The old Chevrolet truck kicked up dust as it stopped in front of a modest farmhouse. Inside, 24-year-old Margaret clutched a worn leather suitcase, her heart heavy with fear. Her family had never hidden their disappointment in her. Considered too large and unmarriageable, she was treated as a burden rather than a daughter.
That morning, her father’s words echoed harshly: “This arrangement will solve our financial problems and finally get you settled.”
Margaret’s hand in marriage had been exchanged for the payment of her family’s debts. Her parents saw her as their contribution to survival, not as a woman with dreams and feelings.
The man chosen was Thomas Brennan, a farmer living with his father, Samuel. Though her mother had dismissed him as “just a dirt farmer,” he had offered to clear their debts in return for marriage.