CHAPTER1
Ida Newton, matchmaker extraordinaire, stared at the letter in her hand. Winter was ending and it was always a struggle to keep her business going during this slow time. Years ago, after her husband died, she’d become a mail-order bride matchmaker.
And she loved her job, except when the cash grew low. This year, she was barely surviving.
The city of Charleston had slowly recovered from the war, but in the year of our Lord, 1875, people were still struggling. And men from the west were still looking for brides to keep them warm at night.
“Sweet pickles and fresh juniper,” she exclaimed, staring at the words on the page, unable to believe her good fortune.
“What?” her assistant asked.
“They want me to find eight women to go to Treasure Falls, Montana, as mail-order brides.”
A check slipped out of the folded letter and she gasped. The sum on that piece of paper was almost two years’ worth of living expenses.
Sweet hallelujah! Today was her lucky day.
“Oh my,” she said, sinking down into a chair. “They’re paying me upfront and it’s almost double what I would normally receive.”
It seemed too good to be true. How had the man heard about her ability to put couples together? Her reputation as a mail-order bride locator was well known in the south, but the west?
Her assistant picked up the check and gasped. “Ida, this is what you are needing. Business has been so slow. This will keep things going. You won’t have to sell your house. We can stay in business.”
Quickly she scanned the letter and frowned. What woman in her right mind would accept such an offer? What woman on God’s green earth would think this was acceptable?
And yet, oh, how she needed this money, but there was no way…
With a sigh, she shook her head. “I can’t do it.”
“Why not?”
“There are certain conditions.”
Suzanne leaned forward. “What conditions? Whatever they are, we will overcome them.”
How could she send women out west to be basically a concubine for not one man, but two? She still believed in love and marriage and helping couples find one another, but not two men.
“They share their women. There are two men for every woman.”
Her assistant leaned back and howled with laughter. “You’re right. No woman would accept such an arrangement.”
She glanced down at the letter. “The whole town lives this way. He says there is so much danger that the thought of a woman and his children being left to fend for themselves was too much. The men were afraid they would starve or be forced into other unseemly occupations. Years ago, this mining town made the decision that every woman would marry two men. That they would share her. Then if one man died, she had another man to continue their life together.”
Laughter bubbled up from Suzanne. “Maybe it’s not as bad as it sounds. If one man was a bad lover, maybe the other one would be a good one. Or you could have two great lovers.”
“Suzanne. The very thought of two different men as your husband and lover is…” Ida shook her head. “What decent woman here in town is going to agree to that type of arrangement?”
A sigh escaped from Suzanne. “If I was younger, I might.”
Ida shook her head. “No, they will laugh at me. I thought we were going to have a good start to spring. I’ll have to send him his check back.”
She laid the letter down and Suzanne picked it up.
“Wait a minute. He says that if the women arrive in Treasure Falls and they don’t like the area or the people, they will pay for them to return home. It says they will have two weeks to make up their minds and if this town is not for them, they can take the next stage home.”
A little flutter of excitement filled Ida’s chest. Could she convince women to travel so far west?
Suzanne grinned at her. “It’s a long ride home.”
“What if I didn’t tell them everything and let them decide when they arrive. Let’s face it, most of these girls are not coming from ideal situations. They’re either alone or helpless or there is some reason they have not found a man here in town.”
So many of her young women were running from a bad family life. There were reasons why they had not found a husband. As much as she didn’t want to take this man’s money, she needed the funds in order to eat.
Her assistant sat back and smiled. “We could be helping them find a good home with not one man, but two to care for them.”
Suzanne smiled and gave a little giggle. “Two men. It’s hard enough to please one. How do they make love? One at a time or two on one? Oh, I wish I were a fly on a wall. This I would like to see.”
“Suzanne,” Ida said in a warning tone. “That’s…not seemly. We shouldn’t think such thoughts.”
“Maybe not, but I’m curious about how this would work. So are we taking on this project or are we going to starve?”
Honestly, she had no choice, but it would be better to let the women decide once they arrived in Montana. Somehow she would just forget to tell them that they would be marrying not one, but two husbands. She hated lying to them, but it was that or find herself out in the street.
Leaning back in her chair, Ida smiled at her assistant. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. I’ve got to find eight girls. Load them up on a train to St. Louis and then they will take a boat to Fort Lewis and from there not one, but two stages, will take them to Treasure Falls. A three-month journey from Charleston to Treasure Falls.”
For a moment, they each sat in thought.
“It could be a great beginning for these women.”
“It could be hell,” Ida said. “Oh, goodness, I wish I could tell them what they were getting themselves into, but no one would take the chance. And it’s obvious the man has money. They could be living a very rich life.”
“This man must be very wealthy for him to request eight women and to pay for their travel and your fee,” Suzanne said.
It was true. The amount he was paying her was double what she normally received and he’d sent enough for passage for eight women as well.
But was she being devious not telling these ladies what they were about to get themselves into?
What choice did she have?
This would save her business. It was either that or find another job and the ones available to women were not good.
With a sigh, she grinned at Suzanne, her decision made.
“Where should we start looking?”
“Let’s start with some posters on poles spread throughout the city.”
Two days later as Ida was hanging up a poster, a beautiful young woman approached her. Her eyes were red rimmed and she looked nervous.
“How can I sign up?”
Ida had her first customer and she gazed at the girl in shock. She was stunning. Her long black hair and emerald eyes that peeked from beneath long dark lashes made even Ida’s heart swoon.
How had the men of Charleston missed this woman? Or did she have a secret?
“I’ll sign you up.”