Annabelle’s smile widened. “Well, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to this city. We’ve expanded a lot in the past few years.”
“That’s what my uncle tells me. He said this is the place to be if you want to get ahead in business.”
“He’s right. My parents said there wasn’t much here when they first arrived, but my father’s had so many construction projects that business boomed for him. He says Omaha looks a lot different than it used to.”
“I bet it does.” He scanned her up and down. “I must say that I like the scenery.”
Annabelle giggled.
Mark went over to Natalie and shook his head in bewilderment. Natalie couldn’t believe it any more than he could. She’d heard that love at first sight was possible, but she’d never seen it until this moment.
The butler came into the room and announced that dinner was ready.
Natalie noted the relief on Mark’s face as he extended his arm to escort her to the other room. She was surprised he wasn’t all that thrilled to see how well Annabelle and Kenneth were getting along. She would think that would be a good thing since he was going to be doing business with Kenneth’s uncle.
Annabelle accepted Kenneth’s arm, and the two followed Natalie and Mark to the dining room.
Chapter Nine
First thing in the morning, Mark had his secretary adjust his schedule so that he could run out to the parsonage. He knocked on the door and shifted from one foot to the other as he waited for Ben to answer.
As soon as Ben opened the door, Mark stepped into the house. “You’re in trouble,” he told his friend as he headed straight for the kitchen.
Just as Mark thought, Ben had just gotten up. He’d been in the middle of eating a bowl of oatmeal when Mark had knocked on his door. Mark picked up the pot of coffee and poured himself a cup.
“Why am I in trouble?” Ben asked. “Is Tony going to come over here and punch me out for marrying him to Velma?”
“No. Tony and Velma are happy. My father saw them together in town. All is well.”
“I don’t know. Tony and Velma weren’t at church on Sunday.”
“That was Sunday. They were in town on Monday.”
“Which is only one day’s difference.”
Mark waved aside his friend’s argument and took a drink of the coffee. He had to hand it to Ben. No one could make a pot of coffee like Ben could. But he wasn’t here for that. He had more pressing concerns to deal with.
“Tony didn’t seem pleased with me when I saw him in town on Wednesday,” Ben said.
“That was two whole days ago. I’m sure he and Velma have consummated the marriage by now. Everything is fine. Anyway, I’m not here to talk about them.” Mark set the cup on the kitchen table then turned to face his friend. “You need to do something about Annabelle, and you need to do it fast because if you don’t, she’s going to end up with someone else.”
“I made a promise to Tony—and to God—that I wouldn’t go along with another one of your schemes.”
“This isn’t a scheme. I’m not asking you to do anything like I did last Saturday. This is something you can do all by yourself. You need to pay her a visit and talk to her. Show her what a wonderful man you are.”
Ben shook his head. “No, I can’t. I’m no good around Annabelle. I freeze up. I don’t know what to say. I stumble through my words, and she doesn’t understand half of what I say.”
“Then write her a letter.”
Ben looked at him as if he was insane, shook his head, and sat back at the table. “That won’t work. In order to write to someone, you need to have something to say.”
“I’ll tell you what to say. You tell her that you love her. Tell her you’ve loved her ever since we were children. Then write her a poem. Women love poems. They think they’re romantic.”
“I’m no good at poems. Don’t you remember how the entire class laughed at me when I read the one I wrote in the fourth grade?”
With a groan, Mark sat across from him. “That was the fourth grade. The fourth grade was a long time ago.”
“A couple of people still laugh at me about that poem, Mark. They mock me for saying the sun was like a big orange fruit in the sky.”
Mark resisted the urge to tell Ben the analogy was kind of ridiculous given the fact that he was ten when he made it. If he’d been five, or even six, Mark could have understood the comparison. But at ten, Ben could have come up with something better. Regardless of all this, though, Ben was a good person. He only wanted what was best for others. It wasn’t Mark’s fault if others had a hard time understanding that.
“Fine. Don’t do a poem,” Mark said. “Just tell her how you feel.”
Ben rolled his eyes then took a bite of his oatmeal.
“Annabelle loves romantic letters,” Mark said. “She and her friends used to giggle and coo over the stupid things their beaus wrote to them.”
“If they were giggling, how do you know they weren’t laughing at those boys?”
“Because of the way they giggled.” He stared at his friend, wondering if Ben even knew what he was talking about. “Don’t you know what kind of giggle they make when they like something?”
“I only have a younger brother, which means I didn’t have any sisters. And my mother wasn’t the type to giggle.”
That was fair enough. “Alright. I’ll show you what I mean.” Mark cleared his throat. Then thinking of his sister, he made the same high-pitch giggle she’d made when Kenneth had made that obnoxious comment about how nice the scenery was while he was ogling her like some pervert. “That’s how a woman giggles when she likes something a man says to her.”
Ben studied him for a long moment. “No, they don’t sound like that. That sound is obnoxious.”
“I agree. It is obnoxious, but I’ve heard it from Annabelle and her friends for as long as I can remember. I’m telling you, Ben. They laugh like that. It’s embarrassing to be in the same room with them when they do.”
“Has Natalie ever laughed like that when you said something she liked?”
