Jeremy paced the train station platform before peering down the rail to search for a plume of smoke and the steel front of the train’s engine. He sighed, rubbing at his head in frustration, when the train was nowhere in sight. The sun beamed down on him, and he stood in the building’s shade. Gabriel had warned him that he would arrive too early, but he was eager to see his brother Richard, his sister-in-law, Florence, and their six children. The last time he’d seen them, he was enshrouded in deep grief after the deaths of Melinda and Savannah.
Sighing, he rubbed at the back of his neck. Those last few weeks in Massachusetts were a blur of inconsolable minutes. They seemed interminable. The death of Melinda had brought him to his knees, but Savannah’s love and the birth of their baby had eased grief’s grip on him. He rubbed at his eyes. The stunningly swift, staggering loss of his cherished wife had made him yearn for death too.
A day after he had sent a telegram informing Richard of his impending marriage, Jeremy had received one from Richard, asking if he and his family could spend the summer in Montana. Jeremy had raced to the train station to send the responding telegram, eager for his brother’s visit. He had been amazed at how quickly Richard and Florence had made their travel arrangements, and now they were arriving in early July. He had heard from Uncle Aidan that he, Delia, Zylphia, and Teddy would arrive the first part of August.
He glanced down the track again, kicking at a pebble when seeing the tracks as empty as three minutes ago. His mind returned to the memories after Savannah died. His brothers had sat with him through everything. Listened to him rant and rail. Cried with him. Held him. And had never given up hope that he’d find a reason to want to go on living. “Breandan,” he whispered to himself, then swiped at his eyes in a surreptitious manner. His baby son, Breandan, had given Jeremy the hope in the future he so desperately needed. Without that, Jeremy knew he would have been lost.
At the shrieking sound echoing along the canyon, Jeremy’s head jerked up. A plume of steam and smoke billowed in the air as the steam engine barreled down the tracks toward the station. His breath caught, with excitement and gratitude, that all three McLeod brothers would be reunited again. This time for a joyous occasion. “My wedding,” Jeremy whispered.
Jeremy grunted as a hand tapped him on his shoulder. He spun to see his eldest brother, Gabriel, winking at him.
“You didn’t believe I’d miss Rich’s arrival, did you?” Gabriel beamed as the train approached, his blue eyes gleaming with joy. “Finally we’ll all be together when we’re all happy. That hasn’t been the case since before you left for the Philippines.”
The brothers had reunited in Washington, DC, in 1913. However, Clarissa and Gabriel had barely tolerated each other’s presence after the death of their son Rory. Jeremy shivered as he recalled that he and Savannah had had difficulties too, since she had just suffered another miscarriage, and she was desperately unhappy that she would never bear him a child. The only other time the three of them were together was in Boston in the fall of 1918, after Savannah and Melinda had died. He shivered again. “I hope this will truly be a joyful time for us all.”
Gabriel slung an arm over Jeremy’s shoulder, and they approached the train that rocked to a halt. Their avid gazes roamed up and down the train, although Gabriel tugged Jeremy to the train car that appeared to be the one with the private sleeping cabins. A porter opened the door, and a tall man, finely dressed, with a walking stick, appeared. “Uncle Aidan!” Gabriel cried out.
“We didn’t know you were coming so soon,” Jeremy said, as he raced forward beside his brother. Aidan descended the stairs and reached a hand up to help Delia down. After more exclamations at Delia’s presence and embraces had been exchanged, their focus returned to the doorway.
Richard emerged with a jaunty smile, and he turned to help each of his five sons down before taking Agnes from Florence’s arms. Holding Agnes in one arm, he held his hand up for Florence to grip as she descended the train. However, Florence spurned his offer of help and disembarked without aid. When she stood near her husband, she held her arms out for Agnes and moved toward the large group of McLeods, ignoring her husband.
“So much for joyful,” Gabriel muttered in Jeremy’s ear. “Something’s wrong between those two.”
Jeremy nodded, and he noted his uncle avidly watching the byplay between Jeremy’s middle brother and his wife too. “We’ll help him like he’s always helped us, Gabe.”
