Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan

by Melanie Dobson

  Silas’s face fell. “Why not?”

  “Someone might steal your design.”

  Silas seemed to contemplate the choice—either fish with his pole for the remainder of the summer or put it aside to make income for his future.

  “It would just be for this season,” Chase said. “You can fish with another pole.”

  “I suppose I could.”

  Chase patted the couch. “And next year, you can fish with this one again.”

  He began to discuss the next steps of how he and Silas could partner together. As he talked, Silas’s gaze wandered over Chase’s shoulder, and his eyes grew wide.

  Chase turned and saw Sarah walking toward them with Jillian. The girl looked like a completely different woman than the one he’d snuck into the hotel last night. Her blond hair was perfectly curled, and she wore one of Sarah’s day gowns, a mixture of light blue silk and lace. As pretty as Jillian was, he was surprised that Sarah didn’t seem to see her as competition. Maybe his sister had finally found a friend.

  Sarah put her hand on his chair. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “Hello, Jillian.” Chase nodded at her. “You look lovely.”

  Sarah reached out and took the younger woman’s hand. “We’ve been playing.”

  Chase nodded at Silas. “This is my friend, Lieutenant Silas Hull.”

  “I’ve seen you before,” Silas said. “At Arch Rock.”

  Jillian blushed. “I remember.”

  Sarah tugged on Jillian’s arm. “Now that we’ve taken care of that business, Jillian and I are off to lunch.”

  “It was nice to see you again,” Silas said.

  Chase leaned forward, talking to Silas. “Jillian is looking for a position as a nursemaid. You wouldn’t know if there is a position available up at the fort, would you? Just until the fort closes.”

  “I can inquire about it.”

  “She is in no rush to get a position here,” Sarah said, patting the younger woman’s arm. “When she gets to Detroit, perhaps she can find work as a governess.”

  Chase wondered what Jillian wanted but thought better of asking right then.

  Jillian nodded toward the men, but before she turned, Edward walked into their circle. Chase braced himself, not knowing whether the man had been drinking again.

  Edward looked between the two men. “What am I interrupting?”

  “We were finished,” Chase said, relieved that he appeared to be sober.

  Edward turned his head, and Chase watched the slightest of smiles creep up his lips the moment he saw Jillian. Edward’s gaze traveled down and then back up Jillian’s gown.

  He almost wished the man were drunk.

  “Your gifts astound me, Sarah.” Edward might have been talking to his wife, but his eyes were still focused on Jillian. Jillian’s face turned red at his open admiration. “I believe you’ve made her into a lady.”

  Sarah’s voice hardened. “It is your appreciation of my gifts that astounds me.”

  Edward offered Jillian his arm. “May I join you both for lunch?’

  Sarah shook her head, releasing her hold on Jillian. She scanned over Chase, and her eyes locked on Silas. She nudged Jillian forward. “Jillian was preparing to accompany the lieutenant here to see about a position.”

  “Surely that can wait,” Edward replied. He dropped his arm back to his side when Jillian didn’t take it.

  Silas stood up. “No, I don’t believe it can.”

  Jillian didn’t look back at either Sarah or Edward. “I am ready to see about the position.”

  Chase stood beside Silas and clapped him on the back. “Lieutenant Hull will take good care of you.”

  She nodded.

  He leaned down, whispering to Jillian, “Andy—she doesn’t know my last name.”

  “You must tell her.”

  “I will,” he said. “Soon.”

  He stood tall again. “If there isn’t a position available at the fort”—he stole a glance back at Edward and then looked at Silas—“come and talk to me.”

  * * * * *

  After Mrs. Darrington left, Elena picked up the tea set and carried it into the kitchen.

  It seemed as if Mr. Darrington had chosen someone to be his wife, and she was happy for him as well as his family. And she was quite pleased to be released from the idea of marrying him.

