospects dwindled somewhat with his injury, but his new wife was able to help him write letters and arrange negotiations, and before long, he was again successful.
Over time, he regained some of the sight in one eye, and he no longer needed to be led about by the hand. She still read to him in the evenings, though, curled up by his side, her head on his chest, while he played with her hair. Every stroke of his hand felt like a blessing.
Each of her friends from the mill reported that they too were married and happy. They wrote every so often, telling Hope of all their doings, and she did the same. Hope had to smile at the irony of it—she had fought the idea of becoming a mail-order bride until it was obvious she had no other choice, and it ended up bringing her more joy than she’d ever thought possible.
Well, that was until the day when she placed Roscoe’s new baby boy in his arms for the first time, and Roscoe was able to see that his son had his eyes and dark hair. As father greeted son, Hope’s heart filled near to bursting. This—this was true joy. Joy that was everlasting and eternal.
The End
If you enjoyed Hope: Bride of Missouri, you might also like the other forty-nine books in the American Mail-Order Brides series. You can learn more about them by visiting this link. Be sure to download the books about Roberta, Sarah, Trinity, Lilly, Isabella, and Tabitha so you don’t miss out on what happened to Hope’s friends!
Other Books by Amelia C. Adams:
The Kansas Crossroads Series:
A New Beginning
A Free Heart
The Dark and the Dawn
A Clean Slate
A Clear Hope
The Whisper of Morning
A Careless Wind
And many more to be announced …
The Nurses of New York series:
Sea of Strangers
And many more to be announced …
Don’t forget her new series, Romance Revisited, coming in 2016!
Visit Amelia Adams’ website at
www.ameliacadams.com and sign up for
her newsletter so you can stay on top of all her
new releases. You can contact her at [email protected],
and follow her on Facebook.
Hope: Bride of New Jersey (American Mail-Order Brides 3) Page 11
