Priscillas wedding dilem.., p.1
Priscilla's Wedding Dilemma - Matchmakers and Mother-In-Laws, page 1
Priscilla’s Wedding Dilemma
FARRAH LEE
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Also by Farrah Lee
About the Author
Chapter One
PRISCILLA
“Must you be so defiant all of the time?” My mother stormed out of the room.
“Really, Priscilla, I don’t know why you insist on making Mother upset,” my younger sister, Elizabeth, grumbled, arms held tightly to her chest. “All she wants is for you to be happy.”
“Yes, her kind of happy, which is ironic considering how unhappy she has been most all of our lives.” I continued pretending to sort through the drawer of ribbons. “Tell me, do you want her to marry you off or do you want to fall in love?”
“Why can’t it be both? She knows us very well, or she should, as we are her daughters.”
“I will ask you again. When you are seventeen and she wants to make you marry a stranger instead of, oh, maybe a cute boy in school, will you be all right with that?”
“She wouldn’t do that. If I told her I was in love she would accept it.”
“Liz, Bonnie told her she was in love with Daniel from the next town over. Did she allow it?”
“He did not ask her to marry him, so that does not count.”
“It most certainly counts in the scenario you painted seconds ago.” I put my arms around her from behind. “Don’t fret about my words; you are only thirteen years of age.”
“Don’t make fun of me, Priscilla. I am almost old enough to marry and have children.”
“No, Liz, you misunderstood, I am not making fun. I love that you have your innocence still. I love that you believe in love. I only hope you hold on to it tightly and perhaps defend me a little next time Mother acts up.”
“Don’t you love her, Priscilla?”
“I love her very much. I will never not love her, but she must learn that she cannot do this to us. She needs reminding from time to time about why she hated being forced into an arranged marriage, and to a much older man.”
“You mean Father, and he wasn’t old.”
“He was very much older than Mother and she was barely fifteen when she had to marry him.”
“He was the best father, do not speak ill of him.” She pushed me away. “You can be so mean.”
“Liz, I only speak the truth. Come, now, let’s go pick flowers for the table. I do not wish to have you cross with me.”
“Very well, and I think you should wear that pink ribbon with your new dress for your trip.” She pointed to the clump of ribbons in my hands. “One of these days I hope Auntie takes me on one of her trips.”
“She will, I will make sure of it.” I pulled the pink ribbon from the clump and tossed the rest back in the drawer. “Hold on. Why don’t we put this blue ribbon around the flower vase? It will look prettier.”
“Yes, I like that idea, but Mother has the green tablecloth on already.”
“Oh, dear, then how about we add a green ribbon with the blue?”
“Perfect, I will grab the basket. Meet you out there in a moment.” Elizabeth ran off.
“That was nice of you to not ruin her dreams.” My older sister, Bonnie, leaned on the door frame.
“Why should I? She only has a few years left until she realizes what we learned at her age.” I watched Liz out the window, running with the ducks.
“True. Mother has been so focused on us she hasn’t ruined love for Elizabeth yet. Still, I would have told her the truth.” Bonnie stood next to me watching Liz.
“You don’t have to marry Mothers’ choice. I can help you run away with your true love.” I turned to face her.
“One thing Liz said to you was true. He didn’t propose.” She sighed. “Why didn’t he fight for me?”
“I suspect Mother got her claws into the situation. You should not jump to conclusions.”
“Can you speak to him for me?” she pleaded.
“Of course. When I go to town today to help Aunt Matilda prepare, I will send him a message to see if he can meet with me before I leave.”
“You’re the best, Priscilla. It feels odd to ask you for help while I am the older sister, but you have always taken care of me.”
“Why don’t you come to town with me today? Maybe you will get a chance to see him.”
“What excuse would I give Mother? She always thinks I am running off to see him.”
“I will tell her Aunt Matilda needs both of us as she is going through her attic.”
We both laughed at the thought of Aunt Matilda doing anything as mundane as that but Mother might believe it, as it would be in her character to ask us to do it.
“We can try but, if Auntie tells her, I will be found out.”
“I assure you she can keep a secret, especially one that pertains to love.”
“I would love to see him but, if she stops me from marrying him, then continuing to see him only makes it worse.”
Grasping her hands in mine, “I won’t let you down. You will marry who you want to, I promise. Please don’t do anything rash while I’m away.”
“I would never marry without you by my side, Priscilla.”
“Priscilla, where are you? It’s hot outside.” Liz yelled from the kitchen door.
One last squeeze of Bonnie’s hands, then I was off. I would make sure all of my sisters were feeling all right, knowing I would be deserting them in the morning. Liz was fanning herself under the giant oak tree as if she had been out in the heat for the full day. Laughter bubbled out of me at the very sight of her dramatic pose.
