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1873
Gretchen put down the letter she had been reading. The man she was corresponding with, Benjamin, had just asked her for her hand in marriage. It was true Gretchen had been expecting this. After all, had their correspondence not begun as a result of an advertisement for men seeking mail-order brides? Through the handful of letters had been sent between the two, Gretchen felt she barely had a sense of who Benjamin was. How could she go west to marry a man she had never met? “Surely anything would be better than living here,” Gretchen mumbled to herself.
Gretchen quickly ran to her sister’s room to gossip. She could not wait to tell Lucia Clarabelle of the option waiting for her out west. Benjamin had sent a photograph of himself with his previous letter and he was a looker. Lucia Clarabelle and Gretchen had talked long hours into the night about the life that was waiting for her. However, now that the time to make the decision was upon her, Gretchen was stricken with doubts about starting a new life out west.
When Gretchen reached Lucia Clarabelle’s room, she paused for a moment to tap on the door before entering. She found her sister curled up in bed crying and rushed to her side. Lucia Clarabelle had a fresh bruise across her cheek and her lip was split. Gretchen instantly knew Lucia Clarabelle had disappointed their father again. This was the biggest reason Gretchen had doubts about leaving to start her life out West. Who would be there to comfort Lucia Clarabelle when her father had caused her harm?
Gretchen and Lucia Clarabelle’s mother had died nearly five years before. Gretchen had been 16 and Lucia Clarabelle had been 14. She died in childbirth and their father had not taken it well. The child who would have been their brother also died. They knew of their parents’ difficulty conceiving after the two girls and how badly their father wanted a son. The fact he had lost his son and wife after trying for so long had been a devastating blow. Unfortunately, he had decided to take his rage at the unfairness out on the girls.
After Gretchen had soothed her sister, Lucia Clarabelle took notice of the letter in her hand. Her eyes lit up. “Is that from Benjamin?!” she exclaimed.
“Yes, it’s from Benjamin,” Gretchen told her. “He wants me to move out west and marry him.” Gretchen tried to keep the excitement out of her voice. She knew if she went, it would mean saying goodbye to her sister. She did not know if she would be able to leave Lucia Clarabelle living in the same home as their father.
“Are you going to?” Lucia Clarabelle asked her sister. She tried to keep the emotion out of her voice, but Gretchen could sense her fear. Lucia Clarabelle also knew Gretchen leaving meant she alone would have to deal with their father’s anger. When Gretchen heard the fear in her voice, she knew she could not leave her sister behind. There was no possible way she would leave home for safety without her sister by her side.
Gretchen pulled her sister close. “I can’t do it. I can’t leave you,” Gretchen told her. “I promised I would protect you the best I could when Mama died and I feel like I have failed. I refuse to leave you here with our father while I try to escape and realize my dreams. I’ll find a way to have you accompany me or not go at all.”
Once she said this, Lucia Clarabelle began to half-heartedly convince her sister to leave and go out west. She knew Gretchen had a chance to escape and she did not want to be selfish and be the reason she would not leave. Gretchen knew Lucia Clarabelle wanted her to be happy. It was the fear of being with their father that terrified her into wishing her sister would stay.
“Never,” Gretchen told her.
Gretchen knew her most recent decision was going to lengthen the time she would have to spend at the wrath of her father by at least six months. This was a terrifying thought, but even more terrifying was leaving her younger sister alone to be the object of his anger. Gretchen’s next letter to Benjamin was a long one, in which she explained her situation. She told Benjamin she could not bear the thought of leaving her younger sister behind. If he wished to have her hand in marriage, he would also need to pay for the transportation of her sister to the west. Once out there, she would seek a marriage of her own and would need lodging until that time came.
Benjamin was shocked when he read Gretchen’s letter. He could not believe a man could treat his daughters in such a way. The idea made him absolutely sick to his stomach. Though it would make the journey more expensive, Benjamin knew that he had to take Gretchen and Lucia Clarabelle from their living situation. His heart would not allow him to do anything else.
Though there had been just a few letters between him and Gretchen, he felt she would make a good wife. She was also a beautiful girl. Now that he knew her situation, Benjamin believed he loved Gretchen even more. She had to be a loving woman to sacrifice her own well-being for her younger sister. He sent out the next letter immediately, giving Gretchen instructions for when and where she and Lucia Clarabelle should meet him. He planned to give the letter time to arrive before setting out toward the east to collect his mail-order bride.
