Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina

by Tamela Hancock Murray

  “Amen. Thank you.” Hestia handed the baby back to Selene.

  “That was hardly the most eloquent prayer on record, but it was the most heartfelt.”

  “I want to do what’s right.”

  “Do you really love Artie? I mean, enough to make him the wife he deserves? There’s so much to being a good wife. You haven’t witnessed that, growing up most of your life without a mother. I see my mother support my father every day, in ways both big and small. It’s in how she speaks to him with love and respect and in the little things she does for him. The big things, too. She makes him a happy home. That’s what Artie will want from you. That’s not too much to ask. Any man worthy to be your husband deserves that.”

  “My mother spent most of her days being pampered.”

  Hestia recalled Selene’s immaculate mother and believed she spent many hours on her appearance. “That’s not the kind of life you’ll find here. Artie has a good job, but you won’t be a lady of leisure. You’ll need to be a good housekeeper, a good cook, and tend to the baby. No doubt he’ll want another child one day, too. All of this will be easier if you really love him.”

  “I do. I’ve told him so. I—I just never thought it could come to anything.”

  “Well. I think he’s right, though. This has been a big night for you. You need to think about it.”

  Selene studied her baby. “I will. Long and hard. I have more time to think than you do. Booth is due here to pick you up for Easter services in a couple of hours.”

  “So soon?” Hestia gasped. “It’s hard to believe Easter is already here, isn’t it? I’d better get going.”

  After Hestia completed her toilette, she looked at herself in the vanity mirror. The Easter bonnet, with its rhinestone and yellow feather, made her presence jaunty. Now that she had her hair bobbed, the hat looked stylish and correct, not as though she were trying to stuff too much hair underneath it. She still didn’t recognize herself right away with the new style, but it had already started to grow on her. Her hair might be short, but she was still the same person. Booth had told her he would think she looked beautiful no matter what. She only hoped he meant it.

  She liked the new dress she’d sewn for Easter. Following the basic pattern Aunt Louisa had used to make her Christmas dress, she added embellishments so it looked different. The light color looked good on her and was in the spirit of Easter.

  Selene admired Hestia. “You look swell.”

  “I’m not so sure, tired as I am, but thanks for saying so.”

  “I wish I could go with you, but I’d say I’m occupied today.” Selene’s smile was that of a serene mother.

  Hestia felt proud of her cousin. “You’ve come a long way. When you first got here, church was the last place you wanted to go.”

  “If I marry Artie, I’ll be going every Sunday, and Wednesdays, too.”

  Hestia found the image of the little family appealing. “I wonder what he’ll say when he sees the baby?”

  “I hope he likes her.”

  “She’s so sweet. How can he not?” They heard a knock on the front door. “That must be Booth.”

  Aunt Louisa had already answered the door by the time Hestia got to it. Indeed, their visitor was Booth, but Artie was with him.

  As she always did, Hestia looked beyond him so she could wave at his parents, who were usually waiting in the automobile. On this morning, she didn’t see them. “Where are your parents?”

  “Mother got called to go early this morning to help decorate because Mrs. Carpenter is ill. I already took them to church.”

  Hestia noted Artie’s presence. “Nice to see you, too, Artie.”

  “Morning. Since it’s Easter I thought I’d say good morning to Selene before I went to my church,” Artie said.

  Artie didn’t notice Hestia, but she saw Booth standing with his jaw slackened. “Hestia? What happened? You look different.”

  She recalled her new bob and touched the yellow feather. “Do you like my new Easter bonnet?”

  “Uh, it’s more than that. Your hair. Where is it?”

  “Oh. My hair. I—I had Aunt Louisa cut it off into a bob.” She felt her heart quicken with nervousness. “Do you like it?”

  “Like it?” Booth studied her. “I—I love it!”

  “You do?”

  He grinned. “You sound surprised.”

  “That’s because I am surprised. I wasn’t sure if you’d like it or not.”

  “If you had asked me yesterday if I’d like it, I would have said I didn’t know. But now that I see you with short hair, I like it just fine,” Booth assured her.

