“I haven’t grown potatoes before,” Pamela said. “But we could plant them together.”
“I like potatoes,” Louisa said.
“Me too,” Simon said.
Louisa wrapped her arms around her middle and took in a long, shaky breath. “I understand now. I’m ready to go with you.”
“We’ve made up a bed in your new room,” Pamela said. “Would you like to see it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Louisa said, brightening. “My own room?” She looked over at Quinn as she slid from the couch. “Miss Cooper, my own room.”
“I’m glad for you,” Quinn said.
We all stood then. For a moment, an awkward silence filled the room until Louisa ran to Quinn and wrapped her arms around her teacher’s waist. “Thank you for everything,” Louisa said.
“You’re welcome, dear one,” Quinn said. “You can breathe easily now. No one’s going to hurt you from here on out.” She put her hands on the little girl’s shoulders. “Are you ready to go with the Linds?”
“Yes, Miss Cooper.” Louisa stepped out of the embrace and walked over to where Pamela and Simon waited by the couch. Pamela offered her hand and after a split second of hesitation, Louisa took it, and they walked toward the door together.
“Tomorrow we can look at fabric to make you some new dresses,” Pamela said. “I’ve always wanted a daughter to sew for.”
“Will you teach me how to sew?” Louisa asked as they passed into the foyer.
Simon and I shook hands. “I may need some advice as we go along.” He chuckled. “A daughter when I’m already an old man.”
“It’s the best and hardest job you’ll ever have,” I said. “Although possibly easier to manage when there’s only one instead of five.”
“God hates a coward, isn’t that what you told me?” Simon asked.
“Yes sir,” I said. “Which makes him particularly proud of you tonight.”
Chapter 33
Quinn
After the excitement of the last few days, our household settled back into routine. Friday night, Alexander had asked Clive to call on Lizzie. Clive, being a kind man, and also much too young for Lizzie at only twenty years old, was only too happy to help in the ruse. To help her get ready, Merry and I joined Lizzie in her room. She had to look particularly inviting this evening.
I coaxed her unruly hair into a bun, but tendrils escaped at the back of her neck and temples. “Oh, why won’t my hair ever behave?” Lizzie asked.
“Never mind that,” I said. “The curls are pretty.”
Merry powdered Lizzie’s nose and gave her a hint of blush on her cheeks and lips.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you without your apron and cap,” I said as I stood back to admire Lizzie. She wore a sapphire-blue dress with a white sash that flattered her curves and brought out her eyes. “You’re always pretty, but tonight you’re simply breathtaking.”
“Do you think?” Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Lizzie patted her hips. “I’m so plump.”
“No, you’re just right,” Merry said as she sat on Lizzie’s bed, looking fetching in a pale green dress. Her hair, usually braided and wrapped around the top of her head, was twisted at the nape of her neck.
“I agree.” I looked small and skinny next to Lizzie’s hourglass frame and Merry’s tall, muscular build. “Anyway, it takes all kinds.”
Mrs. Wu was in the kitchen making supper, and the smell wafted into Lizzie’s room. “What is she making that smells so divine?” I asked.
“Some kind of bun with meat in the middle,” Lizzie said. “Her mother taught her all the family recipes when she was a girl in China.”
“Aren’t we a peculiar household?” Merry said. “Everyone from somewhere else.”
“That’s America,” I said.
“Isn’t it strange to think of our children’s children?” Merry asked. “They’ll not know about the old worlds we came from, only here.”
“All of our differences merged together by then,” I said. “Into what, I wonder?”
“Harley’s asked to marry me,” Merry said.
We both whirled around to look at her.
“When did that happen?” I asked.
“Last night after class. When we dropped you off, I went with him to help with the horses. We were talking and then all of a sudden, he kissed me. He asked if I’d ever consider marrying him.”
“What did you say?” Lizzie asked.
“How was the kiss?” I asked at the same time.
Merry smiled. “I said yes, and the kiss made my legs shaky.”
“Oh, my,” Lizzie said.
“That’s the best kind of kiss,” I said, as if I were the expert now that Alexander and I couldn’t seem to stop kissing.
“It’s all because of you, Quinn. If we hadn’t started going to night school together, then I’d never have had the chance to talk to him. I might not have ever had the courage otherwise.”
We all jumped at a knock on the door followed by Alexander’s voice. “Ladies, Clive has arrived.”
I squeezed Lizzie’s hands. “Let’s go make someone jealous.”
Alexander and Clive were sitting in chairs by the fire and rose to their feet as we entered. Jasper was across the room tidying the already-tidy liquor cabinet. His jaw clenched when he saw Lizzie. There it was, I thought.
We joined the gentlemen by the fire.
“I…I like your dress.” Clive blushed red.
Alexander had coached Clive to give Lizzie a compliment. He might need a little practice.
Lizzie flashed Clive one of her best smiles. “Thank you.”
Jasper left the room, the clicking of his heels on the floor louder than usual. We got him. This would shake him into action.
We all sat and made small talk about the weather and various other subjects. I noticed movement just outside the library doors. Was Jasper eavesdropping?
“Will you all excuse me a moment?” I asked.
