A Haven for Her Heart

by Susan Anne Mason

  The air stalled in her lungs as the baby snuggled into her neck and the smell of talcum powder surrounded her. Instinctively, her arm came up to clasp the child. The baby sighed, her tiny chest rising and falling at a slightly faster rate than Olivia’s. As warmth seeped through her body, Olivia’s heart expanded with a fierce protectiveness she’d only felt once before. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears forming despite her best intentions, and rubbed a soothing hand over the baby’s back. Maybe it wouldn’t be wrong to care for another child. Maybe she’d be making up for not being able to do the same for Matteo.

  “Olivia, are you all right?” Ruth’s voice seemed to come from a distance.

  She opened her eyes. “I’m fine.”

  Darius and Ruth both stared at her with concerned expressions.

  “You’re crying.” Darius stated the fact in an incredulous tone.

  The wetness of her cheeks proved his words, but she smiled. “I am. Because she’s so precious.”

  “Yes, she is.” Ruth patted Olivia’s arm. “If you wouldn’t mind taking her for a while, I have a few things to take care of.”

  “I’d be happy to.” Where moments ago she’d been terrified to hold the baby, Olivia now didn’t want to release her. “I’ll take her downstairs. Will she be hungry soon?”

  “Another hour or two. But she may need changing. There are diapers in Mary’s room on the dresser.” Ruth smiled. “Thank you for stopping by with the flowers, Mr. Reed. Mary did manage to see them before she fell asleep again.”

  “I’m glad. And I’ll be praying for her recovery.”

  “That’s the best thing we can do for her right now.”

  Olivia headed toward the stairs. “There’s a rocking chair in the parlor. Would you like to join me there?” she asked Darius.

  He pulled out his pocket watch and frowned. “I’d love to, but I’m afraid I have to get back to the office for a meeting. Could I come by again in a day or two and see how they’re both doing?”

  Olivia nodded. “I’d like that.”

  And this time she truly meant it.

  18

  What am I doing?

  Darius pressed his fingers against his temples, attempting to ease the headache brewing. He tried to concentrate on the staff meeting going on, but Mr. Walcott’s words were failing to sink in.

  The more time Darius spent around Olivia, the more his heart became engaged. And with his wedding to Meredith in a few weeks, that wasn’t fair to anyone.

  Meredith and her family had settled on August ninth as the date for the nuptials, though it still seemed rather rushed to Darius. He tried to ignore the gut feeling that something was wrong about the situation. A society girl like Meredith should be holding out for a more lavish wedding, especially since she would be the first daughter to marry. Yet if Meredith was content, shouldn’t he be too?

  In addition to obsessing about his wedding, Darius’s thoughts were consumed with baby Abigail and her very ill mother. The ambulance had been pulling up to the house as he’d left the other day, and a renewed anger had burned through him at the thought of the monster who had hurt that poor woman.

  For the first time, he truly understood what Olivia meant by women needing a place where they felt safe. And he knew now that he couldn’t be responsible for taking that haven away from them.

  When the meeting ended, the employees started filing out of the conference room. Darius rose and gathered his files.

  Mr. Walcott stopped in the doorway. “By the way, Reed, since you didn’t bother to follow up on it, I submitted an article to The Daily Star about Bennington Place. Should come out tomorrow. I’m hoping for front-page exposure.”

  Darius went still. He couldn’t believe Walcott had gone ahead without any input from him. Yet after the man’s admission to bribing the inspector, why should Darius be surprised? “What exactly is this article going to say?”

  “You’ll have to wait and find out like everyone else.” With a final disapproving glance, Walcott walked out.

  The air left Darius’s lungs in a whoosh. The only thing he could do now was hopefully warn Ruth and Olivia before they saw it. However, when he returned to his office, he found Kevin waiting for him.

  “Could I speak to you for a minute, sir?”

  Darius closed the door. “Sure. What about?”