  “I know no one cares what I think,” Artie interjected, “but it looks nice. What about Selene? I’d imagine she thinks it’s swell.”

  “Yes, she does. And speaking of my cousin, I have a bigger—and much more important—surprise than my hair. Selene had her baby last night. She arrived at dawn.”

  Artie beamed. “A girl! I want to see her. And Selene, too. Selene’s okay, isn’t she?”

  Hestia nodded.

  “I wish y’all had gotten me so I could have been here when she was born,” Artie lamented.

  “I—I didn’t think of that. I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better, you’re the first two people outside the family who know,” Hestia consoled him.

  “I’ve got to see them both. Excuse me.” Artie shot past Hestia and headed toward the bedroom.

  “You’d better ask Aunt Louisa if it’s okay,” Hestia called after him.

  “I’m sure Miss Louisa has the door barred.” Booth joked but didn’t sound entirely happy. Hestia had a feeling that was because the baby’s arrival meant she wouldn’t be staying in Maiden.

  “We have a few minutes. Why don’t you stop in and say hello to Selene and the new arrival? She won’t be here much longer.”

  “You’re going to feel sorry to see the baby go, aren’t you?”

  “I didn’t think I’d care, but I do.”

  Hestia and Booth knocked on Selene’s door even though it was open. Hestia saw Artie looking at the baby as though she were his own. If Hestia didn’t know better, she’d swear they were modeling for a talcum powder ad in a periodical. Hestia entered, with Booth following. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, she is.” Artie looked at the blond-haired bundle then at Selene.

  Hestia and Booth kept their distance but could still see the new baby. “She’s a pretty baby. As pretty as babies can be, anyway.” He nudged Hestia. “We’d better go. Artie, aren’t you due to go to preaching soon?”

  “Yes, but if it’s all the same to Selene here, I’m staying with her and the baby. This is celebration enough for me.”

  “I’d like that.” Selene smiled, glowing.

  Hestia and Booth bid them good-bye and went into the parlor. They nearly ran over Aunt Louisa, who still wore her housedress. “I can see you have no plans to go with us today.”

  “I’m tired as it is, and I think I’ve got my work cut out for me here.”

  Hestia didn’t feel so fresh herself, since she hadn’t slept much all night. “Do you want me to stay home and cook so you can rest?”

  “No. I’m too wound up to sleep.” Aunt Louisa nodded toward the kitchen. “I’ve got the ham in already for dinner. We can eat a little earlier than we’d planned. I’m sure we’ll be ready once all the excitement dies down.”

  “Guess it’s just you and me, kiddo,” Booth teased Hestia.

  “What a thing to call her!” Aunt Louisa chastised. “If you start treating her like a flapper, I’ll make her grow out her hair.”

  “He’s just joking, Aunt Louisa.” Hestia patted her aunt’s bony shoulder. “I couldn’t be a flapper if my life depended on it.”

  “It just might.” Aunt Louisa cut her glance to the room where Selene, Artie, and the baby were. “I’ve got to tend to them. They’re getting much too attached to that baby, and it’s not theirs.”

  “She can change her mind.”
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  “Change her mind!” Aunt Louisa acted as though such a turn of heart would spell the end of the world. “But she’s being adopted.”

  “Yes, and though that was generous of your relatives, I get the impression the cousins like the idea of more money. They can never love the baby as Selene can. Maybe all of this is God’s plan, Aunt Louisa. Maybe the little girl should be with her mother, and with a man who really loves her mother. And her. Can’t you see the look in Artie’s eyes? He’s in love with them both. I don’t think Selene should give up the baby.”

  Aunt Louisa let out a harrumph. “What’s the matter, have you gotten into Selene’s stash of cheap novels? This is real life, not a fantasy.”

  “I don’t know, Aunt Louisa. Having a good man declare his love for you is the stuff of fantasy, but it’s happened to Selene.” As soon as she uttered the sentence, Hestia realized she wished a good man would declare his love for her. What was stopping Booth? Not wanting to appear eager or bold, Hestia refused to look in his direction.