The men stood.
I went out to the foyer and sure enough, Jasper stood just outside the door. He appeared too upset to even seem embarrassed by his lack of decorum. He gestured for me to move into the parlor that remained unused most of the time. Another one of Alexander’s quirks. He preferred his library for entertaining.
“What in God’s name is that boy doing here?” Jasper whispered.
“He’s calling on Lizzie.”
“How could you let this happen?” he asked.
“What do I have to do with it?”
“I don’t know. It’s just that since you arrived everyone’s running around acting like lovesick debutantes. We’ve got Merry and Harley kissing in the barn and you and the lord carrying on like animals in springtime. And now this. Do you know she’s asked the lord for her own cottage? Her own cottage. I mean, this is simply not done.”
“Jasper, what does it matter to you what Lizzie does? You’ve already told her you don’t love her.”
“Because there is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things. Cooks do not have their own cottages.”
“Alexander does as he pleases with his money and his property. He has enough of both and wants to thank her for years of service.”
“I won’t have it. I’m supposed to run this house. We’ve got strangers living downstairs and perplexing food coming out of our kitchen. Does Lizzie even cook any longer, or is it dumplings every night now?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it.
“What’s funny?” he asked, eyes flashing.
“I’m sorry, but you’re funny. You know what’s going on here, don’t you?”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“You’re jealous. You want Lizzie for yourself.”
“I want things run the way they were,” he said. “This has nothing to do with that Clive person calling on my Lizzie.”
“Your Lizzie?”
“For heaven’s sake, you’re an annoying woman. Like a herding dog.”
“
Excuse me?” A herding dog? That made me laugh even harder, imagining nipping at the heels of this entire household.
“Nothing.” He let out a long sigh. “You have a quality that makes every person you meet want to be better.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said.
“It’s meant to be one.”
“Lizzie’s spent her adult life waiting for you to see her—to love her. She wants that cottage to move away from you—from the idea of you two being together. Do you understand? If you love her, now is the time to tell her and to take action. Otherwise, she will find someone else. This town is full of single men. And she’s a beautiful woman with her own money. Think about what you want. Do you want to grow old alone while everyone else is happily coupled simply because of principle? Because you can’t let go of the old ways? I think that’s just about the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I walked out of the parlor and downstairs to the kitchen, where Mrs. Wu was feeding the children, silently praying that I’d gotten through to him.
Chapter 34
Alexander
I received the letter from Quinn’s mother a week later.
Dear Alexander,
Your request came as no surprise. Quinn had written to me of her deep feelings for you and your children. In her last letter, she’d mentioned the possibility of marriage. I’m overjoyed.
We’d hoped to come west when we’d saved enough money. Your generosity makes it possible for us to come now, and for that we are grateful. Without Quinn, there has been a hole in our lives.
We have tickets to arrive in Denver on December 23 and will be expecting you and your sweet Josephine at the train station. We cannot wait to meet you all. I’ve been daydreaming of how much fun it will be to be a grandmother.
Love,
Your soon to be mother-in-law, Mrs. Cooper
A week later, Josephine and I took the train into Denver. Our aim was to pick out a ring for Quinn and to bring back her mother and sister.
We disembarked at Union Station around noon. Josephine exclaimed over the welcome arch and reached for my hand as we walked across the street amid motor cars and people on bicycles. The noise and bustle of the city jarred my nerves, but Josephine was enthralled. Cables ran all over downtown, and she studied them as we waited for the streetcar, asking questions about how they worked and when they were built, none of which I had precise answers for.
She pressed her nose against the window as we traveled down Sixteenth Street, exclaiming over the buildings and the women’s dresses and hats. We passed by the Metropole Hotel where I planned to take us all for a meal after the Coopers arrived. A sign in front of the hotel read: “Metropole. Absolutely Fireproof.”
“Why would they say that?” Josephine asked.
“Just reassuring us,” I said. Josephine was too young to remember the fires that devastated cities, including Chicago and Seattle. Or the one that burned our own Emerson Pass. “Do you see the brick?” I asked after telling her about the fires of the past. “That’s an example of man learning from his mistakes.”
The jeweler’s name was Mr. Finney, and he had a sharp, thin face with a large nose, which made him look a bit like a mouse. He showed us a variety of rings in both ornate and simple settings. In the end, we agreed on a slim band with a diamond solitaire. “It’s delicate yet shines, like Quinn,” Josephine said.
We had another two hours before the train from Denver came. I took Josephine to the City Park and sat on an iron bench to watch the skaters on the frozen lake. “It’s so big compared to ours,” Josephine said.
“Would you like to move to the city when you grow up?” I asked.
“I don’t think I would like it here. There’s a lot of noise. I’d rather stay home and make a library.”
“A library?”
“I read about it in the paper. Mr. Carnegie will give money to start one as long as the town agrees to fund it afterward.”
“Really?”
“I could be the librarian, and then I’d get to be with books all day long.”
I wrapped my arm around my little bookworm and held her close. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“Same, Papa.” She rested her cheek against my shoulder. “Do you think you and Miss Quinn will have babies?”
