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  No, Mary’s husband had made the right decision. She only hoped her daughter would get back some of her usual fire.

  Hopefully things would return to normal once Cora’d had a night’s sleep.

  Cora was silent through the family devotions, after which she went to her room and locked the door.

  That was when the tears came.

  She cried for the pain she had seen in Louis’s eyes, she wept for the hopelessness of their situation, knowing that her parents meant well but knowing in her heart they were wrong. Her parents had not even given her a chance to speak to Louis — in her mind she still called him by his given name because she felt certain that God intended Louis to be her husband—but he probably felt that she did not love him as much as he loved her. They had shared so much through their letters, and Mrs. Summers even said that she saw a good man in his words. Cora trusted the old woman’s judgment.

  More, Cora had seen love in Louis’ eyes when they looked upon her.

  Louis was her soul mate, why couldn’t her parents see that? She wept, hiding her face in the pillow so that no one could hear her crying. She felt as though her heart was breaking and she wept for a long time.

  When she had calmed down she rose from the bed, glad that she had not put the lantern out. She reached for her writing pad.

  ***

  Louis felt like the breath had been squeezed out of him and he stopped and leaned against a tree, feeling very weak. He had expected Cora’s parents to resist his interests, but had been optimistic that once they spoke to him and he showed them who he was, perhaps taken the time to speak with others in the town in reference to his character, that they would relent and allow him to at least court Cora. But the rejection had been final, and Louis knew pain only equaled to the pain he had felt when his mother had died.

  “Cora, oh Cora,” he moaned inwardly. He had seen love in her eyes, and his heart had felt at peace. From their first exchange of letters, he had known that God offered a gift in Cora. At the same time, Cora would never go against her parents’ wishes, which meant that their love was dead and would never be given the chance to live.

  Mrs. Willows was waiting for him but when she saw his face she led the way into her private drawing room.

  “From the expression on your face, I take it that things did not go so well,” she commented as she poured him a cup of tea.

  “Mrs. Willows,” Louis said in a hoarse voice, “It was over before it began.” He unbuttoned his overcoat and she gave a cry of dismay when she saw the state of his shirt.

  “What happened? Did you fall down?”

  “No ma’am, someone’s horses splashed me with dirty water on my way to Cora’s house and I saw the looks of disgust on her family’s faces when they saw me. But I could not return here to change because that would have meant that I would be late and I did not want to give a wrong impression to the Richards family by arriving at their doorstep late.”

  “Louis, I am so sorry to hear that. Did you get to meet Cora?”

  Louis smiled and Naomi felt her heart tug. The boy was deeply in love. “Yes, ma’am. Cora is the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  “What was her reaction when she saw you for the first time?”

  “Cora is my soul mate, Mrs. Willows, I looked into her eyes and saw the same love that I feel reflected there.”

  “What did she have to say about her parents’ rejection?”

  “Cora is a very obedient girl, and she will not go against her parents’ wishes,” Louis sighed. “I did not even have a chance to speak with her and tell her how I feel because her family sent me away from their home.”

  “Have faith, Louis. One thing I know is that if this is truly the will of God for you and Cora then He will work things out in your favor, and you will be with the woman you love. However, if it is not our Lord’s perfect will then nothing you do will change anything. Hold onto your faith.” Naomi looked at her tenant with a lot of compassion. The boy worked very hard and was rarely in arrears for his rent. She knew that he had probably been rejected by Cora’s parents because of his station in life but she did not voice this aloud. Many folk who came from the East had airs for a while until they settled down in this land and faced tough times which made them humble.

  “Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Willows. I will just go to my room and lie down for a short while.”

  Louis took out all the letters that Cora had written to him in the past year and began reading them from the first to the most recent one, as though he would find an answer there. The more he read the deeper his pain got.

  “Cora, I have lost you forever,” he moaned, tears coursing down his cheeks silently. “Poverty is indeed a curse,” he muttered. “If only I could provide wealth for Cora so that her parents would accept me.”

  Early the next day he picked up his tools and made for the abandoned mines in the hills. Reuben was a very good friend and had sold him all the tools and clothes he needed for the mines. He would work hard even if it killed him, to prove to Cora’s parents that he could provide for their daughter.

  But apart from a few small nuggets, he made no headway. “Possibly because I did not go deep into the mines,” he thought to himself as he packed up his belongings in the late afternoon. He needed to return to the boarding house and prepare himself for church tomorrow.

  Mrs. Willows was waiting for him and immediately she saw him she waved excitedly at him. “Quick, Louis, it is your young lady. A letter came for you and I recognized Cora’s handwriting.” Louis took his tools to the small shed at the side of the boarding house and locked it.

  He smiled sadly as he took the letter from Naomi. “Probably she is telling me that our love has ended,” he sighed. “Thank you, Mrs. Willows,” he put the letter into the pocket of his trousers.

  “Aren’t you going to read it?” Naomi was a deep romantic at heart and wished for a happy ending for Louis and Cora.

