God's Hand in Unexpected Love

Prologue

Marveau Marvels, Springfield, Illinois

“How many times have I told you to keep that brat hidden?” Madam Marveau yelled.

She marched into the brothel’s large sitting room.

Her heavy black walking cane with the solid silver lion head banged loudly against the wooden floor with every step as she dragged six-year-old Sophie behind her like a rag doll.

Poppy had been by herself scrubbing the floors at Marveau Marvels, a high-end brothel in the center of Springfield, Illinois, and nearly jumped out of her skin when the door slammed open and loudly crashed against the wall.

Sophie whimpered when the madam pulled her violently by the arm, not caring whether the little girl could even follow her quick, long strides.

The older woman’s glossy black hair was artfully pinned up into the latest fashionable hairdo, including a hat adorned with elegant black feathers that swayed cheekily with every turn of her head.

Yet her elegance belied her cruelty. She shoved Poppy’s little sister toward her as if she were a sack of potatoes and instantly pulled a face and wiped her impeccably manicured hand over the dark purple brocade skirt of her expensive dress.

She was clearly disgusted, which she emphasized by once again banging her feared cane against the wooden floor. She didn’t need the cane to walk—it was a tool meant to intimidate, one that contained a hidden blade inside of it.

Poppy immediately dropped the mop handle, which fell onto the floor with a loud clanking noise.

She sank to her knees to catch her little sister as she stumbled into her arms with wide, terrified eyes.

Pressing the trembling girl to her chest, Poppy tried to avoid looking at the madam directly.

It was forbidden to do so unless she demanded it.

“May I ask what she did?” Poppy asked, purposefully speaking quietly so her question wouldn’t sound challenging to the madam. At the same time, she wiped away the tears she’d cried earlier when she’d been working by herself, desperately missing her mother.

Since their mother had died a little over a year ago, she was no longer there to protect both of them, so Poppy tried everything she could to make herself look small and invisible whenever she had to face the madam.

Madam Marveau was always angry at her, so Poppy had gotten used to crouching and kneeling in front of her, all the while making sure that she protected her little sister.

In that moment, she hovered over her like a human shield.

“A customer saw her!” Madam Marveau yelled hysterically.

She was clearly outraged, once again banging her walking stick onto the floor.

“And he left, of course! I’ve told you a hundred times already to keep that brat out of sight!

” Her voice soared several octaves, echoing through the whole room. “You will pay me what I lost!”

At that moment, Poppy’s friend Helena stormed through the open doorway.

“I’m so very sorry, Madam Marveau! That was my fault,” Helena exclaimed a little too loudly. The older woman turned toward her, backhanding Helena’s face with full force. She struck her so hard the young woman lost her footing and stumbled to the side, where she painfully landed on one knee.

“Do not get involved!” the madam hissed at her. “It’s not your job to watch little brats, especially when you should be working, making money for this establishment!”

Helena held her cheek, remaining where she had fallen. Poppy stared at her with wild eyes. She had told her friend so many times not to tell the madam that she sometimes watched Sophie while Poppy was doing chores, even if she only did it during what little free time she had.

I’m sorry, Helena silently mouthed to Poppy, but the madam saw it and threatened to slap her again. She stepped toward her, raising her hand. Helena ducked away just in time.

“Get out of my sight, you useless hussy!” Madam Marveau yelled at Helena. “And you better see to it that you make up that extra money you lost me today, or I will kick your nasty backside out on the streets like I should have done weeks ago!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Helena whispered as she scrambled to her feet.

With one last apologetic glance to Poppy, she rushed out of the room.

Poppy wished she and Sophie could run away from that woman, too, but Madam Marveau seemingly wasn’t finished yet.

Banging her cane against the floor directly in front of Poppy and Sophie, she slightly bent down toward them.

“I’ve asked you numerous times to work for me, dearest Poppy,” she said with her fake sing-song voice.

The cold metal of the silver lion head pressed underneath Poppy’s chin, forcing her to look up at the madam.

Madam Marveau’s face was a hateful grimace of disgust and disdain, but then it suddenly changed to an almost friendly smile.

Still, her eyes were as black as burned coal.

“You’re the spitting image of your mother,” she said, looking down her nose at Poppy.

“Such a waste not to use your pretty face while you still can. You could earn me so much money, just like your mother did when she was in her prime.” Her icy gaze dropped to Sophie, whose entire body was shaking with fear.

“And let’s face it. In a few years, little Sophie here can start working for me, too.

My customers might actually prefer the fact that she’s feeble-minded, then she can’t complain. She would make me a fortune.”

Poppy was shocked at the madam’s words and what she was implying. She held on to her little sister with an iron grip, while Sophie’s little arms were tightly wrapped around her.

“I will not sell my body for money, nor will I rely on a man for anything,” Poppy whispered, because she feared the madam’s wrath, even though she knew it was coming regardless. “Neither will Sophie. I’ll work harder and do more chores—”

“That’s not enough anymore!” Madam Marveau snapped angrily, banging her cane exactly how Poppy had anticipated. They’d had this discussion too many times already, yet the madam kept pestering her to change her mind and walk the same path her beautiful mother once had.

Please God, protect us from this woman. Protect us from that fate, Poppy silently prayed, and her eyes filled with tears again. She felt overwhelmed, tired, and helpless in her situation, working at a brothel to keep a roof over her and her young sister’s head.