  “Uh, we’d better go,” Booth prodded.

  “I’ll say you’d better go.” Aunt Louisa’s stern expression told them she’d brook no excuses. “A good worship service is what Hestia needs to get silly stars out of her eyes once and for all.” Aunt Louisa peered out the window. “Where are your parents?”

  “They’re already at church.”

  Booth took Hestia by the arm as they descended the front steps. They were too immersed in their own thoughts to talk much about the day or what had happened. They didn’t speculate about the sermon, because no matter where one attended church on Easter Sunday, the resurrection miracle would be the topic. Though predictable, each year the message proved welcome. It was the greatest story ever told.

  Later, Booth pulled the automobile onto a patch of grass by the church. The lot was jammed by the Easter crush of automobiles.

  Hestia meditated on the stained-glass windows. “Selene missed so much growing up, only hearing the sermons on Easter and Christmas. I think now that she’s met Artie, she can understand why it’s good to think about the Lord every day, not just twice a year.”

  “Amen to that.” His smile looked bittersweet.

  Hestia heard the sound of a nearby automobile door shut. Judith and her family emerged from the Nash Roadster. Hestia waved and waited for Judith to come closer. “Hey, you!”

  “Hey, yourself.”

  “Judith! You bobbed your hair!”

  Judith looked at Hestia and gasped in return. “And you did the same thing!”

  “You look wonderful!” They complimented each other in near unison. Like schoolgirls, they giggled.

  Hestia admired Judith’s new look. “I’m so glad we decided not to wear our hair in low buns.”

  “Me, too. It’s a new era, Hestia.”

  “I’m not sure how I feel about it.” Mr. Unsworth didn’t bother to conceal his distress. “Come along, now, or we’ll be late. It’s crowded today.”

  Mrs. Unsworth nodded. “It’s always crowded on Easter Sunday.”

  “Do you like Judith’s hair, Mrs. Unsworth?” Hestia couldn’t resist asking.

  “Of course. I’m the one who bobbed it!” She winked.

  Hestia touched Judith’s arm and whispered in her ear, “Selene had her baby. A girl.”

  Judith gasped. “Mother! Selene had her baby.”

  “The end of an ordeal for everyone,” the older woman commented.

  Judith touched Hestia’s arm. “Try to stay here in Maiden as long as you can. I can’t go around with this new style all alone!”

  Hestia nodded. While Judith may have joked about the style, she knew her sentiment about Hestia’s imminent departure was sincere. Again, Hestia felt pain in her heart. Haw River had its appeal, but Maiden’s charms had embraced her. She felt more at home here than she had anywhere else. She fought back tears that threatened.

  Hestia was glad to discover that several of the younger women had chosen this point in time to get bobs. Seeing them confirmed that she had made the right decision. They were all stylish women. Shrieks, gasps, and flattery flew through the church. Some adults looked askance while others nodded knowingly.

  “See?” Hestia said to Judith. “You won’t have to face the world alone with your new style after all.”

  “I’m a little disappointed.”

  “Why?”

  “I was secretly hoping to be a trendsetter.”

  Hestia laughed. She’d miss Judith.

  After the service, where they sang the most popular Easter hymns including Hestia’s favorite, “Up from the Grave He Arose,” the congregants left in a collective, joyous mood. Only Hestia felt a bit down.

  “What’s the matter?” Booth said on the way to the automobile. “Didn’t you enjoy the service, especially the singing?”

  “Yes. Didn’t you hear me singing as loudly as I could? Hope I wasn’t too off-key.”

  He laughed. “Never.”

  “I was tired when we left this morning, but church invigorated me.”

  “I’m sure you had quite a night.”

  “Yes. One reason I came here to visit was to learn more about medicine, but I really learned more about myself. I don’t think my nerves can take seeing people suffer, even if I can help them.” Hestia hated admitting defeat.

  “But what did you think medicine would be like? You know people suffer.”

  “I realize now how much Papa sheltered me. I saw very little beyond the occasional scraped knee and high fever.”

