Alice waited anxiously for a response from the Gentleman of Montana. She wasn’t sure if she had been too forward, or not forward enough, in her first letter. She was finding it harder and harder to make even the simplest of decisions, and she was sure it was because she didn’t know if there was an alternative. But she knew, in her heart of hearts, that it did not matter if he wrote to her or not. The simple fact that she was waiting, and praying that he would told her that her goals and dreams had clearly changed.
She began to trawl through the Matrimonials page in every newspaper she read, cutting out the pages with men who sounded interesting. Yet, for some reason she could not bring herself to write to any of them. She kept telling herself it was because she was being polite, that whoever the man was in Montana that she had written to deserved to have sufficient time to respond before she entered a correspondence with someone else. After all, she could hardly be in love with a man she knew nothing of. She had read only a few lines about him. It wasn’t sufficient evidence to base a future upon.
“Alice, love, there is a letter for you in my parlor,” Ellen said, giving her a quick squeeze as she entered the kitchen as she leant up close to her ear and whispered, “ I thought you might like a bit of privacy.”
“Thank you,” she whispered back. “Is Mrs Wainwright around?” Ellen shook her head.
“No, she is in a meeting with both the owners. I think she will come back with word that I must fill Maggie’s old post. I don’t think I can give you much longer to make up your mind.”
“I understand,” Alice said. “Maybe the letter will help me decide.”
She hurried through to the little room beside the kitchens, and sank down into the seat that had once been Maggie’s. She wondered if she had read her first letters from Ethan there, and if maybe it might bring her some luck. She sliced open the envelope carefully, and took out the paper. She could feel her belly churning, and was surprised that a letter could cause her so much anxiety. After all, the worst that could happen was that he was saying he did not wish to correspond with her.
Dear Miss Springham
Thank you for your delightfully scented letter. I was honored that you chose to correspond with me, but I have a few questions I must ask. I do not wish for there to be any confusion, or unhappiness between us.
I am looking for a wife. Are you truly looking for a husband?
I do not have time to waste on courting, nor do I have sufficient funds to spend on searching for a bride. If you are not serious in your pursuit of a husband, I would prefer to know now. I do not wish to sound harsh, and certainly do not wish to put you off – as I read your letter with much pleasure, and truly think we could suit. But I will not waste your time or mine, if I am merely a distraction you require to help you to make a decision as to what to do with your life.
Alice put down the letter unfinished. Her butterflies seemed to have turned into angry birds. She was fuming. How dare he be so rude? She had written to him in all good faith, had laid her predicament out on the line and here he was, doubting her veracity? Never had she read a person so wrongly. She had thought he would be fun, and engaging. But he sounded like a petty tyrant.
“I brought you a cup of hot chocolate, love, thought you might need it,” Ellen said as she popped her head around the door, the steaming cup of chocolate filling the tiny room with its rich vanilla and cinnamon scent.
“I could certainly use the comfort,” she admitted sadly.
“Does he not wish to correspond?”
“I think he does, but I simply couldn’t read the whole letter. His first words were to admonish me as a frivolous chit who didn’t know her own mind.”
“But that is exactly what you are,” Ellen teased. Alice glared at her.
“I know that, and you do too – but what right is it of his to point it out to me?”
“He is looking for a wife, someone to share his life with. That is his right. He wants to know you are serious before he gives his heart to you.”
“Read it Ellen, I don’t think he intends giving his heart to anybody.”
Ellen sat down beside her and took the letter from the table. Alice sipped at her chocolate, and watched as her friend read his words. It seemed to take forever. “Well, I agree the first page is a bit of a rant, but by page two he sounds like he is absolutely charming. I truly believe he is only trying to protect himself from hurt. Give him a chance, read the rest of it. I think you will be pleased you did.”
Alice took back the proffered pages and set the chocolate down. She skimmed over the bit she had already read, the annoyance quick to ignite when she saw his bald question to her. But she bit it back down and continued to read.
I am sorry if I sound like the worst kind of tyrant, but I did not advertise for a wife lightly. I am a cautious man; an old fashioned man. I had hoped that I would one day just meet a girl, fall head over heels in love with her and that would be that. But my life has not run so smoothly as that, I am sad to say.
I find myself living here, in the most beautiful place in all the world with nobody to share it with. I do not wish to be alone. I wish to be a part of a family, with a loving wife and well-behaved children (though I would accept unruly and naughty!)I want to create a bond that is as solid and unshakeable as the mountains around me. But, there are not enough women here, and so I must resort to other means.
Writing, though a most pleasant pastime, is not an easy medium through which to get to know a person, though as you so rightly say it can make it easier to open up about some things we might not ever say in person. I am sure you will misconstrue my earlier words, for instance, and think that I am maybe trying to push you away or being overly demanding. But, your lovely letter made me feel that I have known you forever, and could therefore confide my fears.
