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American Mail-Order Brides Series
Alice: Bride of Rhode Island
Book 13
Fleeing her stepfather and an arranged marriage in Newport,
Alice Endicott finds work as a seamstress at the Brown Textile Mill near Boston.
When a devastating fire destroys the factory, she and all the girls face dire
unemployment circumstances. But hope arrives when their manager, Roberta
McDaniel, shares the Grooms’ Gazette with them. Each woman will choose a husband
and become a mail-order bride. As Alice’s friends—Lottie, Leora, Judith, Beth,
Lessie and Josie—embrace the idea, she too becomes caught up in the excitement
of a grand new adventure.
When fisherman Frank Martel contacts her, Alice can’t pass
up the opportunity to return to Rhode Island despite her stepfather’s presence.
Upon arriving at the train station in Tiverton, however, Frank neglects to meet
her.
James Martel is shocked to find a woman at the rail depot
claiming to be his brother’s fiancée. Even more surprising is her connection to
a man who ruined James’ father years before. When Frank confesses that he can
no longer wed Alice, James steps forward to fill the role since the beautiful
young woman holds the key to avenging the Martel name.
Can Alice convince her new husband that their marriage is
worth saving once she discovers his subterfuge? And will James learn that love
is more important than revenge?
A sweet romance set in 1890 America.
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Excerpt
As soon as Alice had arrived at the office of Martel Fishing
Enterprises, the older Mr. Martel had sequestered himself away with Frank, her
betrothed. Frank—with the same dark hair as James but shorter in stature—hadn’t
appeared too happy to see her, barely shaking her hand.She
had a sinking feeling she’d soon be headed back to the train station.
She ruminated over what she should now do. She didn’t have
enough money for a return ticket. Besides, she had nothing to return to. All
her good friends from the factory were in the process of departing for their
own new husbands and lives. And besides, Massachusetts wasn’t really her home.
She exited the stifling atmosphere of the office and wandered down to the stone
pier, holding her bonnet in her hand and enjoying the crisp breeze upon her
face. In the distance lay the Atlantic Ocean. The Sakonnet River must be more
of a tidal inlet than a true river.
She stopped and closed her eyes; for the briefest moment the
weight of the past several weeks left her. Seagulls squawked,and
a breeze blew wisps of blonde tendrils that had escaped her bun across her
cheeks. The odor of fish—thankfully not as pungent as at the rail station—and briny
air accosted her, and tears burned her eyes as she thought of her father. Gavin
Harrington had truly loved the sea, maybe even more than his wife and daughter.
Into each life some
rain must fall. The words of her papa’s favorite poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
filled her mind. Well, it would seem her life was drenched at this point.
Alice decided that whatever the Martel brothers had in store
for her, she wouldn’t leave Rhode Island. She would simply have to find
work...somewhere. Somehow she’d get by. She would never return to the home of
Daniel Endicott.
Footsteps from behind signaled the approach of, she guessed,
Frank Martel,but
she was surprised when his older brother James stood beside her and leaned
forearms on the railing. In the distance,a
steamship called the Queen City
slowly approached.
“Do you like the sea, Miss Endicott?”
She nodded. “If I’d been a man, I would’ve worked on a ship.
I can think of nothing more liberating than being at sea, sailing to some
unknown land. It must be terribly exciting.” She glanced at the elder Martel
and was taken aback by the contemplative gaze he bestowed on her. The frock
coat was gone; the cuffs of his white tailored shirt were rolled to his elbows,
revealing muscled forearms. With his hat also discarded, the breeze lifted his
tresses with the gentlest of caresses, putting her in mind of a pirate from her
school books.
Unsettled, she returned to staring straight ahead before
continuing. “Let me save you the trouble of an uncomfortable conversation. I’m not
completely witless. I’ve gathered that I’m not as welcome here as Frank’s
letters had conveyed. I’ll just be on my way, but if it wouldn’t trouble you,I’d
like to watch the water for a bit longer.”
“We’ve not been acquainted for long, but witless is hardly a
description I’d apply to you.” He took a deep breath. “It’s true. Frank isn’t
in a position to marry you. He’s promised himself to another.”
“I see.” Humiliation engulfed her. Beth had been right—she
should’ve waited for Mr. Hughes of Iowa to respond. Now, she was left with
nothing.
The man beside her shifted, reminding her she wasn’t alone. From
the corner of her eye, James Martel appeared...nervous. But that couldn’t be.
He was imposing, stalwart, and remote. A man who seemed shaken by very little
in life.
“I’d like to offer you an alternative.” He cleared his
throat and faced forward. “I’ll marry you.”
Shocked, Alice faced him. “I beg your pardon.”
His eyes met hers. “If you’ll have me,” he added.
Panic threaded through her. She’d been prepared to wed
Frank. His letters had shown an earnestness towards her, along with a good dose
of humor. James appeared to be the furthest creature from whimsical. Then
again, Frank had obviously not been truthful. Perhaps wittiness wasn’t a good
measure of a suitable husband.
“I’m no charity case, sir. You don’t have to do this. I’ll
figure something out.
”
“As I understand, you left a situation in Massachusetts that
was somewhat...desperate. Do you have family here that would help you?”
She considered her stepfather and his mansion in Newport.
“No, I don’t.”
James watched her intently. “You couldn’t go back to your
father?”
“My father is deceased.”
James raised an eyebrow. “He is?”
“My stepfather is still living, but he and I are distant.”
“And why is that?”
Alice stared at this man who had offered to become her
husband. He was a stranger. Becoming a mail-order bride was more difficult than
she’d imagined. She truly was in over her head. “I’d rather not say, sir. I
don’t know you.”
His response was silence.
“May I ask why you would want to take a woman you don’t know
to be your wife?” she blurted. “You’re very handsome. Surely there’s a woman
you fancy.”
His piercing gaze had her shuffling uncomfortably from foot
to foot.
Then, he smiled and her breath caught. He had certainly been
handsome in the stoic stance she’d only ever seen of him, but when he grinned,
a boyish, rakish appeal snagged her as if he’d reeled her in on a fishing line.
“I accept your compliment,” he said. “The truth is, I wasn’t
planning to marry. Running our fishing fleet keeps me busy, but Frank was
irresponsible in how he handled this situation,and
I feel compelled to rectify it.”
“You sound like a knight in shining armor.”
She wished he would stop grinning, as she was swiftly losing
her train of thought.
“I like that,” he said. “Will you let me rescue you, Miss
Endicott?”
Alice didn’t know what to say. She knew the correct answer
was no. But looking into Mr. Martel’s eyes, more deep blue than green, much
like the ocean beside them, fate tugged at her, whispering in her ear. Life is a grand adventure. Her papa had
told her such when she was young.
James Martel represented a new beginning, and perhaps it
wasn’t altogether a bad one.
“Yes, Mr. Martel,” she answered quietly. “I’ll marry you.”
Copyright © 2015 K.
McCaffrey LLC