“Oh, Lizzie, I love you so much.” I pulled her to her feet, along with the empty basket. “Race you to the fields.”
“Hey, you cheated.” She chased after me, complaining the whole way.
We spent the next hour picking flowers and getting distracted by some bunnies dodging in and out of bushes. Our youngest sister, Sarah, was ringing the bell for dinner with all her might. Mother had recently given her the prestigious job and she waited all morning, every day, to do it.
“Did you see I could ring it all by myself?” Sarah bounced up and down as only a seven-year-old would. “I almost fell off the step because it pulled me so hard.”
“I am very glad you didn’t fall and I could hear the bell all the way in the flower field.” I kissed her on the forehead. “We should hurry in and wash up to eat.”
“There you girls are. I could have used a little help preparing the meal. Where were you hiding?”
“We weren’t hiding, Mother. Look, we picked flowers for the table so it will be pretty.” Liz held up the basket overflowing with flowers.
“Perhaps next time you can put that much energy into the meal instead.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes at our mother’s sharp words. “You had myself and Catherine, Mother. I don’t think there was more room for them and the flowers will certainly brighten the table.”
“Can I have a vase to put them in?” Liz dropped the basket to the floor, sorting through them. “It will only take a few minutes if I hurry.”
“Such fuss over something that will wilt in days.” Mother placed the soup bowl on the table. “There is still a lot to do before evening. Let’s sit and eat, girls.”
Sipping on my soup, barely able to look up into the eyes of my sisters knowing I was leaving for two weeks and they would be there dealing with our mother’s ever-worsening attitude. Aunt Matilda had told me months before that Mother needed to find herself a new husband so she could be happy again, but whenever I brought it up she would immediately brush it away.
“After we eat, I need everyone to help with the animals as there is a storm coming in this evening. If the storm is damaging, you may not be able to leave with Matilda.”
I will not cancel my trip with Aunt Matilda. She is being hateful. Surely she wouldn’t try to stop me.
“When will it be my turn to go on a train with Aunt Matilda?” Catherine’s voice boomed around the room into the silence of our eating.
“You are still young.” I smiled in her direction. “I promise to speak with Aunt Matilda about it, though.”
“I don’t know why Matilda needs to keep going to the city,” Mother grumbled. “How am I to find you a proper husband if she is taking you off all of the time?”
“I’ve told you many times that I do not wish for you to find me a husband. You must stop this at some point.”
“How are you to find someone on your own, especially running around with Matilda, being her servant?”
“I am not her servant. She merely needs to not go alone and she is getting older, Mother. I should think you would be glad she has us.”
“Then she should be staying put in her home. Do you see me running around?” Her chair scraped across the floor.
“I can help with the animals but then I need to go into town to help Auntie and she asked if Bonnie could help as well.” I kept my face down avoiding eye contact. “We won’t be more than two hours. She needs help finding some things in her attic.”
“She can do it hers
“I already promised we would go. I will make sure all the work here for the day is complete upon our return.” I stood with my empty dish. “We should get busy before it rains.”
“Go on now, girls, get the animals situated,” Mother growled.
Without giving her another opportunity to growl we all scurried out the door to get away from the usual mumbling complaints that would at some point turn into an attack on one of us. Sarah hadn’t needed to help us but it was an excuse for her to play with the piglets, so we let her tag along.
“Oh, no, I got my dress dirty again.” The half frown, half grin on her face was priceless.
“You silly thing. You did that on purpose, but I will not take you to the pond today. Mother is right; look at the sky.”
“Will there be lightning like the last storm?”
“Those size storms generally have thunder and lightning. You can sleep in my bed tonight.” I felt Catherine’s eyes on me. “Yes, Catherine, you can too.”
“Why don’t we all stay together tonight? Once Mother tucks you in, you can sneak over.”
“You spoil them, Priscilla. Whatever will happen if you move away?”
“I can’t think of that now. I plan to enjoy all my time with them and teach them the things Mother has decided she no longer cares to teach.” I nodded for the girls to exit the barn. “We should find her a husband, show her how it feels.”
“I believe she knows already,” Bonnie said, “which is why she should leave us alone.”
“I hope we can make it to town and back before the storm gets too bad. I would hate to get stuck in-between.”
“I am not afraid of rain. We will be back before dark.” Bonnie pointed to the sky. “It almost seems like it has turned the other way.”
“That would be in our favor. We should hurry and leave.”
Aunt Matilda was as helpful and understanding about Bonnie and Daniel as she had been with me and Holden over the last few months and, true to her promise to me, she did not mention the true reason for our trip to Dallas. Bonnie would understand, but something about it all made me want to keep it to myself for the time being.
“I have sent a message to Daniel to contact me in Dallas but I also urged him not to give up on you,” I told Bonnie upon my return from the post. “I asked the store manager to have him come here if he came to town.”
