“Certainly.” He went to the back of the wagon and lifted out the luggage. He held the carpetbags in one hand and gave her his other arm. She walked at Edwards’s side up the flagstone covered path to the single-story, white house with dark blue shutters. In front of the house lay a delightful garden. Adele didn’t recognize the types of flowers but the sight made her miss her garden in New York.
Edward knocked on the door. A petite and, very, very pregnant woman with auburn hair and deep emerald eyes opened the door. She was much younger than Adele would have imagined, thinking the preacher was probably an elderly man. Either he was also younger than she expected or he had a very young wife.
“Why, Edward, it’s so good to see you.” She waved an arm into the room. “Come in. Come in. You may lay your coats on the sofa. You’ll warm up faster without them now that you’re inside.” She clasped her hands in front of her skirt. “Now, you must be Adele Jensen. I know absolutely nothing about you other than your name, which we got off the envelopes of your letters to Edward. In case you haven’t noticed, he’s not exactly outgoing anymore. Too bad, too because a lot of us miss him.”
She talked as though Edward was not in the room, which made Adele a little uncomfortable but perhaps that was the only way to get through to him.
Edward closed his eyes and his shoulders slumped a little bit before he caught himself and straightened. “Ginger, you know why I don’t come around anymore.”
“And you know those reasons are not applicable. No one blames you. Almost as soon as she got here, Catherine was looking to get out of ranch living.” Ginger turned to Adele, eyes narrowed. “Will you run when the going gets tough? When getting out of bed is hard because you’re sore from the chores the day before? When only the kittens in the barn make milking the cow tolerable? Will you run away from your family like Catherine did?”
Adele looked up at Edward her eyes wide. She immediately thought about her running from Richard and her life in New York, but she wouldn’t run this time. She was pursuing her dream and she would never let that go no matter how hard, from Ginger’s words, ranch life must be. Adele shook her head. “No, ma’am. I will not run. My marriage vows are sacred.”
Ginger smiled. “Wonderful. The only good things to be said about Catherine are she gave us Lissa and then had the good sense to die the same day she left.” She looked at Adele. “She was killed in a stagecoach robbery on her way to catch the river boat with that gambler she left with, but you know that already, I’m sure.” Ginger looked closely at Adele. “Your eyes are beautiful. The green is so pale and rimmed with a black line. Amazing. I’ve never seen eyes as unusual as yours. Mine are so much darker than yours and, comparatively speaking, so common.”
Adele couldn’t help but laugh. The woman was a bundle of joy wrapped up in a tiny package. “Thank you for saying so.”
Edward put a hand on Adele’s waist. “Ginger, my bride needs to clean up before the ceremony. Can you help her with that task?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Oh, my, of course. How thoughtless of me. I remember the ride in that dilapidated clap-trap of a stagecoach. I’ve never been more uncomfortable. Come with me, and we’ll get you refreshed.”
Adele picked up a carpetbag in each hand and followed Ginger out of the room, but she looked back at Edward. He was smiling. For some reason she found that odd.
They reached a bedroom she assumed belonged to Ginger and her husband. It was lovely. The bed was covered with a wedding ring quilt and had carved wooden head and footboards. Not exactly something she would have expected on a preacher’s income, but who was she to judge? After all she had her own money. Perhaps they did, too. The mirrored oak bureau, commode and tallboy dresser all matched the bed. Adele should know, her bedroom suite back home was varnished oak. She’d rubbed it with linseed oil once a month to keep it in good shape
“Let me get you water and soap. You don’t want to use the nasty lye soap from the kitchen. My rose soap is so much nicer.” She poured water from a pitcher on the commode into a matching basin. Then she pulled a washcloth, towel and the soap from the top drawer. “There you are. Do you require some assistance dressing?”
“Oh, yes. Thank you so much. You’ve been more than kind.”
Ginger waved a hand in front of her body. “Don’t be silly. We brides need to stick together.”
“Brides?” Adele unbuttoned the jacket of her hunter green traveling suit. “I hope you don’t mind if I continue refreshing myself while we talk.”
Ginger waved her hand in front of her. “Not at all.”
Adele tossed the jacket onto the bed, followed by her once white blouse with a ruffle at the neck. Then she washed her face, neck, arms and chest. The water was almost too cold, but it felt so refreshing. She’d give anything for a bath.
“Oh, my, yes. I was the eleventh mail-order bride to arrive in Angel Creek. You are the eighteenth and believe me, you are very welcome here.”
“How did you come to be a mail-order bride?”
Adele saw Ginger in the mirror as she washed. Her expression saddened. “It was after the war. Charleston was overrun with Union soldiers and being alone, I finally realized I wasn’t safe and the only thing I had keeping me warm at night were my memories. My friend, Caroline, had come here and invited me to join her. I didn’t at that time, but eventually I sold everything I could and came west to Montana.” She smiled wide. “Flint and I finally found love together and married. I’ve never been happier. Why did you decide to be a bride?”
Adele turned and faced Ginger while pressing the cold cloth against her neck and chest. “My last position as a governess ended. The children were old enough to attend school and my services weren’t needed. I decided I was tired of raising other people’s children and wanted some I could call my own. I can’t wait to meet Edward’s daughter.” I hate having to lie to her. She’s been nothing but welcoming and kind. Still, I hope she believes me and no one ever checks my references. I did say they were in England, so it would be hard to inquire about my services.
After setting aside the washcloth, Adele opened the blue bag and pulled out a carefully folded pink silk dress. It had been her mother’s wedding dress and now would be hers. As Mother wanted.
She removed her skirt, corset and petticoats to don the dress. She retrieved a clean corset from the green bag where her undergarments were kept.
“That’s a beautiful dress. May I help you?” Ginger reached for the back of the dress.
“Yes, please. I can button them myself but I appreciate having someone assist me as it makes donning the dress so much easier.”
“I understand completely. I miss having a maid, but I’ve learned to do for myself and, if I really need help, Flint is here to assist.”
Adele held the matching silk wrap to her chest. Normally, she would let the wrap simply lie in the crook of her elbows, but because the bodice was so low-cut she wore it over her shoulders and crossed in front of her, hiding her bosom. “The style had been the ultimate in high fashion when her mother had married forty years ago. “I’m so happy for you that you found love here. I hope Edward and I will do so, too, eventually. I know it won’t happen right away, but I’m hopeful nonetheless.”