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Corinth Georgia, October 1875
Rosalia couldn’t fight back her cheerful smile as she opened the letter with quick fingers. This was the tenth letter she’d received from Tobias, but she still felt excited every time she saw his slightly messy script on an envelope.
“Shall we take a look, Faye?” The baby clapped her hands and smiled, catching her aunt’s enthusiasm. Rosalia kissed her head then read her letter, her heart beat double time.
Dear Rosalia,
I’ve enjoyed getting to know you more than you can imagine. Not a day goes by I don’t think of and pray for you and little Faye. Your letters are a real blessing, but I would like to meet both you and Faye in person.
I know we’ve only known each other on paper, and only for a short time, but I, in all honesty, would like to ask you to be my wife. Please, don’t answer my proposal through a letter. I’d like to ask you in person.
Just say the word, and I’ll send train fare for you, as well as enough money for anything you might need along the way. I look forward to hearing from you and apologize for the briefness of this letter, but things are busy around here.
Yours, Tobias
“Oh my word,” Rosalia whispered. She’d known for a while she wanted to meet Tobias, and she’d been hoping they could make a life together, for themselves, as well as, Faye. But to have him ask for her hand in marriage was entirely different.
Naturally, she wrote a hurried reply, stating she and Faye would be prepared to leave whenever his letter arrived. What she didn’t say was how perfect his timing was. Rosalia had lost her last customer. She wouldn’t be able to pay the next month’s rent.
“God is so good to us,” she said, scooping her niece up and kissing her face. “And just think, love. We’ll be there in December, just in time to have a family Christmas.”
Faye was just learning to walk and was enjoying the act of practicing. She waddled down the road, Rosalia holding her chubby little hands.
“That’s it, Faye. You’re doing marvelously.” Faye’s right foot slipped, and she went limp, dangling from Rosalia’s hands like a doll. “That’s alright, you’re still wonderful,” Rosalia said with a laugh.
They were heading towards the Gospel mill, where Rosalia would have to attempt to keep Faye from being “active” as the pastor’s wife affectionately called it. She loved her niece, but taking the girl into a place of quiet was never easy. Faye liked to run and squeal until her voice was hoarse. Sitting quietly was barely an option.
It was a lovely morning out, if a bit chilly. The sky was clear blue, and Faye’s voice seemed to echo off of it. There was a breeze, a small, gentle breath of the earth. It carried the scent of cold - that assurance autumn was there and winter was coming.
Rosalia wondered if there would be any snow in Frost that winter. Though Tobias had said he’d never seen snow there, she still hoped. Faye had yet to witness a single snowflake, and Rosalia herself would love a white Christmas. Oh, it would be so cozy.
And then she began to wonder if Tobias was all he seemed to be. Could he be the sweet, wonderful man she knew from his letters? What if she had misrepresented herself? She couldn’t help but think he might be disappointed at meeting her. No man had ever accused her of being lovely.
Faye stumbled again, and Rosalia picked her up, heading for the church at a brisk pace. They’d be late for service if she didn’t hurry. The last thing Rosalia wanted was to have the eyes of every gossiping woman in town on her and Faye.
People thought it questionable Rosalia had a baby though most knew it was her niece. Still, people talked, and what they said was rarely positive.
“Lord, give me peace in the coming days,” she whispered between heavy breaths. “Help me to trust you in everything.”
Rosalia was standing outside behind the boarding house, attempting to scrub a mud stain from one of Faye’s little baby gowns. It was, of course, a pale blue one with delicate lace. It would be nearly impossible to pull all of the brown from it.
“Faye, you’re only a few months over a year old. How do you get so dirty?” Faye grinned as she toddled under the clothes line. Rosalia sighed. “What am I going to do with you?”
Watching her little girl, she was sure there wasn’t a thing on earth to stand between them. Rosalia would do whatever it took to keep Faye safe and cared for.
“You know, dear, I get a lot of rude looks because I have you. People think I’m some sort of harlot, being an unwed woman with a baby.” She laughed, wringing out the little gown. “But you know what? I don’t care. People are so petty, love. They never stop jumping to the wrong conclusions and seeing what isn’t there. But we know better.”