Gabriel gave a grunt of agreement before pulling Richard in for a hug, slapping him on the back. He murmured something in Richard’s ear that earned a chuckle, before releasing him. He then turned to Richard’s boys for hugs. His eyes sparkled, and he blinked rapidly when he held fifteen-year-old Victor. Rory would have been fifteen in October, and such reminders of all that Gabriel and Clarissa had lost when their son died remained difficult. He tugged the boy to him and then ruffled his black hair, earning a giggle. All the boys had the black hair of a McLeod.
Jeremy watched Gabriel and instinctively understood his brother’s torment. He saw his uncle taking in the small scene too, and he knew that this reunion would be one filled with joy but also with strife. “We have your home ready, Uncle, although we expected you in August,” he said, as he wrapped an arm around Richard’s youngest boy, Calvin’s, shoulders. “It remains one of the nicest homes in Missoula.”
Aidan chuckled. “I know you flatter me. Many beautiful mansions have been built since I bought that humble home. But I don’t need a mansion here.”
“We don’t need a mansion in Boston either,” Delia murmured, her hand looped through Aidan’s arm. “However, we decided, while on the train, if it isn’t too great an inconvenience for you, Jeremy, that Aidan and I would like to stay with you.”
Jeremy looked from his uncle to his aunt with delight. “I’d love it. But where will Rich, Flo, and the children stay? My house has the most spare bedrooms.”
“They’ll take over our house. Seeing as we’ll be here a few months, we thought it best for them to have a home.” Delia smiled at Florence. “With six children, they’ll need space to run and to holler and to get into adventures without worrying they’re being too loud. And I can imagine Florence will enjoy having the freedom of her own kitchen.”
Gabriel chuckled. “Never fear, they’ll have plenty of loud adventures with their Montana cousins. Billy can’t wait to meet his Boston cousins. He’s tired of being the only big boy cousin out here.”
They caught the attention of a porter, and Aidan arranged for the correct trunks to be delivered to Jeremy’s home while others were to go to Aidan’s. After everything was arranged, they emerged from the station to look down the long, bustling Higgins Avenue.
Jeremy stood beside his uncle and sighed with pleasure. “It’s wondrous to have you here already, Uncle. I thought you would travel in August with Zee and Teddy right before the wedding.”
Aidan watched Delia link her arms with Richard’s two youngest sons, Gideon and Calvin, while Gabriel walked with Victor, Thomas with Richard, and Ian beside his mother, Florence. “I’m relieved we are to walk. I’ve been cooped up on a train for too long.”
“Uncle, please say what you wish to,” Jeremy murmured, as they fell into step behind their family and made a slow but steady progress down the boardwalk. “I fear there is already enough discord.” He nodded in the direction of Florence and Richard.
Aidan grunted in agreement. “You are as sharp as you ever were.”
As he passed a man he recognized on the boardwalk, Jeremy nodded.
Aidan continued. “Let us discuss my concerns, valid or not, when we are comfortable in your study.”
“Our discussion will have to wait until after the welcome dinner Clarissa has planned at her house to celebrate your arrival,” Jeremy said with a fond smile. “She’s excited to have almost all the McLeods together again.”
“Zylphia will be here before your wedding, and then it will be a true celebration,” Aidan said, then slapped Jeremy
on his shoulder and continued their slow walk to first his house and then onto Jeremy’s.
* * *
Richard McLeod’s boys followed their father to their uncle’s home, where they would stay for a few months. After squabbling over who got which bedroom, they had made peace and then ran around in the backyard, until their father called them that it was time to depart.
Ian, the eldest at seventeen, walked beside his youngest brother, Calvin, who was now ten. Calvin watched everything with wide eyes and a look of absolute wonder. “Do you think there’ll be a shoot-out at noon?” Calvin asked.
“No, that only happens in novels,” Ian said with a chuckle.
Fifteen-year-old Victor walked beside their mother, while their father held their baby sister. Ian looked over his shoulder as Thomas and Gideon, thirteen and twelve, played tag. “Keep up!” he called to them. They raced to them, nearly skidding into their eldest brother.
“Will our cousins be any fun?” Gideon asked.
“I hear there are a lot of girls,” Victor complained as he panted. He swiped at his forehead and then smiled beatifically at his mother when she cast a glance over his disheveled appearance.