  From the wary look on the man’s face, Darius didn’t think it was a business matter. Unless he was here to apologize for helping Walcott gather ammunition against the maternity home.

  “It’s about Mere—Miss Cheeseman.”

  Dark suspicion curled through Darius. He tossed the files onto his desk. “My fiancée? What about her?”

  Kevin paced to the windows and back. “Look, I didn’t know if I should say anything, but I figured you have the right to know.”

  “Know what? That you’re in love with her?”

  “Me?” He shook his head. “No, sir.”

  “Come on, Kevin. I saw you mooning over her that day in your office.”

  Anger flashed in his eyes. “The only reason I was flirting with her was to try and disprove the rumors I’ve been hearing. For your sake, I’d hoped they weren’t true.”

  Darius slowly sat down. “You’re not making any sense.”

  Kevin ran his fingers through his hair, then blew out a breath. “A guy I know is good friends with Meredith’s former boyfriend.”

  Darius stiffened. Meredith had been seeing someone named Jerry last fall, but it had been over for some time—or so she claimed. “What’s he got to do with anything?”

  Kevin sat down across from him. “According to my source, they recently attempted to reconcile after a lot of pleading on Meredith’s part. But not long after, Jerry took off for parts unknown.”

  “I still don’t see what that has to do with me.” Darius’s gut roiled. He wanted to demand that Kevin quit spreading gossip. But another part of him, the one that had felt something was off with Meredith, needed to hear the rest of the story.

  “Rumor has it she’s pregnant, and when she told Jerry, he wanted no part of it. She begged him to marry her, but he refused. The next thing she knew, he’d left town.”

  A wave of nausea hit hard. That must have been right around the time Meredith had started pursuing Darius, making it clear she was more than interested in a relationship.

  Kevin shook his head. “Seems she’s desperate for someone to marry her. That’s why I was flirting, to see if she’d respond. If she really loved you, she wouldn’t have given me the time of day. But if she needed a backup plan . . .”

  Darius groaned. Meredith had fallen right into Kevin’s trap. She’d flirted back, eating up the besotted look on Kevin’s face. Still . . .

  “That was weeks ago. Why are you coming to me now?”

  Kevin shrugged. “Walcott just told me you’re getting married soon. That’s when I knew I had to tell you before it was too late.”

  Darius scrubbed a hand over his eyes. What an idiot he’d been. Meredith was using him to save her reputation. Did she intend to pass off the baby as his once they were married? “This might be nothing more than vicious gossip.”

  “It’s possible. But I wanted to give you a chance to find out for certain before she drags you to the altar.” Kevin rose. “I’m really sorry. I hope you know I’m only looking out for you.”

  Darius rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I do.”

  Kevin paused at the door. “What will you do if it’s true?”

  Darius frowned. He honestly didn’t know. Could he go along with Meredith’s charade if it meant obtaining a mother for Sofia? If he broke off his engagement, Mr. Cheeseman could cancel his account with Walcott Industries, the way Mr. Peterson had ended up doing. That was a prospect Darius couldn’t think about. Because if both their biggest clients quit, Walcott Industries would be in serious trouble.

  “I guess I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.”

  After a short stroll through the Cheesemans’ ne
ighborhood, Darius led Meredith to a nearby park bench. He’d gone to her house right after work and asked her to take a walk, not wanting her family to accidentally overhear their conversation. He needed privacy to confront her about what he’d learned, and the park seemed the best option.

  She sat on the bench and smiled. “This was a nice surprise, darling. Although as I told you, I’m very busy with the wedding plans. For you, though, I can always make time.” She laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  Darius tried to force his lips into a smile but couldn’t manage it. “I wanted to speak to you about something important.” His insides tightened into a hard knot. How did he even begin this conversation? One question could ruin the day for them both.

  “I hope you haven’t changed your mind about the date,” she said. “Reverend Hill is doing us a favor by squeezing us in on such short notice.”

  “It’s not about the date.” He reached deep for a sense of calm. “I want to ask you a question, and I’d like an honest answer.”

