Mail Order Penelope (Widows, Brides & Secret Babies Book 23) Read online

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  Mail Order Penelope

  Widows, Brides & Secret Babies

  Book 23

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  Zina Abbott

  Copyright © 2020 Robyn Echols writing as Zina Abbott

  All rights reserved.

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  Dedication

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  This book is dedicated to my husband, Dinnie R. Echols.

  I appreciate all the hours you tolerate me being tied up doing research and writing my stories.

  I appreciate the meals you’ve prepared for yourself, and often for me, because I was busy writing.

  I appreciate the many times you watch television in the back room on the less comfortable loveseat instead on in your comfy recliner so I might finish writing “one more chapter” without disruption.

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  Acknowledgements

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  A special thank you goes to

  Linda Carroll-Bradd of Lustre Editing for proof-reading this manuscript,

  To Virginia McKevitt of Black Widow Covers for the book cover.

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  Disclaimer

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  All the characters described in this story are fictional, or are fictionalized portrayals of real historical persons. Any resemblance to actual deceased persons, as fictionally portrayed, is based on historical data available to the author and to the best of her ability. Any resemblance to real living persons is coincidental and unintended,

  Map of Kansas Smoky Hill Trail Forts, Rail Lines and Stagecoach Stations

  1867

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  Chapter 1

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  Junction City, Kansas

  September 28, 1867

  A s Penelope heard the sound of the train whistle, she closed her eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. Next, she felt the train slow. The conductor already announced the next stop was Junction City. It was not her final destination. However, she was grateful she could enjoy a few days of rest with her cousin, Roslyn Stewart, before she continued her journey into the unknown to meet her future husband, Harvey Layton. He was her and Jeremy’s future.

  “Down, Ma!”

  Penelope turned her attention away from the view outside the train window and focused instead on the child in her lap. “Not yet, Jerry. We must wait until the train stops. We will get off here for a few days and visit Cousin Roslyn.” As her almost fourteen-month-old child wriggled and threw his body side to side in protest, she found herself struggling to maintain her hold on him.

  “No! Down, Ma!”

  Penelope glanced to the right to see the older couple across the aisle scowl at her. Heat crept up her neck as she turned away. Have you never had children who misbehaved at times? Or, are you too old to remember back that far? She picked the child up and spun him to face her. She attempted to stay calm but suspected the frustration and fatigue she felt leaked into her speech. “That is enough, Jerry. If I put you down now, the train might throw you to the floor, and you’ll be hurt. Now, stay still until it is time to leave.”

  As he bent his knees and put the full weight of his body on her hands that supported him under his armpits, Jeremy wailed. “Want down, Ma.”

  “I know, sweet child.” Penelope felt the front of Jeremy’s gown that covered his diaper and wool knit soakers. Damp. Not soaked, thank goodness, but damp. To cover her bodice and lap, she pulled upward the folded wool blanket she kept between his bottom and her purple silk dress. After seeing that the only gown she owned that was suitable for travel—not to mention, it signaled she was still in mourning—she hugged Jeremy to her and buried his face in her neck. She patted his back. “It will soon be time to get off the train for a few days, Jeremy. Please be patient.”

  While rocking the baby, who had quieted to resigned sobs, Penelope glanced out the window as the train crawled until it reached the depot platform. She squinted and smiled. She would know that red hair anywhere, even with the straw bonnet hiding part of it. Roslyn had received her letter detailing the train she would be on and the time it was expected to arrive at the Junction City station. What was more—wonder of wonders—Roslyn wore a gown instead of her late brother’s old clothes. Maybe having a husband has tamed her.

  The train stopped. Passengers stood and filled the aisles.

  Jeremy renewed his quest to leave his mother’s lap. He lifted his head from her neck and twisted as he flung his hand in the direction of the crowd of people leaving the train coach. “Down, Ma!”

  “Not yet.” Penelope grabbed his hand and shook it playfully. “They all are so big and you are such a little boy, they won’t even see you. You might get squished like a little bug. You don’t want to get squished, do you?”

