A Reluctant Bride on the Trail (Preview)

Chapter One

St Louis, Missouri, 1878

Margaret crept into her grandmother’s room. Her grandmother was deep in conversation with Lizzy, who was perched on the edge of her bed, rattling off a school story, and how her day went. 

“Lizzy, it’s time to go to bed,” she put a hand on Lizzy’s shoulder, urging her nine-year-old sister to finish up with her story. 

“Already?” Lizzy looked up, her chin wobbling. 

“Say goodnight to your grandmother.” 

Lizzy leaned in and hugged their grandmother tight.” 

“Good night, Dear.” Their grandmother’s eyes followed her sister as she slipped from the room, and they snapped up to Margaret. 

“How are you feeling?” Margaret ventured. The grim tone Margaret used settled over the room. Her grandmother was ill, and it wouldn’t be long now until they’d have to say goodbye to one another. 

“I’m…not well.” Her grandmother’s smile fell. “I try to stay strong for Lizzy, but my time is coming, Margaret. I can feel it.” 

Margaret nodded, coming closer to her grandmother, taking the place where her sister had been a few moments ago. She held the wrinkled hand that had cared for her and her sister since they were small children. There was so much more she wished she could share with her grandmother, so many moments. 

“Don’t look so sad, child.” Her grandmother’s face lit up. “We’ve had a good life together. I wish that I could have been there for Lizzy until she was older, till she could understand better. This is going to be so hard on her, but you need to be strong for both of you.”

“I’ll take care of her,” Margaret promised. She’d helped care for Lizzy as long as she could remember. 

“I know you will. But promise me you’ll find happiness, Margaret. That’s all your grandfather and I ever wanted for you.” 

“I’m already happy.” Margaret leaned in and pressed a kiss to her grandmother’s warm cheek. 

“Why don’t you send Lizzy back in here? No need to be a stickler for the rules when this old woman doesn’t have much longer left, is there?”

“No there isn’t.” Margaret stood and then went to find her sister. She was brushing out her light blond hair and tucking it into her sleep cap. 

“Lizzy, Grandmother wants your company a bit longer. Okay?”

Lizzy’s eyes widened. 

“Really?” 

“Really.” 

Understanding reflected in Lizzy’s eyes as she slipped past Margaret and back down the hall. Margaret’s heart cracked in two inside of her chest. She had never thought she’d have to deal with something so terrible all on her own. She wasn’t ready to lose her grandmother, but life was cruel, and so very short. 

***

Margaret pulled her sister closer. It was raining, which was fitting. Her grandmother always loved a good rainstorm.

They were walking home, alone for the first time since they had been dropped off on her grandmother’s doorstep.

“What are we going to do now?” Lizzy sniffled.

For a nine-year-old, she was very perceptive and must have picked up much of what Margaret was struggling with. The pieces of their lives were shattering, throwing them into uncertainty.

“I honestly don’t know.” It was hard to admit that she was clueless to her little sister. Keeping it together was something she’d excelled at and always done. As hard as it was, honesty was better.

I’ll figure things out, somehow.

Margaret hurried on down the path, around the bend, and up the long entrance, pulling Lizzy along with her. By the time they reached the house, they were both soaked through and through. Rain dripped from the hems of their clothing, making the ground muddy under their feet. Margaret was sure that the sky was crying for their grandmother.

She stopped right inside the doorway of the stately Victorian that had been their home for the last nine years. Lizzy stood beside her, not moving a muscle, both of them afraid to let reality sink in. Emptiness stared back at them, silence echoing against the flat surfaces, void of their grandmother’s voice. 

“It’s just us now,” Lizzy whispered.

Margaret nodded, a hole opening in her chest where her heart belonged. There were more ugly truths to face, ones she didn’t want to say out loud. The house belonged to her grandfather and, by extension, his children—her father’s siblings—who had never accepted her mother, and by extension, her and Lizzy, only allowing them to live there because their grandmother lived there.

Now that Cora Parker was gone, they were going to have to pack up and leave.

