скачать книгу бесплатно
“You aren’t coming with me?”
“I have a few things to take care of first. Mr. Davis can help you find what you need.”
James set off across the street. The post office sat on the other side of the square. Inside he handed the envelope to the clerk and asked him to calculate postage to England. He then spent ten minutes wording his telegram to the agency. Since he paid by the letter he had to get his point across as succinctly as possible. Afterward, he stepped into the library to fetch a book for Uncle Mac. Then he turned in the direction of the mill. He itched to confide in someone, and Frederick was his closest friend.
He stopped short on the wooden sidewalk a block away from the mill and chided himself. Ann had been in this town less than a day, and he’d left her unaccompanied. His weakness shouldn’t mean she had to suffer through new experiences in a strange country alone.
He continued to the mill, but only stayed long enough to write a note to Frederick informing him he was no longer needed at the courthouse that afternoon. He gave the note to the foreman, who assured James he would deliver it to his friend.
He returned to the square and walked straight to the mercantile. The dark interior of the store was a sudden change from the sun-drenched sidewalk, and for a moment James couldn’t see. He heard Ann’s lilting voice well before he saw her.
“And you’re sure this soap does a proper job?”
“Absolutely, miss. We don’t carry Sunlight, but Fels-Naptha won’t disappoint.”
The store came into focus, along with Mr. Davis behind the counter. His dark mustache rose at the corners as he smiled in greeting. “I’ll be with you in a moment, Mr. McCann,” Mr. Davis called.
Ann stood at the counter and turned her golden head to face him. She smiled softly, and her shoulders dropped a hair, as if in relief.
“How will you be paying, miss?”
James strode to Ann’s side. “Put everything on my account, Mr. Davis.” He could hear the tremor of nerves in his voice. Why was he so nervous? He’d done business with William Davis for years.
Mr. Davis cocked a brow, but reached for the ledger book and entered the total without question.
Ann looked up at James, her blue eyes telling him something. Introductions! Apparently, he forgot even the most basic of social graces while in her presence.
“Mr. Davis, this is Miss Ann Cromwell. She’ll be staying with me and Uncle Mac for a little while,” he announced with far too much force.
“Delighted to meet you, miss,” the shopkeeper replied. “It’s always nice to have new people come to New Haven.”
James silently thanked the man for not asking any questions. William Davis didn’t get to be New Haven’s most successful businessman by being nosy.
“Will there be anything else, Mr. McCann?”
“Did those new hand tools come in yet?”
Mr. Davis gestured to the farthest corner of the store. “Leroy just finished stocking them. Take a look. I think you’ll find the new auger design superior to the old one.”
James made his way to the back of the store while Mr. Davis wrapped Ann’s selections and tied the bundle with string. He tried to concentrate on a shiny awl in front of him, but Ann’s voice carried to him from the counter.
“This is a lovely town. On the drive in, I admired the many fine homes along the boulevard.”
Mr. Davis chuckled. “I don’t think any street here is fancy enough to be called a boulevard, but we do have some beautiful residences.”
“In London, large homes employ several full-time servants.”
“I imagine they would.”
“Is that the case here in New Haven, as well?”
“Oh yes, miss. Half a dozen families here have servants.”
“They do?”
Was James mistaken, or did her measured tone change? She sounded...anxious? Eager?
“Doc Henderson is the only one with live-in help. He has a cook and maid. Heard he’s looking for a new one, though.”
“A new cook or a new maid?” she asked.
He’d heard right the first time. Her melodic voice held a frantic edge.
“He employs one girl to do both.”
“A maid of all work.”
“If that’s what you call it.”
James stole a glance at the counter. Ann’s lips were pursed and her large eyes cast down.
“In England, a servant who both cooks and cleans is called a maid of all work,” she replied.
Mr. Davis’s eyebrows arched. “Is that so?”
