“No, I did not. I told only the men. But, let’s wait and see. We may not have to speak of this again, or tell the ladies. I did not even tell John’s grandfathers or father, only friends. Buddy, Emery and Dr. Evans know, also,” Monty explained, adding, “but not Antonio Bradshaw.”
“I understand. Thank you, Monty. Thank you, Crane.” Rachael was able to speak in a steadier voice now and ready to meet the chief. But, John’s butler was fighting back tears and couldn’t speak, which was understandable.
“We can send for your brother, Robert, too, Rachael, if need be,” Monty offered on the way down the stairs.
“Let’s wait a day or two, please. If worse comes to worst, we shall send for him and enlist his efforts to take my sisters home, if they wish to go, since you won’t be able to leave for awhile, Monty.”
“Let’s not send Phoebe away from me so soon, Rachael. I need her. You do, too,” was his quick response.
She was surprised. “I understand that, too,” she whispered, not even regretting for a moment that it wasn’t her that Monty needed now.
The chief was filled with compassion and concern. He offered Rachael some sage advice. “If you can, get him to drink mint tea. It will help his breathing. Place him in a near upright position. Too much fluid can collect in his lungs since he is lying down much of the time. Please send for me, any time. You may do that by letting The Market On The Main know. My son and nephews stop in there often.”
“I’m grateful for your visit and words of wisdom, Chief Morning Star. Please keep us in your thoughts. I’ll tell John you were here when he wakes. Can we exchange items later, instead of Friday?”
“Yes. I will speak to my people of this. We will tell the Heavens and the One who brought us here and gave us life and breath. I will return tomorrow to know more of his condition. We shall exchange goods when the time is right.” He left abruptly.
After his departure, of all things, her sisters whisked Rachael back outdoors, briefly, to pick fresh strawberries for tonight’s dessert, laughing, lightening the mood. Viola also coaxed Antonio to stay awhile. He was quite easily convinced to do so, it seemed, while a mixture of concern and amusement graced his handsome face. Viola explained to him how they had “rows of berries at Bower Farm. Yet, I love the way the Davis family tucks theirs into unexpected places in the various gardens and landscape.”
“Yes, I may have to adapt that kind of a plan in my own gardens,” Antonio informed her.
“This way, it’s much like an Easter egg hunt, finding them, isn’t it?” Viola laughed to the others, as Mrs. Davis took her by the hand to show her where to pick some blooming violas.
“You’re the Easter egg runner, Viola, who always beat us to the easy to find eggs” laughed Phoebe.
“I would have liked to have seen that,” Antonio Bradshaw responded, laughing at the thought of it. “I picture it in my mind now. You have your egg basket filled. Then, you must use your skirt or apron to secure the remainder of those found eggs you’ll carry. Yet, you never drop one, do you, Miss Hathaway?”
“It’s not quite like that!” laughed Viola. “My sisters and brother always found their fair share of eggs on Easter, I assure you.”
“Yes, Viola, it was just like that! It was exactly as Mr. Bradshaw pictured it. You are The Egg Queen,” Phoebe laughed.
Rachael was silent, lost in her own thoughts, glancing often at the upper story where her beloved lay ill. Once inside, after Viola and Antonio set a time to go into the village tomorrow to get some fruit, and said their goodbyes, Phoebe summoned Rachael. “Come into the sitting room with us, for we have something to show you.”
As Hattie and her sisters gathered near, they handed her a lovely floral tote they had lovingly cut from fabric and sewed for her. “It is to be used to carry your clean clothes, Rachael,” explained Viola. “So, let’s go over to John’s and get some clean clothes for you from Magnolia Gardens Manor.”
“We also made one for ourselves,” added Phoebe. “We have time to go before starting dinner.”
So it was, and surprisingly, they found the household at Magnolia Gardens quickly filling again with guests when they arrived. Buddy and Cousin Emery had come to stay for a few nights and take turns with John, keeping watch, now that they knew he might lose his leg. Rachael appreciated their help. Still, she had not told her sisters or the Davis family about the dire circumstances. Yet, all who knew of the dilemma were grateful for the moral support of having each other at hand. The next morning, Rachael’s sisters and Grandmother Davis again had another plan to keep her busy and from worry. They would plant sweet peas and sunflowers in The Indigo.
