by Delia Parr
30
THE FOLLOWING DAY, Emma was happy that she managed to keep herself busy all morning, especially since everyone else in her family, including Mother Garrett, seemed to have so many plans of their own today without her.
When the front bell rang, she was in the dining room with Liesel polishing the furniture. She waved for Liesel to keep working. “I’ll see who it is,” she said, hoping Zachary had decided to come to see her today instead of tomorrow. She paused in front of the mirror on the oak coatrack to fix her hair, but she did not need to pinch any color to her cheeks. They were a bit too bright as they were.
When she opened the front door and saw Sheriff North standing there holding Wryn by the arm, Emma was too shocked to be disappointed, but she was alarmed. Wryn’s gown was caked with dried mud. She held her soiled bonnet in her hand, but the scrapes and scratches on Wryn’s freckled face concerned Emma most of all.
“This young lady tells me she’s your niece,” the sheriff said without bothering to hide his grin.
“Yes, she is,” Emma managed.
“Having you living in town might make my job easier now and again,” he remarked as he removed his hat.
“You may be right,” Emma muttered, grateful that Wryn had the good sense to have the sheriff bring her here instead of to the Glenns’. She opened the door wide and urged them inside.
“You can’t get too mad at me. You had more mud on yourself than I do when you fell the last time,” Wryn cautioned.
“That could very well be a matter of debate,” Emma countered as she stepped aside to let Wryn pass by. “At the moment, I’m more interested in what happened to you. Why are you all scraped up? And why did the sheriff have to escort you here?”
Wryn tilted up her chin. “I didn’t want Reverend Glenn and Aunt Frances to see me like this. You probably think I got myself into real trouble this time.”
“I can’t say the thought hadn’t occurred to me,” Emma admitted.
Wryn looked up at the sheriff and grinned. “You’d better tell her. She won’t believe me half as quick as she’ll believe you.”
Sheriff North nodded. “Your niece may have been a bit too foolish for her own good, but she—”
“I caught not one, but two thieves!” Wryn announced, clearly more anxious to spin her tale than she thought. “Two,” she repeated and held up two very dirty, scraped fingers.
Emma gasped. “You what?”
“Your niece caught two young men sneaking out of the back window down at MacPherson’s Apothecary with a week’s worth of receipts.”
“I wrestled the two of them to the ground, too.”
“No!” Emma exclaimed, shocked more by the danger her niece had encountered than the impropriety of wrestling with not one, but two members of the opposite sex.
“They made such a fuss, there was a crowd in no time,” Wryn continued. “Some men stepped in to help me, and then Sheriff North came and hauled those two riffraff off to jail. I thought the crowd would never stop applauding, either. Mr. MacPherson was so upset, he decided to keep his funds in the bank from now on, and he was so grateful for my help that he gave me a reward. I put that right on your account at Mrs. Kelly’s to pay for the reticule I bought, and I still have a few coins for myself. Mrs. Kelly didn’t even complain about all the dirt I tracked into her shop, either,” Wryn blurted.
When she finally stopped to draw a breath, she looked down at her skirts and frowned. “I think I might have ruined this gown, though. Do you think the mud stains will come out if I set it to soak? It’s my best gown, and I’ll need it if I have to testify in court if those two stupid men don’t decide to plead guilty.”
The sheriff coughed. “There’s not much chance that will happen. From what I got out of those two, being bested by a female once is embarrassment enough. Now if you’ll both excuse me, I’d best be getting back to the jail,” he said and shut the door behind him.
Rendered speechless, Emma struggled to gather her thoughts. Seeing Wryn as a heroine took some doing, although the young woman’s feisty nature had served her well this time. There was no question the entire episode had given her the acceptance she so desperately desired, although Emma would have much preferred a more subtle solution. She looked at Wryn and smiled. “I’m proud of you. I’m also frightened just thinking about what could have happened to you, and we should probably discuss what is and what isn’t appropriate for a young woman to do when she’s up against a couple of thieves. But I am truly, truly proud of you.”
