The Artisan's Wife

by Judith Miller

  The excitement in her voice warmed him to the depths of his very soul. Even though she must be weary from her journey to Weston and concerned about arrangements for Mrs. Crothers’s funeral, as well as the problems at the brickyard, Ainslee had taken time to go to the asylum and make inquiries regarding his brother. Only a woman with a caring and generous heart would do such a thing.

  “I agree that it’s encouraging, and I think this might be, too.” Levi picked up the pencil Harold had discovered in the drying pit and extended it toward her.

  “Your drawing pencil?”

  Her blank expression caused him to chuckle. “That’s just it—this isn’t my drawing pencil. It’s one I gave to Noah, and Harold discovered it in the drying pit earlier today.”

  While they continued their discussion, the bell clanged to announce the end of the workday. The men soon filtered into the courtyard and then disappeared up the path leading toward their homes.

  Ainslee peered across the expanse and focused upon the doors leading into the mixing room. “I’m sure Harold locks those doors every night, but there could be a broken window that might have allowed him access.” She stood and gestured to Levi. “Let’s go and look before we return to our boardinghouses.”

  Their inspection of the premises didn’t reveal any broken windows, and the door leading into the mixing room was tightly locked. Levi shrugged. “Maybe he’s sneaking in before the doors are locked for the night. He could be in there right now. Should I go and get the keys from the office and go in?”

  Ainslee nodded. “Yes, we may be a little late for supper, but after we explain, I’m sure we’ll be forgiven.”

  Levi glanced back at the door to the mixing room as they hurried toward the office. “If he’s sleeping in here during the night, I wonder where he goes during the daytime.”

  “He could hide most anywhere,” Ainslee pointed out. “I imagine he keeps moving about in the woods.”

  Levi slapped his forehead when they neared the office door. “The lunch pails!”

  Eyes wide, Ainslee stared at him. “Whose lunch pails and what about them?”

  “Harold and Robert said some of the diggers and packers had mentioned food had been missing from the lunch pails recently. Nobody could figure out how it could go missing because they lowered the pails into the pit in the morning and brought them back up at noon. Only Robert and Harold went down there, and neither of them was taking food. I told them that since the weather was colder now, they could store the lunches in one of the packing crates under the eaves by the digging area, where someone would be sure to see anyone trying to sneak food from the lunches.”

  “You think Noah . . .”

  “Yes. He must have stayed down there until after they lowered the lunches, but I don’t know how they wouldn’t have seen him.” He shook his head. “I wonder if he’s been able to locate any food since the men switched the storage space.” His stomach tightened. “I may have taken food from my own brother’s mouth.”

  “Don’t think that way, Levi. It’s not as if you knew he was staying down there and you intentionally took food away from him. The truth is, you still don’t know that he’s been down there or that he’s the one who was taking food out of the lunch pails. Neither of us should jump to conclusions.”

  He chuckled. “You mean I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.” She nodded and he pulled her close. “I don’t think you know how much you mean to me. If I didn’t have you by my side, I don’t know if I could make it through all of this.”

  “You’d make it through with God’s help, but I hope having me around makes it more pleasant.” She smiled and tugged on his hand. “We’d better hurry. I don’t want Mrs. Brighton drawing any wrong conclusions when she discovers both of us are late.”

  He chuckled again. “I think she already suspects. The other day she said something about love taking bloom in the boardinghouses.”

  “And what did you say?” Ainslee arched her brows as she awaited his reply.

  “I did what most men would do—I ignored her.” They entered the office, and he picked up the keys to the workrooms before he turned and grinned at her. “But I’d be happy to tell her that love has taken bloom in my heart and that I’m hopeful it has done the same in yours.”

  Her cheeks flamed bright pink. And while he regretted causing her embarrassment, he was pleased for the unexpected opportunity to affirm his feelings for her.

  She flashed him a shy smile. “I think you must know by now that I have deep feelings for you, as well.” She glanced toward the adjacent building and let out a slight gasp.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I thought I saw a figure moving through the outer hallway.” She hesitated. “Perhaps it was merely a shadow. It’s hard to tell at this time of day.”

  Levi stooped down and looked out the window, then shook his head. “I don’t see anything, but let’s get over there.”

  Ainslee locked the office door, and the two of them hurried across the open expanse and unlocked the door leading into the main hallway. Careful to keep as quiet as possible, they continued a short distance down the hall to the room where Levi cast the plaster molds. They remained silent as church mice on a Sunday morning. Ainslee tensed and listened, but the only thing she could hear was the pounding of her heart.

  After waiting for what seemed an eternally long time, they heard the shuffle of feet in the adjacent room. Ainslee reached for Levi’s arm and squeezed tight. He nodded and signaled for her to remain in place. He had no idea how Noah might react when confronted, if the culprit indeed was Noah. In that case, he certainly didn’t want Ainslee’s presence known.

  Once the shuffling ceased, they waited a short time. Thankful for the bit of daylight that still filtered through the window, Levi quietly stepped to the door. In one swift motion, he yanked it open and then rushed through the mixing room and to the ladder-like steps leading down to the pit.

