Chapter Five
Beth felt a mix of emotions after she said goodbye to her mother and walked the remaining block to the apartment she shared with her friends. Their lives had changed so dramatically since the fire. They didn’t know of a single girl who’d managed to find a new job. Their options were truly limited. As much as she hadn’t enjoyed working at the mill, Beth had loved living with the girls and knew she would miss them all terribly. They were already leaving. Lottie had been gone for well over a week and the twins, Lessie and Josie, were gone, too. Alice would be off to Rhode Island soon and she knew that it looked promising for Judith as well.
She smelled something wonderful as she reached the door of their apartment, and that was unusual because cabbage soup didn’t smell particularly appetizing and that’s mostly what they’d been eating of late. Food was expensive and they made do as best they could. Their friend Johanna had been a godsend. She lived with her sister and brought them food whenever she could.
When Beth walked inside, she saw the girls gathered around Johanna, who was holding a large, straw basket.
“Johanna brought us meat pies!” Alice exclaimed.
“They’re not that grand,” Johanna said and held one up so they could all see. “They’re just small pastries that you can hold in your hand, pie dough folded over with bits of meat and spices inside. I did help her my sister to make them, though, and had one myself.” She smiled then and added, “They are pretty good, if I do say so myself.”
Beth walked over and gave her a hug. “Thank you. You know we’re grateful for anything that you bring us, even cabbage soup. But this is a real treat.”
“The girls told me that you just went to meet your prospective groom. How did it go?” Johanna asked.
“Yes! What did you think? Could you marry him?” Alice looked both excited and worried for her.
“I think so, yes. If he’ll have me. He seems like a respectable man and I think he has enough means to support the both of us, as well as his two girls. He has a house here, with a housekeeper.”
Judith looked confused. “I thought you said that you’d be moving to Montana. But he has a house here?”
“With a housekeeper, too? He must do well.” Alice seemed impressed.
“I think he must, which is a relief,” Beth said. “His intention is to buy the Brown Textile Mill. If he can get it for a good enough price.”
“What would he want that for? It will need to be almost totally rebuilt, I would imagine,” Alice said.
“He owns another mill here that he inherited from an uncle a few years ago. I believe the house was his, too. His business is doing well and he is ready to expand. He asked me to go with him this week to his meeting with Bob Brown.”
“Why would he want you to go with him?” Johanna asked.
“I may have told him that we suspect that Bob Brown burned down his own mill. Since I know the man, he thought I might possibly notice something that he would miss otherwise.”
“That sounds exciting,” Alice said.
“I know. I’m looking forward to it. I’m more nervous about tomorrow.” Beth frowned as she thought of spending the afternoon with George’s nieces.
“What happens tomorrow?” Judith asked and Beth told them what she and her mother were planning.
“Don’t worry about tomorrow. The girls will love you. I’m sure of it,” Alice reassured her.
“I hope so. I really do.”
Chapter Six
After lunch the following day, Beth and her mother set out to George Montgomery’s house. When they arrived, his housekeeper, Mandy, let them in.
“It’s nice to meet you both. You just missed Mr. Montgomery. He was home for lunch. He said that he’ll try to make it back before you leave later today.” Beth liked Mandy instantly. There was a warmth about her that was welcoming and when she smiled, there was a glint of humor in her eyes.
“The girls have been anxious for your visit. I understand that we are all going to the park?”
“If that is all right with you?” Beth asked her, somewhat nervously. “I thought it sounded like something fun to do.”
“Oh, I think it’s a wonderful idea. It’s good for them to be outside and the park is lovely. I’ll go and get the girls,” Mandy said, but didn’t have to go very far. Just then, Harriet and Genevieve came running down the stairs.
“We heard voices at the front door,” Genevieve explained.
“Can we go to the park now?” Harriet’s cheeks were flushed and she was out of breath from running.
“Should we go now?” Beth looked to Mandy for guidance.
