by Emily Woods
Again Elise merely nodded. All of that was true, so she felt no compulsion to correct the doctor. She did have more learning than the average woman, and now she could add a little about midwifery as well since she'd been reading up on it.
“Thank you for coming,” she said pleasantly, pressing a few coins into his hand. “I hope this will cover your expense?”
The doctor smiled appreciatively. “Yes, and then some.”
“Well, it is for the medicine. I will make sure she takes it properly.”
He pulled out a small brown bottle from his bag. “And see to it that she takes these as well. They are iron tablets. As you well know, many pregnant women do not get enough during pregnancy and that can also cause problems.”
Elise noted the dosage and nodded. “Yes, I understand.”
After he'd gone, Luke came into the room and added his gratitude to his wife's. “I feel so much better knowing that you're here,” he murmured. “God really blessed us the day you decided to come.”
Although his sweet statement made Elise want to cry, she bit the insides of her cheeks and nodded. “For me too,” she said sincerely. And that was no lie.
John was in sight of the house when he suddenly had a desire for something sweet. Usually Marge did some sort of baking throughout the day, so he decided to stop by. However, he was surprised to find Elise in the front room hunched over a thick book.
“You look very intense,” he commented.
With a guilty look, she quickly pushed the books off to the side. “You are home early? Or is it so late now? I must help Marge with the dinner preparations.”
He thought her behavior was a little strange but didn't comment.
“Nah, it's not that late. I was passing by on my way to the barn and wanted a little snack. But since you’re here, I’d like to talk to you.”
“Oh! I see.” A nervous expression flitted across her face and with a deft movement, she slid her books under the table.
Taking a seat opposite her, his eyes scanned the titles of books she was reading, but they were in Italian so he couldn't make out what they were about. He shook his head a little and turned his attention back to her.
“So, uh, well, this is a bit uncomfortable, but I just wanted to let you know something.”
Elise blinked a few times and bit her lip. “Please go on.”
Inhaling deeply, John prayed for courage and the right words. “Er, okay. So, the hands on the ranch, most of them are pretty young and they aren't always too wise about things, and they're not used to being around women much.” A bead of sweat broke out in the middle of his shoulder blades and trickled down his back. He could tell from the way her brows drew together that she had no idea where he was headed with this. Because English wasn't her first language, he would have to be blunt. “I'm worried they'll start fighting...because of you. You're very friendly and some of them might think certain things. You are an attractive woman and, well, many of the men have certain, uh, feelings for you already.”
Now her eyes flew open with understanding and ignited with anger. “You believe I say things, do things, not appropriate? Is this what you tell me?”
“No! I mean, well, not on purpose. But maybe you haven't had much experience around such men. I think the men you're used to are more...sophisticated? I don't know. I'm just guessing.” The bead of sweat multiplied and formed a rivulet that streamed down his back.
“Yes, you guess! You do not know my experience with men, but you assume much things!” She stood then, raising herself up to her full height and glared down at him, her face a mask of fury. “You are very lucky my papa is not here. He would not stand for such talk against his only nina.”
“Elise! You misunderstand me.”
“And now you call me by my Christian name? Who gave you permission? Who? Not I!”
With that, she whirled around and stomped out, leaving John completely baffled. He knew that he wasn't the most tactful person, but he was shocked that the conversation had gone that badly.
John looked after her and shook his head from side to side slowly. What now?
His glance fell to the books she'd been reading, and he frowned. She'd been quick to thrust them under the table when he'd first entered. Did she not want him to see? His earlier doubts resurfaced, and he couldn't help but look. It was in his nature, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it.
Keeping his eyes on the doorway to the kitchen, he pulled out the two books and read their titles. They were in Italian, but he thought he recognized some of the words in the titles.
Introduzione alla ostetrica and Le basi della ostetrica. The first one was an introduction to something and the other base or basics of the same thing. He opened the book and saw from the pictures that it was something to do with pregnancy and child birth. The diagrams were plainly drawn and very scientific, but he blushed a little anyway.
Shoving the books back under the table, he strode out of the room and toward the barn. He needed to think.
Why would Elise, a trained midwife, have beginner books on midwifery? His earlier doubts resurfaced, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to leave her alone after all. However, he would be more considerate than before. Very little could be gained by a full frontal attack. He would assume a different approach. This time, he would be all charm, another skill he'd acquired in his former career. He'd had enough experience pretending with all the women he'd been forced to deal with.
Even though he was sure of his ability, he stumbled a little at the thought of focusing his attention on Elise. Firstly, she was enraged with him, and secondly...well, secondly, he worried about himself. If he played the part of the charmer, he worried that his mind would not be able to separate acting from reality.
He would have to pray.
