Geneva: Garden of Joy (Brides of Grace Hill Book 1)

by Lisa Prysock

  “What… no scalliwog varmint?” he asked Jen as Belle wrapped herself into his arms.

  Geneva barely croaked out a laugh and shook her head, releasing the tears she’d had to hide to be strong for Grace Hill in his absence.

  “Why are my ladies crying?” Ridge looked from one to the other. He opened his arms to Geneva and encircled them both, holding them there until their tears subsided. It seemed as if they had to touch his suit, smell his musky cologne, and hear his voice to realize he was really standing there with them before their tears could stop.

  Together they would face this, whatever the outcome. Ridge was finally home Geneva told herself… and if she had anything to do with it, he wouldn’t ever leave again.

  Chapter 17.

  Coffee, Tea, Sugar & a Kiss

  Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13

  “So, let me get this straight, Charlie…” Fred tipped his hat back about an inch with the barrel of his rifle. “If we break into her house and steal some of her clothes, an’ if’n we gets some more food, she’ll teach us to read an’ write? Plus, she will help us write the ransom note an’ not tell a living soul until we is outta town? An’ she’ll give us some cash?”

  “Right!” Charlie grinned at his brother.

  “We been ‘ere for two weeks an’ ‘at’s the best plan ye can come up with? Too risky, Charlie! Besides, I don’t want no book learnin’ no mores.” Fred swiped his forehead with his shirt sleeve. “I’ll tell ye what! She’ll write the note with just a friendly reminder… and we won’t have tuh stay where our lives be in danger anymore!”

  “What reminder?” Charlie asked.

  Fred waved the rifle at Millie’s face and laughed. “This reminder!”

  Millie didn’t flinch. She refused to show any fear. It would have been nice to have something to wear other than her night gown, robe, and one slipper. She prayed fervently night and day someone would come to her rescue soon.

  Fred slammed a pencil and paper down on the table. Millie picked up the pencil and remained calm, poised to write. Finally, maybe something would happen.

  After a hearty meal of roast beef, boiled potatoes, early peas fresh from the garden, salad greens with quartered tomatoes, and sweet tea, Bird-dog hitched up the wagon for Geneva to ride into Louisville to Mr. Wesson’s mercantile on Third Street. She’d been able to share bits and pieces of information with Ridge and Caleb at Dinner, but they were still digesting all of the news along with the meal. The mood at Grace Hill had improved considerably with Ridge’s arrival. They had thanked God in their prayers for sending help… but first things first, Ridge seemed most interested in gathering facts. They’d all nearly talked at once through the meal so the only thing he was sure of was the fact Millie was missing… and something about a pink slipper.

  After the students retired to various activities under Miss Tilson’s supervision, Ridge followed her to the foyer where she retrieved her wide brimmed summer hat and gloves from the front table as she hummed a Welsh tune. He followed while she tied the yellow ribbons of the hat beneath her chin as she briskly walked toward the Stable Courtyard where the wagon stood waiting. Puzzled, he watched her climb up into the driver’s seat with a hand up from Bird-dog. She straightened out her pale yellow skirts, pulled her white gloves more snugly to her wrists, and picked up the reins.

  “Where are you headed, Miss Rosemont?” Ridge finally inquired.

  “Don’t you mean, where are we going? We’re out of everything, Mr. Morgan!” she snapped. “Don’t just stand there! I need your assistance at this juncture so Grace Hill doesn’t suffer any more than it already has!”

  Ridge didn’t seem to understand. He just stood there for a moment trying to figure out what she was up to.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, don’t make me explain to you we just served the very last of the sugar in your sweet tea! Get in the wagon and I’ll explain later! Besides, we might spot Aunt Millie along the way!”

  He ran his hand through his dark hair in exasperation and walked around to the driver’s side. Climbing up, he leaned over and said, “I’ll drive.”

  She looked at him, smiled, and passed him the reins as she slid over. Geneva could have sent Hank or Henry into town to purchase supplies, but frankly, she had no cash to give them to do so. Besides hoping Ridge would offer to pay for the items, between the meal and the ride to town, she would be able to be away from the students long enough to catch Ridge up on every detail of what she knew. It had been difficult to share the sketchy details with ten young ladies talking all at once. Belle-Raine was content to remain behind with her friends. In addition, her father had instructed her to complete her missing assignments.

  “Tell me, Ridge Morgan… now I’ve told you all of our news, do be so kind as to tell me yours. I’ve been worried sick about you!”

  “You have?”

  “I have,” she confessed.

  He looked down at her as if he didn’t quite believe her.

  “I’ve even missed you,” she added as she held out one of her gloves to examine it. She flicked an imaginary speck of dust away and examined the other. Satisfied, she looked up again at him with a sweet smile.

  He didn’t say a word.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me where you went?”

  “Is that what you’re trying to discover?”

  “Well, Ridge, that’s just simply not fair! I do genuinely care about you and have been wondering where you disappeared to all of this time… without a word to anyone! Why, even Aunt Millie was beside herself with worry!”

