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Constance smiled and held her tongue. “I can see why you’d feel that way.”
*****
Constance left for tea at Judy’s house before Leonard left for work. As much as she’d wanted to be with him the week before, that’s how much she wanted to ignore him. Spending every moment together had once sounded like a dream…now it sounded ridiculous. She was going to enjoy her time with her new sisters and ignore her new mother-in-law.
Leonard had given her directions out to his brother’s home, and she went on horseback instead of worrying about taking a buggy. He’d wanted her to take a buggy, especially when she saddled the horse for herself. “I think you should take the buggy. There’s no reason for you to ride around astride like a wild woman.”
“There’s also no reason not to. I’d walk to your brother’s place if it wasn’t so far. I promise, I can make it there and back without meeting an untimely demise.” With that, she put her left foot in the stirrup and swung her right leg over the horse’s back. “I’ll have your midnight meal ready when you get home.” She rode out of town with a cake in a makeshift contraption hanging from the saddle bag. It wasn’t the best way to carry a cake, but it would certainly work.
It felt good to feel the wind on her face as she rode toward her destination. Her thoughts were her own for a bit, and she shook her head as she still seethed at Leonard’s idea of her forgetting her own mother in favor of his.
When she reached the farmhouse, she dismounted, pulling the cake from the saddle bag and looking at it for a moment. The frosting had smudged a bit, but she could easily fix that once she was inside.
She’d made an angel food cake with a frosting she’d been making since she was a child. It was heavy on the lard, but she didn’t think anyone would argue.
She knocked on the door, knowing she was there a bit earlier than everyone else. What did it matter? She had to fix the cake anyway.
Judy came to the door and opened it wide, inviting her in. “The children are down for a nap, so we have a minute or two to chat.”
“I have to fix the cake first. The frosting smudged on the way.”
Judy nodded, smiling. “You rode!”
“I did. And Leonard didn’t like it one bit. He’s very rigid in how he thinks things should be.”
Judy nodded. “All of the men in this family are. They get it from their ma.”
“How long should I expect to be under Mrs. Berry’s intense scrutiny? She seems to hate me, but Leonard assures me she doesn’t want me dead.”
Judy laughed. “She doesn’t really want us dead. Her sons are the most important things in her world, and she wants them all to be happy, which means married with children. She just doesn’t communicate very well. It does get easier as the years go by.”
Constance groaned. “Years. Lovely. It’ll take years.”
Judy patted Constance’s back as she put water on for tea. She also had a coffee pot going on the back burner. “Do you prefer coffee or tea?”
“Tea. By far. I can’t force myself to drink coffee yet.”
“Does it bother you that Leonard works so late?” Judy asked.
“Not at all. I prefer to be awake later and sleep later myself, so I am happy he lives that schedule.” Constance carefully used the knife Judy provided to touch up the frosting. “There. Looks good as new.”
Judy nodded. “It’s a beautiful cake. Mine always come out flat. That’s why I asked Ma Berry to bake for us today. I do wish she hadn’t insisted upon coming.”
“It’ll all be fine,” Constance said, not sure if she was trying to convince herself or Judy.
There was a slow stream of women and children arriving after that, and Constance was pleased she’d been there first. It gave her a chance to speak with each of the ladies as they entered the house.
Last was Mrs. Berry, looking around her as if nothing was quite good enough. “You need to use more lye in your mop water, Judy. This house…well, it looks like it hasn’t been mopped in weeks.”
“I mopped it right after I put the children down for a nap, Ma Berry.”
Constance looked around her. The house was clean. It wasn’t immaculate as Mrs. Berry’s was, but considering she had children underfoot at all times it looked wonderful. “I think you do a great job,” Constance said.
A hush fell over the room at Constance’s words, and she realized she’d spoken out of turn.
“Are you contradicting me, child?” Mrs. Berry asked.
“No, ma’am. I was simply offering a different point of view.” Constance knew she was going to have a harder time with her mother-in-law because of her words, but she felt the women needed to stand up for one another.
