“Thank you for buying the primers.”
He looked a little flushed, even uncomfortable. They stepped onto the boardwalk. “Actually, I didn’t buy them.”
“You didn’t?”
“Do you remember Mr. Holmes?”
She nodded.
“He sent them.” He looked sheepish. “I can still order new ones if you want.”
He didn’t say as much in words, but he clearly hoped she wouldn’t ask him to do so. If he was planning to build a new enterprise, he would need every dollar he had. And her students would need the jobs a glassworks could provide.
“These will do,” she stated, “but you will have to provide a different reward.”
The sparkle returned to his eyes. “Name it.”
What could she ask? To spend time with her? To stay away from the others? That wasn’t fair when she couldn’t consider marriage.
She pursed her lips and came to a conclusion. “That walk on the shore would be nice.”
He brightened. “My pleasure.”
The way he said it sent her stomach fluttering. Walking alone with a gentleman on the lakeshore was a risk. People would talk. Amanda would be crushed. But she wanted it. Oh, how she wanted that time with him.
“Perhaps you might tell me more about the town and your plans.”
He beamed. “I can’t wait, but we’ll need to, at least for a little while. We’re here.”
They stopped in front of a weathered little cabin at the farthest reaches of town. There were gaps in the wood siding and the shingles looked less watertight than the old ones on the school. But it was a building.
He opened the unlocked door. “Shall we go inside?”
She was half-afraid of what they’d find in the dark space. “You first.”
He laughed. “No bears. I promise.”
But he went in first. She followed and let her eyes adjust to the lower light. The room was filled with bunks from floor to ceiling. There was only enough room to walk between them. Dust motes danced in the light from the two windows and door.
“It must sleep a dozen men,” she exclaimed.
“I imagine so, but it hasn’t been used in years, not since before the big sawmill burned down.”
That explained why that mill looked newer than the other one.
“Think it will do?” he asked.
“Once we get rid of the bunks.” But the place gave her the chills. She shivered.
He placed an arm around her waist, sending her stomach fluttering again. She really should have eaten more breakfast.
“Which way should the benches face?” he asked.
She tried to concentrate. “The cabin is wider than it is deep. It’s opposite a church, but we’ll make do. Put the pulpit at that end.” She pointed toward the lake. “The morning light will be better there. The benches will face the preacher. And we should whitewash the walls.” Detailing what needed to be done took her mind off the musty smell and dank interior.
Nevertheless, she was grateful to step into the sun again when they finished the assessment.
Roland placed a hand on the small of her back as he helped her down the large step. My, she could get used to that attention.
“Thank you, Pearl.” He gazed into her eyes. “I wish we could take that walk right now, but the day is getting late.”
She broke from his riveting gaze to see that he was correct. The sun hung just above the dunes. They’d spent more time going over the plans than she’d thought. But she hated for him to leave.
“Perhaps we could walk to the top of the dune,” she suggested, unwilling to end this time together.
His smile spoke of regret, and he removed his hand from her waist. “The children will want their supper, and I’m the cook.”
She’d never considered who cooked their meals. Alas, cooking was one thing she could not do. Yet another strike against her.
She mustered a smile. “We can’t keep them waiting.”
“Especially not when tomorrow is their first day of school.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, as if she was a lady. He then tucked that hand around his arm. “Shall I escort you home, miss?”
Home. The old longing to one day have her own home returned with terrible fierceness. Even better if it was with Roland.
The walk to the boardinghouse was far too short. When they drew near, Pearl couldn’t help but notice that Amanda, Fiona and Louise were gathered on the long porch. Louise was reading, as usual, but Fiona spotted Pearl and Roland at once. Whatever she’d been saying died on her lips. She rose and strode to the railing, as if to make sure she was truly seeing Pearl being escorted by Roland. Her lips twisted into a frown.
Triumph surged through Pearl with the same elation that she’d felt when she’d bested Roland at painting. Yes. She, Pearl Lawson, was being escorted by the handsomest man in town.
She put on her best smile to confirm this was no accident.
Then she saw Amanda drop her needlework, her eyes and mouth round with shock. She blinked once, twice, and then fled into the boardinghouse.
Pearl’s heart sank. How careless she’d been with her dearest friend.
“Why did Amanda run off?” Roland asked.
Pearl extricated her hand from his arm. “A misunderstanding. One I must endeavor to clear up.”
Chapter Twelve
“Don’t you care at all?” Amanda sobbed into the pillow.
Pearl stood helplessly at the door to their room, feeling every bit of shame due her. She hadn’t once thought of Amanda’s feelings. She hadn’t even told her friend how she really felt about Roland. If she had, then Amanda wouldn’t be suffering now.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you.” She set Amanda’s embroidery on top of the bureau.
“Yes, you should have.” Amanda lifted her tearstained face. “I thought we were friends. I thought we were the best of friends. How could you keep something like that from me when...when you knew how I felt about him?”