“Why don’t you go get changed into something dry and meet me here by the hearth. We’ll spend a few minutes together before going to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“What’s happening tomorrow?” Lizzy’s eyebrows pinched together to form a question and she turned to face Margaret. Lizzy always noticed the small details. She was slow to speak or demand answers until after she’d tried to figure out a lot of it on her own. It had always been almost impossible to keep things from her.

“We’re moving.” The words settled in the air like heavy stones, pulling all the oxygen from the room.

“Moving?” Lizzy shook her head. “What’s wrong with this place? I don’t want to leave. Grandmother would have wanted us to stay here.”

“Yes, she would have, but we can’t.”

The weight of failure pressed down on Margaret’s shoulders. It was so heavy, yet inevitable. What else could she do? Her grandmother had set aside a certain amount of money for them in the event of her death, but that was all she could do. Her grandmother’s children refused to take Lizzy and Margaret in as their own. They didn’t see them as legitimate children of their grandparents or their brother.

“We’re going to be okay, Lizzy, no matter where we go.” Maybe if they kept repeating it, it would come true.

“But where are we going?” Lizzy asked, tears filling her eyes. She motioned to the main living area. Margaret could see her little sister crumbling under the prospect of losing even more.

Exhaustion and an overly emotional day were weighing down on both of them, and their reactions were heightened. She wiped away a stray tear from Lizzy’s cheek.

“We’re going to our Uncle Ed’s house.” Margaret didn’t know her uncle well, but Edward Johnson was her mother’s brother, someone who would help them if he could. They were his blood relatives, so she was counting on him to at least try to come up with an acceptable solution.

“Why do we have to go?” Lizzy was crying now, sobs shaking her shoulders.

“Please don’t cry, Lizzy. Come on, let’s go get changed.” Tears of her own pressed against her throat. She shoved them back. 

Not right now.

Margaret led her down the hall into their room. She pulled out a fresh change of clothes from the chest by the door for herself and Lizzy. Getting dry and settled was the important thing right then. They’d have to worry about their feelings regarding the whole thing later. 

Margaret tackled her own hair first, a wet, ratty mess of tangled curls. She winced with every pull of the hairbrush. Lizzy was next. Her hair was the same light honey color, but didn’t tangle as much, since it was mostly straight. Both girls shared a similar look, with piercing blue eyes, and delicate features. They looked like their mother. She brushed Lizzy’s hair out until there were no tangles left, then plaited it into two simple braids. When she was done, she sent Lizzy to the main room while she prepared some hot cocoa in the kitchen. It was her grandmother’s favorite comforting drink.

Being allowed to stay in her grandmother’s house for as many days as they had was a surprise in itself. On the second day, her uncle on her father’s side came to tell her they needed to leave by the end of the week. Margaret wasn’t going to wait for them to come back and kick them out. Lizzy wouldn’t handle such a confrontation like that well. 

Margaret carried two large cups of cocoa into the main room and sat down beside Lizzy. Lizzy sported puffy red eyes. Her face was heavy with sadness. At least the panic was gone, and the sobs quieted. She took the cup from Margaret’s hand and gave a watery smile.

“I’m sorry for getting upset.”

“It’s okay. We’re going to make it through this. Grandmother believed in us. We’ll find a new home, and start over, just you and me. That’s what sisters are for.”

Lizzy nodded silently. Margaret didn’t need her to say anything to know how she was feeling. The weight of absence was heavy in the house. Every creak or whisper through the empty halls and rooms made her shiver. When her grandmother was alive, she made the place feel like home. That was gone now. At nineteen, she felt like a little girl again losing her grandmother. The burden of being responsible for a child all on her own without a job was so much. Her head spun and she clutched her mug tighter than necessary, suppressing the panic that clawed at her heart. 

What was she going to do? Where would she find a job? Who would take her on?

