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  She listened to his breathing, which was now normal, and she willed him to wake up but knew that it would be a while till he did because her mother had administered laudanum with the herbal tea, telling her that Louis needed all the rest he could get in order for his body to heal itself.

  “Oh, Louis,” she cupped his face in her hands and placed a kiss on his forehead, feeling his temperature which was now normal. “I wish you could open your eyes and see that you are safe among those who care for you.”

  But he was silent and with a sigh she straightened the beddings and went in search of Henry. She wanted to hear everything about their ordeal in the mines. Last night she had been too caught up and worried to ask, but now she felt joy and curiosity bubbling within her.

  “Sleep well, my darling,” she whispered and gently kissed him on the lips. “I will be back a little later.”

  She also wanted to get something to eat before the house was flooded with well-wishers who she was sure had heard the news by now, and she was not wrong. The first person to arrive was Andrew, and her parents as usual were happy to see him and welcome him into their house.

  “As soon as I heard the news of the safe return of Henry my dear friend, I rushed here as quickly as I could to see how he is doing,” Andrew looked like the perfect gentleman. “It gives me so much joy that the family is once again reunited.”

  “We were so happy to see Henry and though he is a bit tired, he is alright,” Mary smiled at the smart man standing before her. She sighed inwardly, he and Cora would be the perfect couple on their wedding day and she could just envision it. Mayor Willard was sparing no expense for his son’s upcoming wedding and already Claudia had sent to Virginia City for materials so that Mary could begin sewing Cora’s gown.

  “Please sit down,” Walter indicated with his hand. “You truly care for us because you are the first person to come and rejoice with us today,” he said just as Cora entered the sitting room, followed closely by Henry.

  Andrew had a smug look, loooking very pleased with himself at the praise, and Cora wanted to wipe the smile off his face. He was in for a great surprise and today nothing was going to stop her.

  “Ah, lovely Cora,” he stood up and came towards her, hands outstretched but she sidestepped and moved behind Henry. To save face, Andrew pretended to hug Henry who did not return the gesture and pulled away, shielding Cora with his body. “Henry, we are so happy to see you alive.”

  “Well I survived, with no ill effects,” he made sure that Cora was beside him as he sat down. Things were about to get ugly in here and he wanted to shield her from anything untoward.

  “It is good that you are here now because I came to check on you and also since you are alright and well, I think it is a good time for us to begin preparing for our wedding,” he smiled at Cora but she looked away. “My parents will be coming by to begin serious discussions about Cora and I.”

  “I will thank you to leave me out of any plans that you may be making,” Cora burst out, to her mother’s chagrin.

  “Cora!”

  But the young girl had had enough. “I am tired of you presuming that I have agreed to be your wife, Willard, and you need to stop embarrassing yourself because if you persist in creating stories about us that are not true, you will end up as the laughing stock of Last Chance.”

  Cora’s parents looked at her, aghast at her rudeness. But she was far from finished. “I will have you know that I already have a suitor who I love and who loves me very much and immediately he is well, we are going to get married. So please, Willard, spare yourself all the humiliation and just leave me alone.”

  Andrew could not believe his ears. His heart filled with fury, and his eyes became cold and hard. He was unaware that Henry was observing him keenly, noting Andrew’s clenched fists. He realized that what Louis had said about Andrew being violent was true. There was no way this man would ever marry his sister, and if he had any doubts before, he was now sure that this was definitely not the man for Cora.

  “You are distraught,” Andrew smiled but it did not reach his eyes, which remained cold. “I will give you time to recover and then we will proceed.”

  “Do not treat me like a child, Willard, and I am telling you for the last time to leave me alone. I am not asking you to leave me alone, I am telling you. If you do not want me to sully your good name, then you better leave me alone. I am not interested in marrying you, I have never been interested in marrying you and no matter how much you deceive yourself, I will never ever want to be married to you.”

  “Cora...” her mother started.

  “Ma and Pa, I love you so much and I respect you and honor you with my whole heart but I am telling you here and now that I will only marry Louis Albert and if you do not give me your blessing, you can be sure that I will never marry anyone else in this lifetime. I prefer to live out the rest of my days as an old maid than be married to a man who is not Louis Albert and especially not Andrew Willard.”

  Andrew decided that the only way he would win would be to bring in reinforcements, and he bid the Richards a hasty goodbye, promising to return later.

  “What do you think you are doing, Cora?” Her father asked sternly. “You showed Andrew Willard no respect and I expect you to apologize when he next returns. He is from a good family and has kindly offered for you and when his parents get here I expect you to be on your best behavior.”

  Henry shook his head and stood up and faced his parents. “Pa and Ma, why won’t you leave Cora alone? She has made her choice and you are forcing her to be married to a man who the whole town except the Richards know is rotten to the core. What joy will you both have if Cora has to live a life of misery?”

  “You are not going to sway us,” Walter said angrily. “Cora will marry whoever we say she should marry.”

