Seth's Promise (Grooms With Honor Book 6) Read online

  Seth’s Promise

  Grooms with Honor Series, Book 6

  Copyright © 2018 by Linda K. Hubalek

  Published by Butterfield Books Inc.

  Printed Book ISBN—978-1985620230

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018935203

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  Seth’s Promise is a rewrite of Lilly: Bride of Illinois (2015). The story has been changed to fit into the Grooms with Honor Series.

  This ebook is licensed for your enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the retailer and buy your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Except for the history of Kansas mentioned in the book, the names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  A sweet historical romance set in 1888.

  When rancher Seth Reagan left Kansas for a livestock show in Chicago, he never dreamed he’d be returning a week later with seven horses, extra carpet bags, and a wife.

  Lily Lind answered a mail-order-bride advertisement, expecting to be a Chicago businessman’s wife. Instead, she finds herself singing randy songs to a bunch of drunk men in a saloon.

  After escaping the saloon and finding Seth, Lily accepts his offer of a marriage of convenience to protect her from the saloon owner’s thugs. They travel back to Seth’s hometown to decide their future.

  Now what? Go their own ways, or make their marriage real? Will Seth want Lily though, after he learns her secrets?

  Seth and Lily

  I always picture my characters, either imaginary or from real images, when I write my books. For the Grooms with Honor series I’m using couples, I found in my great-grandparent’s photo album, dating back to the early 1880s to early 1900s period. My great-grandparents were born in Sweden, moved to Kansas, and married in 1892.

  There are no names written on the back of these photographs, and I don’t recognize them as any of my relatives. This photo, which was taken and sent from Sweden, is probably a wedding portrait of friends or cousins of my great-grandmother who immigrated to Kansas in the 1880s.

  These couples don’t look like our modern-day cover models (men with rippling muscles and women with flawless makeup), but they show real couples starting their new life together as husband and wife during the same period as the couples in my Grooms with Honor series.

  While you’re reading Seth’s Promise, you can pretend this wedding portrait is of Seth Reagan and Lily Lind. Hopefully, I’ve given them a good start in their married life.

  Chapter 1

  November 1888

  Chicago, Illinois

  “Miss Lind? Miss Lily Lind?”

  Seth Reagan heard the woman’s name being called over and over as a man walked through the noisy crowd departing from the westbound train just arrived at the Chicago depot. The man wore a gray topcoat over his suit, and a dark gray fedora hat, and held a small sign over his head which must have had the woman’s name printed on it. The ends of his maroon wool scarf flipped in the chilly November air as he turned one way then another trying to catch the woman’s attention.

  Seth stood about fifteen feet away from the man. He had arrived on the eastbound train a few minutes ago and was trying to get his bearings. This was Seth’s first buying trip by himself, and it was a bit overwhelming.

  People were streaming past him, some in a hurry to leave the depot, others waiting for a person to descend the steps of one of the many cars unloading at this busy station. There were more people within seeing distance here at the depot than the entire population of Clear Creek, Kansas, his hometown.

  He was in Chicago on behalf of his employer, Isaac Connely, to attend two livestock shows and a horse sale. The shows were to be held in the Exhibition Hall at the Union Stockyards. He had reservations to stay in Hough Hall Hotel near the Yards, so he needed to determine where the hotel was located and how to get there.

  “Miss Lily Lind?”

  “Yes, hello, I am Miss Lind,” a young woman walked up to the man holding the sign and identified herself in a clear, strong voice. She was tall with wisps of strawberry blonde hair escaping out of her brown woolen cap. Seth saw her tan wool cloak had a smear of dried mud on the side of it when the crowds dispersed enough for him to get a good look at the woman. It was hard to keep one’s clothes clean when traveling, so he didn’t think anything of it. She looked nervous, but she held her head high and looked the man in the eye.

  “Miss, are you an American? I hear an accent in your voice,” the man said before even saying hello.

  “Hmm, yes, I came from Sweden two years ago, but I’m an American now. Are you Mr. Hardesty, my fiancé?” Miss Lind nervously asked.

  “No, miss. I’m picking you up for my boss, but he’s not going to be happy you’re an immigrant,” the man rudely stated.

  The woman appeared shocked at his statement and looked around her as if seeking an escape route should she needed to bolt. Her eye was caught by Seth’s deep brown cowboy hat, and then she looked directly into his hazel eyes. She stared at him a bit, looked away, and then back at him again. Then Miss Lind took a deep breath before turning back to the man and asking, “And you are, sir?”

  “The man who’s going to be in trouble for bringing an immigrant back to the saloon. Got a trunk we need to pick up?”

  “Ah, no, I just have my carpet bag,” she stammered.

  Seth looked at the confused woman and wondered what her story was, and why she came to Chicago. She asked the man if he was her fiancé. The man impatiently said no, and he was taking her to a saloon. Did the Swedish woman understand where she was being taken?

  “Okay then, let’s go. The boss will want you in-house and in your costume by the evening’s opening time.”

  The woman stood her ground when the man took hold of her arm. “Wait, I think you have the wrong person. I’m here to wed Mr. Wilber Hardesty. He’s a well-known businessman in Chicago.”