  His mouth was as dry as a wad of cotton. “I know you’re down there, so you better come on up here. I don’t want to see anyone come to harm.” His heart pounded like a thousand hammers beating on a piece of cold iron. “Come on now. No harm will come to you, if you do as I ask.” The tinny words stuck in his throat. The only sound was the incessant thrumming in his ears. “Come on or I’m coming down after you.”

  The shuffle of feet and then a low whisper sounded. “Levi? Is that you, Levi?”

  “Noah! Yes, it’s me. Come on up here. I’ve been worried sick about you.”

  “Are you angry with me?” He sounded like a little boy who feared the wrath of an irate father.

  “No, I’m happy to know you’re safe. Come on up here and let me see you.”

  Noah slowly climbed the narrow steps and stepped out of the drying pit and into his brother’s arms. “I’m sorry I worried you, but I needed to work on my drawings and they wouldn’t give me enough time at the asylum. I had all these ideas, and I wanted to get them on paper in case my problems returned. Wait until you see the drawings I’ve made for the room that’s going to have events from the Bible.”

  Levi looked deeper into his brother’s eyes. Maybe he wasn’t as lucid as Levi had thought. “You aren’t supposed to be sketching scenes from the Bible. You’ve completed your drawings.”

  Noah gestured toward the pit. “I wanted to do more. Now that I’ve begun to draw, I don’t want to quit. I have a lantern I take down in the pit with me. That way I can work if I can’t sleep. Wait until you see them.”

  Levi lightly grasped his brother’s elbow to propel him toward the other side of the room. “Before I see any drawings, we need to talk. Come with me. Ainslee is in the other room. We can get her and then go over to the office, where it’s more comfortable. You can tell me what has happened since you left the asylum.”

  Noah shook off Levi’s hold and took a backward step. “I’m not going anywhere without the drawings. Let me get them, and then I’ll go with you to the office.”

  Fierce determination shon
e in his brother’s eyes, and Levi understood it would be better to relent on this point. While his brother wasn’t suffering from a terrible relapse, he still wasn’t completely lucid. Levi patiently waited until his brother returned with a bulging roll of drawings tucked beneath his arm. From the size of the cylinder, his brother had indeed been busy.

  Noah willingly accompanied Levi into the adjacent room where Ainslee awaited. Levi stepped to Ainslee’s side and gently pulled her closer. “Noah, this is Ainslee McKay, the lady I’ve told you about.”

  Noah offered a sheepish grin and lowered his gaze. Rather than a young man of eighteen, he looked like a schoolboy. “Pleased to meet you, Miss McKay. Any friend of Levi’s is a friend of mine.”

  “Thank you, Noah. I’m pleased to meet you as well. Your artistic talent is truly amazing.”

  Her words appeared to embarrass Noah, and Levi nodded toward the door. “Let’s go over to the office.”

  Once inside, Noah placed the roll of drawings on the desk, but before he could untie the string, Levi stayed him. “We’re going to talk before we look at your drawings. I want you to tell me everything, Noah. How and why you left the asylum and everything that followed until this exact moment. Can you do that?”

  “I think I can.”

  He leaned back in the chair and told them of his argument with the orderlies in the library. “I tried to tell them that being allowed to draw was the only thing that helped me feel normal, but they wouldn’t listen. They wanted me to stop.” He exhaled a long breath. “After they left me alone to finish my drawing, I took my art supplies and hurried through the doors leading to the main hall into the administration area.”

  Ainslee frowned. “But that door is kept locked.”

  “Either they keep it open for the staff while meals are being served or someone forgot to lock it.” Noah shrugged. “There was a coat hanging on a hall tree near the front doors. I don’t know who it belonged to, but I took it.” He glanced at Levi. “I know that’s stealing, but earlier in the day I heard one of the orderlies say it had turned cold outside. I figured I was going to need it. I suppose we should return it.”

  Levi nodded. “I think that would be a good idea.” He leaned toward his brother. “Where did you go once you left the asylum?”

  “I stopped at a store in town and asked for directions to the tile works. I watched from the hillside so I could study the routine of the men coming and going and slipped down there late in the afternoon, when there weren’t any workers in the courtyard. I was able to walk inside, and I went down the hallway into a small, empty room and waited. That’s when I was the most scared, ’cause I didn’t know if someone would walk in on me.”

  Levi leaned forward and rested his arms across his thighs. “Tell me about the pit.”

  Noah nodded and continued. “I went through the entire area that night, looking for where I might be able to hide and still have enough light to draw. When I found the pit, I decided it would be a good place to sleep. It was warmer down there, and it felt kind of snug with those racks of drying tiles around me. Hiding from the men in the early morning until they dropped down the lunch pails was easy. They didn’t expect to see anyone, so when the fella came down and removed the lunch pails from the dumbwaiter, I hid back in the corner behind the racks.”

  Ainslee arched her brows. “Did you stay down there all day?”

  “No. I could hear everything those fellas said, so I knew when they were going outside to fetch more clay or get water. They usually went together so they could smoke their pipes. I’d sneak back down the hallway to that little room. Most days I could find a time when no one was in the courtyard and sneak off through the trees. I never used the main path. Then I’d sneak back in late in the afternoon.”

