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

  “What’s that?” Matthew asked, sitting down.

  “I’m just looking through my sketchbook. It’s comforting for me.”

  Matthew sat quietly for a while before he decided to just ask her. “Are you all right?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “I’m perfectly all right. What do you mean?”

  “I just…I just thought I saw you limping, was all. And maybe hurt your ankle or something.” Matthew watched as Harriet’s face turned red, and she looked down at her hands.

  “I guess I better tell you now, rather than later…” Harriet trailed off, and Matthew thought he saw tears glistening in her eyes.

  He wasn’t sure what to do, but he instantly felt his heart pounding in his chest as he scratched the back of his neck. “What is it?”

  “I want to start by apologizing in advance for not being truthfully honest in my letters before I came here. It was wrong, but I was afraid you wouldn’t want me to come anymore.”

  Matthew could feel his eyebrows furrow as he reached to rest his hand on Harriet’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, Harriet?”

  “I have something wrong with my ankle. Okay?” Tears streamed down her face, as Matthew’s eyes widened. Not because of what she said, but because she was crying and he had no idea what to do.

  She looked up at him, her teary green eyes seeming to go right through him. “Say something. Anything.”

  “I…I don’t understand.”

  “My right leg has something wrong with it. It’s been like this my whole life. It causes me to limp. I understand if you don’t want to get married anymore, but…”

  Matthew stopped her. “You weren’t limping when you got off the train, or all around Burchcreek this morning?”

  Harriet shook her head. “I was forcing myself to walk normally, but it hurts when I do that and so I usually don’t. My leg was so sore from trying to hide it, that I just couldn’t anymore.”

  “You were too afraid to tell me? Gee, Harriet, I wish you would’ve. I’m not the type of person who would turn away from someone just because of something like a limp. You’re still a good person, and nothing could change what I thought of you,” Matthew explained, pulling the trembling woman in to a quick hug.

  “You mean it?” Harriet sniffed.

  Matthew reached for his handkerchief in his pocket and handed it to her. “Yes. I mean it. From now on I want you to walk however is comfortable for you. Okay?”

  She nodded as she wiped at her eyes, and Matthew could practically feel his pounding heart return to normal. Crying was never something he knew how to handle, because it meant someone he cared about was hurting, and he often couldn’t do anything to help them.

  He thought of the day Nathaniel’s wife, Isabella passed away from a disease that had spread around the Burchcreek area, and of all the pain his brother and the children had gone through. Matthew could still see the unshed tears in his brother’s eyes when he was sitting with nothing to do—with nothing to distract him.

  He’d seen his mother do the same thing a few years ago at the death of her brother who Matthew hadn’t ever met before.

  So often Matthew had to see people lose the ones they love, and watch families fall apart. It was heartbreaking, and he never wanted to go through it. Not ever.

  “Matthew?”

  He was pulled out of his thoughts when he looked up quickly and Harriet was staring at him. “Oh, sorry. What is it?”

  “Thank you for not making me feel bad about my leg.”

  Matthew smiled. “Harriet, if anyone has ever made you feel bad about it in the past, I’m sorry. And should anyone make you feel bad about it in the future, they can answer to me.”

  As he said this, the grin spread on Harriet’s face and her eyes seemed to light up.

  Matthew realized he had forgotten to mention something to Harriet, but he hoped it would be okay. “The children will be home with you since it’s Saturday tomorrow, if that’s all right with you?”

  “Oh, that’s perfectly fine. I’m excited to get to know them better.” She paused, her eyes meeting his. “Does Nathaniel work?”

  “Yes, he mostly does the farm work around here. I help when I can, but during the winter and summer when the farm work is less demanding, he works at a man’s ranch about a twenty minutes ride from here.”

  The door swung open, and Matthew turned in his chair to greet the children as they raced inside, and set their books and slates on the table.

  “How was everyone’s day?” Matthew smiled as Kate rushed to climb onto his lap.

