Violet

by Greenwood, Leigh

  Inside, the girls were eating their lunch. Violet ought to be eating hers as well, but she wasn't hungry. Any minute now, Beth would announce the end of the quarantine. Violet's two weeks of incarceration would be over. But she wasn't thinking about herself. She was thinking of Jeff Randolph.

  After their argument of the previous day, she was sure she never wanted to speak to him again. But after last night, she wondered. He wasn't an easy man to understand. He wasn't easy on himself or others. He didn't know very much about women. He did the wrong thing more often than not, but there was something about him that wouldn't let her forget him.

  She had seen too many instances of his temper and lack of consideration; she had heard far more than she ever wanted about the war. If she never heard the word Yankee again, she'd be thankful. The man had more blind spots than a one-eyed mule, and he was just about as stubborn.

  But there was something very different buried deep inside him. Essie had seen it right away. Violet had caught only a glimpse. Until last night she thought she was fooling herself. It was so easy to make excuses for a man who looked like Jeff Randolph.

  Something quivered deep in her belly every time she remembered what he looked like in those short pants. It was shocking to think she was so susceptible to a physical attraction, but she had to face the truth. Where Jeff Randolph was concerned, she was nonsensical. And she was beginning to imagine things. She must be.

  She was convinced he kissed her last night.

  The strain of being in quarantine must be getting to her. She couldn't think of anything more unlikely. She had been surprised he'd forgotten his work long enough to know she was having a bad dream. She was stunned to find herself in his arms, even after he explained she'd been about to fall out of the bed. She was surprised he hadn't let her tumble onto the floor.

  No, that was unfair. He might dislike her, but there was a certain gallantry about him that would make him behave the same way to her as he did all women, even if she was a Yankee. But it wouldn't make him kiss her.

  She wished it had.

  The thought appalled her. Surely she hadn't become so captivated by his looks she wanted him to kiss her. She'd dreamed of him, but that was a natural reaction to being around an attractive man. Wanting him to kiss her meant something else entirely.

  The door to the dormitory opened, cutting off the thread of her thoughts.

  "It's twelve o'clock," Beth announced. "The quarantine is ended."

  Violet didn't have a chance to feel relief or disappointment before the girls came streaming past her like puppies released from a pen. She had said they could spend an hour enjoying themselves outside. They seemed determined not to miss a minute. When the twins reached the door, Violet put a hand on their shoulders and pulled them aside.

  "Aren't you going to say good-bye to your uncle?" she asked.

  "We can wave to him," Aurelia said.

  "I don't think that's enough," Violet said. "You're the reason he's here. And you haven't spent much time with him."

  "He's too crabby," Juliette explained.

  "He likes Essie better than us."

  "Nevertheless, you must tell him good-bye and thank him for coming by to talk to me about you."

  "Can we wait outside?" Aurelia asked.

  "He might be forever coming down," Juliette explained.

  "Okay, but don't go so far you can't hear me when I call you."

  "We won't," the girls chanted in chorus and scampered through the door before Violet could change her mind.

  "You think they'll be ready to come inside after an hour?" Beth asked. They both watched as the girls chased each other across the wide lawn, whooping and laughing as they went.

  "After two weeks of inactivity, they'll be so exhausted they won't be able to stand."

  Beth looked over her shoulder at the door leading into the dormitory. "When is he leaving?"

  "Soon. I don't imagine he'll want to stay a minute longer than he must."

  It was as though her words drew him forth. The door opened and Jeff and Essie entered the parlor. Violet hadn't set eyes on him since early that morning -- she had forced herself to stay away from him -- but she couldn't get enough of him now. He was so handsome dressed in a dark blue wool suit with a crisp white shirt and a black bow tie. His blond hair had been combed into place while still wet, but enough strands had escaped to relieve the severity of his appearance. His eyes were as blue as she remembered, his shoulders as broad.

  Violet had to remind herself to breathe.

