The Lord: The Tenth Day (The 12 Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides Book 10)

  The Lord

  The Tenth Day

  Danica Favorite

  Copyright © 2017 by Danica Favorite

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by EDHGraphics

  Edited by Laurie Kuna

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN ebook: 978-1-945079-02-3

  Visit my website at www.danicafavorite.com

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  About the Series

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  What’s Next

  Reader Letter

  About the Author

  About the Series

  Twelve men. Twelve brides. Twelve days to save a town.

  Christmas, 1876: Noelle, Colorado is in danger of becoming a ghost town if the railroad decides to bypass the mountaintop mining community. Determined to prove their town is thriving, twelve men commit to ordering brides before the railroad’s deadline six days into the New Year.

  Each of the twelve women has her own reason for signing up to become a mail-order bride. But after they arrive in the uncivilized settlement, they aren’t so sure they’ve made the right decision. Neither are the grooms.

  Will the marriages happen in time to save Noelle?

  About the book:

  On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

  Desperately trying to avoid an arranged marriage to a cruel lord, an heiress takes on Minnie Gold’s identity to marry a man she hopes will be kind. He has to be better than what her parents have planned.

  Hugh Montgomery is proud of the life he’s built in Noelle, and he’s determined to help Noelle survive- even if it means taking on a mail-order bride. Burned by love, he knows marriage is about commitment and companionship and is looking forward to sharing his life with someone who doesn’t expect his heart.

  However, when a woman from Hugh’s past arrives, she reveals secrets that Hugh and Minnie were desperate to hide. Hugh can’t marry Minnie, knowing her true identity, but he also can’t let her return home. As Hugh and Minnie fight to save their respective futures, will the growing affection between them ruin everything? Or can they find a way to build a future together?

  Chapter 1

  Noelle, Colorado

  December 24th, 1876

  Minnie Gold was a fraud. Those were the whispers, and as much as Minnie tried to ignore them, she couldn't deny they were the truth. The trouble with living a lie was that having gotten to know the other mail-order brides in her group, Minnie was developing a fondness for the other women. They were all here to make a better life for themselves, something which Minnie could relate to.

  But after watching Maybelle throw a fit because this trip wasn’t living up to the lifestyle she wanted, Minnie was afraid to tell the truth. Would these women respect her if they found out that the only reason she'd fallen into the scheme was to avoid a fate not of her own choosing? What would they say when they knew what had happened to the real Minnie Gold?

  It wasn't as though she'd killed Minnie. On the contrary. Margaret Coveney had done everything she could to save her maid. No, not her maid. Her friend. It was true that Minnie had been employed by Margaret's family to take care of Margaret and her needs. But being of similar age and interest, Margaret and Minnie had become far more than that. And now Minnie was dead, and Margaret was pretending to be her.

  Minnie sighed as she looked down at the tattered gloves she wore. She hadn’t had a choice, and the real Minnie had begged her to do this.

  It had been a mistake coming here. But what other choice did she have? Minnie rubbed her arms. She hadn't expected it to be so cold, which was foolish, if she had stopped to think about it. After all, they were in the mountains, beyond the snowcapped peaks she could see in the distance from her former home in Denver. Of course, she would have been cold in the snow. But the real Minnie hadn't had anything warm in her belongings. It shamed her to think of how poorly she had treated her faithful servant. Not that she had ever mistreated Minnie. She had always given the other girl her cast-offs, thinking she was doing her a kindness. And she supposed she was, but of what use were ball gowns, afternoon dresses, and all the other fancy things she’d had in her wardrobe? If she could go back and do it all over, she would have thought about practical things to give her maid. She pulled the shawl tighter around her. If only she had ruined one of her fur-lined capes.

  One of the women, Birdie, handed her a roll of cloth. "Here. Take this. It will warm you."

  Minnie smiled at her. "You are too kind."

  Birdie shook her head. "There's no such thing as being too kind. Besides, I don't want you catching your death. It would be a shame to have gone to all this trouble for nothing.”

  So true. It would be a shame to have gone to all this trouble only to freeze to death. Still, as the wagon pulled into the tiny town of Noelle, Colorado, Minnie couldn't help wondering if she had chosen wrong.

  Of what use was a husband she didn't know, in comparison to one she would? They said gambling was a sin, but wasn't this just a gamble as well? The pompous Lord Milliken her mother wanted her to marry might be rich, but he was an evil person. Minnie shook her head. No, he wasn't even rich. He just had the title and was gladly trading it for her parents’ fortune. A complete wastrel, by every definition, and according to the real Minnie, a man who could not be trusted around women.

