“I have one,” I said. The same dress I’d worn the year before and the year before that. Why hadn’t I realized how tight our finances had become? I’d been too worried about Mother’s health to care much about what I was wearing. I should have been concerned about Father’s, too. I should have been learning a skill. All of this had slipped by me. I’d acted like a child, oblivious to what was right in front of me.
“You’ll have such fun tonight,” Quinn said. “Will you go dancing afterward?”
“Dancing?” I shot a quick look in Mother’s direction. She wouldn’t like me to dance, I didn’t think. “Where would we dance?”
“Oh, well, that’s the part I’m not supposed to know about.” Quinn’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “There’s a clandestine dance hall in the basement of the lodge.”
Mother gasped. “Quinn, tell me it isn’t so.”
“Pamela, it’s harmless really,” Quinn said. “The kids go there to dance or, in Fiona’s case, play music. Raucous music, not the kind she and Li play at church.”
“There’s not alcohol, is there?” Mother’s eyes had widened. A splash of red dotted her neck.
“Of course not. It’s Prohibition.” Quinn looked over at Mother with an innocent look in her eyes. “You don’t think I’d allow Flynn and Phillip to do something illegal, do you?”
I couldn’t tell if she was being truthful. For my sake, I hoped she was or Mother would not want me to go. Surprisingly enough, I would very much like to go to a dance hall and hear raucous music. Especially as Theo’s date.
“She’ll be with Theo,” Quinn said. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“If Simon were still alive, she would not be allowed to go,” Mother said.
What had happened to me being an adult and not needing permission?
“But I suppose I’ll have to trust Theo to look after her properly. I have to say, Quinn, I’m shocked you’re allowing Fiona to play music at such a place. And Cymbeline unescorted?”
“Flynn and Phillip run the joint.” A hint of defensiveness slipped into Quinn’s tone. “Li doesn’t let Fiona out of his sight. Cymbeline goes with friends. Anyway, this is Emerson Pass. There are no thugs or criminals here. The girls are perfectly safe.”
“Have you ever been there?” Mother asked Quinn.
“It’s not a place for old people,” Quinn said.
“Which means you don’t know if there’s alcohol?” Mother asked. “Louisa, I really wish you wouldn’t go there. Have supper upstairs and then have Theo take you home.”
“That’s the plan,” I said. “Don’t worry, Mother, Theo won’t let anything happen to me.”
A sliver of excitement ran up the back of my spine. How I’d love to go to the dance hall just once to see what it was like to be a young person who wasn’t the pastor’s daughter. Drink would never pass my lips. Not after what it had done to Pa. But dancing? That was quite another matter altogether.
***
Fiona and Cymbeline shared a bedroom. There were two of everything: twin beds, vanities, dressers, and wardrobes. Decorated in pinks with flower-patterned quilts and lamps with sparkling crystals, it was exactly the kind of room I would have liked. “I love your room,” I said.
“The twins used to share this one when we were small,” Fiona said. “But when they left, we moved in here.”
“Where does Theo stay now?” I asked.
Fiona pointed to the far wall. “The next one over. It used to be a guest room, but once the little girls came, we had to use it for the family.”
Three dresses were splayed out on the bed. I couldn’t decide among them. One was a light blue dress decorated with tiny beads around the collar and dropped waist. The other two were made of chiffon, one the color of the outside of a peach with a bold pink sash tied over the right hip. The other chiffon was in a light green with a scoop back.
“The green is too revealing,” I said. “Mother won’t let me out of the house exposing that much skin.”
Fiona held up the blue one. “This would match your eyes.”
“Beads are festive,” Cymbeline said from the chair in the corner where she was fanning herself with a magazine. She wore only a slip. Her bare legs were dangled over the arm of the chair. “But hot and heavy for this weather.”
“True.” Fiona pointed to the peach dress. “I say try this one on and see what you think.”
