The Perfect Wife

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “We danced,” she replied before she could think better of it. Was it really in her best interest to encourage Katherine to keep talking? “We didn’t do that kind of dancing, but we danced.”

  “You did? What kind of dancing did you do?”

  “Square dancing.”

  “What is square dancing?”

  “Four couples form a square, and when the fiddle starts, someone tells us what to do.”

  “Oh. It makes sense now. You’re used to having someone tell you how to dance. Didn’t Mark take the time to explain what we do in Omaha?”

  Natalie fidgeted. Why did Katherine have to look at her with that mixture of shock and pity as if Natalie were some kind of child who needed instruction? “Mark was telling me what to do,” she said. “After a few steps, I wasn’t stepping on his feet anymore.”

  “I was sure I saw you stepping on his feet quite a bit. But it’s alright,” she added before Natalie could protest, “because you were nervous. It’s to be expected that you weren’t going to dance as well as anyone else. I was wondering if there’s anything I can do to help you so you’ll do better next time. I’m a good teacher.”

  Natalie’s face grew warmer. “I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather have Mark teach me when we’re in private. I don’t plan to dance again tonight.”

  Katherine patted her hand in a way a mother would to a child. “Good. I think that’s for the best. Our role is to make our husbands look good in front of the other men. While a lot of what we’re doing tonight is social, business contacts are also established.”

  Natalie already knew that, but she decided not to comment. When it came to Katherine, the less she said, the better.

  Annabelle approached them, and Katherine stood up. “Annabelle, I’m glad you could make it to my dinner party.”

  “Thank you for inviting me,” Annabelle replied.

  “I see you have an admirer,” Katherine teased as she pointed to Kenneth who was talking to Mark and Janet. “Your brother had to pry Kenneth away from you. I don’t think Kenneth would have left your side any other way.”

  Annabelle blushed. “Yes, Kenneth’s been very attentive to me this evening.”

  “You seem as taken with him. I can’t recall anyone who’s ever courted you making you laugh as much as you’ve been laughing tonight.”

  “Kenneth has a wonderful sense of humor.”

  “And he has good taste in women.” Katherine winked at her. “I should return to the ballroom and see how the other guests are doing. But before I do,” she turned to Natalie, “I meant to ask both of you if you’d like to get together at Margie’s in a few days. I told her I’d help her plan the social engagement. She’ll send out official invitations, of course, but she wanted to get an idea of how many women will be able to come.”

  “I don’t have anything to do on Wednesday or Thursday,” Annabelle said.

  “Excellent.” Katherine looked at Natalie. “And you?”

  Though Natalie wanted to decline the invitation altogether, she knew she had a responsibility to Mark. If it was anyone but him, she would say no, but Margie was married to Mark’s new client. Which meant she had to say yes.

  “I’m free on the same days Annabelle is,” Natalie forced out, glad she didn’t choke on those words.

  “Good. I’ll tell Margie,” Katherine said.

  Annabelle waited until Katherine went back to the ballroom before she sat next to Natalie. “Mark thought you might like some company out here.”

  So that was what Mark had told Annabelle in order to get her away from Kenneth. “It is nice to breathe in the fresh air,” Natalie said, opting to say something that was honest. While Mark hadn’t exactly lied to Annabelle, it wasn’t the full truth, either. “And I do enjoy your company.”

  “I enjoy your company, too,” Annabelle replied. “It’s hard to find someone like you.”

  “It is?”

  Annabelle nodded. “The women in our social group are nice enough, but they’re too concerned with appearances. Everything is about making themselves and the men in their lives look good. I don’t mind that, but I think they are putting on a charade most of the time. With you, what I see is what I get. You’re kind and sincere. You don’t put on a big show to make yourself look good. You really are good.”

  “Thank you.” That was one of the nicest things Natalie had heard in a long time, besides what Mark had told her. It was nice to hear these things from a woman.

  “To be honest, I’m glad you’ll be at Margie’s with me.”

  “Do you like going to dinner parties and social engagements?” Natalie asked.

  “Long ago, I learned to be content with whatever I’m doing,” Annabelle replied. “My family wasn’t always doing this. I was young when we started doing this kind of thing, but I have some recollection of what life was like before then. As my father’s business grew, the wealthier men took an interest in him. I know I’m biased, but I think my father designs the best houses and businesses in Omaha. It’s easy to see why he has so much work that he’d had to turn down some offers over the years.”

  Natalie’s eyes widened. “He’s that successful?”

  She nodded. “Mark’s pretty good, too. His tastes are a little different from our father’s. Each person has their own way of doing things. Even if someone imitates what my father and Mark do, I can still tell which ones my father and Mark did. There are little things that make them different.”

  Since Natalie didn’t pay much attention to such details, she would have to take Annabelle’s word for it. She wondered if she should mention Kenneth. Now would be a good time to do so, but did she know Annabelle well enough to pry into her personal life?

  “What do you think of all the social engagements and dinner parties?” Annabelle asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

  “They’re overwhelming,” Natalie admitted. “There are so many little rules I need to learn, like how to hold a teacup or how to dance.”

  “It is overwhelming when you’re new to it.”

