A Home for Her Heart

by Janet Lee Barton

  They arrived at Heaton House to the smell of roast chicken, one of John’s favorite meals. He loved Sunday dinner at Mrs. Heaton’s. She often had her son, Michael, and his wife, Violet, over, and now with her daughter, Rebecca, and granddaughter, Jenny, added to the mix, John felt he and the other boarders were part of a large, loving family.

  Everyone hurried to wash up, take off their hats and in no time at all they’d gathered in the parlor in anticipation of Mrs. Heaton’s announcement that dinner was ready.

  Two more leaves and four more chairs had been added to the long table for the company. Michael and Violet sat adjacent to Mrs. Heaton on her left and Rebecca and her daughter sat across from them, leaving it easy for the boarders to figure out where their regular seats were. John pulled out Elizabeth’s chair for her and slid it in before taking his own beside her.

  “Will you say the blessing, Michael?” Mrs. Heaton asked.

  “I’ll be glad to, Mother. Please bow with me, everyone.”

  John bowed his head as his friend began.

  “Dear Lord, we thank You for this day and for the people gathered around this table. We ask You to guide us to live each day in the way You would have us do and we ask You to bless this food. It’s in Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.”

  Several “Amens” were added from around the table before the clink of silverware against china competed with mingled conversation. John smiled and settled back to enjoy his favorite meal.

  As Maida and Gretchen, twin sisters who worked for Mrs. Heaton, began serving, John’s mouth began to water. Besides the roast chicken, there were mashed potatoes and two kinds of gravies, creamed onions and peas, carrots and crusty rolls—all favorites of his. It seemed everything served at Heaton House had become a favorite of his.

  Elizabeth nudged his arm and nodded toward Jenny, who was thoroughly enjoying her mashed potatoes. “Looks like everyone has a favorite tonight.”

  John grinned. The little girl had added another level of family feel to Heaton House. “She is enjoying herself, isn’t she?”

  He took the basket of rolls she handed to him and placed one on his plate before handing it off to Matthew Sterling, one of the newer boarders. He was a builder helping to put up one of the tallest buildings in the city.

  “Thank you, John.”

  “You’re welcome. How is work going on your building?”

  He grinned. “It’s getting taller every day.”

  “I don’t know how you work up that high,” Millicent said from across the table. “The very thought makes me queasy.”

  “Oh, I love it. The view is worth it. You can see the whole city from up there.”

  “I’d love to take photos from up there,” Millicent said.

  Matthew shook his head. “It’s much too dangerous for women up there.”

  “Maybe you can go up in the elevator once it’s finished, Millicent,” Elizabeth said.

  “I don’t think it would be quite the same as getting shots with it in this stage,” Millicent said.

  “It wouldn’t,” Matt said.

  John wondered if Matt was trying to irritate Millicent on purpose and then realized he often tried to get a rise out of Elizabeth in the same way. He hoped he didn’t sound quite as sharp as Matt did. What was it about a woman that made a man want to ruffle her feathers? Maybe Matt didn’t understand women any better than John did. Maybe it wasn’t just him after all.

  For now, he set about enjoying his meal and the conversations going on around him. Elizabeth and Kathleen were talking about wedding plans and he could hear Ben asking Rebecca if she was looking forward to living at Heaton House.

  “I am. It will be good to get settled, although we’ve loved staying with Michael and Violet. However...” She broke off and looked at her brother.

  As if planned, Michael stood and clinked his goblet with a spoon.

  The table quickly quieted. “If I can have your attention, I have an announcement to make.”

  “Oh? What is it, son?” Mrs. Heaton asked.

  Michael looked down at his wife and grasped the hand she held out to him. “Violet and I have an extra surprise for you. We’re going to start a family. Our baby is due around Christmas.”

  Mrs. Heaton was on her feet in a flash as everyone clapped and congratulated Michael and Violet. With tears in her eyes, she hugged her daughter-in-law and son. “Oh, Michael, Violet, that is wonderful news.”

  “I almost gave it away, didn’t I? I was about to say you’d have a full house soon,” Rebecca said, a huge smile on her face. She leaned over and gave Jenny a hug. “You’ll have a little cousin to play with before long, Jenny!”

  Jenny clapped her hands as if she knew what her mother was talking about and Mrs. Heaton wiped her eyes and headed back to her seat to hug Rebecca and Jenny. “How blessed I am to be getting two grandchildren in less than a year. I don’t know what to say except thank You, Lord.”

  The joy on her face had John clearing his throat as several of the women wiped their eyes. John wished he could excuse himself. All of this emotion was something he wasn’t comfortable with. He was happy for everyone, especially Mrs. Heaton. She deserved all the happiness she was experiencing now. But the talk of weddings and starting families brought thoughts to mind he wanted to forget.

  * * *

  The next morning, Elizabeth watched her boss look over the photos she’d brought in and waited for his reaction to the ideas she’d told him about.