“Girls, why don’t you show Beth and her mother around the house and then we can head to the park.”
“It’s a lovely home,” Beth’s mother commented as they followed the girls into the kitchen.
“It is. I’ve lived here for nearly twenty years. I was Mr. Montgomery’s housekeeper and when he left the house to George, I stayed on. And was very happy to do so.” She smiled and it was obvious that George Montgomery had Mandy’s respect, which Beth was glad to see. So far, everything she’d learned about the man was impressive. She felt like pinching herself, as it all seemed a little too good to be true.
The girls led them through the house. Although it was quite large, it was also very comfortable and had a warmth to it, with dark polished wood floors and trim and plenty of leather bound books throughout.
“Your uncle likes to read, it seems?” Beth asked Genevieve as she led them into a small upstairs room that appeared to be a combination office and library, with bookcases lining all the walls, a large desk by the window and several soft leather chairs by the fireplace.
“He’s always reading,” Harriet said. “I like it when he reads to us.”
“What are your favorite books?” Beth asked. She’d always loved reading when she was younger, too.
“I love Alice in Wonderland!” Harriet said.
“And my favorite is Black Beauty,” Genevieve said with a smile.
“I love both of those. Do you like horses?” Beth addressed the question to Genevieve.
Genevieve’s face lit up. “Yes, and I have one of my own in Montana. Her name is Honey and she’s a Palomino.
“You have your own horse? You are a lucky girl!”
“I have one, too,” Harriet chimed in. “A pony named Dusty.”
“That’s wonderful. And you both know how to ride?”
“I do. Harriet is still learning,” Genevieve said.
“I’m getting much better,” Harriet said.
Genevieve nodded in agreement. “She is.”
They showed them their bedrooms next. They were lovely rooms, decorated in soft shades of pink and cream. Mandy’s room was large and comfortable. George’s room was the master bedroom, and Beth thought that it suited him. There were more bookcases, an oversized leather chair and a large bed with hunter green wool blankets covering it.
“Let’s go now!” Harriet exclaimed as she ran down the stairs with Genevieve right behind her.
Beth’s mother chuckled. “They’re so excited to go to the park.”
“It’s their first time going, as they only just arrived here a few days ago. After spending so much time on the train, I’m sure they will enjoy stretching their legs and running around outside. And it’s a beautiful day,” Mandy added.
It was a perfect fall day—sunny and clear, the air crisp but not too cool. The leaves had all changed over the past few weeks and the colors were a gorgeous mix of red and gold. The girls ran ahead as they strolled the relatively short distance to Pemberton Park, named after the famous mill nearby that had such a terrible accident in 1860, when one hundred and forty-five mill workers died when the five-floor building unexpectedly collapsed.
“My mother died in that mill. Such a shame it was.” A cloud crossed over Mandy’s eyes as she spoke.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Beth’s mother said softly.
“Why did it happen?
Did they ever determine the cause?” Beth asked. She’d heard of the famous tragedy, but it was so long ago, before she was even born.
“Greed, pure and simple. The two owners bought that mill for a song, and then put all their money into machinery. They had over seven hundred heavy, cast-iron looms, many of them on the upper floors. It was too much for the building, which wasn’t built well to begin with.”
“About seven hundred workers were there that day, if I remember correctly,” Beth’s mother said.
“Yes, and when the building collapsed, many were trapped in the wreckage and were badly injured. And more could have been saved, if not for the fire.”
“Someone knocked over a lantern, right?” Beth remembered hearing that much, how the fire had raced across the pile of wood and people, many of whom were not injured, but were pinned under beams and walls, were unable to escape. She shuddered at the thought.
“That’s right,” Mandy confirmed. “It’s long since been rebuilt and this park, all five acres of it, dedicated to those who lost their lives.”