“I’ve soaked the sweet peas overnight, just like I’m supposed to do,” Mrs. Davis informed them. “So, we must plant them today, so they don’t rot, and we might as well plant sunflowers, too, if you all are willing.”
“We shall,” Phoebe quickly agreed for her and her sisters. So, off they went to the gardens, where soil was warming more each day. A high time was had by the four, lost in the beauty of blossoms and the promise of even more blooms in the future.
“Birds eat the sunflower seeds from the heads when they’re mature, you know,” Mrs. Davis told the three Hathaway sisters, in a quiet, reassuring voice. “They have big, droopy heads and lots of seeds to offer ~ the sunflowers do, that is, not the birds,” she laughed, trying intentionally to be silly, and she succeeded grandly. One by one the chuckling sisters hugged her, then ushered her onto the shaded porch for rest and something cool to drink when the planting was finished.
“Phoebe and I shall bring cool tea,” Viola suggested, grabbing her sister’s arm. “You two rest.”
Mrs. Davis thanked them, and rocked in her white wicker rocker, gazing, quite satisfied, at her gardens. “He’ll be alright, dear. John’s strong, and he has us and love.”
Yet, Rachael was still uneasy, having been told of the possible amputation.
Chapter Twenty Four
The two women sat in silence, enjoying the warmth of the weather and in their friendship. Suddenly, a flock of small, lively, yellow birds swooped in from the fields to land upon flowers, shrubs, vines, and roses within the Davis garden.
“That’s a wave of Yellow Warblers,” Hattie Davis announced in surprise, pointing.
Rachael sat forward in her chair, studying the feathered vertebrates, causing the wicker to emit a small sound of agreement.
“Those little darlings are about five inches long. Did you know they are warm-blooded? Oh, I hope they stay to nest. John would love that. In fact, all of my John’s would, my husband, my son, and my grandson,” Hattie informed Rachael. “We like to encourage the birds.”
That said, Phoebe and Viola returned with glasses of water. “Tea’s steeping,” Viola explained.
Mrs. Davis accepted a glass and continued. “We all love searching for and spying on their nests in the springtime. Surprisingly, though, some of our bird nests always turn out to be squirrel nests, you know,” she chuckled.
“Why did you name your outdoor haven Indigo Gardens or The Indigo, Mrs. Davis?” Viola then wanted to know, while from the garden they heard bird versions of, “Sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet.”
“Call me Hattie, dears, will you, please?” their hostess asked of them, as she pointed out the warblers to her other two guests. “Indigo is a good name for my favorite color ~ a lavender-blue or blue-violet. So, together, John and I chose as many flowers, trees, and shrubs as we could possibly find in those colors and planted them in our little flora zone. Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers, you know.” She lovingly touched a cut bouquet on the nearby table under the covered veranda.
“I noticed your dress for the cotillion was a lovely lavender-blue, Hattie,” informed Phoebe. “I loved it.”
“Thank you, dear.” Yet, her mind was still on the birds. “Did you know there’s a male Indigo Bunting, a bir
d found in my cousin’s garden, just that same shade? How I would love to have one in The Indigo.”
Birdsong filled the air, as the ladies silently sipped and enjoyed both the gardens and their cooling water. After Rachael finished hers, she broke the silence. “Well, I have several things to do, so I need to go. I think I’d better get busy. This evening we can plant the rest of the flowers from the cotillion guests.”
“What could be more important than this?” Phoebe asked in astonishment, waving in a half circle.
“You want to check on John, right, sis?” Viola teased.
“That, too, but actually, I have finances to go over, plus, see Miss Callie about the marketing list.”
Phoebe questioned, “Whose finances must you scrutinize?”
“I pay John’s help and debts, get together the shopping list for Crane twice a week, and pay for those groceries and goods from the markets, plus tend little Lily.”
“I didn’t know that,” Phoebe responded quietly, almost apologetically. “I’m sorry I teased you.”