As Rosalia spoke, Faye grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground. Before her aunt could do anything to stop her, she’d rubbed it into her golden curls, smiling away like nothing was amiss.
“Faye!” Rosalia picked up her niece, frowning at the girl’s dirty hair. “Your mother would have had a fit.” She sighed and kissed Faye’s forehead. “But I suppose you needed a bath anyway.”
The girl ran, or tried to run, to the laundry basket, tipping it over and burying herself in the dirty clothes. Her muffled giggles and squeals put a smile on Rosalia’s face once again. A chubby little hand popped out of the pile of laundry, opening, and closing.
Rosalia returned to her work, scrubbing the baby gown against the washboard. Sweat dripped down her face, despite the cool breeze. After another five minutes, the stain was gone. She proudly hung it on the line, then moved on to the next thing.
After a while, she took up singing a song her mother had taught her and Joannah years ago. It hurt, that song. It wasn’t just words and a tune. It was a memory, pure and bitter-sweet.
“If only, if only, I had my own wings,
I’d be free as the bird, who flies as he sings.
I’d be graceful as a butterfly
And find my peace within the sky.
If only, if only, if only, I could be free.”
There were more words, but they’d been lost to her for years, hiding beneath the ashes of the past and the trials of the present. Joannah had known the words. She’d been a much better mother than Rosalia was an aunt.
When the last of the clothing was washed and hung, Rosalia found her niece sleeping on the ground, her legs under the upturned basket. When she picked Faye up, the little girl’s face was covered in red creases from the fabric and the grass. Rosalia brushed a curl from Faye’s forehead, thinking of all the struggles facing them.
In three weeks, Rosalia and Faye would be without a home. While Rosalia hoped Tobias’s letter and their train fare would arrive before then, she was still doubtful. It was hard not to worry, but she did her best. Faye didn’t need to see her aunt crying hysterically or snapping at the landlord.
As Rosalia’s mother had always said, kindness and calmness are two of the best qualities a woman can possess. Still, it was hard to act like a proper Lady when everything seemed to be out of her control.
She wondered what Tobias thought about, what he was doing just then. Did he think of her as often as she thought of him? She hoped so, considering they’d likely be marrying upon her arrival. Rosalia loved the idea of having a real family, with a fatherly influence for Faye.
Sad though it may be, she was glad Budd was gone. Any man who would abandon his child didn’t deserve to be a part of her life. Hopefully, Tobias would prove to be a better man than that.
As the day of their eviction moved closer, Rosalia and Faye found themselves in the post office almost daily. It was hard not to go searching for the letter. It meant hope for Rosalia, a safe place for both herself and her niece.
She was starting to lose hope in the idea of that safe place, the idea of marrying, falling in love, when she walked into the post office early one morning.
“Any letters for me, Mr. Crete?” The postman grinned and slid an envelope across the counter. It had stains from things like mud or coffee, showing that someone hadn’t taken care of it.
Adjusting her hold on Faye, Rosalia snatched the letter from the counter, tossing a thank you over her shoulder as she dashed through the door, heading for the boarding house. When she arrived, she ran up the stairs, Faye giggling from bouncing on her aunt’s hip.
“This is it! Finally, we can go.”
Setting Faye on the floor to play with her rag doll, Rosalia ripped open the envelope, pulling out the letter and letting the envelope fall to the ground. Faye picked it up and immediately started chewing on it as Rosalia read.
Dear Rosalia,
I can’t describe my joy at the idea of you and Faye coming. As you can see, I’ve sent enough money to cover your traveling expenses.
Does it sound unreasonable to miss someone you’ve never met? It feels less like I’m waiting to meet the two of you and more like I’m waiting for you to come home. Believe it or not, Frost is a lonely place to live, especially when you’re on a horse ranch miles from town.
I’m sorry, but this letter is going to have to be short. I didn’t receive your letter until this morning when the train came through, so I have to rush. There’s so much more I want to say, but I suppose we’ll have the rest of our lives for that.
I’ll be praying for your safe arrival.
Yours, Tobias
***End of Bonus Chapter***
See how the story ends:
A Bride To Save Christmas
