Mail Order Bride Winona by Karla Gracey

Author:Karla Gracey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Inspirational Historical Western Romance, mail order brides western romance, clean mail order brides, american historical romance, Inspirational Western Frontier Romance
Publisher: Karla Gracey Books
Published: 2016-09-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Winona could hardly wait for Robson to arrive from Montana. She was nervous and excited in equal measure. She prayed that he would not find her wanting in person, that the relationship they had nurtured over the cold winter and through the spring months would be as wonderful in person as it had been in their correspondence. She had thrown herself into her work at the hospital, trying to block out the gossip and discussion about the convention as every time she heard it mentioned she suffered a pang of longing. With only days now before the convention began she knew that Robson must be arriving in Philadelphia very soon, and so every day her anxiety grew. She had never known such butterflies as those currently infesting her belly. Every new person that walked onto the ward, every knock on her door at home had her heart in her mouth, and her vocal cords squeezing so tight she feared she would be unable to utter so much as a good day when he finally arrived.

That morning, a knock sounded on the door downstairs as she was tending to her Mama’s toilette. She started, as though someone had fired a gun, almost dropping the bowl of warm water she had balanced upon the bed beside her. Her eyes wide, she began to smooth her dress and apron down in a flustered manner. Mama smiled at her absently. “You should answer that, it will be your Papa,” she said dreamily, laying back upon the pillows and closing her eyes.

“Yes Mama,” Winona said, the tragedy of her Mama’s words bringing her firmly back to the here and now. “Now you stay here, and rest.” She tucked the bed covers around her tightly, and prayed she would stay in bed this time. The poor woman was already covered in bruises from her last attempt to stand and come downstairs. She had heard Mrs Swinton arrive yesterday, to take care of her whilst Winona went to work, and believing it to be her beloved husband she had tried to rush downstairs. Sadly, her limbs were so weak and stiff from misuse she had fallen from the top to the bottom of the stairwell with a clatter. Thankfully Mama had not suffered anything more than bruises and a couple of scraped patches of skin on her legs, arms and forehead, but it had worried Winona greatly. Mama’s delusions seemed to be so very strong now, and no matter how many times she tried to tell her that Papa was long dead and would never be coming back to them poor Mama still believed he was simply at his office and would return shortly. She shut the door, and slid the bolt that Mr Swinton had kindly installed for her. She still felt terrible locking her Mama inside, but she had no choice.

Taking a deep breath, she headed down the steep stairs and nervously opened the door. A tall, young man stood with his back to her.

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