Page 23

He didn’t wait for Erik to respond and quickly headed down the hall toward Mr. Garrison. Erik watched him for a moment as he approached the man. Both were smiling like old chums. For whatever reason, Erik felt his stomach sour.

Movement to his left caught Erik’s attention as his father approached.

“There you are, son. I was looking for you. If you don’t mind, I’d like to return home. My gout is bothering me something fierce.”

Erik put Vanhoutte from his thoughts. “Of course, Dad. I’m sorry that you’re hurting.”

“No problem. I’ll go home and get my feet up. I’ll have all weekend to see to it.”

Erik thought his father looked much older tonight. Time was dealing harshly with the man. He wasn’t yet sixty years old, but he looked even older. Erik supposed losing his wife and having his daughter become pregnant without benefit of a husband had taken its toll.

“I’ll call for the car.”

8

Leah huddled near the fireplace. Despite her father having put in a proper coal furnace to heat the house, mornings like this required more. It was just five days until Christmas, and the temperatures had plummeted to minus twenty-four degrees.

“I find this kind of cold weather almost unbearable.” Leah turned her backside toward the fire. “I hope this isn’t the way the rest of the winter will be, or I’ll go back to long skirts and wear trousers under them.”

Brigette giggled. “I’ll do the same.” She continued laying out Leah’s clothes for the day. “As it is, I think you must dress in layers and wear as much wool as possible.”

Prying herself away from the fire, Leah hurriedly took up the wool stockings and pulled them on. Brigette assisted her with the rest, making sure each button and hook was secured. Then Leah pulled on her boots and let Brigette hook them while she began brushing out her hair. When the boots were finished, Brigette took over.

“I think something simple will suffice. We can arrange it differently for my evening out with Mr. Vanhoutte. Although if it doesn’t warm up, I’m not at all sure that I’ll go anywhere. It might be smarter to just stay here. Of course, Micah and Clayton probably wouldn’t allow us a moment of privacy. Since coming home from school, all they want to talk about is the war in Europe.”

She frowned. Why should she care if her brothers joined her and Randolph? What did she need privacy for? It wasn’t as if she hoped for Randolph to steal a kiss or two. She honestly hadn’t even considered the intimacy aspect of their going out together.

Brigette was focused on Leah’s hair and hadn’t seemed to hear her, so Leah put the matter aside and changed the subject. “I have been helping make decisions at Turner House.”

“Turner House?” Brigette questioned.

“That’s what I’ve decided to call the unwed mothers’ home. It’s simple, and it honors my grandparents. I thought of all sorts of other names like Susanna’s Hope or House of Hope or some such thing, but it seemed wrong for the situation. I don’t wish to bring undue attention to what we’re doing there. I don’t want to hide those young women away in shame, but it would be nice for them to escape ridicule and condemnation. For that reason, I’d just as soon no one know what’s happening there. Except of course the donors. I need them. And that is the dichotomy. My grandfather had thought to get the Tribune to run a big flashy story about the new home, but then we realized that would take away the privacy of the place.”

“But you will want to get the word out to those who have need of such a home.” Brigette began to braid Leah’s hair.

“Yes, we discussed that as well. Grandfather is going to advertise in some major newspapers back east and in other large cities like Kansas City, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco. He also has good friends all over the country who are physicians and can share the information with patients in need. Grandmother has several speaking engagements for her charities and promises to share the information. We feel confident in time we will have plenty of people vying to stay with us. Unfortunately.”

Leah had long pondered the idea that for her place to be a success, it would mean young women all over the country would have to be in trouble. She would rather see the house stand empty and not have those women face adversity.

She blew warm breath against her fingers. “This cold goes right to the bone.”

“It does indeed.” Brigette finished with the braid and began to pin it on the back of Leah’s head.

“Everyone has been so supportive,” Leah continued, “and I feel quite positive about this new ministry. And now it’s nearly Christmas and we’ll have one last celebration at my grandparents’ house, and then I’ll take over and we’ll have a new home. Grandmother has even encouraged me to move in right away. She said if I’m there day in and day out, she’ll be able to help me understand the general needs of the staff and I can familiarize myself with running the house.”

“It might be a good idea,” Brigette said. “I’m getting quite fat. Even Cook noticed yesterday. Suggested it was all the holiday goodies we’ve been having.”

“Let her think what she will. You’ll have nothing to worry about once we move, but you’re probably right. Maybe we should plan to move right away. We could arrange to go the day after Christmas. Could you have your things ready by then?”

“Of course. I don’t have that much. I’ve been saving my wages most of my life. I’d like one day to be able to afford a little place for myself and not have to work so hard. Maybe marry a man who’s also been saving his money.”

Leah heard the hope in her voice. She wished she could offer her own encouragement, but given Brigette’s situation, it was hard. The young woman had fallen for the sweet talk of a man who sought only to have his way with her. How easy would it be for history to repeat itself?

“There, I think that will do. You look quite lovely, miss.”

Leah went to the floor-length mirror to check her appearance. Brigette had chosen the green wool skirt. It was a little longer than most and graced the tops of Leah’s boots. Hidden beneath were woolen stockings, silk undergarments, heavy wool drawers, and a woolen petticoat. Added to this was a long-sleeved blouse and a thick wool jacket. The red-and-green plaid seemed appropriate for the holiday season.

“Well, this should serve the purpose and help me stay warm. I would hate to have to take up my fur coat and wear it indoors.” She smiled and turned to face Brigette. She noticed that her maid was indeed starting to thicken through the middle.