Julia's Last Hope

by Janette Oke

  After several moments Julia heard the footsteps continue on.

  Julia wasn’t sure how to plan for dinner. Would the couple like company? Should the family join them? Or would they prefer the serenity of being alone?

  During the Hammonds’ visit, the twins had eaten in the kitchen and Julia and John had taken their meal in the dining room after the guests finished. But the Hammonds had been a family of five. They had almost filled the table themselves. Mr. and Mrs. Williams would not do so. Should the Harrigans join them? Julia pondered the question. She finally decided that the guests, at least for their first meal, should be served alone.

  Mr. and Mrs. Williams appeared at the dining room door promptly at seven. Jennifer was given the task of serving the table. Julia oversaw the meal from the kitchen, and Felicity began clean-up at the big kitchen sink.

  “She sure doesn’t eat much,” Jennifer said on a trip to the kitchen.

  “I noticed that,” replied Julia.

  “Do you think she doesn’t like our food?” asked Felicity.

  “She keeps saying ‘this is so good’ and ‘that is delicious,’ ” said Jennifer, “but she doesn’t even eat it. Just takes a bite or two and lets the rest sit on her plate.”

  “Perhaps she doesn’t have a very big appetite,” Julia commented. “She does seem rather frail. Maybe she has been ill.”

  “He eats well,” said Jennifer. “He had two helpings of everything.”

  “Good,” Julia responded. “He is very thin. He needs to put on some weight.”

  Jennifer disappeared to clear the table and returned a moment later with a frown on her face.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Julia.

  “She asked how long I have been working here. When I told her I live here, she said ‘poor child’ and patted my arm. Then she said she did hope it wouldn’t be too long until I’d be able to leave. What did she mean, Mama?”

  “I have no idea,” said Julia.

  “Did her husband know what she meant?” asked Felicity.

  “I—I don’t know. I had the feeling he was trying to—to hurry her. He suggested a walk in the garden for some fresh air. He asked me for permission. When I told him to go right ahead, she patted my arm again and said, ‘Such a nice, sweet girl. I’ll talk to the people in charge.’ And he hurried her away.”

  “That’s strange,” said Felicity.

  Julia agreed, but she said nothing to the girls.

  “If they have finished eating, clear the table and reset it,” she instructed Jennifer. “Felicity, go call your papa from the garden. We will have our dinner now.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Strangers

  The next morning when Julia came down the stairs, Mrs. Williams was sitting in the hall studying the painting of the quiet stream and the children.

  “It is so peaceful,” she murmured with a sweet smile flickering on her lips.

  “Yes,” agreed Julia. “Yes, it is.” Julia’s eyes shifted to the hall clock. “My, you are up early,” she continued. “Were you unable to sleep?”

  “Sleep?” asked the woman. “Oh no, I don’t sleep. James sleeps. He sleeps for both of us. I don’t sleep now.”

  “I see,” said Julia. “Would you like a cup of tea or coffee while you wait for your breakfast?”

  The elderly woman took on the look of a child being offered a forbidden treat. “Oh, could I?” she whispered, glancing around as if expecting someone to spoil their plan.

  “Certainly,” said Julia. “It will take just a few minutes. Would you like me to bring it to the parlor or into the dining room?”

  “I thought you meant with you,” the frail woman said with some disappointment.

  Julia recovered quickly from her surprise. “If you’d like to come to the kitchen, that would be fine,” she offered.

  “I just love kitchens,” she giggled like a schoolgirl. “So—so cozy with the fire burning.”

  Julia offered an arm.

  “They’ll never know, will they?” the elderly woman chuckled. She took Julia’s arm eagerly and tottered along to the kitchen.

  She is frail, Julia observed. And confused. She must have been very ill. I must speak to the girls. We will all need to be patient and kind with her.

  Julia seated her guest in a kitchen chair at the gingham-covered table and hastened to start the morning tasks. She had just added wood to the fire when the back door opened and Hettie entered. Her eyes widened for an instant at the sight of their guest. Then she smiled and set to work on breakfast muffins.

