The Reluctant Bride (Grass Valley Mail Order Brides Book 3) Read online

  “Oh no, missy. He’s too busy in the hills to deal with the minutiae of his marriage. We’re here to help him out a little. He’s a busy man with a lot of things to do up in the mountains.”

  Ellie looked around the store, bewildered.

  “I’m glad that Daniel has friends around to help him, but…”

  “But no buts now, Ellie,” Mrs. Stamp said, “Daniel is rather a special project of us all. He’s always been a bit of a favorite among the women here.”

  “Oh yes,” said another woman. “We’ve known him since he was knee-high to a mosquito. He’s always been considerable of a boy, now he’s grown the same as a man.”

  “That’s right, so when we found that he was going to be married to a pretty girl from New York, just as we always wanted, then we wanted to do something for him.” Mrs. Stamp patted her on the arm. “And something for you too, honey. Because you’re going to be one of us from now on.”

  Some of the women were standing back from the crowd slowly gathering around her, and Ellie took a step back.

  Mrs. Stamp reached forward, and took hold of her sleeve, rubbing the cloth between her fingers.

  “I hope that you have brought something more colorful for the wedding itself.” She was shaking her head as though already worried about the arrangements, or perhaps thinking of what dress she should put on to attend the wedding.

  Ellie pulled her arm away from the woman’s fingers, and shook her head. “I have no other clothes, but this dress and my Sunday best, which is also black.”

  “Do you like black in particular?”

  “I am in mourning, Mrs. Stamp.” Ellie tried to be as reproving as possible, and also she wanted to make the nosy, bossy woman feel uncomfortable, if only for a few seconds. Perhaps it would make her reluctant to ask any further questions, or even make her realize that Ellie’s choice of wedding gown was none of her business.

  “It is most unusual for a bride to be married in a mourning gown,” the older woman said. “When I say unusual, I mean I have never known anything like it.”

  Ellie shrugged. “I can’t say I will be the first woman ever to marry a man while she is still in a black gown, and I won’t be the last.”

  “Maybe so,” Mrs. Stamp said, “but I can’t see that anyone in Grass Valley will approve. And what will your new husband say when he sees this?”

  Ellie flushed, and started to talk away. “I have no idea what he will say. I can only imagine that he will accept it, as I will accept his wedding outfit.”

  The older woman laughed suddenly, and put her arm back through Ellie’s, walking with her again. “We will have to wait and see what happens, I suppose.” She started to walk Ellie up through the main street, telling her that she would take her directly to the hotel.

  Chapter 4

  Mrs. Stamp took her to a hotel some distance from the Main Street. Ellie was surprised at her pleasure in seeing the place, because it looked much neater and more grand than she had been expecting. It might even be a better hotel than one she would have chosen for herself, and she felt slightly embarrassed that she had been so rude to the woman.

  That embarrassment was quickly pushed aside as Mrs. Stamp spoke to the hotel owner, and started to describe the room she wanted without even consulting Ellie. She occasionally looked at the younger woman, who had given up trying to defend herself and now simply nodded whenever she was asked a question.

  Ellie went to her room, and shut the door gratefully. That meeting had not been easy, and she had not even seen her new husband yet. It was not quite as she had imagined, and she was starting to worry that her hopes for her future might not turn out the way that she had expected. Daniel was clearly some kind of mountain-worker. Was he a miner? That might mean he was dirty and rough. Was he a mountain man? That would certainly mean that he was virtually as wild as the animals he hunted. Then she laughed, telling herself that she had no real idea of how these men behaved at home, only what she had read in novels and heard about from friends. Perhaps it would not be as bad as she feared.

  She unfastened her shawl, and put it down on the bed. As she started to remove the pins from her hair, there was a knock at the door, and then a slight cough. She did not have time to pin her hair back again, and some of it was falling down onto her face, around her eyes, when she opened the door.

  The man who stood in the doorway was youngish, with a slightly pink face which suggested that he had been working in a field all day. His hands were large and looked rough, and he was wearing a suit which had once been attractive, but now looked worn. She took a step backwards, but he had put out a hand, and she could not shut the door. She hesitated, and stood there without moving.

  “Miss Ellie Carter?” The man said, taking a step forward.

  “Yes,” her heart was beating in her mouth. Surely her husband would not have sent this man to bring her to his house? He must not have anyone else free to take her there.

  “I’m Daniel Black.” He held out his hand, and then dropped it as he saw her expression.

  She gasped, stepping further away from him. He had a good view of her now, and seemed puzzled by something.

  “Are you alright, miss?”

  Ellie tried to pull herself together and smiled sweetly at her future husband. “I’m very well, thank you.”

  “Are you certain?” He was still standing in the doorway, and was looking at her as though she was some rare species of animal. He seemed to expect her to attack him at any moment.

  “Of course. Didn’t I just say that? Is my word not good enough for you?”

  He seemed even more puzzled. “If you are well, perhaps I might ask you another question.”

  “Go ahead,” she said, but was aware that her voice was harsh and mocking.

