“Chin up, then. You look stunning, and if you can peel your eyes away from that table you’ll see everyone is staring right at you.”
“At me?” She touched the lace around her neckline. Why would they stare at her?
“You’ve chosen well with that green dress. It matches your eyes.” Margaret reached over and smoothed Penny’s collar. “And your black hair piled perfectly. I’d say I did a fine job with that masterpiece. You’re a sight.” She pushed at one of her own curls and sighed.
“Your curls are looking especially . . .” Penny thought a moment. “They look lovely. They are Margaret curls, and I don’t think you’d look right with them any other way.”
“You’re sweet. Tonight be sure to enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about the past or the future.”
“I believe you’re right. There will be time for my worries tomorrow. Tonight I’ll dance with anyone who asks.” She tapped her toe on the ground to the beat of the music. “My father would’ve liked to know I was twirling around on the dance floor. It’s been so long.”
“And your mother?”
“She’d be appalled I was dancing in a little country hall. She thinks she has a sophisticated sense of enjoyment, but I think she’s rather narrow-minded. She spends far too much time worrying about which rung of the ladder we are on.”
“My own mother found me rather shocking at times. Be true to yourself and have a loving heart and somehow it all will be made right. Tonight you are in Azure Springs and very few of us care about ladders. Just dance.” Margaret put a gentle hand on Penny’s cheek. “And don’t you worry about having a partner. They’ll ask!”
Thomas stepped farther into the hall and headed straight for the table of food. It was his excuse for coming, and judging by the smell he was not going to be disappointed.
“My, my, look at you. All clean-shaven.” Margaret whistled at him when he approached. “You look like a new man. Penny, take a good look at him. Doesn’t he look fine tonight? I’ve always wondered what was under that beard.”
Thomas tried not to squirm as Penny’s eyes quickly looked him over. Her lips curled into a smile.
“Very fine indeed,” Penny said. Their eyes met for a moment and he noticed the green of them. Green like gemstones. Sparkling. Lively. Her cheeks were pink from the confession and the rosy hue only added to her charm.
“It’s good seeing you up and around,” Margaret said.
“Abraham said there’d be good food here.” He smiled. “I know what you’re about to say. And I would have come to the dining hall and eaten your cooking, but I’ve been busy. Between you and me”—he leaned in closer to Margaret—“my cooking leaves room for improvement. I’d have been at your table every night if my farm could have spared me.”
“At least I have Penny at my table now. She even comes down without a fuss.” She winked at Penny. “I had to drag him from his room morning and night just to get the man to eat. You’re a dear for coming down with no complaints. He wouldn’t move until I threatened to swat his backside. It was like having an ornery child around.”
“I’d imagine any child would be ornery if they’d lost what Thomas has,” Penny said. “I imagine it was hard.”
Thomas shifted uncomfortably. “What do you mean? What do you know of my losses?”
“I heard . . . I heard you were in a wagon accident,” she said in a low voice. “I heard you were bound for Montana.”
Had he told her it was a wagon accident? Or of his dreams of the frontier? He couldn’t recall.
“It seemed a greater loss when it happened than it does now.” Thomas had to break his gaze away from the green-eyed woman. The look on her face was unnerving. Sympathy seemed to emanate from her and he wasn’t sure whether he ought to step toward her and soak in the compassion or run from her. He turned toward Margaret and did all he could to keep the conversation light. “Look how much more agreeable Penny is than you. She understands the pain I was in. I think you’re right, she is sweet. Perhaps she’ll rub off on you.”
Margaret shot Penny a conspiratorial look. “His sense of humor seems to have come through his wagon accident unscathed.”
“If only I’d injured my humor and not broken my axles. I’d be settled in nowhere Montana by now,” Thomas said. “And you’d have to spend your night tonight trying to get someone else riled up.”