  “Wonderful, Uncle! I played skipping rope with Mabel, Eva, and Rosa!”

  Isabella sat down at the table with a sigh. “Yes, well her day was wonderful but mine wasn’t.”

  “What happened?” Matthew turned to look at her.

  “Miss White assigned us so much arithmetic homework, and I don’t understand it at all. It’s so difficult.”

  Matthew took a deep breath, knowing he wouldn’t be able to help her. He had never done well in the classroom setting, and had quit by the time he was twelve.

  To his relief, Harriet stepped in. “Don’t worry about the homework—I can help you as best I can this weekend.”

  Isabella smiled slightly. “Thank you, Miss Wigg.”

  He was sure glad Harriet would be able to help with the homework, because anytime he had ever tried to help, the children had ended up with very poor grades.

  Chapter 14

  Harriet’s day had been truly exhausting, what with hiding her limp the whole day and also having to tell Matthew about it. He had been understanding, which Harriet had never believed a man could be about her disability. Maybe coming out here really was a good idea. She thought of Fae now. She’d repeatedly told Harriet that everything would work out, and that the man she was going to marry would be perfect and love her for who she was. Perhaps she was right.

  Harriet pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked back at her scarf she was mindlessly knitting. She’d started it on her journey here. Everyone was quiet this evening, even when the children were still up. The whispers from the loft had long ended, and Harriet herself was beginning to yawn. She took a long breath before setting her knitting in the basket and pushed her chair back.

  “I’m quite tired, so I think I’ll head to bed.”

  Nathaniel looked up from the newspaper he was reading, and smiled at her.

  Matthew nodded, running his hands through his thick blonde hair. “Yes, I think I’ll have to be doing the same soon. Goodnight, Harriet.”

  She gave a small smile and continued in the direction of her room. It was dark inside, the only light coming from the window where the moon was shining. She didn’t mind the darkness as she set her knitting basket by her bed, and quickly got ready.

  She hopped into bed and pulled the covers over her shoulders. Shutting her eyes, she thought of all she’d done today, and all she would do tomorrow.

  It was Saturday, which meant the children had no school, so Harriet planned to get to know them better. Matthew had told her that he had to go into town to do some work at the blacksmith, and in the afternoon, he’d be repairing something he’d called a scythe. Harriet couldn’t for the life of her remember what that was, or even recall ever hearing about it, but she didn’t want to look bad for not knowing. After all, Matthew was a farmer, and she ought to know about it.

  She sighed happily, and forced her mind to stop thinking of all there was to do tomorrow, because for now she knew she just needed some sleep. It wasn’t long before she was falling in to the world with nothing other than sleep.

  As soon as the sun began to shine in her window, Harriet opened her eyes and rolled to look up at the window. Outside, the sun was just beginning to rise in the sky, as it turned a lovely shade of orange.

  Harriet was excited for her day and quickly threw the covers back, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She got ready and finished by sliding a pin into her hair to hold it out of her face for the day.
Feeling satisfied with how she looked, she stepped out in to the quiet main room.

  Harriet decided she should begin breakfast, so that Matthew and Nathaniel could have a good meal before heading into town for work. And also for the children who were always apt to be running and playing, and who would most definitely need the fuel for their energy.

  Harriet took the woven basket in hand, and quietly slid the door’s lock open, pulled the door toward her and stepped outside. The air was still a little chilly from the night, but it was beginning to warm up as the sun continued to rise. The grass was wet with dew as Harriet headed in the direction of the chicken coop. Once she’d reached in and was sure she’d gathered all the eggs, she made her way back to the house. The back door opened, revealing Isabella with a huge grin on her face.

  “Good morning, Miss Wigg!” she called, running to meet Harriet.

  “Good morning, dear. I’m just about to fix breakfast, but if you have any chores to do, you go on and do them.”