  “Maybe later. Let me have a few minutes of peace before the contents of the letter tear my heart to shreds.”

  “You do not know that, Louis, why are you being very pessimistic?”

  Louis smiled at his landlady. “Okay, ma’am, I will read the letter, if only to get you off my back.”

  My Dearest Louis,

  Words cannot express the pain that I feel in my heart as I write this letter to you.

  I love you, Louis. I loved you before I even met you and now that I have met you my love has only grown deeper. Please remember that we share a love that is stronger than death and trials. That is what I saw in your eyes when you came to call on my parents. Was I wrong? If I am wrong then please forgive me, but if what I saw in you was love then I beg you to hold on for me, and for the sake of our love.

  My parents love me and want what is best for me even though it causes me pain, but I will not give up on our love. You are my soul mate and my heart beats for you and you alone, Louis. If my friend Rachel Summers was here she would tell me that love is pain, but true love conquers all. I know you probably think I am very young and may be led to bestow my affections on another, but I want you to know that you hold my heart.

  This is pain and I know you must be in a lot of pain because I saw it in your eyes when my father dismissed you from our home. Please do not think unkindly of my parents. One day I believe that we will look back on this time that our love was tested and know that but for the Lord’s help we would not have made it. Hold on to your faith as I hold on to mine and God will see us through. Together, we may yet draw a happy future together.

  I love you deeply and I am thinking of you,

  Your beloved Cora.

  Louis gave a cry of happiness and passed the letter to Mrs. Willows who read it with a big smile on her face.

  “You see, you were worried about nothing. Cora loves you and you need to be strong for her. See here,” she pointed at one or two smudges on the letter. “The girl was crying when she wrote to you. This is the heart of a woman who loves you deeply. Hold on to h
ope, Louis, do not give up.”

  “I must write to Cora immediately and comfort her.” He ran his hands through his hair tiredly. “I wish I could hold her in my arms and tell her that everything will be alright.”

  “Go and write to her and when you are done, come to the kitchen for something to eat.”

  “Mrs. Willows, I do not have money to buy supper. I will make do with breakfast tomorrow morning. Besides, I am so happy that I am not hungry at all.”

  “Young man, today is a special day and supper is on the house. Just go and do what you have to do and then come back when you are ready.”

  ***

  The next day Louis caught a glimpse of Cora as her family entered the church and when they stood up to be introduced to the rest of the congregation who had not yet met them, once more their eyes met and it was as though their hearts affirmed their love for each other once again.

  Cora looked away first and Louis knew it was because she did not want her parents to realize that they were sharing a loving look. The Richards sat together on their first Sunday in church which was normal for visitors.

  When the service was over, they all flocked to Reverend William’s office for a welcome lunch and Louis hurriedly ate his meal, intending to leave before they returned. He had two reasons for being in a hurry, one was that he wanted to avoid meeting the Richards family. It was too soon after the humiliation he had faced, but most importantly, he wanted to go and complete writing to Cora. He noticed that she had used a new postal address and hoped that it was not the family one because he was loathe for her to get in trouble with her parents.

  My Darling Heart,

  The joy in my heart is unmatched anywhere on this earth and I feel like the sun is shining for us once again. I must admit I was very sure that your parents’ rejection of our suit meant that our love was over before it began, but your letter has renewed my hope once again and now I can go around knowing that you hold my heart as I hold yours.

  All will be well, as my beloved mother would say if she were here. No good thing comes easily and without challenges. Our love is under severe trial right now, but with our faith in God and our commitment to each other, we will be victorious.

  My darling, please wipe your tears away and smile for me even though I cannot see you, for your smile makes me know that my world will be alright. I saw it only twice but it is forever etched in my heart. Your love has given me a new lease on life and hope and I promise that I will work very hard and prove myself worthy of your love so that your parents will eventually accept to give your hand in marriage to me.

  I love you with my whole heart, mind and soul, Cora, and I will be praying for you to have strength to face the trying times that we are going through.

  Your own beloved Louis.

  Cora wept when she read Louis’s letter which she received late on Monday afternoon. She had taken her savings and opened a post office box in her own name. She did not want her parents to find out that she was still communicating with Louis because she did not want them to have cause to further reject him.

  Louis’s letter gave her peace in her heart even though she longed to see his face once again. She was glad that there was so much to do in their new home because that meant that everyone was busy and no one spoke to her. She was still hurt by her parent’s and brothers’ rejection of Louis and did not feel like being cordial to any of them and work gave her the excuse she needed.

  Reverend William had introduced her father to Mr. Fergus, the architect, after church yesterday and early that morning her father had left the homestead to meet Mr. Fergus so he could draw out the plans for their new home.

  Henry and Michael were busy clearing the land around their cabin and sowing corn while they felled trees to get logs for their new house. Mary had carefully packed apple seedlings which her sons transplanted and they had hope that in the next three to four years they would have their own apple orchard.