“Natalie never does anything that’s obnoxious.”
Ben smirked. “Sure, she doesn’t. The thing is, you probably don’t notice when she giggles like that because she’s your wife. Who knows? You might notice it, and it makes you feel good about yourself because you know she loves you.”
Well, that was possible, but Mark was sure Natalie never giggled in the same obnoxious manner that Annabelle had last night. And it hadn’t been just once. She had used that same giggle for each one of Kenneth’s jokes. It was disgusting. She was practically throwing herself at him. If Mark wasn’t careful, Annabelle would end up with Kenneth instead of Ben.
“Look, Ben,” Mark began, directing his full attention to him, “you would be good to my sister. Of all the people I know, there’s no one who would make her a better husband. All I want is for her to be happy.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that she might be happier with someone else?”
“No. She can’t be. Ever since we were children, I knew the two of you would end up together. Finally, after all this time, you’ve come around to admitting you want to be with her. Now we need to get her to admit she wants to be with you.”
“I’m not going along with whatever scheme you’re coming up with. I’m serious, Mark. I’m done with it. You end up getting me into trouble. I can’t handle it anymore.” He sat back and put his hand over his heart. “I’m too young to have a heart attack, but that’s exactly what I’m going to have if I keep letting you get me involved in these things.”
Mark couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “So, it’s just like that? After all these years of friendship, you’re going to let me down by allowing some creep to come in and ruin my little sister’s life?”
“Who is this man who’s going to ruin her life?”
“He’s Kenneth Gordon, and he’s terrible.”
“What did he say or do that was bad?”
“N
othing. Yet.”
Ben sighed in exasperation. “Why are you convinced he’ll ruin her life?”
“It’s a feeling I have. There’s something wrong with him. I just know it. Something’s strange about the way he was acting around her.”
“I’m not basing any decisions on something as vague as that. I’m going to do what I should have done at your wedding. I’m staying out of it.” He finished his oatmeal and carried his bowl to the sink.
Mark stood up. “So that’s it? You’re going to just stand by and let someone else marry Annabelle?”
“Annabelle’s never given me a reason to think she wants to be with me. If she wants to be with Kenneth Gordon and if he wants to be with her, then they should be together. Marriage is a serious commitment, Mark. You don’t rush into it because you’re being selfish, and you certainly don’t deceive the bride into thinking she’s marrying someone else.” He rubbed his stomach and grabbed a couple of peppermints from the nearby jar.
“I’m not asking you to lie to her. I’m asking you to be honest and tell her how you feel.”
Ben shook his head. “She’ll laugh at me, and it won’t be the good kind of laugh.”
Mark didn’t know what to do. Ben had never said no to him before. Oh, sure, he’d said no initially, but once Mark reasoned with him, he understood Mark’s ideas were good ones. But he wasn’t doing that this time, and Mark didn’t know what to do about it. Kenneth wasn’t a good person. Mark just knew it.
“Fine,” Mark said. “Let my sweet baby sister end up with a wolf.”
“I’m sure he’s not that bad.”
Mark ignored him and left the parsonage. His instincts were always right. Ever since he was seven, he’d been aware of them. He didn’t know why, but that’s the way things were for him. He could pick out things others couldn’t. And right now, his instincts were screaming at him to make sure Annabelle didn’t end up with Kenneth.
If he’d had any idea Mr. Gordon’s nephew would give him such a creepy feeling, he never would have allowed him over on the same evening Annabelle was supposed to meet Natalie. But Mr. Gordon had been a pleasant man. There had been nothing wrong with him. How was Mark to expect his nephew would be the opposite?
Well, that just went to show that he couldn’t assume all family members were the same. Sure, he knew he and Tony were different. But those differences weren’t bad. They were just personality traits. Mark enjoyed being around people and living in the center of Omaha. Tony preferred to be by himself and liked being on a farm. Those were simple but distinct differences. Those were harmless.
Mark reached his carriage and told the coachman to take him to work. After he settled against his seat, he sighed. Kenneth was not harmless. Not for his sister, anyway. He might make a good nephew. He might even make a good business partner. But he would not make a good husband. He just knew it. The problem was proving it. How was he going to convince Annabelle to stay away from him?
***
That Sunday after church, Mark paced back and forth in Natalie’s bedroom.
“I don’t understand why you don’t like Kenneth,” Natalie said once Mark told her that he didn’t like him. “On Thursday and in church today, he seemed like a nice person.”
“That’s the problem,” Mark replied as he passed by her. “No one is going to believe me. You like him. Annabelle likes him. My parents like him.” He grimaced. “I wish she hadn’t introduced him to my parents. They’ll only get ideas about her marrying him.”
“Are you sure he wouldn’t be good to her?”
“Yes. I know how that sounds. People always want proof when I tell them to avoid someone. So few people believe I have good instincts about people, no matter how often I’m proven right.” With a frustrated sigh, he spun on his heel and walked in the opposite direction. “This is why I’ve had to resort to lying in the past. Sometimes it was the only way to make sure the right people weren’t hurt.”
“Surely, you can do things without lying. Just tell Annabelle your misgivings.”