“You didn’t tease me. You were merely inquisitive. I’d like to see Lily, also. She is my charge. I miss her. She is such a little darling and was my responsibility, as well, until recently.”
“You are a very busy woman here, aren’t you, Rachael?” responded Viola. “We had no idea.”
“She is a wonderful help to John and Lily and the Magnolia Gardens household. We are all very proud of her,” Hattie complimented, patting Rachael’s hand.
“Thank you. I’ll see you all at dinner.” Quickly, she was off to tend to John’s needs. Mr. Cunningham joined them for a brief meeting and signatures from John, as the new bank board member. John and Rachael were both thrilled that even despite convalescing from his injury and being unable to travel to the bank, John was included in bank business, his newest job.
Afterward, Hattie greeted her. “Rachael, take some time for yourself, now, dear. Write to your dear Mother the latest news, walk in the gardens over at John’s or here. Pick a bouquet, visit, or maybe bring a book back to read, or for John,” were his loving grandmother’s suggestions.
Rachael smiled, holding back tears as they hugged. “I shall. Thank you, Mrs. Davis, Hattie.”
Miss Mariah greeted the nanny warmly when she neared Magnolia Gardens. “Oh, we miss you, Miss Rachael.”
“I miss you, too. I hope we’ll be back soon, yet it doesn’t look like it or seem so. He’s not well.” She hinted at his critical circumstances.
“Come and sit and tell me all about it, for I have news for you, too. Are you and your sisters enjoying Black Woods Castle, and Hattie? She’s a most wonderful woman.”
“She is, and we are enjoying her and Black Woods Castle, except for John being ill, that is.”
“I’m enjoying Magnolia Gardens, Lily, Crane, and making plans,” the young maid reported.
“What plans?” Rachael was eager to know everything. “What is your news? Tell me quick! What has been occurring in my absence?”
Miss Mariah simply held out her left hand to Rachael. “See.” In one word she said it all, sharing her most recent excitement, her engagement news. Upon the third finger of her left hand was a sparkling gem, Crane’s beautiful engagement ring to her.
“Oh, Miss Mariah, you have your engagement ring! When? It’s beautiful.” Rachael almost cried tears of joy.
“He gave it to me yesterday, and we are to be married in two weeks.”
Rachael hugged her. “I am so happy for you. I can’t wait to tell John. However, I thought he might escort you down the aisle, and I don’t know if he will be well enough in two weeks. However, you must not postpone the plans you’ve made. Perhaps he will have good progress by then and a speedy recovery. We shall just have to wait and see.”
“Will you help me, please, so we can share a few minutes together? I’m tying some bags of flower seeds with ribbon. Crane and I saved seed when we were four leaf clover hunting,” she explained. “We are going to surprise our wedding guests and give them as gifts after the ceremony.”
“How lovely,” Rachael exclaimed. “I would be delighted to help you. What fun that will be.” Her spirits fairly soared at the unexpected diversion and the news of their impending wedding.
With pink ribbons and lace, they tied the remaining bags shut. Surprising them, Miss Callie brought samples of the wedding cake she planned to bake for the couple. Next, Rachael was further surprised to learn that Charles Earl was visiting, when he appeared with glasses of wedding punch for each of them to taste, which he had freshly concocted.
“Oh, this is delicious and so is the cake. I can hardly wait until your wedding day. It’s wonderful that you both are helping with the wedding, Miss Callie and Charles Earl.” Rachael complimented the pair of chefs and at the same time noticed that Miss Callie seemed especially jubilant about having Monty’s cook helping her. “We shall help, as well, my sisters and I.”
By way of explanation, Charles Earl informed Rachael, “Things are in order at Fernhaven, and with the lieutenant at Black Woods Castle, I had the time available to be here.”
About that time, Crane walked in, hand and hand with Lily. When the little girl saw her nanny, she squealed with joy and ran to her with open arms. Rachael gently placed her into her lap. “How’s my girl? How’s dolly?”
Lily seriously studied the room, pointing, leaning, and searching for her doll.
“I think I’d better go get Dolly Molly,” Crane laughed, hurrying from the room.