Was Ann looking for work? But why? They would be hearing from Mrs. Turner within a few weeks, and after that she’d be off to her true intended. Was living with him so miserable she’d rather work for someone than live with him? Heat flamed his cheeks. He had to treat her more as a guest, and pray it didn’t lead him down a path to his own destruction.
Ann hoisted the packages off the counter but James arrived at her side in seconds and eased them out of her arms. “You shouldn’t have to carry such a heavy bundle,” he explained. Ann bit her bottom lip and murmured her thanks. Was she trying to stifle a laugh? He didn’t doubt it. Everything Ann Cromwell did or said took him by surprise.
Chapter Five (#u72be62c0-eb70-597d-af5b-faca7d46c59d)
Ann waited on the sidewalk while James placed her purchases in the wagon. She’d almost burst out laughing when he suggested the parcels were too heavy for her to carry. She was used to carrying basket upon basket of firewood up three flights of stairs for most of the year. The package of soap, polish and scrub brushes weighed nothing in comparison.
“Where to now?” she asked when he rejoined her on the sidewalk.
“Remember that friend I promised you? She should be in there.” James pointed to the blue awning directly next to Mr. Davis’s store. New Haven Dressmakers.
The shop appeared empty, but a bell clanging above the door brought a young woman bustling in from the back. Dark abundant hair piled high atop her head added even greater height to her tall and slender frame.
“Good afternoon, Delia. I wanted you to meet Ann Cromwell.”
The woman’s eyes widened and a broad grin broke across her face. In an instant she had Ann clasped in a hug. Ann stiffened and managed a feeble squeeze in return.
“So you’re Ann! But didn’t you mean to say Ann McCann?” The girl winked at James. Flames licked Ann’s cheeks and she turned to find James’s face suffused with pink. He took a half step back and bumped into a dress form, which teetered precariously before he righted it. James ran a hand through his thick hair and Ann’s stomach tumbled. Did all men look so handsome when they were embarrassed?
She must change the subject, for both their sakes. “Were you the one who made that beautiful quilt?” she guessed. She recalled James saying this shop employed its maker.
The woman beamed. “Did you really think it beautiful? Frederick saw me working on it weeks ago and asked to buy it.”
“And you are Frederick’s cousin?”
The young woman placed a palm to her forehead. “Where are my manners, Mrs. McCann? I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Ardelia. Ardelia Ludlow.”
Ann shook her hand, and knew they couldn’t let this woman’s assumptions go uncorrected any longer. “It’s still Miss Cromwell.” She glanced again at James. His face flushed scarlet.
“Forgive my mistake.” Her smile didn’t dim and she laughed. “I’d say I’m still Miss Ludlow, but no one calls me that. My friends call me Delia, and you should, too.”
Ann felt a twinge of the familiar and fumbled back to the jumble of memories from the day before. “I met a woman from New Haven on the train yesterday. She told me she had a daughter near my age. You both have the same last name.”
Delia clapped her hands together and brought them under her chin. “You met Mother? What a coincidence!”
“This woman said she’d been visiting her sister.”
Delia nodded her head vigorously. “That was her, alright. She visited my aunt in Pataskala. Just had her tenth child—can you believe it?”
“Your mother was so kind to help her.”
Delia pointed to a cluster of chairs in the corner and a love seat. “Please, let’s all of us sit and have a chat.”
James rocked back and forth on his heels. The color in his cheeks diffused.
“Maybe I should leave you two alone,” he offered.
“Nonsense!” Delia exclaimed. “Miss Cromwell, implore him to stay.”
Ann bit her cheeks to keep from smirking. As if she could convince James to do anything.
“If I’m to call you Delia, you must call me Ann.”
It didn’t seem possible, but Delia’s smile grew broader.
“Ahem.” James cleared his throat. “Ann, did you bring that...uh...thing I asked you to?”
Ann bit back another smirk. So like a man to refer to a lady’s handkerchief as a “thing.” “Yes, I did,” she replied, and fished the piece from her pocket. “It isn’t quite finished.”
