Phebe's Promise (The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides Book 16)
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Phebe’s Promise
The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides Book 16
Cathryn Chandler
Copyright © 2019 by Cathryn Chandler
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Proof/Edit: Behest Indie Novelist Services
Created with Vellum
Contents
Books By Cathryn Chandler
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
The Adventure Continues . . .
Author’s Note
Books By Cathryn Chandler
The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides:
Phebe’s Promise (Phebe & Henry- also part of the Silver Dollar Series)
The Silver Dollar Series:
Adam’s Wish (Adam & Caroline)
Christa’s Love (Coming in Feb 2019)
Evan’s Journey (Coming in Spring 2019)
The Crimson Rose Series:
The Rancher’s Dream (Robbie & Brenna)
Loving Amelia (Ethan & Amelia)
The Circle of Friends Series:
Believing in Dreams (Maggie & Ian)
Believing in Love (Beth & John)
Believing in Promises (Abby & Cade)
Only One Dream (Lillian & Charles)
Only One Love (Rayne & Tremain)
Only One Promise (Shannon & Luke)
Only One Beginning (Dina & Cook)
Chapter 1
The fifth time. This is the fifth time I’ll have had this talk. You’d think when a body gets to be my age, you wouldn’t have to repeat yourself so often.
Madam Wigg, the founder and head of the orphan school, walked down the deserted hallway. She kept to a steady, if somewhat slow, pace, holding herself with the regal posture that often accompanied wealth woven into a life with a purpose. And she had found hers the day she’d established an orphanage and school dedicated to educating any and every child. Madam Wigg firmly believed that all children deserved an equal opportunity at success in life.
She patted a wayward strand of silver hair back into place, then let out a sigh while her feet automatically took her along the familiar length of hallway. Her sturdy walking boots made a sharp clacking noise against the old wooden floors. She smiled at the sound. How often had she made it, at all hours of the day and night? And these floors might be old, and more than a little worn and tired, but they were spotlessly clean, thanks to the collective efforts of her “girls.”
The head of the orphanage sighed. The truth was that her girls weren’t youngsters scampering about anymore. They were grown now, and although most of them had called the school “home” their entire lives, that time was about to come to an end. They all needed to go out and build a life of their own, doing the same thing they were doing now.
Every one of her girls was an excellent teacher. All they needed was a place to go, along with a little help in starting out. But with twenty-six of them, Madam Wigg couldn’t just toss them out willy-nilly, armed with only the knowledge she’d given them and a few of the more practical skills, even if she was more than willing to give each one a monetary grant to start their own school. No. That would never have worked. She’d needed another plan.
And, of course, she had devised one.
Which was why she was about to give the same talk, for the fifth time, to the next group of four. She stopped in front of a plain door that was simply constructed with a few wide planks and a large, metal handle. After taking a deep breath, she carefully arranged her features into a serious expression. Not dawdling another second when there was a task that needed to be done, the founder of the school raised her hand and gave two short raps before pushing the door open.
“Can you hear her? Is it Madam Wigg coming this way or not?” Quinlan’s hair was the color of dark honey. It slid over her shoulders to hang down in front of her as she leaned closer to the door, a hand cupped around her ear.
“Shh. It’s hard to hear.” Phebe was standing in front of the pretty blond, one side of her face pressed right up against the closed portal. “I’m sure it’s her, and she’s definitely coming this way.”
“Do you think it’s our turn to be told about her illness and this whole mail-order bride thing?” Olivia’s slender frame was crowded up next to Quinlan. A worried look had crept into her brown eyes.
Nellie, the fourth occupant of the room, clasped her hands together as her lips began to tremble. “I hope not. I don’t like the idea at all. It’s . . . well, it’s . . .”
Phebe glanced over her shoulder when Nellie’s voice trailed off. She wasn’t sure if the whispered rumors that had been flying up and down the hallways for the last few weeks were true or not, but suddenly having to acquire a husband was a daunting thought.
At twenty-five, Phebe was well aware of the fact that she was more than old enough to get married, but she certainly hadn’t planned on picking a spouse out of a paper filled with advertisements from men looking for wives, sight unseen. She couldn’t blame her friend for being frightened at the prospect of taking a husband she’d never met. Very little scared Phebe—she was far too practical for that—but even she had lain awake at night worrying about it.
Giving Nellie a sympathetic smile, Phebe suddenly realized that the sound of the footsteps had stopped. Quickly stepping back, she bumped right into Quinlan. She waved a hand and shooed the other three women toward the other side of the room. “We need to sit on our beds. I think Madam Wigg is right outside.”
