by Delia Parr
“Unfortunately, I’m fairly limited in what I can tell you about his condition, since he’s not a member of your family. His sister is quite adamant that I not discuss any aspect of her brother’s treatment or the nature of his illness with anyone.”
Emma set down the snow-filled cloth, unhappy that she had not thought to be concerned that Mr. Burke’s illness might spread to anyone else. “At the very least I should be told if his illness is contagious. I’ve had many guests staying here. I have a staff—”
“Rest assured, the man’s illness poses no risk to anyone but himself.”
“How can you be so sure?” she demanded as the faces of her Hill House family flashed through her mind. “I need to know why you’re so sure.”
He clenched his jaw for a moment. “I lanced an infection in his foot. Unfortunately, that infection has spread throughout his body.”
“I see,” she murmured and recalled how Lester Burke had begun to favor his deformed foot shortly after arriving at Hill House, how she had found blood stains in the hallway upstairs, and how Mr. Lewis had come to her worried about the man’s health.
“I can’t tell you any more than that. In fact, I’ve probably said more than I should, but I believe I can rely on you to hold what you know in strict confidence.” He paused to clear his throat. “I also feel compelled to warn you of what lies ahead, at least for the next few days.”
Skin prickles covered her arms and traveled up the back of her neck. Her heart began to pound. “Is this infection that serious?”
Dr. Jeffers nodded, his eyes growing very sad. “I’ve done all I can, but I’m afraid Mr. Burke’s condition is now irreversible.”
Her eyes widened. “Irreversible? Are you absolutely certain?”
He drew in another long breath. “There’s little to be done now except to see that he is kept as comfortable as possible. He’s dying, Widow Garrett.”
She caught her breath and held it for a moment, unable to fully process what he had just told her. Orralynne’s fears were real after all. Her brother was dying.
“You mentioned on your way here that you’d be alone for the next few days until the other members of your staff return,” he said.
“Mr. Lewis is here during the day, and I have Ditty with me,” she managed.
“I’ll stop each day, as well.”
She nodded, but all she could think about was that Lester Burke was dying. That poor wretched, unhappy man was dying.
31
LIKE AT BIRTH, THE TIME OF anyone’s death is a mystery known only to the Creator.
Only the gentle sounds of hushed footsteps and quiet whispers could be heard within the walls of Hill House for the next two days as the body of Lester Burke grew weaker and his soul yearned to begin the final journey Home.
On Thursday morning, while Reverend Austin waited in the east parlor with Mr. Lewis, Emma escorted Dudley Larimore to the library. She rapped on the door just as the grandfather clock struck the nine-o’clock hour.
Orralynne opened the door, greeted her brother’s lawyer with only a solemn nod, and stepped aside to let him enter.
“The doctor will be here later this afternoon again, but Reverend Austin is here. He wanted me to ask you—”
“Please don’t ask again. I’ve told you. My brother said no. No minister. Just the lawyer and the doctor,” she said and shut the door.
Emma sighed, deferring to the Burkes’ wishes again, although she kept praying Lester Burke would change his mind about seeing the minister before dying. She had not been able to convince Miss Burke to let them move her brother into a guest room where he might be more comfortable and Orralynne would definitely have more room to care for him. Emma had also failed to change Orralynne’s mind about refusing to let Emma or anyone else sit with the dying man to relieve Orralynne, as women traditionally did for one another.
As she walked back to the parlor, however, Emma was troubled most by her failure to help Reverend Austin minister to Mr. Burke before his passing.
With his gaze hopeful, the minister stood up the moment Emma entered the parlor.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Not today.”
He let out a sigh. “I’ll come back again tomorrow. Should Mr. Burke send for me, I’ll return. Day or night.”
“Thank you. Let me help you get your coat,” she offered.
“You look tired, Emma. Take care of that eye of yours,” he urged. “Why don’t you sit a spell with Mr. Lewis? I can get my things and let myself out,” he insisted and took his leave.
She sat down on the end of the settee closest to the fire, where Mr. Lewis was standing with one hand resting on the mantel. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked.
She chuckled softly. “If you bring any more firewood to the side porch, I’m afraid it might collapse. The sun has melted what little snow was left on the walkway you shoveled across the front yard and off the patio, as well as the front porch. I can’t possibly think of anything you might get for me at the General Store. So unless you can think of a way I could be rid of the bruise on my eye, perhaps with a bit of paint, I should think you deserve a free afternoon.”
Although the swelling had gone down, she still sported a bruise the same deep shade of purple as the violets that used to grow in her grandmother’s garden. She also knew, as the mother of three active boys, the bruise would soon become a kaleidoscope of garish yellows and blues that would eventually fade—but not before Mother Garrett returned home.
“I wish I could help,” he replied. “At times like this, I find it easier if I keep busy.”
“Your portraits are done, then?”
“Only Mr. Burke’s. I still have some work to do on his sister’s,” he said and glanced down at the fire. “You’ve been unusually accommodating to the Burkes, as well as to me and so many others displaced by the tragedy in town.”