  “It’s just that, well, I notice that you seem to be wearing a black dress.”

  She put her hand down to touch the black fabric of her skirt. “I’m in mourning, sir.”

  “In mourning? Your letters said that your mother and father were dead.”

  “That’s right, they are. I am mourning for my father.”

  He frowned again, shaking his head like a horse bothered by a fly. “He is not recently dead, though? I would not have asked you to come so soon if he has just died.” He seemed very disturbed by the idea, but she was not in a mood to deal with his questions about her father.

  “He has been dead for a while.”

  “More than a year?”

  “Yes, more than a year.” Did he think that she was mourning him excessively, as Martha had? When had being sorry that relatives were dead gone out of fashion? She set her mouth into a thin, tight line, and mentally dared him to make another remark about her parents.

  He shook his head again. “I didn’t think that you would still be in black. It seems a miserable color to travel in. I hope that you have a better dress for the wedding.”

  “This is my wedding dress.” She was pleased to be able to drop this bombshell onto him, and to see his reaction.

  He came towards her. “Ellie! You can’t get married in a black dress. What would people say?”

  “People have already said a lot.” She told him of her meeting with the crowd when she arrived. “Mrs. Stamp seemed to be greatly shocked by it.” She threw back her hair, ready to take his criticism.

  “She is not the only one, Ellie. I am also greatly shocked by it. Do you not have another dress?”

  “I have another black dress.” As he snorted angrily, she said “I only have those two dresses in the world.”

  “It’s no good.” He said, “if you had wrote me and said that you had no suitable dress, I would have bought one for you. It’s too late now, I think.”

  “I would not wear it.” She looked at him directly. “Do you think that I would not have bought a new dress if I thought that I needed one? I intend to marry in this dress.” The mourning dress was the best that she had, and she was determined to stick with it, come what may.

  He winced. �
�Ellie, I think perhaps you should have told me this before. I don’t like it.”

  “You don’t like it?” She said, scornfully.

  “As your husband, I don’t think that you should wear this dress. If we were married I would forbid it.”

  She pulled back her shoulders, looking down her long nose at him. “I don’t know what you want me to say about that.”

  “I would want you to at least listen to what I have to say, Ellie, and not do something simply because you have determined to do it.” He looked at her, and she could see the tightening of his own mouth. There they were, soon to be married, facing each other with frowns and angry faces.

  “I am sorry that you think I am stubborn or unsuitable for your wife.” She threw the words at him, hoping to make him wince or at least stop with his demands.

  She frowned as he said that, and he shook his head quickly. “No, I didn’t mean it as a criticism, I just think that you don’t yet know what it is to be a wife. You made a mistake in choosing this wedding dress, but I don’t see any way around it now.”

  “A mistake!” She cried. “Perhaps you think it is a mistake for me to mourn my parents, but I certainly do not.” She folded her arms. “I think that you should leave now.”

  He turned and left without a word. He had left the door wide open, and she stood where she was, watching him leave. As soon as the hall door shut, she sat down heavily on the bed. Surely this was not the man that she had come so far to marry? She felt her hands tremble against her chest. Was she about to make a mistake?

  Chapter 5

  Daniel did not come to see her again, but the day after their meeting, he sent her a message to apologize, and to say that he would be willing to pay for a more suitable wedding dress if she would like that.

  She did not respond, and in fact the letter was slipped under the wash basin after one reading, and the boy was sent back to the hills with no response. When the lad had gone, she sat beside the window, looking down on the street. There was a good crowd below her, most of them walking towards Main Street, and almost all of them coupled together, men and women walking side by side. Some of them were holding hands as they walked, but more often than not the women were carrying a bag in one hand, and picking up their skirts with the other, while their men walked beside them with their hands thrust into their belt.

  She looked down at them for a long time, wondering whether she should tell Daniel that she had changed her mind, and even wondering whether she had actually changed her mind at all. Maybe she still wanted to get married, but not to Daniel, or not in this town. If she wanted to do something about that, she would have to take action before the wedding day.

  Ellie still had made no move by the end of the week, and suddenly the wedding day was on her, and the whole town turned out to meet her at the door. Ellie had had a bad night, so when the hour of her wedding came around, she was still not ready, sitting half-dressed in front of the mirror in her room, and listening to the gossiping crowds below. She gradually became aware of the time, and of Mrs. Stamp’s voice in the hall below, calling up to her, and then announcing that she would be waiting outside. Reluctantly, Ellie stood up, removing her long dressing gown and placing it back behind the door. She slipped into her Sunday best, folding its black collar outwards to expose the lace beneath, and then wrapping her black shawl around her shoulders. Finally, she unpinned her lace cap, and brushed her hair so that it hung in curls around her head. She had no time to put on the veil, or to wear the necklace that Daniel had sent to her. She had no time for anything now, as her groom would already be at the church.

  She stepped out of the hotel, looking at the people who had come to see her. There were many women, with a few men there who Ellie suspected had been brought there by their wives. They were talking among themselves as she opened the door, but the crowd fell silent as she stood on the top steps, hesitating between coming down them to join her audience, or turning back into the hotel and bolting her room door behind her.

