ROMANCE: Mail Order Bride: A Sheriff's Bride (A Clean Christian Inspirational Historical Western Romance) (New Adult Short Stories) (8 page)

Chapter Four

A few months had passed, and both Christina and Frederick enjoyed receiving letters from each other. Their letters grew more affectionate, more intimate and personal, all the while keeping to the side of what society dictated to be appropriate male-female correspondence.

Through his letters, Christina got to know the depth of Frederick’s love not only for his children and their well-being but also for the profound devotion he felt for his late wife. Somehow she did not feel that pang of jealousy that accompanied many women when they heard of the existence of another woman in their prospective future-husband’s life. Quite the contrary, she could completely understand him. Although it was true that, apart from her father, she had never loved anyone so deeply, she knew what it felt like to lose someone who brightened up your world, who, in other words, was your entire world, the person who never left your side. As long as we remembered them, they were alive and in our memory and love. They continued to exist.

This was exactly why she had no desire to compete with Frederick’s late wife, Elizabeth. Why would she? It would be ludicrous, competing with someone who was dead, someone whose life would be glorified to what might be an unfair advantage over the life of any living mortal. She saw no need in that. What she wanted of Frederick was love, security, and safety. In return, she was willing to offer the same.

Frederick, on the other hand, got to know what a loving daughter Christina was. Through reading about her recent hardships, he found out what it was like for a woman without any means to get along in this world. This softened his heart toward her even more, and he knew that God had sent her to him for a reason: not only for him to save her but also for her to save him from the loneliness and misery he was surrounded by in the past few months.

Finally he realized that the time had come for him to send the letter and in it a question that could change their lives forever. That morning, when Christina was sipping warm coffee, she almost dropped the mug in her lap upon reading Frederick’s latest letter.

My dearest Christina,

Please excuse the familiarity with which I shall address you in this letter, and if you find it odious or if it in any way ventures to throw me out of your confidence or your esteem, I shall banish myself from your presence altogether. But it is a question that must, nonetheless, be asked, and as you yourself may have concluded, whatever your heart desires, I shall obey.

I am no artist, nor I am better at words than any other man, but if I should draw you a simple picture that contains the margins of my heart, my hope would be that you would still find it pleasing, though the picture would reveal nothing that you already do not possess the knowledge of. From the first instance of hearing from you, you have occupied every single possible space in it, simultaneously obtaining an absolute power over it, to which I fully adhere.

So far, my feelings needed only crumbs of your attention. In this respect, I am like a poor man, who needs but mere crumbs from a rich man’s table to satiate his hunger for another day. It is with these crumbs, which meant so much to me, that you have touched me more profoundly than I ever thought I could be touched again.

Yes, letters speak. They reveal our innermost desires. They possess all the force of the heart that transports love from one soul to another. And now, I finish my letter by asking for your hand in marriage. If you find my proposal a perjury or an insult, then it is by your will and desire that I shall impose upon you an eternal silence and leave you forever. This you can ask of me, for I shall do whatever you instruct. Anything, but forget you because that alone is impossible.

Every minute of wait drives me to despair, and I welcome your letter and your reply eagerly, whatever you choose it to be.

Until then, I remain,

Eternally yours,

Frederick Howard Fitzpatrick

Christina read the letter again, immediately. And then once more. Could it be? Was Frederick really offering to have her as a wife? She felt like it was all a beautiful dream and any minute, someone would come and shake her rudely out of it.

Instead of writing a lengthy reply that would take longer to reach him, Christina opted for a telegram. Although she thought it less romantic and appealing, she felt in a rush to let Frederick know that his intentions were more than welcome and that she would be glad to join him at his estate, whenever he deemed appropriate.

His reply, also by telegram, arrived shortly afterward and instructed her to pack everything that she thought was necessary for her indefinite stay at his mansion, at her new house. But she would also be provided with whatever it was that she would need. A carriage would be sent for her as soon as she could arrange her affairs.

Short and succinct, his telegram provided her with all the necessary instructions she needed. Excitedly, she managed to organize her affairs sooner than she thought she would, and finally, upon locking the doors to her family home for the last time, she found herself standing on the porch with a small suitcase in her right hand, the key in her left and numerous memories flooding her soul.

She was closing one chapter of her life and opening another. With a bitter sweet pain, she took one last look at her house, took a deep breath, said goodbye to them all—the house, her father, the porch—but not the memories, and turned toward the waiting carriage that would take her away to her new life with a sweet man named Frederick Howard Fitzpatrick.

The journey took longer than she expected, but she didn’t mind. It gave her enough time to gather her thoughts, calm down and prepare for the biggest rendezvous of her life.

Upon her arrival, she saw a man with two children waiting in front of a massive mansion with a beautifully decorated garden to the side. All three were immaculately dressed, and before she even exited the carriage, she felt a little embarrassed about her slightly shabby dress that seemed to be at odds with their impeccable clothes.

She put on her hat—the nicest one she had—with a small, delicate flower on the right side, adorned by a small white ribbon that kept it firmly attached to her head. She felt the need to smile, but she wasn’t sure if that was the appropriate demeanor for this occasion.

When she finally gathered the courage to exit the carriage, Frederick was right there to offer his hand.

“My dear Christina,” his voice was deep, reassuring. “We, my children and I, are so happy and grateful that you have finally arrived.” He smiled earnestly, and she returned the gesture. She gazed into his eyes, and they reminded her of her father’s: deep and trustworthy. That was how one knew if someone was a good person or not. Frederick was. She was certain of it.

