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“I’m afraid Mother isn’t here,” Trudy said. “She’s out on business herself, but she should be home very soon. Please, come visit for a while.”
He balked. She had not mentioned Elizabeth, but even if she was here, that meant the ladies were alone. “Perhaps, I shouldn’t...”
Trudy cocked her head and offered that delightful, innocent grin. “Don’t be silly. You are no stranger. You’re family. Mother will be pleased to see you.”
Yes, he reminded himself. Family.Elizabeth’s would-be brother-in-law.
She motioned toward the parlor. David stepped forward and drew in a shallow breath. The furniture had all been returned to its original position, but the setting from the funeral remained raw in his mind. He still had trouble believing his brother was actually gone. Some days he expected him to appear, as if returning from a long journey.
But he isn’t coming back. I buried him. His coffin was right there. I sat here...and she...she sat there... Her face flashed through his mind. He forced the memory of her heartbroken expression aside.
“Shall I fetch you some lemonade?” Trudy asked. “You must be thirsty after that long train ride.”
He knew he should be honest, and he felt himself redden. “Actually, I’ve been in Baltimore for several days.”
She blinked. And you are just now coming to visit? her look said. It was quickly replaced, however, with a smile. “Well, I imagine you must be thirsty, anyway. I’ll fetch you a glass.”
“Thank you, Trudy. I would appreciate that.”
She scurried for the kitchen. The moment she had gone, the floorboards above his head creaked. David swallowed hard, for he knew exactly who was treading overhead. Had she heard his voice? Was she now on her way to see him?
Will she be pleased to find me here?
He suspected not. Silently he prayed God would give him both guidance and grace to handle whatever was coming. He claimed a chair beside the fireplace, only to immediately stand. Trudy had returned with the lemonade.
“Oh, please,” she insisted, “sit.”
She handed him the glass, then a plate of freshly baked scones and afterwards took a seat opposite him. The creaking overhead had stopped. David kept one ear cocked toward the staircase but heard nothing further. ApparentlyElizabeth wouldn’t be coming down anytime soon. He wasn’t sure if he was troubled by that or relieved.
Trudy seemed to know what he was thinking. “Elizabeth is upstairs,” she said, “but I’m afraid she won’t be joining us.”
“I see,” was all he could think to say.
There was a long pause. When Trudy bit her lip, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
She hesitated, making him all the more concerned. “David, please, don’t say anything...but...I’m worried about her. You saw how she was at the funeral.”
Not an hour went by that he didn’t think of that. The memory of her cries still cut him to the core.
“It has been two months and she will not leave the house. She barely steps foot outside her room. Julia and Sally come almost every day, but she will not receive them. She hardly even speaks to me or Mother.”
David’s heart ached.
“I’ll tell you the truth,” Trudy continued. “I have never seen her this way. When father passed, she grieved, of course, but she attended to mother faithfully. And when George left for the war, she stepped up and tried to fill his shoes.”
“She kept busy,” he said.
“Yes.”
That was how she’d managed at the hospital when she was troubled. Whenever one of the wounded had died, she’d immediately taken to changing the bed linens, preparing for the next man.
“She won’t eat,” Trudy said. “Mother and I are at a loss as to how to help her.”
Tears filled her eyes. David reached over and took her hand. “Don’t cry, Trudy. We’ll think of something.”
Hope now flickered across her face. “We? Will you be staying in Baltimore for a time?”
“Yes. Indefinitely, as a matter of fact. I have taken a job with one of the local newspapers.”
“Oh, David, that’s wonderful! You are an answer to prayer!”
He wasn’t so sure about that, but her eagerness encouraged him. “I’ll be here, and if you, your mother or Elizabeth have need of anything, do not hesitate to ask.”
She didn’t. “Will you come for supper this evening?”
“Supper?”
“Dinner, as you say up north.”
He knew to what she was referring, and although he greatly appreciated the invitation, he wasn’t certain it would be wise to accept. True, he’d just told her he’d do anything to help, but he’d been thinking more along the lines of household repairs, assistance with business transactions.
If Elizabeth isn’t even receiving her closest friends, what makes Trudy think she’d be willing to endure a dinner with me?
“I know what happened between the two of you,” she said.
David dropped her hand immediately and sat back in his chair, wondering just what exactly Trudy knew. Have my feelings for Elizabeth been obvious? Does Elizabeth know, as well? Is that why she was so angry with me?
“I know you convinced Jeremiah to delay the wedding. Despite that, I believe your presence could be a comfort to my sister. She always spoke very highly of you.”
“I don’t believe she thinks very highly of me now.”
Trudy shook her head in protest. “As dreadful as the circumstance are...you acted in her best interest. A baby is more than a keepsake. And in times like these...” Knowing she’d said far too much, she then blushed. “Forgive me. I don’t normally go about discussing such things. It’s just that...well, as I said before...you are family.”
Why did that word cut him and yet console him at the same time? “I am honored that you think of me that way, Trudy. Still...I regret what I did.”
“We all have regrets, David. I regret encouraging her to volunteer for the hospital in the first place. I suppose a body can only take so much suffering. I think her having watched all those other soldiers die makes Jeremiah’s death all the more difficult.”
“I believe you are correct.”
David didn’t know what to say next. He wanted to make Trudy feel better in some way, but he didn’t know how. He wanted to make up for what he had done to Elizabeth but had no idea where to even begin.
“Will you then come?” she asked. “For supper?”
He drew in a breath. He still wasn’t certain it was such a good idea, but he knew he had to do something. He wanted to be there for Trudy’s sake, if nothing else. “What time should I arrive?”
Her face brightened. “Around seven.”
“Seven it is, then.” Though it pleased him that he had made her happy, it was her sister’s smile he most wanted to see.
