Mail Ordered Deception

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jackson’s Point of View

The ride to the courthouse was a quiet one. Monica and Jackson sat in the back while the driver played the role of silent chauffeur. Monica seemed just as nervous as he did as he watched her wring a handkerchief in between her hands. When they finally arrived at their destination, Jackson found himself taking Monica’s hand in his. He admitted to himself that she picked a beautiful dress for the occasion. It was not white, but instead a green that complimented her skin, with sleeves down to her elbows and a high gentle neckline. There were buttons on the front down the bodice, and the skirt fit her form gracefully. It was a simple design, but that seemed to suit her. Jackson looked up and saw that she caught him looking at her dress.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. Jackson needed to give her an opportunity to back out. His conscience could not take it if he forced her to marry him against her will. She looked him directly in the eye with confidence.

“I am. This is something we both need." Though he was unsure of her exact intentions, of that fact, he was sure. He knew she would not have placed the advertisement if it was not necessary. The driver then opened the back door and the two of them slid out of the car together. Jackson removed his hand from hers and they walked into the courthouse. The room they were ushered into was small, and the only light came from a window high above their heads. The only people in the room besides them were the judge and a witness, most likely the secretary for the courthouse itself. The judge was elderly and looked tired and bored by the way he rested his head on his hand and his eyes dropped to a half-close, though the day had only begun.

“Hold hands,” the judge said, his voice monotone. Jackson held both of Monica’s hands and they waited for instructions. “Jackson Porter, do you take Monica Greene to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do,” Jackson said quickly.

“Monica Greene, do you take Jackson Porter to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do,” Monica said. Her voice was almost a whisper and Jackson noticed a blush rise on her cheeks. He thought it was cute, that she looked so innocent in that moment.

“By the power vested into me by the state of Virginia and God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Jackson looked down at Monica but she did not look him in the eye.

“That will not be necessary,” Jackson said, releasing Monica’s hands. They took turns signing the marriage certificate, and then Jackson put it into his jacket pocket. The car still sat outside of the courthouse and as soon as the driver saw them exit the building, he started the car up. They entered the back seat of the car and drove back to the manor in equal silence as there was on the drive there.

Monica’s Point of View

‘I now pronounce you husband and wife’. The words echoed in her head as they pulled up to the manor. It was done then. She was now someone’s wife. She was Jackson’s wife. Though the ceremony was small, completely unromantic in every way, and as quick as a blink of an eye, the whole idea was surreal. It certainly was not how she pictured her wedding to be as a child. When Monica had previously envisioned her wedding, there were flowers, a beautiful white gown with a train, her family watching, words of love, and a passionate kiss from the man she loved to seal the marriage. This brought the next thought to her mind. ‘You may kiss the bride’. A feeling of self-consciousness hung like a stone on her heart. Did he simply not have any desire to kiss me, she wondered. Then she wondered why she cared in the first place. She did not marry Jackson for love or even for attraction, so what did it matter if he kissed her or not?

So lost in her thoughts, Monica did not notice that they had come inside the manor and Jackson had left her alone. Before she could dwell too much on that, Monica remembered that she had promised Bethany some time to play together. Upon searching, Monica could not find Bethany in her room, nor in the kitchen. The staff was busy working and Monica was not comfortable enough to ask where to find her yet, so she kept searching. She came upon a large door that was slightly ajar. Monica peered inside and found a large room with filing cabinets and a big desk in the center of the room. Sitting at the desk was Jackson. He had not noticed her standing there and she watched as he poured a rather large glass of whiskey and drank it down in two gulps. He poured another and drank it down in the same way. A third glass was poured but this time he sipped it slowly. In his other hand he held an oval picture frame. He stared at it intently as he nursed his glass.

Monica somehow guessed that the picture must be of his first wife and she felt like she was intruding. So silently, she backed away from the door, not letting him know she had been watching. Back across the manor she went, going outside. There she finally found Bethany. The child was sitting below a tree gazing at an enclosed portion of the field. Inside was a single horse. The horse was the most majestic beast that Monica had ever seen. Its fur was the color of chestnuts and stood sixteen hands tall. The horse held its head high which cast an image of pride. Monica approached Bethany under the tree and sat beside her on the ground.

“Who is that over there?” Monica asked. Bethany did not break her gaze from the animal as she responded.

“That is Prince. He is all the foals’ daddy."

“I can see why. He is beautiful."

“Yeah. I am not to get close though."

“Why ever not?”

“He is not trained. His only job is being a daddy."

“Really? Who says?”

“Uncle Terry." Monica had to think for a moment before understanding. Terrance McKnight, the foreman. That was who Bethany was referring to. As Monica watched Bethany, she recognized the longing in her eyes. When she looked back at Prince, he was running in circles, playing by himself. Suddenly, an idea formed in her head. She reached out and quickly touched Bethany on the arm.

“Tag! You're it!” She shouted, standing up and jumping backwards. “Now you come and tag me!” Bethany let out a squeal of delight and jumped up too, beginning to chase Monica. Monica ran slowly so Bethany could catch her. They played this game back and forth until Monica was out of breath. Then the two of them retired under the same tree they began at. Bethany curled up next to Monica and they rested in the afternoon sun.

Jackson’s Point of View

Jackson put down Lily’s picture and decided to go stretch his legs. The whiskey just was not doing its job and frankly, he wanted to see his daughter. At this time of day, Bethany could usually be found doing her studies, but she was given the day off because of the marriage. He walked outside and saw her with Monica again. Jackson immediately became jealous of the time the two of them had been spending together, and Monica had just arrived the day before. Determined, he marched over to the two of them only to find them asleep in the shade. Monica’s arms were wrapped around Bethany and they were leaning against the tree. They looked so peaceful that Jackson did not want to disturb them. He let a finger caress Bethany’s cheek and then turned around to leave. Walking around the grounds, he wondered what it would feel like to do the same to Monica’s cheek. Would it feel as soft as her hands did today? He continued to wander until he came around the manor and was back to the front again. The wind had picked up in speed which made the air suddenly chilly. Not wanting Bethany or Monica to get cold, he decided to wake them up.

