by Mercy Levy
It wasn’t anything Jack was doing, and it certainly wasn’t anything he wasn’t doing for her. He made it clear that he would give her anything and everything she asked for, as long as it was in his power to do it. But after giving her her own private ball, she felt even worse. It was as though the realization that he would do something for her that she wouldn’t do in return was more than she knew how to deal with.
“Are you happy?”
It was a question she was waiting to be asked, but not one she wanted to answer. They were sitting at the dinner table eleven days before Thanksgiving, and she wasn’t any more willing to celebrate it than she was before. She wanted to be grateful, but she simply couldn’t.
“Yes, I’m happy,” she said with as much as enthusiasm as she could. He watched her as he spoke, but it was clear by the look in his eyes that he didn’t believe her.
“It’s just that, the other night, you seemed to be so much happier. I’m thrilled that I got to see that side of you, but it really made me see how unhappy you really are. I don’t think it’s your fault or mine, I just want you to be happy,” he said. He was watching his plate as he spoke, and she felt a twinge of guilt in her heart.
“Jack, I know you want me to be happy, and I really am trying,” she said as she put her hand over his. He looked up from his plate at her and reached forward, brushing the hair off her face.
“Jane, if you are that unhappy here there is something I want to do for you. I know you would never ask me yourself, so I am just going to say it. I will send you home.” He looked deep into her eyes, and she leaned back in her chair, suddenly drawing back her hands and amazed at what she had just heard. Part of her thought she must have made a mistake, but another part of her hardly dared believe him.
“Do you mean it?” she asked. So many thoughts were running through her mind, it was nearly impossible for her to think straight at all. “Where would I go? As far as I know, my parents sold the mansion, and they are long gone.”
“I’ll pay for you to get a hotel room for a couple of weeks. I don’t have a lot of money, but you are more than welcome to what I do have. I just want you to be happy. I don’t know what happened, but there was something about that ball that really changed the way I feel about you—about us.” He looked at her with such an intensity, she felt that he could see into her very mind.
“What are you saying?” she asked. Her voice quivered, and she felt her heart pounding in her chest.
“I’m telling you that I love you, Jane, and I will do anything to make you happy, even if that means you need to go home.” He clearly had a difficult time keeping control over his own emotions as he spoke, and she felt a flurry of different feelings run through her heart. She felt elated that he wanted to send her home, but she felt terrible that he was acting out of love, and she was acting out of selfishness.
He was willing to say goodbye to her if that was what she wanted, and she sadly knew that was what she wanted. She didn’t have to say a word, and he knew what she was going to pick. He squeezed her hand and smiled, though she could see in his eyes that he was feeling an immense amount of pain.
“It’s settled then, you’re going home,” he said.
Chapter 12
Although Jane leaving was entirely Jack’s idea, and she had chosen based on her heart, there was a sadness that filled the house the next day. She wanted to leave —she wanted to get back to the life that she had always loved as soon as possible, and it didn’t matter to her that she was going to have to figure out how to get that life back once she was back in Vermont. The thought of going home in any way was enough to raise her spirits.
She wouldn’t say so out loud, but she felt that she might be able to celebrate a Thanksgiving after all—now that she was going to be home to do it. She would be free of the guilt of being with Jack, and she would have the chance to find someone else to marry. True, it would not be good for her to be divorced, but since there were no children trying her to Jack, she knew she would be able to find another wealthy man to marry, even if she had to find a man who was much older than herself.
Jack had grown very quiet, and there was little that was said between them. He was doing his best to be cheerful as always, but when he came home with the train ticket, it was obvious it was very difficult for him to give it to her without breaking down and crying. He was strong, however, and he refused to let his emotions get the best of him. As long as he didn’t think about what was happening, he would be okay.
She couldn’t help but notice that he was spending more time in the barn and outdoors than ever, and it almost seemed as though he was trying to avoid her. She thought it silly that she cared, but at the same time, it did hurt her feelings. She wanted to be cared for and loved regardless of whether she was leaving.
But she did her best to pretend like she didn’t notice, though she did—she did very much. He purchased her a ticket that would get her out of town and back on the way home as soon as possible, meaning she only had another day left with her husband. She would likely still be traveling during Thanksgiving, but it was enough for her to be happy.
She would be on her way home, and that was enough for her. She didn’t allow herself to think about what he was going to do. Perhaps he would find someone to be with in her stead. It wasn’t a lot of time, but perhaps he had friends or other family he could turn to. Jane decided to push the entire situation out of her mind, and only focus on the day she had.
It was practically the last day she had to spend with her husband, and as difficult as that was to think about, she knew that it was necessary. She had been living with him for over a month, and though she had done her best to be happy, she didn’t think that it was ever going to happen. She wasn’t born to be living that kind of life, and she was willing to accept that and move on.
