Clarissa smiled and batted her eyelashes as Andrew attended to her seating. Next to him of course. Mama must be in one of her matchmaking modes, which suited Molly just fine as she sat next to Stefan.
During a lull in the conversation, Danny rested his arms on the table and cocked his head toward Stefan. “I like your uniform. I might be a soldier one of these days.” Then he leaned in closer. “How did you get hurt?”
Molly gulped and almost choked. War was not a topic she deemed appropriate for the dinner table, but no one voiced an objection. Heat flooded her cheeks, but she kept silent.
After a moment, Stefan laid down his napkin. “We ran into some renegade Indians who had been stealing horses. We got into a gunfight, and one of them shot my horse. When he went down, I landed under him and severely injured my leg. I was given a leave to recover, but I’ll go back in a few weeks.”
Danny’s mouth turned down. “Oh. I thought maybe you got shot.”
Molly’s heart jumped to her throat, and the muscles across her shoulders tightened. The very idea sickened her.
Mama’s fork clattered to her plate, and her face paled. “Daniel Whiteman, apologize to Lieutenant Elliot this minute. We would never want anyone shot for any reason.”
Danny licked his lips before he said, “I’m sorry, Lieutenant. I didn’t mean I wanted you to be shot.”
“I understand, Danny, and I accept your apology.” He pointed to the medal on his tunic. “I earned this medal with my men when we were able to successfully stop a stage coach robbery. Five outlaws tried to hold up a stage carrying a cash box with a lot of money in it. Even with two extra men on the stage as protection, the outlaws ambushed the stage. We had a small scouting patrol of five men not far away. When we heard the gunshots, we rode that way and prevented the men from getting away.”
Danny gaped. “How did you stop them?”
Stefan glanced around the table, and seeming to notice Molly’s discomfort, he sent a wink Danny’s way then said, “Hearing about the cavalry is interesting, but I do think we can find a better topic of conversation for our meal.” He turned to Molly. “Tell me about your classes. What do you teach and how many students do you have?”
Molly relaxed at the change in topic. Stefan had no way of knowing how much she hated talk of guns, shootings, and wars. Hearing about her father’s war experiences from Grandma Whiteman had been more than enough battle stories for a lifetime.
“I have fifteen wonderful six- to ten-year-old children in my classes. They are still young and eager to learn. That doesn’t mean the boys can’t be mischievous and try a few tricks here and again. The secret is to let them know right away who is in charge.”
Stefan grinned and nodded his head. “Yes, I can see you doing just that. I must say, though, that it’s difficult to prevent boys from pulling pranks.”
“Oh, and do you speak from experience?”
This time his laughter rang out so that others at the table turned in their direction. Molly’s cheeks heated, but from the twinkle in Stefan’s eyes, she must have been right on target. Then she remembered the things he’d done to her and Clarissa last time her family visited in Louisiana, like tweaking their braids and chasing them with a dead chicken.
“Yes, I’m afraid I was one of those mischievous boys, Molly Whiteman.”
Embarrassed at his teasing, she lowered her gaze and concentrated on the food before her. Thankfully, her father rescued her with another question for Stefan.
The conversation around her buzzed, but she only half listened as Stefan talked with her father. Andrew and Clarissa were engrossed with each other, and Mama and Mrs. Elliot were deep into some topic most likely to do with plans for tomorrow. For once her siblings sat in their places and ate in silence.
She glanced up to find her mother frowning. Molly smiled, but her mother only slightly nodded which meant she wanted Molly to pay more attention to their guests.
With everyone’s but Clara’s attention drawn elsewhere, she’d talk with her sister who sat on her left. Come to think of it, Clara did appear to be somewhat bored with the whole thing.
Molly leaned over. “Looks like everyone has something to say but us. Wonder what would happen if one of us swooned right here and landed our face in the middle of our plate?”
Clara almost choked on a bite of potato. She swallowed hard then giggled. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Another stern glance from Mama quieted Clara, but her lips still curved in a smile. Molly lowered her voice. “No, I wouldn’t, but it’d be interesting.” Indeed it would, but not worth the embarrassment in front of Stefan. She sighed and picked up her knife to butter a piece of bread.
Clara’s giggle drew Stefan’s attention to Molly. She and her sister shared some private amusement, and Molly’s smile lightened his heart. All during the story he’d told Danny, her displeasure filled her face at the mention of the gun fight and being shot. He’d heard that Molly’s father had terrible experiences in a Yankee prison. That would be enough to make any young woman reluctant to hear war stories, but the military was a part of his life.
He leaned toward Molly. “It’s good to see you smile. You didn’t look too pleased earlier when I was telling army stories.” Unlike other young women he’d known, she had seemed more repelled than impressed at this tales.
