Harlequin Historical May 2021--Box Set 2 of 2

by Elizabeth Rolls

  “Shoot.” George swallowed his cup of punch in one gulp and set the cup on the coffee table. “I have need for another good midwife in my practice.”

  “Why?” Jenny asked.

  “Because the hospital in town is expensive, many families can’t afford to give birth there.” He shook his head in disgust. “The amount they charge for ether alone is enough to turn people away.”

  Jenny sat straighter. “It’s not necessary, either,” she said. “I believe it’s dangerous.”

  “I agree,” George said. “In some instances, it prolongs the labor, causing problems and issues for everyone. Whenever possible, I encourage people to deliver at home, but I only have one midwife in my practice and we can barely keep up.”

  “I hope you find one,” Jenny said. “And I wish more doctors didn’t use ether so readily. New mothers wake up feeling sick and not knowing if they have a son or daughter, rather than rejoicing in the miracle of birth.”

  “Oh, I agree, dear,” George said. “Couldn’t have said it more perfectly myself.”

  The pride Connor felt as Jenny and George continued to converse was unlike any other. He wasn’t just proud to have her on his arm because she was beautiful. She was that, but also intelligent, compassionate and impressive. He’d been attracted to her, years ago, and now, but he’d never really gotten to know her. There were reasons for that. They’d been young, hadn’t known each other long and they’d both had family issues that they’d kept hidden. They’d both had a lot of growing up to do back then. That had happened and he wondered what that meant for them now.

  “I’ve heard of facilities that put women under as soon as labor begins,” Jenny said.

  “Are you speaking of the Albany Moral Hospitality Institute?” George asked.

  Connor wrapped his hand around Jenny’s, gave it a reassuring squeeze at George’s question and watched her closely as she answered.

  “Yes, I am,” she replied. “You know of it?”

  “Yes, I do,” George said with disgust. “I throw their propaganda straight in the trash. That place needs to be shut down, or at least have a board of directors put in place. Right now, they don’t have to answer to anybody.”

  “What is this institute?” his mother asked. “I’ve never heard of them.”

  Connor caught the way Jenny glanced at him while George answered.

  “A home for unwed mothers.” George shook his head. “A very mismanaged one. They pay doctors to send them patients. I advocate against them with other physicians, but to some, money means more than care.”

  “Do you mean the unwed mothers sent there don’t receive good care?” Mother asked with concern.

  “From what I’ve heard, they don’t get anything close to even adequate care,” George said.

  “Well,” Mother huffed. “Can’t something be done about that?”

  As George shook his head, Connor gave Jenny a smile. “Actually, that is what Jenny has been working on. She knows some of the girls that have been at that particular home, and will be setting an appointment for the girls to meet with Senator Hughes.”

  “Good for you, Jenny,” George said. “That’s exactly what needs to happen. I filed a complaint against them, but it was from hearsay, and that doesn’t hold much weight. The only way real change can happen is for the victims to share their stories.”

  “Victims?” Mother gasped.

  “Yes, victims of mistreatment,” George said. “Can you tell us more, Jenny?”

  “Yes, dear, please tell us more,” Mother said. “Is there anything we can do to help? There must be something.”

  Jenny glanced at him, and her smile wavered slightly before she lifted her chin. “Connor is helping us, me and the girls, in setting up the appointment.”

  “I’m hoping Senator Hughes will meet with Jenny and others this week,” Connor said. “The session is almost over, so we have to act quickly.”

  “Do you need me to call him?” Mother asked. “I have his home number. McCormick donations helped him get elected to his first term years ago.”

  Jenny’s back was stiff, and he realized how much his mother and Jenny were alike. Sweet and kind until you ruffled their feathers and then they fought back. His mother’s gaze was on Jenny, and that’s where his gaze went, too. He was here to help, but she was the one calling the shots. She’d been taking care of herself, her daughter, and many other girls for years and didn’t need him to step in and take over. If he’d have realized that in the beginning, things would have gone a lot smoother.

  She was looking at him, and he smiled. “It’s up to you,” he said. “I don’t see how it could hurt.”

  “I don’t, either.” Looking at his mother, Jenny continued, “But I didn’t come here today to solicit your assistance.”

  “Of course, you didn’t,” his mother answered. “But as sure as you’re sitting there, I’m offering my assistance. And George’s. Now, tell us more about these girls, about their experiences, so I have specifics when I’m talking to Brent Hughes.”

  Jenny, full of gentle, yet compassionate indignation, shared several stories of the conditions and actions at the institute, including the use of dogs to find runaways. Once again, pride for her filled him. These girls truly needed help, and Jenny had been doing that for years.

  Clearly outraged by the time Jenny ended, his mother asked, “Why have I not heard of this before?”

  Her question was directed to him. “I only heard about it a short time ago,” he said. “When I ran into Jenny while selling telephone lines.”

  His mother turned to George. “You never mentioned it to me, either.”

  “The institute is in Albany,” George replied.

  “So?”

  “It’s not as if it comes up in everyday conversations here in Rochester,” George said.

