скачать книгу бесплатно
“But there’s nothing that specifically forbids it?” Mr. Brooks asked her with a gleam in his eye.
A little of Rebecca’s color returned. “No. No, there isn’t.”
“In that case,” Mr. Brooks said smoothly, “I’d say the agreement is officially in dispute. The only resolution I can see would be to bring the matter before a judge. Wouldn’t you agree, Madam Mayor?”
Pauline gave him a stiff yet clearly grateful nod in return. The mayor might chafe at Mr. Brooks’s oversight of the loan, but his handling of this incident had apparently raised him a few notches in her estimation.
“Yes, Mr. Brooks, that is the clear course of action.” Pauline turned back to Wyatt. “Mr. Reed, I believe I speak for the town when I say that you must make your case before Judge Broadside.”
Again, Wyatt didn’t show any emotion at her decision, but his question came out clipped. “Where can I find the judge?”
Pauline offered a dismissive smile. “He is currently on circuit and is next due in Evans Grove on Monday. That gives you the weekend to prepare your argument.”
He barely flinched, but Charlotte saw it. “Greenville won’t be pleased. They’re expecting the children to arrive on this afternoon’s train.”
Mayor Evans didn’t blink. “The town, and Mr. Baxter, may react however they wish, Mr. Reed, but the law will decide this matter.”
He must have known he’d been bested, for he nodded curtly and strode out of the room, his eyes dark and unreadable. Was he upset? Would he fight them? No small part of Charlotte hoped he would reconsider and end this before the judge ever showed. He had already agreed that Sasha and the other placed children could stay. Surely it would only take a little more persuasion to get him to spare all the children.
But who could convince him? Wyatt had disregarded her plea. Perhaps Mr. Brooks had the answer.
She watched Brooks join Mayor Evans, Holly, Beatrice and Sheriff Wright at the front table. The Orphan Selection Committee. Of course. They were supposed to meet today. Perhaps more children had been selected. Maybe the committee would have even let Holly and Mason take in Liam before they wed, but now, with this mess, the prospective parents would have to wait for the judge’s ruling. Charlotte ached for them, but at least they had hope. And she had Sasha. She breathed in that single wonderful fact.
Curtis Brooks stood, and the room quieted. The man exuded genteel authority, and given that he had been the one to suggest Greenville had no case, everyone wanted to hear what he would say next.
“If we want to see the orphans stay here, we can help our case by ensuring the remaining children have good homes. If we can demonstrate to the judge that the town is capable of taking in all the orphans, he may look more favorably upon our position.”
“Let’s do it,” cried more than one person.
Holly and Mason Wright nodded, as did Mayor Evans. Only Beatrice didn’t.
In fact, she glared at Mr. Brooks. “As Mr. Reed clearly stated, any children who weren’t chosen at the distribution should have been put immediately on the train to Greenville. We can’t continue to break the rules by letting people claim children now.”
Charlotte’s heart sank for Holly and Mason’s sake. The rest of the committee wouldn’t listen to her, would they?
Beatrice pressed on. “And that’s assuming that the distribution we held here was even legal. According to the original agreement, all the children should go to Greenville.”
“No one is going to Greenville until after the hearing before the judge,” Pauline Evans insisted.
Beatrice shot her a scathing look, but Mayor Evans backed down to no one.
“We will let the judge decide the case.”
Beatrice clearly struggled with the possibility that the judge might rule against her. “But whatever he decides must apply to all of them, correct?”
Charlotte held her breath.
“Not to my girl.” Theodore Regan stood, looking like he would take off Beatrice’s head if she so much as threatened to come near his farm. “We followed all the rules and got her fair and square. Lina stays with Helen and me.”
Mel Hutchinson, Charles’s apprentice, chimed in, “And Lizzie isn’t going anywhere, either. Marie won’t stand for it.”
Beatrice frowned, but even she saw the wisdom in avoiding conflict with the burly men. She opened her mouth and snapped it shut again until her gaze landed on Charlotte.
