A Bride For Us

Raymond

Her confession frightened him.

Even as Lily went through her chores that morning, it was all she could think of; saying 'I love you' to Raymond and watching him practically run away from her. Tears blurred her vision as she placed a plate on the table. She hadn't been expecting him to return her words to her, but that didn't make his rejection any easier.

She could almost picture herself waking up in his arms that morning. She could see his face as he slept beside her and she knew in that instant, much more than she had known before, that she loved him. She didn't love him with a part of her heart, she loved him with all of it. She had all of a sudden become excited for the child they were expecting but as soon as excitement washed over her, a memory, one distant and completely unbelievable memory clouded her mind, filled her with doubt.

She broke the news of her pregnancy to him that morning with anxiety, vaguely remembering doing the same thing the night before. She remembered the fever and headache she felt, but the memory after that was sparse and distant. She remembered him climbing into bed beside her and complaining about the fever. There must have been darkness after that, darkness that echoed with his voice as he requested an...

She shook her head. Surely, the fever was the main reason for her hallucinations.

The morning melted into afternoon and soon enough, evening came around, bringing with it a deep sense of fear for Raymond's safety.

"I will return shortly."

Lily clasped her hands before her as she sat on the sofa that evening, battling fear. Those were Raymond's words to her that morning but he had failed to return. The children must have felt her anxiety and the absence of their father for they gathered around her that evening, fear reflecting in their eyes.

"Where is Papa?" Lexie tried to appear brave but her green eyes gave her away.

"In town." Lily forced a smile to her lips. "I'm sure he will return in a few more minutes."

Silence followed her announcement, each child seeming to sense the falsehood in her words.

Milly broke into tears. "Did Papa die?!"

"I always take his meals to the barn when he's not here!" Josie protested.

"No..." Lily felt extreme tiredness but she knew not to pay attention to her own need for rest. "Perhaps he got trapped in town due to the snow. It will be unsafe to try to return in it." She reached out and gathered Milly into her arms. "Scarlet, will you help your siblings get ready for bed?" Even as she spoke, her voice trembled.

"Yes, Mama." Scarlet nodded, surprising Lily. It was the first time the child would refer to her in such a manner.

A genuine smile settled on Lily's face. "Thank you." She kissed Milly's head. "Goodnight little Angel."

When the room emptied out, leaving Lily to her thoughts, she began to imagine Raymond lying face down in the snow, dead or battling for life. Her mind was so full of the image, she scrambled to her feet in terror and raced up the stairs. She found her mother's blanket, a jacket and her own pair of gloves and carried them down the stairs with her.

As she pushed the back door open with much difficulty because the snow had managed to nearly trap them in, she suddenly remembered finding Raymond lying unconscious in the rain. The memory helped increase the pounding of her heart as she shrugged the jacket and gloves on. She took the oil lamp and began trudging through the knee deep snow and into the barn.

True to his words, Raymond didn't take the wagon, leaving her with a horse. She pulled open the stall door and ushered the horse out before mounting it.