But as she smiled reassuringly at her friends, all she saw in their faces was worry.
They were met at the station by Christy’s parents.
“Christy!” they cried in unison.
“Father! Mother!” Christy ran to their open arms. “You haven’t changed, either of you,” she said, when at last they released her.
“Of course not,” Mr. Huddleston said. “It’s been less than six months. What did you expect? To find me with a white beard down to the ground?”
“It seems as if so much time has passed,” Christy said. She turned to her friends. David and Neil were busy helping Bessie from the train onto a stretcher.
Christy felt a pang of guilt. She should have helped Bessie first, before rushing to see her parents.
“This is one of my students, Ruby Mae Morrison,” Christy said.
“Ruby Mae!” Mrs. Huddleston practically yelled in excitement. “It’s Ruby Mae!”
Ruby Mae looked startled.
“You must understand, Ruby Mae,” Mr. Huddleston explained, “Christy writes us letters full of all the events in Cutter Gap. She always mentions you in those letters. We feel as if we know all about you.”
“You write about me in letters?” Ruby Mae asked Christy.
“I only tell people the good parts,” Christy teased.
“And that must be Doctor MacNeill and David Grantland,” Mrs. Huddleston said.
The two men carried Bessie on a stretcher toward a waiting ambulance for the ride to the hospital. The doctor helped make her comfortable inside, while David joined Christy and the others.
“Very pleased to meet you both,” David said, extending his hand.
“Reverend, we’ll be going now, if you’re coming,” Doctor MacNeill called out. “Oh, and pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. and Mrs. Huddleston. I must apologize for hurrying off, but—”
“We understand perfectly,” Mr. Huddleston said quickly. “The young lady’s health is infinitely more important than introductions. Please, we’ll all meet later at the house.”
“I should go with them,” Christy said.
“Are you coming, Reverend?” the doctor asked again.
“I’ll be right there,” David called.
“I’m coming, too,” Christy said.
“I’m sure the two men can manage quite well,” Mrs. Huddleston said. She put a hand on Christy’s arm. “Why don’t you and Ruby Mae come with us? Your father is dying to show you his new toy.”
“What new toy?”
Christy’s father grinned. “I bought one of Mr. Ford’s Model T’s.”
“You bought a new automobile?” Christy cried in surprise.
“I did indeed,” Mr. Huddleston said, beaming.
“Miz Christy! Miz Christy! I ain’t never rode in an automobile,” Ruby Mae said excitedly. “Lordamercy! A train and an automobile, all in the same day. Won’t the others back in the Cove just curl up and die o’ green envy when I tell them?”
“Go ahead, Christy,” Doctor MacNeill said. “Ruby Mae will never forgive you if she doesn’t get her Model-T ride. And there’s no room in the ambulance, anyway. It’ll be cramped, as it is. You can stop by and visit Bessie later.”
As Neil, David, and Bessie pulled away in the ambulance, Christy felt a strange sensation. It seemed wrong, somehow, to let them go without her. Still, it was certainly true that she wasn’t needed at the hospital. And she and Ruby Mae would both be there for the operation.
Just the same, Christy felt she’d made a mistake, as if she’d failed some test for which she was unprepared.
“Come along, dear,” her father said, reaching for her arm. “Let’s take you home.”
Six
The ride in the Model-T was exciting, especially since Christy’s father was bursting with pride in the new machine. They took the “scenic route,” as Mr. Huddleston called it. It took twice as long to get home as it would have if they had simply walked. He drove all over town, showing Ruby Mae the sights.
Ruby Mae never seemed to run out of energy, but Christy was soon tired. They’d been up since long before sunrise, and it was now late in the afternoon.
Finally, they arrived at Christy’s home. To her surprise, it felt familiar, yet somehow alien. It was as if she had never left, and yet, at the very same time, as if she’d been gone forever.
When she went inside and climbed the stairs, Christy found her room completely unchanged. It was just the way she had left it.
There was the desk where she had done her school lessons when she was younger. It sat nestled against the window, so she could look out over the street and watch the horse wagons and automobiles pass by.