A sharp double rap against wood confirmed Phebe’s words as the four friends scrambled away. Olivia, Nellie, and Quinlan made it to the bed just a moment before the door opened, leaving Phebe alone in the middle of the room. The woman who had raised them stood in the doorway, shaking her head.
Madam Wigg looked over at Phebe and lifted an eyebrow at the slender, serious-eyed woman who was standing just a few feet away. “I’m surprised to catch you eavesdropping, Phebe. It doesn’t suit you at all.”
Feeling the heat bloom on her cheeks, Phebe automatically retreated into the behavior she knew best and put on a calm face. “I apologize, Madam, but it does have its uses at times.”
The older woman chuckled. “Yes, it does.” She looked over at the other three and nodded. “I’ve come to talk to all of you about a grave matter.”
“You aren’t really sick, are you?” Olivia blurted out, then clamped her lips together when Madam Wigg rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
Shifting her gaze to Olivia, the imposing matron of the school gave the younger woman a skeptical look. “I know you girls talk among yourselves, so I’m sure you’ve already heard the whispers about my illness. Which means there’s no need to dwell on that.” She pointed at Phebe. “Now, you go join the others and have a seat. Then I’ll explain what we’re going to do about this little problem.”
“It isn’t a little problem, Madam,” Phebe interrupted quietly. She moved away and took a seat on the bed next to Nellie. Her mouth pulled down at the corners as she fro
wned at her mentor. “If you’re sick, we need to stay and take care of you, not go flitting off to secure new positions as if you didn’t mean anything to us.”
Nellie took one of Phebe’s hands in her own and held on tight. “That’s right.” Nellie’s dark eyes glistened with a sheen of moisture as she stared back at Madam Wigg. “We should be here to take care of you.”
The other women chimed in their agreement then went silent when their headmistress held up a hand, her palm facing outward.
“I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I am still head of this school, and I say it isn’t for you to worry about. Right now, it’s time you all started a plan to make your own way in this world.” She pulled out a bundle of papers tied with a string that she’d been holding behind her back and walked across the cozy room. Without hesitation, she plopped them down on top of the small table next to the bed holding her wide-eyed audience.
“The Bride’s Bulletin is filled with advertisements of men looking for wives. Any one of them can give you a home and help you get started teaching. If you pick wisely.” She paused and peered at the four women, who were staring at the stack of papers as if it were a coiled-up snake.
“You girls haven’t had a chance to do much choosing in your lives.” Madam Wigg’s voice softened as she looked from one attentive face to another. “You had no choice in coming here, or in the work you were given to do. The only choice you’ve all made for yourselves was to stay and learn to be teachers. Now it’s time for you to make another choice, this time to select a husband, so you can go out and give something back to other children who need a teacher. Every child deserves to be educated and have an opportunity to do well when they grow up.”
She pointed at the papers. “Look those prospects over carefully, but don’t select a gentleman with a mark by his notice. He’s already been spoken for by one of the other girls. And once you’ve settled on a likely prospect, don’t forget to put your mark down too. I don’t want to hear about any squabbles going on over some poor man no one here has even met.”
Phebe glanced at the papers, looking so commonplace on top of the small table. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. What if there wasn’t anyone in there from California? To keep her promise to her mama in heaven, she would need to go to California. Someplace close to the gold and silver mines there.
Madam Wigg turned and made her way back to the door where she paused. “Phebe?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Help your friends look over the notices and then come to my sitting room. I need to speak with you privately. I’ve received an urgent telegram that we need to discuss.”
Without another word, the older woman sailed out the door, leaving a puzzled Phebe staring after her. Until Quinlan’s amused voice broke into her thoughts.
“Phebe, come over here. You have to read these.”
The papers were open on the table, and all three women were crowded around them, pointing at the advertisements covering every page.
“Oh heavens.” Olivia blinked as she leaned closer, squinting at the small print. “This gentleman specifically mentions that he’s looking for a woman with a strong back and good constitution.”
Quinlan laughed. “It sounds like he’s mixed up a wife with a plow horse.”
Nellie clasped her hands together and gave Phebe an uncertain look. “I don’t know about this. However are we supposed to choose?”
Olivia shrugged at Nellie before putting an arm around Phebe’s shoulders and drawing her over to stand right next to the table. “Well, Phebe’s only going to be looking for a gentleman from California.” She gave her friend a questioning glance. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about that promise to your mama in heaven that you’d find out what happened to your father and brother in those gold mines?”
She hadn’t, but then with the reality of making it come true staring her in the face, Phebe was suddenly having her own case of nerves. Drawing in a deep breath, she straightened her spine and sternly told herself to stop being such a ninny. She could do this. She would do this.