  “Mrs. Williams wanted to join us in the kitchen,” Julia explained. “What would you like, Mrs. Williams? Tea or coffee?”

  “Oh, I’m not allowed coffee,” the woman said. “It’s not good for my—for my something. I can’t remember what. But I could have some this morning. You wouldn’t tell them, would you?”

  Hettie cast a questioning glance toward Julia, then went on stirring the muffin batter.

  “Tea sounds good,” mused Julia. “I think we should all have a cup just as soon as the water gets hot. Don’t you agree, Hettie?”

  “Right, tea sounds good to me.”

  Julia had no idea what the “something” might be to which Mrs. Williams was referring, but she would take no chances, just in case there was indeed a “something.”

  “We’ll have a good cup of tea with fresh, clear spring water,” Julia went on.

  Mrs. Williams looked as though she had never heard of such a thing as spring water. “I—I like mine with hot water, please,” she said timidly, then quickly added, “If it’s not too much trouble.”

  “Oh no. No trouble at all,” Julia assured her. “We’ll certainly make it with hot water.”

  “And a tiny bit of cream.”

  Julia nodded. The woman had asked for sugar the afternoon before.

  As soon as the tea was ready Julia served her guest, then busied herself with breakfast preparations.

  “Whose turn is it to set the table?” she asked Hettie.

  “Felicity’s,” Hettie answered. “Jennifer did dining room duty last night.”

  Julia nodded. She would have remembered if she had stopped to think about it. Her mind was dwelling too heavily on the woman at her kitchen table.

  Felicity soon entered, yawning as she tied her crisp apron over her dress.

  “Good morning,” piped the women. “Are you still here?” Felicity stopped in her tracks. Her eyes traveled from the woman to her mother and then back to the woman again.

  “Yes,” she said hesitantly. “I’m still here.”

  “Would you like some tea?” asked the woman, patting the chair beside her.

  “No—no thank you,” replied Felicity. “I must set the table.”

  “Is it time to eat again—already? Oh my, I do hope it’s not that awful stew.”

  She had been served no stew at the Harrigans’.

  Julia saw the merriment light up Felicity’s eyes. “Felicity,” she said before her daughter could think of some teasing response, “use the blue napkins.”

  Felicity nodded, and Julia hoped she had averted a problem.

  I must have a talk with the girls, Julia told herself. It is obvious that Mrs. Williams is ill. We must all be careful.

  “Mrs. Williams, would you like another cup of tea?”

  Just as Julia finished her question, the door flung open and a wild Mr. Williams burst through.

  “Have you seen—?” He stopped in mid-sentence when his eyes fell on the woman at the kitchen table. He slumped into a nearby chair and covered his heart with his hand. “Oh, thank goodness!” he exclaimed. “I was worried sick when I didn’t find her in her room. I—I never oversleep like this. It must have been the long train ride or—”

  “She’s fine,” said Julia. “Just having a cup of tea. Would you care for some?”

  Mr. Williams first shook his head, but then he changed his mind. “Yes, I think I will after all.” He still looked pale and shaken. Julia poured his tea
and set it before him.

  Mrs. Williams smiled contentedly, apparently pleased that her husband had joined them. She patted his hand. The fear was beginning to leave his eyes, but Julia noticed that his hand still trembled when he lifted the cup to his lips.

  Jennifer entered the kitchen. She was wearing a green calico dress that matched her sister’s. Mrs. Williams looked at her out of the corner of her eye and gave her a conspiratorial nod.

  “Are you done already?” asked the woman.

  “Done?” asked Jennifer.

  “I think she has you confused with Felicity,” Julia explained in a whisper. “Felicity was just here and is now setting the table for breakfast.”

  Mrs. Williams motioned for Jennifer to come closer to her. Then she laid a hand on the girl’s arm. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I promised to work on it—and I will. All you will need is a disguise of some kind.”