There was her armoire, door open to reveal the dresses, skirts, and bright blouses, she hadn’t been able to take with her to Cutter Gap. On the shelves above were hat boxes.
And there was her oak vanity with the oval mirror. The brushes and combs she had chosen not to take with her were still neatly laid out on a starched lace doily.
Christy sat down on the velvet stool and looked at her image in the mirror. It was startling. There weren’t any major changes in her reflection, just so many small ones. Her hair had not been properly cut in some time, and it was somewhat dull and lifeless. When she had lived here at home, she had brushed it a hundred strokes each night. But that habit was hard to keep up at the mission, where she often simply collapsed in exhaustion at the end of a trying day.
Her face was windburned and red from the sun. And her hands were no longer as soft as they had been. She often did her own laundry now at the mission, in harsh lye soap.
“Miz Christy?”
Christy saw Ruby Mae appear in the mirror behind her. She turned around. Ruby Mae looked awestruck, like someone who was entering a great cathedral.
“Come in, Ruby Mae,” Christy said.
“Was this your room?”
“Yes, this is my room.”
Ruby Mae wandered around slowly. She touched the books in their shelves. She went to the armoire and just stared, dumbfounded. “Are all these yours?” she whispered.
“Yes, they are,” Christy said. “I know it seems like an awful lot of things. . . .”
But Ruby Mae wasn’t listening. She went to the bed and reverently stroked the soft down comforter.
Suddenly Christy felt terribly uncomfortable. Ruby Mae lived at the mission now, but before that she had lived in a cabin as rough and simple as any in the Cove. All her life she had seen nothing but simple, crude furniture, and homespun, hand-me-down clothing. Most of the children in the Cove didn’t even wear shoes. Most didn’t own a pair of shoes.
“Come on, let’s go back downstairs,” Christy said brightly. “Mother will have tea ready for us.”
“I ain’t never seen nothin’ near to this,” Ruby Mae said, sweeping her arm around the room. “This is like some palace where those far-off kings of old lived, like you told us about at school.”
“It’s certainly not a palace,” Christy said.
“It’s no grander than the other houses on this street.”
Ruby Mae shook her head. “Miz Christy, if you collected every fine thing in all the Cove and put it all together, you couldn’t touch this one room.”
Christy stood up suddenly. Ruby Mae was starting to annoy her now, making her feel guilty.
“There’s only one thing I plumb don’t understand,” Ruby Mae said.
“What’s that?”
“With all this . . . how come you ever leaved?”
The question surprised Christy. She took Ruby Mae’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Let’s go downstairs and have that tea, shall we?” she said quickly.
Ruby Mae followed Christy down the stairs. Even the stairs were amazing! There were framed pictures on the walls, all the way down. And the stairs were actually carpeted. Rugs on the stairs! Who ever heard of such a thing?
“Did you find everything as you left it, Christy?” Mr. Huddleston asked.
“Just a
s if I’d never left,” Christy said.
“It was the purtiest room I ever did see,” Ruby Mae said. “For sure, I ain’t never seen the like.”
“I’m glad you liked it,” Mrs. Huddleston said. “We’ve fixed up the guest room for you. I hope you’ll find it pleasant as well.”
“This whole house is like goin’ to heaven, only I ain’t dead, and there ain’t no angels,” Ruby Mae exclaimed.
Mr. Huddleston laughed loudly. Ruby Mae grinned, but then it occurred to her that maybe Mr. Huddleston was laughing at her. No, that wasn’t likely, on second thought. He seemed like a very fine man.
“Will you take some tea, my dear?” Mrs. Huddleston asked. She held the teapot poised over a tiny cup.
“Yes’m,” Ruby Mae said nervously.
“Milk, sugar?”
“No, ma’am, tea. Like you said.”
“She means would you like your tea with milk, or with sugar, or maybe both,” Miz Christy explained.
Ruby Mae swallowed hard. It was like one of Miz Christy’s tests at school—there had to be a right answer, and there had to be a wrong answer.
“I reckon I’ll have whatever y’all have,” Ruby Mae said warily.