“Zee’s a girl, and she’s fun,” Florence said. She smiled as she watched Victor attempt to refute her words and then shrugged his shoulders in agreement.
They paused to admire the river cutting Missoula in half. The hills gleamed in the early evening sunlight, and the Milwaukee Depot beside the bridge bustled with workers and those awaiting a train’s arrival. After a few moments, they proceeded over the bridge to a more residential part of Missoula. “Come. I believe it’s this way,” Richard said, as he led them down a side street. He saw the number and pointed to the house across the street. “There.”
Gabriel’s house was an attractive two-story craftsman house with an inviting front porch. A porch swing shifted in the gentle breeze, and a pot of pansies brightened the porch. He ushered his family up the steps and knocked on the door.
Gabriel flung open the door, pulling his brother into his arms. “I still can’t believe you’re really here!” Gabriel exclaimed. “Please, come in. You’re very welcome.”
Ian followed his parents and siblings into the house, already crowded with adults he did not know. He hung back as he waited to be introduced to everyone. Suddenly a commotion from the rear of the house caused everyone to pause. The door slammed, and heavy footsteps raced toward them.
“Are they here?” A young boy—the spitting image of Calvin—raced into the room. His hair was longer, but he had similar blue eyes. However, where Calvin was reticent, this boy seemed to race full-throttle at life. “Finally! Boy cousins!” He gave a whoop of joy and launched himself at them.
“Billy!” Gabriel grabbed his son, hauling him backward by the scruff of his shirt. “Wait to be introduced.”
“Why?” Billy stared at him in abject confusion. “We’re cousins. We’re gonna be as good a friends as can be. An’ we’re losin’ light! We need to play now!”
Gabriel failed to swallow a chuckle, and he stared at his nephews with a delighted gaze. “Boys, this is Billy. He may only be nine”—he paused to address his son—“yes, Billy, I know, going on ten in the fall, but he’s a bundle of energy.”
Billy wriggled until his father released his shirt. “I’m Billy McLeod. And you’re McLeods too!” he said with joy. “Which one of you is Calvin?” When Calvin half raised his hand, Billy jumped forward to pull him into a hug. “Finally a cousin my own age. The adventures we’ll have.”
“Billy,” Gabriel said in a warning voice.
“I know, Papa,” Billy said. “It’ll all be good adventures. Like you taught me.” He motioned for the boys to follow him and acted like the pied piper, leading them through the dining room and kitchen.
Ian nodded to his father, as though indicating he would look out for his siblings. “We’ll be all right, Father.” Richard patted his shoulder and motioned for him to join the group disappearing into the kitchen. Ian trotted to catch up, absently noting the fine dishes on the table.
He pushed open the connecting door to the kitchen to see his young cousin Billy with his head in one palm while his other hand held out a slingshot. “But, Mama …” Billy complained.
“Billy, you know you agreed to not use that contraption for a week when you hurt Miss Precious yesterday,” said the attractive chestnut-haired woman with a hand on her hip. However, her stern lecture was marred by her fighting a smile. “You should be thankful Miss Precious still came by today for her customary visit.”
“Who’s Miss Precious?” Gideon asked. All of the brothers watched their cousin’s scolding with avid interest.
“Hello, boys,” said the woman standing in the kitchen. “I’m your aunt Clarissa. It will be wonderful to get to know each of you. As for Miss Precious, she is our neighbor’s friendly black cat. Billy was practicing his aim yesterday, and a shot went wide.” She raised an eyebrow, as though indicating she was uncertain that was the case. “Isn’t that so, Billy?”
“I never thought I’d hit her,” he mumbled, then ducked his head and scuffed the toe of his shoe along the floor. “I thought she’d have the sense to move.”
“She’s a cat, Billy. How was she to know you would attack her?” Clarissa ruffled his hair, and he shrugged. Even though he looked at her with plaintive blue eyes, she shook her head and held out her hand. “No, give it here.”
Billy heaved out a dramatic sigh and handed over his slingshot. “Can we still play before dinner?”
