{While Mail Order Marriage is the second novel in the Grace Church series, it can be read in any order.}
She was afraid all the time now. It was on a stormy night, huddled in her rented room, that she realized not a second passed in which she was not terribly afraid. She understood the danger she was in. She had lived a life where her safety and comfort were considered and valued, until they were suddenly not. She was on the other side now. What were the options for a woman in her situation? The entire day from sun up until sun down, she had sought work. At first as a governess. She had no references. Then: as a domestic – as any household help. Not only did she not have references, a quick look at her fine gloves and well-made dress, and she was not even considered for any kind of labor.