Regency Romance: An Intriguing Invitation (Historical Billionaire Military Romance) (19th Century Victorian Romance) (56 page)

“Only men? That’s not possible.”

“I don’t mean it quite like that. Not literally. There’s just
many
more of them than women there.”

“So men advertise for them to come to the West and marry them?” The woman shook her head. “I don’t think I could do it.”

“
There are plenty who will
.”

There certainly is. Lilly thought.

Chapter Two

Adam sat in the pew listening to Reverend Stoop. The sermon was about salvation and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Adam had heard a very similar
sermon
recently, here in this same church, from the same pastor.

But he didn’t mind and neither apparently did any of the other members of the small church. They knew that the Reverend often recycled his sermon topics and would forget that
he
had just used one very recently. He had been here preaching for the last thirty years.

Adam had known the
Reverend
since he first stepped foot in the church 17 years ago. He was like a second father to Adam, whose own father was living back in the East in the upper parts of New York with his mother and younger sister.

From the start, Adam had not liked the cold weather of New York. He had decided at a
young
age that he would travel
to the West
to see what he could make of himself on his own. At the tender age of 17,
he
’d done just that. It had taken him almost a year to get to his destination but once there, he began working
at
a farm and eventually took over the farm when his boss died, leaving it to him.

He enjoyed working the
farm
though the hours were long and things constantly needed to
be done
. There were tasks from the break of day to sunset and beyond. He hired a farmhand to help him with it, giving him room and board but the work seemed to be overloading him more every day. He was becoming lonely and wanted a change.

In fact, he was itching to make a change. He’d heard from a friend at the saloon that some of the men in farms nearby had been advertising for brides in
newspapers
in the East. He’d been praying on that and rolling it around in his mind for some time now.

When the service was over, he approached Reverend Stoop with the intention of getting the man’s advice. The Reverend had
been married
to the same woman for about thirty years, so he had to know something about it. Adam was nervous about the prospect of bringing a woman into his life when he had been a bachelor for so long. What if they weren’t compatible? What if she was not a Christian and they were unequally yoked?

These questions weighed heavily on him.

“If I could talk to you for a moment, pastor.”

The pastor looked at him and smiled. “Adam!
Good
to see you today.” He stepped down from the small platform to shake Adam’s hand.

“That was a good sermon today, John.”

“Thank you very much. I used the same topic about a month ago, according to the wife, but it was on my
heart,
so I used it again.”

“We can always use more words about the sacrifice of our Lord.” Adam nodded. “But I have something else I wanted to talk to you about if you have a moment.”

“I do. Let’s go for a walk.” He gestured with one
hand,
and Adam led the way down the aisle and through the front doors. He put his hat on once they were outdoors and they strolled over the grass
around
the side of the building. There was a cemetery very close
by,
and they walked along the side of it.

“I have been feeling very lonely lately. I am thinking about bringing a woman from the East to marry.”

The
Reverend
nodded. “I have heard of others doing that. Have placed a few ads myself. Not for me. For others in the congregation.”

Adam looked at him, surprised. “You have? I had not heard of that.”

John shook his head. “You wouldn’t have. It’s not something that
is advertised
here. And the men typically feel as you do, they are nervous and unsure of the future. Most of them request that the arrangement
be
kept private. Only those closest to them know what’s happening.”

“It seems to be my only option at this point.
No women are traveling
here just because they feel like it.”

“No, it seems there are only a few females here, other than
very small
children.”

“Do you know the success rate of other men sending for women from the East? Have they had successful marriages?”

“As far as I have seen, yes, they have. But I have not kept close track of their lives.”

“Do you think it would be a good idea
for
me?”

John stopped and turned to him. “Adam, that is a decision you have to make for
yourself,
but I will say this. I have watched you grow from a young man into
a strong
Christian adult. You have come far in your life, relying on yourself and the strength God has given you. If you have prayed about this and you have come to me about it, which I commend you for, I think you know what direction is right for you. It sounds like you have already made up your mind.”

“I believe I have. I will do it.”

John nodded and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I pray for you, my brother. God will provide and protect.”

Adam nodded.

An hour later, he was sitting on the comfortable couch he’d purchased just
the year
before. He held his
Bible
in one hand, staring down at the table in front of him, where a blank piece of paper sat waiting for him to write.

What would he say? He began to list the traits and characteristics he desired in a woman in his mind. Beauty, intelligence, compassion, a strong love
for
God.

How would he put those things in an advertisement? Should he even mention beauty, as it was not good to judge by someone’s looks? He would feel bad if he ended up with someone he was not attracted to, however.

