A Home for Her Heart

by Janet Lee Barton

  As they entered Heaton House and were greeted by the tantalizing aromas wafting in from the kitchen, tears sprung to Elizabeth’s eyes remembering several children they’d seen who were much too thin. Dear Lord, please help our articles serve to help those in the tenements. Please help us to find the owners of these buildings who have let them fall into such disrepair.

  “Are you all right, Elizabeth?” John asked, as she stood in the foyer, her head bowed.

  “I’m fine. Just thinking how blessed we are to have Heaton House to come to at the end of a day.”

  He nodded. “Yes, we are. I—”

  “Elizabeth and John, you’re back. Did you find out anything about who owns the buildings?” Kathleen hurried down the stairs, eager expectation on her face.

  “No,” John said. “It seems that the landlords of the buildings of disrepair don’t even want to live in them. The tenants see little to nothing of them unless they are collecting the rent. But don’t worry. We’re going to get to the bottom of it. We’re going to find out who owns these buildings.”

  “I’m so glad I asked you two to help with this. I was getting more discouraged by the day. But I know that between all of us, we’ll make a difference.”

  “I wish I had as much confidence in us as you do, Kathleen,” Elizabeth replied.

  Her friend put an arm around her shoulders. “I know it is difficult to see the bad conditions. But my family and I are proof that one doesn’t have to live in the tenements forever. And we’re going to do all we can to help those who can’t leave right now have better living conditions while we help to show them they can get out, too.”

  “My admiration for you and Colleen grows each day, Kathleen,” Elizabeth said. “And I’ll do all I can to help.”

  “So will I,” John added. “You’ve given us a challenge I don’t think either of us will back down from.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. I know you’ll both give it your best. Now let’s go freshen up for that delicious dinner Mrs. Heaton has in store for us. And maybe we can get some wedding planning in this evening, if you have time, Elizabeth? I’d like to go over to Colleen’s and get her input, too, if you don’t mind.”

  “I’ll make time, Kathleen. And I don’t mind going to Colleen’s at all. I haven’t seen her or those sweet nephews of yours in a while.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

  “And I’ll leave all that planning to you two ladies. See you both at dinner.” John grinned and took the staircase down to the ground floor while the two women headed up to their rooms.

  Helping Kathleen plan her wedding sounded wonderfully refreshing after spending the afternoon in the tenements. And Elizabeth could think of no one she’d rather help right now than Kathleen.

  * * *

  As it was still light after dinner, Elizabeth and Kathleen took the short walk to Colleen’s by themselves, with Luke promising to come get them if they weren’t home before dark.

  “Luke didn’t seem too upset by not having your company tonight,” Elizabeth said.

  Kathleen chuckled. “Well, he has a new deadline and he wants to get his book edits finished before the wedding, so it should be a little easier to have a planning session now and again.”

  Luke made his living as a dime novelist, but because of Kathleen and what her family had endured in the tenements, he’d written a novel that he wanted to bring light to the problems there and at the same time give hope that others could make it out as Kathleen and her family had. It was to be on the shelves before Thanksgiving.

  “I still can’t believe we’re getting married,” Kathleen said. “I never thought I could be this much in love or this happy.”

  Elizabeth was truly happy for her friend, but she was surprised by the sudden surge of longing to experience that kind of happiness for herself—even though she had no intention of letting herself fall in love again. She’d already experienced betrayal in her lifetime and she didn’t intend to let it happen again.

  “You deserve all the happiness you can get, Kathleen. You and Luke are perfect for each other.” And they were. Neither of them could ever be accused of marrying for any reason other than love. But for Elizabeth—there was no real way to know if that was the case. It wasn’t worth the heartache that came with finding out a man’s interest was only in her wealth and not her.

  “Thank you, Elizabeth. You deserve the same, you know. And it will happen one day. I’m sure of it.”

  Elizabeth only shrugged. She couldn’t go into how she felt, as Kathleen didn’t know who she really was—something that weighed on her mind more and more each day. This woman was her best friend. How would she feel if Elizabeth told her the truth? Would she feel betrayed?

  “How is it working with John? I hope I haven’t asked too much of you.... I know he can irritate you at times.”

  “So far it’s okay. And it is for a good cause so we’ll make it work.”

  “Thank you for agreeing to it, Elizabeth. I truly appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, let’s talk about your wedding. Have you decided on the wedding dress you want?”

  “I have narrowed it down to three. I wanted Colleen’s opinion on them also. Violet has offered to make it for me, isn’t that nice of her?”

  “It is. She is a wonderful seamstress and I’m sure Butterick is going to hate to lose her. Has she given notice, do you know?”

  “I think so. But she’s going to work a few more months until they can find someone to replace her.”

  “Mrs. Heaton is thrilled. To have her daughter back with a grandchild she didn’t know she had, and a new one on the way with Violet and Michael. I think I’m happiest of all for her.”

  “So am I.” Kathleen sighed. “I don’t know what Colleen and I would have done without her help and yours and the others at Heaton House.”

  “And it continues with you and Colleen. How is she liking being in charge of a Ladies’ Aide day-care home?”

  “She loves it. The boys love it. It’s been a blessing to be sure.”

