James desperately needs someone to help him keep his farm going, but has failure after colossal failure finding a good housekeeper. Alida marries a man only to find out he's already married. She's so undone when she finds out that she just wants to go somewhere where no one will judge her for her misfortune, where she can work and keep herself fed and clothed. James and Alida meet and arrange for a strictly business marriage, leaving loving and honoring out of the vows. The title of the book tells the rest of the story, but the way it gets there is worth the journey. (Introduction by TriciaG)
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Chapters
- Chapter 1
Left Alone
17:19 - Chapter 2
A Very Interested Friend
26:45 - Chapter 3
Mrs. Mumpson Negotiates and Yields
20:51 - Chapter 4
Domestic Bliss
12:56 - Chapter 5
Mrs. Mumpson Takes up Her Burdens
16:22 - Chapter 6
A Marriage?
15:54 - Chapter 7
From Home to the Street
10:49 - Chapter 8
Holcroft's View of Matrimony
19:58 - Chapter 9
Mrs. Mumpson Accepts Her Mission
26:14 - Chapter 10
A Night of Terror
18:36 - Chapter 11
Baffled
20:43 - Chapter 12
Jane
18:42 - Chapter 13
Not Wife, But Waif
12:27 - Chapter 14
A Pitched Battle
14:10 - Chapter 15
'What is to Become of Me?'
15:37 - Chapter 16
Mrs. Mumpson's Vicissitudes
22:41 - Chapter 17
A Momentous Decision
16:25 - Chapter 18
Holcroft Gives His Hand
19:47 - Chapter 19
A Business Marriage
17:22 - Chapter 20
Uncle Jonathan's Impression of the Bride
13:50 - Chapter 21
At Home
16:07 - Chapter 22
Getting Acquainted
19:20 - Chapter 23
Between the Past and Future
22:36 - Chapter 24
Given Her Own Way
28:15 - Chapter 25
A Charivari
30:32 - Chapter 26
'You Don't Know'
28:32 - Chapter 27
Farm and Farmer Bewitched
21:15 - Chapter 28
Another Waif
21:18 - Chapter 29
Husband and Wife in Trouble
20:56 - Chapter 30
Holcroft's Best Hope
21:26 - Chapter 31
'Never!'
17:54 - Chapter 32
Jane Plays Mouse to the Lion
18:56 - Chapter 33
'Shrink From YOU?'
09:26