Mr. Wiggins returned to him and gently took Theo’s elbow and led him to a chair. “Thank you for bringing your friend in, Mr. Reynolds. Let’s get your powders.”
“Thank you.” Theo sat and the clerk departed.
In less than a minute, the man returned with a small box of powders, each in their own packet. Although Theo couldn’t make out the writing on the blue inked labels, he knew they must say “Goodhearts Migraineur powders – Highly effective!!!”
Mr. Wiggins pressed a cup of water into his hand. “Take one now before you head home. We’ll see to your lady friend and I’ll have her escorted back. Don’t worry.”
Theo started to shake his head, and state that that wasn’t his lady friend but the crushing sensation at his temples allowed no such thing.
Item two -- check into the Hotel Iroquois for the first night. Pay in advance. Then make sure the stables know you are in town. Establish an account under your own name. Bring paperwork to show that you own Earl and Duke, as well as my carriage.
Lilly reread the list. She had horses? Surely Earl and Duke wouldn’t be at the stable with a carriage if they weren’t horses. How would she pay for them? Or feed them? Excitement warred with her practical nature. Her hands trembled. She had horses, a carriage, and a way to feed them. God had provided. She wanted to see the animals and the conveyance.
It wouldn’t do any harm to stop there first would it? But with the mercantile delivering all her items, she’d best register as a guest first at the inn.
Lilly ducked into the hotel, its dark green awning stamped Hotel Iroquois in white glossy letters. After making her reservations, Lilly headed in the direction of the stables, which the clerk indicated were two blocks south.
Horses! Her own. And a carriage! And new clothes. How thrilling! Although bone weary, Lilly beamed as she strode on, giving her old boots their final workout before they’d be headed for the trash bin.
Leon’s Livery. This was the place.
A burly dark-haired man, who reminded her of her Christy cousins, leaned against a pine countertop. “Can I help you?”
She pulled her papers from her bag. “I’m here for Earl and Duke and my Aunt Lillian’s carriage.”
Twin black eyebrows rose over dark eyes. “Sorry for your loss, miss. Lill was a great lady.”
She ducked her chin. “Thank you.”
When she looked up he was perusing her papers. He tapped his index finger on them. “Put these away and let me bring them out for you.”
She opened her mouth to protest, for she didn’t wish to drive the animals down unknown streets but the man had departed quicker than a shot.
The flimsy wood door to the livery opened behind her. The handsome man from the mercantile, face pale, took two steps in before sinking into an oak chair. He rested his head in his hands. “I need a taxi.”
Lilly exhaled a long puff of air. What should she say? Or do? “Are you ill?” He’d seemed to be, at the store.
“No.” He moaned. “Yes. A headache.”
The livery owner returned. “Your horse and carriage will be up front in a moment, miss. Jesse is getting them ready for you.”
Before she could protest, he’d turned his gaze to the visitor. “Theo, what’s wrong? I ain’t got a taxi right now, sorry.”
Theo struggled to his feet. “I’ll walk then.”
“No, wait.” Lilly touched the livery owner’s sleeve. “I don’t need the carriage right now. Could Jesse take this man home?”
“You sure?” Leon scratched his chin.
“Yes. I have more errands near here and won’t need the carriage until an hour or so from now.”
“All right then. That suit you, Theo?”
Theo squinted up at Lilly. “Thank you, miss.”
“Drink some chamomile tea when you get home.” She resisted the urge to wag a finger at him as she would with her sisters. Even with a headache, this fellow was the best looking example of manhood she’d ever seen.
“I took a double packet of Goodhearts’ powders.” He pressed his eyes tightly shut.
“The chamomile will relax you and help you rest.” She kept her voice firm. “A good cup of tea will go a long way to helping that headache.”
This day was getting stranger and stranger. Theo hadn’t even gotten the name of the young woman who’d leant him her carriage and horses – a pair who looked familiar to him, even in Theo’s altered state. And while she was a little bossy acting, her heart seemed in the right place, unlike many of the young women with whom he’d grown up. What was her situation? Even with his throbbing head, he discerned she wasn’t under a man’s protection – which she should be.