“Ugh, you crybaby!” Madam Marveau continued.

“I have to protect my business, and that brat is chasing my customers away! She has to go! So you better grow up, because I won’t allow you two to mooch off of me any longer,” she exclaimed, seemingly infuriated.

“I’ve had enough of you and that brat abusing my good nature!

Either you start taking clients, or I’ll throw both of you out on the streets! ”

Poppy’s eyes jumped up to look at her, imploringly.

“Please, Madam Marveau!” she pleaded in a panic. “We have nowhere to go! Please, I can work harder and—”

“No!” Madam Marveau nearly growled. “If you want to stay, you either do as I say, or I will personally throw both of you out of my establishment! Do you hear me?” The madam stepped closer to her, and her long, bony fingers snatched Poppy’s chin in a painful grip.

She jerked her head roughly upward, forcing Poppy to look at her menacingly angry face.

“It’s your choice,” she said to her through grinding teeth. “Either you start taking customers and earn me some good money, or you are out of here!”

Then Madam Marveau shoved her chin away from her, yanking Poppy’s neck violently to one side. Poppy took a second to recover, but by the time she turned back around, the madam had already turned on her high heels, nearly slapping her heavy skirt in both girls’ faces, and stalked out of the room.

***

It was way past midnight when a soft knock at the door disrupted Poppy’s quiet prayer. She’d worked her hardest for the rest of the day to make up for what had happened earlier. However, Madam Marveau didn’t appreciate her efforts and sent Poppy and Sophie up to their room without supper.

It had taken Poppy a little while to get Sophie to fall asleep, because both of them were very hungry, but they’d only had one small piece of hard bread left. Poppy had given Sophie most of it, so the little girl didn’t have to go to sleep with an aching stomach.

“Poppy?” Helena’s whispering voice appeared behind the door. “May I come in?”

Poppy got up from her kneeling position in front of the tiny book-sized window in the roof of the large house. Not wanting to wake up Sophie, she padded as quietly as she could past the bed they shared and over to the door to open it.

“Hey,” Helena whispered, peeking into the tiny room. “I’ve brought you some food,” she said as she handed Poppy a small paper-wrapped parcel. “Are you all right?”

Poppy pulled her friend into a tight hug. “Thank you! I haven’t had a decent meal in days.” Walking back into the room, she felt the weight of the parcel in her hand and began to unwrap it on her little side table.

“I stole some cheese, bread, and a large piece of pie for you,” Helena told her with a mischievous grin. Poppy stared at her with an open mouth.

“Why do you always take such risks?” Poppy whispered. “Madam will kill you if she finds out!”

“I was my fault that she yelled at you earlier,” Helena said with a shrug, “and it was my fault you didn’t get any food today. I can’t leave you hanging like that. Eat!”

While Poppy devoured a large bite of the pie, her friend pulled a crinkled piece of paper from a pocket in the oversized woolen coat she wore when she wasn’t working.

Poppy noticed how dark the circles underneath Helena’s eyes were, but her friend never let on how exhausted she truly was.

Poppy had never seen her crying or sad. Despite the desperate situation she was in, working for the madam, Helena was always positive and smiling, and it was her warm demeanor and strong faith that had made them instant friends.

“Look! I found this today:” Helena handed Poppy the paper and watched her face intently as Poppy looked at it, still savoring her last bite of pie. It tasted so good, but she wanted to save the rest of it for Sophie because it was more important to her that her little sister was well fed.

Come to the West!

Be a mail-order bride to a faithful man seeking love.

Poppy’s eyebrows shot up.

“Poppy, I truly do believe that God has a different plan for you,” Helena said with a well-meaning expression on her face.

“I don’t think He wants you to stay here in this sinful pit, being threatened by the madam every day.

This,” she pointed at the paper, “would be a great option for you and Sophie to get out of here.”

Poppy swallowed hard and looked over to her innocent little sister.

“Well, what about you?” Poppy asked, looking at her best friend with worried eyes. Helena shrugged again.

“I am a soiled dove,” she said, and for the first time, Poppy saw something like regret in her green eyes.

“Nobody will take me, let alone marry me. But you’re not.

You have never allowed this sinful place to taint your pure soul, Poppy.

That’s why I believe God wants you to go, to take Sophie and this opportunity with both hands.

I will miss you terribly, but I can always write to you.

You’re my best friend, and I want you to be happy. ”

“I can’t just go and marry some stranger somewhere!

” Poppy replied, careful not to wake Sophie.

“What if he isn’t a nice person? I need to keep Sophie safe.

I promised our mother I would protect her, always.

” Poppy swallowed hard again, but this time it wasn’t for food.

The loss of her beloved mother was still too raw.

“But what if he is?” Helena asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. She wiggled her eyebrows, which always made Poppy laugh. “What if this is God’s way of telling you to go and claim your freedom from this awful place?”

Poppy thought about it for a moment. Looking at her little sister, her desire to have a better future for them both grew exponentially.

Helena took her hand and looked her deep in the eyes.

“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest,” she said encouragingly.

“Joshua 1:9,” they both said in unison. Poppy hugged her friend tightly.

“I will be strong and courageous,” she said, carefully folding the piece of paper, pressing it against her chest. “If not for myself, then definitely for Sophie. I’ll contact them right away, and if all goes well, we’ll leave as soon as we can.”