Mail Order Mayhem (Brides of Beckham) Read online

  Maude nodded. “As I said, he’s out of town on business for the next three months. I’d like to be gone well before he returns.”

  “That would be best. We’ll hurry. Write that letter today, and we’ll get it done.” Her face was filled with fear for Maude. Maude was afraid to ask just what Harriett knew about Horace, though. She knew she was better off not knowing.

  Harriett promised she would be in the post office at four in the afternoon as soon as a letter was received. Maude couldn’t risk someone else getting the mail, so she had the letter sent to Harriett. Maude sighed with relief as she had a plan to get away from her marriage to Horace the horrid.

  When Maude returned home that afternoon, she immediately closed herself into her bedroom to write her response to John. Her message was short and to the point. “Hello, John. My name is Maude, and I’m nineteen years old. I live in the city of Beckham which is near Boston with my parents. I would love to come west to be your wife. I am short with dark hair and blue eyes. I hope to meet you soon. I will be ready to leave as soon as I receive word from you. All the best, Maude.”

  She tucked the letter into the pocket of her skirt and went to speak with her mother. “I need to run and meet a friend for a moment. Do you have any errands that need to be done while I’m out?”

  Her mother eyed her skeptically. “You’re not meeting a young man are you?” Maude had never been one to meet young men, but she’d also never been engaged before, and she’d never just run off to do errands.

  Maude shook her head. “Of course not, Mother. I’m an engaged woman now.” Her eyes met her mother’s and she tried to convey her acceptance of the situation, even as she clutched the letter she’d written John in the pocket of her skirt.

  “I know Mr. Templeton isn’t the man you’ve always wanted to marry, but your father and I feel he’ll do well for you. You’ll live in comfort for the rest of your life.” Lilly bit her lip as she waited for her daughter’s explosion of anger. “You’ll have servants waiting to fulfill your every request. Your life will be a dream.”

  Maude hugged her mother. “I understand.”

  Maude quickly walked to the post office to mail off the letter. She asked how long it would take for a letter to reach Iowa as she handed it to the postmistress. “About two weeks.” The woman gave her a pitying look that told her she knew just why she and Harriett had left together. Maude kept her head high as she left the post office.

  Two weeks each way. So if he received the letter and responded on the same day, it would be a minimum of a month before she had any sort of response. She sucked in a breath. She’d have to go along with all the wedding plans. Her mother was working on a wedding dress for her, and a trousseau was being made. She would go along with all the plans, and just use everything for her wedding to John.

  Chapter Three

  The month flew by with her wedding preparations. Maude and Lilly addressed over a hundred wedding invitations. As she rubbed her sore hand from all the writing, she felt guilty about sending out invitations to a wedding that would never take place, but she told herself she had no choice. She couldn’t marry Horace. She simply couldn’t.

  Exactly four weeks and two days after she’d mailed her letter to John, she saw Harriett in the post office. Their eyes met and Harriett gave a slow nod, letting her know she’d received the letter. They left the building and once again went to the restaurant next door for pie and coffee. As they sat, Harriett handed Maude the letter.

  “Hello Maude. I’m pleased you are willing to travel all this way to be my bride. I’m enclosing a train ticket for Monday, May seventh and some funds for any expenses you have on your trip. I will wait for you at the train depot, and drive you to Hudspeth where we will be married by my pastor that afternoon. I’ve made all the arrangements. I look forward to meeting you. Yours, John.”

  Maude’s hand shook as she read the letter and put it down on the table. “That’s only three days from now!” She did a mental inventory of what she’d need to pack, nervous now that the day to leave Beckham was so close.

  Harriett nodded. “It’s moving fast, but that’s what we wanted for you.” She reached over and squeezed Maude’s hand in hers. “I know it’s scary to get on a train knowing you’ll be marrying someone you’ve never met on the other end, but there’s really no choice.”

  “I’ll need to get the things I want to take with me ready. I’ve had a small bag packed all along, but I’ll need to pack one more. Would you be willing to meet me to keep them for me?”

  “Of course! Where do you live?” The town of Beckham, Massachusetts was not large by any means, but large enough that you certainly didn’t know everyone who lived there like you would in a small town.

  Maude quickly gave her address, and they agreed to meet at midnight just down the street from Maude’s home that night. Harriett would meet her at the train station Monday morning with her things. “Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would have done if we hadn’t met in the post office that day.”

  “You’d have found some other way out.” Harriett smiled at her new friend. “I can see you’re a strong woman, and you wouldn’t have married him.”

  They walked quietly through the streets toward Maude’s home. When they were a few houses away, they hugged quickly with a promise to meet that night.