Chapter 9
“Che idiota! Uno stupido! Ignorante!” Elise raged in Italian once she reached her room. She was unaware of how her voice had risen several decibels, and she continued to rant. For good measure, she stomped her foot on the floor and banged her hand on the wall. Pain radiated through her arm, and she proceeded to call herself a number of unsavory names as well.
“Elise? Are you okay?”
It was Kate calling out to her, and Elise scowled at her own carelessness. Of course her words and actions would call attention to herself. What was she thinking? She should have gone outside to vent, but it was too late now.
After taking three deep breaths, she calmed down and went to her cousin's room.
“I am so sorry about that. I just— Well, I was upset.”
With a soft look in her eyes, Kate patted the bed beside her. “Can you tell me about it?”
Remembering the things John implied caused her ire to rise again and she paced back and forth instead of taking a seat.
“Only that your foremen told me I am a... I do not know the words in English, but a woman who is not careful around men, someone who wants attention from them. How dare he say such things to me? He does not know me! I have not behaved in any improper way! What does he know about women?” Again her voice rose.
“Oh my,” Kate murmured. “What did he say exactly?”
Elise took in a long, cleansing breath and released it slowly, trying to recall his exact words. When she repeated them to Kate, the other woman seemed to be fighting a smile.
“Why is this funny to you? He has insulted my honor!”
Kate shook her head and closed her eyes for a second. “I really don't believe he was trying to do any such thing, dear Elise. Maybe men in America are not as good with words as they are in Italy, or maybe it’s the language, but I've known John for over a year now, and I can say for sure that he would never do such a thing. I'm quite certain of it.”
“Then what does he try to tell me, if not this?”
Blowing out a long breath, Kate smiled and again patted her bed. This time, Elise sat, but held herself upright and rigid.
“The young men on the ranch do not know what to think and feel abo
ut women. There are hardly any single women for a hundred miles, so as soon as they meet one, their thoughts immediately go to marriage. I suspect that John was trying to warn you that you could expect a proposal at any time.”
Anger fled and was replaced by shock. “Surely no,” she mumbled. “They know me not at all! It takes much time to understand a person enough to ask such a thing.”
“Yes, well, in the normal way of things, but in these parts, not really. There are even men who agree to marry a woman without ever even seeing her. Have you heard of mail order brides? After just exchanging a few letters, a woman may travel from the East and marry a man she's never met.”
“No, you joke with me!” Elise couldn't believe what Kate was telling her. “These men would do that? And the women? Why?”
Kate shook her head a little and folded her hands over her enormous belly. “There are fewer men in the East than women, as many men were killed in the war between the States.”
“Ah, yes, I heard of this war, but it is long over, no?”
A sad smile touched Kate's face. “Yes, but many of the men who survived came West, leaving the women of the East without many options.”
For a moment, Elise was aghast, but quickly realized this was not so far from the arranged marriages that, while not terribly common in Italy, happened often enough. “The men and women must be quite desperate,” she finally surmised. “I feel sorry for them.”
“Yes, well, a single woman of high moral standards in the West these days is very rare, and one as beautiful as yourself, even rarer.”
Her cousin's compliment made her smile, but she shrugged it off. “I understand a little better now. Grazie for explaining to me.” She rose from the bed and took Kate's hand. “Is there anything I can do for you now?”
Kate squeezed her hand affectionately. “Maybe a book from the front room? Thank you.”
Elise went to retrieve a few books and saw her own texts lying under the table. They were not precisely as she'd left them, but stacked neatly, making her aware that someone had touched them. A niggle of worry tried to rise, but she forced it back down. Even if someone had seen them, their Italian titles would have prevented any understanding.
She stooped to pick them up and brought them back to her room before returning to Kate's room. Even though she was sure her secret was safe, she would have to be more careful.
John was still mulling over how he was going to find out more about Elise when the woman herself appeared before him while he was feeding the horses.
“I want to say I am sorry for losing my anger before,” she said to him contritely. “Kate explained to me that you meant no disrespect.” She smiled sweetly in a show of good will.
Her change in demeanor threw him off his guard, all the more so because her countenance became all the more radiant when she smiled. Although it would be an exaggeration to say he was blinded by it, he now understood the expression.
“Uh, that's okay,” he muttered and turned away. He couldn't focus on his task when facing her. “I was just worried that people would get their feelings hurt. Maybe it's different in Italy.”
“Yes, very different,” she replied with a small laugh. The sound was hypnotizing, and he wondered how he would be able to carry on with investigating her. “Any suitor would be required to talk with my father before approaching me with his intention. Even then, we would require a chaperone every time we meet.”
“So, this talk that we're having right now wouldn't be allowed?” It felt a little tantalizing to realize they were doing something forbidden in Italy.
“Oh no. I would be in much trouble for this back home, but in the few days I have been here, I can see there are many differences in your ways of doing things.”
Perhaps this was the opening he needed. Calmly now, again with his eyes on his horse, he asked, “What else is different?”