  “Were you overwhelmed, too?”

  “I was. It took me a year before I felt comfortable. Don’t worry. You’ll learn everything. Just be patient with yourself.”

  Natalie hoped so. She’d hate to think that she’d always be inadequate among the people in Mark’s social circle.

  “But you haven’t met enough people,” Natalie heard Mark say.

  She and Annabelle turned in time to see Mark trailing right behind Kenneth as he left the ballroom. Annabelle stood up, and Natalie followed suit.

  “I met people enough for one evening,” Kenneth said. Turning his attention to Annabelle, he smiled. “I missed you.”

  Mark rolled his eyes. Fortunately, neither Annabelle nor Kenneth noticed it.

  “I missed you, too,” Annabelle replied. She glanced at Natalie. “I was getting better acquainted with Natalie.”

  “You should let Annabelle keep talking to Natalie,” Mark told Kenneth. “They’re obviously getting along well. Why not let them talk for a few more minutes?”

  “I think they’ve been talking long enough.” Kenneth turned to Annabelle and extended his arm to her. “Remember that favorite musical piece you mentioned? I talked the orchestra conductor into playing it next.”

  Annabelle gasped. “You did?”

  He nodded. “You don’t want to miss dancing to it, do you?”

  Annabelle shook her head then told Natalie, “I’ll see you at Margie’s this week.” Then she accepted Kenneth’s arm and hurried into the ballroom.

  With a groan, Mark collapsed on the bench.

  Natalie sat beside him. “I take it that things didn’t go the way you planned?”

  “No, they didn’t. This is why I resort to lying. Doing things the honest way doesn’t always work.”

  “That’s not true. I believe honesty can work.”

  Mark shook his head. “Honesty might work for some people, but it doesn’t work for everyone.” He sighed. “I give u
p for tonight. Would you like to go home?”

  “Can we leave when everyone else is still here?”

  “A couple of people have already left. We aren’t leaving too early.”

  Relieved, she got to her feet. “I’m ready to go.”

  He stood up, slipped his arm around hers and, thankfully, escorted her home.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Natalie adjusted her hat for the hundredth time as she took her walk. She wasn’t used to wearing something with decorations on it. While the hat was a pretty one that complemented her dress, she had to wonder if it was practical. The maid had pinned in real flowers to go with the color of her yellow dress. Those weren’t so bad. But then the maid had added a couple of fake birds, and these had a tendency to pull the hat forward. Even though the maid had pinned the hat to her hair, Natalie could feel the pins slipping.

  “It’s in fashion,” the maid had told her. “Ever since Mrs. Thomas wore something like it last month, it’s been a popular style.”

  Natalie had trouble believing it was in fashion since she couldn’t recall seeing any other lady wearing something like it, but rather than argue with the woman, she put it on. The hat was actually beautiful, so she supposed it couldn’t hurt to wear it.

  What she hadn’t factored in, however, was that the Nebraska winds would keep trying to blow the hat off of her head. The pins weren’t strong enough to compensate for the heavy bird figurines. Halfway into the park, she gave up pushing her pins back into place. Instead, she held the hat up with her hands. But, despite her best intentions, at one point she tripped, and as she tumbled onto the grass, she released the hat, which, of course, blew off her head.

  She was surprised the hat was able to keep on blowing away from her since the thing was so heavy, but then she saw that the birds had fallen off several yards away from her.

  With a sigh, she put her hands on the ground and pushed herself up, which wasn’t as easy as it might have been had she not been wearing a corset and a ton of petticoats. She almost lost her balance, but then someone put his hand under her arm and steadied her.

  “I’ll help you,” a man said as he helped her to her feet.

  She glanced over and saw the preacher who had married her and Mark. Before she could thank him, Ben ran after her hat. She brushed back the strands of hair that were wrapping their way around her face and pinned them back in place. Next time it was this windy, she would skip the walk, even if the day was sunny and warm. This just wasn’t worth the hassle.

  Mark’s friend returned to her and held the hat out to her. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you,” she replied as she put it back on her head and pushed some pins in through it to help secure it. This time, it had no trouble staying in place. Those birds falling off of it was for the best.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied. “I was on my way into town and thought I’d see Mark. He works a couple of blocks from here.”

  “I know. I’ve been to his office.”

  “So you know your way through the maze of downtown Omaha?”

  She hadn’t thought of downtown Omaha as a maze, but as she thought about it, he was right. There were a lot of businesses already established, and more were popping up. It was a growing area, and because of that, a person could get lost if they didn’t know how to get somewhere.

  “Mark’s coachman and some women showed me around,” she said as they started walking.

  “You do realize that the coachman belongs to you, too, since you’re married to Mark.”

  “Yes, I know, but I’m not used to having servants yet. I don’t know if I’ll ever be.”

  “Sure you will. You haven’t been married for long. You’ll adjust to things in time, especially since Mark loves you.”

  “If it weren’t for Mark, I wouldn’t have chosen to live this kind of life. Giving how I grew up, it did make more sense for me to marry Tony. Velma would have fit right into this world.” She gestured to the buildings they were approaching. “She would have stepped right in, and everyone would have loved her.”

