Alys fell into place beside her mother and kept her gaze fixed on Bonnie. Graham’s dappled gray horses walked on with a light whistle and snap of the reins. The wagon decked out in flowers, streamers and tin cans lurched forward and rolled down the road. At the very last moment, before the wagon turned off the main road, Bonnie glanced back one final time. Alys met her sister’s scared gaze, and it took everything within her not to run out after the wagon. Instead, she raised her hand in a silent and motionless signal that Bonnie returned.
The crowd broke apart and trickled back into the fellowship hall to enjoy the last hour of music, food and drinks. Alys deliberately kept close to Adam and ignored any pointed stares from her father. Aunt Jimmie had disappeared, and Alys worried about the fallout from that slap. Aunt Jimmie had more than a dozen nephews, all of them well-connected and important men.
“Do I even want to know?” Adam asked as she helped him bundle up Darby and Davie for the ride back to the homestead.
She glanced around to make sure they were alone and whispered the entire sordid tale. Adam’s expression turned from anger to shock and back to anger. He lowered his voice and said, “Alys, you can’t stay—.”
“Adam,” Mama interrupted, “help me up into the wagon. I’m dead on my feet.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Adam took their mother’s arm.
“Alys, go back inside and help clean up the hall.”
“Mama, it’s late,” Adam interjected. “Alys should come home with us.”
“She’ll be fine. Brandon and Clive are staying to help. So is your father.” She winced with discomfort and put a hand on her belly. “She’s staying.”
Adam looked ready to argue, but Alys shook her head. “I’ll be home later.”
Before Adam could say another word, she spun on her heel and returned to the fellowship hall. The musicians still played and some guests still danced, but many were gathering up their coats and shawls and saying goodbye to friends. Alys made herself useful at the food tables, dishing out two trays for the house and the leftovers to anyone who wanted them.
A short while later, she joined two of the fellowship hall matrons at the deep sinks. Between the three of them, they managed to scrub, rinse and dry stacks of dishes and silverware. She yawned with exhaustion as she put the last cup into the cabinet. Her back ached, and her hands were sore from the hot water and strong soap.
Out in the hall, she found it nearly empty. The musicians had packed up and gone, and the tables and chairs were neatly arranged in long rows against the far wall. Clive swept up the mess left behind, and Brandon followed behind with a mop. Seeing the haphazard way Brandon swirled the mop made her eye twitch. She took it from him and sent him to help the last few guests out the door.
Finally, at nearly one in the morning, it was all done. The hall was even cleaner than it had been when they received the key to prepare the space for the wedding reception. Satisfied with their work, Alys followed her brothers out to the wagon where their father waited. At first, she couldn’t make out the shape of the man next to him, but as they drew near, she realized it was Wendel.
Oh, no.
Terrified, she reached for Brandon’s hand. He glanced over at her, his brow furrowed in the moonlight. He must have seen panic on her face because he nudged Clive to her other side. Surrounded by her brothers, she kept her head down and made her way to the back of the wagon.
“Alys.” Her father’s voice rang deep in the still night. “Come here.”
She glanced up at Brandon who had already hopped into the back of the wagon. He seemed torn between dragging her up with him and letting go of her hand. She made the decision for him, unlatching her fingers from his. With every step she took closer to her father and Wendel, she grew more and more afraid. Her insides trembled, and she prayed she wouldn’t get sick.
“Yes, Father?” she asked, voice shaky.
“Wendel and I have been speaking, and I’ve given him my permission to take you to wife.”
Even though her mother had spilled the beans, this was the first time her father had confirmed it. She glanced at Wendel who seemed somehow even more sinister under the moonlight and street lamps. He grinned at her, and she nearly gagged at the memory of his rotten breath.
“Alys?” Father prompted.
“I would be honored to marry you, sir” With every word of her lie, she died a little more inside. “Thank you, sir.”
Father seemed pleased. “See? Dutiful as promised, Wendel.”
“Yes, I’m sure she’ll prove to be an obedient wife and helpmeet.” Wendel leered down at her, and she felt her eyes prickling with tears of panic and fear. “I would very much like to have her help around the farm sooner rather than later.”
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem, Wendel. There’s no need for all this fanfare and wasteful expense unless—”
“No, I would rather it be done quickly and simply,” Wendel replied, his gaze still making her skin crawl.
Her ears started to ring as Wendel and her father discussed the details and agreed on a date. When she heard them settle on a week from now, she went numb. From that moment until they reached the house, everything was a blur. She didn’t even realize they were home until Brandon gave her a gentle shove to break her out of her muddled thoughts.
“Chores better be done before I get out of bed,” Father warned as they entered the house. “The animals don’t care that we were out late. You understand?”
“Yes, Father,” Alys said in unison with her two brothers.
Fully aware that she would be the one expected to wake first, Alys trudged upstairs and into the room she shared with her youngest brothers. They were fast asleep, and she leaned against the door watching them in the shaft of moonlight from the window. All three moons of their planet were full tonight, and the glow was incredibly bright and silver. She thought it made the two little hellions look almost ethereal.
Her gaze drifted from the bed they shared to her narrow one against the other wall. There was a lumpy shape on top of it, and at first, she thought Darby or Davie had left their dirty clothes on her quilt. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was one of the leather bags Adam had made himself years earlier. It was well worn but still in good shape.
But what was it doing on her bed?
She reached into it and felt a slip of paper. She pulled it out and walked to the window so she could read it.
Go now, Alys. Soldier is saddled and waiting in the barn. Leave him at the post office outside the outpost. Charlie is a friend of mine. He’ll make sure Solder is fed and watered until I go get him. Go now!
Adam’s handwriting was unmistakable. She looked at the bag on her bed and then the letter and then her two youngest brothers. Could she really just go? Run away in the middle of the night? Leave behind her responsibilities?
Who would help Mama? Who would school the little ones and do all of the housekeeping?
They were planning to replace you in a week anyway. The petty, angry voice in her mind forced her to see the situation for what it truly was. She would be sold to Wendel, condemned to a life of hellish abuse, and her family would hire someone to take her place.
You’re expendable.
The harsh reality hurt. She recalled her mother’s ugly words about never being chosen. Well, tonight Alys was determined to choose herself. She was choosing a life of unknown possibilities over one of certain misery.