“I’ll be here for dinner.”
As soon as the water heated to boiling, Elsie concentrated on making a pot of tea. While she did that, Will moved about the kitchen, finding a plate of day-old cookies. He put them on the table in front of her.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He realized her bravado had dwindled away and there were tears in her eyes. Pulling out the chair next to her, he placed one hand over hers.
“Hey. I know what happened today was frightening.”
He felt her fingers stiffen beneath his, but she didn’t pull away.
“I didn’t expect Virgil to go crazy.” Her chin quivered. “I didn’t expect to learn that you are not the man I thought you were. I’m not sure I can just forget about your deceptions. It’s like there’s this part of you that I never knew about.”
He bowed his head, feeling grief-stricken. Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed her fingertips. The ache inside of him was so great he didn’t know what to do with it all. He knew what Elsie would say if he told her about his pain. She’d tell him to bring his worries to the Lord. He sighed. He wasn’t ready to do that, either.
Still holding firmly to her hand, he rested his elbows on the tabletop. “Believe me when I tell you, I never, ever meant for you to get hurt.”
“I know.”
“Let me make this up to you, Elsie.”
He felt her try to work her hand free, and he gently tightened his hold, pulling her to him. Doing the one thing he’d wanted to do since he’d rescued her, he used his free hand to caress her face. Her skin reminded him again of the day they’d met at the train station in Albany, of how he’d picked her stockings up off the rough platform. Those stockings had felt so silky and soft as they threaded through his fingers, slipping into her hands. Now her skin felt silky and soft to his touch. Yet he could feel Elsie slipping away from him. He refused to let her go so easily.
Moving his hand to her chin, he urged her toward him until their lips touched.
Chapter Nineteen
Pushing her hands against the hardness of his chest, she let out a frustrated yelp. “Mr. Benton! You cannot just kiss our problems away.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because I said so.” Pushing away from him and the table, she left her tea and stale cookies and went back to her bedroom.
The next day she got up and went about the usual morning routine, which involved breakfast, filling everyone’s lunch boxes, and heading off to the schoolhouse. Except she spoke only to the children. Leaning against the sink, Will watched out the window as the trio made their way down to the village. He could see Minnie’s mouth moving and Elsie smiling at whatever the little girl said.
Moving away from the window, he set about his day. His first order of business would be seeing to the transfer of Virgil Jensen. Virgil would be leaving on the next train bound for Albany. Since he’d already confessed to his crimes, Virgil would be sentenced and placed in a federal prison. All Will needed to do was sign off on some paperwork and hand him over.
A knock sounded at the front door. He opened it to find Lily Handland standing there, looking as fresh as a daisy. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck. Her blue eyes danced with mischief. Batting her long lashes at him, she smiled.
“Good morning, Lily.”
“Good morning, Will. I just passed Elsie and the children heading for school. How did things go last night?”
Grabbing his hat off the hook on the wall, he replied, “As well as can be expected.” He joined her on the porch.
“I see.”
“Has Virgil signed his confession?”
Accompanying him down the path, she nodded. “He’s all ready for the transfer.” In the next breath, she said, “Elsie seems like a fine woman.”
“Don’t go there, Lily.”
“Why not?”
He slanted a glance at her. “Because I said so.”
“You could make it work with her, you know.”
“I know.”
They came to a stop at the town jail. “Well, let me know if you need my help.”
“Thanks, I’ll be fine.” He’d already been thinking about how he could get back in Elsie’s good graces. Today would be the start of a new beginning with her, and he didn’t care that she was barely speaking to him.
Elsie spent a good portion of the school day working with the children on the travel project. The older students had each picked a place they’d like to travel to and had been gathering information about those locations. The younger students were beginning to learn about history, and Elsie had let them look at the pictures in her travel guide so they could see what lay beyond Heartston. They wanted to know where she’d been. So she told them about traveling by train down to Albany and how she ate oysters and fish from the Hudson River.
One of her older students asked her where she hoped to travel to next, reminding her of how she’d wanted to travel abroad on an ocean liner. Those dreams of adventure seemed like they came from a lifetime ago. Long before she’d met William Benton and his family. How her life had changed over the past few months. Those ambitions now seemed so inconsequential, so trite and so very selfish. Maybe one day she would get there, but for now she would immerse herself in the classroom project.
The week went by, and she fell into a routine, getting up each day to find Will in the kitchen starting breakfast. Every night as promised he returned from his day to be at the dinner table at precisely six o’clock. She didn’t ask where he’d been. On Friday, Will informed her that he would be leaving work early to pick up the children from school. Even if she thought it an odd gesture, she decided not to question his motives. Several times during the week she caught Will and the children with their heads together, whispering.
It was good for them to be spending time together, especially if he decided he’d no longer be needing her services. She realized she had to prepare for that possibility. In low spirits she closed up the school for the weekend and turned to find Amy waiting for her in the school yard.
“Isn’t this a lovely surprise?” She embraced her friend. Pulling back, she noticed that Amy looked to be happy about something.
“I had a telegram from my mother this afternoon. They will be arriving next Sunday!”
“You must be so relieved.”