A pink blush filled her cheeks. “I’m sorry you noticed that. I didn’t like hearing about your getting hurt. It could have been a lot worse, and I don’t like hearing about guns and killings at all.”
“Then we’ll talk about them no more.” He leaned forward and addressed Clara. “And what interests you, Clara?”
Clara flushed pink, but delight filled her eyes. “I love the horses at Uncle Micah’s ranch and want to help train them, but Papa says I have to finish my schooling first. I enjoy riding, and when I’m through with school, Uncle Micah promised me a horse of my own. Then I can go riding whenever I want.”
She stopped suddenly and blinked her eyes. “I’m terribly sorry, but I do tend to get carried away when I talk about riding and such.”
“That’s quite all right. I tend to have a special place in my heart for horses. I hope to pick out a new one while we’re here. Your father tells me the Gordon ranch has some of the finest horses to be found in these parts.”
Molly clasped her hands in her lap and beamed at Stefan. “Yes, they do. We’re going out there tomorrow after church, so you’ll get to see firsthand how beautiful they are.”
“I look forward to the trip.” Indeed he did. Finding a new horse to replace Black Knight would be a bonus to what already promised to be a most pleasant visit.
Andrew had listened with some interest to Stefan’s story, but with him now engaged in talk with Dr. Whiteman, Andrew would much rather pay attention to the delightful young woman seated beside him. Molly had gone on about her friend for weeks, but had he known how beautiful she’d be, he’d have listened more carefully. Clarissa smiled at him now, and eyes that defied description sparkled in the light from the gas-lit chandelier.
“Dr. Delmont, Mrs. Whiteman tells me that you are a partner with Dr. Whiteman. I’m not sure I could be around sick and injured people that much without getting depressed.”
“I guess it would be very rewarding to see a patient cured or healed, but some die, too, don’t they?”
“Yes, they do, and it can be heartbreaking, but thankfully, we cure and heal more than we lose. We have all kinds of new equipment and treatments for injuries and illnesses now.” He fingered the napkin in his lap. Being this near to a beautiful young woman sent the blood racing through his veins.
Once again she smiled at him then picked up her water glass and sipped the contents, her enticing eyes peering at him over the rim of the glass.
All his years of learning proper etiquette left him as swiftly as the fluff of dandelions floats away with the breeze. He searched for a topic of interest for Clarissa. Her life? Of course, most people liked to talk about themselves. “Tell me about your home in St. Francisville.”
She set her glass back down. “It’s a quiet town just up the hill from the Mississippi River. We live in the house where my father grew up, but it seems awfully big with only three of us there now. The thing I love most about it is the garden and all the beautiful flowers Mother tends.”
Her voice held such a musical quality to it that Andrew could listen to it all evening. “Sounds like a beautiful place to live. Tell me more.”
“It isn’t as large as it used to be. Since Father left the military and took over for Grandfather Elliot, he’s had to sell some of the land because he didn’t have as many workers, but he still has a good sugarcane crop.”
The question of whether or not they employed their former slaves crossed his mind, but then that may be a bit too controversial and private to ask at a dinner table. Instead he asked, “Do you see much of the Mississippi River?”
“Oh, yes. I sometimes go down with Father when they load our sugarcane at the docks. Dr. Whiteman’s brothers run the shipping company there. Occasionally Father even takes Mother and me down to New Orleans on the river boats.”
As she went on to describe the wonders of New Orleans, he found himself wondering how a small-town doctor could ever compete with riverboat rides to New Orleans and living on a plantation. What a country bumpkin he must appear to someone with her background! He sighed inwardly, resolving to enjoy Clarissa’s presence while she was here, with no expectations for the future.
CHAPTER 4
MOLLY DRESSED WITH extra care the next morning. Her clothes were nothing like Clarissa’s latest fashions but then no one in town but the banker’s daughter Camilla Hightower wore such high-fashion clothes. Still Molly wanted to look her best. While Clarissa finished pinning the curls in her hair, Molly selected her emerald green dress because it set off her hair and eyes and had brought many compliments before.
“Oh, Molly, that dress is perfect for you.” Clarissa turned from the dressing table and fingered the lawn fabric.
“Thank you. It’s one of my favorites. Mrs. Culpepper here in town made it for me. Mama never learned to sew, so we have them made.”
“I understand that. Mrs. Tenney and her daughter Miriam still make ours in St. Francisville. Of course we now have catalogs and can order them ready-made or go down to New Orleans and purchase beautiful dresses and hats there.”