  “Yes, that’s him. Mr. Hardesty owns the Stockyard Emporium, and you’re supposed to be his new saloon singer if he can get past the fact you’re an immigrant,” the man said in distaste.

  “No! I’m to be his wife, not a saloon singer!” she panicked and tried to pull away, as the man grabbed her bag away from her.

  “That’s what all his ‘mail-order brides’ say, Miss Lind,” the man chuckled as he pulled her into the crowd.

  Seth started following them to offer the lady his assistance because this situation was apparently not what she expected.

  “Oops, sorry sir.” Seth whipped his head away from the couple when bags carried by a young man hit him on the hip. The person was overloaded carrying two bags in each hand.

  “Oh, it’s okay,” Seth replied then turned back to find the woman. He stood on his toes and scanned the crowd, but they had disappeared. Seth had an uneasy feeling about her situation, and his conscience was kicking him for not coming to her assistance right away. Seth hoped the woman was strong enough to stand up for herself because she might need to do just that shortly.

  ***

  Lily panicked as the man pulled her through the crowd. After walking a block, he hailed a carriage, and it stopped for them to climb into. Her guide helped her up to the seat but didn’t say a word to her as they t
raveled. Goodness gracious the air stunk like…manure and dead animals?

  “The air is rather ‘ripe’ here. What is the cause of it?” Lily asked as she held her scarf up to cover her nose.

  “It’s the smell of money, Miss Lind. You get used to it. Thousands of cattle and hogs are brought in by rail to the Union Stockyards each day, then butchered at either the Amour or Swift meat packing plants situated on either side of the yards.”

  The carriage passed a gaudy looking building front with “Stockyards Emporium” painted in gold letters on a black frame with red trim.

  “Is that…” Lily started to say before the carriage slowed and then turned the corner.

  “Yes, this is Mr. Hardesty’s business, but we’ll go around to the back alley to enter the building near his office,” the man replied but didn’t offer any more information.

  Lily took in the trash lying around overflowing trash barrels along the back wall and was assaulted with the smell of rotting food. She’d been in enough back alleys in her life to be uneasy. Where were doorways, windows, balconies to watch for attacks, or if she needed an escape route?

  Lily counted four doorways before the carriage stopped halfway down the alley. Why couldn’t the saloon have been close to a street instead of half a block down?

  “Down you go, Miss Lind,” the man said grabbing her bag, then offering her his hand to help her step down to the dirt alley. “Let’s see what the boss says about you.”

  Should I snatch my bag out of the man’s hand and run? But he firmly grabbed her elbow after opening the grimy door and pushed her through the entrance.

  Keeping Lily in front of him, he pulled her to a stop and knocked on a closed door near the end of the hall. To the right, she viewed a large room with tables and chairs placed around a small raised stage. Looking left…oh, my stars! Lily stared at the massive painting of a naked woman lounging on a bed, hanging above fully stocked shelves of bottles. The long wooden bar, with stools lined up in front of it, faced the painting. This IS a saloon! Why did he bring me here?!

  “Come in, Sloan,” Lily heard a man in the room answer upon hearing the knock.

  The man, apparently named Sloan, opened the door to a spacious office with a dark wood desk, matching shelves on the wall behind and two upholstered chairs in front of the desk.

  The man sitting behind the desk rose from his leather chair when the two of them entered. His black hair was trimmed short as was his pencil-thin mustache. He looked to be in his late thirties and dressed in a nice, tailored suit, crisp white shirt, and striped tie.

  “Well, who do we have here, Sloan?” The man smiled as he advanced, holding out his hand to Lily.

  “Your ‘mail-order bride,’ Miss Lily Lind, sir,” Sloan said with a reluctant nod.

  “I’m so pleased to meet you, Miss Lind. I’m Mr. Wilber Hardesty who you corresponded with.” He took Lily’s hand, and gave it a light squeeze, before lifting his other hand, acting like he was going to caress her cheek. “You are so much more stunning in person than your photo shows.”

  “Thank you for the compliment. It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Hardesty,” Lily said, hoping her trembling hand in his wasn’t too noticeable.

  “Where are you from?” Hardesty dropped his hands from hers and demanded in a condescending voice. His abrupt change of greeting was very similar to what Sloan had shown her at the depot.

  “You wrote to me, sir, and you know I lived in Massachusetts.” She was not going to be put down for her immigrant background again.

  “Before that? Sounds like you came from a Scandinavian country,” Hardesty flatly stated.

  Lily stood a bit taller, bristling at his apparent displeasure of her origin. “I am an American who moved here from Sweden two years ago.” She had worked so hard on learning the English language, and yet he disapproved of her slight accent.

  “Yes, well, we’ll see how this works out.”

  “Mr. Hardesty, I came here to be your wife, but the welcome I’m getting doesn’t seem like it is so.” Lily tried to stay strong, and not reveal the panic building in her chest.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Miss Lind. I didn’t mean to upset you. I think it is best to get to know each other for a certain length of time before the ceremony, don’t you agree?”