  But what was she supposed to do for her family now? Her father was about to lose the factory, and they were on the verge of losing both their homes. If she didn’t marry someone who could help them, where would they live? If she married a man like Chase, he might be able to care for her but not for her parents as well.

  She didn’t have to marry for love to live in poverty. She was already destined to be there.

  Filling the sink with water, she began washing the cups. The birds outside the window flitted from one tree to the next, oblivious to the concerns of the world. She envied their freedom to go wherever they wanted as they sang such beautiful songs. It was too early for her to go to the lighthouse and too late to walk down to the town.

  Her father had told her to marry for love, but she had no choice. She had to marry to help their family—but whom would she marry? Certainly not Parker. And none of the other young men on the island interested her.

  It didn’t matter, she supposed. She couldn’t be too selective.

  Someone stepped into the kitchen, and she turned to see Claude.

  “What are you doing, Miss Elena?”

  She looked down at the soapy water in the sink. “Dishes.”

  “Your mama would have my head if she saw you doing that.”

  “I—I needed to do something.”

  He reached for the cloth in her hands and then held out an envelope. “You got a letter.”

  She dried her hands and took it from him. Ripping it open, she began to read Jillian’s words. Lieutenant Hull had found her a position as a nursemaid for an officer who had seven children. She thanked both Elena and Chase for helping her.

  She looked back up at Claude. “Jillian found work at Fort Mackinac.”

  Relief washed over his face as well. “It should be a good position until the fort closes.”

  After the fort closed, she would help Jillian get a position back in Chicago, at least until Elena married. Then Jillian could come live with her.

  Claude washed a cup. “Why don’t you go rest?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not tired.”

  He turned a kitchen chair around and motioned for her to sit on it. Then he sat on a second one. “Are you still angry with me?”

  “I was never angry with you.”

  He didn’t seem to hear her. “I had to tell your papa about the lighthouse.”

  “I know.”

  “If anything happened to you—”

  She stopped him. “You did the right thing.”

  Her gaze drifted back toward the window before he spoke again. “You look like you’re carrying the weight of the whole world on your shoulders.”

  She sighed. “I believe I am.”

  He leaned back in the chair. His eyes wandered to the window and then he looked back at her. “I bet that’s a pretty heavy load.”

  She nodded slowly.

  “You know as well as I do, Miss Elena, that there’s only one way to get rid of that burden.”

  She glanced at him. “It doesn’t feel like there’s even one way right now.”

  Claude pointed toward the windows. “Jesus says He doesn’t want us to worry. He wants us to be like those birds in the air or the flowers in your mama’s garden, living in the moment of beauty and trusting in Him.”

  “I can’t stop worrying.”

  He leaned toward her. “You have to give that burden to Him.”

  “He wouldn’t want it.”

  Claude lowered his voice. “Why do you go to the lighthouse?”

  “To escape to a quiet place by myself to look at the stars,” she said. “And to draw.”

&n
bsp; “And why else?”

  She didn’t like to talk about this, not with anyone, but Claude had been like an uncle to her for more than a decade now. “To spend time with God.”

  A bird landed on the limb outside the window, chirping at them. “You don’t have to go away to spend time with God.”

  “But I don’t feel Him anywhere else, not like I do at the lighthouse.”

  “You think God is out there in the universe, Miss Elena, but His creation is all around you. And He’s right here with you too.”

  She blinked. “But I don’t feel Him here like I do at the lighthouse.”

  “The Bible says He’ll never leave us nor forsake us. He’s at the lighthouse and in this cottage and even at your home in Chicago.

  “It also says to pray on all occasions, with all kinds of requests.” He stood up and began to dry the cups. “Why don’t you talk to God right now and ask Him to take away that burden of yours?”

  She walked out of the kitchen to the back porch and leaned against a post.

  She always went to the lighthouse to seek God, but perhaps Claude was right—perhaps she didn’t have to go anywhere else to find Him. Perhaps she could talk to Him right here.