“Thank you for trying. However, we cannot wait.” She gathered her things. “That storm from earlier is rolling in stronger now. We must be getting back to the house.”
“See you in the morning, Priscilla. Do not let your mother stop you from leaving.” She kissed us both on the cheek. “She will try her best to use the rain as an excuse.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
Chapter Two
HOLDEN
“Mr. Jones, I need your approval on the front page,” Alice, my secretary said. “Mr. Jones? Holden!”
“I’m sorry, what were you asking?” I looked up from the paper in my hands.
“I need approval, sir.” She placed the paper on the desk in front of me.
“Leave it with me, I will look at it in a moment.”
“Sir, you always tell me to not let you run behind. This is one of those moments.”
“What would I do without you, Alice?” I leaned back in my chair. “Come back in five minutes, I promise to have signed it.”
“Sir, perhaps I should wait for it.”
“Alice, you’re doing what I told you to do, but I am still the boss and need a moment.” I let out a low grumble when she cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, Alice, that was rude.”
“I can see you’re preoccupied. Is it something I can help with?”
“It’s not work related, but thank you.”
She turned to leave without responding then closed my office door and took the chair across from me. “Approve the front page then we will talk.”
“You’re scary at times, Alice.” I scribbled my signature on the front page.
She quietly took the paper, left the room, then returned with our lunches from the break room. Neither of us spoke for a good minute.
“Holden Jones, start talking before I wallop you.”
“You speak to your boss that way?”
“I’m on my lunch break and you were just as stubborn when you were a young boy. Your mother used to be so upset with you when you would act like this.”
“I miss her.”
“I miss her too, but we are not talking about her right now, so don’t try to deflect.”
“Fine. I have been meaning to tell you something.”
“Like a secret? I love secrets. How have you been able to keep one from me?”
“I don’t know, maybe because I’m not a little boy anymore.”
“That is just your size speaking. I can tell when you are not telling me things,” she huffed. “How did I miss it? Must not be that big of a secret.”
“I think you will agree it is big.” I glanced around her when someone paused at my door but went on.
“Tell me already.”
“I met a girl and I’m in love, or, I think I’m in love.”
“Holden, how am I only hearing of this now? Where did you meet, what is her name?” She leaned her elbows on the desk between us. “Does she love you?”
“I’ve kept it a secret because I haven’t met her yet.”
“I’m confused. How are you in love, then?”
“Because of these.” I dumped a box of letters on the desk. “If she is even half as special as these letters, then I would be a fool to not marry her.”
“You may need to back up and explain.”
“Remember about six months ago we ran that back page of matrimonial ads? You know, people looking for a husband or wife?”
“I do remember. I also recall you weren’t all that excited about having it in the paper. You said your paper was for ‘serious news’.” She tried to mimic me in a gruff voice.
“True. I probably said it nicer than that, but go on.”
“I suggested you look at it for yourself and you nearly fell out of your chair at the idea of it.” She picked at the pile of letters. “I believe you said real men do not find the love of their life in the mail.”
“Yes, yes, Alice, I get it, I was against it rather strongly, but later I changed my mind.”
“Why?”
“I was working late, the pages were waiting to be approved, and her article caught my eye, or maybe it was her name. I don’t know. This is not like me.”
“All right, so you wrote to her?”
“I thought about it for a week or two.”
“Then you wrote to her. Do go on.”
“I did and, worse than that, I took her ad out of the paper so only I would write her.” Pacing the room, then, I cringed as I said it.
“You didn’t. Oh, my word, that is, well, I don’t know what that is.”
“She wrote such a nice ad. It called to me; I couldn’t help myself.”
‘Holden, you did not commit a sin here, and we are the only people who know, correct?”
“Correct.”
“So, what has you so twisted up today? What were you reading when I came in?”
“She’s coming to visit, and now I feel I have lied to her.”
“How did you lie to her?”
“Not a lie, really. She doesn’t know I took her ad out of the paper. Now I feel bad someone else may have written her, or what if she feels no one wanted her?”
“If she loves you like you love her, she will see it as endearing. When will she arrive?” She smiled that same smile I was so used to seeing. “Tell her straight away.”
“What if it ruins our visit?”
“Tell her, Holden. Now, her name, please.”
“Her name is Priscilla. She’s traveling with her aunt. They are arriving in approximately four days.” A strong wind blew in the open window, blowing papers from my desk. “I’m very nervous. Maybe it’s too soon.”
“Too soon? Haven’t you been writing for months?”
“Yes.”
“Why this nervousness?” She scurried to collect the papers. “You have been alone far too long.”
“What will happen with the society group women? They have all pushed their daughters at me, but I have hidden behind my family’s tragedy.”