He picked up the charcoal pencil he always used to write and pressed it to the paper. So far he had successfully made a black dot on the
paper
.

He chuckled and began to write. The ad didn’t need to
be long
. But if it was too short, would it get the attention he wanted?

“What are you doing, Adam?”

He jumped when he heard the voice of his farmhand, Cody. He looked up at the young man as he came
through
the room and sat in a chair nearby, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and clasp his hands in front of him.

“Nothing. What are you doing?”

“Just finished putting that fence back together where that
ol
’ bull broke it. It should be good for a while now. We
gotta
do something about him, Adam. He’s
gettin’
worse every day.”

“I know.” Adam nodded, looking back down at the paper in front of him. He’d managed two sentences.
He
wondered if he needed more. Satisfied, he folded the paper and tucked it in his shirt pocket.

“What’s that? You
signin’
the farm over to me? I can’t handle all this work by myself.” Cody’s voice was teasing. He grinned wide.

“No, I’m
gettin’
a woman sent
from the East
to marry.”

Cody’s eyebrows shot up. “What’s that, boss? What are you
gonna
do?”

“You heard right. I need the companionship of a woman. You’re a good
farmhand,
but
you
ain’t got
the right parts.”

Cody laughed. “I’m glad to hear you say
that,
but I’m pretty surprised by this. You didn’t mention you’d been
thinkin’
about
somethin’
like that.”

Adam shook his head. When he stood, so did Cody. They both walked to the kitchen, where Adam poured himself a cup of coffee. He offered it to Cody, who shook his head.

“Stuff gives me the
jitters,
” he said. “Can’t concentrate.”

Adam stood with one hand wrapped around the coffee cup and the other in his jeans pocket. “I’ve been lonely a long time, Cody, since before you got here.”

“That is a long time, boss. I’ve been here going on three years now. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you in the companionship of a woman.”

“I always thought the bachelor life was what I wanted. But now I’m reconsidering.”

“You need a woman, boss.” Cody agreed, nodding. “You deserve to have a
family
if that’s what you want. You
thinkin’
maybe I should find a loft or another place to live?”

Adam shook his head, running one hand through his dark hair as he took a drink of coffee. “No, you can stay on here. There’s plenty of room.”

“Ain’t you gonna want some privacy?” Cody asked, tipping his hat back on his head.

“If you want to stay somewhere else, I won’t stop
you,
” Adam replied.

Cody shook his head. “I’d rather not leave, boss. I was jus’
sayin’
if you want privacy, I can.”

“No need for you to leave. We’ll build you a cottage of your own on the property if we have trouble with the privacy topic. But Lord willing, I’ll get a good woman who will
make
a fine
wife and…”

Cody smiled. “You want some kids
runnin’
around, do ya?” He laughed. “I like
kids
. I got four little nieces and nephews, as you know.”

Adam nodded, smiling
with
him. “Yes, they are very rambunctious, aren’t they? Perhaps I will not have that many children.”

“Is that even up to you?”

They both laughed.

“I’m about to
go send
this ad to Virginia. Do you want to ride along? I wanted to talk to you about the eggs.”

“The eggs?” Cody looked at him confused.

“Yes, come along with me and I’ll explain.”

When they got to the post building, Adam was disappointed to see that it was not open. He thought it was always open. Cody slid from his horse and approached the door to read a piece of paper someone had stuck there. He came back to the horses, looking up at Adam.

“Sister
died,
” he said
simply
.

“Well, is there only one person who works at this place?” He frowned. He wanted to send the ad immediately.

“Sorry, boss. Looks like you’ll have to wait
until tomorrow
to put in your ad. You
look
like you’re getting’ pretty anxious about it. You
really
want to do this, don’t you?”

“I feel that this is what God’s put on my heart, yes.”

“I reckon you talked to Reverend John about it.”

“I sure did. Just today.”

Cody nodded. “That’s why you’re so anxious. You got confirmation from someone you trust.”

Adam gave his farmhand
a narrow
look. “You’re pretty smart when you wanna be, Cody.”

Cody laughed.
“Jus’ cause
my words are lazy doesn’t mean my brain is.”

Adam laughed with him. It was a good point.

“I guess we gotta go back and take care of the eggs then.” Adam sighed with resignation. He turned his horse around and headed home.

Chapter Three

Lilly was more nervous than she had ever been in her life. She was hurrying back from the post office with a letter for Angelica that she knew her friend was not going to expect. And Lilly was terribly afraid she would reject it
completely
and be angry at Lilly for what she’d done behind her back.