Jesse pulled up beside the boarding house and set the brake. “We’re here. Do you need help in?”
“No, thanks.” Theo stepped down from the open buggy. “Jesse, who was that lady?”
“Don’t rightly know.” Jesse laughed. “She’s quite a looker even in those shabby clothes, ain’t she?”
“I didn’t get a good look at her.” With the squiggly white lines interrupting his vision he couldn’t make out her features well. Theo lifted his hand to cover his eyes from the sun.
“Trust me, she’s a gem.” The horses shook their bridles as though disagreeing with Jesse.
“Regardless, I’m concerned.”
“She’s new in town and no father with her or husband is what Leon told me.”
Theo stepped aside as two of his fellow boarders, both burly men, approached on the walkway. He dipped his chin at the brothers who had left the lumber camps to work as carters at the railroad station.
Theo rubbed his head. “Keep watch over her, Jesse. I can’t comment as to her looks, not with this infernal headache but even in a town as safe as this one. . .”
“Yes sir, I understand. Leon and me are gonna check on her each time she sends for her horses.”
“And how often might that be?” What if she left only once a week? Theo felt in his coat pocket for a dollar coin. He handed it to the driver. “Let me know where she’s staying.”
“She’s at the Iroquois right now. But I think she might be going on to her aunt’s place after that. Ya can’t miss it if you walk to the end of Portage. It’s a three story building made of that old brick from around these parts.”
“Thanks.”
The carriage departed and Theo strode toward the white clapboard two-story building that was his temporary home. He was halfway up the broad steps to the porch when the front door opened.
“You’ve a letter from your dear mother.” Mrs. Wilburn’s too-loud voice rang in his ears.
From the corner of his blurred vision he saw her waving the missive. What would his mother complain about this time? Theo wasn’t in the mood for it.
“You’re sick, aren’t you?”
“Yes. A migraine.”
The plump woman joined him on the stairs and took his arm. “Bedtime for you.”
He recalled the newcomer’s suggestion. Couldn’t hurt to try. “Do you have any chamomile tea, Mrs. Wilburn?”
“I do.”
“Might I have some?”
“Certainly. Didn’t your Goodhearts come?”
“They did, but. . .” Somehow the strange woman’s arrival in the Soo reminded him of a top he’d made as a child. His sisters had insisted that on each side he’d write something silly on it having to do with love. Why did he suddenly feel like a top being spun and wondering on which side he’d land?
“Come on.” His landlady cocked her head at him. “You definitely seem out of sorts. A cup of chamomile might be just the thing.”
Tea and some time with a stranger who possessed a good heart might heal him even quicker. But for now, he’d have to settle.
Chapter 2
Lilly had checked off most of the items on Aunt Lillian’s list before she’d returned to the stables and asked Jesse to drive her home. As she approached the carriage, Lilly appraised the matched pair of bays. Both looked healthy, their
coats shiny and well kept. How amazing that she now owned not one horse but two. And a beautiful carriage.
After turning onto Portage Street, Lilly watched, waiting to see the beautiful home Aunt Lill had mentioned in her letters. Jesse directed the horses to pull the smart-looking carriage to the curb and then assisted her out. “Good day, miss.”
“Thank you.” Lilly smoothed out the wrinkles from her dress the best she could.
Jesse pointed to the house, edged by a fence, just beyond where they’d stopped. “That’s it.”
As he set off, Lilly stepped onto the boardwalk.
A man, whose pudgy features matched those of the dog he walked, drew closer until he stopped beside her. “Sit!”
Was he talking to her or his pet? Lilly’s shoulders stiffened.
His pooch sat, and the clean-shaven man looked up at her. Although she wasn’t overly tall, with the heeled boots she’d purchased Lilly stood at least several inches above the stranger.
“Are you Lillian’s niece?” He sniffed, as though she might have stepped in some of the manure left behind in the streets.
