Free Freedom For A Bride: A clean historical mail order bride romance (Montana Passion Book 2) by Amelia Rose Page A

just for a brief few seconds. She joined her new friend in the cabin while he tended the horses and fetched the eggs Gretchen needed to make the occasion into a real party.
     

Chapter Twelve
     
    An hour later, they were bouncing along the brown grassy slope toward Pryor’s farm, some supplies and pots of food wedged in the straw to keep from overturning. Katia beamed, and Gretchen couldn’t help but feel pleased as well. This was working out far better than she could have expected. Perhaps there was something to the idea of writing off for a wife though, as a house servant to a noble family in Ireland, she would have never found herself given in marriage to a stranger. It was odd to reflect on how much comfort there was in one’s station; both Lady Moira Brennan and this young, frightened foreigner had been promised to men they’d never laid eyes on, while Gretchen would have had complete control over her position. She would have been free to marry one of the household servants—one of her choosing, that is—or even to marry a man from the surrounding countryside, should she have had the opportunity to meet him. She would have also been free to remain a spinster should she so choose, a fate which seemed to be more and more likely the longer she stayed in New Hope.
    Who would have ever imagined that being a servant would be the most freedom a woman could hope for? she mused before quickly returning Katia’s smile.
    The MacAteers were surprised by their guests, but happy to oblige just the same. Moira invited Gretchen and Katia to sit inside after Pryor made Nathaniel agree to help him put up three fence posts before they could go gallivanting off to his place. Gretchen, spying the work of putting up turnips from the garden, immediately set to work at the table cutting the vegetables into cubes for Moira to put in the hot jars while Katia listened to their easy conversation, trying to decipher the many different, strange sounds of their language.
    No sooner were they up to their elbows in their work than Matthew woke from his nap. He began to cry, and Moira searched frantically for an empty surface to set the overflowing pot.
    “I…” Katia said, standing up and looking to Moira for permission. “I? Baby, I?”
    Gretchen and Moira exchanged a glance before they finally understood. Moira nodded gratefully. “That would be so helpful, yes! Thank you, Katia!” she said slowly and with deliberate attention to her words.
    Katia approached the cradle, leaned down, and scooped the tiny infant in her hands. She nestled the baby close, holding him snugly while checking to see if he was warm and his wraps were dry. He immediately stopped his crying and fell back into a deep sleep, his tiny fingers finding their way to his cheeks and resting there.
    “I must say it, Gretchen, he is such a peculiar babe. He cries out like that from time to time, almost as if he were dreaming something awful. But I’d always thought wee ones did naw have dreams like ours, least as old Mrs. Baker used to say.”
    “Oh, posh. That old bat was as daft as they come, dontcha remember? She was near enough to a witch to have been visited by the constable on occasion, you know!”
    “Oh, that’s enough of that,” Moira chided jokingly. “You and I both know she weren’t no witch, that was just what Lady Heffernan said of her after that incident with the sheep running in front of their carriage. Like it’s Mrs. Baker’s fault that a sheep would naw stop and come back when called?” The two women laughed at the memory of the servants chasing a wayward sheep around the property while a carriage of ladies who had come to call were nearly toppled over in the skirmish.
    They prattled on about stories from home for a while longer, finishing their task and swapping tales while Katia rocked Matthew by the fireplace. Gretchen looked over once and put a finger to her lips, gesturing for Moira to keep quiet and look to where a tear or two rolled down