  Mr. Dwyer laid the last photo on top of the others and looked over at her with a smile. “I’m very impressed with all this, Elizabeth. I like your ideas about doing a series of articles, too. In fact, I wish we were a daily publication so that we could get more information out about the condition of the tenements.”

  “I’m so glad you want a series. What about the photographs? Do you want to use any of them?”

  “I do. I’d like to run a two-page spread, at least for this one. And I’d like you to continue to stress the need for the child-care homes in the city as you did in the first article we published about the tenements.”

  “I’ll be more than happy to. I’ll get the first draft to you this week.”

  Mr. Dwyer smiled. “I look forward to reading it.”

  For the rest of the morning, Elizabeth worked on the article and tried hard not to watch the clock. Excited as she was about her boss’s response to her ideas, it was hard not to think about meeting John for lunch. She was ready and waiting for him in the foyer of the Delineator’s office building ten minutes early.

  She looked at the clock just over the receptionist’s desk. It was 11:55 a.m. now. John should be showing up anytime. Elizabeth still wasn’t sure what to make of his suggestion that they go back to the tenements today. She was pretty sure he wasn’t any happier about working with her than she was about working with him. At first. But now she couldn’t deny that she was looking forward to spending more time with him, although she wasn’t sure why. She’d like to do some more investigating, too, and at least this way, they would both have the same information to work with.

  At exactly noon, John breezed through the doors and grinned when he spotted her.

  “I knew you’d be ready. Out of all the women at Heaton House, you are the most punctual one.”

  “And you’re right on time, too. I truly don’t like to keep people waiting, but it was also taught to me that it was bad manners to do so from an early age.”

  “Well, I’m glad. Are you ready for lunch? I’m starving.”

  He crooked his arm for her to take and Elizabeth never thought much about it. He and the other men from Heaton House always did the same thing when escorting any of the women. It didn’t mean anything. Only suddenly it had her remembering how it’d felt that day she’d barreled into him and he’d reached out to steady her in such a protectiv
e way. She gave a little shake to her head to clear her mind of the thought. “Where are we going?”

  “There’s a little café not far from here. I’ve eaten at it several times. It’s got a good mix of men and women who come in to eat and I thought you might be more comfortable there than some of the places I usually eat lunch at. They mostly cater to reporters.”

  And obviously he didn’t consider her a real reporter. Her stuff was fluff, after all. She felt her face begin to flush. “I see. And you don’t think—”

  “Elizabeth, don’t even finish the thought.” John stopped them in their tracks and turned her to look at him. “I didn’t think either of us would want other reporters to overhear what we’re working on. My boss is very enthused about doing a series of articles and, obviously, since you were able to meet me, your editor likes the idea, too.”

  Elizabeth felt a flush of embarrassment flood her cheeks. Why was it she always assumed he thought the worst of her? “You’re right. Of course I don’t want any other reporters overhearing us. And yes, Mr. Dwyer likes the idea very much. He even wishes we were a daily publication.”

  “That’s wonderful. Did you bring your camera with you, by any chance?” John asked. “Just in case we need more pictures?”

  “I did bring it. Mr. Dwyer wants to use the photos I brought in, so that will be some income for Millicent. He was quite complimentary about her talent. I thought you might have asked her to come along today, as well.”

  “She took so many good ones that I didn’t think about needing any more right away. But I’m glad you brought your camera, just in case we run into anything we feel we need a photo of.”

  Elizabeth was glad she’d brought it, too. But she did feel bad that she hadn’t made a point to ask if they should bring Millicent along, too—or that she hadn’t mentioned it to the other girl on her own.

  They took off again and walked the few blocks to the café John had in mind. It was busy this time of day, but they managed to find a table near the back of the room. A waitress hurried up to them, set water on their table and handed them a handwritten menu.

  “The menu changes every day, but I’ve had most of what’s here. The roast beef sandwiches are very good, if a little messy. And the turtle soup is great.”

  Elizabeth chose the soup and John decided on the sandwich. The waitress took their order and while they waited, John handed her a new address Kathleen had given him that morning.

  “Maybe we can go to this one and the one we didn’t get to the other day and see what we can find out. Kathleen says they are both in bad shape and the landlords are rarely there. Hopefully we can get some answers from the tenants without them being afraid of talking to us.”

  “I hope so. We need one or two who are willing to give us the truth about the conditions they’re living in. I know it’s not always easy for people to reveal what they know when they’re afraid of the consequences if they are found out. But I don’t know how we are going to be able to help any of them, if no one tells us who owns the buildings.”

  “We’ll discover who does. It will just take longer if we don’t get the information from someone on the premises. I’ll have to go to city hall and do some research. It’s long and tedious work and sometimes people have been paid to hide records. But we’ll unearth the owner.” John seemed determined and excited all at once.

  “I hope so.” She also hoped he’d share his findings with her. “I’ve never had to do that kind of research.”

  “And you don’t have to now. I’ll do it and let you know what I learn.”