She didn’t let it show. Margaret had to believe that everything was under control. When she was done with her cocoa, she wrapped her arm around Lizzy and picked up a book to read to her. As she read the words of the story, her sister’s eyes began to droop until her head rested against Margaret, and she fell into a deep sleep. Margaret relaxed her head against the back of the chair. What was ahead for them? Only time would tell.

Chapter Two

Elijah trudged through the wet and muddy streets of St. Louis. The long trip was getting to him—sleepless nights on the train and stagecoach, then even further to travel before he arrived in the city that so many people talked about. Despite most people’s allure with the city, he never would have chosen to step foot in it.

His family trusted him to go to St. Louis to fix a family problem. If Elijah could have, he would have turned around and gone straight back to Thornville, Kansas, where he belonged. 

St. Louis was a hustling and bustling city. He’d lived there as a child, and had no cares to go back. People in St. Louis seemed to have settled in, creating a more sophisticated life for themselves. But Elijah loved the adventure of Western Kansas… and the odds of making a good living in a new place. That’s why his family had relocated there in the first place. They wanted to find their fortune and settle down. It was fine in practice, but while some of the residents, like Elijah and his family, were determined to build a future… others were quick to tear things down as quickly as they were built, making progress for their small town difficult. Their dreams didn’t last long enough to take root.

A little sign swinging in the rain under a street lamp caught his attention. Black letters spelled out, “Hotel.” He quickened his pace. The idea of a room, a wash, and a hot meal propelled him forward. The drizzle that followed him since he’d arrived in town picked up and turned into a downpour. He was still a block away from the hotel.

He’d almost made it without getting soaked. He rushed up the steps to the hotel and stepped into a large dining area. The warm air and dry atmosphere sent a wave of relief rushing through him. Delicious smells swirled around him, tantalizing his stomach which hadn’t had a morsel but a bit of dry bread and cheese from his pack a couple of hours ago.

Most of the tables were full of travelers and townspeople alike. Not many paused what they were doing to look up and see who the newcomer was. They were too enthralled with their conversations and dinner.

He shook the rain off of his coat as he made his way past the busy diners and up to the front. A young woman was sitting behind the counter, looking as if she were bored with her evening and waiting to go home. It was going to be dark soon. The people in the diner were finishing up with their dinner. He’d arrived at his final destination at the perfect time.

“Howdy,” he said as he tipped his hat to her.

“Hello.” Her expression was a picture of boredom.

Her eyes surveyed him up and down, while she made no move to stand up or engage him in conversation. There were plenty of travelers coming and going from St. Louis. It was a rather large city, and he could see the young woman was used to dealing with people all day long.

“What can I help you with?” the girl asked, pulling out a large ledger and opening it to a page that was half full of scrawled writing.

“I’m looking for a room. I need one for tonight, possibly for two nights.” He wasn’t sure how long he’d be staying St. Louis. As little as possible would be best. He’d strike a deal with his uncle, then be on his way. That was if his uncle agreed to his family’s terms. 

What if he doesn’t want your deal? Why should he help any of you? The pesky voice of doubt slithered through him, shaking his confidence.

“One moment.” The girl flipped through a couple more pages before she stopped and scribbled something with her pen. She pulled out a key and handed it to him. “Here you are. Just let me know tomorrow if you’re going to need another night. Try to let me know as early as you can.”

She forced a smile that looked as if it were only for his benefit.

“Can I also get a hot meal and a wash?”

“Of course. I’ll send somebody up to your room with hot water. Feel free to find a table and someone will be with you shortly.” Her attention was already elsewhere as she put down more numbers in the ledger and ignored him.

Elijah nodded and turned back toward the bustling room. His eyes scanned about until he found an empty table in the corner. He made his way over to it, thankful it was near the window, so he could see the busy street outside. Something was fascinating about the crowds of people coming and going, some rushing home to end their evening and others coming out to enjoy the night. It was interesting to ponder what their intentions might be or what their families were like.

Back in Thornville, the town was so small that everybody knew everyone and there was rarely a secret that wasn’t shared by morning. In a place like St. Louis, closeness and knowledge of people’s business wasn’t even possible. He sometimes wished for such anonymity, something that was a benefit most people didn’t even realize they had, and often took for granted. 