  Jeremy tossed his head side to side. “No squish.”

  All the passengers who stood filed down the aisle.

  Penelope repositioned the blanket and sat Jeremy on her arm with the reticule dangling from her wrist. She grabbed her carpetbag with the other. “I will carry you out, Jerry, and then I will let you down.”

  One middle-aged, well-dressed man stood at the back of Penelope’s bench. “After you, ma’am.”

  Balancing Jeremy, Penelope rose to her feet. Wearing a smile, she nodded to the gentleman who waited for her. “Thank you, sir.” At least, there are still some kind and polite people left in this world. With the carpetbag hitting each bench she passed, she made her way down the aisle and turned left to exit the train.

  The conductor took her bag with one hand and used his other to help her down the stairs.

  Penelope waited by the conductor until the gentleman behind her left before she pulled her train ticket out of her reticule. She turned to the conductor. “Sir, just to be sure I understand correctly what I was told in Lawrence, would you please verify something for me? I know this is a through ticket to a place called Buffalo Springs. However, I am leaving the train for the weekend and wish to board again on the next train that comes through on Monday. There will be no problem with me using this same ticket to continue my journey, correct?”

  The conductor looked at her askance. “You don’t want to continue directly?”

  Penelope shook her head. “No. Traveling like this is hard on a young child like my son. I have family here with whom I can stay a few days.”

  As if on cue, Jeremy leaned across Penelope and stretched his hand toward the platform. “Down, Ma!”

  The conductor smiled and shook his head as he took her ticket. “I see no problem, especially if it will only be a few days. I’ll make a note on the back so the next conductor will know you spoke to me about it.”

  “Thank you.” Penelope turned and stepped away, only to discover Roslyn standing next to her.

  Roslyn held out her hands. “This must be Jeremy.” She addressed the toddler. “Come to Cousin Roslyn, Jeremy. I’ll hold your hand so you may get down.”

  Penelope leaned in the direction Jeremy threw his little body, which put her in Roslyn’s one-armed embrace. “Oh, Roslyn! It is so good to see you.”

  “Same here, Penelope. Here, let me take Jeremy. I’ll keep ahold of his hand while he runs a little. I’ve been doing it awhile with Emmy.”

  “Actually, I call him Jerry. Especially back home where everyone knew his father as Jeremy, it helped prevent confusion.”

  Roslyn lean
ed forward until her gaze met Jeremy’s. “Then I’ll call you Jerry, too. I’m your cousin, Jerry. I knew your pa. You and your ma will be staying at my house for a few days. I’ll show you the horses in our stable. Will you like that?” She held out her arms to help him stand.

  Jeremy craned his neck to inspect his mother’s face.

  “It’s all right, Jerry. We’ll both be staying with Cousin Roslyn. Won’t it be fun to see her horses?”

  Once he realized that his mother approved of her, he allowed Roslyn to help get his feet on the ground and hold his hand as they began walking. “Horseys. See horseys.”

  Once her arms were free of her wriggly burden, Penelope sighed. “Thank you. I need to get my valise. It’s in the baggage car.”

  With her hand clinging to Jeremy, Roslyn followed Penelope to the baggage car. “I’m sorry Elam was unable to come with me. Now that Mr. Williams has passed away, one of us must stay at the livery. He kept Emmy with him.” Roslyn grinned wide. “You won’t believe how much she has grown, Penelope. She’s no longer the babe-in-arms you brought to me a year and a half ago. I hope she and Jeremy will get along and be able to play together.”

  “I do, too. Unfortunately, Jeremy has not had many opportunities to be around other children. I was always so busy taking care of Ma and trying to keep the laundry business going as long as I could.”

  “I know you told me Mr. Emerson expected you to leave the house once Aunt Mina passed. I see he allowed you to stay a few extra months.”

  The two reached the pile of luggage being off-loaded on the platform.