The letter was from Adam Burrows in Elko, Nevada. Lilly had found his ad in the newspaper and responded, signing Angelica’s name instead of her own. It was the only way she knew of to ensure that Angelica would be taken care of first. She would travel with her, with her
own
money that she had been saving, and hope for the best.

But Lilly hadn’t mentioned a few things about Angelica when she’d responded. She’d used perfect English – or as near it as she could come – and hadn’t
mentioned the death of
Angelica’s father. Nor had she said how stunningly beautiful Angelica was.

Her heart beat hardest at the thought of the final blow in her deception. She had signed the letter as “Angela Davenport” rather than Angelica DiAntonio. The last name in itself would give the whole thing up.

Lilly’s sense of guilt washed over her as she berated herself for the entire scam. How would Angelica react? Would she even go through with it? It had been three weeks since the death of her father. She was back to working but was only doing that – living, existing. She had no vibrancy left, other than her outer beauty. It never reflected her inner sorrow, except when she was crying.

She had stopped crying about a week ago and was now just moving around, doing her work, eating, sleeping and the like.

Lilly wanted it to stop. She’d answered the ad the day after Mr. DiAntonio’s death. The letter of response had just arrived. She opened it immediately and was thrilled to read he was interested and had even sent a ticket for “Angela” to take, dated five days hence.

She stopped at the door of their boarding house and looked up at the windows that belonged to Angelica’s rooms. Her friend was not in the window and could not
be seen
from where Lilly was standing.

Lilly’s heart pounded. Regret washed over and then a sense of determination filled her. Her mixed up feelings continued to battle each other as she pushed open the door and went through. By the time she reached the second floor and was standing in front of Angelica’s door, she was out of breath. Her anxiety was making her feel faint. She knocked on the door and then opened it, putting her
head through
.

“Angel? Where are you?”

“In here. Come on in, Lilly.”

Lilly closed the door behind her and hurried into her friend’s bedroom, where it appeared Angelica was going
through her clothes
to see what she wanted and what she didn’t. She’d
been given
all of her sisters clothes that had not burned in the fire but
where
kept in a separate building. These were all clothes meant for the
wintertime,
and they were of
very fine
quality.

“These are beautiful!” Lilly said. “What do you plan to do with them?”

“I am giving them to some of the women in town who have
very little
.”

“But you should sell them. You don’t have to give them away. You need money.”

“I do not want to sell them,
amica
mia
. I want the women to have them. I do not want the money they have.”

Lilly understood. These were women who made their money with the men in
town,
and they never seemed to have enough
money
. Angelica didn’t want to take what little they had, nor did she want the money they made that way.

“I want to talk to you, Angelica.” Lilly dropped herself on the bed and reached out for Angelica’s hand. Angelica took it, pulled herself from her sitting position on the floor and joined Lilly sitting on the bed.

“What is it?”

“I think…I know we need to make a change in our lives. Do you agree with that?”

“
Si
.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“I have done
something,
and I want to tell you what I’ve
done,
but I don’t want you to be angry with me for it.”

Angelica immediately felt a sense of anxiety flow through her. She swallowed and looked at her friend closely. “What have you done?”

“I answered an ad
from
a man in the West requesting a bride.”

Angelica’s eyes opened
wide,
and she found herself short of breath. “What?
You are
leaving me? What will I do? Where…”

“No, no.” Lilly cut her off, patting her hand. “I answered it…for you
…
as you. Do you understand?”

Angelica looked terribly confused. “No.”

Lilly pulled in a deep breath and wrestled with her anxiety. “I…answered it from you, like I was you. I signed it with your
name,
but I gave you a more American last name so…you’d have more chance of
being chosen
if others responded to it.”

“What….what did you say? I am
confusa
.”

“Confused. I am sorry, Angelica. I know you will understand if I just have the right words to help you. We need to make a change. I wanted to make sure that you would be able to travel with
me
if the ad
was answered
. I didn’t
want
to leave you behind. So I
answered the ad
to make sure you would
be chosen,
and I will pay
for
my
own
way to wherever you go. I will go with
you,
and when you get there, I’ll be
nearby,
and I will make my
own
way.”

Angelica understood what Lilly had done and felt amazed, excited and worried all at the same time. “You…will make your
own
way?”

“I’ll be nearby. I can get a job housekeeping like I always do. And I have some money saved, more than I’ll need for the ticket, so I should be able to get by for a little while.”

“I am worried
for
you.”

“Don’t be. We’ll make it, you and me.”

“May I read the letter?”

“Oh!” Lilly felt silly for forgetting the letter. She pulled it from her skirt pocket and gave it to Angelica. “Do you think you’ll understand it?”