  “Well, it should!” Mother insisted. “Young girls are being treed by dogs when they refuse to give up their babies for adoption. I’ve never heard of such outrageous, insufferable behavior that needs to be stopped.” She turned to him. “Does your brother know about this?”

  Connor shook his head. “Probably not, Mother. As George said, the institute is in Albany. Mick is a Rochester city detective.”

  “Well, it’s happening in our state, in our nation, therefore everyone should know about it, and you can guarantee I will be telling everyone I know to call Brent Hughes immediately.” She pressed a hand to her throat. “Forgive me, Jenny, for sounding so harsh, but this is truly a serious matter and I’m so proud of you to be standing up for these girls. And I want you to know that you are not alone. You have all of our support in any way you need it.”

  “Thank you,” Jenny said, dipping her head in appreciation. “It truly is serious and I do hope the senator is willing to do something about it.”

  His mother leaned across the coffee table and laid a hand on Jenny’s knee. “If he doesn’t, we’ll take it to the governor.”

  Jenny glanced at him.

  He shrugged. “I’m here to help no matter how far up the ladder you want to go.”

  Her smile made his heart skip a beat.

  “I’m so glad you two ran into each other again.” Mother shook her head. “I’m sure it was because he was attempting to sell you a telephone?”

  “Yes, it was,” Jenny answered.

  “He’s been obsessed with them since he was a small child, and his father was so proud of him about that.” She let out a laugh. “Do you know, that at one time, we had ten telephones in this house? Ten! There were phone lines all over the place. I kept tripping on them and said we only needed one phone in this house. Patrick, his father, loved showing off those phones that Connor had designed so much, that I finally had to compromise to four. With the promise that all the lines would be hidden.”

  Connor had to nod in agreement when Jenny glanced his way, sil
ently giggling. “It took my father and me an entire weekend to pull the baseboards off the walls and hide the lines behind them.”

  “Oh, dear, Connor, do you remember all those white feathers the two of you found behind the baseboards?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “White feathers?” Jenny asked.

  “Yes,” Mother said. “Years before that, I’d come home from a church meeting—it was known as the woman’s guild back then—the name is changed every few years when a new leader steps in with newfangled ideas. Anyway, just as I walked up to the front door, I heard screams and then something hit the inside of the front door so hard it rattled. I couldn’t push it open and no one could hear my shouts because they were laughing and squealing so loudly. I ran around the house to the back door and you wouldn’t have believed the mess I saw.”

  Jenny’s face was full of rapture as she asked, “What was it?”

  “Feathers! White feathers everywhere! You see, it had been in the fall of the year, a real cold, blustery day, so the boys couldn’t play outside. Well, Patrick, their father, decided that they should practice sledding down the hill, on the stairway, and because a sled couldn’t go down the steps, he got an old feather tick out of the attic and they all three rode down the stairs on that.”

  Eyes shining, Jenny looked at him.

  He nodded and held up one finger. “We didn’t crash into the door until the fourth or fifth time down the stairs.”

  “But when they did crash into the door, the feather tick exploded!” his mother said.

  “That really was bad timing,” Connor admitted as they all laughed.

  The stories continued for a short time, before he said it was time for them to leave. After promises to call the senator and to do anything that might help, his mother walked them to the door.

  “Jenny, it was so good seeing you,” his mother said. “I’ll start calling people right away, but please come again. Don’t wait for Connor. We don’t need him in order to visit.” She kissed his cheek. “Although I do love to see you, too.”

  Connor kissed his mother’s cheek. “Love seeing you, too.”

  Once in the car, Jenny stared at the house while he backed out of the driveway. “Thank you for attending the wedding, and for helping with the dishes and everything.” Every time he’d looked for her, she’d been in the kitchen until nearly everyone had left.

  She turned, looked at him with a frown, and then shook her head. “No, thank you for bringing me, and I’m sorry that I almost caused an argument between your mother and George.”

  He laughed. “You didn’t almost cause an argument between them. My mother can get worked up easily—George has seen that before.”

  “It was very nice of her to offer to help, but I do wonder if I should have accepted it.”

  “Why?”

  She pressed a hand to her mouth for a moment, then with a long sigh, looked at him with anguish in her eyes. “Do they, or you, really want the McCormick name associated with a home for unwed mothers?”

  He not only saw, but felt her shame, and that bothered him. More than bothered, he hated the idea of her being ashamed of anything. “The shame would be in not helping those girls.”

  She shook her head.

  They’d only driven a couple of blocks, but he pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. Twisting, to look directly at her, he took a moment to study her. “Do you want to know what I see when I look at you, Jenny?”

  Her smile was a bit wistful, a bit compliant, as if she wasn’t about to believe whatever he would say, or maybe just didn’t want to hear it.

  Either way, he was going to tell her. “I see the girl I used to know, the one I had missed and dreamed of seeing again for years, but there is only a hint of that girl and it’s all on the outside, because she grew up. Grew into a beautiful, strong and amazing woman. You had been put in a difficult situation, but rather than give in, you forged ahead, found a way to change things for yourself and continue to change it for others. That is something to be proud of, Jenny. I’m proud of you, very proud, and feel honored to be helping you continue your mission.”