Sure was strange having unknown folks just walking up and yammering at her. “Yes, sir, I am.” She drew up straighter.
“I hope you can get rid of some of that clutter she has in there.”
If she’d bought one of those doll-sized parasols she’d seen at the mercantile, Lilly would have been tempted to rap this offensive man with it. Still, maybe he knew something she didn’t know. At home there had been little to keep clean, with their small house. But this home looked very large.
“How do you know?”
“I live two houses down.”
She puffed out a breath of air. It wouldn’t do to already get into arguments with the neighbors. She kept her tone light, “That’s an awful lot to keep clean for a widow on her own.”
“Humph.” The man’s snort accompanied his frown. “I hope you’ll do better.”
He seemed quite serious. Lilly cringed as dread prickled her skin. What was she in for? Rats? Worse?
The neighbor whistled to his dog and then strode off, turning at the corner, and telling the dog, “Heel!”
Lilly flinched and then opened the latch on the gate and entered onto a bricked walkway, which someone had swept clean. She turned and shut the gate again. Someone had taken care of the garden with its low clipped hedges and rose bushes in front of the home. No weeds in sight. Did the attorney say Aunt Lill had a gardener? She couldn’t remember. Lilly’s hands shook as she approached the steps to the porch of the home on Portage Avenue. This stately three-story home, with its wide, covered front porch was hers?
Lilly fumbled through her reticule until she located the key. She took two steps up onto the wide porch that surrounded the first floor. Wicker settees flanked each side of the double mahogany doors. The benches were topped by blue and cream toile cushions. A wicker side table was set beside each settee. On the far end of the wide-planked porch’s expanse hung a swing. It looked straight out of a picture book.
Lilly pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart beat rapidly against the new lace-trimmed blouse she’d bought. A chill wind stirred her new burgundy wool skirt and she clutched her coat closer and then headed to the door to unlock it.
Home? Would it be a home without her loved ones there to share it with her?
“Theodore, someone is here to see you.” Melvin Dickerson, his supervisor at the Locks waggled his eyebrows. “Keep it short, eh? He’s waiting in the front reception room.”
Frowning, Theo pushed the diagrams aside that he’d been pouring over all morning. The “reception room” was really a place where any visitors, with no scheduled appointments, were detained until the engineers could discern their business.
Carrying his cup of tea, Theo sipped as he trod down the long hallway. He opened the door to the square room. Inside, the lone “guest” was Jesse.
The stableboy shot to his feet and wrung his cap between his hands. “She was stayin’ at the Iroquois but now she’s all alone at her aunt’s house.”
Theo fished a coin out of his vest pocket and flipped it to the young man. “Thank you.”
“She ain’t called for her horses and carriage yet, either.” Jesse wagged his cap in his hands.
Sighing, Theo pulled another coin out and strode to the driver. “Listen, I’m simply expressing my Christian concern for an unaccompanied newcomer to our city. I wouldn’t want her to think I was having her followed. That would be untoward. But you’re in a position to drive by and check on her, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir. Will do.” A huge smile split the driver’s face before he turned on his heel and strode off, whistling one of those horrid beer hall ditties.
He should go check on her himself. But they were on a big deadline to get the lock ready. He’d soon be working himself out of a job, when the Army Corps of Engineers took over. Maybe he shouldn’t be in such a rush.
“Reynolds?” George Rush called out, down the hall. “You coming?”
Hours later, Theo sat at his desk, sipping the tasteless brew that passed for black tea. He pulled out the missive from his mother and re-read it. Not only was the teacup set “too pinkish” but the Dresden teapot was “too German-looking.” It was made in Germany, for heaven’s sake! There was no pleasing the woman. Theo crumpled the note from his mother and tossed the note into the trash bin.
George tugged at his tie, loosening it. “What’s got you worked up?”
“Can’t find the right or shall we say perfect teacup for my mother.”
“Oh, you should try the Tea Shoppe. I think it’s on Portage Avenue.”