  “Why, thank you, John.”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “Do I? I didn’t mean to.” Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief that she was able to tell the truth, even though she did wonder if he really would share his findings with her. Then she felt bad for doubting that he would. He might not like working with her, and it might be his career he was thinking about, but he usually kept his word and she truly had no reason to doubt that he wouldn’t do so now. “I imagine it’s a lot of work.”

  John shrugged. “It can be. But sometimes the only way to find the truth is to dig for it and that’s just part of a reporter’s job.”

  Elizabeth’s heart did a little twist as she once again regretted hiding her true identity from John and the other boarders. Was it time to tell them?

  The waitress brought their order just then and Elizabeth was glad for the interruption. She wasn’t ready to make that decision just yet. The thought of disappointing those she cared about was something she didn’t want to face, but she knew the time was coming that she’d have to—just not today.

  Chapter Five

  John wondered at the look in Elizabeth’s eyes just as the waitress brought their meal. Not for the first time, he had a feeling there was more to the woman sitting across from him than what he knew.

  There was something about her that set her apart from everyone else, even as she was the same—working for a living and making a life for herself in this huge city.

  But what about the aunt she visited so often? And what kind of life did Elizabeth live when she visited her? All he really knew about Elizabeth was what he saw at Heaton House. He did know that she was from Boston, but many young women from other places came to the city to work. That wasn’t unusual.

  “This turtle soup is delicious, John. Thanks for recommending it.”

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  She nodded. “It was a favorite of my mother’s, too. I remember having it quite often before she passed away. Funny how some memories stay with you, isn’t it?”

  “It is. I don’t have many of my mother, though. I was only five when she passed. I don’t remember special meals or anything like that. Just the warm feeling I have thinking about her reading to me, listening to my prayers and tucking me into bed at night.”

  “Oh, John, I’m so sorry you lost her so young.”

  “Thank you. There is a certain scent I connect with her, too”

  “Oh? Some kind of toilet water? Lavender, maybe?”

  He shook his head. “No. It’s more like a combination of lilac and...now, don’t laugh, but baking bread. Either one triggers what few memories I have.”

  The look in Elizabeth’s eyes softened and she smiled, but she didn’t laugh. “I love the scent of lilacs. We had several bushes around our house in Boston and Mother always filled vases with them in the spring.”

  “How old were you when your mother passed away?” John asked, and then regretted doing so as the expression in Elizabeth’s eyes saddened.

  “I was twelve.”

  “That had to be tough.” He reached across the table and touched her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up sad memories. I shouldn’t have asked.” As usual his timing was awful.

  She pulled her hand back and shook her head. “No need to be sorry. I love remembering her. I just wished I had her longer, but you... I wish you’d had your mother longer, too.”

  It saddened John that they’d both suffered similar losses. At the same time, knowing that they’d both experienced the same kind of pain seemed to have created a bond of sorts—at least for him. Was it possible Elizabeth felt the same way?

  * * *

  By the time Elizabeth and John started back to Heaton House, they were both frustrated. Even on a Monday afternoon, the managers of both buildings they checked into were nowhere to be found and the tenants they were able to speak to didn’t know who owned the buildings.

  The conditions in both were every bit as bad—if not worse—than the building they saw on Saturday. Rickety staircases, no air ventilation, filth built up in the corners—one could see which tenants tried to keep their places clean—but there seemed to be no care of the area the landlord would be responsible for. Elizabeth took photos of it all, but was sure none of them w
ould be the same quality of Millicent’s.

  When she mentioned as much to John, he shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I just realized we need to have proof of the condition of the buildings when we find the owners. If they don’t do anything once they are notified, the city will need proof to go into action.”

  “That’s true.”

  “I’m sure whatever you have will be fine. We just need to keep good records as to which buildings the photos come from, no matter who takes them.”

  “If you’re going to do the research on who owns the buildings, I can at least keep a record of where the photos were taken.”

  John surprised her by agreeing readily. “Sounds like a good idea to me.”

  “I’m still having trouble with what some of the tenants told us about hardly ever seeing the managers except during the week the rent is due.”

  “I know. Even though they have apartments in the building, I wonder if they live somewhere else.”

  “Which means there is no one in charge, if a fire breaks out or something else awful happens,” Elizabeth said, her heart heavy just thinking of the squalor the children lived in—playing in trash-filled streets, dark stairwells and hallways.

  Her long sigh must have alerted John to her feelings as they got off the trolley and began walking down the clean streets of Gramercy Park. “I know. It’s hard to accept that people have to live in those conditions.”

  “It’s awful. It breaks my heart to see children trying to make the best of things.”

  “I don’t think they know any better.”

  “To be born there and never leave— Oh, John! Hopefully our articles will do some good.”

  “I think they will.”

  “Oh, I do hope so.” Seeing the surroundings so many lived in made her feel guilty for being born into a well-to-do family. She’d never had to worry about a roof over her head, much less the condition of it. Never had to worry about dust building up anywhere for that matter. And she’d never had to wonder about having enough to eat.