Pearl had no excuse. “I’m sorry. I botched it terribly, but I didn’t think—”
“You didn’t think I had a chance with him.” The tears flowed again, and Amanda hid her face in the soggy pillow. “You already knew he liked you and would reject me. Just like Hugh.” Her sobs increased in intensity.
Pearl opened the bureau drawer and pulled out a clean handkerchief. She sat down beside Amanda, who scooted to the other side of the bed.
Pearl held out the handkerchief. “At least take this.”
“I—I don’t want anything from you.” Amanda collapsed onto the pillow again. “Traitor.”
“I was wrong. I thought, well, I thought any connection between us was all in my imagination.”
Amanda lifted her face and protested, “You can’t even marry anyway.”
Pearl grimaced. “I know, and I told him that. He said he didn’t want to marry, either.”
“Then why was he holding your hand?”
“He was simply escorting me back to the boardinghouse.” Even Pearl knew that wasn’t entirely true.
She didn’t fool Amanda. “That doesn’t explain the way he looked at you, and the way you looked at him.”
Pearl felt no better than the fly buzzing inside the window, desperate to get out. She sympathized with the poor insect, but neither of them could escape the trap they’d gotten themselves into without the help of someone with greater powers. For Pearl, that meant turning to God. She knew what to do—love Amanda as herself—but she would have to give up claim to Roland, for her friend was right. This dalliance could come to nothing.
She sighed. “I will not spend any more time alone with Roland.” That hurt, but Pearl must accept whatever came to pass, even if Amanda and Roland fell in
love.
“You would do that for me?” Tears glistened on Amanda’s long, dark lashes.
Pearl managed a nod.
Amanda threw her arms around her. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and I don’t want to lose you over some silly man.”
Pearl hugged her friend, but secretly she hoped this meant Amanda would relinquish her hope of catching Roland’s attention. “It is silly, isn’t it?”
Amanda looked her in the eyes. “I know you’ll be perfectly happy teaching school.”
Pearl felt her heart sink before Amanda finished.
“And I—” Amanda clasped Pearl’s hands, her eyes sparkling. “I will make him a wonderful wife.”
* * *
Roland whistled as he carted the whitewash to the cabin that was fast becoming a church. In the course of a week, the bunks had been removed and benches built. Garrett was still working on the pulpit, but it was shaping up. Saturday, he and Pearl would paint the walls. They ought to be plastered, but that would take too long. He needed Holmes’s approval so the glassworks project could get underway.
“Why don’t you wait until Saturday to haul that over to the cabin?” Garrett had asked as Roland loaded the cart.
“I have time today.”
The weather was also exceptionally calm for a September day, and Roland hoped to convince Pearl to take that long-delayed walk along the shore. The timing was perfect. He’d waited until he spotted her walking back from the school. He would offer to show her the progress on the church, since he was heading that way to drop off the whitewash. Sometime during their time together, he’d slip in the suggestion that they stroll the shoreline.
The thought of her hand in his had occupied his thoughts all day. In fact, he’d been trying to figure out how to approach her all week. She always seemed to have others surrounding her. At the boardinghouse, her friend Amanda clung close as a burr. At Sunday’s church service, the parents surrounded her with unending questions. Isaac and Sadie walked with her back and forth to school. He’d had no opportunity to speak with her alone.
Over the week he’d learned her patterns. She left for the school just as the sun lightened the eastern sky and returned shortly after the sawmill’s steam whistle signaled the end of the work day. Today was the first day she’d returned from school alone, since Isaac and Sadie had come back to town with the Wardmans.
He wheeled the cart directly in her path, forcing her to stop.
“Miss Pearl. It’s good to see you.”
She looked toward the boardinghouse. “And you, Mr. Decker.”
Her stiff reply surprised him, but then she might be responding in kind since he’d begun the conversation somewhat formally. “You look lovely today.”
At last she looked at him. Unfortunately in disgust.
“I am exhausted, and my dress needs cleaning.”
She still wore that bland brown dress. Its only saving grace was the way it made her green eyes stand out.
“I wasn’t referring to your clothing.” He offered a broad smile to lift her mood. “You provide the beauty.”
She rolled her eyes. “I have much to do tonight, and Mrs. Calloway would appreciate my assistance.”
He was getting the distinct impression she didn’t want to see him. “At least allow me to escort you to the boardinghouse.”
Even that seemed to make her uncomfortable. She glanced around, as if looking for someone, and then sighed. “You are clearly delivering something. I don’t want to keep you.”
That was his opening. “I’m bringing the paint to the new church. I thought you might like to see the progress.”
A battle played out on her face. She wanted to see the church, but something was keeping her from agreeing.
“Perhaps Amanda would like to see it, too.”
He didn’t want Amanda with them. “I thought, considering the fine weather, that it might be the perfect afternoon for our stroll on the lakeshore.”
