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He smiled as she grinned.
Chapter Ten
Established businessman seeking wife to share future.
Good prospects in small town; will be well cared for.
If interested, please respond to “Ualraig,” c/o this newspaper
1871, 15 January
Dear Mr. Ualraig,
I take pen in hand to reply to your recent advertisement in my small town’s
local newspaper. As a spinster woman with but few family members, I would
be interested in applying for the position which you described. I am, to judge
by the opinion of those who know me best, considered comely, with a
temperate disposition and above-average intelligence. Should you wish to
correspond, I would appreciate your providing me with more personal particulars
about yourself, in the hope that we may find common ground for the future.
I await your reply.
Respectfully,
Hannah Burton
COMELY? WELL, REASONABLY so, given the look she’d seen in some men’s eyes. A temperate
disposition—well, now, there she might be taking liberties with the truth. Truthfully, Dr. Gabriel Havers was smart and intelligent. He had beautiful eyes and a handsome face. And why was she thinking about him this way? They were nothing more than friends. But he was intriguing, charming, funny, and caring. She knew a marriage can’t be based solely on good looks. She felt the spark, but they didn’t connect. They were too different. She needed to concentrate on her future groom. What if her prospective bridegroom wanted a wife of exquisite prettiness and very limited brainpower?
1871, 19 January
My dear Miss Burton,
I am in receipt of your recent letter, describing your situation and applying for
the position as my spouse. You have told me just enough to pique my curiosity.
As an established businessman, I would need a helpmeet to share in all my
endeavors, both social and professional, along with acceding to me all rights
that a husband would normally expect from his wife. With some modesty, I can
say that I occupy a respectable position in my place of residence, and I have
been blessed with sufficient means to comfortably support a family. Should we
each find the other both suitable and compatible, a marriage to me would,
I assure you, provide a position of ease and security. I look forward to hearing