“I suppose you’ve a point.” Margaret laughed and patted his shoulder. “We’re all glad you’ve bought the old Dawson place. Well, all of us but Jeb. And going up and down those stairs and dragging your hide down for dinner did keep me from sitting around wasting my time. There are some benefits to your being here.” Her face became serious and her eyes lost their playful sparkle. “You look much improved and I am glad to see it. How is farm life?”
He shrugged. “Lots of solitude and thinking. Abraham gave me a Bible. I’d be lying if I said it’d done nothing to help. Truth is, I’m finding some solace in it. More than I expected. I wish I’d cared more when I was younger, but now I’m drawn to it. I even wake up some mornings eager to start my day.”
“I’ve turned to that very book often enough when my burdens have felt too heavy for me to bear. You keep reading it. Seems every time I read it I find something new in there.” She took two plates and forks from the table and put them in Penny’s hand. “You two ought to eat. I see you both drooling. Then I want to see you two young people dance. I’ve spent enough years observing people to know sometimes the best remedy for what ails us is a night of friendly companionship. Besides, you’d make a lovely couple.” Margaret waved across the hall at an older woman with a cane. “I need to go and say a few more hellos. Be good to each other.”
Margaret left him then with Penny.
“She seems to think you are in need of sustenance. Can I dish you up something?” he asked. “Did they not feed you in DC?”
She handed him a plate and fork. “Not like this. Not made by the hands of the neighbors, brought together just to be shared.” She reached and ran her hand over the edge of the lace tablecloth, admiring the intricate handiwork. “In recent years, I’ve not had food nearly as succulent as this. In my youth, we went to parties and ate very well, but the cooks were all brought together to fix the meals. The food was mouthwatering, but this . . .” She pointed to the piles of food in mismatched dishes. “I think I like this. It suits me.”
“I’ve never thought much about where my food came from until I moved to my farm. I’ve been cooking on my own since then. It’s been, well, I’m not sure what is the right word. Interesting.” He scooped a slice of pie onto his plate. “I think I ought to write my former cook and thank her. I’m not sure I ever did.”
“You should write to her. Letters are so powerful.” Penny looked down. “I think she’d love to receive word. And if you wait . . . there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to send it later.”
He put a hand on her arm. “You’ve lost someone?”
“My father is dead. Life is always changing and you adapt and then it changes all over again. You ought to write while you can.” She offered a weak smile.
“I’m sorry about your father.”
“It was five years ago. Circumstances changed for us. They’re always changing, even now. We did our best, but my father’s money was mismanaged. I found work and we carried on, but I’ve missed him. You don’t need to listen to my problems. I’m rambling on and on.”
“I thought you were an author?”
Her gut twisted like it always did when she thought of her false occupation. “I do wish to write.”
“If you’ve a mind to share, I’d listen to your other worries. What’s changing for you now?”
“Well, now I can choose. I can keep working and barely getting by or I can move to my uncle’s, where I wouldn’t have to worry so much about making ends meet, but I’d have to abide by all his wishes. I would simply be moving from a wooden cage to one made of expensive iron. It might look better, but it’d be just as strong. Pe
rhaps stronger.”
A dull ache pounded in his chest. He looked at her and realized the ache was for her. “I’m very sorry. I think I lived in a cage too. For me, though, it was one I created around myself.”
“Tonight I feel free. I don’t feel caged and I don’t even want to think of the trials ahead. Margaret has instructed us to have a happy night. I think we ought to follow her advice.”
“Let’s do. Let’s talk of other things. Like what food I can get for you. What looks best?”
“Pie! Every kind there is! But I’m not sure we’re supposed to eat yet. No one else is eating.”
He raised a brow. “Someone has to go first. Are you sure you want every kind?”
“Perhaps I should take one slice at a time.” She stared at the pies. An easy smile played across her face and two dimples added to her loveliness. “I think I should start with apple. It’s my favorite. But I don’t want that one there with the flaky crust to be gone before I can try it. I don’t know what it is, but it looks delicious.” She put her hands on her hips. “I do wish I could try them all. I’m not sure how to pick when I don’t even know what they are made of.”