  The brightness faded from her features. “What is it?”

  He needed to be blunt. If he danced around the issue, she might have time to cover up. “Meredith, are you pregnant?”

  Right away, her eyes filled with tears, and her bottom lip began to quiver. She stared at him for a second, then dropped her face into her hands. Audible sobs emerged from between her fingers, and her shoulders quaked with the force of her weeping.

  Disappointment crashed through him, twisting into anger. So it was true. Meredith had gotten herself in trouble and was using him to fix her problem.

  “What was your plan?” he said, bitterness lacing his voice. “Pretend the child was mine and claim the baby was premature when it was born months early?”

  She raised a tearstained face to look at him. The breeze blew her hair across her eyes. “I’m sorry, Darius. I was going to tell you right after the wedding. I swear.”

  “A little late then, don’t you think?”

  “I didn’t want you to—” She broke down and sobbed harder.

  “Admit it, Meredith. You needed a husband and anyone would’ve done.”

  “You’re wrong. I care about you a great deal. Plus, you already have a daughter, so I knew you’d be a good father.” She rifled through her purse for a handkerchief. “We can still be a family, Darius. The four of us. There’s nothing to stop us from going through with the wedding.” Hope brightened her eyes.

  Needing to move, he got to his feet and paced the grass. Would he have felt differently if he’d been in love with Meredith? He didn’t know. The fact remained that although he was fond of her and had hoped to build a life with her, he couldn’t marry a woman who would try and pass off another man’s child as his. Even if she’d been honest from the beginning, he doubted he could have gone along with her plan.

  He turned to face her and shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t condone that type of deception.”

  Her features crumpled. “What am I going to do now? My parents will disown me. Where will I go?”

  “Your parents don’t know?” He figured they must have been aware of her situation since they’d agreed to such a quick wedding.

  “You know my father. How could I tell him?” She wiped her cheeks again and got to her feet. “Darius, please. I’ll do anything if you marry me. We could even get a divorce later, if that’s what you want.”

  “A divorce?” He scowled. “Wouldn’t that be just as disgraceful?”

  “Not really. Divorce is becoming more common these days. My family could accept a failed marriage but not an unwed pregnant daughter.” She reached over to grip his arm. “Just think of what this could mean for Sofia. Think of everything we could give her. A nice home. Beautiful clothes. Private schools.”

  He tugged free from her grasp. She certainly knew how to tempt him where he was the most vulnerable. He rubbed the back of his neck. Could he compromise his principles for Sofia’s sake? To secure the type of future he’d envisioned for her?

  His thoughts turned to Mr. Walcott and his underhanded schemes to obtain the Bennington property. Schemes he expected Darius to go along with for the promise of job security and a raise. Now Meredith dangled this reward in front of him if only he’d go along with her ruse.

  Were his lofty morals worth losing his job and a coveted life of security for Sofia?

  At that moment, the image of Olivia Rosetti rose in his mind. Olivia, weeping over an injured woman she didn’t even know, then crying tears of joy for a baby born under terrible circumstances. Olivia was living her faith, helping the unfortunate, just as Jesus mandated His followers to do. She would never compromise her morals for any type of personal gain.

  How could he do any less?

  Slowly, he turned back to his red-eyed fiancée. “I’m afraid the answer has to be no, Meredith. I’m sorry, but I can’t marry you.”

  19

  Seated in a rocking chair the next morning, Olivia cradled the sleeping Abigail in her arms. Mrs. Dinglemire had left a few minutes earlier, after coming to check on the newborn. The midwife had weighed Abigail and rechecked her vital signs, then used the opportunity to give all the women in the home a lesson on bathing and caring for an infant. Promising to return the next day, Mrs. Dinglemire had stopped to see Mrs. Neale on her way out to discuss the formula recipe they’d been using.

  All in all, the midwife had seemed pleased with the baby’s progress, which gave Olivia an immense feeling of satisfaction.

