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Somewhere to Call Home
Somewhere to Call Home
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Somewhere to Call Home

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“To what do we owe this honor, Michael?” Lila asked. “You’ve barely been on time for meals the last few weeks.”

He’d like to tell her that it was her company he’d been trying to avoid lately, but that was out of the question, of course. Michael didn’t want to offend her. He just didn’t like the way she fawned over him.

“I thought I’d greet our new boarder when she comes down.”

“Oh?” Lila raised a narrow brown eyebrow. “She’s here then?”

“She arrived this afternoon.”

“And she’s here now.” Elizabeth Anderson, one of his mother’s favorite boarders, entered the room just ahead of Violet. “Everyone, meet Violet Burton. I met her at the landing. She seemed a bit hesitant to come down, but I promised her that we’d all be on our best behavior. At least until we get to know her better.”

The young woman who’d followed Elizabeth into the room smiled at everyone and said, “I took her at her word.”

That brought chuckles from the boarders gathering around her, and Michael quickly crossed the room to her side. “Violet, I hope you’ve been able to get some rest?”

His mother was right. This was not the Violet he remembered. That one had been a young girl and, while pretty and sweet, this Violet was a fully grown woman and a lovely one at that. Her black hair was swept up on top of her head, and when her gaze settled on him, he was struck by how brilliantly blue her eyes were.

“I did, thank you, Mr. Heaton.”

She hadn’t called him Mr. Heaton back home. It’d only been Michael...and that in an exasperated tone when he’d been teasing her and Becca. He chuckled at the memory. Perhaps she was only doing it now because of the boarders, but he didn’t like it. “Oh, come now, Violet. Surely as long as we’ve known each other, we can dispense with the formalities, can’t we?”

She looked up at him and her smiled deepened. “I suppose we can...Michael.”

But her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and the wary expression in them reminded him of all she’d been through so recently. Suddenly his protective instincts rose up full force, shocking him with their intensity. In that moment, Michael knew he’d do all he could to keep Violet Burton safe and to help her adjust to her new surroundings.

Chapter Two

“Dinner is served,” Mrs. Heaton announced from the dining room. “Come along, everyone, we’ll make the remaining introductions while we dine.”

Michael held out his arm and Violet hesitated for a moment before taking it. This was Michael Heaton, after all, not a complete stranger. He’d been her neighbor for years and he was only escorting her across the hall to the dining room. Although he was several years older than Violet, she’d known him all of her life. And his teasing manner was just the same as it had been when she was growing up.

But Violet hadn’t been prepared for the effect of his smile on her. The sheer force of it, with those twin dimples that hadn’t been in evidence earlier that day, left her a little stunned and bewildered that she felt so drawn to him. She told herself it was because it was so good to see another familiar face in this strange city so far away from home, but she wasn’t sure she was telling herself the truth. Her heartbeat hadn’t slowed down since her gaze met his.

He led her across the foyer and into the dining room. Pulling out a chair, he seated Violet while another of the boarders seated his mother at the opposite end of the table. Then Michael took his own place at the head of the table; his chair was adjacent to the one Violet was sitting in.

The brown-haired, brown-eyed woman who’d been standing with her hand on Michael’s forearm when Violet came into the parlor had slipped into the chair opposite Violet, but her attention was solely on Michael.

Others who were in the parlor took their seats at the table, and Violet was relieved to see that, just as Mrs. Heaton had said, most of the ladies were dressed in skirts and nice shirtwaists. Mrs. Heaton had changed into a dark brown skirt and beige shirtwaist as well, and Violet felt as if she fit in with the navy skirt and crisp white shirt she’d chosen. It had a lace insert at the top of the bodice and she’d worn her mother’s cameo, which made her feel a little dressed up, but not so much that she felt out of place. She let out a small sigh of relief.

Once everyone was settled, they all looked to Mrs. Heaton for direction.

“Michael, will you please say grace?”

“Certainly.”

Violet bowed her head while he said a simple prayer of thanksgiving. She was touched that he thanked the Lord for her safe travel as well as for the food. Once he’d finished the prayer, he began passing dishes family-style with some help from Gretchen and Maida. The other boarders began to talk amongst themselves as the dishes were passed around, and Violet felt herself begin to relax.