He stuck his fork into the pie with the flaky crust and quickly cut a thin slice. Now that the inside was exposed, he declared, “It’s blueberry. Did anyone see me?”
“I don’t think so. Our backs were to the crowd.” She pointed to another pie. “What’s that one?”
He laughed. “Stand there a little to your left and I’ll find out.” She took a big step, closing the gap between them. He glanced over his shoulder. “There’s a woman with a sour expression not far behind you. I’m not sure she’d approve of us taking a piece from each pie.”
She made a face for only him to see. “Was it like this?”
“More severe,” he said as he cut a slice from another pie and put it on his plate.
She laughed. “I wish there had been someone standing in front of me when I’d fallen in the mud so you’d not seen that.”
“We have found something we disagree on. I, for one, am glad no one was blocking my view. Azure Springs does not offer much by way of entertainment. That is, until you arrived.”
Penny laughed again and he found himself smiling at the sound of it. “I locked Honey in my room tonight and am praying I do not return home to another catastrophe.”
“If she does cause a catastrophe, will you tell me when I see you next? I’ve smiled more since meeting that dog than in the many months prior to her arrival.” Thomas stuck his fork into the pie.
“I am glad my dog makes you smile.” She pointed to the slice he had cut. “What flavor is it?”
“It’s rhubarb with”—he moved the piece around on his plate to get a better look at the pie filling—“peach, I think. It looks rather good.”
“Rhubarb and peach? I might want to try that.” She looked down the length of the table. “There are several more down that way.”
“If you’ll be my cover, I will get a slice of each.”
“Of course. But let’s go slowly. We don’t want anyone to realize what we’re doing. I saw an old woman earlier staring at this table like it was the finest work of art. She walked over occasionally and moved a platter to the right and then to the left. I’d hate to see her face when she realizes tiny bites have been taken out of each pie.”
“You don’t think she’d find it amusing?”
Penny’s dimples flashed. “No! She looked to me to be a very somber woman.” The pair meandered down the length of the table. “Let’s pretend we are deep in conversation. I think no one will suspect us then.”
“Very well. Tell me, Penelope Ercanbeck, about your novel. Perhaps it will sell so well you will be an independent woman who’s free of all cages.” He found his question was not a mere facade. He did want to know about her writing—and so much more. “I’ve never met an authoress before. And I think I’d very much like knowing one.”
She pulled her gaze away and hesitated a moment. “It’s a work in progress. I’m still deciding on the story line. When the thought of writing a novel first came to my mind, it seemed absurd, but then I mulled it around in my heart and now it truly has become a desire of mine.” She laughed a little. “I really can’t tell you much about it yet. When I get further along, I’ll tell you.”
“Something else, then. Tell me, why Azure Springs?”
“Would you believe me if I said I felt like I was called here?” She fidgeted with the fork in her hand. “I needed a change. Something new. Why not here?”
Without thinking, he reached out and put a hand on her arm. “I do believe you. I too needed something different.”
“Have you found it?”
He paused before answering. “I will. I get closer every day. And I can think of nowhere else I’d rather find it than Azure Springs. I hope you find what you need too.”
“If nothing else, I’m enjoying myself. Except that my dog will not stop jumping in the mud. The rest has been delightful.”
“She’s done it again?” he asked. “Since we last bathed her?”
“Yes. If I or anyone else leaves the door open so much as a crack, she bursts through it and runs straight to the creek. And not to the clear water but to the muddy banks. I don’t know what to do with her. I hate to lock her up all the time.” Her eyes darted from his. “Oh, let’s see what that one is.” She pointed to another pie. This one had a lattice crust and was oozing red. “I think it’s cherry, and I love cherry almost as much as apple.”
“It is cherry,” he said after cutting into it. “It looks good too.”
“I think I’ve decided. I want a slice of the peach with rhubarb and the cherry.”
