Harriet's Hope (The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides Series Book 8) Read online

  “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there. Good morning.”

  Harriet walked over to the table and smiled. “Should I start breakfast?”

  “Oh, please do. Quickly, before Nathaniel wakes up. His cooking is terrible.” Matthew grinned.

  “I can’t promise it will be much better, but I will try.”

  Matthew stood, and opened one of the bottom cupboards where he handed her two pans. “I’ll get the bacon for you, and there should be a few eggs left from yesterday in the basket there. When Isabella gets up, she can show you where the chicken coop is.”

  Harriet nodded, and set the pan on the stove. Matthew handed her the bacon, and she sliced off some rashers to lay them in the pan, recalling all the cooking lessons she’d received at the school.

  It wasn’t long before the rest of the family woke up, and Harriet knew they must’ve smelled or heard the bacon cooking.

  “All right, children. Go do your chores before breakfast,” Nathaniel said, his voice thick with sleep as he sat down next to Matthew.

  “Oh, Isabella? Would you mind showing me where the chicken coop is?” Harriet smiled, turning away from the sizzling bacon.

  “Of course I can!” Isabella grabbed the basket off the counter and reached for Harriet’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  Harriet instantly noticed the warmth in the air. It was going to be a hot day for sure, if it was already this warm.

  “It’s beside the barn here. I usually go out and gather the eggs while my papa makes breakfast, but before my mama died she used to go out and get the eggs to start breakfast.”

  Harriet nodded as she was led in the direction of the chicken coop. The animals were making a lot of noise as they neared, and she watched how Isabella had gone about gathering the eggs. She reached in and put them in the basket in less than a minute.

  “We always keep half the eggs, and the rest we take to town to sell,” Isabella explained, obviously excited to be teaching Harriet about how things worked around here. “You can take them in for breakfast. I have to go fetch some water.”

  Harriet watched as the girl ran to the house and grabbed a wooden pail, and continued running away from the house.

  She smiled as she watched Isabella until she was out of sight. Then she walked back to the house where the smell of bacon instantly overwhelmed her.

  Inside, Kate was setting the table, as Harriet got the eggs cooking. So far, Harriet thought, this has been a pretty wonderful journey.

  Chapter 10

  Matthew hadn’t eaten anything that good in a long time. Harriet hadn’t burned the bacon at all, and the eggs hadn’t tasted like spoiled milk or been crunchy.

  “So.” Matthew pulled himself out of the thoughts of food and looked to where Harriet was drying her hands. “I was thinking we could go into town today, so I could show you around. I also have some work I need to do there.”

  “All right, that sounds like fun.” Harriet smiled, her light green eyes sparkling.

  Matthew looked down at his hands, and pushed himself up from his seat. “I’ll go get the horses ready. You can come out when you’re ready. Oh, and bring the eggs to sell.”

  Outside, Matthew found the children hugging Nathaniel and about to walk to school.

  “If you three can wait a few minutes, I can give you a ride to town. Nathaniel, do you want to come?”

  His brother shook his head. “No, I think I’ll just stay here and fix this fence.”

  Matthew looked to where a panel of wood had snapped by the barn and nodded before he headed into the barn to get the horses ready.

  “I’ll help you, Uncle Matthew.” George’s quiet voice was behind him, as he reached for the horses’ reins.

  When the wagon was set, and the horses were ready, Matthew helped Kate up into it with her siblings as Harriet came out of the house.

  “Ready?” he asked, reaching for the basket of eggs and setting them in the back of the wagon.

  Harriet nodded, as he helped her up into the seat and climbed up next to her. “You three ready back there?”

  “Yes, sir!” They all cheered in unison as he gripped the reins in his hands. The horses began moving, the wagon rolling slowly behind.

  “It is so beautiful out here,” Harriet said, wonder clear in her voice.

  “I’m glad you like it. How do you find the children?” Matthew asked.

