Rose: Book One in Suitors of Seattle

by Kirsten Osbourne

  “I’m always willing to have an indoor party for two with you.”

  *****

 

  Rose felt better about her relationship with Shawn after their day off together. She hadn’t realized just how nervous she’d been about their marriage until he’d told her he’d taken off work to spend a day with her. She had felt like she’d always come in second to his career, and she no longer felt that way.

  On Saturday, they decided to go to the mercantile to look at fabric for baby clothes. She knew they were nowhere near needing it yet, but she loved to browse and wanted to start making things for their child. There was a small cradle in the corner that he ran his hand over, and she shook her head. “I’d rather the baby used the cradle my sisters and I all used. Would you mind? I’m sure Mama and Papa would be happy to give it to us.”

  He smiled at her. “I’d like that.”

  As they left the store with their purchases, they ran into Lily who had three boys talking to her. Rose smiled. Her sister was wearing the pretty new dress they’d purchased for her and had her hair up just as Rose had taught her.

  Lily disengaged herself from the boys and ran over to Rose, throwing her arms around her older sister. “Thank you!”

  Rose grinned hugging her in return. “Has he noticed you yet?” she whispered.

  Lily shook her head. “I don’t think so, but maybe I’ll choose one of the other boys.” She sighed, looking down at her feet. “Who am I trying to fool? It’s him or no one.”

  “How could he resist a beauty like you?”

  Shawn looked between the sisters, unable to hear their whispered conversation. “You look beautiful today, Lily. I really like your hair that way.”

  Lily beamed at Shawn. “Thank you! Rose taught me to do it like this.” She smoothed the skirt of her dress down, looking back at Rose. “May I come over after school on Tuesday? I have some questions for you.”

  Rose nodded. “Of course, you can.”

  Lily hugged her again. “You’re the best sister ever!”

  As they walked away, Shawn looked down at Rose. “What was that all about?” he asked.

  “Lily just wanted me to help her with something.”

  “What?”

  Rose shook her head. “I promised not to tell.”

  Shawn lifted an eyebrow. “If you can’t even tell me, it must be about a boy. Who is it?”

  She just kept walking, not acknowledging he’d even said anything. “I can’t wait to start making clothes for the baby.”

  Shawn shook his head. “You sure do work hard to keep a man guessing.”

  She grinned at him as they headed toward home.

  *****

  Monday afternoon, Rose was sitting in the parlor when a maid knocked on the door. She looked up to see Alex, Higgins’s step-son standing there. She stood up and smiled. “Come in! How long are you in town for?” Alex had finished school when she did, but he’d gone off to college to study to be a lawyer. He wanted to be able to help women who were being abused like his mother had been.

  “Only three days.” Alex grinned at her. They’d gone to school together and once his mother had married John Higgins, he’d gotten to know her because they’d both worked in the house for battered women.

  “Well, have a seat. Tell me all your news.”

  “I actually have a favor to ask.” Alex had always gotten straight to the point. He sat down in the chair perpendicular to the sofa, and she resumed her seat.

  “If I can help, you know I will. Do you mind if I keep knitting?” She gestured to the needles and yarn lying beside her.

  “Not at all. What are you making?”

  “Baby booties,” she told him, her eyes twinkling.

  “For Max and Harriett’s baby? Or are you trying to tell me something?”

  She laughed. “I’m not trying to tell you anything. I’m coming right out and saying it. I’m having a baby.”

  Alex smiled. “Congratulations!” He watched her fingers quickly knit a few stitches. “About my favor…”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  He blushed, not meeting her eyes. “Well, I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Which is?” She looked up at him, surprised he was hemming and hawing over anything. He was usually very plain-spoken.

  He took a deep breath. “Do you know if Amaryllis is interested in anyone?”

  She blinked a few times, before a smile spread across her face. “Amaryllis is only fifteen. She’s not allowed to be interested in anyone until she’s eighteen.”

  He sighed. “I know. I…I have feelings for her, and I want to start writing to her, but I don’t know if she’d welcome letters from me.”

  Rose loved the idea of Alex eventually marrying her sister. “I think she would, but I really don’t know. She’s always got her nose stuck so far into a book that I never know what she’s thinking.” Amaryllis never talked about boys to her.

  Alex sighed. “I know. I’ve always been the same way. At school, all the fellows have someone back home they write to. I’m the only one who doesn’t.”

  “Is that what this is about? Don’t pretend feelings that aren’t there, Alex.” She didn’t want her sister to go through the feelings of rejection she had.

  “No, the feelings are there.” He sighed. “I’m just afraid to act on them.”

  “Do you want me to talk to her about it? To see if she’d welcome letters from you? Or do you just want to write to her? I’m sure she’d respond, and even if she doesn’t have feelings now, I wouldn’t be surprised if they developed.”

  “Would your parents be angry if I asked her to go for a walk?”

  She sighed. “They wouldn’t allow her to leave with you at her age.” She thought for a moment. “Why don’t we go over there together? They won’t say a word if you’re with me.”

  “Would you mind?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Of course not.” She got to her feet. “Let’s go now. We should get there right about the time she gets home from school.”