Fiona and I were also wearing only our slips. Fiona brought the dress to me and helped slide it over my head. The material felt light and smooth against my bare legs. I gazed at my reflection in the trifold mirror. Sleeveless with a scoop neckline that flattered my creamy skin, the dress made me look rich and sophisticated. “It’s such a pretty dress.”
“You look perfectly perfect.” Fiona clapped her hands together before scooting over to the vanity. She yanked open a drawer and came out with a long strand of black beads along with a beaded headband. “Sit here and I’ll fix your hair.”
I wasn’t altogether sure I wanted her to mess with my hair, but since she was lending me the dress, I obeyed. With deft movements, Fiona brushed out my long hair and then twisted it and tucked pins into the back to make a smooth, wide bun that made it look as if it were bobbed. She powdered my face, then stood back to look at me. “You’ll need rouge.”
“Mother won’t like it.”
“Why?” Fiona seemed baffled.
“She doesn’t think makeup is for nice girls,” I said.
“Do it anyway,” Cymbeline said, looking up from her magazine. “All the movie stars are doing it.”
“Yes, go ahead,” I said.
Fiona rubbed rouge into the apples of my cheeks. “Do you see how it brings out your eyes?”
Lipstick came next, a smear of red that made my thin lips appear more prominent. Mother would not be happy. I’d have to sneak out without her seeing me. Maybe I should have chosen the green dress after all. My goodness, I was starting to think like Cymbeline.
Fiona put the beads around my neck. Finally, she fixed the shiny headband into the front of my hair. She folded her arms around her middle as she peered at her creation. She made a satisfied grunt. “You look like you’re about to set out for a night in Paris.”
“Thank you.” I wasn’t sure I liked being quite so made up. Regardless, this was a time of changes in my life. For the first time, I was doing the things most girls my age did. I wasn’t the pastor’s daughter tonight. I was a rouged-cheeked, lipstick-smeared girl about town.
Cymbeline unfolded herself from the chair and came to stand on the other side of me. All three of us looked at our reflections in the mirror. “You’ll do. Now let me in. Fiona must do me next. I simply have to look especially good tonight. Viktor’s going to be out with that Emma person.”
I got up to let her take my place and padded to the other chair in my bare feet. Stockings were necessary for tonight, but it was so hot I’d put that off until the last minute. I still had fifteen minutes before I was to meet Theo downstairs.
“My sister’s still pretending she doesn’t like Viktor.” Fiona used the soft-bristled brush on Cymbeline’s hair, teasing her curls into compliance. “To herself, that is.”
Cymbeline scowled. “I don’t like him. But I don’t want him thinking that Emma’s prettier than me. That’s all.”
I didn’t want to get Cymbeline annoyed so I changed the subject. “What about you, Fiona? Is there anyone you like?”
Fiona lifted one dainty shoulder. “Not really. I prefer my music to any romantic pursuits. Maybe when I grow up, I might like someone. For now, besides my sisters and brothers, I prefer Li’s company the best.”
Cymbeline inspected her sister through the mirror. “What do you mean by company?”
Fiona made one last finger curl in Cymbeline’s hair. “We like to make music together. It’s a language between us. I’m glad he’s back home with us.”
Cymbeline shot me a worried glance. I knew what she was thinking. If Fiona fell in love
with Li Wu, there would be trouble.
Fiona brushed our fears aside with a soft laugh. “What’s wrong with you two? He’s much too old for me.”
Age was the least of the problems. Fiona was such an innocent that it hadn’t occurred to her that he was forbidden for a white girl. If she saw him only as her music partner, all would be well.
Footsteps in the hallway drew my attention. I knew from the speed and thud of heels walking hard on the hardwoods, Theo’s footsteps. I would know them anywhere now. Maybe I always had?
Although I would rather not, I pulled on the stockings. When I had them secured, I took one last look at myself in the three-way mirror. “This is as good as it can be. Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need luck,” Fiona said. “You are luck.”
“Do you really sing at the dance hall?” I blurted out.
Fiona spun around to look at me. “How did you know that?”