  Mary on the other hand was having the time of her life churning butter. They had only been in Last Chance for a week and already her cows were producing a lot of thick milk because of all the greenery they could eat and she knew that her butter would fetch her a tidy sum when she took it to market. Cora was left with the task of pounding corn to make corn meal and then bake. Her mother had brought her stove, she had actually said that she would rather leave everything else but carry her stove, and so Cora baked bread, cakes, pies and scones and by evening they were all exhausted but happy with what they had accomplished.

  “Mr. Fergus has already embarked on the plans and designs for our new house,” Walter announced as the family enjoyed their supper of wild fowl which Michael had caught as he cut down trees in the forested area. He had also picked dandelion greens which he knew were his mother’s favorite vegetable.

  The family cheered and even though Cora was happy for them, she felt like she was on the outside looking in. She tried to share their joy and laughter but pretending was too much of a strain and she chose to disappear into a world of her own.

  “Cora, I asked you a question,” Michael frowned at his sister.

  “I am sorry my mind was elsewhere,” she apologized. “What did you ask me?”

  “I asked whether you would like to accompany me to town tomorrow to get a few supplies.”

  Cora shook her head. “No thank you. I have began embroidering pillow cases for Ma and Pa and I want to finish them soon so that they will be ready for the new house.”

  Henry tried to get her involved in some of the activities he was doing but once again Cora declined.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Over the next few days, Cora kept pretty much to herself, and her mother noticed the bags under her eyes, and also the fact that she was losing weight. She would work without complaining and when Mr. Fergus, her father and brothers laid the foundation for their new house, she worked tirelessly to provide meals and drinks for the men. Some men from the church also joined in the endeavor and Cora had her hands full catering to them.

  But every second afternoon she would leave home and go into town to deliver butter or eggs to the general store, and also took a detour to the post office where she always found a letter from Louis waiting. She would hide it under her clothes and once she read it she would reply and post it the next time she went into town.

  It was during such one trip to town that she saw a familiar face at the post office. Her family had been in Last Chance for about three weeks and it was a hot Wednesday and she longed for Rachel Summers’ cool lemonade. Before had come West, Rachel had finally told her the secret of keeping the drinks very cool.

  “It is Mable who taught me,” Rachel had confessed. “She says the knowledge was passed down from her ancestors who originally came from Africa. They would make large clay pots in which they stored water and this kept the water very cool. Mable got us a pot and that is why our drinks are always chilled.”

  She hurried to the post office, intending to spend minimal time there but as she was leaving she saw a lady who was about her own age and who attended Last Chance Baptist Church.

  “Good afternoon,” she greeted her politely. “Do you remember me?”

  “Of course I do, the question is, do you remember me?”

  “I know we were introduced but I am sorry, I did not quite catch your name.”

  “I am Ada, Ada Adams.”

  “I am Cora Richards,” the two girls shook hands, smiling at each other.

  “That I know. I am good with names so I remembered yours.” Ada looked around her. “I came in to post some letters to my family back in West Virginia. Are you almost done?’

  “Yes, I was just on my way out when I saw you.”

  Ada was frowning and looking over Cora’s shoulder. “Isn’t that your brother?”

  Cora turned around and spotted Henry who was trying to hide behind their wagon and she knew he had followed her. “Honestly my brothers are quite trying Ada,” she sighed. “Do you have any brothers?”

  “Two
of them but they are a lot younger than me. I am the oldest child.”

  “You are really lucky that both of your brothers are a lot younger than you. Henry is a year younger than me, but he takes his lead from my older brother Michael. If you had brothers near your age, they’d be monitoring your every move.”

  “Why do they do that?”

  “Because they do not think that any man is a good suitor for me,” Cora shook her head sadly. “Back home in Akron, they put the fear of God in every young man for miles around such that no man would even dare raise a hand in greeting for fear of being reprimanded. And now they have begun their madness once again.”

  Cora led the way out of the post office, glad that she was with Ada because if her brother asked her what she was doing she would tell them she was meeting with her friend at the post office.

  “Are you going straight home, Cora?” Henry emerged from behind the wagon.

  “What is it to you if I am?”

  “I had hoped to catch a ride with you.”

  “Sorry, as you see I have other things to do. And you are the rudest man that I have ever seen, Henry, do you not notice my friend standing beside me?”

  Henry sheepishly held out his hand to Ada who stretched hers out shyly. “Forgive my manners, Miss,” he tipped his hat at her. “My name is Henry Richards, brother to Cora.”

  “My name is Ada Adams and we go to the same church.”

  “It is a pleasure to meet one of Cora’s friends,” Henry turned to look at someone who was passing.

  “Just admit that you are following me to find out what I was up to,” Cora said quietly. “And frankly speaking I am getting very tired of all of you, Henry. If you will not leave me be I will be forced to do something that you will all be sorry for. Just leave me alone,” she turned to Ada angrily. “Do you need me to give you a ride anywhere, Ada?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. My mother sent me to get her some things from the general store and I was headed that way from the post office.”

  Cora ignored Henry’s hand which he had stretched out to help her mount the wagon. She tagged on the reins and her horse moved forward.