  Did He care enough to take away the burden of her worries? Or perhaps He would help her carry it?

  Quietly she clasped her hands together and began to pray that God would help her know what to do. That if He wanted her to marry, He would give her a husband like Chase, who cared for her. And a man who could also help support her family.

  She was desperate—desperate to talk to Him, desperate for answers, desperate to know what she should do. So she began talking, pouring out her heart in whispers about whom she was supposed to marry, about Chase. Even though her father had told her to marry for love, she guessed he was secretly harboring the hope that she would marry someone who could provide well for her.

  But what did God want of her?

  Minutes passed as she talked to God on her back porch, and she knew Claude was right. The God who created the majestic heavens was here as well. She could feel Him in the wind and hear Him in the calls of the birds. She loved her lighthouse, and she loved seeing the beauty He created above it, but perhaps she didn’t have to go there any longer to talk to Him. She could talk to Him here and trust that He was listening to her and would guide her when she didn’t know where to go.

  The door opened with a bang, and she jumped. Her mother stepped outside, her hair askew. She collapsed onto a wooden chair beside the door.

  “Did you get some rest?” Elena asked.

  Mama shook her head. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “I’m sorry about Chester Darrington.”

  “All is not lost,” she said. “Mr. Darrington hasn’t met you yet.”

  “It sounds like he’s already decided to marry another.”

  “He will change his mind,” Mama said as she scanned the backyard, as if she had just realized where she was. “What are you doing out here, Elena?”

  “Praying.”

  “That’s good, I suppose.” Mama shifted in her chair. “Right now we need a miracle.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Music flooded through the walls of Chase’s room and shook the floor. The ball had begun below, but he was in no hurry to make his appearance. He reluctantly packed the last of his clothes into his trunk and stepped toward the mirror, straightening the satin knot of his cravat.

  He stared for a moment into the glass. The past week, he’d changed from a man anxious to rush on to the next business proposition to a man who wanted to linger a bit longer and savor the moments with a woman who had captured his heart. Instead of fleeing the island, now he didn’t want to leave, not without Andy.

  If only Andy could come to Chicago with him.

  He shook his head. The thought was an impossible one, currently, at least, but she’d said she was a wanderer. Perhaps she would enjoy traveling with him one day.

  Galileo put his head on the dresser. While Chase was in Chicago, the dog would be staying at the hotel with his sister and parents and spending his evenings in the hotel kennel. Chase sat on the floor, leaning back against a chair as he rubbed Galileo’s ears.

  “Do you think she would like Chicago?” Then he laughed at himself, for talking to his dog.

  Andy liked the fresh air, watching the skies—but she also liked art. If she went with him, he could take her on a tour of private art collections and watch her marvel at the artwork. They could visit a dressmaker to make a new gown for her…or gowns. Had she ever had a new dress? As much as she enjoyed beauty, she would surely enjoy selecting the fabrics and ribbons. He could almost see the sparkle in her eyes from being able to choose—and then wear—such an elegant costume. He could take her to the gardens in her new gown…and one of the finest restaurants and the theater.

  The more he mulled over the thought of indulging Andy for a few days—a week, even—and introducing her to the beauty in the city, the more he liked the idea. He could talk to her employer—or her parents—and ask for permission to escort her, along with a chaperone, to Chicago. Once they knew who he was…hopefully they would agree.

  Richard would think he was crazy, of course, bringing a woman and perhaps a dog to Chicago, but other people were allowed to lose their minds for a bit. Why couldn’t he lose his as well?

  He donned the black evening jacket and cummerbund that Sarah had selected for him. Tonight he would dress up for his family’s sake and spend a few hours hobnobbing before he went to the lighthouse. Or perhaps he would just stay an hour.

  “Don’t cause any trouble,” he told Galileo as he walked to the door. He’d meet whoever it was that his parents wanted him to meet downstairs, dance a time or two, and then bow out with the excuse that he needed to check on his dog. Then he and Galileo would escape to the lighthouse.