After ordering his supper, it didn’t take long for a young woman to bring out a huge plate piled full of roast potatoes, biscuits, and gravy. What was Jackson eating for his supper? The thought pushed its way into his consciousness. His younger brother had stayed behind.

Of course, Jackson wanted to come with him, but Elijah was determined to get through his business with as little trouble as possible. And if he knew anything about Jackson, it was that trouble followed him wherever he went. His younger brother had a knack for getting into problematical things and not being able to get out of them. He then depended on Elijah or one of their other siblings to fix his mess. As the youngest of their family, he was used to getting his way and to being babied. It was something that Elijah couldn’t stand for and something he intended to change once they overcame their latest crisis. He wouldn’t have been nearly as cooperative with resolving it, if it hadn’t had major potential for consequences—for their entire family—if it was left unresolved.

He ate his food quickly, barely savoring the flavors before he went up to his room. He was grateful to see that the young woman at the counter had stayed true to her word, and there was a basin filled with fresh hot water for a bath. It was going to be a restful night, and in the morning, he would go and speak with his uncle.

***

Elijah paced back and forth in front of his uncle’s home in the early morning sunlight. It was a simple house, though it spoke of wealth in the way it was cared for and structured. He knew that his uncle was successful in business, not only because he was good at selling things and savvy with his decisions, but also because he didn’t spend his money foolishly.

He was never able to have children of his own, and that all contributed to his financial gain. Elijah didn’t know his uncle, not well anyway. His knowledge of his uncle was mostly from anecdotes on the side of his father that made him feel as if he could trust their relatives. He was a little boy the last time he’d been to St. Louis to visit his father’s family.

It wasn’t that he wanted to ask for money from anyone, but he was put in a position where there was no choice. Jackson had a debt to the Nelson family. The Nelson family was known for destroying people for not getting what they wanted. They wouldn’t care that it was Jackson who got his family into debt. They’d take it against everyone if they could.

He couldn’t afford to back down now. He lifted his fist and pounded on the door, making sure it was loud enough to be heard, but not so loud as to be demanding. After a few moments, a shuffling sounded on the other side, and the door opened.

He took a step back and regarded a man who looked very much like his father. He had thinning dark brown hair and intelligent brown eyes. He took a step back, a paper in his hand. He was tall and thin but had a jolly demeanor, an unexpected part of his personality that many were taken off guard by.

They stood there looking at each other, a bit dumbfounded before his uncle’s face broke out into a grin.

“Ahhh. You must be Elijah. You’ve grown a mile since I last saw you. Barely a baby back then. I received your letter, and your father’s telegram. I’ve been waiting for you every day since.”

Elijah reached out a hand and smiled. His uncle took a step back and motioned for Elijah to come inside.

“Yep, it’s me, Elijah, Uncle Frank. It took me a bit longer to get here than I first anticipated. The journey was quite the quest.”

“Ah yes, it certainly can be. There’s a reason I haven’t been down your way, though I hear that it can be quite the adventure and very well worth it. I hope that you found everything as you expected and that your travels didn’t give you too much trouble.”

His uncle led him through to a sprawling parlor. Several upholstered parlor chairs—appearing as if they had been brought from fancy cities and cost a fortune—stood against the wall. Smaller tables sat nearby to hold a teacup or a plate of refreshments, which his aunt brought out promptly. She too acted overjoyed to see him, and it warmed his heart to have such an enthusiastic welcome. He hoped their demeanor would not change once he broached the subject of borrowing money. Financial matters could often spoil a person’s attitude toward rather quickly.

“So what brings you here, Elijah? Let’s get to business. Your father was very cryptic in his message, and I have to say your letter was as well. What can I help you with?”

Elijah sighed. Borrowing money felt like a burden as if someone were stacking 100-pound bricks, one on top of the other, all above his heart. Yet there was no way around it. If he wanted his brother to continue to be alive and have a chance at a normal life without being arrested or spotted every time he came near the family, he was going to have to do what his father asked of him.