* * *
Elizabeth heard the front door shut. Wanting to apologize to her mother for not lending whatever assistance she could, she hurried for the staircase. Trudy was in the foyer. She had a happy look on her face, so Elizabeth assumed the silver had brought a good price.
“Did Mother’s meeting go well?” she asked.
The look faded to a more cautious one. “I don’t know. She hasn’t returned yet.”
“I thought I heard the door.”
“You did. It was...David.”
“David?”Elizabeth blinked. “David Wainwright?”
“Yes.”
She felt the blood drain from her face. “What was he doing here?”
Trudy stepped toward the staircase and leaned against the banister. “He has returned to Baltimore. Apparently he’s taken a job with one of the local papers, although he did not say which one.”
Oh, no,Elizabeth thought. That means today’s visit more than likely will not be the last.Why would he come back to Baltimore? He always said that when his enlistment was over he would go back to his job at the Boston Journal.
She pondered for a moment. Perhaps Trudy had misunderstood. Perhaps the Boston paper had sent him here on assignment. If that is the case, then he will not be in town for very long. I can simply avoid him.
Trudy still held the rail. She now looked rather sheepish. “I invited him for supper tonight.”
Panic spread over Elizabeth. “Supper? Oh, Trudy, what were you thinking? I can’t sit across the table and make polite conversation with that man!”
“That man? Beth, he’s family, and I believe he is grieving as deeply as you. Perhaps even more so. He regrets interfering. He told me so himself.”
Indignation tightened Elizabeth’s jaw. He may indeed regret what he has done, but it doesn’t change anything, and it doesn’t make the thought of supper with him any more bearable.
“You could be a help to one another,” Trudy insisted.
“I don’t see how.”
“You could be a comfort to each other. You could also be a comfort to Mother. I know it will do her good to see him.”
Elizabeth seriously doubted she or David could benefit from the presence of each other, but Trudy had a point. Their mother liked him. She always had. When Elizabeth had worked at the hospital, Mother had often visited the wounded men. She would bring fresh bread and flowers to cheer them. While some of the Northern soldiers did not wish to be bothered with the local civilians, David had always treated her mother with courtesy and respect. As a result, she thought very highly of him.
And if she knew how I spoke to him at the funeral, she would be severely disappointed in me. Embarrassment burned her cheeks as she remembered her words. I told him he could not take Jeremiah away. I told him it was all his fault. He must have thought me mad.
She knew she should apologize, and not just for the lunacy of trying to postpone the unavoidable. He was not responsible for his brother’s death.
Even if Jeremiah and I had married when we wished, our marriage would not have held back the inevitable. He still would have been a soldier. He still would have been working in that disease-infested hospital. He still would have taken ill.
Trudy was waiting patiently at the bannister. Her words echoed through Elizabeth’s mind.
He is grieving as deeply as you...perhaps even more so. He regrets what he has done.
She still didn’t like the idea of his company, but she did need to apologize for her behavior at the funeral. And if spending the evening discussing his new job or whatever else he is now involved in will lift Mother’s spirit, I should do my best to comply.
“For Mother’s sake, then,” Elizabeth said.
Trudy offered her a gentle smile. “I’ll help you dress, if you like. I’ll roll your hair for you.”
Elizabeth appreciated the offer. Tonight’s supper made it impossible for her to go about in her gown and morning robe or even a cotton wrapper, but the thought of putting on that black taffeta dress again made her tremble. She had not worn it since the funeral.
In tune to her thoughts, Trudy moved toward her. “It’s only David, Beth. He won’t be expecting witty conversation.”
Nor will he offer it, she thought, for he had always been a quiet man, seemingly content to observe life rather than participate in it. So unlike his brother. “He probably won’t stay long, will he?”
“No. Probably not.”
* * *
By the time the supper hour approached Elizabeth was properly dressed, and Trudy had managed to roll her mangled mass of unruly red curls into a low conservative bun.
“Shall we now go downstairs?” her sister asked.
Hiding a sigh, Elizabeth complied and followed Trudy to the dining room. Their mother had set the table with their finest dishes, minus the silver. The wall sconces were glowing. A vase of freshly cut daffodils was on the table. Trudy fingered one of the bright yellow petals and smiled once more.
“I picked them earlier this evening,” she said. “They just opened.”
“That was kind of you,” Elizabeth said.
Her sister was well aware that daffodils were her favorite flower. She appreciated the gesture, but all she could think of was the last time there had been food and greenery in this room.
We covered the table with pine boughs. People hovered about speaking in whispered tones. David kept staring at me, looking as though there was something he desperately wished to say but could not bring himself to do so.
The kitchen door creaked, and her mother stepped into the room. Elizabeth noted her face looked a little brighter than it had the past few weeks.
“The table looks lovely, Mother,” Elizabeth said.
Jane Martin set the soup tureen on the table, then kissed her cheek. “I am pleased that you approve.”
The doorbell rang, and Elizabeth’s stomach immediately knotted. She knew exactly who was now standing upon her front porch. Since Trudy had run to the kitchen to fetch the bread, Elizabeth’s mother urged her to the door.
“That’s him, Beth. Please, welcome him while I see to the last of the food.”
Her knees felt weak. She had no idea what she was going to say when she opened the door, but forcing her feet forward, Elizabeth went to greet him.
Chapter Three (#ulink_d410c25d-2f65-52ca-ba4f-92f0450e632c)
Elizabeth slowly opened the door. Even with the civilian clothing and chin whiskers, his resemblance to his brother stole her breath. The same nose, the same forehead, the same smile.
David appeared to be just as taken aback by the sight of her.
Yes,she thought. I look dreadful.