  Maude went straight to her room and packed for her trip. She couldn’t leave her closet bare in case her mother went in there, so she packed just two everyday dresses plus her pale pink wedding dress she would be able to use as a church dress once she’d arrived in Iowa. She didn’t know how practical it would be for a farmer’s wife to have a silk Sunday dress, but it didn’t really matter. She wasn’t going to leave it behind. She stowed her bags under her bed, and went down to meet her mother.

  Lilly looked up with a smile as Maude walked into the dining room where she was seated at the table working on something. “Oh good! I was hoping you’d help me with the menu for the wedding.”

  Maude sat with her mother and discussed the merits of chicken over beef all the while knowing she wouldn’t be attending the elaborate wedding her mother was planning. She wished she could confess to her mother what she’d done, but she was too afraid. She couldn’t let anything keep her from leaving Beckham. She would write a letter of apology once she was married.

  At five minutes before midnight, Maude opened her bedroom door as softly as she could, hoping to not wake her parents. She tiptoed to their bedroom door, and put her ear to the door. All she could hear was her father snoring. He never went to bed before her mother, so she was certain she was safe. She went back into her bedroom, and opened her window, dropping her bags out. There was nothing breakable in them. She’d packed nothing with any sentimental value only a few books and her clothing.

  She looked out the window. She’d once climbed down the tree that was just outside it when she was younger, but decided that would be too risky. She tiptoed down the stairs and out the front door, going to the side of the house to pick up her bags. She moved quickly down the street she’d lived on her entire life wondering what it would be like to live somewhere else. To not know every neighbor. To not have her mother’s face across the table from her every morning.

  Harriett was waiting and took the bags from her. “Did you have any trouble getting out?”

  “No, my parents are both asleep. I threw the bags out my window just in case one of them woke up and saw me. I could say I couldn’t sleep and was going for a walk.”

  Harriett nodded in the darkness. “That was a good idea. Well, I’ll see you Monday morning at the train station.”

  “Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome, Maude. I’m happy to help you!”

  Maude didn’t breathe deeply again until she was in her bedroom with the door closed and back in her nightgown. The riskiest part of the entire plan was over. She always spent Monday mornings at the orphanage, so it wouldn’t surprise anyone when she left for the train. She wouldn’t even
be questioned.

  *****

  Maude slowly sipped her milk as she toyed with the eggs on her plate Monday morning. Her mother looked at her with concern. “You’re not eating? Are you starting to get pre-wedding jitters?”

  Maude almost laughed out loud. Yes, she was getting pre-wedding jitters, but for her wedding with John, not with Horace. Horace had only inspired pre-wedding nightmares. “A little. It’ll be strange to not live here with you and Father. I’ve never lived anywhere else.” She’d never slept anywhere but her own bed.

  Lilly smiled encouragingly. “It’s the natural order of things. You grow up and you marry. You’ll enjoy being in charge of your own home. And you’ll have plenty of servants to help you adjust.”

  Maude just shrugged, knowing there would be no servants for her. Thankfully she’d learned to cook and take care of small children at the orphanage. Her parents had raised her with no real skills except playing the piano, and that would do her no good at all on a farm in Iowa. All the homemaking skills she had were learned from her volunteer hours at the orphanage.

  Her father looked up from his morning paper. “I got word Friday that Mr. Templeton will be home this coming Sunday. He was able to finish up his business early. We’ll have him over for Sunday dinner and you’ll be polite and make it clear to him you want to be his wife.”

  She nodded. “Yes, Father.” Inside she felt a moment of panic. He was coming home early. She was making it out just in time. She forced herself to breathe steadily. She just had to make it to the train station, and she was gone. They would have no way of finding her.

  She looked around her as she made the short walk to the train station. She hated the thought of leaving this beautiful little city so close to the Atlantic Ocean. She woke up in the morning smelling the sea air. What would Iowa smell like?

  She took her time walking, knowing the train wouldn’t leave for another hour. It was strange knowing she was walking the streets of Beckham for the last time. She’d said goodbye to her parents as if she were leaving for the day, but inside, she’d known she was leaving for good. Dear God, please let John be a better man than Horace!

  Harriett was waiting with her bags at the train station. She took them from her friend and held the ticket in her hand. It would take four days to reach Iowa, so she would be meeting John on Friday, and having her wedding Friday afternoon. “Promise me you’ll write as soon as you get there.”

  Maude smiled at her friend. “I will. Thank you so much for all your help. I don’t know how I’d have gotten away without you. I’ll keep in touch.”

  Harriett hugged her quickly. “Have a safe trip. I’ll be watching for your letter.”

  Harriett watched as the train headed down the tracks with a loud blow of the whistle. She’d only had her mail order bride business for a couple of months, and Maude was the first bride she’d seen off. She said a silent prayer for her friend, hoping she was off to a better situation than she had here.

  Chapter Four

  It was late morning when the train pulled into the station in Ogden, Iowa. Maude felt disgusting after the long train ride. She’d done some spit baths along the way, but more than anything she wanted to soak in a hot bath for hours to get clean. She didn’t want to meet John looking like she’d been traveling for days even though she had.