  He was leaving. She wouldn't have to worry about avoiding him any more. She wouldn't have to worry about him using the bathtub, waking her up with his exercising, asking her to dinner. She wouldn't have to worry about her body's unexpected reaction to his presence. Her life could return to normal.

  But never had normalcy had so little appeal.

  Essie threw herself at Violet. "Please make him stay," she begged.

  "I'm sure he's anxious to get back to his office," Violet answered, startled by Essie's request. "You can't expect him to want to stay in a building full of little girls."

  "You're not a little girl."

  Violet's gaze flew to Jeff's face before she could stop herself. He looked as uncomfortable as she felt.

  "Mr. Randolph has a job and a family and lots of things to do."

  "The twins said if they were bad, you'd make him come back."

  "I don't think that's a good idea."

  "But I want him to meet my daddy."

  "I've already met your father," Jeff said.

  "But I want to show you to him."

  "Maybe some other time," Violet said.

  Essie turned from Violet to Jeff. She tugged on his arm. "You will come back, won't you? Please."

  Violet thought Jeff looked close to losing his temper. Essie had probably been plaguing him all morning. She should have been paying attention to her job instead of wallowing in her own confusion.

  "I have a better idea," Jeff said. "Suppose I have your father bring you to the bank sometime."

  Essie practically bounced up and down. "Promise?"

  "I promise."

  "I see your Papa down by the road," Beth said.

  "Why don't you run out to meet him?" Violet suggested.

  "You can see Daddy now," Essie cried. "You won't go away before I get back, will you?"

  "I promise to wait right here," Jeff said.

  Relieved of that worry, Essie shot through the door Beth held open and dashed across the lawn to meet her father.

  "I'm sorry. I never thought she'd plague you so," Violet apologize.

  "She'll forget about me soon enough," Jeff said, but his expression was tight about the eyes.

  Violet doubted any of them would forget him that easily. They stood there in awkward silence.

  "Do you have a carriage coming for you?"

  "I never ride," Jeff said. "Walking is some of the best exercise. You ought to try it."

  "I do," Violet responded, stung. "But I can't get away from my duties for very long."

  "You ought to make it part of the girls' regime. Maybe I'll speak to Miss Settle."

  "You'll get your chance right now," Beth informed him. "She's coming down the walk."

  They moved outside. Miss Settle, her assistant, and two members of the school board must have been waiting. They started forward as soon as they saw Jeff. Violet held back.

  She watched them fawn over him, showering him with the kind of attention they would only bestow on a rich and powerful man. Once he glanced in her direction, and she thought he looked like he wished she would rescue him. But that was ridiculous. He was used to this kind of attention. He must know how to handle it.

  She tried to focus her thoughts on the girls, on Essie, on anything but Jeff and the fact he was leaving. He had already gone -- they had closed around him -- he just wasn't out of sight.

  Violet had started down the walk to meet Essie and her father when Jeff broke away from the group. He came
over, took her by the hand, and drew her over to Miss Settle.

  "Miss Goodwin handled everything very well," he said. With his hand in the small of her back, he placed her directly in front of him. "It can't be easy to be shut up with so many girls for two weeks. I think you ought to give her a week off to recover."

  Violet was stunned, but hardly less than Miss Settle.

  "We have no one to replace her," the headmistress exclaimed.

  "What about yourself?" Jeff asked.

  The Board members looked shocked. Miss Settle looked ready to faint.

  Violet turned to scan Jeff's face, searching for a reason why he would make such a suggestion. Was he trying to provoke Miss Settle the way he had provoked her? He looked at her out of blue eyes that gave no hint of what he might be thinking.

  "That won't be necessary," Violet heard herself saying to Miss Settle. Her words sounded overly loud as they tumbled into the shocked silence. "I'll be quite recovered in no time."

  "Nonsense," Jeff said. "You're exhausted. You're going to spend a couple of days at Tyler's hotel. I insist."

