Thea put her arm around Vera. “I know, but you’re doing such a great job. Since Mother and Father died, you’ve held the nine of us together.”
Vera shook her head. “I hate to act selfish, but what about my life? I’m twenty-five and have never even been courted. Is this going to be my life?”
Thea squeezed her sister’s shoulders. “Let me help more. You always do everything yourself. I’m next in line at twenty-one.”
Vera wiped her tears and faced Thea with a smile. “You’re so much prettier. You need to find a husband. I don’t want you to throw your life away either.”
Thea tried to sound encouraging. “It won’t be for much longer since Georgia’s nineteen, Sam’s seventeen and working at the mill, Celeste is nearly fifteen, Finnian’s thirteen, Uma’s eleven, Portia’s nine, and little Perry will be seven next week. We all need to take turns running things. You’ve been in charge far too long. It’s my turn and then Georgia’s and so on.”
“As frustrating as it is, I feel as the oldest it’s my responsibility,” Vera said.
“You’d be pretty if you fixed yourself up. I know you could find a good husband,” Thea told her.
Vera laughed. “And when would I have time to fix myself up and find a husband? I know: between cooking and laundry.”
“That’s it!” Thea announced firmly. “I’m taking over first thing in the morning, and you will find a husband.”
Vera laughed again. “Just like that? I’m an old maid. No one here in Oakville, Missouri, wants to marry an old maid. Most of the single men are younger than I am, besides.”
Thea tightened her hold on her sister’s shoulders. “I’ve an idea—Hannah Markham was thirty when she found her husband in the Matrimonial News.”
“What in the world is the Matrimonial News?”
“It’s a newspaper where men order brides. They write ads for the kind of woman they want. I’ll see if I can get a copy of one of those papers tomorrow.”
Vera was about to reject the suggestion but something stopped her. What if she could really find a husband and a new life? Could she leave her family? Yes, She thought she could. A new life was just what she needed. She was tired, lonely, and in need of a change.
Vera moved from her sister’s embrace and sank into a kitchen chair. “How would I know what I was getting from an ad?”
“You could correspond for a while and maybe even swap photographs.”
“No, I don’t want him to see me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You look haggard because you’ve been working so hard. I don’t plan on doing all the work myself around here. No, unlike you, I’m a delegator. Everyone will have a job.”
“What if they don’t do the job right?” Vera asked.
“That’s your biggest problem, Vera. You’re too controlling and too much of a perfectionist. It will work out just fine.”
Vera and Thea pored over the Matrimonial News, laughing at some ads and circling others.
Vera pointed out one ad. “I rather like this one. He sounds very practical and honest. He cares more about character than looks.”
Thea pointed to another ad. “This one owns a business.”
Vera kept her finger on the ad she liked. “I will answer this one. You know how insecure I am about my looks. This is the man I want to get to know.”
“But Vera, he’s just a farmer—do you want to be a farmer’s wife? It’s a hard job.”
“I’m used to hard work. I’ll make sure we don’t have nine children, though.”
Thea sighed, but she circled the ad. “All right. Get out your stationary.”
Vera and Wyatt exchanged letters for three months. Vera grew anxious each time a letter arrived from him. Her heart always beat faster as she read his well-written words. He seemed intelligent, and she felt drawn to him through his words. Was it possible to fall in love with someone through letters?
They told each other about their lives, families, and interests. Vera liked that Wyatt was a Christian man, and he was close to his father and brother, which spoke volumes to her about his character. He liked music and long walks in the woods. He loved to sit and listen to the birds in the morning and watch the sunset each evening. He sounded so perfect for her.
He admitted to having had a brief, prior betrothal that hadn’t worked out. His fiancée hadn’t been the right fit for a farmer’s wife, but was she? Vera thought she would be perfect.
In her most recent letter from him, he’d suggested something that had made her heart swell in her chest and cause uncertainty at the same time: he wanted a proxy wedding.
What did he look like? Would he like her looks? He’d told her that looks didn’t matter—was that because he was horrible-looking? She shook off her apprehension. Vera felt as if she were in love with Wyatt already, and he sounded just as smitten with her, so why should she worry?
~~~***~~~
Wyatt paced the floor, holding Vera’s unopened letter in his hand. Had she responded to his suggestion that they marry by proxy? Would she agree? He was hesitant to read it. He’d be so disappointed if she didn’t agree or if his suggestion had offended her. She seemed perfect for him. Vera seemed honest, a good Christian woman who had taken care of her many siblings for years. She would make a fine farmer’s wife.
The flow of her penmanship revealed a creative, passionate, and dedicated person, drawing him to her. If the letter were a disappointment, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. He’d chosen her from a dozen other applicants—she just had to agree.
He finally ripped open the seal and read the letter, smiling as he read her words—she’d agreed!
His sister-in-law, Grace, stood in for Vera at the