Molly sighed and turned to let Clarissa finish closing the last few buttons. “I’d love to go to New Orleans sometime. Grandma Dyer speaks of it often when we visit. She even talked to Papa about Daniel and Tom going to Louisiana for college at either Tulane or Louisiana State University, but he says if they go to Louisiana for college, they’ll go to Centenary like he did. Then Tom decided Texas schools are good enough for him.”
“That’s good because I don’t think Centenary has the standing it once did.” Clarissa fluffed the lace around Molly’s neck. “But why are we talking about school of all things? That’s boring. Tell me more about the young men here in town.”
Molly laughed and picked up her brush to smooth the tangles of her curls. “You met Papa’s partner, Dr. Delmont. He’ll be at church this morning, but he won’t go to the ranch with us because he needs to stay here and take care of any emergencies that might arise.”
“Oh, I was looking forward to seeing him again as well as any others who may be around. After all, we’re not getting any younger, and men are scarce as gold nuggets back home.”
How well Molly remembered her last visit and the party Mr. and Mrs. Elliot had for her parents. Six girls the ages of Molly and Clarissa were there for Molly, but only two young men besides Stefan. Of course the young men loved it, but the girls had been dismayed.
“That’s somewhat of a problem around here, too. Andrew is more like a big brother to me than a man I might consider for courting, and most of the cowboys are rough. Besides, my being a schoolteacher turns a lot of them away. I wonder if there’s such a thing as a mail-order husband. If it works for the men, why couldn’t it work for women?”
Clarissa laughed and shook her head. “Now that’s an idea I never considered. Might be interesting, but I think I’d rather know who I was getting right up front.”
A knock on the door stilled their conversation. Molly giggled and called out, “Come in.”
Mama opened the door and thrust her head through the opening. “We’re all ready to go, so you two had better hurry or you’ll be walking to church.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll be right down.” Molly covered her grin with her fingers and glanced at Clarissa.
“Whatever has you so amused can be continued later. Let’s don’t keep your father waiting.” Mama pulled the door closed and her footsteps echoed on the stairs.
“Guess that means we’re ready whether we like it or not.” Molly picked up her straw hat decorated with white daisies and a green ribbon. She secured it to her hair with pearl hatpins.
A few moments later Molly followed Clarissa to the buggy where Stefan now stood holding the reins of the horse. Her heart did a double flip at the sight of him in uniform. His dark blue jacket had gold stripes on the sleeves, and his white gloved hands held a hat with crossed sabers and gold cord decorating the crown.
“I must say, you two ladies look lovely this morning. It’ll be a pleasure to escort you both.” He grinned, showing off that dimple again, and helped them up to the seat.
After listening to his stories last night, Molly admired him even though she didn’t really approve of wars and the military. One thing for certain, she’d be the envy of every young woman under age twenty-five at church and maybe even a few older ones as well. With that satisfaction filling her heart, Molly sat back to enjoy the ride to church.
Sallie Whiteman and Jenny Elliot sat in the back seat of the carriage. They’d been best friends since childhood and had endured terrible things during the war that spring of 1865 before the Armistice.
In the bright sunshine of the June morning, Jenny’s face glowed with happiness that mirrored Sallie’s own. “Could you imagine back during those days when you waited for Manfred to come home and I recuperated at your home that we’d be where we are today?”
“No, and although I would follow Manfred to the ends of the earth if he asked, I do miss St. Francisville, Woodville, and the times we had together. When my father decided to move his business to St. Francisville to be closer to Grandma and Grandpa, I was delighted to have them in the same place Manfred and I lived. Those were wonderful days, but so have these days in Texas been wonderful.”
Jenny reached over and squeezed Sallie’s hands. “I’m so glad you’ve been happy. We shared so much heartache as young women.”
Sallie let her thoughts wander back to that day in St. Francisville when Papa had brought Jenny home after her harrowing experience with the Union Army. The young officer who had helped Jenny and her brother get home safely had another reason to accompany them. He came to claim the body of his younger brother, the young soldier Sallie had killed in a terrible skirmish in her parents’ home. Sallie blinked her eyes and willed the horrible memory back to the recesses of her mind. She had no time for such dark memories on a beautiful summer day as this one.
She turned her brightest smile to Jenny. “Look how gracious the Lord has been to us. We have beautiful children, wonderful husbands, and lovely homes.”
“Oh, indeed. Without our faith during those years, we would never have made it this far.” Jenny’s face clouded for a moment as sadness passed through her gaze. “My only regret is not having more children. You can understand since you had two of your own who did not live.”
Sallie nodded. “I do understand, but I must say the house does get crowded with six children to feed and keep out of mischief. It’s much better now that Molly and Clara and are older and Tom is off for school again next fall. He has a head for numbers like his uncle, and he loves to write. His job at the newspaper this summer will be good for him.”
Love Never Fails Page 3