“That would be sweet,” Mrs. Huddleston said. “Christy has always had such a sweet tooth. It’s amazing she’s managed to keep her figure.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ruby Mae said. “Only she don’t eat much most of the time. I reckon that’s on account of the preacher and the doctor.”
“Ruby Mae, I don’t think—” Christy said suddenly.
“Both of them are sparkin’ to Miz Christy something amazing, so it wouldn’t do for her to be gettin’ all fat and puffed up.” Ruby Mae’s nervous chatter was beginning to embarrass Christy.
The pink blush that spread up Christy’s neck didn’t surprise Ruby Mae. Her teacher was always blushing whenever anyone talked about the way the preacher and the doctor both were hankering for her.
Mrs. Huddleston just laughed and sent Ruby Mae a wink. But Mr. Huddleston looked a little troubled. He smiled, all right, but Ruby Mae could tell it wasn’t a real smile.
Just then, there was a knock at the front door.
“I’ll get it for you,” Ruby Mae said. She opened the front door to reveal the preacher and Doctor MacNeill.
“Well, howdy,” she said. Then, in a low whisper, she added, “reckon you both better wipe your boots off real good. This is a mighty fine home.”
The two men glanced at each other. If Ruby Mae hadn’t known better, she’d have sworn they looked as nervous as she was feeling. They each carefully wiped their feet on the mat before entering.
Christy jumped up. “Mother, Father, this, of course, is David Grantland whom you met at the station. And this is Doctor Neil MacNeill.”
“Pleased to formally make your acquaintance,” the doctor said, shaking Mr.
Huddleston’s hand. “I’m sorry we had to run off at the station.”
“We understand, Doctor,” Mr. Huddleston said. “How is your patient doing?”
“Bessie made the trip rather well. She was sleeping when we left the hospital,” Doctor MacNeill said. “We’ll be able to perform the operation first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Did she ask where I was?” Christy asked.
“Bessie understood that you were with your parents,” he said. “I reassured her that you and Ruby Mae would be with her tomorrow.”
“Would you gentlemen join us for some tea?” Mrs. Huddleston said.
“Perhaps they would like to go straight upstairs and check out their room,” Mr. Huddleston said.
The preacher looked surprised. “Mr. Huddleston, we’ve made arrangements to stay at a boarding house.”
“Nonsense,” Mrs. Huddleston said. “Christy’s brother George is away at boarding school, and his room is sitting empty. You must stay here with us.”
“If they’ve already made arrangements, perhaps they’d rather . . .” Mr. Huddleston began to say.
Mrs. Huddleston cut him off. “They’ll stay with us. And I’m sure they would both love a cup of tea before they go up to see the room. And they will of course be joining us this evening for the soiree.”
“What soiree?” Christy asked.
“Why, the Barclays are having a few friends over, Christy,” Mrs. Huddleston said. “It’s in honor of your homecoming. I believe Lance will be there, too. Lance is home from college for a while.”
Ruby Mae saw Christy jerk in surprise at the mention of the name Lance. At the same time, she saw the doctor raise his eyebrows and the preacher narrow his eyes. The two of them looked mighty curious.
“Lance Barclay?” Mr. Huddleston sent a doubtful look to his wife. “Maybe Christy would rather just have a quiet evening at home with her parents, whom she hasn’t seen in months.”
“We’ve already told the Barclays we would come,” Mrs. Huddleston replied.
Ruby Mae hid a smile behind her hand. It was pretty clear to see that Mrs. Huddleston was pleased to have her daughter surrounded by courters, including this Lance fellow, whoever he was. She was just like any matchmaking mother back in the Cove.
And it was just as plain that Mr. Huddleston wanted no part of the preacher or the doctor or the fellow named Lance. Just the same as any nervous father back in the Cove.
Her first instinct had been right, Ruby Mae realized. Folks were just folks, even if they lived in fine houses.
“You will come, won’t you, gentlemen?” Mrs. Huddleston asked. “I’m sure you’d both enjoy getting to know all of Christy’s old friends. Especially Lance. He’s such a pleasant young man.”
The doctor and the preacher looked at each other suspiciously. Then they each looked at Christy, even more suspiciously.