Panic beat hard against Charlotte’s rib cage, but what could Beatrice do? She alone couldn’t take Sasha away.
“Perhaps you have a case for your two families,” Beatrice said coyly, her lips curving into an ugly smile, “however, Mrs. Miller is now a widow. If I recall the rules correctly, an unmarried person cannot have an orphan.”
Charlotte felt all eyes turn to her. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t stop shaking. This couldn’t be happening.
“The placement must be revoked,” Beatrice crowed, fixing her gaze on each of the committee members in turn. “If the judge rules that only the unplaced children must go on to Greenville, then Sasha must go with them.”
Charlotte looked hopefully to the committee. Surely they would disagree. But Curtis Brooks frowned. Sheriff Wright took a deep breath. Mayor Evans cast her eyes downward. Charlotte looked to Holly. Surely her friend would stand up for her. Yet even Holly stayed silent, though stricken.
The room buzzed, narrowing as Charlotte’s head began to spin.
“Give her air,” someone said, and Charlotte sensed the people around her moving. Someone instructed her to breathe deeply. Another person fanned air toward her. The window squeaked as it was raised.
Gradually, Charlotte came to her senses, but nothing had changed. The selection committee still sat in front. Curtis Brooks was whispering something to the mayor, who rapped on the table to recall everyone’s attention.
“I’m sorry, Widow Miller,” she began.
Charlotte knew what that meant. She knotted her hands together until her knuckles turned white. She bit the inside of her lip until it bled, but physical pain could not dull the pain of her heart. Tears streamed unhindered down her face.
Pauline Evans gave her a look of sympathy, but her words still hurt. “I’m sorry, but Miss Sterling confirmed that the Orphan Salvation Society makes no allowance for widows or widowers. You must be married to take in an orphan.”
“But Sasha,” Charlotte squeaked, her heart breaking more than she thought possible. “She’s talking and playing like normal now. She calls me Mama.” She choked, unable to continue. How could they do this? She fought to regain enough composure to speak. “I’ve just lost my husband. Now you’re taking away my daughter?”
Not Sasha. Please, not Sasha.
“There is one solution,” Curtis Brooks said calmly. “You could marry.”
Virtually everyone gasped at the scandalous suggestion.
“Marry just days after she buried her husband?” Beatrice practically shouted. “She’s in mourning. If she married now, she’d dishonor her husband’s name. You can’t be serious.”
“I’m completely serious.” Mr. Brooks fixed his gaze on Charlotte alone. “In difficult times, convention must be set aside in favor of the greater good. Jesus himself ignored the rules when the situation demanded it. On more than one occasion he worked miracles on the Sabbath to heal those in need. If Widow Miller is inclined to wed, we shouldn’t forbid it, lest we be like the Pharisees.”
That quieted Beatrice, though she looked none too pleased. But Charlotte couldn’t see how this helped. Who would marry her so quickly? Who would make Sasha a good father? She glanced around the room and saw only husbands and men too young or too elderly to take on a thirty-one-year-old wife.
She drew in her breath. “How long?” The question trembled in the warm air like a butterfly just emerging from the cocoon, weak and unable to fly.
Somehow the committee knew what she meant. Mayor Evans glanced at Mr. Brooks for confirmation before she spoke. “Three days. You would need to marry before the judge hears Greenville’s case.”
Three days? How could she find a husband in three days?
Chapter Four
The meeting ended, and many of the women gathered around Charlotte in support. She struggled to regain her composure, but Mayor Evans’s words echoed in her head.
Three days.
Marry in three days.
“It isn’t right,” one woman said.
Others echoed the same sentiment. Amelia Hicks squeezed Charlotte’s arm in sympathy.
Charlotte could only nod. Her eyes were so blurred she couldn’t tell one woman from another, but she did know that none was Holly. She desperately wanted to talk to her friend. Holly would know what to do. She had a cartload of smarts, sky-high faith and bone-deep courage.