  She smiled. “Oh, they’re so sweet and well behaved. Kate just loved her bedtime story last night.”

  “Ah, I wondered if she made you read her a story. I have to say, it probably was nice for her to have a woman read to her. Her mother used to read to her every night, and when she first passed away, Kate didn’t even want to listen to bedtime stories anymore. It’s only been the last month that she’s allowed Nathaniel and me to read to her.”

  “How long ago did it happen?”

  “She died about five months ago.”

  Matthew urged the horses to go faster as they went up the hill in the direction of town. It wasn’t long before they arrived. He watched Harriet’s expressions as they entered the small community of Burchcreek.

  She didn’t seem shocked to only see a few buildings, considering she came from a large city.

  Matthew stopped the wagon in front of the mercantile and jumped down from his seat. He came around and helped Harriet down before reaching for her basket. The children walked past him, and Kate wrapped her thin arms around him quickly.

  “See you after school, Uncle.”

  “Have a good day, dear.” He kissed the top of her head.

  Then she went over to hug Harriet as well. Harriet seemed surprised to have Kate say goodbye to her, but she embraced her warmly.

  “Goodbye, Kate.”

  “I’ll be home soon, and I can help you with supper.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Kate waved as she ran to catch up with her siblings. Matthew started up the steps, and Harriet followed him inside the mercantile, where Mr. Ryson was dusting the shelf above the counter.

  “Good morning, Mr. Ryson.”

  “Oh, hello, Mr. Anderson. Did you need anything today?”

  “Not today, but we did bring some eggs to sell.”

  Mr. Ryson smiled as he walked behind the counter. “Good to hear. And who might this be?”

  Matthew looked to where Harriet was standing. “This is Miss Wigg, the mail order bride I’d told you about.”

  “Oh right, I didn’t know she had arrived. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Wigg. I’m Mr. Ryson, and I run the mercantile here, along with my daughter who is counting stock in the back right now.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She nodded as she set the basket of eggs on the counter.

  Mr. Ryson quickly counted them and smiled. “Credit to your account?”

  Matthew nodded, as Mr. Ryson scribbled the numbers down on his paper.

  “Well it was nice meeting you, Miss Wigg. I expect I’ll see you in church on Sunday when our minister is hale and hearty again.”

  Harriet nodded, and Matthew walked out of the store.

  She followed after him, and smiled. “He’s a nice man, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, you’ll find this town to be very friendly. It would do anything to help a friend. Come on, I’ll show you some other places.” Matthew smiled, as he started in the direction of the post office. Harriet followed after him, and they walked quietly across the road to the post office where he introduced her to Miss Charlotte. He knew they were going to be there for a while because Miss Charlotte had always been the most talkative person in town.

  Chapter 11

  Harriet was exhausted after reaching the end of the town tour. Not because there were so many places to see, but because there were so many people to talk to and remember. The townsfolk seemed like good people, and Harriet was excited to get to know them better. She had seen the mercantile, post office, the church which was also used as a schoolroom, the blacksmith, and the café.

  Matthew pointed towar
d the blacksmith shop and said that he often came to work alongside Mr. Tysen when he wasn’t busy around the farm.

  Now, Harriet’s ankle was aching from having to conceal her limp the whole day while walking so much. Just when she was hoping they could head home, Matthew stopped and looked at her. “I have to go complete an order for Mr. Tysen, but I should be done just after lunch. You could walk back if you think you know the way, or you can just do what you like around town for the next few hours. We could grab lunch after I’m finished?”

  “Yes, I’ll just stay in town. I quite like it here.” Harriet shuddered at the thought of having to walk back on her sore leg. She’d been told by numerous doctors that she must not try to hide the limp because it would cause pain, and she normally didn’t. She figured this was a special occasion.

  She watched as Matthew walked to the blacksmith, his hands in his pockets. Once he was out of sight, she allowed herself to limp to a wooden bench underneath a tree. The shade was relieving as Harriet sat down, grateful to have the weight off her leg. Birds chirped in the tree above her and she smiled. It truly was beautiful here.