“The truth is Jackson has gotten himself into a bit of trouble,” Elijah swallowed hard as he said the words.

Exposing their family trouble to others, even if it was an uncle, was not easy for him either. He was used to keeping things close to his chest and sharing only when absolutely necessary. In this case, it was necessary, but that didn’t make it any more comfortable.

“I see. I can’t say that I’m surprised. He takes after your father, you know. Your father was always the troublemaker when we were young, and I found myself in your position more than once. Tell me, what sort of trouble has your brother gotten himself into?”

“He’s gotten himself in a bit of debt with, let’s say, some unsavory characters.” Elijah took a deep breath.

Was he supposed to tell his uncle that the debt was because of drinking and gambling? It was bad enough that they needed money in the first place, but to admit it had been lost in such a terrible way was painful.

“Ah, I see.” An annoyed glint filled his uncle’s eye. Perhaps his uncle already knew enough. “How much do you need?”

Elijah’s heart thudded in his chest as he revealed the number. He felt as if he could disappear from embarrassment just by saying it out loud.

“I see.” His uncle was quiet for a long moment. “And do you believe that your family will be able to return this money over time?”

“I do,” Elijah said. “We are keeping a close eye on Jackson to make sure he doesn’t get into any similar troubles. The rest of us will all be making payments as we can. We wouldn’t ever leave you in dire straits after helping us in such an enormous way. Believe me, we are all ashamed at having to ask this favor in the first place. If there were any way around it, I wouldn’t have dared. My father fears for his life.”

“I understand, son.” Frank White was silent for a couple more minutes, leading Elijah to believe that perhaps he would say no, and the whole trip would be for nothing.

But instead, he nodded his head up and down with a thoughtful expression creasing his brow.

“I’ll tell you what. The sum is rather large; more than I expected, to be honest. I’ll have to discuss it with your aunt. And we’ll have to come up with a plan. I’ll need two days to think about it. Can you give me that?”

“Well, yes. Of course. I know it’s a lot to ask.” Elijah clenched his jaw. He’d hoped it would be a quicker process, but he did understand. It was a large sum of money, and even if his uncle did have it, that didn’t mean it would be easy for him to get it out of the bank right away. He was going to have to be patient. It would not be fair to rush his uncle, considering the huge favor he was asking of him.

“I will return in two days then,” he said, standing.

“No, no. Don’t rush off right away. We’re family after all. Stay for dinner.”

His uncle chuckled as his aunt bustled into the parlor, holding a tray of biscuits and cups of coffee.

“Elijah’s stomach rumbled at the scent of the toasted pastries and he took one onto his plate eagerly. 

“Tell me, how is your father? How are your siblings? Tell us all about the adventures you’ve had. We want to hear everything.” His uncle leaned forward with concentration etched on his face.

There was no way Elijah could say no to him. He chewed slowly as he thought about the last year, and when he had taken a sip of the hot coffee, he tried to recount the highlights of the happenings at home.

Chapter Three

Margaret stopped outside of the tiny home where her uncle and aunt lived. It had taken them most of the day to get there by foot, and she was ready to fall over.

She and Lizzy had packs on their back and satchels in their hands. They had packed everything that they could carry and had to leave behind the rest in crates to be sent along to her uncle’s house the next day. They were hopeful that their aunt and uncle were willing to take them in. They didn’t know each other well, except for Uncle Ed being her mother’s brother. 

She had no one to turn to on her father’s side. Everyone he was related to save for his parents had turned their backs on him when he’d chosen to go against what was expected of him. They’d discarded him just like that, something that hurt his parents deeply. Whenever her grandmother spoke of everything that happened between her children, she started to cry.

Her father married her mother despite the fact she was poor, and no one from his family approved. His family never accepted her mother, especially after their father went his own way, cutting them out completely. He hated that they criticized his wife for being poor, for having very little family, and for not being part of high society.