Wryn grinned. “Me too.”
Emma cocked a brow.
Wryn tilted up her chin. “Well, I am. I wasn’t sure if I could get the best of those two men, but I sure couldn’t let them steal from Mr. MacPherson. He’s been awfully good to Reverend Glenn. But the minute I spied that bag of money they were stealing, I thought of you and I just knew I could stop them if I tried hard enough.”
“You thought of me?” Emma managed. “Why?”
“Because you’re the strongest, smartest woman I’ve ever known,” Wryn said. “You really are.”
* * *
After supper that night, once Emma’s grandchildren had been put to bed and Wryn’s heroics had been told and retold, the adults who had gathered together in the east parlor were ending the day with quiet conversation. Emma sat next to her mother-in-law on the settee, while her sons and their wives sat in chairs across from them, side by side as couples.
Benjamin lifted his hand to still the chatter about the latest topic of conversation, which had Emma sitting on the edge of the settee. To her, Zachary’s absence these past few days had been palpable, but she had not realized how much it had been a topic of concern. Until now.
When everyone quieted, Benjamin grinned. “None of you should be surprised at all that Mr. Breckenwith has made himself scarce these past few days. Once he’s married my mother, he’ll have little time to himself, especially with all of us around,” he teased.
“The man’s a lawyer. He has clients to contend with,” Mark added, supporting his brother’s argument.
Warren cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “It’s getting late, so rather than spend any more time discussing a man who isn’t here to defend himself, I have some news I’d like to share with all of you.”
Ever grateful that he had steered the conversation in another direction, Emma was able to relax and sit back in her seat again, fully aware that Mother Garrett was watching her closely. She glanced at Anna and knew from the smile on her face that Warren had already shared his news with his wife. Judging by the satisfied expression on Mother Garrett’s face, she had been told already, too.
“As of Monday, I’ll be gainfully employed at the First Bank of Candlewood,” Warren announced and blushed when the room erupted in cheers and applause. He waved them to quiet. “I might have been the first one to hightail it out of Candlewood, but I’m also the first one to decide to live here again permanently, too. Since you all know why Anna and I had no choice but to come home, I can see now that living in Candlewood is going to be a blessing for me and my family,” he said.
Emma’s heart swelled.
Warren looked at Mother Garrett and smiled. “Thanks for speaking up for me with Mr. Wyatt, Grams.”
Mother Garrett beamed. “He didn’t take much convincing once Frances and I reminded him of a few things.”
Emma had been unaware that her mother-in-law even knew the owner of the bank, but she realized now that it was Mother Garrett Anna had seen going into the bank the other day. “What ‘few things’?”
“Frances and I simply reminded him that folks like Mr. MacPherson still don’t trust banks, and if he had a mind to convince them otherwise, he’d best hire someone like Warren. Besides, Frances and I have gotten friendly with his mother. She moved here with her son and his family, and we see her a lot at the General Store. I believe she spoke to her son about Warren, too.”
Satisfied, Emma turned back to Warren. “Exactly what kind of w
ork will you be doing?”
He grinned. “Eventually, I’ll be reviewing loan applications. Unlike those big city bankers, Mr. Wyatt figured I had enough firsthand experience to know exactly when a request for a loan should be denied.”
Emma chuckled, along with everyone else, including Warren.
When the laughter died down, Warren turned to Benjamin. “I know you like a whole lot more space around you, but there’s plenty of good farmland here.”
Benjamin grinned. “Maybe so, but I’m still heading back to Ohio. If I can get my brothers-in-law to help me out again, we’ll be back to visit more often,” he said, and Betsy nodded her agreement.
Warren turned to Mark next. “When you left to open that bookstore of yours in Albany, Candlewood wasn’t much more than a simple farm town. The canal’s changed that, and I’m hoping you’ll think about coming back, too.”