  She sat quietly for awhile, lost in her thoughts about her friends. She wondered how Glory was doing since she had always been quiet like her. That was why Harriet had always felt like she could talk to Glory about her worries, because she understood her.

  And what about Fae? How was she doing? Was the man she’d met truly the handsome prince she’d dreamed of?

  And Imogene, one of her closest friends. Had she arrived safe?

  All of these questions were left unanswered, which made Harriet feel an ache in her heart. The people she had grown up with were now all taken away from her at once.

  Harriet could feel the tears burning in the back of her eyes, so she pulled herself out of her thoughts. She managed to blink the tears away, and focus on what she was doing.

  “You must be, Miss Wigg.” A girl’s voice next to Harriet startled her as she whipped her head around to face the voice.

  She looked up at the girl next to her, who had her red hair in lovely ringlets.

  “Yes, I am.”

  The girl smiled. “I’m Sadie Ryson. My father owns the mercantile and said Mr. Anderson had introduced you to him. I just couldn’t wait to meet you!”

  “It’s nice to meet you as well.”

  “Could I sit and visit with you for awhile? Father said I could take a break if I wanted.”

  Harriet nodded. “Of course you can. I’m just waiting for Mr. Anderson to finish an order at the blacksmiths.”

  “When did you get here?”

  “Just yesterday. He wanted to show me around town.”

  “And what do you think?”

  Harriet smiled. “Oh, it’s just beautiful here. And so peaceful.”

  Sadie nodded, looking around at her town. “Where are you from?”

  “New York.”

  “Oh, I’ve always wanted to go to New York! I’ve dreamed about it ever since I was a kid!”

  Harriet laughed lightly, as Sadie grinned. “Want to have the best cake in the world?”

  “The best?”

  “Yes, it truly is. At the Tiller’s café.”

  Harriet nodded. “I would love to, but I didn’t bring any money with me.”

  “I’ll buy it, as my Welcome to Burchcreek gift. Now let’s go!”

  Harriet followed after Sadie and tried to hide her limp, but it was no use. The pain was shooting through her whole body at this point, and even as she allowed herself to limp, her leg still ached. Sadie didn’t seem to notice, and if she did, she didn’t mention it.

  She’ll probably buy me this cake and then never talk to me again, now that she knows the truth about me. Harriet thought as her face heated up. She focused on the ground, and soon they arrived at the café.

  A young girl, who looked to be around the same age as Harriet and Sadie, was wiping a table in the corner.

  “Oh, hello, Sadie,” the girl said, her bright blue eyes sparkling as she finished wiping the table.

  “Good morning, Myra. I wanted to bring Miss Wigg here to try one of your mother’s famous cakes. She’s new to town.”

  Myra smiled, a strand of her honey blonde hair falling out of its braid. “It’s nice to meet you Miss Wigg. Welcome to Burchcreek.”

  “You two can both just call me Harriet, and I’m excited to try the best cake in the world as Sadie told me.”

  “I believe,” Myra began as she went behind the counter and set out a clean plate. “That my mother said you had come in here this morning and introduced yourself. I was cleaning up from our breakfast then.”

  Harriet nodded as she took the plate in her hand which now had a piece of creamy white cake with what looked like strawberry juice dripping off it. “Yes, Mr. Anderson gave me a tour before he went to work.”

  “Oh right, you must be the mail order bride. It must’ve been scary for you to come out here all by yourself and not know what to expect.” Myra slid another piece of cake across for Sadie before coming out from behind the counter.

  Harriet nodded, sitting down at the closest table. “Yes, it was rather terrifying. I had never left home before, and suddenly I was in a train going far from New York.”

  She took a bite of her cake, and smiled without even thinking about it.

  “I told you it was the best,” Sadie said as she took a bite of her cake.

  “Yes, it is delicious. Did you make it, Myra?”