  Little Abigail squirmed in her arms and sighed. The warmth of the tiny body against Olivia’s chest acted like a sedative, allowing her muscles to relax and her soul to sing. Never had she felt more at peace, more certain of what she needed to do. She would take care of this precious girl until her mother regained her strength. Then she and Ruth would help Mary determine her future, hopefully one that didn’t include the man who’d beaten her. Baby Abigail did not need a father like that. She deserved someone loving and kind, someone who would lay down his life for her.

  Olivia’s thoughts instantly turned to Darius, and a smile teased her lips. He’d been so thoughtful, coming to visit Mary, bringing her flowers, and gushing over little Abigail. Darius Reed would never harm a woman or child. She knew this in the very marrow of her bones.

  And he’d promised to come back and check on the baby one day soon. Flutters swirled in Olivia’s stomach just thinking about it.

  Stop it, Olivia. You’re being ridiculous.

  Fantasizing about Darius was a futile endeavor since she’d vowed never to trust a man with her heart again. Besides, if he ever learned the horror of her past, he’d want nothing to do with her.

  And soon he would have no further reason to visit Bennington Place, once his boss accepted the fact that the property was not for sale. Disappointment stole her breath at the thought of never seeing Darius again. Never witnessing that engaging grin or being able to stare into those mesmerizing blue eyes.

  Surely it couldn’t hurt to enjoy the pleasure of his company while it lasted.

  Angry shouts from outside the house drew Olivia from her daydreams. What was going on now? Was Mr. Simmons harassing some poor woman again?

  Carefully, she rose from the rocker, shifted the sleeping baby to one arm, and walked over to the window. She moved the lace curtain aside and was stunned to see a large group of people—mostly men but a few women too—gathered on the sidewalk across the street. They held up placards and waved their fists in the direction of the house, shouting unintelligible words.

  What on earth was happening? It looked like a riot could break out at any moment.

  She let the curtain fall back, the slow burn of anger creeping through her system. This had to stop. They needed to do something to keep Mr. Simmons from riling up the neighbors this way or the negativity he spewed would deter women from coming to them for help.

  No, he could not be allowed to continue his attack on their facility unchallenged. Perhaps Ruth could obtain some legal a
dvice as to what their options might be.

  Olivia laid the baby in a bassinet, then went to look for Ruth. Moments later, she found her at the dining room table, a newspaper spread out in front of her. From her grim expression, Olivia wondered if she’d heard the commotion outside.

  “Mr. Simmons is at it again,” Olivia said. “But this time he has a whole group of people with him. They’re carrying signs and everything.”

  Ruth shook her head. “I know exactly what’s got them aggravated. Look at this.” She pointed to the front page of the newspaper. A photo of the maternity home sat above the fold and underneath was a picture of a scowling Mr. Simmons.

  “What’s this? Did you do another interview for the paper?” Olivia asked.

  “Not me.” Ruth’s mouth was hard. “It’s Mr. Simmons. He’s been saying that we’re nothing more than a cover for a brothel. That the women living here are all pregnant streetwalkers.”

  Olivia gasped. Why would he say that? Then she remembered him harassing Cherise when she first arrived.

  Ruth pointed to a line in the article. “He’s started a petition against us, aiming to have the home closed down. Says he’s going to present it to the mayor at the next city council meeting.”

  Olivia’s shaking legs forced her to sink onto one of the chairs. “Oh no. What do we do now?”

  “To start with, I’m going to call my lawyer and see what legal recourse we have, if any.” Ruth folded the newspaper and rose. “I had intended to go to the hospital this morning to visit Mary, but I don’t fancy confronting that crowd. Maybe by this afternoon things will have quieted down.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  Ruth paused in the doorway. “I think we should have a house meeting after dinner. The women deserve to know what’s happening—for their own safety if nothing else. Together we’ll come up with a plan on how to handle this little setback.”

  Olivia only prayed that this setback was temporary and that the protestors wouldn’t succeed in running them out of the city.