The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund

difficult trip and a new way of living when she was used to all this? He glanced around the lavish room with its richly papered walls, elegant furniture, and thick rugs, and then landed upon the silky layers of her dress.
    “I won’t send my daughter to her new home without the proper provisions—the linens, samplers, and family heirlooms she’s saved all these years.”
    “One trunk.” Eli met Priscilla’s gaze.
    Her eyes widened.
    Was she having second thoughts about joining him? She might as well face the truth about the dangers of the journey before it was too late. “We’ll be lucky to carry all the food we need for the trip, much less trunks of provisions. When we get good and hungry, we won’t be able to eat linens.”
    For a long moment, no one spoke, as if the reality of the arrangement was finally beginning to pierce their understanding.
    “I won’t cover up the perils of the journey.” He had no choice but to help them understand the gravity of traveling west. “We’ll have about seven months of hard travel to reach Oregon Country. Any delay, even slight, means we could end up stranded in snow in the Blue Mountains, the last big range we need to cross before reaching the mission site. There’s the very real possibility we could face a shortage of food; we could be attacked and killed by hostile Indian tribes; we could drown in one of the many river crossings; we—”
    “That’s enough, Dr. Ernest.” Mrs. White’s face had grown pale, revealing the blue veins in her temple. “If you are trying to scare us from allowing Priscilla to accompany you, then you are succeeding quite well.”
    “It’s a dangerous trip, and I want you to know what you’re getting yourself into. That’s all.”
    “Thank you, Dr. Ernest.” Priscilla traced the floral pattern in the plush rug with the tip of her slipper. “I had assumed I would be able to take more, similar to what I would have packed for traveling to India.”
    “An overland trip is different than one by ship. If you want to back out of our agreement, I’ll understand. No hard feelings.” He swallowed his growing disappointment. “But if you still want to marry me and come with me, then we need to get married this Sabbath.”
    He didn’t bother to listen to more of Mrs. White’s protests. Instead, he shook Reverend Lull’s and Mr. White’s hands and made his way into the spacious front hallway, heaviness pounding his bones with each step.
    “Dr. Ernest,” Priscilla called.
    He grabbed his cloak from the coat stand and tossed the worn garment about his shoulders.
    “Dr. Ernest, wait.” She burst into the front hallway and rushed toward him.
    He folded his hands across his chest and braced himself for her rejection. Sure, she was only reacting to all he’d said. But frustration clutched him anyway.
    She stopped in front of him. “I’m sorry about my mother. She means well, and she only wants what’s best for me. With a little time, she’ll adjust to the idea of my going west and not to India. And so will I.”
    He hesitated. “Maybe I should have done a better job clarifying everything beforehand.”
    She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment and then lifted a hand to his arm. Her soft touch soaked into him. “You will come back next Sabbath?”
    “Do you want me to?”
    “Yes.” Her answer was hardly more than a whisper.
    “Are you sure?” He nodded his head to the other room where the voices of Mr. and Mrs. White had grown louder. “Maybe your mother won’t let you marry me now.”
    “If you promise to return, then I promise to marry you.”
    “Even if you can’t have a proper wedding?”
    “If we’re not having a proper marriage, why would I need a proper wedding?”
    For a fraction of an instant, he thought he saw a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. “Listen, I’m sorry . . .”
    Maybe they wouldn’t have time for a fancy wedding, but he could still find a way to make it special for her, couldn’t he? He