Unfortunately, Holly had darted out of the room as soon as the meeting ended. Mason was gone, too. They were probably discussing what to do about Liam. Then Holly had to return to the schoolhouse to relieve whoever was watching the children. Charlotte would have to wait until after school to talk to her friend.
“Poor dear.” Mrs. Ingersman, one of Beatrice’s cronies, hovered over her. “Such a ridiculous idea. Remarry when you’ve barely begun to mourn.” She clucked her tongue. “I can’t believe that banker would even suggest it. It’ll be hard at first to say goodbye to the girl, but it’s for the best. How could you ever hope to support a child all by yourself? Whatever Charles left you won’t last forever, you know, and you’re not a young woman anymore.”
Amelia Hicks paled, but Charlotte’s hackles rose with every word. How dare anyone think she would give up Sasha? She wouldn’t. She’d do anything to keep her.
Even marry. Marry! And she had to do it within three days. The only question was who. Who would be brave enough to step forward? She again scanned the men in the room. Every one of them had gathered across the room around Curtis Brooks. Not one looked in her direction.
No wonder. They were all married.
“It’ll be easier to find a husband without a child,” offered another of Beatrice’s cohorts. “Men don’t like to take on someone else’s family. They want their own children. They sure don’t want some hand-me-down foreigner.”
Charlotte’s ears rang. The insufferable comments, the women pressing around her and the mock sympathy left her light-headed. “I think I need some air.”
“Of course you do.” Mayor Evans cut through the crowd and steered her out of the hall and into the sunshine and fresh air.
Charlotte gulped but still fought the light-headedness. Though still morning, the day promised to be a warm one, and the muggy air closed around her. Only a faint breeze tickled the bright green spring leaves.
“Now take a deep breath,” Pauline said firmly, “and keep breathing slowly until your head clears.”
Charlotte fought the swirl of fear, anger and tears as she took her breaths. What was she to do? Her head cleared, but not her distress. “I can’t lose Sasha. Please help me find a way to keep her.”
Pauline patted her back the way a mother would console a daughter before pushing her out to face her fears. “I wish I had a better answer for you, but Mr. Brooks’s suggestion is the only option we could find.”
“But how can I marry? Who?”
Giles DeGraw ambled down the street in their direction. He was helping rebuild the mill and was probably on his way to the general store. The twenty-two-year-old bachelor halted the minute he saw Charlotte and did an about-face, hustling away at double speed.
“Oh, dear,” Charlotte said. “Is that how every bachelor is going to react when he sees me?”
“Maybe for a day or two, but they’ll get over it.”
Pauline’s encouragement didn’t help. A day or two was all Charlotte had. Clearly no man would step forward of his own account. That meant she had to convince someone to marry her. But how? Beatrice was right about one thing. A lifetime commitment shouldn’t be entered into casually. Yet, for Sasha’s sake, Charlotte must find a man willing to marry her.
“Ah, good. Miss Sterling.” Pauline withdrew her comforting arm to wave down Rebecca. “Perhaps you can see to Charlotte. I need to speak with Mr. Brooks.”
As Pauline left, the Orphan Salvation Society agent approached with Amelia Hicks trailing behind her. Rebecca looked just as stricken as Holly. It took a second for Charlotte to realize why. Rebecca would have to take Sasha away from her and return the little girl to the schoolhouse, where the unclaimed orphans were staying. Charlotte’s heart pounded. Rebecca wouldn’t take her daughter away today, would she?
Rebecca wrung her hands, elegantly covered in white lace gloves. “Charlotte?”
Charlotte felt the blood drain from her face.
Rebecca averted her gaze and took a deep breath. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I am.” She nibbled her lower lip. “Mr. Armstrong—he’s the head of the Society—insists we adhere to the rules.”
Charlotte waited for the rest to fall.
Rebecca hesitated. “I—I just wanted you to know. If it were up to me, I’d let you keep Sasha. She clearly adores you.”