I am not a wealthy man. I have had many responses from women who seem to expect me to be able to keep them in a manner I most certainly cannot. I have enough land to make a good living, but it will take many years to get my farm to be profitable. I need a partner, who will understand that this will be tough. I will need to rely on her strength and certainty, her trust that I will be able to make things come good.
I think you may be that woman. I think you have the right blend of fun, adventure, and hard work running through you or you would not have achieved what you have so far. This means everything to me. I have to choose wisely, and I am scared. Scared that I will do it all wrong, will not be able to make things right for any woman. And I truly like you. Something inside me simply sang out as I read your letter. I need to meet you, I need to know you are not toying with me in order to then change your mind and remain in Boston, and take your promotion.
You asked in your letter if I lived near Sun River, indeed I do and I know your friend Maggie too I believe. I also got the feeling from your letter that you are uncertain about much in your life. You seem to enjoy your work, but I noted that it no longer gives you the pleasure it once did. You think you may want a relationship, but seem scared to admit it even to yourself. And so, I have an idea. I truly hope that you will consider it, as I think it could possibly help us to calm our fears about this giant leap into the unknown.
Maggie has opened a bakery. I understand that she is expecting her first child with Ethan, and that he is concerned as to the hours and the difficulty of much of her work. I appreciate that if you leave Boston you will be doing so without any kind of guarantees that you would have work to return to, and so this way you could come here and have a position – whatever were to occur between us.
Maybe you could come and help her out, build a new life for yourself here - and we could see if we suit? I would love to court you properly. We could go to the theatre, and on picnics. I want to show you my farm, and the lovely stream that flows through it where I fish occasionally. I wish to show you the incredible mountains and the waterfalls and the wildlife that surround us.
Don’t come to Sun River for me. Come to Sun River to build yourself a new life. If anything happens between us, then that would be down to fate. But, I truly feel you need a new start somewhere and this could be it.
Yours Hopefully
Daniel Havering
Alice could feel her eyes fill with tears. How had he seen so much from just a single letter? He had managed to pinpoint her dilemma exactly. She didn’t know what she wanted, but she did know it wasn’t what she had. It was why she had resisted the opportunity to take the promotion, and it was why she had leapt at the chance to write to a complete stranger. “I think he truly sees you,” Ellen said sagely. “He is offering you the chance to change your life, if you want to.”
“Without marrying me! I cannot travel across the country as a woman alone. It would be, I don’t know, unseemly.”
“Are you so sure that is what you want from him? It sounds to me that he is offering you a solution to your discontent, not attempting to sully your virtue. You would be going across the country to take up a position. It is no different to your coming here when you were a girl.”
“No, he is right about that too. You are right, as always. I do like him. But I think you both may be right that I just want to get away from here, to do something different.”
“It would do my heart good to know you are with Maggie. She seems to be so much happier since she moved to Sun River, and to know you are by her side as she has her baby would put my mind at rest,” Ellen admitted, wringing her hands. Alice gave her a quick hug. She knew how much the older woman cared for both her and Maggie.
“Why don’t you come with me?” Alice said suddenly. She could hear the wistfulness in the older woman’s tone and she knew that she loved both her and Maggie as if they were her own children. In her heart of hearts, Alice was sure that Ellen would like nothing more than to be by Maggie’s side as she had her little one.
“No, I should stay here. The hotel would fall apart if we all just up and leave.”
“No, that shouldn’t be your concern Ellen. You have given your best years to this place. Isn’t it time you thought about what you want, what you need for a change? You should come and be with us. You are our family, and we both love you. Just think how incredible that bakery could be if you were a part of it. People would come from miles around!”
“Alice, it will be a small bakery, in a small town. It will not need three of us.”
“But Maggie will not be there soon,” Alice cajoled. She suddenly felt anxious about heading across the country alone. She needed Ellen there too, and she was sure that Maggie would be glad of her presence too. “Why don’t I write to Maggie and see if what this man says is true? We can decide then.”
“But you will write to him too?”
“Yes I shall. I shall be honest and tell him I am unsure, but that I do wish to come to Montana. I shall start to make my arrangements, and will wait until we have word from Maggie to finalize our plans.”
“Our plans!” Ellen snorted. “Your plans, my girl. I am staying right here.” Alice knew that Ellen longed to accept the invitation. She was tired of the hard work and lack of recognition she received here too. And they both missed Maggie so much. She wouldn’t push, but she also would not set foot on that train without her friend and mentor by her side. She didn’t doubt for one moment what Maggie’s response would be to them both joining her in Sun River. She would be delighted.