  Isabella smiled, wrapping her arm around Harriet’s waist. “Well, you did one of my chores for me, so now I only have to fetch a fresh pail of water. And then I can help you with breakfast.”

  “Well consider gathering the eggs my new chore. That way you have only one.”

  Isabella giggled, as she skipped ahead of Harriet to grab the bucket on the side, and soon raced past her in the direction of the creek.

  Harriet smiled lightly as she shut the door behind her and set the eggs on the table. Kate was at the top of the loft, rubbing her eyes.

  “Good morning, Kate. Are you going to come down to help me with breakfast?”

  She nodded sleepily. “I just have to get dressed first.”

  Harriet smiled as Kate ran across the loft out of sight, and turned back to begin slicing the bacon. She finished what she believed was enough for everyone and set it in the pan just as Kate made her way downstairs.

  “Can you tie this for me, please?”

  “Of course I can.” Harriet knelt down to tie the small apron around Kate. “Do you want me to do your hair?”

  The child grinned and nodded. “My papa usually does it for me, but all he knows how to do are braids.”

  “Yes, well men don’t have to learn how to do their hair like we do. That’s nice of your papa, though, to do your hair for you, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, I love my papa.”

  Harriet smiled, smoothing down Kate’s long brown hair. “Just let me get the bacon cooking, and then I can do something for you. Do you have any chores you have to do in the morning?”

  Kate grinned and ran to where the broom was leaning up in the corner. She opened the door and began to sweep, struggling to hold the broom that was a little bigger than her.

  Harriet laughed to herself as she got the fire going in the stove, and the bacon began to sizzle

  Feet tapped their way down the ladder of the loft, and Harriet turned to see who it was. A surprising amount of people managed to fit up there, Harriet thought. When Matthew reached the floor, he turned to smile at Kate and Harriet.

  “Good morning,” he said, pulling his suspenders up over his shoulders. “Breakfast smells delicious. I’m used to smelling something burning every morning.”

  “I can hear you,” Nathaniel shouted from down the hall, and Harriet laughed as she flipped a piece of bacon.

  “So, Kate, let’s do your hair shall we? Go get your brush, and hair stuff, all right?”

  Kate smiled at Harriet before quickly climbing up the ladder, while Matthew and Nathaniel sat down at the table.

  Harriet pulled out a chair from the table to allow Kate to slide into her seat, setting the things she’d gotten onto the table.

  “Miss Wigg is doing my hair today, Papa.” Kate said firmly, and Harriet smiled as she began to brush through the child’s hair.

  George climbed down the ladder next, dressed and ready for the day as he ran outside to complete his morning chores. Harriet braided the sides of Kate’s hair and the clipped them up behind her head, before braiding the last section of hair at the back and twisting it up into a simple, but lovely hairdo.

  “There you are, Kate.” Harriet stepped back and smiled, before turning back to where her bacon was sizzling.

  “Thank you, Miss Wigg.” Kate’s excited voice, giggled from where she still sat at the table.

  She pulled a new pan out and cracked some eggs in to it, just as the back door opened, and a warm summer’s breeze filled the small room. The day was warming up quickly.

  Isabella slowly carried the large bucket of water to the stand where it usually sat, struggling to manage the weight of it.

  “Was your brother almost done with his chores?” Nathaniel asked her.

  “I think so. He was milking the cow when I went by.”

  Harriet smiled as she realized where she truly was. She was in the middle of this family’s home, making breakfast for all of them, when only a week ago she didn’t even really know their names.

  Isabella reached in next to Harriet to take a stack of plates from the cupboard. Harriet continued flipping the bacon and stirring the eggs as the plates clattered with each place Isabella set on the table.

  Soon enough, breakfast was done, and Harriet had dished the meal onto everyone’s plates. She ate her meal quietly as Nathaniel and Matthew discussed their plans for the day with one another.

  Everyone finished their meals fairly quick, then Matthew and Nathaniel had gone out the door and were on their way to town. Harriet gathered all the plates off the table and began to do dishes, while the two girls eagerly waited to help.

