by Lilah Rivers
“Well, we don’t know each other that well-”
“Good. You will now. Chelsea!” he called.
In a few moments, Miss St. Claire walked through the door to respond to her father and took in the sight of David sitting there.
“Oh, good afternoon,” she greeted.
He repeated the greeting back, wishing that they hadn’t had to bother with the niceties.
“I shall leave the two of you for a moment,” the Revered said, rushing to make his departure and leaving the two in an awkward silence.
“I’m very sorry, but do you know what this is all about?” she asked.
David sighed.
“Unfortunately, I do,” he said.
“Would you please tell me?” she asked.
“It would appear as though your father would like for us to formally court,” David said, blinking against the words.
“Court?” she asked, her voice rising in pitch.
“Yes. And please know that I mean no offense when I tell you that I am not interested in this arrangement,” he said, honestly. “Furthermore, I know that you are not either.”
Chelsea nodded, biting her lip as she did so.
“Likewise, I mean no offense. But I am in love with someone else. My father knows this. He doesn’t approve,” she said.
“I’ve noticed that you and someone else have seen one another. And while I think it is a shame that your father does not approve, I also think it is a shame that the two of you are so obedient to that. And while I morally cannot condemn you, my heart hurts for the both of you,” he said with honesty.
Chelsea gave a sad smile.
“Yes, well, I think obedience is how it must be for now,” she said.
“Things may change in time. You should have hope,” he said.
“I am sorry that my father put you in this position,” she said. “You are new and he doesn’t even know you, but he made the assumption that you would immediately want to marry me?” she scoffed.
“You are clearly a worthwhile young lady; he was probably just thinking that it would not make sense for any man to not be interested in or intrigued by you. So you shouldn’t worry too much. I have recently overcome being jilted from my past and that is something that I am glad to be getting past. But it does not mean that I am ready to have a marriage arranged for me in a town in which I have only just arrived,” David said.
“And he should know that. He is just overeager. I know that he means well, but my father is so concerned that I am going to run off with—with the man that I love. And he thinks that he has to quickly find me a spouse in order to prevent that,” she explained.
“It is too bad that he doesn’t trust you when you have made such a conscientious choice for his behalf,” David said.
“One would think that he would come to trust me by now. He has been disapproving of this for more than three years now. From the first day that the gentleman expressed an interest, I begged my father. But he said no. And when I prayed and prayed for him to have a change of heart, he scolded me for abusing the gift of prayer,” she said.
David was angered by that. It sounded like manipulation. Not something that a Reverend should do.
And yet, it was something that a human might do. And just as David was a man filled with the sin of his flesh, even the Reverend evidently made mistakes.
“You were jilted? Recently?” she asked, suddenly interested.
“Yes,” he replied. “I hadn’t had any intentions to share that with people here in Feldey, but it would seem that you and Miss Clementine both now know about it. I would ask that you do not mention it to anyone else.”
“You spoke with Miss Clementine about it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
David grew shy, but also concerned.
“Should I not have?” he asked.
“Well, that all depends,” she replied.
“Upon what?” David asked.
“If there was a woman that you had noticed, if you thought that she was interesting and beautiful and lovely, would you want to hear that she loved somebody?” Chelsea asked.
He made the connection and wondered if Clementine really had said anything positive about him to Chelsea.
“Well, I am not in love anymore,” was the only reply that he gave.
“Then that is an important note and distinction to make,” she replied, giving him a hinting look.
“I will bear that in mind,” he said, smiling at the underlying message.
Chelsea wanted him to make sure that Clementine knew he was not still in love. Or so, that was what he understood from Chelsea.
“Anyway, I suppose that I had better disappoint your father?” he suggested.
“Good luck. And I’m sorry again. But be warned. He may not be finished trying to sway you. My father really does want me to be married off and he is willing to try quite a lot to make that happen,” she said.
David nodded and she departed. A moment later, the Reverend came back in with a smile on his face.
“Well? Did you have a nice time getting to know my Chelsea?” he asked.