“The Tea Shoppe?” He frowned. “I’ve bought fudge down there and a pipe for my father but I’ve never seen a tea shop.”
His colleague lifted his chin, staring upwards for a moment. “Might be up a block or two back from there. Let me ask my wife.”
“Thanks.”
“She has said they have everything in there that you could want, including that black breakfast tea you’ve been searching out.”
“Wonderful.” What would be even better would be if he could find the young woman from the mercantile. She was purported to live on Portage.
“I’m heading for home.” George winked at him. “And to my lovely wife.”
Fifteen years married, George’s enthusiasm for his wife’s company never ceased to surprise Theo. Maybe that was because so many of his peers, and his sisters, had married solely for position and money. Thank God he’d fought his mother’s insistence that he join his father’s business. Where would he be now? He shivered. But he was a self-supporting engineer, praise the Lord.
With his diagrams completed, Theo rolled the plans up and inserted them into their tube, then covered it shut with its metal disk. He departed the stuffy building out into the glorious green grounds that surrounded the Locks. He strode up the street to Portage and then went in look of The Tea Shoppe. This was absolutely the last time he was going to try to find his mother’s perfect teacup.
Theo strode past the Fudge Shop, resisting the lure of its tempting scents. Then he passed the tobacconist before the businesses seemed to trickle off and residences dominate, their lawns immaculately mowed, flowers trimmed. Near the end of the block however, a young lad slapped white paint onto the picket fence that surrounded a large three-story establishment – one with several tables on its wide front porch overflowing with teacups and teapots. Jackpot!
He couldn’t help grinning. Theo opened the gate and strode up the bricked walkway to the porch. The front door opened and a young woman, attired in a lace and muslin pleated frock stepped out, her ginger upswept hair catching the sunlight. Creamy kidskin boots peeked out beneath the eyelet hem of the flounced skirt. White cotton gloves protected her hands.
“Oh, hello.” The woman’s breathy voice made it sound as though she knew him.
Was this the same young woman? Theo didn’t want to embarrass himself if it wasn’t. Regar
dless, he’d focus on the goal of finding another teacup for his mother – then he’d inquire about Lilly. “I’m so glad to find you here.”
The beautiful young woman beamed, her brown eyes widening. “I’m glad to be found.”
Was this the bedraggled woman from the mercantile and livery? He’d been so ill when they’d met, and his vision so fragmented, that he’d not gotten a look at anything but her giving spirit and kind soul. Maybe that was what God needed him to see.
Lilly waited expectantly. The man had obviously recovered from his headache. Jesse, at the livery, had told her that Theo had asked about her. She’d assured Jesse she was fine. After all, even though she didn’t keep a shotgun, like Mama did at home, her cousins would come check on her soon. And her sisters, Lord willing, would soon be joining her. First she needed to clear the large house of its overflowing collection of teacups, saucers, teapots, and all manner of tea paraphernalia.
Theo tugged at the lapel of his gray suit coat. “I’m looking for the perfect teacup for my mother.”
No mention of a thank you for the use of the carriage? No, I’m glad to see you? “Well, I’ve got an overabundance for you to look at if you’d like to pick one out.” Maybe Mama was wrong about city folk having more manners.
“Thank you.” A blush touched the man’s high cheekbones. “My supervisor directed me here.”
Why would his boss man send Theo here? Was he a salesman? Was this a ploy to get her to buy something? The attorney said to watch out for those types of men. “Oh?”
“Yes, I work at the Locks. I’m an engineer there.”
She exhaled in relief, surprised how glad she was that he didn’t plan on selling her anything. “How exciting.”
“Not nearly as interesting as running a tea shop, I’m sure.” He moved further out onto the porch, where she’d been organizing her aunt’s collections.
What could she say to that? “I have no idea.”
He swiveled toward her, sun illuminating his handsome features and the cleft in his chin. “I can assure you that hours spent pouring over drawings and reading and rereading paperwork can become quite tedious.”
Tea Shop Folly Page 2