Her aunts and uncles on her father’s side had treated them as outsiders from the moment her grandparents took them in. It was her grandparents who never saw them any differently and embraced them as their own children when the time came. They never seemed to care about the past, or the fact that their son went against everything he was expected to do. Margaret was certain her grandparents expected things to change over the years, especially after her father had lost his life alongside her mother, in a terrible train accident. 

Even a tragedy couldn’t change their hardened hearts.

Her mother’s brother though reached out to her on occasion, keeping open the lines of communication. She was fond of him and his wife, Mary, though they didn’t see one another often. They lived almost an hour away, on the other side of the city, and it wasn’t easy to find the time to go and visit.

Lizzy didn’t even have to knock before the door swung open. The house was bursting with the sound of children’s laughter and screaming and the pitter-patter of feet. It was a joyous sound and yet also overwhelming. She knew her mother’s brother had seven children of his own. He was very busy, and hardly ever at home. Her uncle had always expressed sadness about not being able to take her and her sister in when their parents passed away. 

It was her aunt who answered the door with a smile on her face and a hand on her round belly where she was expecting her eighth child. While the two of them were happy, according to the last time she’d seen them, Margaret could see the stress on her aunt’s face. 

“Margaret, Lizzy, of course, you’re here. We expected as much.” 

She took a step back, offering them space to come inside the home. There was not a lot of room in her aunt and uncle’s little house.

By the hearth, there were two worn parlor chairs. Tattered and worn, it was clear how much they’d been used. Aunt Mary ushered them through the house into the tiny kitchen, which held a long dining room table with odd chairs stacked around it, and a few benches to accommodate all of the children.

“Have a seat. Your uncle will be here any minute. Are you hungry? Have you had anything to eat?”

“Thank you, Aunt Mary. Something to eat would be lovely.” Margaret hated to put her aunt out, but her stomach was grumbling after not eating anything since that morning. “Can I help you with anything?”

A baby’s shrill cries tickled her ears, drifting through the house from the back room.

“If you wouldn’t mind bringing the baby, I would be so grateful. He’s been crying most of the day. I do believe he’s got a touch of colic.” Her aunt shook her head, brushing a couple of loose strands of hair behind her ears and rushing about the kitchen, pulling pans down and poking around in the stove.

Margaret slipped down the hall and found the baby’s room easily by following the cries. The room was full of bunk beds, and a tiny cradle tucked into the corner held the crying infant.

She scooped him up, holding him against her shoulder and brushing his hair away from his face. He didn’t seem at all happy with the fact that she was not his mother and continued to cry for a couple more minutes, while she rocked him back and forth, trying to ease his discomfort. Just as she had for Lizzy when she’d been an infant. Margaret was almost a decade older, and had been both sister and mother for a long time. 

Once he had settled against her, she carried him back to the kitchen where her aunt was setting out plates with boiled eggs and a bit of beans on them. She set a couple of slices of bread before her sister and a second plate for herself.

“There you are. Why don’t the two of you eat something and refresh yourselves while I go check on the children? Can you keep him with you?” Her aunt nodded toward the baby, who was falling back to sleep against Margaret’s shoulder. 

“Of course. It’s not a problem at all. He seems to be getting sleepy already.” Margaret held the baby closer. There was something comforting about calming another person. She remembered what it was like to hold Lizzy that way when she was a baby. She missed those days when things were simple.

Aunt Mary rushed from the room, disappearing down the hall as two children fought in the back of the house. Lizzy and Margaret were left alone in the kitchen, eating their aunt’s delicious cooking.

“Are we going to stay here?” Lizzy whispered, looking up with a frown.

Margaret sighed, her eyes trailing around the room, taking in the tiny spaces and the clutter sitting here and there. Her aunt and uncle were working so hard for what they had already. She couldn’t imagine they’d offer for her and Lizzy to stay, especially since they’d had to turn them away the first time, they needed a home.

“No, I don’t think we will. They don’t have the room for us.” Margaret could never ask her uncle to take in two more children with so much going on as it was. She wanted to, but it wouldn’t be right. Though she could offer her services to help care for the children, she wasn’t sure that it would be worth it to her aunt, who most likely was struggling to feed everyone as it was.

