Romance: Luther's Property (13 page)

Warning

This book contains explicit content intended for readers 18+
years old.

If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with
adult content, please close this book now.

The sun shone brightly, lighting up the dreary room, but
Elsa did not feel or see it. Her mind was entirely focused on the task before
her. She dabbed her mother’s face and neck with a wet cloth hoping to provide
some relief from the fever that raged on and off. She pushed her mother’s black
curly hair away from her pale face.

From time to time she moaned, but seemed deep asleep. Her
sleeping clothes clung to her body and Elsa loosened them, to keep them dry.
Her back ached with the strain of bending over to her mother. After a while,
Elsa saw that her mother had stopped moaning and her body was still. Fearfully,
Elsa touched her chest. Her heart beat hard and strong, and she let out a sigh
of relief.

For the few hours that she slept, Elsa always woke up with a
panicky feeling, a tightening of her chest. It only went away after she went to
her mother’s bedroom and saw that she was still alive. When she saw that her
mother was now sleeping peacefully, Elsa stood up, stretched herself and left
the room. She walked down the hallway in search of her older sister by a year.
She found her in the next bedroom that they shared.

Her eyes were closed and her face was caked in a covering
that Elsa knew was eggs. Amanda applied the mixture to her face every couple of
days claiming that it made her skin soft and smooth. Elsa shook her head. If
only Amanda knew how beautiful she truly was. She had small neat features and
black curly hair that cascaded down her back when let loose. But it was her
eyes that captured every man’s attention.

They were green and big, and surrounded by thick, long
eyelashes. Elsa was able to observe her sister without her knowledge and she
stood for a moment admiring the perfect shape of her face and lips. Everything
about Amanda was perfect. She had taken after their mother. Elsa knew that she
resembled their late father. She had big bones which made her look overweight
as well as bland brown hair. Her nose was too big and the rest of her face was
nothing special.

“Who is there?” Amanda said. “Elsa?”

“Yes, it’s me. Have you started on the dinner?” Elsa said.

A guilty expression that Elsa was familiar with crept up on
Amanda’s face. Even before she answered, Elsa knew what the answer would be.

“It’s getting late, and I have to go and milk the cow.” Elsa
said.

“You’re becoming an old woman Elsa.” Amanda snapped, her
bright green eyes flicking open and blazing with irritation.

Elsa sighed. Amanda closed her eyes. Nothing would be gained
by arguing, so Elsa left the room and trudged to the kitchen. All her muscles
ached and she longed to sink into her bed and have a few hours of rest. But
their one cow needed to be milked. Elsa stood at the kitchen and debated on
what to do first. She opted to milk the cow first. She took a bucket hanging from
a nail on the wall, and opened the back door. It led to a dry looking back yard
and beyond that a small patch of land that they called their farm. It yielded
next to nothing, and the only thing that kept them going was the cow. It was
tethered to a tree by a long rope.

Elsa untied it and led the rope to a small barn, which was
falling to pieces. If only there was a man around to help them with the tasks
that they could not manage. Whispering words of encouragement, Elsa sat on a
small wooden stool and proceeded to milk the cow. A few minutes later, the
udders were empty. No matter how hard she tugged at them nothing came out.

She looked at the paltry milk in the bucket. It was less
than a cupful. Sometimes the cow yielded half a bucket of milk enabling Elsa to
sell some of it. She wasn’t surprised by the quantity of milk. The sun was
glaring and drying up the vegetation. There was not much grass for the cow on
their small piece of land. Well to do farmers usually had storage of hay for
their animals or they bought it from other farmers.

Elsa tried to keep her spirits up but she was low in
spirits. She missed her father. When he was alive, things had been different.
Whilst they hadn’t been rich, they had managed and they never lacked. He had
coaxed the land and there was always a good harvest of corn, and vegetables for
their use. Elsa knew very little about farming and what made the land
productive.

Bad luck seemed to be coming at them like hailstones. Just
last season, their mother had fallen ill. Just thinking about her made Elsa’s
skin break out into a hot sweat. If she did not see a doctor soon, Elsa knew
that her mother would die. A visit to the doctor would cost as much as a dollar
and that was not including the message. She and Amanda had no money at all.

 
Sighing, Elsa trudged
back to their five roomed wooden house and entered through the kitchen door.
Amanda was not in the kitchen. Elsa placed the milk on the table that was the
center of the kitchen. She took some potatoes from a drawer and peeled them.
She would boil the potatoes and together with some peas, and scoop the soup for
their mother. Amanda and herself would eat mashed potatoes and peas with a
little slab of ham that a neighbor Mrs. Potter had brought for them.