Michael held the tray while she selected a piece of chicken, and then he handed it off to the man beside her while Gretchen and Maida helped keep the rest of the dishes moving around the table. The side dishes were creamed potatoes, peas, carrots and baby onions. The rolls were crisp and hot, and Violet was glad there were so many small conversations going on that hopefully no one could hear her stomach growl.

When all the dishes had made the round of the table, and Gretchen and her sister had slipped into their chairs, Mrs. Heaton introduced Violet to the other boarders.

“This is Violet Burton, our new boarder. She’s a dear friend of the family and we’re very happy that she’s come to live here.” She then motioned to the young woman on her right. “Violet, this is Julia Olsen, who works at Ellis Island. It’s a busy job she has.”

The auburn-haired girl smiled down the table at Violet. Her green eyes sparkled. “It’s certainly an interesting one, too. I’ve many stories to tell.”

“I look forward to hearing them.” Violet took some potatoes and passed them down.

“The gentleman next to her is Benjamin Roth, who is a teacher,” Mrs. Heaton continued with the introductions. “And across from you is Lila Miller, who works at Butterick.”

Benjamin had blond hair and blue eyes. “Good to have you with us, Miss Burton.”

“Thank you, Mr. Roth.” Violet then smiled at Lila. “Butterick! Oh, wonderful! Their patterns certainly have made it easier for the home seamstress to make garments that fit,” Violet said.

Lila gave a half smile and slight nod while Mrs. Heaton continued, “On your right is Luke Patterson. Luke writes dime novels.”

“Dime novels?” Violet asked. She’d never met a real writer before. “How interesting.”

Luke’s blue eyes seemed to twinkle as he brushed his brown hair off his brow and smiled. “I think so.”

Mrs. Heaton continued, “And next to him is Elizabeth Anderson, who works for The Delineator. She’s also the young woman you’ll be sharing a bathroom with.”

“We met at the landing, Mrs. Heaton,” Elizabeth said with a smile. She had blond hair and hazel eyes.

“And Elizabeth was kind enough to accompany me down to the parlor,” Violet added. “I love The Delineator. Mother subscribed to it and we pored over it, looking at all the newest styles.” She looked from Elizabeth to Lila and back again. “Isn’t The Delineator owned by Butterick? Do you two work together?”

Lila gave a brief shake of her head, but Elizabeth explained. “Butterick does own the magazine. And we joke about being coworkers, but The Delineator has its own offices at Butterick Publishing Company on Thirteenth Street.”

“I see.” Violet liked Elizabeth. She was quite friendly and helpful. She wished she could say the same about Lila, who only seemed to smile for Michael’s benefit.

Mrs. Heaton continued with her introductions. “Of course you’ve met Gretchen and Maida. We have another boarder, but he’s out for the evening. You’ll meet him tomorrow.”

“It’s probably better this way. The whole bunch of us at one time might intimidate Miss Burton,” Luke Patterson said.

“I’m sure she can handle being around us all, Luke.” Julia took a roll from the basket Mrs. Heaton passed her and handed it to Benjamin. “She’s got to be a brave woman to move to New York City on her own.”

Violet almost laughed out loud. If Julia could have seen her at the train station today, she might not think she was so brave.

“Violet will be able to handle this household with ease. I’m certain of it.” Mrs. Heaton smiled at Violet and then looked around the table. “What we need to do for her now, though, is try to come up with places that she can apply for employment. Do any of you know of any openings?”

“What is it you are trained to do, Miss Burton?” Julia asked from down the table.

“Well, I can’t say I’m trained to do anything. I can cook and clean. And I can sew, but I’m not sure I could call myself a seamstress. I’ve only sewn for my mother or myself.” Suddenly, Violet realized she wasn’t really trained for any kind of employment. She’d been groomed to be a wife, but that wasn’t anything she wanted any part of at the moment—if ever. “I really don’t know what kind of work I’d be best suited for....”

“Don’t worry,” Elizabeth said with a chuckle. “I most certainly wasn’t trained to work for a magazine. Most of us have positions where we’ve been trained to do the job. I don’t think The Delineator has any openings at present, but I’ll check. I’m sure you’ll find something, though.”

“Lila, didn’t you say recently that Butterick was needing help?” Michael asked.

Lila glanced over at Violet and chewed her bottom lip for a moment before looking back at Michael. Her smile brightened as she fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I believe they were needing help with folding and packaging the patterns or possibly with cutting them out. I know they hired one girl, but I can ask tomorrow if they still need help.”