  He brushed his hand over his jacket, making sure every button was secure before he stepped out into the hallway.

  No, he wouldn’t stay long at the ball. He had to see Andy one last time before he left Mackinac.

  * * * * *

  Red and blue balloons arched across the ballroom entrance for the Independence Day ball. Light shimmered over the ribbons and bows that climbed the railings and posts around the room. Jewels and beads sparkled as the elegantly clothed men and women danced under the chandeliers. A swan made of carved ice was the centerpiece of a table towering with fruits, chocolates, and sliced meats.

  As Elena stepped into the room with her parents, she stopped and admired the splendor of it all. It didn’t compare to God’s splendor above them, but it was still breathtaking.

  Hundreds upon hundreds of people crowded into the room, the waiters blending in with the guests. She sighed with a bit of relief. There were so many people that Chase might not see her. Even then, he probably wouldn’t recognize her in her evening attire, with her hair up.

  She looked down at her gown, designed at the prestigious House of Worth in Paris. It was made of a pale blue taffeta to match her eyes and accented with ivory lace. On her neck was a strand of pearls—Mama insisted that she wear it instead of the locket for this one night. The gown was beautifully stitched, but she didn’t feel comfortable in either the dress or the expensive jewelry.

  Chase had tapped into her heart and mind, and she didn’t want to muddy their friendship by letting him see her in society dress. She would feel ridiculous, meeting him at a ball like this, and he would surely feel uncomfortable as well, serving guests while she danced.

  And if her parents found out about him—

  She couldn’t let him see her.

  Someone called her name, and she turned to see Mrs. Darrington motioning them toward her. She took a deep breath and donned the perfect smile. Her son might not want to meet her, but she would be courteous, for the sake of his mother and hers.

  “He won’t be able to take his eyes off you,” Mama whispered.

  Elena walked slowly between her parents and as gracefully
as possible toward Mrs. Darrington and the small crowd gathered around her. Mrs. Darrington shook her gloved hand and then kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I want you to meet my family.”

  Sarah’s friendly gaze turned to ice as Mrs. Darrington introduced them. Edward’s lips turned up under his mustache into something like a smirk.

  Elena gave a slight curtsy. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Powell.”

  Sarah’s eyes found Elena’s face. “Have you recovered from your terrible fall?”

  She could feel heat climbing to her cheeks. “It wasn’t so terrible.”

  “I heard that you—”

  “Now, Sarah,” Mrs. Darrington stopped her, “we can all rejoice that Miss Bissette is fine.”

  Sarah tugged on Edward’s arm. “Let’s go dance.”

  Edward was still watching her with that terrible smile. “I don’t want to dance.”

  “Right now, Edward.”

  When they left, Mrs. Darrington turned to the man next to her. “Let me introduce you to my husband, Samson.”

  The senior Mr. Darrington shook Elena’s hand, his smile friendly and somewhat familiar to her. Perhaps she had seen him at one of the parties in Chicago. “My wife has told me about you,” he said. “She said you love to draw.”

  “It’s true.”

  “She used to draw as well, but she rarely does anymore.”

  Mrs. Darrington patted Elena’s arm. “Perhaps we shall do it together one day.”

  “I would enjoy that.”

  “What is your business?” Mr. Darrington asked her father.

  “I have a factory in Chicago,” he replied. Elena was glad to hear him say “have” and not “had.”

  The two men stepped aside to talk.

  “If I can find him—” Mrs. Darrington scanned the crowd behind them. “I wanted you to meet my son.”

  Someone touched Elena’s arm and she turned to see Parker, but there was no smile on his face. “Would you like to dance?”

  “Yes,” she said as she started to step away from the circle, grateful for the excuse not to have to meet Chester Darrington.

  Mama stopped them. “Elena has to stay with us for the moment.”