He took her plate. “At your service, ma’am.”
Penny ate her pie slowly, savoring each bite. She scraped the final morsel from her plate and lifted it to her mouth. When the last of it was gone, she sighed. “That may have been the best pie I’ve ever eaten.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t gone back for more.” Thomas smirked. “I’ve never seen a woman enjoy her pie so thoroughly.”
“I had good manners once.” She laughed. “But that was before I was kicked out of high society. Now I appreciate good food when I can get it. And if you promise not to tell, I’ll whisper a secret.”
“I’m intrigued. I promise.” He leaned in closer.
“Here is my confession. I have very little desire to ever have manners again.”
“That is a truly scandalous secret.”
“My mother would be ashamed. But doesn’t it seem that if life is so short, we ought to be able to enjoy a slice of pie without worrying if we are using the right fork or not?”
“A woman, or man for that matter, ought to be able to enjoy a slice of pie with their fingers if they wish. May I take your plate?” He held out his hand. Penny’s only reservation was she didn’t want the moment to end. The pie had been delicious but the company better. Their laughter and conversation had been so easy, so comfortable.
The moment Penny put her plate in his hand and he stepped away with it, a man approached. “A new song should be startin’ up real soon. I . . . I thought you might . . . well, would ya dance with me?”
“Yes. Of course.” She forced a smile. The small man before her had rosy cheeks and a bulbous nose, but his smile was kind. He held out his hand, introduced himself, and led her to the dance floor. His hand was nearly as small as her own.
“I heard you are only in town a few weeks,” he said with a bit of a lisp.
“Yes. It’s a charming city. I’ll be sad to leave it.”
“It’s an all right place. I live a few miles out of town. It’s pretty much just me and my animals. I got four cows, two goats. I got a bunch of chickens. One of the hens hatched some chicks, so I don’t know how many I got. Maybe twenty. Or it could be a few more.” He stepped on her foot. She winced but kept right on dancing. “I might lose a few chicks to hawks or rodents. But with any luck, a few of them will grow and
give me eggs. Every farm needs some good, reliable layers.”
They went around and around the room in much the same fashion. Dull conversation and clumsy feet. When Margaret had suggested dancing, Penny had felt a secret thrill. But if all men in Azure Springs danced like this man did, she’d never make it through the entire night. Her feet would not be able to endure the abuse and her mind would grow numb from the simple chatter.
Looking away from her partner, she watched the other couples. Most of the faces were new to her, but she was able to pick out a few familiar ones. Abraham’s plump arms were around a lovely woman who must be his wife. She recognized several people from the boardinghouse dining hall. Daniel Prewitt danced with a fair-skinned redhead and Marcus Bennett with a brunette. And Eliza Danbury, Abraham’s oldest daughter, who Margaret had pointed out to her but not introduced her to, was dancing with a tall, handsome man she could only assume was her husband. They were a lovely pair despite their solemn faces. Many of the other couples seemed to be having better luck with their partners than she was having. Perhaps the night would improve with time.
She scanned the room looking for Thomas, only to find him still beside the table of food. Several women were near him. The pace of her heart picked up when one of the women put her hand on Thomas’s arm. She scolded herself, remembering that she had no special connections to the man. Sure, she had come to see if he was well, but he didn’t know that. If she were being honest with herself, she’d be forced to admit that she had already done what she came to Azure Springs to do, at least in regard to Thomas. He was well, or at least on his way to being so. Her mind should be at peace knowing as much, but she didn’t want her purpose or her trip to be over. In fact, if she had her way, she’d extend it indefinitely.
When her heart would not slow, she turned her attention back to her partner. A private tutor had coached Penny in etiquette and presentation. “Be attentive and engaged,” she had instructed. Who knew those skills would be utilized in a place and time such as this? Penny counted the moles on his face while she listened to his less-than-stimulating conversation and made sure she nodded occasionally as any good conversationalist should.
Yours Truly, Thomas Page 13
