by Tia Siren
“He’s…he’s been very upset since the death of his wife 16 months ago.” Anne’s voice was low again, and Joyce sat forward a little. “He took to building on to his house and has added about a dozen rooms to it since then.”
Joyce was a little confused but said nothing. She wanted the whole story and reserved judgment till she had it.
“The house has about 32 rooms now. It was already a mansion before. Tom… hasn’t even put furniture in some of them. He moved all of his things into the new rooms and keeps several of the old ones the way they were when Lizzie died.”
Joyce felt her temper waning. Tom’s depression had led him to do something strange, but at least, he hadn’t murdered someone. “Well, I’ve heard of people in mourning doing that before. How did she die?”
Gary’s eyes snapped down to his wife. “Tell her, Anne,” He said.
Anne pursed her lips for a moment. Finally, she said, “In childbirth.” She let her eyes move up to Joyce’s face as the woman registered what she’d said.
Joyce frowned. “So he lost his wife and his baby at the same time?” She asked.
Gary shook his head. “No, Miss. The baby is healthy and alive. Her name is Eliza, named after her mother.”
Joyce processed the information. “So…there’s a baby?”
The couple sitting across from her stared at her with open faces. Gary seemed to expect Joyce to jump from the carriage at that moment. Anne’s face looked hopeful and anxious at the same time.
Joyce was taken aback, unsure how to feel. She had been lied to about something that was very important. Something that may have made a difference in her choice to come here. She felt betrayed and frowned deeply. She wasn’t going to have her own family. She was going to have someone else’s family.
“That is deeply disappointing,” Joyce said. “I would have liked to have known about that before I agreed to come here. I have no experience with small babies. None whatsoever.”
“You didn’t take care of your nieces and nephews?” Gary asked.
Joyce shook her head. “No. I never did.” She was trying to control her disappointment and anger. She wasn’t sure she wanted to start out with a new baby she hadn’t even had. And this man sounded like he was going to be distant and mournful of his dead wife all the time. Where did that leave her? As a nursemaid and housekeeper? She looked out the window without putting words to her emotions. She had money. She could buy a train ticket and go home.
But was that really what she wanted?
Anne leaned forward and put her small hands over Joyce’s. “Please don’t be angry with Tom, Joyce. He’s such a good man and he just needs to be shown that life isn’t over. He needs someone to show him that there can be love again. I believe you will do that for him. All you have to do is reach out to him and try to understand him.”
Joyce didn’t respond but did look at Anne with a soft look. It was her Godly duty to try. She had to try at least. She wasn’t the kind of woman who started something she didn’t finish, even if there were obstacles put in the way.
Chapter Three
The rest of the ride back was quiet as Joyce thought about her options. She certainly didn’t have to stay. But she felt obligated to do so. This child had been left without her mother, and her father didn’t seem to be in any condition to take care of her. How could she possibly let the child grow up in an atmosphere like that? At least, she had her parents until she was 12. She’d gotten to experience a family. How could she not ensure this innocent child had the same thing?
She tried to reassure herself but still felt resentful. Everyone had problems. Surely Tom could muster up the courage to let go at some point. She had moved on from the death of her parents. It hadn’t been easy, but it had been necessary.
She was once again in awe when they pulled into the long dirt drive that led up to the biggest house Joyce had ever seen. She leaned slightly out the window and scanned the landscape. There was a row of trees lining the dirt drive that reached up into the sky and bent over the path to make a natural shelter. The leaves were in full bloom. Coming from the drab exterior of the town she’d left behind, she was highly impressed.
Beyond the trees, she could see fields stretching out, tall grass waving in the breeze. She moved her eyes to the house they were approaching. It was three stories high and made from what looked like solid red bricks. The porch roof was held up by two opposing huge round stone pillars. There were six long steps that formed a “c” in front of the porch. They were also made of the same light colored stone as the pillars.
“Oh, my.” She breathed.
Anne and Gary didn’t respond.
When the carriage pulled up to the steps, Gary got out first and held out his hand to help the ladies down the small steps. A woman dressed in a frock and apron came out of the house to greet them. She was carrying a very small baby girl. Eliza was dressed to meet her new mother. She had on a bright yellow sundress with a large blue ribbon around the waist that brought out the blue in the little girl’s eyes. Her yellow hair almost matched her dress but gave off a more gold-colored shine. She had one tiny finger in her mouth, where Joyce could see three teeth on the top and three on the bottom.
“Hello, Eliza!” Anne said, going up the stairs quickly and taking the little girl in her arms. She turned to Joyce. “This is Eliza. Say hello, Eliza, this is Miss Joyce come to take care of you.” She looked at Joyce. “I don’t know if we should introduce mama to her until papa says it’s okay to do so. He would not be happy if he thought we were trying to take the remembrance of Lizzie away. Especially in his current state of mind.”
Joyce nodded. “I completely understand.” When Anne made to hand Eliza to her, she took a step back, shaking her head. Anne gave her a slightly frightened look and then recovered herself quickly. “Let’s go in, shall we? I’ll show you around some of the areas that you will be occupying the most. This is Mattie. She takes care of the housekeeping.”