“Oh, I am! Not that I’ve minded running the bakery in their absence, but land’s sakes I’m tired of getting up before the crack of dawn every morning.”
Amy wandered past Elsie, taking a seat on the steps. Patting the spot next to her, she invited Elsie to join her. “Come sit with me for a few minutes.”
“I should be getting back to the house.” Elsie knew she’d been keeping to herself. She’d been avoiding going into town like the plague. No doubt everyone had been babbling away about Virgil and how he’d held her at gunpoint.
“I’ve been so worried about you. Everyone has.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t stopped in to visit you. I just can’t bear to come to town.” She walked the few short paces back to the staircase.
“I heard Virgil has been taken back to Albany,” Amy said.
Elsie nodded, sitting next to her. “Yes. Will put him on the train on Monday afternoon. I wanted to go and say my piece to Virgil, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do so.”
“Elsie, the man had already put you through enough. You did the right thing by staying away.”
“I suppose. Maybe one day I’ll send him a letter.”
“Why would you do that?”
Shielding her eyes against the sun, she turned to look at her friend. “I don’t like leaving things open-ended.”
“You forgave him before.”
“I tried, and after last week I wished I hadn’t. Virgil has a troubled soul. Perhaps the time in prison will reform him.”
Elsie looked through the dappled sunlight toward the village. She’d missed her normal routine. Harry and Minnie loved stopping by the ba
kery on their way home, and she hadn’t been able to bring herself to walk the short distance for fear she’d be stopped by a well-meaning neighbor or, worse yet, Mr. Moore. The owner of the dry-goods store kept close tabs on the goings-on here in Heartston. She felt certain her escapade had kept him busy. She didn’t think she could abide by any of her neighbors’ sympathies even if they were well-intentioned.
Amy placed her hand over Elsie’s, saying, “I feel terrible about everything that happened to you. You have to know there have been a lot of prayers of thanksgiving said on your behalf.”
A sudden onslaught of tears took Elsie by surprise. She’d thought she was all cried out. “That’s nice to know.”
Swallowing, she blew out an unsteady breath. Then, gathering her strength, she said, “Will has become very attentive. He’s been home every night on time for dinner. And he helps the children with their schoolwork. It’s a wonderful sight to see him working with Harry as he deciphers the arithmetic problems he’s been trying so hard to master. And Minnie reads aloud to Will every night.”
“Elsie, I can see the love you have for them. And I’m not just talking about the children. Any fool can tell just by looking at the way you light up when you mention Will’s name that you love that man.”
She glanced down at her hands. “I’ve been trying hard not to love him.”
Beside her, Amy chuckled. “Perhaps what I’m about to tell you will persuade you. He donated a large sum of money to the church.”
She gasped in disbelief. “How do you know this?”
“The pastor’s wife mentioned it at the last Lord’s Acre Picnic meeting.”
Elsie had been so wrapped up in her own problems that she’d completely forgotten about the meeting. “Oh my, the meeting slipped my mind.”
“No one expected you to be there. Besides, you know that the pastor’s wife may let us think we’re doing things to help when really she runs the show.” Amy laughed.
“That’s this Sunday. The children will be attending their first one.”
Laying a hand on her arm, Amy brought Elsie’s attention back to Will. “Will gave the church a lot of money, Elsie. Enough to make some repairs to the building and buy those new hymnals.”
“That’s very generous of him.”
“I think he did it to impress you.”
“I don’t need to be impressed.”
“You need to make peace with all that happened.”
Nodding, she knew Amy was right. “I’m trying. Truly I am.”
Amy stood, shaking her skirts out. Stepping onto the dirt, she turned to look down at Elsie. Determination etched her face; care and love filled her eyes. “Elsie, I feel in my heart that William Benton is a good man. I think he loves you. True love doesn’t come along very often. Remember that.”
Standing, Elsie hugged her. “Thank you.”
“I’ll see you first thing Sunday morning. The pastor’s wife said she’s arranged for the tables to be set up out in the churchyard tomorrow, so all we’ll need to do is cover them with cloths when we get there.”
“I’ll see you then.” She watched Amy walk to the edge of the school yard, then yelled, “Amy, wait.” Rushing to her, she linked her arm through her friend’s. “I think I’ll walk home through town today.”
As it turned out, even those who tipped their hats to her in greeting or said hello to her as they passed by made no mention of what had transpired. There were no stares of recrimination like she’d expected. Elsie felt silly for worrying over nothing. Coming into the walkway leading to the house, she was surprised to find that Minnie and Harry were not outside enjoying the remains of another gorgeous afternoon.
The silence alarmed her. Rushing up onto the porch, she entered the house out of breath from the exertion. The parlor was empty, too. “Will?” she called out, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.
“We’re in the kitchen,” he answered.
Laying a hand over her heart in relief, she practically ran the last steps to the room. She pulled up short at the sight that greeted her. The kitchen had been transformed. The table had a new flowered cloth covering it. On top of that were four place settings of the finest china Elsie had ever seen. Upon closer inspection, she realized the pattern looked similar to the ones she’d seen adorning the dining tables depicted in the pages of her travel book.