Angelica smiled wide. “I have been working hard on my English. I am better able to read than speak.”

“You are doing
really
well, Angel. You
really
are.”

Lilly already felt a sense of relief. Perhaps it was
truly
what God wanted. She prayed that she had made the right choice for both of them.

They were packed and ready when the carriage arrived to take them to the station. They were grateful to Miss Bess, who had provided her private driver and carriage for the girls to get to the station. They were nervously holding hands the entire way to the station. Both were tense and quiet, thinking about the fact that they were traveling to an unknown place to meet strangers who may or may not accept them the way they were.

Lilly was
praying
hard, sometimes with Angelica, that the man they would meet would understand their situation and not judge them harshly. Lilly had sent a telegraph that Angela would be arriving but made no mention of herself.

That fact weighed heavily on them both as they boarded the train and settled themselves in one of the cabins. What if they were both sent back? Or simply sent away? What if the man was not accommodating and wouldn’t accept them at the train station?

Fear and anxiety gave them both headaches. They sat
silently
as the train made its way across the country. They went to get food once and did so without a word. Other passengers watched them curiously. Lilly wondered if they made such a strange pair that people would feel the need to stare at them in such a way.

When they were back in their seats, Angelica whispered, “Lilly, let me see the letter again, please.”

Lilly handed it to her without a word. She’d kept it tucked in her pocket and often would touch it to make sure it was there.
She
wanted to have it to prove Angelica was the one he had
sent for
. She had already decided to let Angelica go to him alone and that she would go immediately into the building to retrieve a newspaper. She would need to find a boarding house right away.

She watched Angelica read through the letter again, her eyes focusing on the name at the beginning, “Angela
.”
It was only a different version of her
own
name
and she felt she would be able to get used to it.
She
had worked hard on her English, harder than she ever had before, just in the last four days. She wanted to make a good impression.

Please, God, help me be what he wants. She prayed, folding the letter and clutching it tightly in her hand. “I will give him the
letter
,
Lilly,
” she said.

Lilly pulled in a deep breath and pressed her lips together. She felt shaky and faint. Every mile took her closer to being more alone than ever before. She did not regret letting Angelica take the place of the bride for the man. But she hadn’t
really
thought about how alone it would leave her. Alone 4000 miles from anywhere she’d ever known.

A sense of dread covered her.

They were 20 minutes from the train station and gathering their things together.
They
no longer needed the coats they had started out wearing and had stripped off the gloves and bonnets, as well. It was cool but not nearly enough for the extra clothing. The sun was dropping behind the horizon when they stepped off the train.

They were not given time to separate.

They were the only ones departing the train at that
station,
and
a man was standing
there waiting for Angela. He was the only one there and watched them both get off the train, talking in low tones.

They stopped and stared at him.

He blinked and then approached, removing the cowboy hat from his head.

“Angela?”

He looked from one to the other.

“Uh…” Lilly looked at Angelica. “This is
Angela,
” she said instinctively.

Angelica nodded. “Hello, yes, I am Angela.”

Lilly just realized how thick her Italian accent was. They both stared at
Adam,
and he stared back at them, his eyes moving from one to the other. The first thing he noticed was that they were both beautiful women. The second was that there were two of them and the one saying she was Angela was
definitely
not an American.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand what’s going on,” Adam
stated
in a low voice.

Lilly looked at Angelica with worried eyes. She didn’t want to speak up when it was Angelica who was supposed to be the one here for him. She tried to send telepathic messages to her friend by thinking very hard,
talk to him,
talk
to him
!

“I…” Angelica started. She reached down and picked up her two bags, which surprised both Lilly and Adam. Adam took a step
back,
and Angelica took a step forward. “I am ready. I do say sorry for confusing you. I travel with Lilly very often. She is my friend and companion. I do hope you do not mind.”

Adam wasn’t sure. He didn’t exactly
mind
one way or the other. But
he
’d been expecting one woman, not two. He couldn’t possibly marry two women. He looked at Lilly. Which one of these women was he supposed to
be with
? It was
obvious
Lilly had written the response letter for Angela.

“I sent for one woman to marry. What is your intention here?”

Lilly followed Angelica’s lead and picked up her bags. “As
Angeli…
Angela says, I have been her traveling companion for some time. I would like to stay nearby, perhaps in a boarding house and continue my friendship with her. Also, I have been helping her learn English. As you can see, she is still working on it.”

Adam shook his head. “I have rooms at my farm. You may use one of them. But I am unhappy that I
was not told
of this from the beginning.”

Lilly felt regret wash through her. “I am sorry, sir. It was not my intention to anger you. I was just trying to do something for my friend.”