  “Isabella, you can dry them, and, Kate, you put them away.” Harriet smiled as she wet the dishcloth.

  Cleaning up from breakfast went by quickly with the children helping her, and soon the table and all the dishes were clean.

  “Should I do my homework now, Miss Wigg?” Isabella asked, sitting down at the table.

  Harriet shook her head. She wanted to get to know the children, and what better time to do that than when Matthew and Nathaniel weren’t home. “It’s Saturday. Let’s go do something fun together. How does that sound? You can do your homework at night when it’s dark and you can’t go outside.”

  Isabella grinned, nodding her head. “Oh, that’s a wonderful idea! We could go fishing at the creek, and we’ll show you where it is.”

  “I’d like that. We can pack a picnic to have for lunch and then go.”

  “I’ll go get a basket.”

  Harriet smiled as Isabella ran down the hall, obviously eager to go to the creek. “Kate, do you want to help me make some sandwiches?”

  Kate nodded eagerly and grabbed the loaf of bread off the counter.

  “And, George, you could go get the fishing stuff ready.”

  “Okay. I’ll just wait outside.”

  Everyone finished their preparations for fishing at the creek, and Harriet held the basket containing their lunch in her arms. They walked quietly, as Harriet followed the children’s lead through the long grass, and into an area full of tall trees.

  “Are you okay, Miss Wigg?” Isabella asked, concern clear in her tone.

  Harriet realized she must have noticed her limp, and tried not to feel embarrassed. They were children and would therefore be more accepting of her than an adult would. “Oh, I’m all right, dear. I know it looks like I have a sore leg, but it’s just a limp that I’ve had since I was young.”

  “It never goes away?”

  The words seemed to echo in Harriet’s head. Never goes away. It never goes away. She pulled herself out of her thoughts, reminding herself that the children likely didn’t understand. “It’s just a disability in my leg. I was born this way, and it will stay like this for my whole life.”

  “Does it hurt?” George asked as he moved the fishing rods to his other arm.

  “No, not most of the time. It hurts if I try to hide the limp and walk without it, and also sometimes on really cold days.”

  Is
abella smiled. “I’m glad it doesn’t hurt you too much. I think the way you walk is beautiful, and makes you more unique.”

  Harriet felt the blush rising in her cheeks. “Thank you, dear.”

  They continued walking quietly, Kate skipping a little ahead of them. The creek wasn’t as far as Harriet had anticipated, and they were soon standing on the edge of a beautiful break in the trees that allowed the slow-moving water to pass through. Above her, birds chirped peacefully, and the warm breeze rustled the leaves. Harriet had never felt such peace before. This place was beautiful.

  She turned to where George was setting the fishing rods down and smiled. “You children do as you like. I will just sit here and watch.”

  Isabella took one of the fishing rods and sat down on a fallen log that overhung the creek a little, and George sat next to her. Harriet leaned back against a tree and watched as the children lowered their rods in to the water. It was so lovely here. Much different than any place she had seen within New York, but a good different. She struggled to realize that this was where she was staying. She wasn’t just here for a short while. The truth of the matter was, she may never see New York again.

  Chapter 15

  Something rustled beside her, and she jumped but then laughed as she realized it was just Kate flopping down next to her. “You don’t like fishing?”

  “No, I don’t like hurting the fishies. Do you?”

  “I’ll be honest, Kate, and admit I’ve never tried to fish before, but I imagine I would be much the same as you. I come from a big city and there wasn’t many fishing opportunities around.”

  Kate smiled. “I’d like to see a big city someday. My papa read me a story once about the city and all the wonderful things you can do there.”

  Harriet nodded, looking to where George and Isabella were fishing. She felt like she needed to watch them closely in case they fell in.

  “Want to go pick flowers with me? Then we can put them in a vase when we go home,” Kate asked as she stood up.