She turned to his children, who were dutifully standing there like little soldiers waiting for further instructions.

“Angelina, William, say hello to Miss Christina Rose Hubbard.”

“Hello!” Both children greeted her in unison, sharing their father’s enthusiasm regarding her arrival. She wanted to give them a hug but again wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate at this moment. Fortunately, William seemed to have read her mind and jumped into her arms, without thinking. This caught Frederick off guard.

“William!” He scolded him, gently. The boy looked at his father and then at Christina, who had already wrapped her arms around him.

“I beg your forgiveness for this boldness, Miss Christina,” William said.

Christina couldn’t help but smile as she released him from her grasp.

“It’s perfectly all right, William.”

All the while, Angelina was standing to the side, unwilling to take part but at the same time intrigued by what was happening around her. She also seemed eager to address Christina and ask a few questions of her own but opted against it after seeing her father’s reaction to William’s outburst of emotion.

“All right now, let us go back to the house. I’m certain that Christina is very tired, for she has taken a long journey to come and be here with us, so we mustn’t disturb her until she is well rested again.”

Taking her suitcase gallantly with one hand and offering his other hand to Christina, the four went back to the house in contented silence.

Shortly afterwards dinner was served, and Christina enjoyed herself immensely. The children were extremely talkative, unabashed at sharing personal stories, and Frederick even allowed William to give Christina another quick hug upon seeing her descend the stairs for dinner.

The atmosphere that reined in the Fitzpatrick household was one that hadn’t been felt for a long time. It was as if the entire family was reunited again, and everyone finally felt complete, safe and home.

After dinner, Christina was asked to play the piano, and she did so wonderfully, enticing her newfound audience to applaud her impressively upon finishing. Finally, they gathered around the fire and read stories until both children were soundly asleep and Frederick had to take them to their beds.

Once he put the two of them to sleep, he escorted Christina to her room and remained respectfully outside the door as he bid her good night.

“Frederick, I don’t know what to say.” Lit by the gentle flicker of the candle he was carrying, Christina smiled at him. “You have been so kind to me, kinder than I ever thought anyone could be to me.” A note of sadness pervaded her voice, and she felt she was on the verge of tears.

“There, there, sweet one.” Frederick caressed her cheek, softly. “You have brought back the sunshine to our lives, and it is us who shall be eternally grateful to you for abandoning everything you knew, your entire life, to come to us here to a new place with people you know little about.”

They smiled at each other in the dark. Her heart raced as she gazed into his eyes, and she knew right then and there, if she hadn’t loved him before, she loved him now. All would be well again. She would be happy and content in this house, taking care of this sweet family that had opened their doors to her.

“It’s getting late. I had better go to bed,” she whispered.

Frederick nodded. Bidding her goodnight, he turned toward the other side of the long corridor and disappeared into the darkness. Christina entered her room, quickly changed into her nightgown and cuddled up in bed. She thought she would find it strange to sleep in an unfamiliar bed for the first time, but everything was perfect. There was not one thing that did not strike her as pleasant or satisfactory, and she found herself thanking God Almighty for giving her such a blessing as this one.

As she was lying in bed, just before she fell asleep, a horrible thought came to her. What if somehow, someday, Frederick found out about what she had done to try and save her father’s life? Would he hate her? Would he understand? Or would he banish her from his house and from his heart?

She dared not think about this—not now that she was finally happy, that her life finally had meaning again. It wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t happen. Not now. Not now. Not now.

And with these thoughts, she fell asleep dreaming of her wedding day with Frederick and how happy all four of them would be as a family.

Chapter Five

As days passed by, Christina proved to be an invaluable part of the Fitzgerald household. She helped with the housework as well as the cooking, though Frederick kept telling her there was no need for that, and she was actually taking Mrs. Smith’s work from her. But even Mrs. Smith welcomed the help because that meant she could finish work somewhat earlier and join her family for dinner more frequently, which made her very happy and grateful to Christina.

The gardener felt the same way about her. Christina seemed to have a green thumb and enjoyed working in the garden immensely, whether it was tending to the roses or simply clearing out the weeds. Whatever she took upon herself was a success, and it was soon that the entire household found her a precious addition they simply couldn’t do without anymore.

Upon realizing this, Frederick was finally completely reassured that he had made the right choice, though he knew this even before that. 

One afternoon as Christina was taking a walk with William and Angelina through the town streets, she noticed a very striking man standing outside the saloon. She knew he was the sheriff. She didn’t need to see his badge to know as much. Ever since she had done that horrible deed, she learned how to distinguish men of the law from others and how to stay away from them, if possible.

She grabbed the children by the hand and quickly turned around to go back the way she had come, but it was too late. The sheriff was yelling after them.

“Miss Hubbard! Miss Hubbard, is it?” She couldn’t pretend that she didn’t hear him. The children had already stopped, expecting her to do the same.

She turned around and managed to smile, nervously. “Yes?”

“Miss Hubbard, as the law enforcement of this here town, I’d like to welcome you officially and to say that we’re honored to have you amongst us.” He took off his hat solemnly, as he addressed her.

“That is very kind of you, sheriff. I also consider myself extremely fortunate and grateful to be here, with all you fine people.” Her brain was working hard, trying to think of a plausible reason to escape any further exchange of pleasantries with this man who could ruin everything for her if she wasn’t careful. “I beg your pardon, sheriff, but the children and I must rush off, for we are expected back home soon.”