And Matt Foreman, so far as she could tell, gave not one jot about her trust fund. In fact, he had pledged repeatedly to provide for her. It would be his honor, he had said, to put in a hard day's work to take care of the needs of his wife and family.
Before she lost her nerve, she got out a pen and paper and wrote a short reply, accepting his offer of marriage.
There was so much more she wished to say, to pour her heart out to the sincere and thoughtful man half a continent away, but she feared she'd lose her nerve if she didn't post the letter immediately.
Sealing it up, she unbarricaded the door to her room, grabbed a cloak and stole out into the darkened streets of St. Louis. The moon was bright and it reminded her of a passage from one of Matt's letters.
I know Juniper Junction isn't fancy. And we don't have all the modern conveniences of St. Louis, but at night, the moon and stars are so bright it's as though you could reach out and touch them.
With trembling hands she lowered the door to the mailbox and dropped her life-changing letter in.
* * *
“Good news, Elizabeth,” her father crowed at breakfast a few days later. “Neville and I have made our final arrangements. All that is left is for the marriage to take place. I’ve set the date for the first of next month.”
Elizabeth choked on her coffee while her father stared on, irritated at her lack of answer. Finally, one of the servants gave her a couple of whacks on the back while apologizing profusely and cleared her airway.
It did not, however, eliminate the horror coursing through her body. “The first? Of next month?” she managed to choke out. “Why that’s less than three weeks away. I need time for a dress and trousseau and invitations. How can a wedding be planned in such a short time?”
She had no interest in any of those things, at least so far as Neville “Nevie” Pettit was concerned. However, she desperately needed to stall. She had not yet received a ticket from Matthew and without that, she had no idea how she would be able to escape to her new life in Juniper Junction.
She’d hoped for at least a month. She should have known better.
“No one cares about that sort of thing, or at least I don’t. You’ve got plenty of pretty dresses to wear and I shall see to the invitations. It is not as though you have any friends to invite. Or at least no friends that matter.”
He stood, indicating that the matter was completed, and headed for the door. Just before he exited he turned to her and speared her with a steely gaze. “See that you are prepared to become Mrs. Neville Pettit on the first of the month, Elizabeth.”
A chill fell over the room and Elizabeth stared at her plate of food. She had no appetite, though that was the least of her problems.
Without a train ticket, how would she get to Juniper Junction? Oh, the bitter irony. She lived in riches but had none of her own. And once she was married, the trust fund from her mother would go to the deplorable Nevie Pettit.
Her stomach churned.
Elizabeth cared very little for money. She’d seen the way it made people, particularly her father, behave. Of course, it provided a comfortable life. She was never hungry or cold or without proper attire for the weather, but her soul felt impoverished indeed.
And then she thought of Matt’s letters and her heart warmed a bit. He had promised to provide for her and she would trust him to do that. In the meantime, she needed to devise a plan.
The front door closed, indicating her father was out of the house for the day. Fortifying herself with the last of her coffee, she returned to her room and set to work.
Inspecting her wardrobe, she tried to decide which dresses and shoes were best suited to life in the wild west. After reviewing every item, she determined that essentially none of her clothes were appropriate for anything more than a life of leisure. She was sort of disgusted with herself over that.
She vowed to start a new life in Juniper Junction. A life with purpose and friends and most of all, a husband named Matt who cared about a simple maid named Elizabeth.
A tap on her door made her jump and she opened it a crack, not wishing for anyone to see the state of her bedroom. It was Minnie, her lady’s maid, and closest thing to a friend that Elizabeth had. She held a silver salver with an envelope upon it.
“Beg your pardon, Miss Elizabeth,” the maid said. “But I thought you’d want to have this letter right away.”
A glance at the parcel on the tray set Elizabeth’s heart racing. She’d recognize that handwriting anywhere. She stifled a squeal of happiness and grabbed the letter, smiling her gratitude to Minnie. “Thank you!”
Minnie glanced from side to side and then put her foot in the doorway to prevent her mistress from closing it just yet. “There’s a rumor going about that you’re to marry Mr. Pettit soon.” Minnie paused and chewed on her lip. “I don’t want to stick my nose where it don’t belong, but…” she glanced at the envelope and then back up to meet Elizabeth’s gaze “if there’s anything you might need… you just need to ask.”
With that, she turned and walked down the hall.
Elizabeth closed and locked the door, then carefully opened