“I’d be happy to go,” the reverend said tersely.
“Oh, yes, we’ll definitely be there,” the doctor said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Ruby Mae couldn’t help grinning to herself. This visit was getting more interesting by the minute.
Seven
My, don’t we all look so fine?” Ruby Mae said that evening. “If Bessie could just see me in this dress! Wouldn’t she be green with envy?”
Christy and her mother had done some quick alterations on one of Christy’s dresses. The dress was silk and lace and came with a small matching clutch purse and shoes with heels. Christy watched nervously as Ruby Mae balanced in the painfully tight shoes. They were planning to walk the two blocks to the Barclay home.
“I feel like a regular princess,” Ruby Mae said. “Like out of a book.”
“Are you sure your feet are all right?” Christy asked.
“Oh, yes, Miz Christy. It just takes some getting used to. It’s kind of like the way you have to walk real careful and sort of on your toes when you cross the creek on the old log bridge.”
“Silly, impractical things, women’s shoes are!” Doctor MacNeill chuckled.
The evening air was warm and scented with flowers. As they neared the Barclay home, Christy noticed beautifully-clothed passengers climbing out of expensive automobiles.
The Barclays weren’t as rich as the Vanderbilts, but they were well-to-do. Their house was larger than the Huddleston home. It had its own carriage house, with servants’ quarters above it.
There were lanterns strung in the trimmed bushes and trees in front of the house. Through the windows, Christy could see the glint of silver and crystal. At the door, a servant assited arriving guests.
It wasn’t nearly as elegant as the parties that went on at the big estates among the truly wealthy class. But to Christy’s eyes, used to the subtler beauties of Cutter Gap, it seemed unbelievably bright and colorful and wondrous.
Inside the house, they were swept along to the large parlor. Most of the furniture had been removed to clear a large area for people to wander about and talk while munching delicate morsels of food. Later, Christy knew, there would be dancing on the gleaming wooden floor. In one corner, a string quartet played music
by Beethoven.
Mrs. Barclay swept toward them. She was a somewhat heavy woman, with iron-gray hair and eyes to match. “Good evening, good evening! I’m so glad you were able to come on such short notice.”
“Mrs. Barclay,” Christy said, taking the woman’s hand, “allow me to introduce my friends, the Reverend David Grantland, Doctor Neil MacNeill, and one of my students, Ruby Mae Morrison.”
“Charmed,” Mrs. Barclay said.
“Thanks for having us.” The doctor smiled stiffly.
“There’s a Barclay family in Cutter Gap,” David said. “Are you perhaps related?”
Mrs. Barclay’s eyes narrowed. “I am quite certain that I would never be related to anyone from . . . where is it? Carter Gap?”
“Cutter Gap,” Doctor MacNeill corrected.
“Yes, of course. That’s the quaint little hamlet in the hills where Christy teaches the unfortunate illiterates. Christy, your mother tells me what you write in your letters. It moves me to tears to think of you up there among moonshiners with their blood feuds. No offense meant,” she added. “The mountaineers don’t know any better, I suppose.”
Christy felt a stab of embarrassment. She glanced at Ruby Mae, who just looked confused. Neil and David looked downright annoyed. The doctor started to say something rude in reply, but David cut him off smoothly.
“Yes,” David said, “we are all very grateful to have Christy with us. She is an invaluable part of the mission. I don’t know what we’d do without her.”
“Probably wallow in ignorance while we drink corn liquor and shoot at each other.” Doctor MacNeill’s quick, dry humor was lost on their hostess.
“Exactly,” Mrs. Barclay said. Christy, David, and Neil exchanged amused glances.
“Now if you three will excuse me, I simply must borrow Christy. There are so many of her friends waiting to see her!”
Before Christy could object, Mrs. Barclay had whisked her away. Suddenly there was a group of familiar faces all around her— Jeanette Grady, a childhood friend; Mabel and Melissa Bentley, sisters who were old school friends; and Elizabeth Deerfield, who had been in the church choir with Christy.
Midnight Rescue / The Proposal / Christy's Choice Page 19