Jane spooned the stew she had made into the bowls and set them on the table, waiting for her husband to come back inside. She liked making stew in the morning, as it was then perfect to have for lunch and dinner and she didn’t have to worry about making anything else. She sat down at the table and waited, hoping to have some time with Jack before she left.
But, he didn’t come inside. She waited, and he still didn’t come. She waited a while longer, but he still didn’t come. The longer he took, the more she became concerned about what he could be doing. It was unlike him to be late for meals, and though she knew he was upset with her for leaving and was doing his best to cope with his feelings, she thought it was strange that he didn’t come in on time.
Jack was always a very punctual person, and he prided himself with being on time for most everything. She got up and walked to the window, looking outside. It was difficult to see the barn through the foggy window and the falling snow, but she could see that the door was partially open. With an uneasy feeling in her chest, she walked over to the door and called for him.
But there was no answer.
She began to have an even more uneasy feeling in her chest when she called again into the silence. With no wind, it wasn’t at all difficult for her voice to carry across the barnyard to the other building, and there was no answer. She grabbed her shawl and pulled it around herself, stepping out into the silent barnyard and walking quickly toward the barn.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was doing her best to remain calm as she hurried across the snowy yard. All the animals were eerily silent and watched her as she hurried toward the door, as though they knew something was wrong as well.
“Jack?” she called. When there was no answer, she took a deep breath and opened the barn door, peering inside. “Jack!”
She shouted his name as she ran into the barn. Her husband was lying on the floor, facedown in the straw. She grabbed his shoulders and rolled him over on his back, and saw an ugly gash on the side of his head. She couldn’t see for sure what had happened, but from the looks of things, it appeared as though he had been kicked by one of the animals.
She could see the door was ope
n to the corral, and one of the horses was standing with a bridle and rope tied to it. It wasn’t hard for her to guess what happened. He was likely doing something—either trimming the hooves or putting on new shoes—and the horse had startled, kicking him before pulling free of the pole he had tied it to.
“Jack!” she yelled again. She leaned forward and held her ear right above his mouth. She felt some relief rush over her as she could hear he was still breathing. But, he was unconscious, and she didn’t know what to do. Never in her life had she had to deal with such a thing, and she was terrified. With the terrible gash on the side of his head, she knew he needed help, and fast. Without a moment of hesitation, she pulled him as far off to the side of the barn as she could to keep him safe from further injury, then ran out of the door, yelling for help.
It was a couple of miles to town, but she didn’t care. She lifted her skirts and began running as fast as she could along the road, screaming for someone to come help her with every step she took. It was difficult to run in the snow, and she didn’t know where the doctor was in town, but she had to find someone. Jack was hurt, and she was the only one who could help him.
He would do anything for her, and now she was going to do the same for him. She might not know how to handle the injury, but she was going to find someone who could. It didn’t matter how cold it was, and it certainly didn’t matter that she didn’t have on her jacket. She didn’t know how long he had been there, and she knew every step she took was a race against time.
She had to find the doctor and bring him back out to the house, and she had to do it now.
Jack was depending on her.
Chapter 13
“And how is he doing today?” Doctor Dobs asked as he stepped into the bedroom. Jack was lying on the bed where he had been lying for a couple of days, his head bandaged with a white cloth. He was awake and propped up on the pillows, though he still had one of his eyes swollen closed and a terrible headache.
“Better, but I am still worried about that gash on the side of his head. Is there anything we can do about that?” Jane asked with a worried tone.
“Time is the only thing that can handle that; but you are doing a fine job taking care of him. He’s lucky to have a wife like you.” The doctor walked into the room and checked over Jack, with Jane looking on from behind. She did her best not to let his statement get to her, but she also couldn’t help it. He had no idea how poor of a wife she had been to the man, and the fact that she was helping him now was no consolation for that fact.
“You are going to pull through just fine, I am pleased to say, so there is something else I feel we should address with this visit,” Dr. Dobs said. Jane felt her heart sink when the two of them started discussing the bill. She had known that he spent the rest of the money he had on her train ticket, and there was no way they could get the money back for it.
He had already told her they were going to have to sell some of the supplies out of the barn, but that was going to run him short for the winter. With no money and no supplies, he was going to be facing even more hardship. And now he was going to be facing it alone, with her leaving. Then again, she didn’t even know if she still could leave since she had missed the date on her train ticket.
Her mind was spinning so quickly, she had to walk out of the room to think about things herself. She didn’t want to think about the hardship he was going to be facing now. It was a double-edged sword. First, she knew it was her fault for coming out in the first place and making his life so difficult. Second to that, she knew that it was because of her he was distracted when he was trying to get the things done in the barn.
If he had been in his right mind, he wouldn’t have been taken by surprise, and the horse wouldn’t have kicked him. She was about to be even more upset than before, but a knock at the door suddenly caught her attention. Jane walked over and opened it, unsure of who might be visiting them. A man with a suitcase stood outside.