With his face flushed, Mark looked at Catherine and smiled. “As a matter of fact, Catherine and I have spent the past few days talking about doing just that.”
“You have?” Emma blurted, unaware that her youngest son was entertaining any thoughts about moving back to Candlewood.
“We have, Mother Emma,” Catherine assured her. “Now that my parents are both gone, you’re the only grandparent our children have left, and we’d like them to be closer to you.”
Emma clasped her heart, overwhelmed to think that not one, but two of her sons might call Candlewood home again, which meant she would also have most of her grandchildren here, too.
“There’s more than enough business here now to support a store like mine, but I need to work out a few details first before I make my final decision,” Mark cautioned.
Warren grinned. “I’ll be glad to consider your loan application, if you need to borrow any funds.”
Mark laughed. “You might have to do just that, but I should get enough from the sale of my store to avoid borrowing anything. I’ve had a few offers in the past, so I don’t think I’ll have much trouble selling out. As a matter of fact, the young man who’s tending the store while I’m gone might be interested. I’ll talk to him first, of course, as soon as we get back. In any case, I should expect we’d be able to come back to Candlewood by midsummer at the latest.”
“Well before the baby is born,” Catherine added as she placed her hand atop her tummy.
“Catherine and I will need a place to stay, just temporarily, until we can get settled in a place of our own. We were hoping we could stay here at Hill House,” he said, turning toward his mother.
Emma swallowed hard and wondered if God’s plan for her had been to stay right here, with her family, all along. “You’re all welcome to stay here,” she assured him. “What are you going to do about Wryn?”
Mark swallowed hard and took his wife’s hand. “I’m not certain her mother would quite believe the girl’s reformed herself as much as she has. Not this quickly.”
Catherine nodded. “Mark and I will speak to my sister, of course, but if she’s still not willing to have Wryn return home, then she can stay with us once we get settled.”
“Would she be able to stay here with you when we first go back to Albany? I’d rather not have Wryn travel all that way, only to be disappointed again,” Mark said.
“Of course she can stay with me, but you’ll have to talk to Wryn yourself so there aren’t any misunderstandings like there were last time,” she replied. “You’ll be staying here at Hill House for a while, won’t you?” she said, turning to Warren.
“We probably need to stay for a few months, at least,” he replied.
“Naturally, I’ll continue to help out, for as long as we’re here at Hill House. I should probably say good night, though,” Anna said as she got to her feet. “Dawn comes earlier and earlier these days, and I’d like to finish a few chores before we go visiting tomorrow.”
“We’re leaving right after breakfast, too,” Catherine added.
Betsy nodded and stood up. “Us too.”
Warren joined them, along with Mark. “We should probably all call it a day. What about you, Mother? Grams?”
Mother Garrett shook her head. “I still have a bit of energy left. You all go on to bed. Your mother will sit with me, won’t you, Emma?”
Disappointed to have yet another day alone tomorrow, Emma managed a smile. “We won’t be much longer, but you could save me some steps if someone could lock up for me.”
“I’ll do that,” Anna volunteered and led the younger adults out of the parlor.
“We’re very blessed, aren’t we?” Emma murmured as she listened to the echo of their footsteps as they mounted the stairs.
“Having those boys home with their families. Knowing both Warren and Mark are back home again for good. You and Mr. Breckenwith getting married. Blessings all. Life always manages to fall into place, one blessing at a time,” Mother Garrett replied and patted Emma’s thigh.
Shaking her head, Emma drew in a long breath and turned to face her mother-in-law. “Life doesn’t always fall into the place we’ve expected,” she said, unable to keep the burden she had been carrying secret any longer.
Mother Garrett cocked her head. “Having second thoughts about marrying that man, are you?”
Emma nodded. “A few more than that,” she admitted and slowly explained her situation, starting with her decision to live in town with Zachary and either sell Hill House or keep it as an investment and ending with the ultimatum she had given to Zachary.
“You never mentioned moving from Hill House to me before. Not seriously,” Mother Garrett murmured.