  A couple of days! He remembered.

  "The Windsor!" Miss Settle gasped. "But they never have any rooms."

  "Tyler keeps two suites for the family," Jeff informed his shocked auditors. "She can stay in one of those."

  "But . . ." Violet began.

  "There's nothing more to discuss," Jeff said. "Tyler will send a carriage for you at four o'clock. That'll give you time to get settled before dinner. You can find somebody to stay with the girls by then, can't you, Eleanor?" Jeff said to Miss Settle.

  She gaped at him.

  "You'd better if you don't want them running loose. Imagine the twins left on their own for two days."

  Miss Settle looked as nonplussed as Violet felt.

  "Now where are the little monsters? I guess I ought to take a last look to make sure they haven't broken anything since I saw them."

  Violet pulled herself together sufficiently to motion to the twins. Essie dragged her father up first.

  "This is my daddy," she announced proudly.

  Despite not having recovered from the shock of Jeff's invitation, Violet felt her eyes water. She'd never seen Essie so happy. She looked up at her father as though he were the only person in the whole world. Even her adored Jeff was almost invisible in her father's presence. Harold Brown was tall and thin, an austere man in a thick, black mustache and mutton chop sideburns. He looked miserably uncomfortable. Violet wanted to pull his mustache out hair by hair for ignoring Essie for so long. She hoped Jeff would hold that loan over Harold's head for as long as possible.

  "Glad to see you're so prompt," Jeff said, a cold warning in his voice. "Essie's been missing you."

  "I've been busy," Mr. Brown said. "What with work and this quarantine, I . . . " His voice trailed off.

  "It's been hard on all of us," Miss Settle said, recovering sufficiently to speak to another wealthy patron. "I'm sure you're glad to have your precious daughter restored to you happy and healthy."

  "For which you have Miss Goodwin to thank," Jeff said.

  "No one else was allowed to enter the building," one board member said. "The law forbids it." He was a self-important little man, fat and bald, too old to have any but a granddaughter in the school.

  "It's been good to see you, Brown," Jeff said. "I don't want to take up your time with your daughter. Don't forget Miss Goodwin is to be ready to leave at four," Jeff said to Miss Settle. "Oh God, here come my nieces."

  Aurelia and Juliette approached cautiously.

  "Come on," Violet said. "He won't bite you."

  "Maybe not," Jeff growled, "but if you get into any more trouble, I'm liable to murder you and hide your bodies."

  The adults laughed easily. The twins weren't so confident.

  "You proved you could behave this week, so I expect you to keep doing it."

  "Yes, Uncle Jeff," they said in unison.

  "Good, now get lost."

  Taking him at his word, the twins disappeared as fast as they could run.

  "Such beautiful little girls," Miss Settle cooed. "You must be extremely proud of them."

  "I'd be a lot prouder if they weren't so damned much trouble," Jeff said before turning to Violet. "We dress for dinner," he said. With that he turned on his heel and headed toward the road. They all stared after in him in silence.

  "I guess you'd better start your packing, Miss Goodwin," the first board member said to her. "You don't want to keep him waiting."

  "Where am I going to find someone to take her place on such short notice?" Miss Settle asked. "The twins are such troublesome girls."

  "Try to find someone they'll like," the second board member said. He was also fat and bald, but he was young and clean-shaven. Violet had met his daughter. "The boy's school will be finished next year. We can't afford to have all those male Randolphs go somewhere else."

  "I'll expect you back no later than noon on Wednesday," Miss Settle informed Violet. "I really don't know what that man expects me to do without you."

  Violet didn't have any thoughts to spare for Miss Settle. She was trying to calm the upheaval of emotion inside her. Hope, fear, fantasy, cynicism, speculation, common sense, and a dozen other feelings fought for primacy. She was also trying to figure out what had prompted Jeff's invitation. He had remembered what she said last night. He had done this for her. What more might he want to do?