“Reverend St. Claire, I believe we have a misunderstanding,” David said.
“What is that?” he asked, smile faltering as he did so.
“Your daughter is lovely, to be sure. But I am not interested in being married to her. I do not believe that we are a good fit,” he said again.
“And why is that?” the Reverend asked, sounding angry underneath his pretense of politeness.
“We are not cut from the same cloth, I suppose. We have very little interest in common. She is lovely and I should dearly like to know her as a friend. But as a woman to court, she is not the one for me,” David said.
“Do you understand that in inviting you to court my daughter, I am also giving you the respect of the entire town?” he asked.
“And I appreciate the opportunity. But your daughter should be married to someone who loves her, not someone who is going to use her for status,” he said.
The Reverend’s eyes took on offense.
“You think I am trying to use my daughter like that?” he asked.
David realized that the Reverend hadn’t even considered that it could be taken that way. He almost felt sorry for the man.
And yet, this was an entirely awkward situation to be in, and David just wanted to escape. If this made him any less desirable as a son-in-law, he was willing to offend the man, even the Reverend.
“My daughter is not going to marry some cripple. You had best consider my offer just a little bit longer,” he said.
It appeared that he really was desperate. David hadn’t expected that Chelsea was right. But here he was; the Reverend was continuing to make suggestions and offers that David should consider her again before giving up altogether.
“Thank you, Reverend. I believe I have come to a decision already, but I thank you for your time and the respect you have shown me in thinking me worthy of your daughter’s hand in marriage,” he said.
It was the most polite way he could consider to decline the man.
“I trust that you will continue thinking about it,” the Reverend said once more.
David saw the persistence. It was daunting. But no matter how this man tried, he knew that he would not give in. He would never boil Hank down to a mere cripple, as offensive as that was. And he would never step in to marry a woman for the sake of convenience. Particularly where love was already involved.
He stood from the chair, said his goodbyes, and headed back to the ranch. The moment he arrived, Chelsea’s words came back to him.
He would have to find a way to let Clementine know that his heart was free. He was no longer in love with another and he had come to the point of not caring much anymore for the fact that he had been so wounded.
Clementine knew his past and that was more than he had ever planned on. She knew how he had been treated and she would surely believe him when he said that he did not love Georgia.
W
ould that make a difference to her? Was there anything about her feelings that might make this bit of news relevant?
David thought about it all day and night, waiting for the chance to finally speak with her alone.
Chapter 11
“Who do you think you are!”
Clementine’s eyes popped open at the sound of yelling, not so muffled as it ought to have been, coming from down the stairs.
It was not really a question, but rather an angry demand.
There was the quieter voice of Aunt Roberta, trying to calm the man. But whatever is was that she was saying, it was clear that he didn’t want to hear it.
Clementine was frightened and didn’t want to go down and find out what was going on, but she also didn’t wish to be a coward.
With determination and a straight back, she threw on her robe and made her way down the stairs to see exactly who was there and what he was so angry about.
“You stay away from her!” the voice shouted, just as she rounded the corner.
There he was. To Clementine’s shock, the screaming man was none other than the Reverend. With his finger pointed in Hank’s face, a threatening growl in his throat, and a fierce rage in his eyes, it was evident that something very wrong had happened.
“Reverend St. Claire, I ask you again to leave my home and reflect upon your behavior here,” her aunt insisted.
“If I leave your home right now, I’m taking him with me. We’re going to be having words until all of this is over,” the Reverend said.
“I-I,” Hank began, trying to stammer for an explanation.
Clementine saw the fear in his eyes. And the confusion. He must truly have had no idea what was going on other than to think that the Reverend had gone and snapped.
“Now, just what is all of this about?” Aunt Roberta demanded.
“What is it about?” he repeated angrily, looking to Aunt Roberta and then back to Hank.
“It is about respect! It’s about understanding that I know what is best for my daughter and I am going to insist upon it,” he said. “Furthermore, I have gone and found a new prospect for Chelsea. Hank, you have nothing more to offer her.”