They walked along as the girls ran ahead until they reached the edge of the Merrimack River, and sat on a wooden bench for a bit. Mandy and her mother chatted easily about cooking and other subjects they had in common while Beth nodded and tried to pay attention. It wasn’t easy, though, because cooking was not a fascinating subject to her. So, when the girls came running over and wanted her to join them, she was happy to oblige.
“Would you like to take a walk with us, Miss Mitchell?” Genevieve asked politely.
“Of course. If the two of you would excuse me?” She looked at her mother and Mandy, and they both nodded and went back to discussing piecrust techniques.
“We need your help,” Harriet said as soon as they were far enough away that they wouldn’t be overheard.
“You do?” Beth wondered what they were up to.
“We need a boost up to climb this tree,” Genevieve explained. Beth glanced at the tree in question. It was magnificent—tall and vast, with thick branches, perfect for climbing. But, she could see that the first branch was just out of reach of both of them.
“I can definitely help with that!” Beth had loved to climb trees when she was younger, even though her sister India said it was ‘most unlady-like’. That didn’t bother Beth as she had never aspired to be a lady. It didn’t sound very fun.
“I’ll boost you up first, Genevieve, and then Harriet.” She carefully lifted each girl onto the lower branch and then decided to follow along. She told herself it was so she could better keep an eye on them, but it was also because the urge to climb a tree was too tempting to pass up.
She hoisted herself onto the lower branch, moved her dress out of the way, found her footing and then slowly climbed higher, keeping the girls in her sights at all times.
“Look at me!” Harriet called out. She had climbed the highest and was hanging from a branch, swinging back and forth. Beth’s heart sank. She couldn’t let anything happen to either of these girls.
“Harriet, both feet must be firmly on a branch at all times, or we get down right now. Understood?” She spoke calmly.
“Yes. I’m sorry, Miss Mitchell.” Harriet immediately stopped swinging and planted both feet on the branch. “I think I can go even higher. Want to see?” She went to step up and lost her footing, and for a moment, Beth thought she was going to tumble right out of the tree. But she managed to hold on and steady herself.
“That was a little scary,” she admitted.
“I think we’ve all gone high enough. It’s time to slowly make our way down.” Beth led the way down until she was on the ground and watching nervously for the two girls to follow. Harriet scrambled down like a little monkey and Beth helped her with the last bit from the bottom branch to the ground. Genevieve had a bit of a harder time as her dress caught on a branch, and she lost her balance and fell against the tree. She didn’t fall all the way.. She was able to regain her footing and Beth helped her down. She had tears in her eyes though.
“Are you hurt? Let me take a look.” Beth lifted the bottom of her dress and saw a little blood on her knee. It didn’t look like a bad scrape.
“No, it doesn’t hurt. But my dress is torn. I love this dress.” The tears fell down her cheeks as she looked sadly at her dress.
“You ripped yours, too, Miss Mitchell,” Harriet said. Beth glanced down at her own dress and saw that she was correct. There was a small tear in the hem where she must have gotten stuck somewhere along the way, too. She wasn’t concerned about that, though. As bad as she was at sewing, she could still throw a few stitches in her hem to fix it. Genevieve’s dress was more severely injured. There was a rip right in the middle, near her knee. But, Beth knew someone who could fix it.
“We’ll get that as good as knew. I know just the person to do it.” She led the girls back to where her mother and Mandy were comfortably chatting on the bench.
“Did you have fun?” her mother asked as the girls drew near.
“We did! We climbed a tree.” Harriet was all smiles as she told them about their adventure.
“Both Genevieve and Miss Mitchell tore their dresses, but I didn’t! I want to do it again. Can we do it again?” She turned to Beth like an eager puppy and Beth chuckled.
“Perhaps another day, if your father allows it. But I think we’ve done enough climbing for today.”
“You tore your dress, Genevieve?” Mandy sounded nervous.
The little girl’s eyes welled up with tears again. “Yes, and it’s my favorite dress.” She sniffled and looked miserable.