  Myra laughed. “Heavens no. My mother does all the baking around here, while I clean, manage the money, and serve.”

  Harriet smiled, and took another bite of cake.

  “So, Harriet, tell us about yourself.” Sadie’s dark brown eyes sparkled, as if she hoped for some exciting tales of the big city.

  Unfortunately, thought Harriet, I never explored much of the city to tell, but I do have some wonderful friends I could talk about.

  Chapter 12

  Harriet had thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Myra and Sadie as the morning passed by quickly. She had never expected to make friends so quickly, but perhaps she had never considered the idea of having friends out west. Maybe she’d been so worried about meeting her future husband, and teaching some way wherever she went, that she had forgotten to worry about friends.

  “I wondered where you had gotten to.” Matthew’s voice was recognizable to Harriet as she turned in her chair to face him.

  “I was just visiting with my new friends, and also got to have the world’s best cake.”

  He chuckled, and moved to sit down across from her. “I’ll get two sandwiches, please, Miss Tiller.”

  Myra nodded and rushed to get the food, while Sadie also stood.

  “I best be getting back to the mercantile. Father is going to be annoyed with me for being gone so long. Time just seemed to fly past, didn’t it? Hope to see you around soon, Harriet.”

  She watched as her new friend walked out of the café, the little bell above the door ringing as she did.

  Myra set two plates of sandwiches down on the table, and headed back behind the counter.

  “So, I see you met some other people in town,” Matthew began as he took a bite of his sandwich.

  “Yes, everyone is so nice here. I never thought I’d make friends so quickly.” Harriet paused, before asking, “How was work?”

  “It was okay. Being a blacksmith has never really been my main focus. I much prefer farming, but doing it alone just hasn’t been enough lately.”

  Harriet quietly ate her sandwich and when they’d finished with their meals, Matthew paid, while Harriet stacked the plates neatly and carried them over to Myra.

  “Well, it was nice meeting you, Harriet. I’m so happy you decided to come out here.” Myra smiled.

  “Me too,” Harriet agreed, and she truly was happy she’d come. So far, she had met so many wonderful people, and no one had pointed out her disability yet. Things were perhaps working out for her, although she knew she had to teach the way Mada
m Wiggie had somehow, but she was still unsure of how to do that.

  Just one thing at a time… She reminded herself as she followed Matthew out of the café, and out into the sunny afternoon in Burchcreek.

  Her leg ached with each step, and she decided to just allow herself to limp. Matthew was going to find out about her disability eventually, so why not now?

  Maybe because Harriet liked feeling like she was just like the other girls. Or maybe she liked not being treated differently because of it. But she knew she was afraid of how people would react, and also knew she couldn’t spend the rest of her life trying to hide who she was.

  He didn’t seem to notice her limp, though, as they made it to the wagon, and he took her hand to help her up to her seat.

  Harriet looked around at the small town of Burchcreek while she waited for Matthew to untie the horses and climb up beside her.

  “So, what did you think of town?” Matthew asked, lifting the reins to get the horses moving.

  “It’s lovely, and the people are so nice.” Harriet paused, looking back at the small town they were driving away from. “What time do the children come home?”

  “A little after three.”

  Silence hit Harriet once more, and she worried that perhaps Matthew had noticed her limp. She looked down at the wagon wheel rolling beneath them, and focused on the sounds to distract her from her thoughts. She thought of her new friends and all she’d seen since leaving the safety of the school. There were so many new things she’d done.

  She couldn’t wait to write to her friends and let them know everything that had happened.

  Chapter 13

  Matthew had noticed her limping to the house when they’d arrived, and this time he was sure he hadn’t imagined it. He wasn’t sure if he should ask her about it or not, but he hoped she was all right. He sighed and began to unhitch the wagon and horses.

  After putting them all in the barn, he stalked toward the house where he found Harriet sitting at the table, with what looked like a sketchbook in front of her.