She stared at her lap and pondered his words aloud. “When I bought this property and restored it, I prayed Hill House would be a special place, a source of comfort and hope to travelers and a home filled with contentment for myself and those who depend on me,” she said. “For most, I believe Hill House has been that special place, but I fear I’ve failed some of my guests, like the Burkes.”
“How so?” he asked. “From all I’ve observed, you’ve done everything they’ve demanded of you.”
“To a point,” she countered. “I didn’t precisely leap at the opportunity to offer them a place to stay when they first needed one. I’m afraid I needed a lot of convincing, mostly from myself,” she admitted.
“Despite my rather pleasant experiences with them, I’ve heard and seen enough to know how uncommon that is. Most people I’ve encountered have nothing good to say about the Burkes.”
“Unfortunately that’s true.”
“Then why did you bring them to Hill House? You’d already taken in so many others.”
She looked up at him. “Because they had nowhere else to go. I felt if I didn’t offer them a place to live, my hopes and dreams for Hill House would shatter with hypocrisy, along with my faith.”
He pressed his lips together and narrowed his gaze for a moment. “Have you considered what you’ll do if you lose Hill House?” he asked, reminding her that he had become one of a very few people who knew the secret about her legal problems.
She swallowed hard. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”
“But you’d stay in Candlewood.”
She blinked hard. “Stay? Of course. Candlewood is my home. I’m not sure where I’ll live or what business venture I’ll pursue, but I’d never consider leaving this area. What are your plans?” she asked. “Will you continue to stay with us here at Hill House for a spell?”
“Only long enough to finish Miss Burke’s portrait.” He paused and smiled at her. “I’ve been meaning to head south to Pennsylvania to visit with relatives and take care of some pressing family matters. I’m thinking that now might be a good time to do that. I’ll stay he
re, of course, through the . . . through the funeral, most especially because I wouldn’t want you to go through all this alone. Unless you think your family might return within the next day or so.”
She shook her head. “I have no way of knowing exactly when they’ll be back. The weather has warmed and cleared so well, I suspect they might prolong their visit at most until Saturday. Reverend Glenn assured me they would all be home in time for church on Sunday,” she replied.
“Widow Garrett?”
Startled by the sound of another man’s voice, she turned. Mr. Larimore was standing just outside the parlor in the center hallway. She rose immediately. “You’re leaving already?”
“I have several errands and paper work to prepare.”
“Is Mr. Burke resting comfortably?”
“I didn’t see the man today. Miss Burke is my client, too. I came to see her. I should be back within an hour or two,” he said curtly, turned, and let himself out the front door.
Puzzled all through dinner by the question of why Orralynne needed the services of a lawyer, Emma got no answer from Mr. Larimore when he had returned later that afternoon. Or when he summarily left after spending an hour with his client. Mr. Lewis rode back into town with the lawyer to save himself a long walk, but she doubted the lawyer would tell the artist much of anything, either.
To keep busy, Emma sat on one side of the dining room table with Ditty on the other, a bolt of black bunting spread between them. It was a sad but necessary task to make mourning drapes for the front porch and door.
Hill House was not Mr. Burke’s home, but with his cottage still waiting to be repaired, Hill House would be the home where he spent his final hours on this earth. Hill House would also be where Orralynne would receive mourners before they carried her brother to the cemetery and laid him to rest.
Surrounded by the sadness she carried in her heart, Emma worked with Ditty without sharing a conversation, each of them lost to their individual memories of other times when they had used the long, sorrowful hours waiting for the death of loved ones, friends, and neighbors in much the same way.
When a knock at the front door interrupted them, Ditty started to get up, but Emma waved her back into her seat. “I’ll go. It’s probably Dr. Jeffers,” she said and hurried to let him inside.
When she opened the front door, Dr. Jeffers was there, but he was not alone.
“Mrs. Massey asked if she might ride with me to visit with Miss Burke, with her husband’s blessing,” he explained as he held the very pregnant woman by the arm.
Zachary Breckenwith tipped his hat and smiled. “I only returned home this morning. I came as soon as I heard.”
Both surprised and elated, Emma ushered them into the house and stored their winter garments on the oak rack. She nodded to Zachary. “While I take Dr. Jeffers and Mrs. Massey to the library, why don’t you warm up by the fire in the parlor. I won’t be long,” she promised.
When Orralynne opened the library door this time, her expression brightened the moment she saw Judith Massey. “I was so hoping you’d come, but I didn’t dare think you’d venture back here,” she said and opened the door wider.
The doctor entered immediately, but Judith turned to Emma first and smiled. “My husband will be coming for me in a few hours so I can spend the afternoon with Miss Burke. I hope that’s not an inconvenience.”
Touched by the young woman’s goodness, Emma blinked back a tear. “I’ll fix supper to save you the bother, and you and your husband can eat with us before you go home. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you all in the meantime.”
Judith nodded. When she took a step to go into the library, she stopped and pressed her hand at the base of her spine for a moment.
“Are you all right?” Emma asked.
“I’m fine. It’s just a little twinge in my back. I’ve been sitting too much today,” she said with a weary smile before she entered the room and closed the door.
As she walked back down the hallway, Emma silently said a prayer offering praise and thanksgiving to Him for sending Judith to Hill House.