  Not seeing her valise yet, Penelope turned to Roslyn. “True. Roslyn, I’ve written to so many men looking for a potential marriage partner. Most of them, if I admitted I was expecting, they stopped writing. So, at Ma’s insistence, I stopped saying anything about a baby being on the way. Instead, I explained I wished to wait until my mourning period for Jerry’s father was over. That would give me time for baby Jeremy to be born.”

  “That was considerate they were willing to wait. After the war, I’m sure they realized many women were left widows.”

  “Many more women are single. One by one, the men with whom I corresponded either stopped writing, or they said they decided on someone else. When Ma died last April, I had no one left who considered marriage with me.”

  Roslyn shook her head. “I’m sorry to hear that. So, how did you find this man you are traveling to meet now?”

  “Through a newspaper advertisement. There’s my valise.” Penelope pointed. “I made a point to tie some lavender fabric to it so the handle would be easier for me to find.”

  “Let me get that. Come on, Jerry, let’s get Ma’s bag.” Roslyn stepped over and picked up the valise like it weighed nothing. She rejoined Penelope. “Jerry, take your Ma’s hand, too, and we’ll hop you down off the platform.”

  Surprised that Jeremy obeyed their cousin, who was a total stranger to him, Penelope followed Roslyn to the stairs that led from the platform to the boardwalk. They lifted Jeremy and, much to his delight, swung him back and forth a few times before allowing his feet to land on the ground. She followed Roslyn to where she and Jeremy would be staying the next few days.

  As they approached one of the corners, Penelope thought the area looked familiar. She turned left and scrunched her forehead. “Roslyn, isn’t that the hotel where you stayed when you first came to Junction City?”

  “It is.” At the corner, Roslyn turned right and pointed to a livery barn one block over and across the street. “That’s where we’re going. It’s still Henry Williams Livery, since everything isn’t settled yet as far as transferring the title. However, Henry did leave it to Elam in his will. Once we pay the rest of the back taxes from two years ago, we’ll get the title transferred to our name, and it will be ours.”

  They crossed two corners so they approached the livery on the same side of the street as the business.

  Penelope watched a man limp to the open door of the livery barn. She knew from her cousin’s letters that her husband lost his left leg from just above the knee, and he usually wore a wooden prosthesis.

  Roslyn released Jeremy’s hand and waved. “That’s Elam, Penelope. I don’t know how I was so fortunate to find him and have him fall in love with me. He is such a good father to Emmy. I truly love him with all my heart.”

  “I’m happy for you, Roslyn.” Penelope offered her a wistful smile. Will I be fortunate enough to have a loving relationship with Harvey Layton?

  His gaze focused on Roslyn, Elam walked out and took Penelope’s valise from his wife. He then nodded to Penelope as he reached for her carpetbag with his free hand.

  “Elam, this is my cousin, Penelope Humphry and her son, Jeremy, Junior, except he goes by Jerry. Penelope, this is my husband, Elam Stewart.”

  Penelope smiled and nodded. “Pleased to finally meet you, Mr. Stewart.”

  “Elam, ma’am. Reckon we best move on to the barn. Got Emmy sleeping in the back stall.”

  Penelope raised an eyebrow. She knew the little family lived in the big back stall when they first returned from living in the stagecoach station at Ellsworth and married. “You’re still in the stall? I thought, with Mr. Williams’ passing, you would be in the house now.”

  Roslyn laughed. “We are. In fact, that’s where you and Jerry will stay while you’re here. However, it’s only a one-room building and a small one at that. We still use the stall in the daytime so we can both work out here and have a place to keep Emmy close by.”

  Elam nodded. “Reckon, as we get the money, we’ll add us a bedroom or two to the back and make us a sleeping loft. Need to get the livery in our name first.”

  Roslyn held up a finger. “At least there’s a cook shack where we keep the stove in hot weather. We’ll have to bring the stove inside in soon.”

