by Terrie Todd
Maggie watched as Reuben picked up the Bible and expertly turned right to the passage he wanted, then read it aloud.
“‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’” Reuben placed the emphasis on the word all, then read the verse through one more time for good measure. He placed the Bible back where it had been. “First John, one nine.”
The three of them sat quietly for several minutes.
“I’ve done that,” Charlotte said. “Confessed everything. But I still felt I needed forgiveness from the two of you. And from my parents. And Reginald.”
“In time, Charlotte,” Reuben said gently. “As God gives you the opportunity, you can make amends with those you need to. For now, you can have peace knowing you’ve done everything you can.”
“I really do want what’s best for my son. But how do we know what that is?”
“What does your heart tell you?”
Charlotte sat quietly for a bit, then spoke softly. “Darcy needs his mother.” She looked out the window. “But he also needs a loving home, with two parents. I can’t offer him that. Not yet.”
A nurse came in to inform them that visiting hours were over. Maggie walked closer to Charlotte’s bed and laid a hand on the girl’s arm. “Things will work out. Get some rest.”
Reuben smiled. “We’ll come back tomorrow.”
The drive to the Flannigans’ home was a quiet one. After he parked the car, Reuben walked Maggie to the door. “That went rather well, I thought.”
“Time will tell, I guess,” Maggie said. “If it were up to me, I’d say Charlotte should keep that little tyke.”
Reuben raised his eyebrows. “I’m shocked, Maggie Marshall.”
“But even if she can’t, he shouldn’t go to his new family empty-handed.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’d like to pick up a few baby things in the morning. Just essentials.”
Reuben grinned. “You are just full of surprises.”
Maggie simply shrugged. “Hope you get a good sleep tonight. And thanks. For everything.”
Reuben nodded and opened the door for her, then stepped back. As he headed to his car, Maggie spoke her parting words in a voice too quiet for him to hear.
“You’re a good man, Reuben Fennel.”
CHAPTER 22
Charlotte couldn’t sleep. She was certain the baby she heard crying nonstop was Darcy, and her breasts ached. A nurse had taught her how to express the milk to relieve the pain, but it wasn’t enough. Hearing her tiny son’s cry broke her heart, but she didn’t dare mention it lest they move her to a different ward. She’d rather hear him crying than not be near him at all.
She sat up. Was it her imagination, or were his cries getting louder? They sounded closer. Then her door opened, and a nurse walked in, carrying the ravenous boy in her arms.
“We’ve tried everything,” she said. “He will not accept the bottle, and he’s keeping all the other babies and their mothers awake. That’s some set of lungs on this kid.”
Charlotte couldn’t believe her eyes, but she wasn’t going to question what was happening. She reached out for Darcy and soon had him nursing greedily, not just to his great relief, but also to her own.
“Are you going to be in trouble?” she asked.
“Perhaps,” the other woman said. “But I’m head nurse on this shift, and for everybody’s sake, this is the best call to make in the moment.”
Charlotte knew her eyes must be glistening with unshed tears when she looked up. “Thank you.”
The nurse just smiled and patted Charlotte’s leg. “I’ll be back to get him in a little while.”
Charlotte studied the perfect little boy in her arms. Who was to say what was best for him? Clearly, in this moment, the best thing for him was his mother’s milk. It didn’t take any great education or special wisdom to know that. Why, he knew it himself!
Once he was full, he settled into a peaceful sleep, and Charlotte prayed the nurse wouldn’t come back to take him for a long time.
Cradling him in her arms, she agonized over her dilemma. What was she going to do? Surely her parents could not force her to give this child up. Once they met him, they would fall in love with their grandchild too. They just had to! Her older sister, Helen, was married and had two children. Although her parents didn’t go overboard with displays of affection, Charlotte knew they loved little Ricky and Beth. Charlotte figured she just needed to ensure they had the opportunity to meet Darcy. He would win them over.