  “Not at all, Pa, Cora’s life is too fragile and precious to throw away on the likes of Andrew Willard. He would destroy her because he is a violent and cruel man, can’t you see that?” Henry sighed. “Please open your ears and listen to what people are saying about Andrew. His own father is ready to disown him and disinherit him because of his gambling, whoring and violence and the only way he thinks he can get back into his father’s good graces is by marrying a fine young woman from a good family.”

  Mary and Walter sat in stunned silence.

  “On the first day that Louis Albert came here to see you, we judged him because he had a stained shirt and muddied clothes, do you know why?” His parents shook their heads. “That man that you are praising splashed him with muddy water when he met him and realized that Louis was on his way here. Is that the kind of man that you want marrying your daughter?”

  “Louis was lying to score points with you, Henry,” Mary leaned forward. “It is obvious that you are feeling gratitude because he saved your life and that is why you are defending him so strongly.”

  “You are wrong, Ma, it was not Louis who told me about Andrew splashing him, Jeremy Brown heard Andrew bragging about it one time and he told me and that was when I began to look deeper because I wanted to see what kind of man Andrew is, and I am sorry that he is not who he pretends to be.” Henry sat down. “He pretends to be a Christian and yet he flaunts his sins for the whole town to see. And as for Louis, I am not defending him because he saved my life, but I am defending him because he is a man who deeply cares about Cora. Do you know what he told me in the mine?”

  “I know you will tell us,” Mary twisted her lips.

  “Yes, I will. He said he wanted Cora’s happiness above all things and that he was ready to leave Last Chance and give her the opportunity to meet and marry another man. He is willing to sacrifice his own happiness just so Cora can be happy, if that is not a worthy man then please tell me who is more worthy?”

  “And I am sorry but I will not marry a man that I do not love nor respect. I know my stand hurts you but I am the one who will have to live with the man who marries me, and not you. So I will only marry Louis Albert or no one
at all.”

  “Louis almost lost his life to save mine, and he did not have to. He got sick because he gave me his overshirt and shoes when I lost mine after the floods began carrying me away. He worked himself to the bone to get us out of the mines. That in my opinion is a man who is worthy of Cora and if you as her parents will not stand up for her, then I will take on that responsibility because brothers can always stand in for parents.”

  Mary sighed, looking at her children. “Cora, are you sure you know what you are saying? Do you think Louis will make a good husband for you?”

  “Yes, Ma, I love him and he loves me.”

  “Will love be enough? What about him providing for you and looking after you?” her father demanded.

  “Pa, when you and Ma got married you had nothing and together you worked hard and built the home we had in Akron and now here in Last Chance. Yes, love is enough because when two people think as one, there is nothing they cannot achieve. You and Ma are a living example,” Cora said softly and her parents looked at each other, forced to look deep into their hearts and acknowledge this truth for what it was.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Cora’s head was bowed and she was busy drawing. Ada’s students had taken to her books like ducks to water and already their parents were demanding for more reading material from Cora. She had been side tracked by the near tragedy of the past few days but now that the danger to her beloved Louis and Henry was over, she once again settled down to her passion.

  Her parents had reluctantly accepted that when Louis woke up, and if he asked for her hand in marriage, they would not stand in the way of her happiness and Cora felt that finally her world was alright.

  Her tongue was held between her teeth, the tip of which was peeping out, something she tended to do when she was deep in concentration. Louis opened his eyes slowly and Cora was the first person that he saw and he remained still for a moment, not wanting to break her concentration and also wanting to drink in the beauty of her features. Cora looked at peace with herself and with the world and he smiled slightly, that was how she should always look, he thought.

  “Cora,” he said softly and she heard the whisper and looked up and a big smile broke on her face.

  “Oh Louis,” she flung everything to the floor and grabbed his hand, tears forming in her eyes. “I was so scared that you would not make it.”

  “Hush, my love,” his throat felt dry. “I am alive and that is what matters.”

  “I am so happy that you are alive, Louis,” she kissed his hands, his forehead and then his lips. “Let me tell Ma and Pa that you are awake. They said that I should tell them immediately when you woke up because they want to express their gratitude for saving Henry’s life.”

  “Cora, could that wait for a little while?” He shifted uncomfortably on the bed. “There are some things I need to take care of first before I can see anyone.” At first Cora did not understand and then she realized what Louis was trying to tell her.

  “I am sorry, let me get Henry to help you and meanwhile I will go and prepare some soup for you.”

  “That will be wonderful.”

  Cora rushed out of the room, yelling at the top of her voice and her parents and brothers who were outside rushed into the house thinking Louis had taken a turn for the worse.

  “Ma, Pa, Louis is awake,” she said breathlessly, dancing with joy, her laughter filling the air and her family thought that it was the most beautiful sound they had heard in a long time. Their little Cora was back and it felt wonderful to see her alive once again.

  When her parents would have gone into the room, she restrained them. “Wait, he needs Henry to help him clean up before he can see you.” She turned to her brother. “Hurry up, I am going to warm up some soup for him, go,” she pushed Henry playfully in the direction of the sickroom and he laughed.

  Michael followed Cora into the kitchen. “You really love him, don’t you?” He asked quietly, leaning against the kitchen table.

  Cora smiled at her brother. “Yes, Michael, I love Louis with my whole heart.”