  Jennifer looked at Mr. Williams for some explanation. He appeared both anguished and embarrassed. Jennifer reached down and took the frail hand in hers. “Thank you,” she said simply. “You’re very kind.”

  The door opened again and Felicity came into the kitchen. “Jen,” she began, “where did you put the blue sugar and creamer?”

  “On the bottom shelf of the buffet.”

  Felicity saw Mrs. Williams look from one twin to the other, then back again. Suddenly her face lit up in a big smile. “That is so clever!” she exclaimed. “I never would have thought of it. It’s the perfect disguise. They will never catch you—when you are two. They won’t know which one to chase. You’ll be able to get away for sure.” She clapped her hands in childish glee and laughed with uninhibited pleasure.

  Mr. Williams moved to his wife. “Come,” he said. “You’ve had enough tea. Let’s take a little walk before breakfast.”

  He helped her up, and she went without protest. “So clever,” she chuckled as she left the room. “I would never have thought of it. I wonder how she does that.”

  That afternoon as Julia and Hettie were preparing supper, Mr. Williams tapped on the kitchen door.

  “Mrs. Harrigan—could I see you for a moment?” he began hesitantly.

  Julia nodded and wiped her hands on her apron. Then she took the apron off and laid it on a kitchen chair.

  “Let’s go to the porch swing,” she suggested, leading the way.

  Julia welcomed a few moments to sit quietly in the shade, but she knew she could not relax completely. Mr. Williams had something important on his mind.

  “I’m—I’m sure you have noticed that Mrs. Williams can—can get a bit confused at times,” he began slowly.

  Julia nodded. “She’s a very pleasant person,” she said to ease his anxiety.

  “Yes. Yes, she is. A dear, good woman. She always has been.” His eyes took on a distant look before filling with tears.

  “She has not been well. Has been very sick, in fact,” he explained.

  “I thought as much,” Julia said softly.

  “I—I brought her here hoping that the—the quietness would be good for her.”

  “We’ll do all we can to make it so,” said Julia.

  “All of you have been most kind,” the man continued. “You—you just don’t know how—how beside myself I have been. I—I hardly know how to—to care for her.”

  “It must be very difficult for you,” Julia agreed.

  “I just wanted you to know—to understand,” he continued.

  “Of course,” said Julia. “Please, please let us know how we can help. If there is anything you need—”

  “We are very comfortable,” he quickly assured Julia. Then he paused. “But there is one thing—”

  Julia waited for him to go on.

  “Would it—would it be possible for your good husband to put a—a lock on her door?”

  Julia tried to hide her surprise.

  “This morning I was so frightened. This time it was only the kitchen, but what if—what if she had wandered off down one of the mountain trails? I don’t know what I would have done…”

  Julia understood the man’s concern. “Of course,” she said. “John will put a lock on the door as soon as she wakes up from her nap.”

  “Thank you. Thank you!” the man exclaimed. “Now I must get back. She doesn’t sleep well.”

  He hurried off, and Julia gave the swing a slight push and let the motion sweep away some of the anxiety from her heart.

  “The poor soul,” she said softly. “What an awful burden. I wonder how long this has been going on?”

  The family accepted Mrs. Williams with her strangeness. Indeed, they decided to do more than accept her. They decided to try to help her.

  “Do you think they like to be alone so much?” Jennifer asked at their evening prayer hour.

  “I don’t know. He certainly wants peace and tranquillity for her.”

  “But if we sat quietly, and talked quietly, do you think it might be good for her to have company at meals?”

  “I will talk to Mr. Williams,” Julia promised. “We’ll let him decide.”

  “In the meantime,” said John, “if she wants to sit in the hall and look at the painting—or in the kitchen to drink tea—then we’ll let her.”

  “She is friendly,” stated Felicity.

  “And she’s not bossy,” added Jennifer.