She visibly stiffened. “That wouldn’t be...a good idea.” Her eyes darted everywhere but at him.
What was going on? “Have I done something to offend you?”
“No.” She swallowed but looked over his shoulder. “Not at all.”
“Then why are you acting this way?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Decker, but I need to return to the boardinghouse.”
“I thought we were on a first-name basis.” He widened his smile in an attempt to draw her in. “If you can’t see the church today, I hope you’ll be there Saturday to paint. We wouldn’t want Singapore’s best painter to miss out.”
“We will be there.”
We? His heart sank. Of course there would be others. Garrett said he’d help, but Pearl seemed to wield those friends of hers like a shield. Perhaps she was just exhausted. Perhaps whatever was weighing her down now would be gone by Saturday. “I look forward to it.”
“I’ll see you Saturday, then.” For the briefest moment she looked directly at him with almost a wistful look. Then she left the boardwalk and skirted around his cart. Once past, she turned back briefly. “Thank you for taking such interest in the new church.”
Then she hurried away.
* * *
Pearl dropped her books and papers on the bed and collapsed to her knees. It had taken every ounce of will to walk away from Roland. She wanted to see the church. She wanted that stroll along the lakeshore, but she had promised Amanda. She must stay away from Roland until Amanda lost interest. But would that ever happen?
Lord, help me.
She buried her face in her hands and felt the sting of a tear of frustration.
The week had been long. The children were exuberant, to say the least, and she’d soon discovered that her experiences in the orphanage and her education had not fully prepared her for the realities of teaching. Instead of attentive young minds, the children bounced from their seats at the slightest sound. Giggles, whispers and out-and-out defiance had turned each day into a struggle. She could not rely on the older children to keep still while she worked with the younger ones. If she didn’t figure out something soon, none of them would learn a thing.
A week ago she would have asked Roland for advice, but now she couldn’t spend any time alone with him. If Amanda had seen the little chat today, she would get upset all over again. She needed a friend who understood children. Mrs. Wardman came to mind, but she lived all the way over in Saugatuck and did not attend church services here.
It felt like her world was crumbling.
She heard the door open and close softly. Then she felt Amanda sink to the floor beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulders.
“What happened?” her friend whispered.
Pearl could not mention the encounter with Roland, so she began with school. “I’m a terrible teacher.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute. You were always trying to educate us at the orphanage. Remember your little classroom?” Amanda held out a handkerchief, but Pearl hadn’t let one tear fall.
“They were better behaved. These children are...energetic.”
Amanda laughed. “Of course they are. They’ve been climbing trees and swimming and fishing all summer long. They probably don’t want the fun to end.”
“I hadn’t considered that.” She sighed. “That’s why I’m an awful teacher.”
Amanda rose and patted the bed. “The floor is terribly hard. Let’s sit while you tell me everything.”
Pearl sat beside her friend and heaved a big sigh. “They’re noisy and won’t listen. When I work with the older children, the little ones run around. When I work with the little ones, the older children create havoc. I don’t know what to do.”
“It sounds like you could use help.”
“With only ten children? If
I can’t handle ten children, what sort of teacher am I?”
“A good one.” Amanda hugged her. “You helped me learn to read.” She paused, pensive. “Are Isaac and Sadie causing problems, too?”
“Honestly, they are the only children who behave.” She sighed. “But in comparison, they seem almost too quiet and somber.”
Amanda echoed the sigh. “I know what you mean. Sadie barely says a thing and almost never smiles. Isaac acts like he has to look after his sister, but he’s too young for that. You don’t think their father is ignoring them, do you?”
Pearl had wondered about that. Garrett Decker always looked terribly serious and melancholy. It was understandable, but it might be affecting the children. “Maybe I should have a talk with him. But to be honest, that fills me with dread.”
Amanda squeezed her around the shoulders. “I know what you mean. He’s intimidating with that scowl of his.”
Was that it? Was that what drew Amanda to the younger brother rather than the older? “He has suffered a terrible loss.”
Amanda bowed her head. “I know. It’s affected Isaac and Sadie, too, but they really seem to want a new mother. They hang on every word Mrs. Calloway says, and they love to play games. I’ve spent hours and hours playing jacks and marbles with them.”
Pearl should have realized that her friend had spent her free time with the children. Amanda was naturally drawn to the innocent and vulnerable—whether a child or a pet.
“A pet!” Pearl exclaimed. “Do they have a dog or cat?”
“I don’t think so. At least they never mentioned a pet. Surely they would have said something.”
“And there wasn’t a dog or cat at the house when we visited. Perhaps a pet would be helpful.”
Amanda stared at her. “Somehow I doubt their father would allow it.”
“Then maybe we could have one at school. It would give the children something to care for and would teach them responsibility.”
“And what would you do with it at night? You can’t leave it alone in the school, and we can’t bring it here.”
Mail Order Mix-Up Page 13