She found Zachary Breckenwith facing the fire in the parlor. “I was hoping you’d outridden the storm.”
He turned around and grinned at her. “I fared well, although it appears you were less fortunate.”
She blushed and gently touched the bruise on her face. “I’m afraid I’ll live to be ninety but still not outlive this tale.”
“And I hope to be with you to hear it,” he murmured, his gaze softening. “For now, I thought perhaps I could help you. I understand this is an especially difficult time, particularly for the Burkes.”
“Come. Sit with me. There’s so much I need to tell you,” she offered.
He spent the next hour with her, listening, talking, and offering her the understanding and support she had longed for him to give. When she finished, he shook his head. “I’m terribly sorry. When I asked you to have the Burkes move here temporarily, I never thought it would end like this.”
“No one could have known,” she argued. “The poor man has had trouble with that foot since birth, but who would have thought that foot would one day be the instrument that would lead to his death?”
He narrowed his gaze. “Has Dr. Jeffers offered any explanation of what happened? Until now, Lester Burke has enjoyed reasonably good health, I believe, despite the defect in his foot.”
“The doctor is bound by the same ethics as you are,” she reminded him. “Since I’m not a member of the family, he can’t and won’t offer any explanation. He only told me enough to satisfy my concerns that Mr. Burke’s illness wouldn’t spread to anyone else. I’m hoping he’ll speak with me again before he leaves today, though.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Pray. For Lester and his sister,” she suggested. “I’m so worried about what will happen to her after her brother dies. She met with Mr. Larimore yesterday.”
“Indeed?”
“He wasn’t one of the lawyers on the list you gave me,” she noted with a bit of a smile.
“He’s handled Mr. Burke’s legal affairs for some time now. He’ll do well enough for Miss Burke. Did you perhaps have a change of mind while I was gone and engage the services of a lawyer to represent you?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I haven’t needed one. The owner of Hill House hasn’t shown up on my doorstep yet.”
He drew in a long breath. “Then I suppose my question should be whether or not I should expect to once again represent your interests.”
She smiled, knowing full well his true question was whether or not she was willing to consider his proposal. “I think not.”
His smile touched her heart, easing the heavy burden of sadness she had been carrying for many days now.
When Dr. Jeffers entered the parlor, she and Zachary Breckenwith both stood up. “How is your patient?” she inquired.
“Which one?” he asked, looking a bit frazzled.
“Is Miss Burke ill now, too?” Emma asked, worried that the poor woman had finally collapsed from the strain of caring for her brother for so long.
“No, but as you might expect, she’s quite overwrought. Her brother has slipped into a coma, a circumstance she has allowed me to share with you. I’m afraid I had to tell her not to expect she’ll have the opportunity to speak with him again, although it’s not entirely impossible that he could rouse for a moment or two.”
He paused and took a deep breath. “Mrs. Massey, on the other hand, is about to deliver her babe.”
Emma clapped her hand to her heart and remembered Judith had complained of back pain. “She’s not due for some weeks yet. Now? She’s going to deliver now?”
“Soon. Very soon. I need to ask if there’s a room downstairs where she might be more comfortable giving birth. It would be better for Mr. Burke, as well, if she didn’t remain in the library.”
Emma’s mind raced ahead to all that needed to be done. “Reverend Glenn’s room is next
to the kitchen. We need to send for the midwife. And summon Mr. Massey!”
“I saw Mrs. Freeman late yesterday. She said she’d been called out to the Radcliff farm and didn’t expect to be back in town for several days.” He paused for a moment and grinned. “She also didn’t expect the Massey babe to make an early entrance into the world,” he added.
Zachary Breckenwith started toward the hallway. “I’ll get Mr. Massey.”
“I’ll show you the room, and we’ll enlist Ditty’s help along the way,” Emma suggested as her emotions shifted yet again from sadness to utter excitement and joy before descending into worry. She prayed that the sad history of Hill House might not be repeated again this night.
32
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, the birth of a newborn child is always a miracle. This night the birth of the Massey baby was a beacon of God’s goodness that multiplied the miracle of his birth many times over.
Isaac Jeremiah Orrin Massey, named to honor both Reverend Glenn and Orralynne Burke, entered this world at candlelighting on Thursday evening, just as the chill of early evening chased the last rays of sunshine over the horizon. A fine-boned boy, with tiny wisps of dark, curly hair atop his head, he had a good strong pair of lungs he used to announce his unexpected arrival.
To add to that miracle, Judith Massey had safely delivered her first child. Though she was exhausted from the rigors of a hard but short labor, she was recovering quite to the doctor’s complete satisfaction. She also put to rest, once and for all, the sad history that had haunted Hill House since it had been built.
Still, the miracles continued, gently flowing through the hearts and spirits of all who tempered their joy this night with the sorrow of Lester Burke’s impending death.
After tapping on the door and announcing herself, Emma slipped back into the room where the miracle of birth had just taken place several hours ago. By the gentle light of an oil lamp, she could see Judith had finally fallen asleep, her face still aglow with contentment and happiness. Her husband was due back shortly, after returning to their home to pack a bag for them since they would be staying at Hill House again for a few days until Judith was strong enough to travel.