“Your mother was talking about it to my mother.”
Cymbeline leaned closer to the mirror and used a pair of tweezers to pluck at her eyebrows. “I’m surprised Mama told her. I wouldn’t think Mrs. Lind would approve.”
“She doesn’t,” I said.
“Oh, dear me, that’s troublesome,” Fiona said. “I’d hate to cause Mrs. Lind to think badly of me.”
“I don’t think she could,” I said. “She’s simply old-fashioned.”
“It’s not like you’re throwing back the cocktails all night.” Cymbeline rolled her eyes. “Fiona’s all about the music.”
“Cym’s all about dancing,” Fiona said. “She’s a real Oliver Twist.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A good dancer,” Cymbeline said. “Goodness, Lou, we’ve got to get you out of the house more often.”
Lou? I had a nickname. I quite liked it. There was Cym, Fi, and Thee. Now I was Lou. Part of the family.
After wishing them a good night, I walked down the hallway to the stairs. About halfway to the main floor, I saw Theo standing at the bottom waiting for me. He looked my way and smiled up at me. When I reached him, he picked up my gloved hand and kissed it. “You look beautiful.”
He looked nice as well in his evening suit and slicked-back hair. Freshly shaved, too. I spotted a small nick on his chin. “I’m looking forward to the evening.”
“I am as well.”
He escorted me out to the foyer. “Do you know if my mother’s inside?”
“No, they’re all out back.”
“Thank goodness. She wouldn’t approve of my face.”
“I certainly do.” He held open the door, and I walked outside. His car had been washed and shone under the setting sun. I smiled to myself as he helped me into the passenger seat. Tonight, I would put all my troubles aside and simply enjoy myself.
15
Theo
* * *
Built from the logs cut from the ski slope, the lodge had twenty guest rooms, a dining room, and below, where a speakeasy hosted those willing to risk the law for a drink. I wasn’t sure I approved of the illegal nature of Flynn and Phillip’s enterprise, but as my brother had said, they were businessmen, not preachers. I’d purposely not mentioned the dance hall to Louisa. I wasn’t sure what she would think. Her mother’s opinion, however, wasn’t hard to figure. We’d have supper, and I’d take her straight home. No funny business to get myself into trouble with the woman I hoped would be my mother-in-law.
The restaurant’s host, Maxwell, greeted us with an Irish brogue as thick as molasses on a winter’s day. “Good evening, Mr. Barnes.” My mother had written to me that Flynn’s host at the restaurant was as colorful as his boss. I’d expected someone like Flynn, handsome and charming. Unfortunately, Maxwell didn’t possess either of those qualities. Tall and gangly, slightly stooped shoulders and a rounded stomach made him seem like an old man. His face, though, was unlined and as smooth as a baby’s bottom. In fact, he didn’t appear to have had the light of day on his pasty skin. His dark hair, as thick as a horse’s mane, was slicked back from his forehead. Ridges from his comb separated the strands in perfect rows.
He looked at Louisa and then back at me with disapproval and disappointment in his eyes. “Where is the lovely Mrs. Barnes this evening?” Maxwell could dish out the guilt as well as any of the women in my family.
“I’m Theo Barnes. His twin.”
Maxwell placed a hand over his heart. “Thank goodness. I thought you were stepping out on the missus. We can’t have that now, can we? You’re the doctor, then. Have I got that right?”
“The same.”
“Well, now, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Your brother’s been keen to have you back in town.”
“I’m glad to be back, although I haven’t seen much of my brother. We’ve both been busy.”
“I reckon that’s the way it is when you’re important,” Maxwell said before turning to Louisa. Apparently now that he knew she wasn’t a wanton hussy, he’d realized how pretty she was. “Who is this bonnie lass? Have I met you before?”
“I don’t think so,” Louisa said. “My father was pastor at the church until he passed away recently.”
“Ah, then, no, I wouldn’t have been at church.” He lowered his voice. “I keep meaning to go, but then I don’t. My mother always said the way to meet a woman was at church.”