  “Well, if you must know, I’ve been away on business,” he finally said as the wagon jostled along.

  “If you don’t want to tell me…” She looked away to the trees running alongside the dirt road, exasperation edging in her voice.

  “Five years ago, when I turned thirty, I came into an inheritance from my paternal grandparents, the Morgans of Virginia. My brother, Quince, has agreed to manage Cherry Bend, my ancestral home in Richmond. However, I also inherited two coal mines, one in West Virginia, and another in Pennsylvania. I used another portion of my inheritance to invest in railroads in the Pennsylvania and Ohio area. So you see, I have now have various quarterly and annual investor board meetings to attend.”

  “I see,” she replied, listening attentively. “I had no idea. Are you very close to your brother?”

  “No, but I am close to my sister, Marie… and her husband, Miles Grant. They have a son and daughter, Alex and Elsie Mae. I generally stay in hotels when I travel, but I also took some time off to visit with my maternal grandparents in Philadelphia since they are relatively close to the Pennsylvania coal mine.”

  “Sounds pleasant,” she remarked, grabbing onto the side of the wagon to steady herself as they traversed a bumpy spot in the road. “How nice you have a niece and nephew. I shall be an aunt around Christmas time. By the way, Cardiff, where I hale from, is situated in a coal mining county, Glamorgan.”

  “I thought I had read about Glamorgan somewhere… and about Cardiff. I’d like to see it someday. The dirt roads are always rough here in the spring until they fill in the ruts and holes,” he explained, putting his hand in front of her when one of the bumps caused her to bounce up from her seat. “Maybe you should hold on.”

  She laughed from the jostling and clasped her two hands around his elbow. “Well, in any case, it has been positively awful without you here. I’m thankful Aunt Millie mentioned your grandparents in Philadelphia to Jackson and me; otherwise I wouldn’t have had any way to reach you if something had happened to Belle.”

  “That’s why I gave Millicent the address,” he explained.

  “Did you spend a lot of time then with your grandparents? You mentioned once before how close you are to them.”

  “I did spend a few very peaceful, enjoyable weeks there. They own a little shop in Philadelphia and live above stairs.�
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  “Oh, kind of like my Uncle Jonathon in Edinburgh, then… or my sister Lillian and her husband, Frank. They have a mercantile in Cardiff.”

  He nodded. “Maybe I will take you to Philadelphia someday to meet them.”

  “That would be lovely. Did you know we had a visit from a lady named Miss Abigail Harrington while you were away?”

  “Oh?” He turned the wagon onto a road leading them closer to town and kept his eyes averted straight ahead. “How did that fare?”

  “She wasn’t there but a minute,” Geneva remarked coyly as she reached into her drawstring reticule to retrieve a shopping list. She had written down the Welsh name beside each item in addition to the English spelling.

  He glanced down at the list. “I see you have quite a few items there.”

  “Now you know why we didn’t bring the carriage or the buggy. We’ve far more room in the wagon,” she explained.

  Once inside the shop, she greeted Mr. Wesson with her friendliest smile and handed him her shopping list. “P’nawn da[26]!”

  “P’nawn da!” he returned.

  He recognized her at once and also, Ridge. He spoke to Ridge in English about the weather and went about the business of filling the order, casually mumbling the names of each item in Welsh as he did so. He and Ridge loaded some of the items onto the wagon and had a brief conversation she wasn’t able to hear as she looked about the store at a few other items. Ridge finished carrying the heavier items to the wagon as Mr. Wesson placed more items on the counter from the stock on the shelves.

  Geneva admired some of the fabric, lingering over a bolt of gingham she thought might make a nice shawl. “Faint yw hwn[27]?”

  Mr. Wesson answered her in Welsh and she ordered two and a half yards. Ridge finished loading the wagon except for the small box of items by the till and then paused to look at a collection of hunting knives.

  When Mr. Wesson returned to the till with the fabric she smiled and said, “Diolch! Bydd y dyn hwn yn talu am bopeth.[28]”

  Mr. Wesson smiled and waved, happy to add the items to Ridge’s account. “Diolch yn fawr![29]”

  Ridge carried the last box of items to the wagon and lifted her up into the seat effortlessly. She sighed a breath of relief.

  “What did Mr. Wesson say? He seemed to talk to you an awfully lot in Welsh.” Ridge asked as he turned the wagon back toward Grace Hill.

  “He asked how I wanted to pay for all of this and I told him you’d pay for everything.” She looked up at him with another of her coy smiles.

  Ridge chuckled, “If you weren’t so pretty…”

  She smiled and began humming another Welsh tune he’d never heard before.

  She stopped humming suddenly and looked up at him curiously. “What did you and Mr. Wesson discuss while you were loading the wagon?”

  “I told him to put everything on my account.”

  “Oh Ridge! I was so worried! Shame on you for not telling me!” Geneva shook her head, half laughing. She couldn’t decide whether to kiss or elbow him. She thought for a moment and then said, “I should have ordered more fabric!”