“You must be Mrs. Franklin,” he said as he touched his hat. “Is your husband in?”
“Yes? Haven’t you heard? There’s been an accident.” She watched him as she spoke, and she could see a slight change in his face. It was as though he was surprised for a moment but he immediately hid his emotions.
“How unfortunate. That would explain why he wasn’t in this past week and missed his payment. Perhaps you can help me.” He went on to explain that Jack had been making payments to the bank for the farm, and he had missed the past two. He had promised when he missed the last payment that he would make up for it with this one, signing a statement which read if he missed the payment the bank would be able to take the house from him.
“Are you sure? That sounds rather drastic,” Jane said, thinking of her father.
“I know it might seem that way, but you have to understand, without much money to fall back on, we have to be strict with our clients. He wasn’t supposed to miss any payments, but he said that it was for something for you, so I gave him the allotment. I can’t overlook two missed payments unfortunately.” He gave her a look that tried to show pity, but his real intentions shone through.
It was clear he was enjoying this, and he didn’t have any sorry whatsoever about taking the house from them. He didn’t care if Jack was injured. She didn’t even think he would care if her husband was dead. He just wanted the money, and he was going to do anything to make sure that happened.
“But you can’t just take it—this isn’t fair! He didn’t do anything to deserve this!” Jane cried. She didn’t know why she felt so strongly about it, but at that moment, she felt as she did when her father lost all the money, and when both her parents told her that she was going to be forced to move West.
“My dear, you are a little young to understand such things, but I will have you know that when it comes to business, business is business. That means you have to play by the rules.” He walked around the room, looking at all the different pieces of furniture. “Yes, I believe this is going to settle the accounts.”
“Who is it?” The doctor asked as he stepped into the living room, and Jack called out from the bedroom that the banker had better not be in his house. “Yes, it is Mr. Rook!” Dr. Dobs said, and Jack shouted for the man to go into the bedroom to see him.
“If you will excuse me,” Mr. Rook said as he tipped his hat to Jane. She stood with a look of utter disbelief on her face as he walked past both her and the doctor and into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Jane rushed over to the doctor.
“He said he was going to take everything. He said there is a contract, some sort of agreement. Can he do that?” she asked. He looked at her with a sorrowful look in his eyes and sighed.
“You might be able to get another extension, but not much of one,” he said with a said tone to his voice. “Papers are binding, and everyone has to hold up their end of the bargain, or there truly is no point to having them.”
He waited a moment longer, then he tipped his hat and grabbed his bag before walking toward the door. When the banker reemerged from the room, Jane hurried over to him, desperate to help in any way she could.
“I’m sorry to barge in on you like that, but I am happy to tell you that it is settled.” He tried to walk past her, but Jane stood in front of him.
“Please, just give us a few more days. That’s all we ask,” she said.
“He said that you were leaving, and he’s going to sign over the house, there is no need for that,” the banker replied.
“Please! This time of year, can’t you please be a little more generous. I promise you, I will get you the money in just a few more days!” Jane cried. Mr. Rook looked at her with searching eyes, then he sighed.
“This is all unusual, but you are very young. All right, if you want a few more days, then you have until Wednesday to give me the rest of the money. That is the day before Thanksgiving, and I will have you know, that is something I would be very thankful for. Good day.” He didn’t wait to see if she would ag
ree to the terms, but tipped his hat to her as he had when he walked into the house in the first place.
He pushed his way rudely past her as he had done before, and walked out the door, seeing himself down the path to the road. She walked over to the doorway to make sure he really left, then she turned and hurried back to the bedroom. When she opened the door, she saw her husband with his head bound lying back on the bed with his eyes closed.
Jane didn’t know why, but she felt that same feeling rush through her that had happened when they had almost kissed, and she felt determined. He wasn’t going to lose the house.
Chapter 14
“It’s life, Jane. I don’t like it any more than you do, but there is nothing we can do. You should know this better than anyone, having to deal with your father’s gambling and loss of your inheritance. I knew something like this could happen, and I am willing to accept it.” Jack was sitting at the table, his head looking a lot better than it had a few days before.
He had been able to move around the house, but the doctor had given the strictest orders that he was to stay away from the other chores outdoor. Without him having to ask her, Jane had taken on the work herself, determined to pay this man back for the kindness he had shown her since she had come. Jane had felt that this was somehow her fault, and she wasn’t going to let him suffer for her mistakes.
“But you spent the money on me. You shouldn’t have purchased me that train ticket if you knew that this could happen!” she cried. Jack smiled and shook his head.
“Jane, I didn’t know that this was going to happen. I just knew that it could. I wanted you to be happy, and I was willing to do anything to make that happen. I knew how miserable you have been here, and I wanted to end that,” he explained. Jane felt a twinge of guilt run through her. Finding him on the barn floor as she had, she saw how easy it was to lose him, and she didn’t know if she felt the same way as she had before.