  Margaret gazed at the eager looking faces of the men who had gathered. Which one in the group was she to marry? The one who she and Minnie had chosen for the maid? Margaret knew, of course, all about Minnie’s plan to join a group of mail-order brides to start a new life for herself. After all, it had been Margaret who encouraged her. Minnie had confessed a deep fear of Margaret’s intended and told she not to marry him. Margaret’s parents weren’t giving her a choice. Once the holidays were over, Margaret was supposed to be traveling to England with Lord Millikin to be married. Even though Lord Millikin had told her she’d be allowed to bring her maid, there was something about the fear in Minnie’s eyes that made Margaret hesitate.

  She’d always suspected that there was more to Minnie’s fear than she'd let on, but she’d never pressed her. Instead, she'd helped Minnie secure a place among the Lost Lambs where she could have a husband who would be kind to her and provide her with a good life. Minnie had often told Margaret that such a thing was far better than anything she could've hoped for herself, to have a good husband to care for her. Both women had agreed that by going through a benevolent society such as this, it was assured that the men would be good, kind, faithful Christians.

  She’d just never expected that in helping Minnie choose a husband, she was actually choosing her own. But as she looked at the faces, she had a hard time picturing
any of them as kind, decent, Christian men. Most looked like they hadn't had a bath in a long time. Such were the sort that she avoided encountering on the street in Denver. Her parents had always cautioned her against such men, and this was one area in which both Margaret and Minnie agreed with them.

  When she did have the misfortune of encountering them, they would call out to her, saying vulgar things. Some were often so bold as to try to touch her. To feel the soft silk of her dress, or, even worse, her beautiful golden hair. That's what everyone wanted to know. Were those silky tresses made of gold?

  She shook her head. Such simpletons. Minnie, too, had the same color hair. And often, people mistook them for sisters instead of maid and mistress. Secretly, she had always wished for Minnie to be her sister. A sister would have been so lovely, to have someone to confide secrets to like sisters do. Minnie had been that to her, but sometimes, she felt that Minnie didn't fully understand her. When she would complain of the many balls she'd been forced to attend, Minnie had sighed longingly, and she had always felt guilty. But for a difference in their status of birth, Margaret got to go to the balls, when she wished she could have stayed home, and Minnie was forced to remain behind while longing to go.

  At least there would be no balls in Noelle. No, not a one. There wasn't even a sufficient looking building to host such an event. It would be nice to have some vestige of civilization, however. Once the snow melted, this place would be covered in mud, and there weren't even sidewalks to protect her skirts.

  "Minnie. Minnie!"

  It took her a moment to realize that they were referring to her. Yes. Right. She was Minnie now. How easily she'd forgotten. How could she view this place through Minnie's eyes? To Margaret, it was a step down. But to Minnie, perhaps it was a step up.

  She took a deep breath. She was not Margaret anymore. Minnie. Yes. Yes, she was Minnie.

  She gave the gentleman a smile. "Yes. I’m Minnie Gold. Are you my intended?"

  The man looked at her as though he wasn't sure what to expect. What to make of her. Did she displease him in some way? So soon?

  "Indeed I am. I'm Hugh Montgomery. I must say, you aren't what I was expecting."

  Trying to remember to be Minnie, she took a deep breath. "And what were you expecting? I believe I have given you a great deal of information about myself. There wasn’t time for proper courtship."

  Hugh shook his head. "You seem rather highborn."

  Highborn? Considering this man spoke like the English lord she’d been running from, she could make the same statement about him. Yet no one would expect someone of rank to be living in such a dismal place. Which was why it was a place perfect for her to hide.

  But he did have a point. Because she’d slipped into speaking as Margaret, not Minnie. Although, Minnie wasn't so low as one would assume. After all, she had been educated right alongside Margaret, had tended to every one of her whims, and accompanied her to a good many events. Minnie wasn't her equal, at least in terms of how society viewed her, but she had been given many of the same advantages as Margaret.

  "I wasn't aware that education and breeding were something to find fault with. I was raised alongside my mistress, as her mother felt it would be good for me to be educated in a like manner so that I wouldn't pass on any undesirable qualities to her child."

  At least that was the truth. How many times had her mother gone on and on and on about wanting her to remain perfectly unspoiled? She’d frowned upon her closeness with her maid, and the girls often hid their friendship from others. It had been such a burden on her, and as she calmly repeated her mother’s words, she felt guilty about how it must have injured Minnie. Dear, sweet Minnie.

  Hugh frowned. "I see. From where did they get you?"

  That she wasn't sure. Nor did she think Minnie would know because Minnie had come to them at such a young age.

  "I was brought to their home as a small child. I believe the goal was to give their daughter someone to keep her company, as there were to be no more children."