“There are other ways, but surely that’s the best,” I said.
Maxwell drew closer, as if we were conspirators. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He grinned, revealing surprisingly nice teeth. His eyes were a nice shade of green as well. Mama always said people looked better when they smiled. “My old pop said there was a lid for every pot, but I don’t know if a man like me can find a lid willing to top off my pot.”
Louisa slipped her gloved hand into mine. “You mustn’t ever give up hope. You never know when the right person will find you.”
I had a feeling Maxwell would have liked to chat with Louisa all night. To ensure this didn’t happen, I asked if our table was ready.
“Yes, yes, right this way. When I saw Barnes on the reservation list, I assumed it was the boss.”
We were seated at one of the best tables by the window. Maxwell described our dinner options and then left us to help another couple at the front.
Louisa gazed around the room. “I didn’t know how elegantly decorated it would be.”
“The boys had a whole team of ladies advising them,” I said, chuckling. “Between Mama and her sister, they had a lot of advice about fabrics and colors.”
They’d chosen pinks and golds for the chair cushions paired with stiff white tablecloths and napkins. Still, this was no elaborate New York hotel. The rustic logs and beams were appropriate for its mountain location.
The menu was a fixed one: a salad, followed by a tomato bisque, then a trout pan-fried in butter and fresh thyme accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. Dessert would be a chocolate mousse.
After we’d ordered, Louisa said quietly, “Sometimes I barely recognize our little town. Everything is different from when we were children.”
“Do you miss the old days?”
“A little even though progress is good. But for those of us who’ve lived here all our lives, it’s startling to see so many faces I don’t recognize.”
I nodded in agreement. “Today I saw two patients new to town. I walked by the new schoolhouse and was struck by the size. Two stories and sixty students. Would we have thought it possible back in 1910?”
“Your father got his wish. A thriving community. My father was proud to have been part of it. Your father gave him that. When I think of the debt that we owe him and your mother, it’s hard to fathom.”
My stomach knotted. “I hope you don’t feel as if I’m a debt to pay?”
“No, no, Theo.” She stared back at me from across the table. “Everything between us is real and separate from the rest.”
Tension eased inside me at her words. “I’m glad.”
“Don
’t ever think that way. I’m here because I want to be. Not because of what you can do for me or anything I feel I owe your family.”
At that moment, movement outside the window caught my eye. Fiona and Li were getting out of a car. “My sister’s here.” I pointed toward them. “What in the name of God is Fiona doing here?”
“Oh, that. You don’t know?” Louisa blinked several times. I’d made her nervous with my angry tone.
I steadied myself with a deep breath and made sure to lower my voice. “Know what?”
“She and Li play at the dance hall. Your mother said it’s raucous-type music.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “My mother knows?”
“Are you mad?” Louisa’s hand trembled when she reached for her water glass.
I was immediately remorseful for making her upset. She’d experienced violence at the hands of an angry man when she was a child. I had to remember that when I spoke to her. “I’m not mad at you. I am, however, astounded that my parents allow such a thing.”
“My mother doesn’t like it, either,” Louisa said. “But maybe we’re all too old-fashioned.”
“This is my baby sister.”
“Who is nearly grown,” Louisa said.
“I suppose.”
We both watched as Li went around to the back of the car to pull out his violin and guitar cases. Fiona’s sparkly purple dress caught the last rays of the setting sun. Instead of coming to the front of the building, they disappeared around the corner. Down to the dance hall.
I fumed but didn’t want this to ruin our night. “I’m sorry. I’m acting like a brute.”
“You could never act like a brute. You’re worried about your little sister, which is sweet. I’d have liked to have a big brother to protect me.”
A chill went up my spine. If only someone had known the horrors she’d had to endure, we could have stepped in earlier. How different would she be now if someone had? “I’m here now if you want me. I’ll look after you and keep you from harm.”
She smiled but didn’t answer because our first course arrived.
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