“Come here, honey. Let me take a closer look at that,” Beth’s mother said. Genevieve walked over and let her examine the dress. She then pulled her in for a hug. “We’ll get this looking as good as new.” She then turned to Mandy. “You have sewing supplies at the house?”
“Yes, of course. Thread and needles, whatever you need should be there.”
“As soon as we get back, then, I’ll get to work on this.”
“There’s no one better than my mother at sewing,” Beth assured Genevieve and Mandy, who still looked a bit unsure about the situation.
“No one was hurt?” Mandy asked.
“I have a scrape on my knee,” Genevieve said. “But it doesn’t hurt at all.”
“Let me see.” Mandy took a look and then nodded. “It doesn’t look too bad. We’ll get you washed up when we get home and you’ll be as good as new.”
“Do we have to tell Uncle George?” Harriet looked about to cry at the thought.
“Of course we do, honey,” Mandy told her.
A lone, fat tear slid down Harriet’s cheek.
“Why don’t you want to tell your uncle, Harriet?” Beth was curious. Did he have a bad temper? If so, that was something that would be good to know.
“He might worry and not let me come back to climb the tree again. I really want to!”
“We’ll talk to him,” Beth assured her.
However, as they made their way back to the house, Beth started to worry a bit, too. What if what she’d thought was joyful fun, George viewed as reckless behavior? As a new parent, he might be overly protective of the girls. He seemed reasonable, but she knew that emotion could overrule reason at times.
“I’ll put a pot of water on for tea,” Mandy said as they walked inside.
“Genevieve, if you could please change out of that dress and then bring it to me along with a needle and thread, I’ll get it mended so no one will ever know what happened,” Beth’s mother said gently.
The young girl’s face brightened at that and she and her sister ran upstairs. A few minutes later, both returned. Genevieve was wearing a similar dress and handed over the ripped one and the requested needle and thread. They gathered around the kitchen table, and Mandy set down steaming cups of tea for both of them and a plate of cinnamon cookies.
“Girls, you can have just one each, mind you. We don’t want to spoil your appetite for supper.”
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nbsp; The women chatted easily while Beth’s mother expertly stitched Genevieve’s dress back together. By the time they finished their tea, the dress was repaired. It had been a small rip, barely two inches long and as predicted, once repaired, it wasn’t even noticeable.
“Here you go, honey. As good as new.”
Genevieve took the mended dress and held it up. “It really does look as good as new! Thank you so much!” She threw her arms around Beth’s mother’s neck and hugged her tightly.
“It’s nothing, honey. You’re very welcome. I’ve had to do this a time or two before, for Beth and India.” She glanced Beth’s way and smiled.
She certainly had. Maybe once for India, though Beth couldn’t remember it. Certainly more than twice for Beth, though. She’d always been getting into things when she was younger. Still was, only now she was a bit more careful.
The front door opened and Harriet went running to greet George while Genevieve, holding the dress by her side, moved a step closer to Beth’s mother.
“Oh, good, you’re still here. Did you all have a nice day?” George looked around the room and his gaze fell on Genevieve, who looked as though she was trying to make her dress disappear it was scrunched into such a small ball.
“What have you got there, Genny?” he asked with a smile.
“Just a dress. Mrs. Mitchell fixed it for me,” she said shyly.
George raised his eyebrows. “Oh, and why did Mrs. Mitchell need to fix your dress?”
There was a moment of silence and then Harriet spoke. “We were climbing trees in the park, me, Genny and Miss Mitchell. It was ever so much fun! But Genny slipped and tore her dress a bit. But it’s all better now.”
“Is that so? You slipped climbing a tree? Whose idea was this? How high up were you?”
“It was my idea,” Harriet admitted.
“I was right there with them, though, and it was perfectly safe. We didn’t climb very high and I had the girls go ahead of me so I was ready to catch them if either one slipped. It really was fun. They want to do it again. If you’ll allow it, of course.”
Beth_Bride of Massachusetts Page 3