  He looked up at Ainslee. “It was easy enough, but I did have to sleep outside one night. I got so busy with my drawing that I didn’t notice the sun setting. By the time I got back, the place was locked up. I thought about breaking a window but decided against it.” He scooted forward on his chair and leaned toward the desk. “Can I show you the drawings now?”

  Levi had additional questions, but they could wait. It was more important to let his brother reveal what he’d created during his absence from the asylum.

  “First I did all the drawings for the West Virginia room. There’s sketches of the flowers, trees, animals, coal miners, farmers, and everything else I could think of that would symbolize the state. If the museum fellow has any other ideas he wants, I’d be glad to draw them, too.”

  Levi examined each of the pictures and then gave each one to Ainslee for her review. They were flawless. Levi didn’t know how anyone could find fault with them, and he said so. Noah beamed at the praise.

  “You really like them?” He looked back and forth between Levi and Ainslee.

  “I think they are gorgeous, and I am sure Mr. Harrington will agree. Don’t you, Levi?” Ainslee touched his arm.

  “I do.” His voice was thick with emotion. “I think you have drawn more than we need. We may have to choose our favorites, and it will be difficult.”

  Noah grinned and pushed the remaining pile of sketches in front of his brother. “These are the ones that have some scenes from the Bible. I finished this one last night. It’s the city of Jerusalem. I’m not sure that’s exactly how it looked, but I tried to remember what I’d read in the Bible and did my best.”

  Levi ran a reverent finger over the drawing. “You did your best in every one of these, Noah. I’m truly amazed.”

  “I’m glad you like them.” He pushed up from his chair. “I guess it’s time to go back to the asylum.”

  Levi’s heart cinched in a knot. There had to be another way to help Noah. Maybe if he, the doctors, and Ainslee put their heads together, they could come up with a plan. But would Ainslee’s feelings for him change if he suggested Noah come live with them once they were married?

  Good grief. What was he thinking? He hadn’t even asked for her hand.

  Chapter 28

  Almost a month had passed since Aunt Margaret’s death, and though Ainslee had received several telegrams from Ewan telling her that the funeral and burial had been completed and there had been a reading of her final will and testament, she longed for further details. Ewan had insisted Ainslee’s presence in Weston was more urgent than her attendance at Margaret’s funeral. Though she’d agreed with his conclusion, the decision to remain in Weston had been difficult. Today, Ewan would arrive to inspect the progress they’d made on the tiles. Mr. Harrington was going to be returning at the end of the week, and Ewan wanted to be assured they were ready to answer any of his questions.

  Ewan had asked her to meet the train and to lunch with him at the hotel before going to the tile works. She looked forward to this time alone with him. While Levi wasn’t present, she needed to explain Noah’s presence at the tile works. If Ewan had any objections, she wanted to immediately resolve them.

  The moment Ewan stepped off the train, Ainslee rushed to meet him. He enveloped her in a tight embrace and then took a backward step. “You look wonderful. I thought maybe the pressure of meeting with Mr. Harrington at the end of the week, the incident with Margaret, and Noah’s disappearance might have had an ill effect upon you. If it has, you’re hiding it well.”

  She shook her head. “I must admit that a lot has happened in the last month. Although there’s always concern about meeting with someone as important as Mr. Harrington, I believe he’ll be impressed with our progress. I know that I am.”

  “That’s excellent news. Let me get my bags and we’ll go directly to the hotel. I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.” Ewan patted his stomach. “I hope you won’t make me wait until noon.”

  “We can eat whenever you’d like.”

  She waited on the platform while he secured his bags, and soon they headed off to the hotel.

  Once Ewan had registered, they entered the hotel dining room. There were few patrons and Ewan requested a table near
a window. The waiter arrived with a pitcher of water and filled their glasses before securing their orders.

  When the waiter departed, Ainslee placed her napkin across her lap. “I’m eager to hear everything about the funeral and what’s happened since. Did any of the family attend her wake?”

  “Aye, but only a few. Fia and Melva were there. They told me Margaret had changed a great deal in the past year and had finally treated them as though they were relatives rather than merely hired help.”

  “I’m pleased to hear that. I was always surprised they continued to work as Margaret’s servants after Uncle Hugh died. I feared she would treat them worse once he was no longer around to remind her they were related to him.”

  Ewan chuckled. “I think Uncle Hugh tended to forget they were his kin from time to time, too.”

  “And what of Beatrice? Was she there?” Ainslee was curious if the distant relative who had worked as Tessa’s nanny and moved with them to Grafton had continued her wily ways. Thoughts of Beatrice and how she’d caused strife within the family stirred so many bad memories.

  “Aye. Beatrice and the rest of her family attended both the funeral and the reading of the will. From Beatrice’s behavior, I’m guessing she expected Margaret to leave her something. When the lawyer finished the reading, she jumped to her feet and stomped out of the house. Fia tells me she married a coal miner, but she’s not happy with her lot in life.”

  Her brother’s accounting of Beatrice’s behavior didn’t come as much of a surprise. “Unless Beatrice changes her ways, I doubt she’ll ever be happy. We need to continue praying for her.”