“I can’t just come out and tell Annabelle to stay away from him. Knowing her, it’ll probably make her more determined to be with him. She tends to do things just because I tell her not to do them.” He stopped and went over to her. “Ever since she was born, I watched out for her. She’s my little sister. I’ve only wanted what’s best for her.”
“Granted, I don’t know her very well, but she seems like a smart person. Surely, if Kenneth is as bad as you think, she’ll see it.”
“I wish it was that simple, but she’s in love with him. In my experience, people make the worst decisions when they’re in love.”
“Well, you’re not going to lie to make Annabelle do what you want, are you?”
“No, I’m not going to do something like I did on our wedding day.” He let out a groan and started pacing again. “Which means I’m stuck finding another way to get her safely away from Kenneth.”
“I’m really surprised that telling her the truth didn’t even occur to you.”
“The truth doesn’t always work. You have to know who you’re dealing with when taking that approach. I could tell you the truth, and you’d accept it. I could tell Ben, and he’d accept it. But Annabelle is stubborn. When she sets her mind to something, nothing short of a miracle stops her.”
“What if I tell her? Maybe she’ll believe me.”
“That won’t work. You’re married to me. She’ll assume you’re only doing it for me.”
“Well, she’d be right. I would be doing it for you.”
“That’s why she won’t believe you.”
A knock came at the door, so she went to open it.
The maid stood on the other side. “Velma Larson is here to speak to you, Mrs. Larson.”
“She is?” Natalie asked.
“Should I tell her to come back at another time?”
“No. I’ll be down in a moment.”
The maid nodded, and Natalie shut the door. “Velma’s here. I have to talk to her. Will you be alright while I’m gone?”
“I’m not the one you should be worried about,” Mark said. “You should worry about Annabelle.”
“Isn’t it possible that the only reason you have a bad feeling about Kenneth is because you want her to marry Ben?”
“I won’t lie. I’d like for her to marry Ben. Ben’s a good person. He’d be good to her. But I know she has no interest in him, and apparently, he’s not going to try to court her. If she must marry someone else, I’d rather it be someone worthy of her.”
She studied him. He really believed Kenneth would be bad to her. But what made him think that? Natalie got no such strange feeling about Kenneth whenever she saw him.
As much as she wished she could figure it out, she had to see Velma. “I’ll be back soon,” she promised before she slipped out of the room.
When she entered the formal parlor, she saw Velma wearing one of the dresses she’d come to Omaha with. It’d been the dress that Velma had said was best suited for days when a lady was indisposed and couldn’t go anywhere, but Natalie had still considered it pretty fancy compared to what she’d grown up in. However, compared to the dress Natalie was currently wearing, Velma’s was definitely plain and ordinary.
But Velma looked different. For one, her hairstyle was much simpler than before. She no longer had it wound into cute little twists. She had it pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. Also, her hat wasn’t as impressive as the others she’d brought with her. There was also something else different about her. Her face was glowing in a way it never had before. Was it possible…? Could it be that Velma was in love with Tony?
“Should I bring you and your guest something to eat or drink, Mrs. Larson?” the maid asked, breaking Natalie out of her thoughts.
Natalie glanced back at Velma. “Do you want anything?”
“No,” Velma replied. “I’m going to have dinner with Tony’s parents.”
The maid turned to Natalie, as if waiting f
or her to say something.
Velma, probably realizing that Natalie wasn’t sure what the maid wanted, spoke up. “No, thank you. Refreshments aren’t necessary at this time.”
The maid nodded and left.
Oh, so the maid had been waiting for Natalie to answer before she left the room. She’d forgotten how attentive the servants were. With a sheepish smile, Natalie told Velma, “I wish I knew I was supposed to say that to her.”
“This is a different world from the one you grew up in. You’ll adjust to it.”
Recalling the way Velma had said she was much better suited for Mark than Natalie was, Natalie nodded. She didn’t think Velma was here to ask them to switch husbands. Not since Velma wasn’t as dressed up as she used to be.
“Do whatever Mark tells you,” Velma said, surprising her. “He’s used to this kind of life. If you follow his instructions, you should be fine.”
Natalie’s eyebrows furrowed. Why would Velma come out and say that? She didn’t recall asking for her opinion on anything.
“Anyway,” Velma continued before Natalie could respond, “that’s not why I came by. I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you when you tried to tell me that you didn’t know Mark had deceived me.”
“So you’re not mad at me?” Natalie asked, hoping she understood her right.
“How can I be? You had nothing to do with it.”
Relieved, she hurried to assure her, “I didn’t. I would never do that to you.”
“I know. You’re too nice to do something like that to anyone.” She paused then added, “If you ever find that your responsibilities in this new life are overwhelming, I’m willing to help you out.”
“You would do that for me even though Mark tricked you into marrying Tony?”
“I’m offering to help you, not Mark. And…as it turns out, Tony and I are managing along nicely.”
Noting the shy smile on Velma’s face, Natalie couldn’t help but be grateful. So Mark had been right. Velma was happy with Tony, after all. “How wonderful! It’s such a relief to hear that.” On impulse, she closed the distance between them and hugged her.
The Perfect Wife Page 7