Perhaps her uncle would know of a different opportunity, somewhere where she could work to earn their keep. She could only pray that was the case.

He had promised to help them in some way. Even if it wasn’t living with him, there had to be a solution. 

“Where will we go?”

“I’m not sure yet, but they’ll help us find a place.” 

Margaret shifted the baby to her other shoulder. He stirred, content in his slumber. 

“We wouldn’t take up too much space if we stayed here.” Lizzy pushed the remaining food on her plate around. “I could work extra hard and help with the little ones. Do you think if we did that, they’d let us stay?”

“Lizzy, you don’t have to worry about that. I am going to figure out what we can do in order to have a place to live, okay?” Her heart ached seeing her little sister offering to do what she could to help. 

***

Margaret’s foot bounced nervously against the floor as her uncle took a seat. It ended up being the entire day before her uncle finally came home. 

“Lizzy, why don’t you run along with Aunt Mary and get ready for bed?” Margaret nodded toward the hall. Lizzy looked as if she might cry. She already knew what was coming. They wouldn’t be able to stay. Margaret wanted to pull her into a hug and reassure her again but knew that her words would do little to fix the situation.

Lizzy opened her mouth to protest but reluctantly left the kitchen and headed toward a small alcove, where Aunt Mary said they could sleep for the night.

Once they were alone, her uncle sighed. 

“I’m sorry it had to come to this,” he said softly. “Margaret, your grandmother spoke with me on many occasions. She wanted things to be much better for you after she was gone but she wasn’t able to make that happen.”

Margaret nodded. She knew her grandmother had intentions of setting things up for her, but it was out of her control now. Her grandfather was the one who had the power to do so when he was alive, but he let time get away from him. He’d promised to write the will to leave most of his wealth to her and Lizzy. When he passed away unexpectedly, an old copy of his will went into effect, leaving everything he had to his children and their discretion. It shocked all of them and broke her grandmother’s heart. 

“It’s not your fault, Uncle Ed. I’m just not sure what we’re supposed to do from here. I have to make sure Lizzy is cared for.” She hated depending on other people, especially someone like her uncle, who already had so much on his plate. She loathed the fact she hadn’t done more to prepare for this eventuality in the first place.

“That’s what family is for, Margaret, but I have to say I can’t keep you and your sister here for very long. We have seven children of our own, and Mary is expecting our eighth. Keeping up with the expenses and food for everyone has been difficult as it is. Adding two more mouths to feed is not something I can afford right now.”

“What if I found a job to support myself and Lizzy? You wouldn’t have to worry about us, and we might even be able to help out with the other children.” Uncle Ed shook his head, looking down at the table and picking at an invisible something on his thumb.

“I wish that was an option, Margaret, but as much as you’d like to think it’s possible, finding a job that can support the two of you is harder than you might imagine. Jobs aren’t easy to come by lately, especially for a young woman like yourself. There are plenty of other women here in St. Louis looking for some way to support themselves, their siblings, or their parents. Not to mention, the jobs that women do find don’t pay very well. I’m not sure you’d be able to support yourself and Lizzy. It’s just too complicated. Then there’s the question of where you would sleep. As it is, the only place available now is the main room.”

“What are we supposed to do then?” Margaret didn’t mean to put it on her uncle. Her mind was already racing with many different options. Maybe she could find a cheap place for them to live in town or a job that would have room and board for her and her sister. If it was hard work that someone needed, she was willing to do anything to keep the two of them together and cared for.

“You need to get married to someone who can give you stability and a home.” Uncle Ed’s voice was low, regretful. He didn’t sound happy about putting her in the position at all.

“Marry someone? I wouldn’t even know where to start. My grandmother always spoke about marriage, but she never found someone who was suitable or interested or capable.” Margaret’s voice trailed off. 