No sooner had the lace left the folds of Ann’s skirt than Delia snatched it from her hand.
“This needle lace is exquisite! Did you make this yourself?”
Ann nodded. Pride stirred in her middle.
“Handmade lace and embroidery are rare skills around here.”
“It isn’t as difficult as it appears. I am far more impressed with your quilt work.”
Delia’s dismissed Ann’s compliment with a wave of her hand. “Everyone quilts. My baby sister is already better than me. But lace like this!” She chewed her lower lip. “I wish I could buy this piece for the shop today.”
“Buy it?” Ann’s voice rose half an octave. She paused and continued in a more ladylike tone. “You believe you could sell my lace?”
“Certainly. But I’m only an apprentice. Mrs. Williams, the shop owner, would have to make the decision to sell your work here. She’ll be back tomorrow. Can I keep this and show it to her?”
James stepped forward. “Is it really all that special? That kind of lace, I mean?”
“Absolutely!” Delia stood and held the handkerchief a few inches from his nose. She traced a slim finger along one of the scallops. “See this pattern? It was made by embroidering scores of stitches, one on top of the other, to build up the design. There’s no backing to guide it, like bobbin lace, just a needle and thread. Lace like this requires true talent.”
Ann’s mind raced with figures. It would cost one or two dollars a week for a boardinghouse. Twenty-five dollars to repay James for her steerage ticket, followed by the agency fee—the price of which she couldn’t even guess. Still, she’d brought with her several dozen handkerchiefs. If they fetched half a dollar each, she might have some hope of supporting herself.
“Do you have any idea how a handkerchief like this might be priced?” Ann could barely contain the tremor of excitement in her voice.
Delia walked to the window and held the handkerchief in front of the glass. Sunlight streamed through the embroidery and painted a patterned shadow on the floor. “It’s hard to say. We won’t have many buyers in New Haven for something so fine, but we are getting more customers from Columbus. And it’s English-made, which is very popular.”
Ann laughed. In England her work was maid-made.
Delia looked up when she laughed and smiled back. “Five dollars.”
It was good Ann remained seated. Otherwise she might have fainted. Had she heard right?
James coughed and backed into another dress form. “Did you say five dollars?” he croaked.
“Like I said, I’ll have to check with Mrs. Williams, but I think that’s how she’d price it.”
Ann’s head was spinning. “When will you know?” she breathed.
“You’ll be at church this Sunday?”
Ann looked to James. He nodded.
“Wonderful. I can tell you then if Mrs. Williams is interested. If she is, I’m sure she’ll wish to meet with you.”
Ann moved through the pleasantries as if in a trance. It was only when James lightly touched her elbow that she realized they were leaving. She returned Delia’s hug goodbye, and allowed James to guide her to the door. Once on the sidewalk outside, with the shop door safely shut behind them, James let out a long, low whistle. His green eyes met hers and he squeezed her elbow. “Five dollars!” he said, as if it were a fantastic secret between them.
His excitement added to her own. She drew a deep breath to retain her decorum. “Mrs. Williams might not think it’s worth so much.”
James laughed. “Even a few dollars is a lot of money for some old handkerchief.”
Ann stiffened at the comment. “Needle lace takes years to learn and countless hours to create a few inches.”
“I believe you. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
James’s loose hair flopped over his right eye and he hadn’t yet raked it back into place. The sight positively unnerved her. It was hard to concentrate as he gazed at her through the sand-colored strands. Why hadn’t he swept it back?
A realization flickered. “You intended for me to meet Delia, didn’t you? She was the new friend you mentioned?”
“Delia or Mrs. Williams. I thought you’d find something in common with them and could make a friend during your short time here.”
“And you like it? The needle lace, I mean?”
He raked the hair from his forehead and met her gaze straight on. “Beautiful but impractical.”