  He grinned. Then his face took on a more serious and caring look. “If you have any creditors for Grace Hill who need paid, I will take care of it.”

  “Oh, Ridge, do you mean it? Now that you mention it, I do have a growing stack of invoices...” she paused. “I’ve just got to keep the school open during this crisis until we find Aunt Millie. I’ll have Edna deliver them to you at once.”

  “Consider it done, Geneva,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “If you need anything else, just ask.”

  She was so happy they were bringing coffee, tea, and sugar home she could barely contain herself. Delia would be so pleased. Now, if only they could find Aunt Millie! Their eyes continued to scan the countryside looking for anything out of the ordinary as they made the return journey to Grace Hill.

  “Are you angry with me for handing over the cost of all those dry goods to you?” Geneva asked Ridge as they strolled on the second floor balcony outside the Sitting Room once again. Here, they were away from prying eyes and cherished having a quiet place to view the night sky. “I’m certain Aunt Millie will make it right with you when we locate her.”

  Jimmy Selby and Jack Hale had unloaded the wagon to stock the pantry. Delia, Betsy, Laura, and Edna had stood back directing their efforts approvingly. Supper had been far more jovial than it had been prior to Ridge’s return. Belle-Raine had positively beamed to be seated beside her father once again. Miss Tilson didn’t seem to mind being seated at the far end of the table to monitor the students and chatted with all of them as they passed platters and bowls of mashed potatoes, roasted turkey, buttermilk biscuits, gravy, asparagus, and cucumber tomato salad around the table. A pitcher of lemonade graced each end of the table reminding them summer was nearly upon them. To Geneva, the lemonade reminded her there was once again plenty of sugar available. Generous portions of white cake with raspberry sauce completed the meal for the dessert course, another reminder things were beginning to look up. Lottie, Dixie, and Gertie chatted eagerly about their summer plans and songs they were choosing to learn to play on the piano for the recital Geneva had promised them next term. The only thing missing was her aunt.

  “No, of course I didn’t mind,” he said softly, pushing her gently but firmly against the wall of the white manor house. “I’m not angry with you, but I might have to kiss you again, all the same…” He stretched both of his muscular arms against the house on each side of her slim shoulders.

  “Oh Ridge…” she closed her eyes as his lips brushed hers. “Don’t kiss me…”

  “Why not?” he whispered.

  “Because, I won’t like it if you stop… and I can’t concentrate on our pleasure when my aunt is missing.” A tear escaped down one cheek to be in his arms again. She hadn’t realized how much she had ached for him to return to Grace Hill and for her aunt to be found.

  Ridge dropped his arms and stepped back, raking a hand through his dark hair. He looked up at the sky in frustration and looked back at her. “Don’t cry,” he said softly, taking a step closer to her again. Gently, he wiped away the tears spilling from her eyes and traced her jaw with a finger.

  “I can’t help but wonder what to do. We’ve looked everywhere it seems and come up empty,” she whispered, clutching handfuls of her evening gown and then dropping the folds of her coral taffeta skirts. The white lace overlay with coral roses were the perfect complement to her shiny black hair and creamy, pale skin. Her shoulders were exposed to the breeze, but he pulled her lace shawl up about her shoulders so she wouldn’t catch a chill. “We’ve prayed and prayed, hope against hope, and still no sign of her. What should we do, Ridge? I’ve held the school together as much as possible in her absence. What if…” she hiccuped. “What if…”

  “Shhh…” He pulled her close into his arms as she sobbed on his strong shoulders. “I know… everything is going to be all right. You’ve had to be strong for too long. I should have been here sooner.”

  He held her until her tears subsided. Then he wiped her tears again with his own handkerchief, just like Papa would have done. Finally, he stepped back and leaned on the railing, the moon streaming a bright light on his rugged, handsome features. His white shirt was open at the throat, and his tie hung down on one side again. His shirt glistened beneath the stars, accentuating his tan skin. His ruffled hair moved gently in the slight breeze. Though it made her shiver, he stood strong without so much as a flinch. Their music was the steady song of the night cricket, the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the twinkle of brilliant stars, the occasional croak of a river frog, and the flapping wings of a barn swallow as it flitted from one branch of a tree to another looking for a place to nest for the night.

  “The way I see it, as soon as the kidnapper finds out how wealthy and intelligent she is, he will find us. He’ll want something… either cash or something of great value. We won’t have to go looking for her. We will contin
ue searching, but likely someone will come bargaining for her life.”

  Geneva’s head tilted to one side. “Oh, Ridge…” she covered her mouth with one of her hands and then dropped it to her side again. “Yes, of course you are right! She is worth more to them alive than… I can’t even say it.”

  Ridge lifted her chin with one finger. “Now, promise me you will trust God and relax a little.”

  “I will try,” she nodded, “if you kiss me, just once.”

  Ridge laughed and shook his head slightly as he looked down at her. “Just once?”

  “For now…”

  Chapter 18.