  Penelope patiently followed Roslyn as she gave a wide-eyed Jeremy a quick tour of the livery and let him look at the horses in the corral.

  Roslyn leaned over to speak to Jeremy as she pointed to the lone mule. “Stay away from that mule, Jeremy. We call him Bubby, but his real name is Beelzebub. He was named that for a reason. He likes women, but not men. We’re still not sure about him around children.”

  Elam left them but soon returned carrying an auburn-haired toddler who rubbed her eyes. “This here is Emmy. Reckon we best get you and your things to the house so you can rest a mite.”

  Once inside Roslyn and Elam’s house, Penny realized, it would have fit inside her mother’s old parlor. She changed Jeremy into a dry diaper and gown while Roslyn prepared everyone a quick cold lunch. After they settled around the small table, for Elam’s benefit, she repeated what she already told Roslyn.

  While the adults talked, the two toddlers finished eating and scooted off laps to join each other on the wooden floor. They eyed each other warily before Emmy, six months older than her second cousin, took the boy by the hand and led him to a stack of wooden toys and several soft, stuffed fabric dolls and animals Elam and Roslyn had made for her. She handed him one and then chose another for herself. They each played separately, although they sat close together.

  Roslyn turned to Penelope. “Tell us about Harvey Layton.”

  Penelope swallowed and forced a smile. “I don’t know too much about him, actually. After Ma passed, and my other prospects went by the wayside, I again begged used newspapers from my few remaining laundry customers so I could check the matrimonial advertisements. His was one I had not seen before. He recently left the Army and has a business in Pond Creek near Fort Wallace.” She turned her head aside. In his letters, Mr. Layton was so vague about many things. I wish I knew more about him.

  Elam’s forehead wrinkled. “Fort Wallace? Clear out there?”

  Penelope’s smile wavered. “Yes. I prayed about my decision, and I feel confident that is where I should go. Is there a problem with Fort Wallace?”

  Elam glanced at Roslyn before he returned his gaze to Penelope. “Being as how it’s right in
the middle of Indian Territory, it ain’t the safest place, I reckon. This man you’re writing to, he say anything about trouble with the Cheyenne or Arapaho?”

  Penelope swallowed. “I did ask him about that, especially after Roslyn told me about your troubles with the Cheyenne at Ellsworth and during the stagecoach ride back to Junction City. But that happened a year ago. I assumed by now, things had settled down out that way.”

  “Ain’t what I heard. Lieutenant Colonel Custer was chasing them all last spring, what with them attacking the stagecoach stations west of Fort Fletcher—well, hear tell they’re calling it Fort Harker now, ever since the Smoky Hill flooded in June and washed the old fort out. They moved to higher ground on the other side of the stagecoach station.”

  “Oh.” Penelope blinked. She had no knowledge of the situation with the forts in western Kansas, although she had heard the river had flooded. As the Smoky Hill River ran downstream, it joined with other rivers to become the Kansas River, which also had flowed higher than usual for a while. “Mr. Layton didn’t say much about that. About all we discussed in our letters was that I could help him with his business. He sells goods to the civilian contractors and soldiers in the area.”

  Roslyn leaned toward her cousin. “Really? What kind of goods? It’s nice to know you’ll be able to get supplies without having to order them in.”

  Penelope hesitated and bit her lip. “He didn’t say. I asked him, but he didn’t specifically answer that question in his next letter. I mentioned the reason I wished to wait to come was because the newspapers were full of reports of a cholera epidemic at all the forts on the way to Pond Creek. I was afraid to travel until after it was over.”

  Roslyn nodded. “They’ve had several cases up at Fort Riley, and that’s only about four miles away. I haven’t heard of anyone getting sick for a least a month.”

  “That’s why I’m finally traveling to meet Mr. Layton. I feel it’s safe now for Jerry and me—especially Jerry. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him.” Penelope felt her throat close with emotion as she glanced at her son, who remained oblivious to what they discussed. “He’s my only remaining link to Jeremy.”