  Mrs. Stamp came forward, helping Ellie down the stairs, and guiding her into the Main Street.

  “You look beautiful.” She said. “Your hair is an amazing color, all natural I suppose?”

  Ellie did not reply, looking straight ahead as she walked past the shops, past people staring at her in the street.

  “Does the whole town come out for every marriage?”

  “Oh yes,” Mrs. Stamp said, “we love a wedding in Grass Valley. It is just a little bit of fun. We all come out whenever there is some kind of celebration.”

  “I see.” Ellie tried to put all of her disapproval into two words, but Mrs. Stamp seemed to be ignoring it, and carried on talking happily. She pointed out parts of the street that she had missed when taking Ellie to the hotel, and she also brought people up and introduced them. This strangers greeted her politely, and then slipped back into the crowd, to be replaced by further strangers that she had to greet.

  She stepped into the church, welcoming the chill silence after the press of bodies and noise outside. She could see Daniel waiting in the front pew, but the rest of the benches were taken up with other people, men and women in bright clothes and children running in the aisles and being scolded by their parents. The women were all wearing bright, even garish clothes, and some of the men had put flowers in their suits. Ellie ran her hands along the edge of her collar, and noticed that they were trembling.

  Daniel gave her a quick look, and then turned his head away, and she took a step towards him. Immediately, voices rose up from the pews, loud in their disapproval.

  “Look at her, who does she think she is?”

  “Wearing black on her wedding day, I’ve never seen the like.”

  “Does she think wearing black to marry Daniel Black is funny?”

  “Poor Daniel! What a wife she will make.”

  “He should have married your Jessie as we always wanted. But his mother would never allow it. I bet she would change her mind now if she could see what he is going to marry.”

  Ellie turned her head towards each speaker in turn, but they seemed to be deliberately ignoring her, only talking again when she looked away. She put her foot back down without taking a second step, and instead put a hand to her head.

  “What is she waiting for?”

  “Perhaps she is expecting Daniel to die soon, that’s what she’s wearing black for. She won’t be hurrying.”

  Daniel had stood up now, and was walking towards her.

  “What’s the problem now?” He said.

  “Who are all these people?”

  He looked around the church. “My family, of course. Did you expect to marry in an empty church?”

  “I didn’t expect to marry in front of 30 people.”

  He gave her a curious look, and then shrugged. “Well, we’re here now. You have to marry me now. It’s a little late now to change your mind.”

  She returned his look, lifting her chin to look down her nose at him again. “I don’t have to marry you at all.” She said. “And I have changed my mind.”

  Before he could say another word, she turned on her heel, and started to run out of the church. There were gasps and shouts behind her, and her heart was beating in her chest as she ran out into the open and down the steps into the street.

  The crowd who had gathered there stared at her, and then at Daniel, who had followed her to the door.

  “Ellie, come back!”

  She ignored him, and ran on, hearing him tell the crowd that they had not been married. She didn’t look back at all, only kept her feet moving further and further away from the church, and from her marriage.

  She ran on until the crowd were out of sight, and then went to her hotel, returning exhausted and weary. The hotel owner was still standing there, and she looked at Ellie in astonishment, but said nothing as the girl ran up each of the steps. Ellie was panting and breathless by the time she got to the top landing, and she leaned against the wall, trembling as she struggled to calm her nerves. She
crept into her room, and shut the door firmly. Sliding the bolt into place, she slid gratefully down the wall, crouching close to the floor as she heard footsteps climbing the steps behind her.

  Chapter 6

  Daniel tapped lightly on the door, and then tried to open it before she had spoken. She felt the door shake beside her, at first gently, and then harder as he tried to push the bar out of place. When he found that it was bolted, he knocked again on the door, this time louder, so that she was forced to respond.

  “What do you want?”

  He gave a short laugh, bitter and angry. “Unless you have forgotten, you are supposed to be marrying me today, at the church. It is very hard to marry a woman who is not actually present. The priest tends to disapprove when you try that.” He was clearly angry, but she had to stifle a laugh at the thought of him marrying without her.

  “Perhaps you can ask people to come back another day.”

  “Do you think my family are sitting in the church to please themselves? If it wasn’t for my aunt insisting on me being married in the church, I doubt if they would have bothered to come at all.”

  “I can’t help that.”

  “Maybe you could just come out and talk to me.”

  “I can’t talk to you, Daniel. Please, leave me alone.”

  “I don’t want to leave you alone! You should be my wife, right now, sitting beside me in the saloon while Mrs. Stamp enjoys herself outside holding audience with the crowd.”

  She gave a giggle despite herself, and stood up, sliding her back along the wall until she was upright. “I’m sorry, Daniel.” She said. “I can’t marry you today.” She tried to make her voice as flat as possible, to remove any hope he might have of changing her mind. She didn’t want to be persuaded back out into the street, she just wanted to be left alone while she made up her own mind.

  “Just come back to the church, Ellie, please. We can repair any problems you have with me, but my whole family is at the church.”