  “It’s not a mission, Connor.”

  “Yes, it is. One by one you’ve changed lives. Not only your own, but others.” He wanted to touch her, pull her into a hug, but that, too, had to be her choice. Oddly enough, he’d not only learned a lot about her the past few weeks, he’d learned a lot about himself. “I’ve never done anything like that.”

  She twisted, stared at him prudently. “You haven’t?” Her laugh was laced with a sigh. “You have the entire town excited by your telephone lines, and you had the railroad tracks fixed. In a heartbeat, I might add. And you are the reason the senator is even willing to listen to us.”

  That was true, but there was more to it. “I own the phone company—stringing lines and selling service to people is my business. The way I make my living. I’m happy people are excited to get a phone, but it’s self-motivated. Expanding my business. As for the railroad tracks. I got high centered on them. Had to push my car off the tracks as a train was coming. Knowing I’d be traveling that road again, I wanted it fixed, so that wouldn’t happen again.” He shrugged. “And the senator, I contacted him because it would give me a reason to keep seeing you. So, again, self-motivation.”

  Her gaze grew thoughtful, and then she frowned. “Why did you feel second best with your father? It didn’t sound like that to me. He was proud of your interest in telephones from the time you were small.”

  He let that lull in his mind for a moment. “Insecurity, I guess. Children want to be loved, want to be special to someone. Even though we are twins, and I’m proud of him, love him, Mick was the first born. Named after my father, the first child of the next generation of McCormicks was destined for greatness. I couldn’t compete with that, so I strove for something unique to gain the extra attention I wanted. I used telephones, but also discovered that I could make people pay attention to me by being funny, joking, happy.” The truth of all that settled heavily. “Even when I didn’t feel happy.”

  “You always appeared so happy,” she said quietly. “Like your life was wonderful.”

  He took hold of her hand. “Some things about my life were wonderful, and being with you has always made me happy.”

  She turned, looked out the windshield, and he wasn’t sure what to do when a single tear trickled from her eye.

  “You made me happy, too, Connor, and you’re right, children want to be loved.” She wiped away the tear. “I haven’t been in Rochester since the day I left.”

  He held his breath, waiting for her to say more, if she wanted to. At one time, he’d wanted to know everything, would have tried to make her tell him. Now, he just wanted to be there for her.

  “I’d thought I was just sick, that I’d eaten something that didn’t settle well, but when my mother found me throwing up, she started questioning me.” She closed her eyes, shook her head. “Afterward, I could hear her and Richard arguing. Then she came into my room, packed a suitcase and said we were going to see a doctor. It was late night when we arrived in Albany. The doctor examined me, confirmed I was pregnant.”

  Anger rose inside him, but he focused on her, not himself, and tightened his hold on her hand.

  The smile she offered him was strained, and wobbled. “She wrote out a check for my care, and told me I’d made my bed, now I had to lie in it. That was the last time I saw her.”

  Words failed him. All he had were actions, and he used them, pulled her into a tight hug, held her as she quietly cried against his chest.

  He would have held her forever, if that had been what she needed, but it wasn’t all that long before she let out a shaky sigh and lifted her head.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I, uh...” She sighed again.

  He placed a knuckle beneath her chin. “Don
’t be sorry. Be proud of what you did after all that. You have a beautiful, wonderful daughter, and many other women have their children because of you.”

  Sitting up straighter, she said, “You’re right.”

  Because humor had been his saving grace many times, he used it again. “Did I just hear you say I was right?”

  She grinned and her eyes glistened. “Yes, you did, but don’t let it go to your head. It’s already too big. Ask Riley.”

  He laughed. “He’s a character.”

  “So are you—you’re very good with children.”

  He winked at her. “I’m just a likeable guy.”

  Giggling, she leaned against the back of her seat and shot him a sideways glance. “I’m not going to say you’re right again.”

  He laughed, and happy that the atmosphere was lighter, brighter, he asked, “It’s still early—is there anywhere you want to go, anything you want to see while we’re in town?”

  Her smile remained, even as she grew thoughtful, almost as if she was releasing ghosts. He hoped so, and he hoped that would help her.

  “How about Franny?” he asked. “I didn’t say how, where, or why, but I did mention to Seth that I’d run into you, and I’m sure he’s told Franny.”

  “Franny,” she said softly.

  Not exactly sure what that meant, he said, “Or I could—”

  The smile she flashed at him stopped him from saying more.

  “All right,” she said.

  Surprised, he glanced her way. “All right?”

  She nodded. “I would like to see Franny. I really would.”

  With a burst of excitement, he started the car. “All right. Off we go.”

  “Do you think they’ll be home?”

  “It’s Saturday and they have four kids—they’re home.”

  “You said one is just a baby?”

  “Yes, born just a couple of months ago.”

  In less than ten minutes, he pulled into the gravel driveway of Seth’s two-story stucco home. Toys dotted the yard and a shaggy-haired dog ran to meet them, barking his personal greeting. “That’s Birdie.”