  “You’ve been with family members. It would be different with strangers.”

  “Maybe, but I’m not so sure. I hate seeing anyone in distress.” She looked beyond him to the sun. “I’ll miss this place.” She decided to make a bold move. “And, most especially, you.”

  “We’re ready, Booth.” Normally Hestia didn’t mind hearing Mrs. Barrington’s cheerful voice, but it grated on her at that moment. What would Booth have said if they hadn’t been interrupted?

  Booth and Hestia talked about anything but her impending departure as they went back to Aunt Louisa’s. She didn’t want to think about it, and she had a feeling Booth didn’t, either.

  Chapter Twenty

  “So shall we tell her?” Artie wanted to know.

  “I don’t see any reason to delay,” Selene answered. She looked at the baby. “What do you think, Easter? Is it time to tell Aunt Louisa?” Easter didn’t respond except to look at her mother. Selene couldn’t believe the beauty of her newborn. Dressed in a white bonnet and gown, wrapped in a white blanket, she appeared as though she had just left the side of God’s throne. “Who does she look like?”

  “You,” he answered. “But I never knew her real father.”

  “She doesn’t look a bit like him.”

  “What if she does when she gets older? Will that upset you?”

  “No, because I already love her too much.” Selene looked at Artie. “Would you mind terribly if she ends up not looking much like me?”

  “No, because like you, I already love her. I want to be a good father to her.”

  “You will be. As far as I’m concerned, you will be her real father. And that’s what the world will know, too.”

  “Yes. I understand about that. I understand more than you know.”

  Selene wanted to know what he meant, but Aunt Louisa entered. “Enough admiring the baby. I told you not to get attached to her.”

  Artie rose. “Selene and I have news for you.”

  Selene froze and was grateful that Artie didn’t seem to mind breaking the news.

  “Yes?”

  “Not to be disrespectful, Miss Louisa, but we won’t be giving her up for adoption. I plan to marry Selene in a private ceremony as soon as she’s well enough to stand.”

  Suddenly unsteady, Aunt Louisa sat on the bed. “Marriage? Artie, I know you mean well, but you shouldn’t be so impulsive.”

  “Impulse isn’t ruling me. I’ve prayed long and hard about this decision. My
joy over making Selene my wife, and being a father to the baby, knows no bounds.”

  “You think you can marry here in Maiden?” Aunt Louisa didn’t need to elaborate.

  “I’m sure my pastor will marry us.”

  Aunt Louisa looked as though she was trying to absorb the news. “I thought you had feelings for Selene, but I had no idea you’d act upon them. And Selene, you said yes?”

  Selene nodded.

  Artie looked into Selene’s eyes and then at the baby. “Easter will be my daughter.”

  “Easter?”

  Selene nodded. “That’s what we named her. Easter Hestia Louisa Rowland. Isn’t that a beautiful name?”

  “Easter…Louisa?” A hint of a blush rose to the elder woman’s cheeks. “Now, don’t give your child my name to cater to me, hoping I’ll change my mind.”

  Selene smiled. “You and Hestia have been here for me this whole time. You both deserve to be honored. But I wanted to honor God by naming her Easter, especially since He sent her on Easter Sunday. And Easter is what she shall be called.”

  Artie touched Easter’s cheek. “I feel sorry for the relative who’ll be losing her.”

  Aunt Louisa’s next statements surprised Selene. “I think it’s for the best that won’t be happening. She was only taking the baby as a favor to the family and because your father planned to provide for the baby. I’ll venture she’ll be relieved. It’s my brother I’m worried about now. He hadn’t planned for you to keep the baby. He thinks you’ll be back on the train to New York in a few weeks. I doubt he’s ready to admit to his mistresses that he’s a grandfather now. Albeit a young one.”

  “I’m sure he’ll deny being a grandfather if he thinks he can get away with it.” Selene’s voice displayed a touch of bitterness. “He’s fine in New York without me. He made that clear enough with all the postcards he sent from around the world.”

  “He sent those out of love,” Aunt Louisa argued.