“God,” she prayed. “Thank you again for forgiving me for my sins. Thank you for this beautiful little boy. Please don’t let them take him away from me. Please.”
She was dozing off when the nurse came to collect Darcy. As soon as they were gone, she snuggled down and slept soundly until daylight.
Maggie was shocked when she walked into Charlotte’s room during visiting hours the next afternoon. The baby was resting in her arms, and there was a smile of complete serenity on the girl’s face.
“What’s this?” Maggie asked. “I stopped by the nursery and they said I’d find Darcy here, with you.”
Charlotte looked up, all smiles. “I’m feeding him again. They couldn’t get him to take a bottle and were worried he was getting dehydrated.”
The arrangement seemed most peculiar to Maggie, but she didn’t have the heart to charge over to the nurses’ station and start demanding answers. If it turned out that she and Reuben were taking both Charlotte and Darcy with them back to Winnipeg, it would certainly solve the feeding issue. And if he were left behind . . . Maggie couldn’t bring herself to think about it.
“Did a little shopping this morning.” Maggie opened the bag at her feet and pulled out a half dozen baby nightgowns, a dozen diapers, and some soft flannel blankets.
Charlotte gasped. “Oh, Mrs. Marshall!” She ran her free hand over the tiny garments. “You didn’t have to do this!”
“I know. But I figured—whichever way this goes, we can’t very well have this little nipper going about naked, can we? He needs a few things of his own.”
Charlotte’s face glowed as she smiled at Maggie. “Thank you so much.”
Maggie took the baby from Charlotte and cuddled him. She wasn’t sure she’d ever held such a tiny baby before, and the softness of him almost took her breath away.
“Where’s Reverend Fennel?” Charlotte asked, still admiring the baby things.
“Helping out the preacher who found us a place to stay. His church is holding a Red Cross fund-raiser today.”
“I suppose he’s more comfortable there than here.” Charlotte smiled.
“Feels more useful, too.”
“He sure seems like a good man. Is his wife all right with him coming here?”
“Reuben isn’t married.” Maggie shifted Darcy so she could kiss his soft cheek. He kept his eyes closed but made tiny puppy squeaks at the disturbance. “Oh, you precious little thing, you.”
She hoped Charlotte hadn’t heard. But when she looked up, she knew she’d been caught in her tender moment. The girl was grinning, but said nothing. In fact, she quickly looked away and aimed her gaze out the window. Maggie was grateful.
“Has he ever been married?”
“Who?” Maggie knew full well Charlotte was still on the topic of Reuben Fennel, but felt the need to reestablish her tough exterior. “Oh, the reverend, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“Not as far as I know.”
“Isn’t he kind of old not to be married?” Charlotte folded the baby clothes back into the bag.
“If he’s old, I suppose I am as well. He was a year ahead of me in school, so that would make him about thirty-three, I guess.”
Charlotte looked up. “Really? You knew each other when you were children?”
“Oh, sure. Went to the same church all our growing-up years. Same school for part of that time.”
“What was he like?”
Charlotte sat back against her pillows.
“Same as now, I guess. Nice. Different from the other boys.” Darcy squirmed, and Maggie stood and began to sway slowly. “Why all the interest in the reverend?”
Charlotte picked up a hairbrush from her side table and began to brush her hair. “He was awfully kind to me yesterday. Like a pastor should be, you know? I went to church with my parents all my life, but we didn’t have a minister like Reverend Fennel.”
“He’s one of the good ones, all right.” Maggie focused her gaze on Darcy again.
“My pastor was the one who advised my parents to send me away.” Charlotte lowered her voice to sound like a man. “‘The church does not need this shame,’ he told us. He said if we didn’t keep it a secret, we would not be welcome to return. That our family had a duty to uphold its upstanding reputation and that other girls looked to me to set an example.” Charlotte let out a snort. “Imagine. Me, an example.”
Maggie studied the girl’s face. “So deceit is the answer?”
Charlotte returned her brush to the table and lay back again. “Doesn’t seem right, does it?”