“Oh, would you, dear?” Mrs. Heaton asked. “I would think of it as a personal favor to me, if you would.”

“As would I,” Michael added.

“Then I will certainly ask.” Lila batted her eyelashes once more.

“Thank you, Lila,” Violet said. “That is very kind of you.”

The other girl’s smile dimmed somewhat as she glanced at Violet. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

“Anyone else know of anything?” Michael asked.

“I have a friend who works at Tiffany Glass. They might not be hiring right now, but she says someone is always getting married and there are bound to be openings before too long,” Elizabeth said.

“We can look at the classifieds in the morning paper, too,” Michael suggested.

Several other ideas were mentioned as they ate their meal and Violet felt her hopes for employment grow. Surely in a city this large, she could find something before long. At least Harlan Black didn’t have an influence here. He couldn’t stop people from hiring her.

Coconut cake was served with coffee, and Violet enjoyed it while she listened to the others talk about their day. So far everyone seemed nice, but Violet couldn’t help but notice that most all the women at the table seemed to hang on to every word that came out of Michael’s mouth. And if Lila Miller batted her eyelashes at him each time he looked her way, she wasn’t the only one doing so. Even with two other men at the table, Michael seemed to be the one who had the attention of every woman, and—much to Violet’s dismay—that included her. She couldn’t really blame them. Those dimples were hard not to watch for.

* * *

During the meal, Michael watched the interaction between the boarders and Violet. She listened more than she talked, and she seemed to be totally unaware that Luke and Benjamin were both taking in everything she did say. On the other hand, he hadn’t missed the way the two men watched her every move.

A new woman in their midst was always of interest to the male boarders. Just as he supposed a new man would be to the females sitting at the table. But Luke and Benjamin appeared to be totally captivated by Violet. While he couldn’t blame them—she was lovely and quite unpretentious—Michael felt a little out of sorts about the attention they were giving her.

He watched as Violet asked Luke about his writing and wondered, what would she think if she knew Luke sometimes did investigative work for Michael’s detective agency? It was something few people knew about, which worked to Michael’s benefit. No one would suspect one of his agents was the dime-novel writer living in his mother’s boardinghouse. Violet seemed interested in Luke’s writing—was she interested in him?

It shouldn’t matter. Michael had made up his mind never to become interested in any of the women living in his mother’s boardinghouse—an easy thing to do since he’d been burned once and was determined never to let it happen again. But Violet wasn’t just a boarder. They’d lived next door to each other, and their mothers had been best friends. He couldn’t ignore that connection. Nor did he want to.

He glanced her way as she spoke to Elizabeth, and realized how much she’d changed since he last saw her. She seemed to have lost the smattering of freckles that once graced her nose, and her skin was smooth and flawless now, but he found he missed those freckles.

It took some effort to pull his thoughts back to the present and he was glad to see that most everyone seemed genuinely interested in helping Violet find employment, with the exception of Lila. She didn’t seem enthused about assisting in the search—at least not where she worked. He was certain she’d mentioned that Butterick was expanding and needed more help just a week or so ago, and he’d almost laughed at the look on Lila’s face when he’d backed her into a corner so she had no choice but to say she would check on it. However, he wasn’t totally confident that she would keep her word.

He’d had no reason to check the classifieds, so he didn’t know if Butterick might have placed an ad. Hopefully they’d find something in the paper tomorrow, whether it be Butterick or some other place. It would make things easier if Violet found a position where one of the other girls worked. She’d be able to learn her way around a little faster if she had someone to go to work and come home with. But this was New York City, after all. Violet would find something. He was sure of it.

* * *

When everyone adjourned to the parlor, Violet excused herself saying she had unpacking still to do. That was the truth, but the real reason she felt the need to escape to her room was that she was quite overwhelmed by her whole day. It had been a very long one and she hadn’t had time to let it soak in that she really was going to make her home in New York City, in this house, with these people.

Mrs. Heaton followed her upstairs. “Are you all right, dear?”

“I’m fine. I’m just—”

“Not used to all that conversation and everyone talking at the same time, are you?”

“No, ma’am.” She smiled. The older woman seemed to have a knack for knowing what she was thinking. “But I did enjoy it. I think I’m just very tired tonight.”