  He had invited her to stay in the family hotel. The possible interpretations were endless. Violet told herself it would be a waste of time to try to sort them out. She would find out what he meant soon enough.

  * * * * *

  Jeff surveyed Fern's drawing room with open revulsion. Just his luck to find every member of his family within a hundred miles was gathered here. He was even more disgusted Iris and Daisy were pregnant and Monty and Tyler acted like they'd done something to be proud of. No one had reacted well to his observation that even gophers managed to have babies.

  He probably should have gone to see Louise instead. He was sure physical release would help him banish the image of Violet Goodwin from his mind, but he wasn't in the mood for Louise's company. He had no appetite for her boisterous gaiety. Frustrated and confused by his feelings, he had decided to make his report to Fern.

  "The little monsters behaved themselves while I was there," he was telling Fern, "but I wouldn't put it past them to do something disgraceful any minute now. I don't know how anybody as dull as George could have fathered those two hellcats."

  "It's just high spirits," Iris said. "I remember being sent away to boarding school. I hated every minute of it until I was old enough to go to parties."

  "Then you can go stay with them."

  "I might, to get away from Monty. I'd probably have more freedom."

  Jeff felt slightly nauseated by the way Monty grinned at his wife. Monty wasn't his favorite brother, but until he met Iris, he'd never turned foolish over women. Tyler seemed to be holding up better. At least he had the good sense to keep working. They'd all go crazy if they had Monty around all winter with nothing to do.

  "I wish you hadn't telegraphed Rose," Fern said. "After all, I did promise to take care of those girls."

  "You can't be expected to do that when you can't get out of bed," Daisy said.

  "No one can control those girls," Monty said. "I dread to think of what they'll be like in ten years."

  "Well I'm not having anything to do with them," Jeff said, "not ten minutes from now or ten years. I got more than enough being locked up with them for four days."

  Devilment stirred in Monty's eyes. "Fern tells me the housemother is a beautiful Yankee temptress."

  "She has red hair. I expect you'd know more about that than I would," Jeff shot back.

  "Just what do you mean by that?" Monty asked, firing up.

  "What's she like?" Iris asked, trying to prevent an argument. "Fern says she's quite nice."

  That wasn't a word he'd have used to de
scribe Violet. Spirited, intelligent, pretty, dangerous all came closer to the illusive qualities which made her impossible to forget.

  "She's from Massachusetts," Jeff said.

  Five pairs of eyes watched him.

  "What else do you want to know?" Jeff demanded.

  He wasn't going to tell them about her skin, her hair, or the way she looked when she covered her eyes to keep from seeing his body.

  "Good God, Jeff," Fern said, "millions of people come from Massachusetts. I imagine quite a few of them have red hair. They can't all be the same."

  "I wouldn't know."

  He was certain none of them were like Violet.

  "You did speak to her, didn't you?" Tyler asked. "You did invite her to share all that food I sent you?"

  "Yes, I did," Jeff replied, turning on his taciturn brother. "And I'll thank you not to do anything like that again. She was just as miserable as I was."

  No, he was the one who had been miserable. She had tried to act like she enjoyed being with him, but no woman could like spending an evening with a man who was alternately silent and argumentative.

  "Nobody could be miserable eating Jeff's food," Iris said.

  "They would if they had to eat it with Jeff," Monty said.

  "What did she think of the Beef Randolph?" Iris asked. "We had some for dinner when we arrived. I swear I could have eaten another meal."

  "She didn't come to dinner that night," Jeff told them.

  He had wondered if she would. He hadn't invited her, but he couldn't help but wonder.

  "Why?" Fern asked.

  "Do you need to ask?" Monty said. "Two meals with him, and she's probably given up eating."

  "Why not?" Fern persisted. "You did invite her, didn't you?"

  "No."

  Angry as he was, he had been tempted. He'd spent the whole meal wondering what she was doing.

  "You ought to have just for her putting up with you," Iris said.