“Bethany!” he called over. Jackson watched them stir and then sit back up. Once Bethany had seen her father, she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her into his arms. He held her tightly and carried her into the manor. Once inside, he sat down on a chair in the main room with all of the books. “Would you like me to read you a story?” Bethany nodded her head vigorously. This time together was rare and he knew she would do anything that he wanted. She then got up and picked out a book. When she returned to his lap, he admired her choice.

“Read this one, daddy” she said. In her hands was a rather large book called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He knew she had picked it because it would take hours to read, and for once, he did not make her choose another. Today, he would blow off work and spend time with his little girl.

“Alright. Settle in my love. We will be here for a while." She burrowed against him and waited expectantly. Then, he began to read.

Monica’s Point of View

Monica felt an emptiness in her arms where Bethany just lay. In the two days that they had spent together, Bethany had displayed a vast amount of trust in her. The beauty of that trust caused her heart to swell. She continued to sit below the tree, allowing herself to feel content. Prince whinnied in the paddock and Monica smiled. After what seemed like an hour, Monica decided it was time to get motivated. She was the lady of the manor and of the ranch and it was time to start her duties. Bethany was not studying today, so that left her to manage the employees minus the foreman. This suited her just fine as she did not really want to deal with Terrance more than was absolutely necessary. So, what was first? Monica pondered this for a moment. Jessie! she thought triumphantly. He obviously knew how Lilly handled things and admired her for how she got things done. If anyone could show her the ropes, it would be him.

She considered the now afternoon hours and based off of the schedule from yesterday, she remembered he would probably be in the barn with the newly pregnant mares. As she entered the barn, the workers inside looked to her for a moment. A few waved at her before going back to work and some simply glanced at her briefly before also working. Monica spotted Jessie feeling the stomach of a gentle looking mare with black fur. She walked up to him and gently tapped on his shoulder. When he looked up at her, he smiled.

“Mrs. Porter, I presume?” he offered a slight bow as a joke and she laughed lightheartedly.

“You presume correctly,” she responded with an amount of grace that was almost mocking. “I was wondering something, Jessie. What exactly would Lilly do for you and the other workers? I have no idea what I am supposed to do.”

“To be honest with you, I am so glad that you asked.” Jessie scratched his head with his index finger before continuing on. “Mr. Porter tries, he does, ma’am. But Miss Lilly took care of everything that had to do with us. Without her to show him the way, Mr. Porter can’t figure out which end of the horse is the ass end, if you don’t mind my sayin so.” The candidness of his response caused Monica to double over in more laughter. “Miss Lilly handled our pay, our housing, and our working conditions. None of us have gotten new clothes in years, our houses on the property are beginning to fall apart. Miss Lilly kept records of how she managed it all, but in her office. Mr. Porter won’t step foot in there. I have work to do, but Wesley can show you where that is.” This information was very useful and Monica offered Jessie the same fake bow he gave to her before leaving the barn again.

It was a quick search to find Wesley. Monica found him in the kitchen preparing three respective trays for supper. Two were set with a large plate with a bowl on the left and a glass on the right and the third was a smaller plate and a cup made from what appeared to be plastic. He was engrossed in making sure each tray was symmetrical and perfect. For a moment, Monica debated on whether or not to disturb him and decided it was worth it.

“Wesley?” Monica said to him from across the room. He turned and crossed the room to her. His expression was not as open as Jessie’s had been and it looked like he smiled only on rare occasions.

“Yessem,” he replied. His tone was completely respectful, but something about it sounded cold. Monica brushed it aside at least for the time being.

“I was wondering if you could do something for me. Would you be willing to show me Lilly’s office?” His eyes flashed at hers suddenly.

“Why do you wanna go there, ma’am? It isn’t clean, and there’s nothing there except a bunch of paperwork." By this point, he was staring her down. Monica was sure that Wesley was trying to keep her out of that office for some reason.

“I need to see how she managed the employees. Mr. Porter, I mean Jackson, told me that it was my job now, and I want to do it correctly." Wesley looked away from her in what looked like an internal debate. “Is that a problem?” He let out a sigh and shook his head.

“No ma’am. No problem here. It’s this way." He led her down the hallway slightly faster than what was necessary, and Monica struggled to keep up. Soon, they came upon Jackson’s office doors and she was confused. Without missing a beat, Wesley turned to the left and pulled aside a green curtain, tying it off on a nearby post. Behind the curtain, there was a single door. He opened the door with his gloved hand and motioned for her to enter. Monica stepped inside and he followed closely behind. On their left, there stood an end table with a few oil lamps. Wesley lit them one by one and placed them around the room so she could see. He did not look at her as he tried to leave the room.

“Wesley?” Monica called out to him. He stopped and turned to face her.

“Yes ma’am?” His lips were pressed into a tight line, and she looked around at the room they were in. All of the workers here had seemed to really love Lilly, and Monica did not take into account how some of them might feel about a new woman coming in and taking her place. She was a stranger, and suddenly she was supposed to fill Lilly’s shoes? It is only natural then, she assumed, that some might feel some animosity towards her.

“I promise to return everything I use to where I find it.” Wesley nodded his head and turned to leave again. This time she let him go. There was a lot of paperwork to go through and the only way to receive respect from Wesley was to earn it. She opened the nearest drawer and began to sort through the contents.