Maggie continued to hold the baby after Charlotte dozed off. Her thoughts turned to Reuben. Charlotte made a good point. Why wasn’t the man married? He’d make some woman a good husband. Some woman who knew how to be a good wife, and a good pastor’s wife to boot. Maybe those kinds of women were even harder to come by than men like Reuben were.
A nurse came to collect the baby, and Maggie followed her out to the nurses’ station. She watched through the nursery window as they laid Darcy in a bassinet alongside half a dozen other babies. He looked so tiny and alone, and she felt a dull ache forming in her chest. What would become of him? Did the adoption agency back home already have a family picked out for him? She didn’t know. Would Charlotte’s parents want to keep him if they had the chance to see him?
Nurse Dobson approached her. “Good news, Mrs. Marshall. Charlotte’s doctor has agreed to release her early, under the circumstances. He says she and the baby are doing fine, and you can plan on taking her home Monday.”
“That is good news. Thank you.” The rush of gratitude and relief surprised Maggie.
“I apologize about the baby’s feedings. Do you want us to try again?”
Maggie shook her head slowly. It occurred to her that if Charlotte’s parents had any influence at all, she would never host another unwed mother again. She’d first breached their trust by letting the girl get away. Now the child had been born far from where he was supposed to be born, and the adoption authorities were completely unaware. Furthermore, she’d taken a road trip with a man who was not her husband and would be dragging Charlotte into the impropriety of it all for the ride home. There was no point in trying to salvage the situation now.
“No. Let’s just leave things as they are,” she said. “Let her nurse her baby.”
CHAPTER 23
Reuben let the hood of the Plymouth drop into place with a thud. Fresh oil and other fluids, a tank of gas. Air in the tires. The trip home would be much different with Charlotte and Darcy along, and he didn’t want to take any foolish chances. He’d also stocked up on jugs of drinking water, a bag of apples, and a box of crackers. Just in case.
“All aboard?” He surveyed the car’s interior. Charlotte and the baby had taken over the backseat. Maggie tapped her foot in the front.
“All except you. C’mon! We’re burning daylight.”
Reuben climbed in behind the wheel and started the engine. “It’s going to be a scorcher today.”
“All the more reason for us to hit the road early. Too bad they wouldn’t let you go any earlier this morning, Charlotte.”
Reuben and Maggie had attended Pastor Cooper’s church together on Sunday morning, then spent the remainder of the day visiting Charlotte and Darcy at the hospital. Leaving the baby in the nursery, they’d walked Charlotte around the grounds of the hospital and enjoyed a picnic on the lawn, at her doctor’s suggestion. This morning, the color was back in her cheeks and she appeared happy to be traveling. Reuben knew this scene would look much different had they not been taking Darcy with them.
Reuben headed west out of Fort William and sped up as much as he dared when he reached the dusty gravel of the main road. It hadn’t rained the entire time they’d been gone. Now that they were headed home, he allowed himself to think about his congregation. He prayed that no more soldiers from his flock were missing, killed, or maimed since he left. He wondered what Deacon Ellis had preached about the day before and hoped that he’d managed to challenge the people without wounding their hearts or loading false guilt on their heads. He knew that’s exactly what would happen if Elder Mitchell ever took a turn in the pulpit, and hoped that day never came. The man believed in strict adherence to the rules at all cost. The problem was, the only one who seemed to know what “the rules” were was Elder Mitchell.
“I’ve been thinking about something ever since you two arrived at the hospital,” Charlotte said from the backseat. “How did you know where I’d gone? What made you look for me in Fort William?”
Reuben could feel Maggie’s eyes on him before she opened her mouth. “You gonna tell her, or should I?”
“Tell me what?” Charlotte asked.
“As you know,” Maggie began when Reuben remained silent, “the reverend here talks to God. But did you know God talks to him too?”
“Really? God told you where I was?” Reuben could see the girl’s big eyes in his rearview mirror.