“I wasn’t certain myself that I could leave. Not until just a few days ago. But since you’d said you knew you had a place with me wherever I lived, I didn’t worry about it because—”
“Because you weren’t sure that man wanted a woman with a real backbone or not, and he hasn’t let you know that he’s figured out that he does,” Mother Garrett offered.
“You don’t know he’s come to that conclusion.”
Softening her gaze, she took Emma’s hands in her own. “He’s a smart man. He’ll come around to it, and when he does, I don’t want you worrying yourself about me. I’m perfectly content right here with you, but if you do patch things up with him and want to sell out, you won’t be able to do that right away. Not with Warren and Mark needing a place to stay for a while, which means . . . I’d like to stay.”
Emma’s heart skipped a beat. “Here? You’d want to stay here at Hill House, rather than with me?”
“Anna can’t run this boardinghouse, even with Liesel and Ditty’s help, and take care of her husband and her little ones and have a new cook in the kitchen, too. My place is here, helping Anna, just like I’ve always helped you.”
Stunned, Emma struggled to keep herself sitting upright. “You . . . you wouldn’t want to come live with me?”
Mother Garrett cupped the side of her face. “I love you dearly, Emma, but I couldn’t move into town with you. Not now. Warren and Anna both need me much more than you do,” she whispered, then wrapped Emma in her arms and held her close.
They cried together, and Emma knew this very precious, precious woman was more than the rock that had held her life steady for over thirty years. She was the one true cornerstone of Hill House, too.
And one day soon, when Zachary finally gave Emma his decision, Emma prayed her mother-in-law would be there to support her—either way her life unfolded in the days and months and years ahead.
31
AT FIRST LIGHT, Emma stood with her back to the kitchen door and glared at her mother-in-law. “Everyone else seems to have plans today that don’t include me. Why shouldn’t I ride to Bounty? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t. Just one.”
“What if Mr. Breckenwith is planning to come see you today?” Mother Garrett argued.
“I said a good reason. Moping about hoping the man might come isn’t good enough,” Emma countered. “Besides, if I leave now, I can be at the courthouse pract
ically when it opens and ride back well before late afternoon.”
“If I were hoping for a visit from my future husband, I’d want to be here and be gussied up a bit when he got here, too.”
Emma lowered her voice. “But I don’t know if he’s coming today or not, and I don’t know if he’s going to be my future husband or just . . . just a man who used to be my betrothed. And neither do you.”
“Suit yourself. You usually do anyway,” her mother-in-law quipped. “I hope you’ve got a few extra coins in that reticule of yours. He’s not in Bounty this time to come to your rescue.”
Emma tilted up her chin and jiggled her reticule until the coins rattled. “I don’t need him to rescue me. Not today. Not ever.”
“At least take this with you,” Mother Garrett insisted, pressing a small canvas bag into her hands. “Since you won’t stay to eat some breakfast before you leave, take this snack to eat along the way.”
When Emma’s stomach growled, she frowned.
Mother Garrett chuckled. “It’s the last of that bread you brought home from Mrs. Fellows. I slathered it good with butter for you,” she said and pressed a kiss to Emma’s cheek. “You take care of yourself today.”
“I will, but if I’m not back by supper, please don’t worry about me. If need be, I’ll spend the night in Bounty and be back sometime tomorrow,” she replied and headed for the livery to get Mercy.
* * *
Armed with a copy of Mr. Burns’ will, which provided very nicely for his aged sister, Emma arrived back in Candlewood the next day fully confident she would be able to convince Miss Burns’ sister-in-law to abide by the terms of her husband’s will without involving a lawyer.
She arrived at the livery and dismounted just as the town clock struck four o’clock, a good hour later than she had planned. Hopeful she would have enough time to at least get rid of the road dust she was wearing before supper was ready, she handed Mr. Adams the reins. “Mercy gave me quite a comfortable ride again today. I think she deserves some extra oats, if you wouldn’t mind.”