  “I may not know you, but Mark adores you and if he adores you, then it means others will, too. Mark has a good sense about people.”

  Recalling Kenneth, she glanced at him. “When Mark tells you he has a bad feeling about someone, is he right?”

  “You can trust Mark’s instincts about things. I know most people don’t, but they don’t realize there’s a still, small voice inside all of us telling us what is good and what isn’t. He pays attention to it while most people don’t.”

  She frowned. So if Mark was convinced that Kenneth wasn’t good for Annabelle, then he was right. “It’s hard to believe something unless there’s evidence.”

  “It is, but that’s where faith comes in. Faith allows you to believe in something you can’t prove.”

  She sighed. It wasn’t the answer she was hoping for. Annabelle was obviously interested in Kenneth. It might not be love, but it could very well turn into love. She hated this. She wished Ben had said that Mark wasn’t always right, that there had been times when he’d been wrong. But he’d only confirmed what Mark had been telling her all this time.

  “How well do you know Annabelle?” she asked.

  Seeming startled by the question, he looked at her, eyes wide. “I didn’t say anything about Annabelle.”

  “I know you didn’t. I’m the one who brought her up.”

  “Why? Did Mark tell you that I want to marry her?”

  “You want to marry her?” she blurted out in surprise.

  He stopped and glanced around. “Not so loud.”

  She scanned the people around them, but no one seemed to be paying attention to them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be loud. I just didn’t expect what you said, that’s all.” Lowering her voice, she asked, “You want to marry Annabelle?”

  His face went red. “Yes, but it doesn’t matter. She has no interest in me.” He straightened his suit jacket then added, “You’re not going to tell her, are you?”

  “Of course not. I would never tell anyone anything so private.”

  He visibly relaxed.

  “This is wonderful,” she said. “You’re Mark’s closest friend. His family already approves of you. It’d be a good match. You should tell her how you feel.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I have a hard time saying anything to her. It’s been that way ever since we were children. I end up sounding like a bumbling idiot whenever I’m around her.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  “It’s not sweet. It’s pathetic.”

  “I’d think it was romantic if a man had difficulty talking to me because he loved me.”

  “It’s not romantic.”

  As if to put an end to the conversation, he started walking.

  She followed after him. “What if I was with you? You could come over to have dinner with Mark and me. Surely, if Mark and I are there, we can help you be more comfortable. Then you’ll have an easier time talking to her.”

  “I don’t think it would do any good. Besides, I heard she’s already interested in someone.”

  “What if the person she’s interested in isn’t really a good choice?”

  He glanced at her. “What do you mean by that?”

  “What if she doesn’t realize the man she’s interested in would make a bad husband?”

  “Exactly what do you mean by ‘a bad husband’?”

  “I don’t know.” They crossed a street and headed down the sidewalk that led to the building where Mark worked. “What if he’s just not the person she thinks he is? What if he’s lying to her?”

  “Then whoever knows what he’s lying about needs to tell her.”

  “If you knew that a man was lying to her, would you tell her?”

  He blinked in surprise. He probably hadn’t figured she would turn things around on him like that, but she was curious as to how much he believed someone should warn her about
Kenneth. It was easy to say someone should do something. It was a lot harder to be the one who actually did it.

  “I would have to,” he finally replied. “I have a responsibility to do the right thing.” His face grew red. “Even though I didn’t do that when you married Mark.”

  She smiled at him. “I hold no ill will against you, Preacher. Mark had said things would work out, and they did. Velma’s happy with Tony.”

  “That’s good to hear. You should call me Ben, by the way. Mark and I have been friends for years. Since you’re his wife, you should address me by my first name.”

  “In that case, you can call me Natalie.”

  He nodded, and after a moment, he said. “I felt so bad about being a part of the deception that I ran out of peppermints.” Before she could ask him what peppermints had to do with the wedding, he continued, “Is the man you’re talking about named Kenneth Gordon?”

  “You know about him?”

  “Mark talked to me about him not too long ago. He should tell her he has a bad feeling about him.”

  “He doesn’t think she’ll believe him.”

  He adjusted his hat and let out a heavy sigh. “Alright, I’ll talk to her. What has Kenneth done that is wrong?”

  “Nothing that I know of, but you said Mark’s instincts are good.”

  “Yes, they are, but Annabelle is the kind of person who wants proof. She’s always wanted proof. She’s been that way ever since I can remember. I can’t tell her anything until there’s some proof. When there’s proof, I’ll talk to her.”

  They reached the building, and he opened the door for her. She thanked him and went inside, glad to be out of the wind. Even if her hat was no longer trying to blow off her head, it was nice to be inside.

  Ben headed for the elevator, and Natalie called out, “Do you trust that thing?”

  He glanced over his shoulder and stopped when he realized she wasn’t beside him. “Sure. I’ve been in them a lot. They’re quicker than going up the stairs.”

  She stared at the elevator as the doors opened. A couple of men came out, and the person in charge of it waved for them to come in. She looked over at the stairwell. Should she just get in there and get it over with? She was sure she’d come by here to see Mark every so often. The sooner she overcame her fear of the elevator, the better.