  She stepped off the train looking around for a man who looked like he was looking for her. She should have asked him what he looked like, but she hadn’t thought of it. Frankly she hadn’t cared as long as he wasn’t Horace. After a moment, she saw a man holding up a piece of wood with her name painted on it. She headed straight for the sign, searching the face of the man holding it.

  He’d mentioned in the first letter that he was in his mid-twenties which seemed like a good age to her. He was a tall man, with blond hair. She couldn’t see his eye color across the distance, but she was pretty certain they’d be blue or green. As she got closer to him, she held out her hand to shake his. “I’m Maude Abernathy.” She was pleased to see he’d dressed in a jacket and tie to meet her and for their wedding. She’d expected a man in dirty britches and suspenders. It was nice to see she was wrong.

  He smiled broadly, taking her hand in his and shaking it. “Did you have a good trip?”

  “It was tiring, but exciting. This was my first time on a train.”

  He looked around for her luggage, but didn’t see anything. “Where are you things?”

  “They were in the baggage car.” She led him through the crowd to the large crate with all of the bags for the Ogden, Iowa stop. They waited patiently as a uniformed young man emptied the crate.

  After her name was called, he carried her two bags to his wagon and helped her up onto the seat. “It’s a two hour drive to Hudspeth. The wedding is at one, and I thought we could eat at the reception. Does that sound good?”

  She nodded. “We’re having a big wedding?” She was surprised he’d had the time or inclination to plan anything. She’d really expected him to find a pastor or a justice of the peace on the way home, but didn’t think anyone would be in attendance for the ceremony.

  “My sister-in-law decided that we couldn’t just speak our words in front of the pastor. She invited the whole church and planned the reception. It won’t be elaborate, but it should make it a bit more special than anything I could have thrown together.” He kept watching her out of the corner of his eye as he drove out of the town. Why would a woman who looked like she did have to come all this way to find a husband? Why wouldn’t she have just had her pick of all the young men in her hometown?

  She smiled at that. “I’m glad.” She thought about her wedding dress tucked into one of the bags in the back. “Will I have time to change into the wedding dress I brought?” She really wanted to wear the dress she and her mother had made together. It would make her feel closer to her mother on her wedding day.

  “Absolutely. My brother’s house will be open to you. It’s just a few doors down from the church. My sister-in-law, Anne, will probably beg you to let her do your hair.” He glanced over at her. “You have beautiful hair by the way.”

  “Thank you.” She was surprised she didn’t feel more nervous around this total stranger she’d be married to in just a few hours. “What is your farm like?” She stared at the countryside as they drove slowly out of the city. She looked forward to a quiet life on a farm.

  John seemed like a good man, and she wasn’t sorry she’d left Beckham. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way, and she didn’t have the overwhelming fear for him she’d had for Horace. She was nervous, of course, because she was about to marry a stranger, but not afraid as she would have been on her wedding day back home.

  He shrugged. “It’s just a farm. Not too big, but not too small. I grow wheat. I have a couple of cows that I use for milk and a few laying hens for cooking. Not much else right now.” He paused for a moment. “I need to warn you now my house is a mess. I meant to clean it, but I just didn’t have time with the farm chores. I hope you won’t hate me when you see it.”

  “That’s fine. I don’t mind cleaning.” She had done more than her share of scrubbing floors at the orphanage during the past two years. She certainly wouldn’t complain about doing the same in her own home. “Do your parents live near here?” She realized then she knew absolutely nothing about the man beside her other than the fact he was a farmer.

  He shook his head. “My brother and I came out here on the orphan train. An older couple took us in. They needed help with their farm and in exchange provided us with a home and an education.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Eleven. My brother was thirteen. Our dad was killed during the war.” His voice held an air of sadness as he mentioned his father.

  “I’m sorry.” She didn’t ask about his mother, knowing that many children had been put on the train by their mothers when they couldn’t afford to care for them. “Where are you from?”

  “New York City. I love it here, though. The fr
esh air, the open land. It’s the most wonderful place God created.”

  She looked around her, taking a deep sniff of the air. It didn’t smell like the ocean, and she knew she’d miss that, but she would have someone kind to be with. “I’ve always lived near the ocean. It smells different here.” She wrinkled her nose a bit. “It smells more like animal manure here.” She studied his profile as she talked. She wouldn’t describe him as handsome, not in the traditional sense. His eyes at close range were a dark green. His nose had obviously been broken at some point in time.

  As he drove out of the small city to the country, she noticed him sneaking glances at her. She’d always felt like she was odd looking with her almost black hair and her pale blue eyes. She wondered what he thought of her. “Why didn’t you marry some man back in Massachusetts? You’re a pretty girl. I’m sure there were men asking to court you all the time.”