  Another statement from her mother that had always made her feel bad. Her family had put so much pressure on her as their only child. One more reason to feel guilty. They were counting on her to marry well, but she couldn’t marry a man who made her skin crawl, and her parents thought she was being overdramatic.

  "So, you know nothing of your family? Your people?"

  Talk about being highbrow. Who did this man think she he was, questioning her origins? He was worse than her parents, grilling potential suitors over their acceptability for marrying into the Coveney fortune. Only this man had no fortune. No title.

  "It is not something that has ever been spoken of in my presence. And I can't imagine why it would matter so much to you." She frowned at him. "After all, you mentioned nothing in your letter about requiring a specific pedigree."

  A smile crossed Hugh’s lips. "Indeed. I have no use for someone with a pedigree, as you say. I was merely curious because it seems odd, that is all."

  "I'm sorry for displeasing you," she said.

  Hugh shook his head. "No, you do not. I suppose I had formed a different expectation."

  That didn't sound good either. But how well could you know a person from a letter? Still, she wished they had thought to have asked for a photograph or something. Perhaps then they would have been able to discern the disapproving look on the man's face. Minnie hadn't been expecting someone who was overly handsome, though looks didn't entirely matter. Except when one wore an expression of such disapproval that Margaret feared she had been sending her maid into a place worse than the one they had left.

  "Allow me to escort you inside," Hugh said, offering an arm gallantly. And yet, the welcoming gesture did not reach his face.

  Margaret took his arm and went inside with him.

  "I don't approve of this, not at all," Hugh said. “Though I know that not all the women here, including yourself, are expecting a fine mansion, I do apologize for the accommodations. Temporary as though they may be, they are not entirely suited to a woman about to embark upon a married life."

  Ugh. The same propriety she had heard from many of the prospective grooms her parents had tried setting her up with. Apparently, she couldn’t run from propriety. What was wrong with plain speech and leaving behind the formalities of the world?

  Minnie could read French well enough to understand the name of the place they were staying. La Maison des Chats. Such a place would have horrified her mother, and frankly, if her reputation were not already ruined by going on this adventure, setting foot in such a place would finish the job. There was no going back now. As harsh as this man seemed to be, Minnie was stuck marrying him. Margaret could be no more.

  A naked man ran past her, and Hugh quickly stepped between them to shield her. No, she could not return to her old life.

  Minnie gingerly stepped into the parlor. "I'm sure it will suit just fine," she said. "After all, it is only temporary, is it not? I'm assuming you have alternative accommodations for after our wedding."

  Hugh gave a slow nod. "It's not much, just a set of rooms off my office. But it's close enough, and will keep you warm for the winter."

  That was all Minnie had wanted. A safe place to live, and someone to care for her. It was clear Hugh was just as disappointed in Minnie as she was in him, but surely, he could at least be kind.

  Please Lord, let him be kind.

  The gypsy woman, Kezia, struggled with a bundle as her baby in her other arm fussed.

  “May I take her for you?” Minnie asked, holding out her arms.

  Kezia gave her an odd look. “Do you know anything about babies?”

  She could feel Hugh’s eyes on her. He was expecting a maid, a woman who could help him through the trials of life. She’d never held a baby, too many germs according to her mother. But she loved babies and had always been curious about them.

  “I should like to learn,” she said. “As a maid to a young lady, I didn’t have much opportunity. But they are darling, and you
r little Jem seems like an angel.”

  The other woman made a noise and handed the baby to her. She held the baby as she’d seen Kezia do. Something in her heart gave a funny twist as the child smiled up at her. She hadn’t wanted children for herself, not with all her mother’s warnings about the diseases and the inconveniences. In particular, she’d been dreading the wedding night, an act necessary for the begetting of children. Her mother had told her that it was a most demeaning and humiliating experience, and that she should drink plenty of wine beforehand, but not so much that she got sick, and it would make the act more bearable. Minnie had told her that some of the maids would giggle about how wonderful it was, and that it couldn’t be so terrible if women led lives of sin. Sometimes, the girls would look through the books in her father’s study to find a definitive answer.

  But as her wedding day drew closer, Minnie hadn’t been as interested in finding out the truth. Instead, she’d told Margaret not to waste time on such nonsense, and that if she was set on going through with her parents’ plans, she should take her mother’s advice. And perhaps, spend a great deal of time in prayer.

  Cuddling Jem close to her, she inhaled her sweet scent. Perhaps a few moments of humiliation would be worth it to have such bliss.

  “You’re looking forward to children, then?” Hugh asked.

  Margaret stared at him. With such a cold expression, would Hugh be any different in the marital bed?

  Already, there was talk of postponing the weddings to give the brides the chance to get to know the grooms. How long could Margaret, er Minnie, put off the inevitable?