  His answer calmed her heartbeat a tad. What was she thinking? She had imagined Mr. Hardesty meeting her at the depot, excited to meet his future bride. That illusion’s bubble popped as soon as Sloan and reality met her at the train station.

  “Yes, I do think that’s a good idea. I’m sorry if I don’t have much enthusiasm right now but, I’m tired…and hungry after my long trip.”

  “Didn’t you take advantage of a sleeping berth and dining car?” Hardesty asked as if shocked she hadn’t done that.

  Lily felt a blush creep up her face. “No, your ticket was for a passenger seat only, sir…and I couldn’t afford to pay extra for those comforts.”

  “I see,” he said as the tips of his mouth turned upward as if knowing—and pleased—she had limited funds of her own?

  “Sloan, would you please summon Mrs. Mason to come into the office?” Hardesty looked at Lily, studying her intently.

  “You are a beautiful woman. But can you sing American songs, play the piano?”

  Lily felt uncomfortable at his change of subject. “I play instruments, but the piano isn’t one I’m proficient in. I know songs like Love’s Old Sweet Song, Lift High the Cross…”

  Hardesty cringed when she mentioned the Christian song. “Miss Lind, our clients prefer happy tunes, not ones they may hear in church.”

  “Why does my singing have anything to do with our marriage?” This conversation was ringing warning bells in her head.

  “Miss Lind, our business is to offer refreshments and entertainment to our customers. As part of your duties—to the Emporium and me—you’ll help here by singing and being a hostess,” he carefully stated, as if she was a child or a stupid immigrant who couldn’t understand English?

  “Yes, Mr. Hardesty?” A short, wiry woman with her gray hair tightly contained in a bun, interrupted their conversation. She wore a black shirtwaist and skirt, so Lily wondered if she was a widow still in mourning.

  “Yes, Mrs. Mason. I’d like you to meet Miss Lily Lind. Would you show her to the room we talked about previously? After a brief rest, I’m sure she’d like a sandwich before coming back to meet Mr. Boswell, our…musical director.”

  Mrs. Mason turned and walked away without saying a word. After hearing Lily wasn’t following her, she looked over her shoulder and said, “This way, Miss Lind.”

  Lily clutched her carpet bag and followed the woman down the hallway to narrow stairs leading to the second floor.

  “There’s a grand stairway from the main room, but you are to use this staircase to access the second floor.”

  Twelve room doors, six on either side of the hallway were closed, but there were women’s voices coming from a couple of them.

  “Is this a hotel too?” Lily asked Mrs. Mason as they stopped at the room at the end of the hall.

  “No, Miss Lind,” she answered without providing any more information. “Here is your room. There is a pitcher of water and basin ready for you to use. Please put on the blue dress you see on the wall hook after you clean up. The chamber pot is behind the screen in the corner of the room. I’ll come back in forty-five minutes with a plate of food. And, do not go out in the hall or talk to anyone.”

  Lily stood in the middle of the room, staring at the door the woman just departed from. What—and why stay away from other people?

  *

  Lily pulled at the top front of the dress, embarrassed at the lack of material to cover her shoulders adequately. The satin gown had apparently been worn many times before; instead of long sleeves, it had short sleeves—which was not the proper attire for a respectable lady. Lily had a very limited wardrobe in her bag, but she did have a white shawl which she wrapped around her shoulders and ar
ms.

  The short nap on the lumpy bed in a cold room made her more tired than rested, and her stomach still growled after eating the sandwich made with white bread, a smear of butter and a thin slice of ham.

  She desperately needed sleep, so she hoped this “meeting” with the music person was short, so she could go back to the room for a long slumber.

  “Miss Lind,” Mr. Hardesty gestured to the man on the stage, “I’d like you to meet Mr. Boswell, who will play the piano and listen to your voice. Please face him in front of the music stand and sing the song from the music sheets.” He paused before asking, “I assume you can read English music?”

  “Yes, I can. Hello, Mr. Boswell. I’m afraid my voice is not in the best shape due to my week of traveling to Chicago.” The middle-aged man looked more like a vagabond than a music director, but apparently, he could play the piano.

  “That’s all right. I can still hear if you have a good pitch, Miss Lind,” Mr. Boswell said as he played the song on the piano, apparently so she could listen to the tune. “Start in when I nod to you.”

  Lily struggled to sing and follow along with the tempo the pianist played. Luckily, she had heard the song before, so she wasn’t lost reading the music.

  “Not bad—considering she’s an immigrant,” Mr. Hardesty said to Mr. Boswell, causing Lily’s temper to rise because they were judging her status, and they were talking as if she wasn’t standing right there in front of them.

  “Let’s hear you sing an American song a cappella. Do you know what that means?” Mr. Boswell asked.

  “Yes, it means to sing without being accompanied by an instrument,” Lily answered, trying not to snap back at him. What American song do I know by heart which I can impress them with?

  Lily stood straight, lowered her shoulders and started clearly singing, “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light…”

  After she hit the highest note right on pitch and finished the song, both gentlemen stood and clapped. “Very nice, Miss Lind, even if you are tired today.”