Lilly: Bride of Illinois (American Mail-Order Bride 21) by Linda K. Hubalek Page B

down her face, then shook her head. “I hope no one else ended up in a situation like mine.”
    “Do your friends have each other’s addresses?”
    “Yes, they all left Lawrence weeks before I did, so I’ve gotten a letter from each of them saying they had arrived at their destinations. We promised to go to another’s home if we found ourselves in a bad situation.
    “Tabitha left in September, right after the fire, and is staying with her cousin in Missouri.
    “Trinity wrote she was in Clarksburg, West Virginia, set to marry widower, John Witherspoon.
    “Hope is living on an estate outside of Newark, New Jersey. She wrote saying she was getting to know her eight-year-old charge, Addie, but hadn’t met Roscoe Edwards, the guardian of the girl yet. He was away on a business trip, but Hope and Mr. Edwards would marry on his return.
    “Isabella arrived in Yellow Springs, Ohio after a delay because of an incident at a train station. She was getting married right away so I need to address her letters to Mrs. Donald Jenks.”
    Now Seth was worried about the other women writing to Miss Lind at Mr. Hardesty’s address, or traveling here expecting refuge if they found themselves in bad situation…because they could be arriving to a worse situation than what they left.
    “I think you should send your friends telegrams so they don’t travel here by chance and end up at the Emporium, too. And to your matchmaker so she’s aware of the situation.”
    “I didn’t think of that! But…I don’t have the money to notify them,” Miss Lind quietly stated.
    “I can send the telegrams for you tomorrow. How about you make your list and I’ll get ready to go?” Miss Lind had a lot of decisions to make about her future, but she needed sleep, and a clear head first. And he needed to get away because being close to Miss Lind was clouding his brain. Even though she was tired and forlorn, he still enjoyed visiting with her.

 
    Chapter 5
     
    Lilly slowly awoke, needing to get up to relieve herself. Why does my side hurt? She rolled over in bed and pushed back the covers to swing out of bed, but stopped when hearing a light snore. It was a deeper sound than Isabella’s breathing. The room was dark, but there were light shadows coming from the widow and beneath a door. Where am I? Lilly put her hand up to her throat. This isn’t lace at the neck of my night gown…and these sleeves are so long.
    The Emporium! No, the room layout wasn’t right. The extra door…was the bathroom in Mr. Reagan’s hotel room. And the poor man was sleeping in the chair near the window. He was going to have a kink in his neck in the morning.
    Had she slept all day and into the night, not hearing Mr. Reagan come back to the room? Apparently. Lilly slowly slid out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom, trying not to wake the man.
    Lilly knew Mr. Reagan was awake before she opened the door. His chair scraped the floor, then light showed on the other side of the bathroom door. She had no choice but to walk out in his night shirt, which didn’t cover her ankles.
    “Good evening, Miss Lind. Did you have a good rest?”
    “Yes, it helped.” But I’d like to crawl back into bed to sleep some more. “ Sorry I slept so long. What time is it?”
    Mr. Reagan pulled his watch out of his vest pocket. “Eleven fifteen,” he said before snapping the watch cover closed and slipping it back into his pocket.
    “Eleven fifteen… at night ? How could I sleep that long?”
    “Apparently you needed it. Want a bite to eat now? I ate earlier, but saved you a sandwich for when you awoke.”
    Lilly pulled the chair out from the table and slid into it. She was hungry and thirsty again, and she appreciated that he had saved food for her.
    “My day was productive,” Mr. Reagan hinted as he watched her take her first bite of sandwich, “besides finding you.” Lilly looked up, glad to see a smile on his face when mentioning the rescue instead of a frown.
    “I talked to