Elsa added pieces of wood to the stove and put the potatoes
and peas to boil. Meanwhile, she went to check on their mother. To her relief
she was sleeping peacefully, her chest rising and dropping against the
beddings. She resisted checking on Amanda knowing that she would come in to
help with the dinner when it was ready.

She sat at the kitchen table and thought hard. Something had
to be done. Their mother was too ill to help and Amanda was too engrossed in
herself to give much thought to the future. Elsa knew that it was up to her. Nothing
came to mind, and with a heavy heart, Elsa dragged herself to her feet and
opened the drawer to get the ham. She placed it on the table and unwrapped it
from the piece of newspaper it was covered in.

Straightening the piece of paper, an advert on the creased
paper caught Elsa’s eye.

A gentleman from Montana seeks a kindly lady to correspond
with, with a view to marriage. The lady in question must be hardworking and
willing to live on a ranch. She must possess a good moral character and have a
good disposition. If that is you, please write to the address below.

Her heart beating hard against her chest, Elsa read the
advert over again. The more she read it, the more it seemed like the answer to
all her problems. Perhaps she could convince the gentleman to allow her to
travel to Montana with her family. Then Elsa’s heart fell. Which man would want
a bride with the baggage of an ill mother and a sister?

“What are you reading?” Amanda said from behind Elsa making
her jump.

“Look at this Amanda. A gentleman from Montana seeks a wife.
It could be the answer to our problems.” Elsa said.

Amanda pulled a chair and read the advert. Elsa could tell
that Amanda liked the idea too. A ghost of a smiled played on her mouth.

“I think I should write to him.” Amanda said.

Elsa stopped breathing. She snatched the paper from Amanda’s
face.

“No, I saw it first. I’ll respond to the advert.” Elsa said,
surprised at her violent reaction.

“Look, we need this gentleman to like one of us. If he does,
he may even help us get a doctor for mama. I’m the one who is likely to be
picked. Remember many women have seen this advert. I don’t mean to hurt your
feelings but we need to face the facts. I’m the pretties of the two of us. I
daresay he’ll pick me from all the women who will write to him.”

What Amanda said made sense, but her heart refused to accept
that she would not give it a try. Elsa stubbornly shook her head. She had seen
the advert first.

“OK, then we shall do what is fair to both of us. We shall
both write to him and let him to choose.” Amanda said firmly.

Elsa knew she had lost. No man would choose her over Amanda.
She was big, while her sister was slim, her face was not bad looking, but
Amanda’s was captivating. Elsa sighed.

“You write to him then.” She said in a defeated tone.

Amanda’s eyes sparkled. “No, that’s not right. You saw the
advert first so you deserve a fair chance.”

Knowing that it would be a venture that would yield nothing
for her, Elsa nodded. She was tired of the argument and in any case, she had
nothing to lose by writing.

Dear Sir,

My name is Amanda and one of two sisters, living in Maine. I
saw your advert and felt immediately drawn to you. I believe Montana is very
beautiful with rolling hills and green fields. I enjoy the outside, having been
born a farmer’s daughter. I’ve put in an old picture, a bit tattered but it
will give you a glimpse of my person .As you will see, I’m pretty and I have
the manners of a lady to match. I believe that I will run your household well
and ensure that all the servants are neat and doing their jobs as they should.
I hope to hear from you.

Truly,

Amanda.

Amanda sat back and read the letter. Her winning point was
the photograph. It was about five years old and did not do any justice to how
she looked now but it would do. Elsa had a photo too but Amanda knew that she
would never think to send it. Satisfied with what she had written, Amanda
folded her old photograph inside the letter and inserted it into an envelope.
She addressed it and sealed it, ready for posting.

It was morning, and most likely Elsa would be coaxing their
mother to have some breakfast. If she hurried, she could slip out unnoticed and
post the letter. The sooner the better, before Elsa had a chance to write and
post hers. Amanda jumped to her feet and inspected her long sleeved dress. It
was old and the once blue color faded to an almost white.

She hated being poor.

 
It was a beautiful
morning, with the sun out but not too hot that it was burning. She walked along
the road and paused each time a carriage passed, especially if it was heavily
decorated and driven by a uniformed horseman. There was one coming up and
Amanda stood by the side. The carriage was elegant, lined with gold and its
wheels big and shiny.

She took a quick peek inside as it passed, and saw a young
lady just like herself, seated serenely and fanning herself. Envy filled
Amanda’s heart. She would have given anything, even her family, to be that
girl. Why was it, she thought bitterly that some people were lucky enough to be
born in wealthy families? The only thing such girls had to do was to wake up
and pick out a dress from dozens of gowns.