Fixing a calm smile on her lips for the other three women, Phebe leaned over the paper and ran a slim finger down the first page.
“Now. Let’s see what we have here.”
Chapter 2
Phebe stared out the window, doing her best to appear completely absorbed by the passing scenery. The beautiful and rugged Sierra Nevadas separated the states of Nevada and California, and Phebe was excited to finally be able to see them. She’d spoken about them to the students in her geography class at Madam Wigg’s school ever since she’d first nervously stood in front of more than a dozen expectant little faces and had opened a textbook.
But those days were behind her, and new students would be waiting for her just as soon as the train left these mountains to make its descent toward the Pacific Ocean. Phebe looked down at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. She suddenly wished she could stop the forward movement of the engine so she’d have more time to think.
Saying goodbye to her friends days ago at the train station in New York had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. They’d clung to each other as if they’d been going off to the gallows instead of a new adventure in their lives. She’d done her best to console Nellie, promised Quinlan she’d write when she could, and given Olivia a heartfelt hug that Phebe was sure would have to last them both a lifetime.
And now here she was. Alone on a train, headed for a city she’d only read about in books, and not knowing a single soul within a thousand miles. Unless of course she counted the father and brother who’d left to find the family fortune twenty-five years ago.
Since Daniel Johnson had never returned for his wife and unborn child, Phebe had never met the man, so she didn’t think he would count as someone she knew. Especially since she hadn’t even known his name until Madam Wigg had handed her a paper written out in a shaky hand. Phebe had wordlessly stared at the two names printed on it as the head of the only place she’d ever called home had told her the first name belonged to her father.
Writing those words was the last thing her mother had done before she’d died, struggling to bring her only daughter into the world. That single scrap of paper had come with Phobia when the midwife attending the birth had dropped the newborn off at the orphanage. Madam Wigg had kept it locked away all these years, waiting for the time when, as Madam had explained during their private meeting in her sitting room, Phebe would be ready to go on her own adventure and might need it.
Drawing in a long breath, Phebe focused on the wild vista of craggy rock walls and towering trees rushing by just a few yards from where she was sitting. She certainly had embarked on a new adventure now. She knew that she’d need all her courage and composure to face difficult situations. Like the one that was reflected in the glass of the window.
The man was tall, with broad shoulders and moss-green eyes. Phebe had made a point of getting a good look at him when she’d left the passenger car for a few minutes at the Cheyenne station. She’d noticed him before because no matter where she sat, he seemed to be only a row or two away.
She’d told herself repeatedly that she was being fanciful because of the emotional parting from her friends, and the stranger wasn’t really following her about. Until she’d left the car to stretch her legs and happened to glance behind her.
There he’d been, standing close enough for her to see the vivid color of his eyes, but not so near that he could easily speak to her. When she’d once again boarded the train and settled herself into a different seat, he’d done the same thing. And a time or two, he’d smiled when he’d caught her sneaking a peek at him.
Determined to act as if she weren’t aware of the man’s existence, Phebe reached into her patchwork travel bag and pulled out a book on mining techniques that Imogene, one of the other teachers at the school, had given her before leaving to start her own new life. Opening it, Phebe glued her eyes to the page and pretended to read.
It
wasn’t long before she heard boot steps, followed by the creak of the bench facing hers. Shifting her eyes a bit, she saw the tips of polished boots before her gaze skittered back to her book. She lifted it until her face was hidden behind the cover and turned the page with shaking fingers.
She’d flipped over two more pages, and was contemplating changing seats again, when the man sitting across from her coughed. Her eyes automatically lifted over the edge of the book and met his. She couldn’t miss the amusement dancing in them, or his lips twitching as he clearly fought to suppress a smile.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” His voice was low and as rich as melted butter. “Are you enjoying your book?”
Not at all sure what the proper protocol was for talking to strange men on trains, Phebe nodded before dropping her gaze again. She couldn’t recognize even one word on the page, but she pressed her lips together and turned it anyway, keeping up her pretense of reading.
“I assume you’ve read that book before?”
Taken by surprise, Phebe looked up again and frowned. “Why would you assume that?”
He put her completely off guard when he grinned, showing two dimples on either side of a wide mouth and a set of beautiful white teeth. “At the rate you’ve been turning those pages, I’d guess you already know what’s written on them.” He nodded at her and removed the broad-brimmed hat he was wearing, setting it down on the hard bench seat next to him. “I apologize for my poor manners. But we’ll be in Sacramento late this afternoon, and after that San Francisco. I think it’s past time I introduced myself.”