  “I am truly happy for you, Cora, and I am deeply sorry for misjudging your love for each other,” he sighed. “I just pray that when the time comes for me to fall in love that I will find a woman who is as loyal and as committed to me as you are, and that even in the face of all obstacles, she will stand firm and unshakeable as you have done for Louis. Yours truly is love in its purest form.”

  Cora put the mug she was holding onto the table and rushed to her brother and gave him a strong hug. “Thank you so much, Michael,” she said in a shaky voice.

  “Hey, Cora, no tears okay? This is a time for joy and happiness.”

  “You and Henry are the best brothers in the whole world and I love you so much.”

  “We know you do,” he grinned cheekily at her and she punched him playfully on his upper arm.

  “Like I said before, the tide changes every day and it can change even now,” she wagged at finger at him and he pretended to shiver in fright. Michael felt really happy in his heart that his sister was once again smiling with her whole being.

  “Okay then I surrender, remember Louis needs soup quickly, he has not eaten anything for about four days and the only thing sustaining him are the foul medicines that we forced down his throat.”

  “Leave the kitchen and let me prepare the soup quickly.”

  “I am here to help you and whatever you want me to do I will.”

  Cora smiled at her brother. “Go and catch one of the big chickens and slaughter it. When I finish feeding Louis this soup, I will come and dress it and prepare a nice soft stew for him.”

  “Got it,” Michael left the kitchen, glad to be of service to his sister and Louis.

  Henry called out to Cora after a while and she carried the large mug of soup which she had cooled to a manageable temperature. Louis was sitting up, pillows supporting his back and even though he looked weak, he was trying to stay upright.

  “Here you go,” Cora fed him a few sips of soup at a time but because his stomach had been empty for a long time he could only manage very little. “A little more,” she tried to coax him but her mother spoke from the doorway.

  “Give him time in between feeds so that his body can once again become receptive to food,” she said.

  “Yes Ma, but I want him to eat and get stronger and better because we have a wedding to plan for,” she said. Because she was looking down as she set the mug down on the small table, she did not see the shocked look in Louis’s eyes when he looked at her mother and father.

  Walter cleared his throat. “Son, we are so grateful to God that you are alive and well, and Henry told us how you saved his life and kept him alive in the caves and we owe a debt of gratitude to you.”

  “Anyone would have done the same thing, sir,” Louis replied humbly, wondering at Cora’s word in the presence of her family.

  “That may be true, but very few people would have done what you did for Henry without regard to your own health. He told us you gave him your pullover and shoes to keep him from getting harmed by the cold,” Walter entered further into the room and stretched out his hand. “Let me be the first to welcome you into our family, Louis Albert, and here and now I give you my blessings should you still want to marry my daughter.”

  “Yes, sir I do, my commitment to Cora has never changed and I thank you for accepting my proposal which I want to make now,” he cleared his throat. “Mr. and Mrs. Richards, would you be kind to me and accept my suit as I humbly ask for your daughter Cora’s hand in marriage?”

  Mary came over and stood next to her husband and they both held Louis’s hands. “We do, and it is an honor for us to have you as a son-in-law,” she said. Michael who had been hovering in the doorway gave a hoot of approval and together with Henry they clapped for all they were worth.

  Louis’s recovery after that was speedy and Cora prepared him all kinds of food to help him regain his strength. She would also walk him to the bench that was und
er the large oak tree in the compound and they would sit for hours, talking about their lives to come.

  “Cora, have I told you how beautiful you are today?” He whispered on one of those days. It was the fourth day since they had come back from the caves. “Your smile makes my heart glad and when I see the radiance in your eyes, I know that no matter what obstacles I may face in the days to come, I can overcome them knowing that you love me and you have my heart.”

  “Oh Louis, you realize one thing don’t you?” She had her tongue in her cheek and her eyes were dancing with mischief.

  “What is that, dearly beloved?”

  “You asked my parents for my hand in marriage but I cannot for the life of me recall you asking me for my own hand and that is an affront,” she held her hands at her waist and pretended to glare at him.

  “My greatest mistake, dear one, that was presumptuous of me and I beg your forgiveness.”

  Cora nodded in satisfaction. “You will get my forgiveness on one condition.”

  “And what is that?”

  “That you will love me for the rest of your life,” she said half joking and half serious.

  “Of that you can be sure, dear one,” Louis smiled and then his face became serious. “Cora?”

  “Yes my love?”

  “You realize that I cannot offer you the comforts and luxuries of life that you are accustomed to, but my promise is that you will never go hungry and I will do all that I can to ensure that you always have a roof over your head and food at the table, even if it is just simple fare.”

  Cora took his right hand in both of hers and squeezed it gently. “Louis, if it was worldly riches that I was after then I would have married any of the men in Akron that seemed suitable because their parents had the means and the wealth.” She smiled at him and he saw the deep love that she had for him reflected in her eyes. “You hold my heart and my soul, Louis, no one can ever take your place and because God has given us this second chance, I will never take any of His blessings for granted ever again. I almost lost you and that was when I realized that I had to stop being a child and grow up and prove to my parents that I am mature and ready for marriage.”