Then they would just enjoy the day, and come evening, go for
a party or whatever else that wealthy folk did. Amanda hated her circumstances.
She brightened up when she remembered her mission. The rancher sounded like a
wealthy man. Perhaps she would get lucky this time and live the life she was
meant to live, Amanda thought.

As she walked, her thoughts were in Montana on the ranch
that she would soon call her home. She would have servants to cater for her
every whim, and like that lady in the carriage, she would travel with class.
She would spend the long summer months hopping and visiting with other ladies
of her class. Amanda didn’t mind children, after all, most men required an
heir. She would have no objections as long as her husband employed an adequate
number of servants to take care of the children.

They would be brought to her in her private sitting room,
twice or once a day and for an hour or so, she and her children would chat and
then she would dismiss them with a wave of the hand to go and play. It would
then be time for her nap. Amanda sighed with longing. If she played her cards
right, her life would be waiting for her.

She thought about Elsa and their mother. She couldn’t very
well go with them to Montana, and more importantly, Amanda wanted a fresh start
in life. She wanted no reminders of the life she had left behind. She would
help out whenever she could, especially with taking Mama to a doctor. After she
was well, Amanda knew that she and Elsa would fend for themselves. They were so
self-reliant and needed no man to take care of them.

Amanda knew that she was different. She was the type of
woman born to be taken care of and pampered and she would blossom. The thirty
minute walk to town took a short time and soon she was walking past the store
and to the post office which was at the edge of town. She strode in and took
her place in the queue behind two older women.

She tapped her foot impatiently at the slowness of the
bespectacled man behind the counter. She craned her neck to see what was taking
so long. To her annoyance, the man serving and the one being served were
chatting as if no one else was waiting. Amanda resisted the urge to say
anything. The last time she had been at the general store, she had complained
to the store owner about how long he was taking to finish with a customer.

He had made her wait for half an hour before he served her.
She couldn’t wait to get out of this God forsaken small town. Finally, her turn
came. Her face screwed up in anger she slid the letter to the man.

“Good day Miss.” He said.

Amanda ignored him and stared stonily ahead. Realizing that
she wouldn’t answer his greetings, the man sighed and told her the cost of the
stamps. She put the money on the counter and stuck the stamps on the letter. A
few minutes later, she was done, and she left the post office feeling that she
was closer to Montana than ever.

She knew she should hurry back home and see to their mother
while Elsa tended to the thousand chores that always needed to be done. How
Amanda longed to have a servant. She would sit in the drawing room, with large
windows with a view of the garden and ask for tea. She would sip her tea delicately
and just enjoy being alive.

Her existence for the last several years held no joy
whatsoever for Amanda. She endured her days until something good came along.
Deep inside her heart she had known that something big was about to happen. She
thought of the letter she had just sent and felt a wave of joy and excitement.
Amanda was not worried about Elsa.

Which man would choose Elsa over herself? It wasn’t that she
was ugly, but that she was plain. There was nothing special about Elsa. It
didn’t help that she had big bones, as large as their late father’s, which made
her look fat. Besides she and her sister were truly different. Elsa was a
worker, born to take care of other people.

She, Amanda, was born to be taken care of. She would fall
into this role at the ranch in Montana naturally. Soon she came to the little
path that veered off the road and led to their house. It was small and shabby,
and Amanda couldn’t wait to leave.

“Where were you? Mama is not well this morning and you were
nowhere to be found.” Elsa said.

“I had nipped out for a short bit, but I’m here now, aren’t
I?” Amanda said.

“Wipe mama down with the cloth, her fever is spiking again.”
Elsa said.

For a moment, Amanda felt sympathy for her sister. She
looked ten years older than her age as a result of worrying and working so
hard. She felt grateful to her for taking care of them all, but a small voice
at the back of her mind told Amanda that they were each living up to the roles
they had been born into.

She sat next to her mother’s bed and wrung the cloth, and
proceeded to wipe her mother’s forehead. Sweat was dripping down her face, all
the way to her neck. Just looking at her, made Amanda want to cry. If only she
could get better, then their lives would improve greatly. Their mother, when she
was well, had been hard working and they had lived a bearable life.

Now that she was sick, there was the added worry that she
would get worse and they had no money to take her to a doctor. Knowing how such
thoughts lowered her spirits, Amanda yanked her mind from her mother and
deliberately thought pleasant things. Like Montana and the future that awaited
her. She would send money to Elsa as soon as she could to take mother to a
doctor. After that, Amanda knew that her duty would be done.

Perhaps later, when she had children, Elsa and their mother
could visit the ranch.