Hank’s face was pained and downcast. Clementine gasped in sadness on his behalf. How could the Reverend, someone who was God’s ordained, treat him that way? What had happened to make someone of such an important distinction be so cruel?
But a firm voice came and steadied the whole moment with a simple, low, “That is enough.”
Clementine looked in the direction that the voice was coming from and realized that David was just entering the living room. She assumed that he had heard the ruckus and had come inside from the kitchen.
“What do you mean by that?” the Reverend asked.
“That there is no reason at all to speak with Hank that way. I may not have lived here long, Reverend St. Claire, but I do know that this is unnecessary and is far from the behavior that one might come to expect of a minister,” David said with a gentle firmness that moved her.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” the Reverend said, shaking his head.
“I do. You have told me your intentions and I have told you my answer. Coming here and yelling at a young man is not going to do anything to change that,” David said, his voice softening further.
Clementine was so moved by him. She wondered what the men were speaking about. What had the Reverend said that David knew? What was the unspoken look between them? It had to mean something.
And then, there was Hank. The poor fella stood there, looking a mix of indignant anguish and wounded pride. As if he wanted to stand up for himself, but couldn’t stare down a man who preached the Lord from week to week.
It must have been dreadfully confusing and frustrating for him.
“Reverend St. Claire, I do believe it is best that you do as Mrs. Roberta has asked and leave the home,” David said.
His strength was admirable and Clementine wished that she could tell him then and there that she was impressed by how he cared for Hank, despite not having known him more than a few weeks. It was, honestly, extremely attractive to observe the ways David interacted with people.
“You think it’s right to tell me what to do?” the Reverend asked.
“I believe you are a reasonable man who needs to let his head cool down. I may be new here, Reverend, but I know that men in your position know how to be just and merciful. I only hope that you take some time to focus on that very thing,” David suggested.
The Reverend paused, taken aback by David’s straight-shooting. He looked from David to Aunt Roberta and then suddenly noticed Clementine as she stood there. His eyes narrowed just a bit, as if he didn’t care much to see her.
But the relief was that the Reverend did not bother looking back at Hank. Instead, he turned to Aunt Roberta and chose to speak with her only.
“Mrs. Roberta, I know I had best beg your pardon for coming in here like this. You don’t know what it’s like, but I should still apologize to you. Nevertheless, I ask that you keep an eye on your worker. It’s best that he stay away from me and my daughter,” Reverend St. Claire said.
Aunt Roberta leaned forward; a woman who respected ministerial positions, but was clearly determined to defend Hank.
“Do you mean to suggest, Reverend St. Claire, that I deprive my worker of the Lord’s Day? That he isn’t welcome in your church?” she asked, her voice low and gravely at the thought.
Reverend St. Claire slackened his jaw, unable to give a response to that. After all, what minister would be willing to refuse entry to a man simply because he was angry for some untold reason? It hardly made sense.
“I didn’t say that,” the Reverend replied.
“Then I suppose I’m not sure exactly what you are saying,” she retorted, a hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised.
“I think Mrs. Roberta makes a fine point,” David added.
The Reverend was at a loss and finally just shook his head, turned, and went out through the kitchen door.
For a moment, everything and everyone was frozen still. Aunt Roberta, David, Hank, and even Clementine. None of them knew exactly what to do.
But finally, Aunt Roberta took in a deep breath and made a decision.
“All right, now, Hank. You have a seat and take a load off. I’m going to get you a cup of my strong coffee and see if we can’t all settle down a fair bit,” she suggested.
Hank and David sat in the living room and Clementine joined them, silently.
“You all right?” David asked.
“I don’t rightly know. I ain’t never seen a man behave that way, much less a man of God,” Hank said.
“What do you think got him so angry?” David asked.
“I wish I knew. I mean, he’s never made it a secret that he doesn’t want me and Chelsea together, but I also didn’t do anything of late to send him over like that,” Hank said, evidently as confused as Clementine had guessed.