Rachael laughed, too, at the name he had given it. “I like that name, Crane. Oh, it is so good to be here. I’ve been worried about everything. Please come outside so I can rock Lily in a porch rocker. We can all visit there, if you bring chairs.” So, they did.
“Maybe to relax you could read one of John’s books, for he has some wonderful volumes in his library,” Miss Callie suggested with a warm smile. “In those, we can take a journey without even leaving home.”
“That’s what Hattie suggested, too. I also need to pay you all, prepare the marketing list for Crane, and pick up some clothes.”
“You have a busy agenda planned. You’ll need some quiet time, then. But there’s no hurry for our wages. We’ll take Miss Lily, since it’s time for her story time and nap. That way, you can do whatever you need to do, Miss Rachael,” John’s cook suggested, with a note of authority in her voice.
“Thank you.” This change of scenery did Rachael good. For awhile, she simply enjoyed the porch with its surrounding flowers and trees, before going into the library. Rays of sunshine radiated through a window, welcoming her as she selected a book. Retrieving the desk key, she opened John’s wooden workplace to read his ledger. After she finished wrapping the household help pay in papers, she tallied expenditures. However, in spite of enjoying that accomplishment, another burden was laid upon her heart when she noted that the funds were dwindling drastically. However, she had an idea. Hurrying to the kitchen, she paid the help their due. Then, she excused herself to get clean clothes and go for a walk in the gardens.
Next, she swept unseen to her selling tree just down Town Road, where brief memories of Chief Morning Star and Monty joining her there made her smile. Sharing their friendship had become important to Rachael, and especially welcome during this time of John’s confinement. Carefully, she placed her hand into the niche. Sure enough, kind customers had purchased all of her botanical papers while she had been absorbed in caring for John, generously leaving her well paid for her intricate work. Breathing a sigh of relief, she returned to the house to grab the selected book, her clothes, and John’s red binoculars. It was then she saw the note peeking from under a drapery. To her amazement, when she retrieved it, she discovered that it was the one from John’s mother explaining about the horses. Rachael was elated, for she knew that this would surely cheer him. Now, I must talk to Miss Callie about the shopping list before
I go, she thought to herself. However, when she hurried into the kitchen once again, they kindly assured her that she needn’t worry about it, relieving her of one more responsibility.
“I’ll make the list and the four of us can go to the market in the morning while Lily is with her grandparents. I’ll just place our order on a market tally for now. John has that all set up with The Market On The Main and has instructed me that we can do so at any time,” the cook told her, reassuringly.
“Oh, good, that relieves my mind.” Yet, just moments later, on her way out, another love wanted her attention, her cat. “I’m taking Hope with me!” Rachael called to her friends, as she lifted her meowing kitten into her arms. Cheers and goodbyes from Magnolia Hall sent her happily on her way. Surprisingly, several surprises also awaited her upon her return to the castle. The first, a very colorful, fragrant one, greeted Rachael just inside the door.
“These are for you!” a cheery Viola called, holding a beautiful cut bouquet within a vase, in front of Rachael, who had not had time to cut one from John’s garden, as suggested.
“They’re for me?” she asked, surprised. “It’s not my birthday. Oh, by the way, I brought John a book, and got to rock Lily. Here’s Hope. She came with me.”
“Good. We were told exactly where to pick for the brightest of colors, how many stems we’d need, and to present them to you as you returned, to cheer you.”
“Thank you, so much, everyone. They’re beautiful. They certainly do cheer me,” Rachael replied, handing Hope to Phoebe in exchange for the bouquet Viola held. “What a sweet gesture. Where shall we put them? I need to go see John, too.”
“Of course, you do, dear,” Hattie remarked, calmly. “The girls can take them to your room. There’s already water in the vase”
At the top of the stairs, near John’s room, she heard an ominous statement. “Don’t tell Rachael.”
“Don’t tell Rachael what?” she asked, interrupting the conversation, as she entered to find a room full of visitors. Cousin Emery and Amber were there, along with Monty, Buddy, Aggie, and John’s parents. The Davises were just leaving, and hugged Rachael warmly on their way out the door.
Sanctuary Page 45