“For the entire house?” Joyce gave her a sympathetic look. Mattie just smiled.
“There are many rooms that only have one piece of furniture in them and some that have none at all. They don’t require much cleaning.”
“Why does he keep adding rooms?” Joyce asked quietly as if he might hear her and be angry.
Anne shrugged, moving the baby to her hip and stopping when Joyce did. She looked up to see Joyce staring all around her.
The front entrance led to a long wide foyer with a polished mahogany round table directly in front of them. It was adorned with a huge bouquet of roses. She went to them and breathed in the scent. “These are beautiful.” She murmured. She looked up and around. “It’s all beautiful.”
The floor under her feet was made of stone tile. On the other side of the table, a carpeted staircase led up to the second floor. From the second, a staircase led up to the third floor, one to the left and one to the right, depending on which side you were going from. Each door looked like the others, with hand-carved designs in only the best woods available.
“You’ll want to see this.” Anne led her into one of the side rooms on the bottom floor. Joyce sucked in a breath, taking it all in. It was furnished with soft looking couches; high hard-backed cushioned chairs that looked less comfortable and an area rug that must have been bought for at least a hundred dollars if not much more. Her green eyes widened as she stared around her.
The most notable thing about the room was the portraits that hung all around them. They were expensive paintings, from the look of them. Joyce couldn’t imagine having enough money for one of them, much less all of them. Even if they weren’t real.
“Here is Sir William Henry Huffman.” Anne stopped by one of the portraits. She looked up at it proudly, as if she had known the man. “He was the first in line for this family to have a lot of money. They say that he got it all trading with other countries. I don’t know much about the family business, but Gary and Tom are both widely known with the governments both here and in Englan
d.”
“When did they immigrate to America?” Joyce asked.
Eliza seemed to be getting restless, so Anne put her on the floor. Joyce watched the child waddling around the room while Anne just stared at the portrait. “Tom was in his teens when they came here. He and Gary are only a year apart and are very close. Gary has become…” Anne gave her a sidelong glance before looking back to the portrait. “…protective of Tom. He’s the older one, you know. So he feels responsible for Tom. And since Lizzie died, Tom has been unreachable.”
Joyce tried to hold back a sigh. It certainly sounded like she had been called to be a nursemaid to baby and father. She kept her face as neutral as possible and listened to Anne when she continued.
“Last year, Tom got an invitation from President Cleveland to visit the White House.”
“Did he go?”
Anne looked at her with a shocked expression. “Did he go? Of course, he went! We all did. There could be nothing better!”
“Did he take Eliza?”
Anne glanced back to where Eliza had taken fascination with a large stone sculpture of an elephant. She was running her hand over its head as though it was a live pet. She was talking to it, too, but neither of them understood exactly what she was saying. They caught a few phrases, but it was mostly unintelligible words strung together. At least, she knew the word “elephant.”
“Sadly no. She was too young to travel all the way across the country. And he would not have been in any condition to have her there with him.”
“Why was he invited?”
“President Cleveland was campaigning at the time – to become president, you know. Tom is very influential with many of the businessmen on the West Coast, especially here in Colorado. The president knew how much things were changing, are changing out here. He wanted to talk to Tom about it. Plus, he’d heard that Lizzie had died and wanted to give his condolences.”
“That was nice of him.”
Anne shrugged. “It was probably politics that drove the president to do that. That seems to be the way government runs.”
Joyce had to admit she knew no more about politics, government and business than Anne. She knew how to work hard to save money, and she could work figures in her mind like no boys she knew. She had not had any opportunities to use her figuring skills to help in business of any kind. Women weren’t allowed.
She was fine with that. They could remain ignorant of her talent if they wanted to.
They made a slow circle around the room, Anne explaining each of the portraits that hung on the walls. “And here are Tom and Gary.” Anne’s voice was much prouder than it had been with any of the other men, even the founding father.
Joyce peered closely at Tom’s face. He was very similar to his brother, with wavy light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a strong forehead. His chin was equally strong, and he had a stern look about him. He looked like a man who had fought in a war. He was standing on one side of a tall chair with one hand on the edge. He wore a black tuxedo and had casually shoved one hand in the pocket, making the jacket stick out slightly in the back. Gary was standing on the other side of the chair in the same position reversed. He was also wearing a tuxedo. They both had small smiles on their faces. Joyce marveled at how Tom could look so stern and still be smiling.
“Is this recent?” She asked.
“It was done last year while they were visiting the President.”
“How interesting.”
“What do you think?”
“Of Tom?” She gave Anne a quick glance and saw her nod. Her eyes settled on Tom once more, and she gave it a thought. “I think he looks like he’s been through a war.”
Anne sighed. “It’s so unfortunate that the portrait was done after Lizzie’s death. Tom was a different man before, happy and smiling, playful and fun.” She looked at Joyce. “I do hope you can reawaken that in him, Joyce. You are vibrant and full of energy, I can tell. You can do it.”
Joyce felt the uncomfortable feeling of mental pressure. Anne was confident in her. She felt she probably could do what was needed for Tom. But the fact that she had practically been forced into it and now felt an obligation to a child that wasn’t even hers was unnerving. It disturbed her, and she hoped to rid herself of those feelings through prayer and with time.
