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She took three deep breaths and then forced herself up the walk to the front door, knocking loudly.
A tall man with blond hair came to the door. She’d seen him around town but had never been formally introduced. “I’m Heather Flowers. I’m here to see Elizabeth Tandy.”
“Yes, of course. Come in.” He led her down a hall to the last door on the left, which stood open. “Elizabeth, this is Miss Flowers. She is here to see you. I’ll be back with tea and cookies in a moment.”
“You don’t have to bring cookies,” Heather said. “I’m here on business.”
The man simply smiled at her and walked away.
“Your butler calls you by your first name?” Heather asked.
Elizabeth smiled. “My husband, yes. Have a seat. I assume you’re here to discuss a mail-order bride placement?”
Heather sat on the couch facing the desk where Elizabeth sat. “Yes, I am. My mother…well, you don’t want the whole sordid story. Suffice it to say, I’m tired of being manipulated, and I’d like to get out of my current situation. I don’t care if he has children. I’m a good cook and housekeeper. There’s truly nothing I won’t do when it comes to the womanly arts.”
“That will make things easier. I do have a letter that I received from a man in Clover Creek, Idaho, yesterday.” Mrs. Tandy flipped through a stack of papers on her desk and presented one of the papers to Heather.
Dear Potential Bride,
I’m a rancher living in the great new state of Idaho. I live in the country, outside of a small town that has been populated by emigrants from the Oregon Trail.
I run a large cattle ranch, and I do not often make it into town to meet young ladies. I would like to find a woman to marry without having to spend the time courting her.
I think it’s important to say that I do live with my mother, who keeps house for me and cooks my meals. As she is getting older, she would like help with those things. She does a lot of gardening and canning, and it would give her a great deal of pleasure to teach a bride about these things if she didn’t come to me knowing them.
I do not wish to marry a girl who is barely out of school. I want a wife who is more mature, twenty-five at the youngest. She must be willing to work hard, even if she currently knows nothing about keeping house.
I do not worry about looks, as they are unimportant. I am not a handsome man, but my face is not one to scare anyone either. I hope you will write me about yourself, and we can talk about whether you will fit in my family.
If you would prefer to communicate by telegraph, I would be happy to do so to speed up the process a little. It is already June, and I would like to have a bride here to help my mother with harvesting and canning this autumn. Winter comes earlier here than it does in many places, and once winter sets in, we are mostly trapped in our little valley until the thaw. I hope that does not deter you.
Sincerely,
Patrick O’Brien
Heather looked at Mrs. Tandy. “Would it be all right if we communicated by telegraph? I really would like to be out of my mother’s house as soon as possible.”
The blond woman nodded to Heather. “Absolutely. Go ahead and write out a response. I’ll send my husband to you when I have an answer. You live near the Miller farm, right?”
Heather nodded. “Yes, how do you know?”
“I was Elizabeth Miller before I married.”
“Oh! You’re one of the demon horde!” Heather felt shocked that one of the terrible children from the Miller family would be a successful businesswoman.
“No, I’m one of the four oldest children who tried to keep all the others in check. Please, call me Elizabeth.”
Heather nodded, still a bit surprised. “I’ll write that letter now.”
In her letter she talked about how well she could cook, clean, and what a good gardener she was. She told him her age, which she knew would be in her favor with this man.
Handing the letter over, Heather bit her lip. “How long do you think it will be before I receive a response?”
“Not too terribly long. With a letter it would be three or four weeks. I think we’ll have a response from the telegraph by the end of the day.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Would it be silly of me to go home and begin packing today?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Not at all. I’ll let you know as soon as I know something. I do have a good feeling about this match, though.”