The idea of marriage made her heart thud in her chest with panic. She was not ready for marriage, especially to the type of person her uncle was suggesting. There would be no love or mutual desire for a life together. It would only be based on what a husband could provide and what she could do as a wife. She had always dreamed of marriage as falling in love, finding that one true person with whom she could share everything. She always used her grandparents’ marriage as an example of what she, too, would have one day.

“I know it is not ideal. I don’t expect you to be happy at the prospect. In fact, I’m very upset with the idea.”

“If there is any other way,” Margaret shook her head. “Maybe I can find a job that will take us both on in the next couple of days. Or how long can we stay here?” 

Uncle Ed ran a hand over his weary face. “I’m not sure how long we can have you here, Margaret. Perhaps a week or two or until we find suitable arrangements. I know of a man looking for a wife. He lives out west… in Kansas. Maybe he would consider taking both of you.”

“What do you mean?” Margaret did not like the tone of his voice or the shameful look on his face. He knew that there was something she wouldn’t like about what he was about to say.

“He’s a friend of mine. We’ve kept in touch over the years. His wife passed away a few months ago. He needs a wife.”

“A few months ago?” Margaret swallowed hard. “Why is he looking for another wife so soon?”

“I’m sure he isn’t happy about it, but he has three children to care for, and they need a mother. He asked me if I knew of anyone who would be willing to travel out west. I said I’d keep an eye out for him. I figured that someone would need the opportunity, though I just never imagined it might be my own niece.” 

Uncle Ed did not look happy about the suggestion in the least. However, they were both placed in a precarious position where doing what they might not want to might be their only choice.

“How old is he?” Margaret asked.

“He’s in his forties, but he is a healthy man. He’s been ranching for years. He would most likely take Lizzy on as his daughter. The two of you would be together.” Her uncle pointing out the one good thing about the situation did little to calm the panic crawling up her throat. 

“You’d be protected and have a roof over your head. Think about Lizzy’s future. She needs you right now.”

Margaret drew in a shaky breath. It felt as though everything she was certain about, everything she cared for, was being ripped away from her all at once. She struggled to breathe, focusing on different things in the kitchen until she settled on a small crack in the kitchen table, one of its only imperfections despite the many children who ate there daily.

“I’m sorry, Margaret. I know this is uncomfortable and I’m asking a lot from you. If you try to do this alone, I’m not sure I can help you if it doesn’t work out. And the two of you will be on the street and Lizzy will be taken to an orphanage. They will probably not let you even see her as she’ll be busy working or earning her keep. They will send her to the workhouse. At least this way you’ll have a chance to preserve your family. Isn’t that what you want and what your grandmother would have wanted?”

“That’s true.” Margaret’s voice shook. The fantasy of falling in love one day, of having a perfect life and a husband who would love her more than anything else, started to dissipate, drifting away into the recent past, taunting her. “If he will have me, I’ll marry your friend. But he needs to agree to keep us together.”

Uncle Ed nodded. “His name is Mr. Talbot. I’ll send a telegram to him this evening. It’ll be there by morning, and we’ll have an answer by tomorrow afternoon. Of course, I’ll make arrangements for someone to accompany the two of you out. It wouldn’t be good for you to be traveling on your own. I know this doesn’t seem like a good solution, Margaret, but we all can get used to different things in life, even when it seems impossible. If you give it your best and you get to know him, you could even find happiness. He’s a good man and he was happy with his wife.”

Margaret barely heard her uncle’s words. They drifted right over her head as she buried herself in her thoughts. 

Mr. Talbot was much older than her and he had three children. He’d just lost his wife and he must need so much help to be marrying so soon afterward. She tried to think of things in the best light possible, but all she came up with were terrible scenarios. 

No matter how unhappy she was with the idea, her uncle was right about one thing. Lizzy was what was important, and if she didn’t do something to secure their future, they might both end up on the streets or worse. 

She knew about the men from the saloons that roamed the streets looking for girls and that made her shudder. It might be uncomfortable to go to a new place, and face marriage to a stranger, but there were far worse things that could happen to them if she didn’t.