  “Thank you, Rose!”

  *****

  Shawn finished up with his last patient of the day earlier than he’d expected, so he hurried home, thinking he could spend some extra time with Rose. As he reached the end of their street, he saw her leave their home with a tall dark haired young man he’d never seen before. He watched for a moment, not quite believing his eyes, but decided to follow them, to see where they went.

  He felt the anger building inside him as he followed them through the busy streets. It was bad enough that she was willing to step out with another man, but that she would do so while she was pregnant, and so publicly, was even more upsetting. When they reached the park, she stopped and talked to one of her sisters, inviting her to be part of the conversation. He wasn’t sure which sister it was, because he still couldn’t keep them all straight. The three of them talked for several minutes, before her sister walked toward their house alone.

  Rose sat down with the young man on a park bench, and they continued to talk for a good thirty minutes, neither of them noticing him watching them. Finally the man embraced her and she walked toward their home with a smile on her face.

  Shawn sat down on a park bench with a frown on his face. Why was she with another man so openly? He couldn’t believe she would cheat on him, but that was obviously what was happening. And why did he care so much? It wasn’t just that he was angry that she was humiliating him. He was jealous, he finally realized.

  As he walked home, he thought about all the different ways he could ask her what had happened, but decided instead to wait. She’d tell him eventually, wouldn’t she?

  *****

  Rose was thrilled when she and Alex ran into Amaryllis on their way to her parents’ house. She stopped her and the three of them talked, with her feeling out of place.

  “Would you be willing to write to me while I’m
at school?” Alex asked.

  Amaryllis had nodded. “Sure. I like writing letters.” She’d been oblivious to his real question.

  Alex shook his head. “No, I mean would you be willing to write to me as more than just a friend?”

  Amaryllis had blinked twice before her eyes widened behind her spectacles and she’d nodded happily. “I’d really like that, Alex.”

  Rose had backed away so the two of them could talk a little more before Amaryllis had hurried off toward home, worried Mama would be upset with her for being so late.

  “I think that went really well, Alex.” Rose grinned at him as they sat together on a park bench.

  “I think she likes me too!” he said with surprise.

  Rose had laughed. “Well, of course she does. You’re very likable.”

  He sighed. “I hope so. Amaryllis is really a special girl.”

  Rose smiled. “Just don’t tell anyone you’re writing as more than friends. Mama and Papa wouldn’t like it. Neither would Higgins.”

  Alex shook his head. “I won’t tell anyone.” He stood up and hugged her when she got to her feet. “Thanks for being such a good friend to me.” He looked at her. “You’re a lot different than you were before you married. I like you better now.”

  She smiled. “Shawn’s really good for me. I love him more than I ever thought possible.”

  “I’m glad.” He’d turned to leave the park, waving. “I’ll see you when I’m home for Christmas, I’m sure.”

  “I plan to be as big as a house by then.” She patted her stomach happily.

  He’d laughed as he’d gone on his way. Rose watched him go, thinking about what a great brother he would make.

  Chapter Nine

  Shawn walked home slowly, trying hard to believe what he’d just seen with his own two eyes. His wife, the wife who declared her undying love on a daily basis, was having an affair with another man. And not until Shawn had seen her with him, and realized the extent of her lies, had he realized he loved her. He wanted to scream and cuss and kick things, but instead he walked home calmly to talk to his wife.

  She was waiting in the foyer for him as always and hugged him, greeting him with a sweet kiss. He started to pull away, but decided that he’d see just how far she was willing to go with her game. Would she ask him for a divorce so she could go to the other man? He obviously loved her too…why hadn’t she just married him?

  “How was your day?” he asked. Would she mention the man he’d seen her with?

  “Oh, it was great. The morning sickness wasn’t as bad as it’s been so I worked on my knitting, and I cut out some clothes for the baby that I’ll start sewing on Wednesday.” She smiled happily, tucking her hand through his arm and guiding him to the small parlor she preferred. “I know it’s early to start the sewing, but I can’t help but be excited. I want to make her a tiny little quilt as well.”

  “Her?” he asked, grinning at her enthusiasm while he died inside.

  “I’m not calling my baby an ‘it’ and I think it will be a girl, so ‘she’ and ‘her’ are the pronouns I’ll use.”

  “Okay.” He sat beside her on the couch, wondering if the man she’d been with earlier had sat with her there. “What will you do tomorrow?”

  She shrugged. “Tomorrow’s my day at the home for battered women.” She looked down at her hands sadly. “Aunt Harriett told me yesterday that the new woman, Annie, went back to her husband. Her arm is barely mended from the break, and she’s already going back. He promised he wouldn’t hit her again.”

  “You think he will?”

  “I don’t know. I think any man that would hit the woman he loves once would do it again. What’s to stop him if he knows she’ll just go back to him? I hate it, but I do think he’s going to hurt her again.”

  The maid came to the door then to let them know it was time for dinner. Shawn was surprised that in everything she did, he could see nothing that would indicate anything was different or that she was seeing another man. The woman was born to be on the stage.

  After dinner, Rose smiled at him, running her hand down his arm. “Are you going to do paperwork tonight? I thought I’d spend the evening upstairs.”