In addition to this, silver place settings and white cloth napkins flanked the dishes. Tall drinking glasses were filled with water. The center of the table held a tall glass vase filled with lovely daisies, Queen Anne’s lace, and shoots of purple lavender.
“Will!” She breathed out his name. “The table looks lovely!”
“Harry and I picked the flowers for you, Miss Elsie,” Minnie informed her.
Harry and Minnie, each wearing their Sunday-best outfits, stood at their seats.
“They’re beautiful!” She clapped her hands together in delight, feeling pride swelling from their smiles. Will hadn’t moved from his position in front of the stove. And then she noticed the savory scent wafting from a pot bubbling on the back burner. Bringing her gaze back to him, she tipped her head to one side, realizing he looked different.
“You look nice all clean-shaven, and your hair . . .”
“Is much shorter,” he finished, brushing his hand over the top of his head. “I decided it was high time I visited the barber shop. I had him shave off my beard, too.” He rubbed his hand along his smooth jaw.
He looked so handsome standing there in his freshly laundered white shirt and black pants. His face looked different, too. Gone were the lines of worry that had bracketed his eyes and mouth for as long as she’d known him. Glancing down at the children, she thought they all looked wonderful. Elsie didn’t know what she’d done to deserve this treat. Her heart swelled with love.
“Harry, you can show Miss Elsie to her seat now.”
Walking around the back of the table, Harry took hold of her hand and led her to her seat at one end of the table. She allowed him to pull out the chair for her.
“My, you are growing up to be quite the gentleman. Thank you, Harry.”
Minnie followed close behind them, and taking the cloth napkin from Elsie’s place setting, she shook the bit of fabric out and laid it across Elsie’s lap.
Elsie drew the little girl close to her side, dropping a kiss on top of her head. “Thank you, Minnie. You did a proper job with the napkin.”
She wondered how long they’d been rehearsing this. Raising her eyes, she found Will watching them. Elsie gave him a brilliant smile, mouthing a thank-you to him. He gave her a slight bow from the waist. Elsie actually found herself giggling like a schoolgirl.
“Harry and Minnie, you can sit at the table, too. I’ll bring the stew over,” Will instructed.
While the children settled themselves, he took a pot holder from the hook on the wall. Lifting the black kettle’s handle, he brought the wonderfully scented meal to the table. He took Elsie’s plate first, dishing out a succulent beef stew with thick, gravy-coated chunks of carrots and potatoes and bite-sized pieces of meat.
“Will, had I known you could cook like this, I would have had you helping out with more of the meals,” she said, teasing him.
Harry and Minnie both giggled.
Will actually looked a bit chagrined. “I’m afraid I must confess I didn’t cook this. I purchased the dinner from the restaurant in town.”
It didn’t matter to her who prepared the meal. What mattered most to her was that Will had gone to a great deal of effort on her behalf. Elsie couldn’t remember the last time anyone had done something so special for her. He finished dishing out the stew until everyone’s plates were filled.
“The china, the silver”—she gulped back the onslaught of emotion filling her—“it’s all so very lovely. Really.”
“I hope you don’t mind I bought the china. It was as close as I could find to the ones pictured in your travel book.”
“You read my book?” she a
sked, surprised.
“I did. I know you had your heart set on taking that big trip. I thought this might cheer you up—I mean to say, help you start to move past what happened.” He stopped speaking.
Elsie’s heart pounded in her chest. She realized he was trying to make amends.
He looked at her. His gaze was so intense, Elsie’s breath caught in her throat.
Quietly, he said, “I thought since we’ll be staying on here that it couldn’t hurt to have some finer things.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth. He wanted to stay with the children. She didn’t know what to make of this. Then his gaze paused on Harry and then Minnie. He nodded. They all folded their hands and bowed their heads.
Following suit, she opened her mouth to begin saying grace, but then stopped when she heard the deep timbre of Will’s voice. Though she knew it wasn’t polite, she lifted her head in wonder.
“Dear Lord, I know it’s been a long time since you’ve heard from me. Even so I ask for your blessings on Harry and Minnie. I thank you for this meal set before us. Most importantly”—he stopped to clear his throat and then continued—“I want to thank you for sending Elsie to us . . . to me. Amen.”
He lifted his head and looked at her. She’d heard the emotion choking his words and now saw the rich brown color of his eyes deepening with emotion. She knew this prayer had not come easily for Will. He’d been battling his faith since the day she met him, and she suspected for a long time before that. She also knew he was seeking her forgiveness. Actions did speak louder than words, and Will had just shown her in both ways that he wanted to become a better man.
Elsie said, “Thank you for saying grace.” Looking at Harry and Minnie, she asked, “Shall we eat this delicious meal?”
Minnie waved her hand in the air. “Wait! Wait! I have to say grace, too.” Folding her hands beneath her chin, her tiny voice filled the room. “Lord, please don’t forget I asked you to make Uncle Will and Miss Elsie happy. And thank you for this food. Amen.”
Elsie dared to look at Will, who upon closer inspection did not seem at all surprised by Minnie’s prayer. Frowning, she wondered if he had anything to do with this.
A Changed Agent Page 20