“I will try,” she said.
“I’m so glad to hear that. You are not planning to leave then?”
Joyce shook her head a bit reluctantly. “No. I will stay.”
At that very moment, Eliza started clapping her hands and dancing around the room. Anne and Joyce both turned and watched her, instant smiles on their faces. “I think she likes the idea, Joyce!” Anne laughed.
“I don’t think she understands the situation.” Joyce chuckled at the thought. “But it was certainly good timing!”
Chapter Four
In the three days since her arrival, Joyce had seen much more of Anne and Gary than she had of Tom. Her initial meeting with Tom had been brief and he had enough time for her to introduce himself and say hello to his daughter before he was off to work. He didn’t come home until late in the evening, usually eating his dinner in a restaurant in the town. He told Joyce that they would speak privately on Saturday, which was still a day away, and that they would make plans to be married at that time.
It wasn’t the most pleasant way to meet your future husband.
She hadn’t been having an easy time of it with Eliza either. She had to learn everything about caring for a baby from Anne, who had apparently been taking care of Eliza the most. Joyce found herself wondering why Anne and Gary hadn’t simply adopted Eliza and taken her care off of Tom’s hands. And mind.
She woke up frustrated that Thursday, hearing Eliza calling from her room. The sun had barely risen, and Tom was already gone. She threw the covers from her legs and sat up, frustrated. This was not the life she had wanted. She had wanted fun, adventure, and new love. Not to be saddled with a baby and a never-present husband that she didn’t even know and didn’t consider all that handsome.
The money she had tucked away beckoned her every morning. She sighed heavily, deciding once more to ignore its call and go tend to the child.
She pulled on a robe and slipped her feet into her slippers. Eliza was awake much earlier than usual. No one would have made any coffee yet.
Joyce went into Eliza’s room and picked her up and out of her crib. “Here you go, Ellie,” she said. “Good morning, good morning.” She kept her voice pleasant and forced a smile on her face. There was no way she would let this happy child feel her frustration. That wouldn’t be fair at all. Her unhappiness was her own, and she wasn’t going to make a baby feel it too. Besides, her crying would be endless. That was the last thing Joyce wanted at this point.
She set Ellie down in a chair and took up a towel to brush her little hands and face with water from the basin. Then she brushed the little girl’s curls and helped her rub a small cloth over her tiny teeth. She had adopted her own morning routine for the child, and Ellie didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. She opened her little mouth and displayed her teeth, separating them for Joyce to get the insides of them too. She bounced slightly in the chair while Joyce brushed her yellow curls. She sat perfectly still and closed her eyes while Joyce wiped her face with first a wet towel and then a dry one.
When Joyce was finished, she was rewarded with a big grin and a hug around the neck. Every time Ellie hugged her, Joyce felt her heart melting a little more. She wished that Ellie was her own child and was slowly coming to realize that she might as well be.
“Let’s go exploring today, Ellie, shall we?”
Without having the slightest clue what “exploring” might mean, Eliza jumped up and down and clapped her hands. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Joyce laughed. “All right, let’s go!” She held out her hand, but Ellie held up both arms. “Oh, you are going to get heavy pretty quickly, little one,” Joyce said. “But I’ll carry you for a bit, okay?”
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nbsp; “Up! Please!”
Joyce couldn’t resist her. “Okay, dear.” She leaned down and picked the little girl up in her arms. “I imagine your little legs get tired pretty quickly, don’t they? Although you don’t have nearly as much weight to carry as someone big like me.” She continued chatting, knowing that Ellie wasn’t processing much of what she was saying, if anything. She talked to her as if she was much older than she really was. Apparently, she was smarter than most. According to Anne, she had learned to walk early, and though she didn’t say many words, she was able to read the alphabet and numbers and could understand a few words that were written down on paper, such as “dog” and “cat.” At sixteen months, that was an incredible accomplishment.
“Which way should we go, Ellie? This way or that way?” She pointed down the hallway once she’d reached the second floor. Ellie looked as though she were really thinking about it, which made Joyce want to burst out laughing. She smiled instead and waited, biting her bottom lip gently.
“Dis way!” Ellie pointed to the left. Joyce was glad. She hadn’t been down that way before and was anxious to see what there was to see. There were three rooms on each side of the house. Most of the new construction was on the bottom floor. The house spread out back over the land, and its length couldn’t be seen from the front. You had to round the entire house to see that it had been added on to extensively.
The first door she opened was to what looked like a spare bedroom. On the other side, a floor to ceiling window was covered by long blue draperies. The furniture consisted of a canopy bed with dusty curtains, a side table, a dresser and an area rug. All were covered with a thick layer of dust. She was glad to see that there were no cobwebs. The room was probably only attended to once a month, from the look of it.
She closed the door and gave Ellie a look. “It’s too dusty in there!” She exclaimed. Ellie giggled.
The second door led to a room that looked similar to the first but was slightly less dusty. The furnishings were the same, with the exception of the coloring, which was green as opposed to blue in the first room.