“I’m sure you are. I wanted to show you where the towels are kept and make certain you weren’t feeling poorly.” She pointed out the linen closet in the hall and got out a fresh towel and washcloth for Violet. “My room is just across the hall from yours, should you need me. Please remember, Violet, that you are like family to me and—”

“I thank you so much for that. Your hospitality is more of a comfort than I can tell you. But that being said, I need to pay you my first month’s rent. It’s fifty dollars, isn’t it?”

“That’s the fee, but I want you to wait until the first of July to pay me.”

“Oh, no.” Violet shook her head. “I can’t let you do that, Mrs. Heaton.”

“You have no choice, dear. I don’t want you worrying about money until you have a paying position, which I’m certain you will have by then. You have enough stress trying to find employment and getting used to everything. Think of yourself as my guest at least until July. Then you’ll be a boarder.”

“But—”

Mrs. Heaton held up her hand and smiled. “Not another word about it, dear. It’s final.”

“Thank you. I am so blessed that you wrote me offering your help. I had no intention of ever leaving Ashland, but with Harlan Black making it impossible for me to find work, your letter seemed an answer to my prayers. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Your being here is enough thanks. You bring back happy memories to me of times past and I cherish them. As for Harlan Black...I do remember him as well, and I am glad you got away from that horrid man!”

“Oh, so am I.” The very thought of Harlan sickened her.

“Do you think he’ll come after you?”

Violet’s heart plummeted to her stomach at Mrs. Heaton’s question. Thus far, she’d not let herself think along those lines, but now she realized that same question had been lying at the back of her mind just waiting to torment her. “I don’t know. I certainly hope not.”

Mrs. Heaton placed a hand on her ample chest. “I am so sorry, Violet. I didn’t mean to bring up unpleasant thoughts for you.”

“It’s all right, Mrs. Heaton. I’m just glad to be out of Ashland and away from him.” She shivered again thinking of the last time she’d seen him.

“Well, never you worry, dear. He won’t bother you here.” Mrs. Heaton waved her hand as if to dispel the thought of Harlan. “Enough of this depressing talk. I’ll let you have some time to yourself. Breakfast is from six to nine. It’s set out on the sideboard in the dining room. We’ll take a look at the classifieds and see if we can find some positions for you to apply for tomorrow. Good night, dear.”

“Good night.”

Violet heard the sound of the piano being played and voices singing “The Sidewalks of New York” as Mrs. Heaton went back downstairs. For a moment she wished she’d stayed with everyone. Then she reminded herself that there would be other nights and much more time to get to know the others. For now, she needed some quiet time.

Violet finished her unpacking and then took a long soak in the big tub in the bathroom. Once she was back in her room, she settled herself into the chair by the window and listened to the singing from downstairs. She loved to sing and would be happy to join them around the piano one day.

The music faded and she heard footsteps on the stairs, doors opening and closing down the hall and the sound of water running in the bathroom she shared with Elizabeth. She found she liked the sounds of life around her and knowing she wasn’t alone.

As the house quieted, Violet opened her Bible and read several of her favorite Psalms. Then she said her prayers before turning in, thanking the Lord for giving her safe travel and for Mrs. Heaton and her offer. Exhausted as she was, Violet felt certain she would drift right off to sleep.

Instead, she remembered the conversation with Mrs. Heaton earlier and before long, her thoughts were in such turmoil wondering what Harlan would do when he found she’d left town that she couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before flinging back the covers. Violet got out of bed and paced around her bed and back again.

Harlan was not going to be happy, that was for sure. But would he try to find her? She prayed not. Still, afraid that he might look for her, she’d bought a ticket as far as Baltimore, then bought another one from there to New York City. She hoped it would be impossible for him to locate her, should he decide he must.

Violet stopped and pulled the curtain away from the window. Lights were still shining in some of the homes nearby and she could even see a light or two in the next street over. Somehow the light in the darkness comforted her, knowing others were up at this hour. Back home there wouldn’t be a light shining anywhere this time of night, except for the taverns and the small police station. But this city was so large—surely Harlan would never find her here if he did decide to look for her.

She dropped the curtain and went back to bed. It wasn’t going to do any good to worry about him. He’d either track her down or not. But he couldn’t make her marry him. Worrying about him would serve no purpose; she’d just turn it over to the Lord and leave it in His hands.

* * *

The next morning Violet awakened to the sounds of doors opening and closing once more. She looked at the small clock on her bedside table. Six-thirty. She was used to sleeping a bit later than that on a Saturday, but she was eager to start the day.