  Shawn stared down at Rose, obviously torn. She was acting like she had their entire marriage, as if she was interested in him sexually. As if she loved him. It was hard to watch her act that way, knowing that she felt absolutely nothing for him. “I need to work.” He pressed an absent kiss to her cheek. “I’ll see you at bedtime.”

  Rose watched him walk away, unsure of why he’d just turned her down. He never did that. She shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck. She could use a bath anyway.

  After her bath, she changed into her nightgown and climbed between the sheets, determined to stay awake long enough to make love with her husband. He may not love her, but he made her feel loved every time he touched her, and sometimes that was just as important as the words were.

  She couldn’t imagine why he’d turned her down. Usually if she made the offer, he followed along behind her to the bedroom with no questions asked. If it meant putting off paperwork, then he’d put off paperwork and just do it the following morning. She worried that something was wrong with him he hadn’t mentioned. He’d asked about her day, but she hadn’t asked about his. Was that it? Was he upset that she hadn’t asked about his day?

  When Shawn finally opened the door to come to bed, she smiled in the darkness, happy to be able to show her love for him. He undressed and climbed into bed, staying on the opposite side of the bed. She rolled to the middle of the bed to let him know she was still awake and pressed against his back, her hand rubbing his shoulder gently.

  “How was your day?” she asked softly.

  Shawn laid there for a minute, wishing he could pretend he was asleep, but she knew his sleep habits as well as he did at this point. “Long.”

  When he said nothing else, she moved away. “I’ll let you sleep then.”

  He stared at the wall for a moment, before rolling to face her and pulling her to him, making love to her with an intensity that surprised them both. He held her and played with her body, making her cry out again and again before he finally claimed her.

  She fell asleep with her head pillowed on his shoulder, a slight smile curving her lips. As he stared down at her in the darkness, he wondered if she was dreaming of him or the man from the park. Would he ever be able to trust her again?

  *****

  When Rose arrived at the battered women’s house the following morning, Mildred met her at the door. “Annie’s back, and it’s not good.” Mildred’s eyes were sad.

  Rose closed her eyes, worried about her. “What happened?”

  “He came here begging her to come back. He promised he’d never hit her again. He promised she would be treated like a queen. He told her he loved her and missed her, so she went home with him.” Mildred had tears in her eyes as she explained. “A neighbor heard her screams last night and went to check on her. She was on the floor unconscious. He’d left her there, obviously not caring what happened to her.”

  “Please tell me he’s in jail!”

  Mildred shook her head. “Of course not. It’s not against the law to beat your wife.” She walked toward the kitchen, knowing Rose would follow. “The neighbor went and got the doctor who checked her out. He said she’ll be okay, but she has several broken ribs and her cheek is broken. She has a black eye and a concussion.” Mildred ladled a portion of soup out of the pot she’d cooked it in. “This broth should help her. She’ll need you to feed it to her.”

  Rose sighed. “Annie hates me.”

  Mildred smiled, patting Rose on the shoulder. “Annie hates everyone. She asked for you when she woke up.” She put the bowl on a tray along with a spoon. “Take it to her.”

  Rose took the tray up the stairs, wishing for the right words to say. She knocked once on the doo
r to Annie’s room and pushed it open. She cringed inwardly when she saw Annie’s face, but set the tray down on the dresser. Taking the bowl of soup, she sat beside the older woman’s bed, and dipped the spoon into the broth. “I’m glad you’re here,” Rose told her simply.

  Annie nodded, her eyes filled with tears. She opened her mouth for the bite and swallowed. “I am too. I never should have gone back to him.” One lone tear spilled down her face. “I just wasn’t ready to let him go.”

  “I know you weren’t.” Rose spooned up another bite. “Are you ready to let him go now?”

  Annie considered that as she ate the next few bites off of the spoon. “I think I am. The first time I left, when I was here before, I felt like my life was over if I couldn’t have him in it.” She looked at Rose, a smile tilting a corner of her mouth on the side that didn’t have a broken cheek. “All I can think about now is going on. Starting over. I think I’m going to go home.”

  “Where’s home?” Rose asked.

  “Alabama.”

  “I think that’s a good idea.” She fed Annie another bite of the soup. “Are your parents still there?”

  Annie nodded. “They are. They didn’t want me to marry Arnold. I did anyway, and look where it got me.” She gestured to the room.

  “This is a good place. We’ll take care of you until it’s time for you to go home.”

  “I need to get a job to earn a train ticket.” She frowned. “I’m afraid to leave here, though. What if I run into him on the street?”

  “Don’t worry about the train ticket. I’ll talk to my aunt Harriett, or I’ll buy one myself. We’ll get you home as soon as you’re healthy enough to travel.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me when I wasn’t nice to you before?”

  Rose shrugged. “I’ve never been in the position you were in. If I found myself being hurt by my husband, and my parents couldn’t help me, I would hope I would be able to find someone who would help. Let me be your someone.”

  Annie nodded. “I’m grateful.”

  “I don’t want your gratitude. Just promise me you won’t go back to him. No matter what he says.”