“Not . . . exactly. Not directly,” Reuben began. How to explain it? “I just get these—I don’t know, dreams or visions once in a while. I get direction. In this case, I knew you were getting off the train at Fort William. But that’s all I knew. I had no idea why.”
“So then, how did you end up at the hospital?”
Maggie piped up. “The stationmaster who was there when you arrived helped us put two and two together, although we still weren’t a hundred percent certain it was your trail we were following, until we found your room and that ugly old blue sweater of yours.”
“Hey, I like that sweater.”
“Well, you won’t need it today, that’s for sure.” Maggie fanned her face. “How’s that little squirt doing back there?”
“Good. He’s starting to wake up. Probably due for a feeding before too long, but we’ll be fine.”
They rode in silence awhile, Reuben keeping his eyes on the road. The lush woods of northern Ontario were far easier to enjoy today than they’d been through the fog during the drive out. Every now and then, a deer appeared at the edge of the trees, then scampered out of sight. Rabbits, porcupines, and gophers all made appearances too.
As the day went on, the car got hotter. Charlotte spoke up again.
“Why have I been smelling skunk all day?”
Reuben and Maggie exchanged a grin. “Be glad it’s not worse,” he said. “We hit one on our way out.”
Maggie was scribbling on the back of an envelope with a pencil, using her purse as a desk. “What are you working on there?” Reuben asked her.
“Menu ideas for next week. If I don’t hurry and get the restaurant open again, I won’t have any customers left. Thought I’d get started now so I can hit the ground running when we get there. Speaking of skunks.”
Reuben slowed, looking around. “Where?”
“Not here. In my restaurant.”
“You’re serving skunk in the restaurant?” Charlotte called out from the backseat. “I’ve never heard of anything so—”
“No, no, no. I was just thinking of my new business partner.” Maggie kept her eyes on her list.
“What new business partner?”
Maggie half-turned in her seat and explained the situation to Charlotte. “So you see, it appears I may have a new, unwanted partner that I don’t know how to get rid of. Like a bad case of skunk stink.”
Reuben thought about Maggie’s dilemma. If Earl Marshall was really a skunk, as Maggie s
eemed to think, he wanted to help her get free of him. But how? And if Earl really wasn’t as bad as Maggie thought, maybe the best thing Reuben could do was help her give him the benefit of the doubt . . . which in turn would be a benefit to her, in the long run.
As the hot day dragged on, each traveler remained lost in his or her own thoughts. Midafternoon, they stopped in Dryden for a light meal and then carried on with their journey, this time with Maggie at the wheel and Charlotte in the front with the baby. Reuben noticed that the two of them were now talking more, but they kept the conversation light. It seemed no one wanted to bring up the topic of Darcy’s future.
Reuben was just dozing off when the car started to slow down. Maggie managed to steer it over to the shoulder before it ground to a halt. Steam was rising from under the hood.
“Oh no.” He jumped out of the car, and by the time he got the hood up, Maggie was at his side.
“What happened?” she asked. “I wasn’t going too fast or anything. Are we out of gas?”
“No. Overheated, most likely.” Reuben waved his hat over the top of the engine.
“So . . . we just sit and wait until it cools down?” Maggie asked.
“I don’t know. There could be something else wrong.” Reuben rolled up his sleeves, knowing in his heart he had no idea what might be wrong with the car or how to fix it. He poked at the various parts, wiggled tubes, and jiggled anything that would budge.
Charlotte climbed out of the car, Darcy resting in her left arm. “Any idea what the problem is?”
“I don’t suppose you know anything about cars.” Maggie took the baby from Charlotte.
“Not even how to drive one. How far are we from the nearest town?”
Reuben sighed. “I’m afraid the nearest town was the one we had lunch in, and that was more than an hour back. Sorry, ladies. It’s been some time since this thing has been properly serviced. Why don’t you try to get comfortable in that shady spot over there?”
“What are you gonna do?” Maggie asked.
“Pray. Feel free to do the same.”