“I don’t know. These things aren’t always up to us. Would you want us to?”
“Do you think she would still love us if she had a baby of her own?”
“The human heart has capacity for a great many loves. Especially Miss Quinn.”
“What would Fiona think if she were no longer the baby?” Josephine asked, laughing.
“For that reason alone, we should have more.”
We sat watching the skaters go by, quiet and comfortable together until it was time to meet Mrs. Cooper and Annabelle.
I knew them the moment they stepped off the train. Annabelle was tall and more robust than Quinn, with red hair and green eyes. Mrs. Cooper was small and slight, like Quinn, with white hair tucked under her hat.
“There they are, Papa,” Josephine said.
I held up a hand in greeting as we walked toward them. “Mrs. Cooper?” I asked.
“Yes, yes, it’s us.” Mrs. Cooper’s eyes were a lighter shade of brown. Faint lines etched her skin. “You’re as handsome as she said you were.” She turned to Josephine. “She told me so much about you in her letters, Miss Josephine. What a big, brave girl you are to take care of your sisters and brothers.”
Josephine blushed. “Thank you, Mrs. Cooper.”
Mrs. Cooper pulled Josephine in for a hug. “You have to call me Granny.”
“Granny,” Josephine said as they parted. “We’ve never had one of those.”
“And this is Annabelle,” Mrs. Cooper said.
The girls exchanged shy smiles. “Miss Quinn talks about you all the time,” Josephine said. “She thinks you and I will be fast friends.”
“I think so too,” Annabelle said. She turned to me. “Lord Barnes, we’re so very grateful to be here.”
“We’re family now,” I said. “You must call me Alexander.”
We had several hours before the train to Emerson Pass. After we collected their suitcases, I took them all out to a meal.
We dined on steaks, potatoes fried into crisp wedges, and crunchy salad with creamy dressing and bits of bacon. Josephine sat up straight and was polite and grown-up. I imagined her as a young woman. How soon that time would come that I’d have to agree to a man’s request for marriage.
Both the Cooper women seemed to enjoy the meal immensely, exclaiming about everything. Mrs. Cooper fretted over the prices. I reassured her by saying it was a special day. “It’s not every day you meet your bride’s family.”
“You’ve been able to keep our arrival a surprise?” Mrs. Cooper asked.
“Only Papa and I know,” Josephine said. “Well, and Jasper and Lizzie. They know everything about our family. It’s been so hard to keep the secret, hasn’t it, Papa?”
“Very much so,” I said. “However, I’m a romantic and want to have you both at the house to help us celebrate tonight. I’ve been imagining it for weeks now.” I pulled the ring box from my inside jacket pocket. “Would you like to see the ring?”
Annabelle squealed when I opened the top of the box. “My sister will love it.”
“I’m taking her on a sleigh ride away from the house. When we return, we’ll have a party to celebrate, and you’ll be her surprise.”
“What if she says no?” Annabelle asked, deadpan, before bursting into peals of laughter. “I’m just teasing. We know for a fact she’s saying yes.”
“I certainly hope so,” I said. “Or it’s going to be an awkward party.”
That evening, I took Quinn out for a sleigh ride. The stars were bright overhead, and a sliver of a moon smiled down on us. Oliver and Twist nuzzled as they clomped through the snow. When we reached a spot in the middle of the meadow where the stars were particularly bright
, I stopped them and adjusted in the seat to face Quinn. She had her head tilted back, looking up at the sky.
When we returned from Denver, we’d hidden Mrs. Cooper and Annabelle in Harley’s cottage.
“I think about my mother and sister on nights like these,” she said. “And wish they could see the stars from right here.”
She turned toward me. In the shadowy light, I could only just make out the outline of her face. I knew every inch, though. Every freckle and the exact color of her eyes and the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed.
I took the ring from my pocket. “I fetched you a trinket in Denver.”
“A trinket? Do you mean a ring?”
I didn’t answer as I lifted her hand from under the blanket and tugged at her glove, which stubbornly refused to come off her slender fingers.
“Here, let me,” she said, giggling. “There’s a trick to it.” She gracefully slid the glove from her hand and waggled her fingers at me. “Would you like to put the ring on, or shall I?”
“I have to ask first.”
“You’re taking a very long time,” she said.
“Perhaps I’ll just put it back in my pocket?”
“No, no. I’ll be quiet now.” She pressed her fingers against my mouth. “See, it’s ready for you.”
I laughed and kissed each one of her fingers. “Will you wear this ring and be my wife?”
God bless the sliver of the moon, for it took that moment to shine a little brighter and made the diamond sparkle. “Yes, I’ll wear your ring and be your wife.”
I slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her. Somewhere in the night, a wolf howled as if giving his approval. “Marry me on Christmas Eve?”
“Christmas Eve?”
“Yes, Pastor Lind will do the ceremony. We’ll invite the whole town.”
She laughed. “What about my mother and sister? If I marry without them here, they’ll never forgive me.”
“All right, then. As soon as we can get them out here, we’ll marry. Can you promise me that?”
The School Mistress (Emerson Pass Book 1) Page 26