  “She always says ‘thank you,’ ” Felicity recalled.

  “I like her,” Jennifer concluded.

  “It’s a shame we can’t help her more,” said Julia. “She seems so sweet.”

  “Maybe they will stay longer if they like it here and it’s peaceful and quiet. Do you think so, Mama?”

  “Perhaps,” said Julia.

  “We’ll try to make her feel at home,” Jennifer decided.

  They included the Williams couple in their prayers that night.

  Three days later Julia was startled by a knock at the door. Two men in dark uniforms showed Julia their credentials.

  “Are you Mrs. Harrigan?” asked the larger of the two.

  “That’s right,” Julia nodded.

  “May we come in?”

  Julia moved aside and motioned them in. She led the way to the parlor.

  The smaller man took charge.

  “Mrs. Harrigan, I understand that you keep boarders.”

  “Short-term guests,” Julia corrected.

  “Do you ask for references?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “So your guests at present are strangers?” Without waiting for her answer he continued. “We understand that you have a Mr. Williams and his—his companion here.”

  “Yes.”

  “You know nothing about them?”

  “Just that they wanted a quiet place to—for Mrs. Williams to regain her strength.”

  The men looked at each other.

  “Are they here now?”

  “Why, yes. They are—are resting.”

  “So you know that the woman has been ill?” asked the larger man.

  “Yes. Mr. Williams said she has been ailing,” admitted Julia.

  “What else did he tell you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Then you don’t know that she has been assigned to an asylum?”

  Julia drew in her breath sharply.

  “And that she is absent without permission? That Mr. Williams spirited her away to avoid the authorities?”

  “What? I—I can’t believe it. They seem like—like such a fine couple—”

  “In fact,” the man continued, “Mr. Williams is indeed Mr. Williams, but Mrs. Williams is Miss Margaret Whistler.”

  “But—why—why would—?”

  “Apparently they were childhood sweethearts and then the war and circumstances separated them. When he returned she had been terribly ill, and the fever—well, she has been in the asylum for years. He kept visiting her, determined that she would recover. She didn’t. He kept asking for her release, but they wouldn’t grant it. Finally he just took it upon h
imself to run off with her.”

  Julia could not hide her amazement. “Mr. Williams? There must be some mistake. He seems so—so—”

  “Shrewd? Oh, he’s shrewd all right. Downright clever. He planned the whole escape himself. Outsmarted everybody. Folks at the hospital got so they trusted him—and then he took off. Now it is costing a small fortune to find them and take them back.”

  “But surely—surely you don’t have to take them back. He cares for her. He seems most solicitous. He—”

  “Oh yes. He cares. He means well. We’ve been told that he even has the foolish notion of a hasty marriage. Thinks that will give her ‘security’—help her get well again. It just doesn’t work. We’ve tried to let others out. They do all right for a few days or possibly weeks—and then they need to be locked up again.”

  “Locked up?” gasped Julia. It sounded so cruel. “What do you mean? She is such a—a sweet, agreeable person. Perhaps a bit confused, but perfectly harmless. She—”

  “No one confined to an asylum can be considered harmless,” said the man. “She might seem fine today—but who knows what her confusion will cause her to do tomorrow? She might start setting fires, or she might take a knife to someone or something.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  A Twist

  Julia’s eyes widened with shock. “Not Mrs. Williams!” she gasped.

  “Miss Whistler,” corrected the smaller of the two men.

  “Why I—I just can’t believe it. I mean—”

  “We’re going to be taking them back,” said the bigger man.

  “Oh my! I do wish—You don’t think they would be fine if someone watched out for them? I mean—”

  “Sorry, ma’am, but we can’t take those chances.”

  “Of course,” murmured Julia.

  “Now if you’ll just go get your boarders, we’ll be on our way.”

  “House guests,” Julia corrected. All the way up the long flight of stairs and down the hallway Julia mumbled. “What a shame! What an awful shame.” She raised her calico apron to brush away the tears.