“Well, the food, and the way people dress. Our clothing is much more, how to say, difficult to wear? Also, the houses are very different. We use many stones and not so much wood. I suppose that is reasonable as you have much wood and not much stones here, but the biggest difference is families.”
She stopped for a moment, as though she was considering her next words carefully.
“Go on,” he urged her.
“Well, in Italy, we live very close to parents and grandparents. We eat together often and always spend important days together. Here, in your very big country, people move far away from their families.”
A leading question leaped to his tongue, but he paused so as to let it come out naturally.
“It must have been very hard for you to come here then. Your parents allowed it?”
A long sigh escaped her lips and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shoulders slump. “Yes, they allow, but they are not happy of course. However, it was necessary.”
Without turning, he could see her shoulders draw up and she frowned as though realizing she'd shared more than she'd meant to. Instead of pressing her for details as he would have liked, he merely empathized.
“Yeah, my parents didn't like it much when I came out here, but they understood. There were too many mouths to feed at home and not enough jobs in the town where I lived. So, I set out for a bigger place.”
He turned a little to see her blink. “And you choose Great Falls?”
Now he laughed for real. “Nah, not at first. I moved to Chicago from a tiny town in Iowa.”
“And this Chicago is a big city?”
“Yep. There are nearly a million people living there now.”
Elise didn't reply immediately. “Show me this number in zeros please.”
When he found a stick, he wrote the number in the dirt floor. She gasped a little when he added the final zero.
“This is more than double of my town, and we are the biggest in all of Italy. We are even more than Rome! This is your largest town in America?”
The look of amazement on her face intrigued him and he nearly forgot the purpose of the conversation. Still, he replied easily. “Almost. New York is bigger by half again. You stopped in New York for a short while, didn't you? I think you mentioned staying with a friend there, someone you traveled with?”
He almost held his breath while waiting for her answer, wondering if he was being too invasive, but it quickly became clear that she was not pausing because she felt wary, but rather because she was processing the information. “Your New York is one million, five hundred...thousand people?”
“Yes, but it's not my New York. I've never been there.” He tried to cycle back to his questions. “But you have. What did you think about it?”
“Oh! New York is magnifico! The buildings are so big and the people are so many, but I did not realize how many.”
“Did you spend much time there?” he asked, turning back to his horse and grooming her even though she had no need of it.
“Only one night, but what a beautiful night. My companion, she has the most beautiful hotel room there.”
“You mean she had?”
“Oh, no. She stays there still. She told me she will stay for a few months at the Waldorf-Astoria in this very big room. But you know, I feel very sorry for her. She has so much money, but not so much friends. She asked me to stay with her, but I told her I am coming here.”
John carefully tucked all this information away and decided to change his line of questioning slightly, moving it away from her personally, so as not to arouse any suspicion. “I have heard of that hotel and wondered if it's as beautiful as they say.”
“Yes, I am certain. I like to stay, but I already promised to Kate, and I do not regret this promise. Money is not so important as family.”
Her openness gave him pause. Was he on the right trail? He suspected that she came from a very wealthy family and was using Kate to hide from someone. But whom? She spoke of her parents affectionately, so he didn't suspect them. That left either a man or possibly the law.
“I think you're right. Money can't bu
y a lot of things, like love...or freedom.”
He watched her face as he said the last word and saw the expression change. Her nostrils flared slightly and the corners of mouth turned down. Her eyes took on a distant gaze and she blinked a few times.
“You are right,” she declared in a soft voice. Then she shook herself a little and attempted another smile. “But now, if you are okay, I will return to the house. I would like to help with dinner.”
Although he had some answers, John was mostly dissatisfied. Whatever she was running away from, she felt more sorrow than fear. His heart was torn between wanting to expose her secret and a desire to protect her.
Sucking in a deep breath, he watched her stride up the well-worn path back to the house, skirts swishing. It didn't seem provocative to him, just very feminine, and his mouth felt suddenly dry and his throat closed.
He tore his eyes from her back and stared at Misty.
“What am I going to do?” he asked his horse. But she gave no answer suffice to stare at him with solemn eyes and flutter her lips slightly. “Yeah,” he replied. “That's exactly how I feel.”
Chapter 10
A week and a half later, a more pressing issue took precedence in John’s mind, pushing his concerns about Elise back.
“Are you sure?” John asked in a low voice, not wanting anyone else to overhear. “And he was by himself?”
Thomas nodded slowly. “Yep, and he just kept staring. When I started to ride out to him, he disappeared behind the ridge.”
John let out a long breath. It could be nothing or something, but he had no way to tell. “Did anyone else see?”
“Carl, but I don't think he saw anything different.”
John knew from experience that it was always better to question every witness, no matter what the others said.
They'd just finished dinner and were walking back to the bunkhouse.
“How come you didn't tell me earlier?” he asked. “Maybe I could have ridden around and confronted him.”