Tears misted Charlotte’s eyes as the lump in her throat grew. “I can’t lose her,” she choked out. “Is there any other way?”
Rebecca slowly shook her head.
Charlotte held her breath, waiting for the woman to ask her to bring Sasha to the schoolhouse, where the unclaimed orphans were staying.
At last, Rebecca lifted her gaze and squared her shoulders. “The rules don’t say when I must take Sasha back. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be all right for Sasha to stay with you until Monday, until everything’s settled with the judge and...and...well, maybe you’ll find someone.”
She gave Charlotte a hopeful smile, but Charlotte felt only the rush of relief. She could keep Sasha for three more days. And then... The pain came back, even worse.
“That was all I wanted to say.” Rebecca edged away. “I should see to the children.” She hurried off, leaving Charlotte in despair.
“What am I going to do?” She clutched her arms around her midsection.
Amelia gently laid a hand on Charlotte’s clenched arms. She’d been so quiet that Charlotte had forgotten she was there. The petite woman lifted liquid eyes. The depth of sorrow and pain in her expression stunned Charlotte. Amelia wasn’t the prettiest woman in town, nor the most talkative. She tended to keep to herself and skitter off nervously whenever her husband drew near. Who could blame her? She’d married the most obnoxious drunken fool in town. But she was a good woman, who had been very kind to the orphans since their arrival in town. Charlotte, who had barely known her before that, was starting to consider her a friend.
“There are worse things than being alone.” Amelia’s voice was so soft that Charlotte had to listen carefully to hear her.
Such as marrying the wrong man.
“I know. But Sasha...” Charlotte’s throat clotted again. “She’s my little girl.”
Amelia’s tears threatened to overflow. “I hope you can keep her.” She sniffled and pulled out a worn handkerchief. “It’s not fair that we have to marry to...to...” She never managed to finish her sentence, but Charlotte knew what she meant. To have a family.
It wasn’t fair, but she still had to do it. Somehow. Whoever she could get to agree to marry her, she prayed he wouldn’t turn out to be a drunkard or a wife beater.
* * *
Wyatt held his temper in check until he’d left the town hall. Bring his case before the judge? Madam Mayor had some nerve. No doubt she and that Mr. Brooks had concocted this plan overnight. From what Wyatt had learned, the banker wasn’t even from Evans Grove. He also didn’t doubt that the pretty mayor was the source of Brooks’s interest in the matter. He’d seen the way the man looked at her the first time he’d talked to Mayor Evans. Protective. Defending her against all attacks.
The way Wyatt had protected Charlotte Miller by letting her keep Sasha. He’d had to force himself not to look in her direction or risk losing his focus.
What good had that focus done? Thanks to Madam Mayor and her conniving banker friend, he had to convince a judge on Monday that he was right or lose every penny of his fee. How could he sway a judge? He wasn’t a lawyer nor could he afford to hire one.
Wyatt stormed toward the livery. Whenever he had to think things through, he saddled up Dusty and headed for open country. The endless sky and untamed land helped clear his head, and after this little fiasco, he sure needed to do some clearing.
Sweet stars, he’d already made an enormous concession by letting Sasha and three other orphans stay. Baxter would never have agreed to that. The man told him the town wanted all eight. Bring them all, the man had said. What was so special about these eight orphans that two towns were fighting over them?
He rubbed his clean-shaven jaw. He’d thought the town would give him more respect if he shaved. Clearly not. They were set on keeping those kids. Greenville was equally determined to get them. Wyatt shook his head. Who knew how long those kids had gone unwanted. Now everyone wanted them. Life was sure full of mysteries, but he suspected the answer to this one could be rooted out with a little effort.
The woman sweeping the porch of the general store shouted out a greeting, jolting him from his thoughts. He mumbled a response and tugged the brim of his hat lower before continuing on to the livery. By the end of the day, he would become the town enemy, and no one would speak to him, not even pretty Charlotte Miller.