“Yes, you may,” she said with a smile, then kissed his forehead. “You better get going, or you’ll miss all the fun.” She winked at him as he gave another small whoop and raced out the back door, only pausing to ensure his cousins followed him.
“Thanks, Mama!” Billy called out. Soon he and his cousins became acquainted by playing tag, telling tall tales, and having innocent wrestling matches.
* * *
Clarissa stood at the kitchen window and watched the boys play, smiling as she saw them becoming fast friends. Her breath caught at the sight of Billy and Calvin together. They looked so alike that they could almost have been mistaken for twins. Billy was encouraging Calvin to leap from a tree branch, however Calvin refused. “Oh, Billy,” she murmured.
She turned to the inner kitchen door when it creaked and gave a small squeal. “Flo!” she cried out, opening her arms wide to pull her in for a hug. “Oh, it’s been too long.”
“Seven years,” Florence murmured as she squeezed her tight. After a long moment she backed up. “I can’t believe I’m here in Montana in your kitchen.”
Clarissa laughed. “Isn’t it incredible?” She glanced again outside, her gaze catching on Florence’s second eldest. “It amazes me how much our children look alike,” she whispered.
“Our boys, at any rate,” Florence murmured. “I’m not so sure Agnes will look like Geraldine or Myrtle.” She paused. “I’m sorry if the sight of Victor brings back difficult memories.”
“No.” Clarissa gripped Florence’s hand. “No. It’s more a sense of nostalgia or regret. A great ‘what if.’” She cleared her throat and blinked a few times, as though attempting to fight her tears. “What if Rory had lived? Would he be as handsome and as strong and as caring as your Victor?” She looked outside to see Victor looking after Calvin. “I like to believe he would have been.”
Florence nodded. “So do I. And no reason to believe he wouldn’t have been.”
Clarissa cleared her throat. “No reason at all.” She pulled Florence in for another hug. “I’m so excited you are here.”
Florence eased her away and looked around the kitchen. “Come. Let’s finish dinner, or we’ll never eat.”
“Yes, you must be exhausted after your journey. We should have brought dinner to you, so you could have a quiet evening at home.” Clarissa bit her lip. “I fear I was being selfish and wanted to see everyone.”
“Richard would have hated it. He wants as m
uch time with Gabriel and Jeremy as he can get.” She avoided her friend’s gaze at the mention of her husband. When Clarissa looked as though she would ask her more questions, Florence shook her head. “Not today, Rissa. Ask me when I’m not so tired.”
Soon they were interrupted, and the family was seated around the table, celebrating their good fortune at being reunited.
* * *
Later that evening, after the welcome party, Breandan was in bed, and Martin had retired for the evening. He had correctly recognized Aidan’s desire to have private time with his nephew. Delia had begged exhaustion and was now upstairs as well, puttering around the room that would be hers and Aidan’s for the next few months. Aidan stared at the painting over Jeremy’s dormant fireplace, his eyes shimmering as he studied the artwork his daughter had gifted his nephew. Savannah’s death at Aidan’s home after the birth of Breandan had always felt like a personal failure, and Aidan bowed his head, as though asking for her forgiveness once again.
“Uncle?” Jeremy asked, when he entered the study. “Are you all right?”
“I’m sorry, my boy,” he whispered. “I did everything I could to save her.” His gaze was filled with guilt and anguish as he met Jeremy’s tear-filled eyes. “I hired the best doctors and nurses. I swear to you.”
“Uncle …” Jeremy swallowed and cleared his throat. “I know you did. I know you did everything in your power. Nothing more could have been done.” He swiped at his eyes. “That horrible disease stole Melly and Savannah from me. From us. And no one was to blame.” He let out a deep breath. “Not me for traveling to Massachusetts with my family to try to save Savannah because of our fears about the birth. Not you for the doctors who were hired. Not Delia for her nursing care. No one.”
Aidan let out a stuttering breath. “It would be easier if someone were to blame.”
Jeremy shook his head. “Blame never eases the torment. All it does is bring more pain and then more strife.” He pulled his uncle close for a hug and then joined him in one of the easy chairs. He had already shown his uncle where he hid his whiskey, and two glasses were on the table between the chairs.
Triumphant Love: Banished Saga, Book Nine Page 30