  “And is Officer O’Malley still calling on her?”

  “He is. After all she’s been through it’s hard for me to believe she might trust another man with her heart, but it appears she might be ready to.”

  Elizabeth wondered how she could, too—Colleen’s husband had tried to kill her after all! But she hoped she would find happiness. “He seems to be a good man.”

  “He does. And Luke says he’ll treat her with care and won’t make a move until she’s ready, but it won’t surprise me if he asks her to marry him soon.”

  All this talk of marriage and love had Elizabeth wondering if she was going to make it through all the wedding planning. It left her with conflicting feelings—happy for her friends but longing for something she’d never have. She’d have to get over it. She’d promised Kathleen she’d help her in any way and she intended to keep that promise, no matter how much it brought long-buried dreams to life again. She sent up a silent prayer asking the Lord to give her peace about her future and she prayed to be able to concentrate on helping her friend.

  But she was more than a little relieved to arrive at Colleen’s. She’d let her boys stay up a little later so they could see their aunt Kathleen and their happiness at the change in their lives was contagious. So much so, that after they were put to bed and the women began their wedding planning, she found she could concentrate on Kathleen’s happiness and trust hers to the Lord.

  * * *

  When Luke came to escort them home, Elizabeth was more than a little surprised to find John with him. She figured he was hard at work on a new article.

  “Two escorts? What a pleasant surprise,” Kathleen said, taking her fiancé’s arm.

  “It’s such a nice night, we thought you two might like to stop at the Bailey’s So
da Shop before going home,” Luke said. “Sound good to you?”

  “It does,” Kathleen said.

  “What about you, Elizabeth? Want to have a soda?” John asked. “You deserve one after this afternoon.”

  “Yes, I think I would.”

  “Good.” He offered his arm to Elizabeth and she hesitated only a moment before taking it. She never used to think about taking his arm and wasn’t sure why she did now, or why her pulse began to race when she did.

  Luke and Kathleen had their heads close together, talking quietly as they took the lead.

  “Wonder what those two are whispering about?” John leaned his head down and whispered in her ear, causing her pulse to speed up.

  What was going on with her? This was John—a friend at most—and sometimes not. This was the man who thought her writing wasn’t as important as his own. Who irritated her as often as he made her laugh. “Any number of things, I would imagine,” she whispered back. “Did you get your article written?”

  “Not all of it. I think we’re going to do one a week to start with. Boss wants to see how it goes over. And since we have no names to investigate yet, that might be the best idea.”

  “I meant to give my film to Millicent and ask her to develop it for us. I’ll ask her when we get back to Heaton House, or first thing in the morning.”

  “That will be fine. I’m sure she’ll get to it as soon as she can.”

  “I just hope there’s something worth developing in them.” Elizabeth wasn’t even going to pretend she was as good a photographer as Millicent.

  “There will be.”

  She didn’t know why he was being so...nice. Maybe, like her, he realized working together would be easier if they weren’t always in competition with each other.

  “What are you two whispering about back there?” Luke asked.

  “Oh, this and that.” John chuckled. “We just didn’t want to disturb you two lovebirds’ conversation.”

  Luke seemed to pull Kathleen a little closer and smiled down at her. “Nice of you to be so considerate.”

  They’d reached the crowded soda shop and were glad to find one empty table. “If it’s this busy so early in the season, think what it’s going to be like midsummer,” John said, pulling out a chair for Elizabeth.

  The men asked what they wanted and went to the counter to order.

  “It was nice of the guys to think of this, wasn’t it?” Kathleen asked, watching Luke and John make their way to the counter.

  “It was.”

  “I’m glad John came along,” Kathleen said.

  Elizabeth wondered whose idea it was for him to come along. Not that it really mattered, but she thought it must have been Luke’s.

  “He doesn’t always have a chance to do fun things—or hasn’t up until lately. He’s not covering the society doings as much as he used to, is he?” Kathleen asked.

  “I don’t think so.” Which would be a good thing. Elizabeth always worried when she was with her aunt at one or another charity function that she might run into him and he’d find out who she really was. Although, lately she almost wished he would. It would force her to get things out in the open. If she weren’t so afraid of losing the friendship of those closest to her, she would have made a point to try to run into him.

  “Hopefully these articles he’s doing about the tenements will help get him a better position at the Tribune.”

  “So do I.” And she really did. She just didn’t always like that it seemed to be all he thought about.

  The men came back to the table just then and John set her chocolate soda down in front of her before taking his seat next to her. He’d bought the same for himself. Luke had bought a vanilla one for himself and a chocolate one for Kathleen.

  As they all took the first sip from their straws, a collective sigh was heard around the table.

  “Hmm, this is wonderful,” Elizabeth said. “Thank you, Luke, for thinking of this.”

  “Actually it was John’s idea,” Luke said.

  John shrugged. “I noticed it the other day and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I’m glad you ladies agreed to come with us.”

  Lately the man never failed to surprise her. One minute he was focused only on work and the next he did something like this that made her wonder once again if there was more to him than she knew. And why was he just now showing that side?

  * * *

  John couldn’t help but see the surprise on Elizabeth’s face when she found out this outing was his idea. Why did she seem so surprised? Probably because he rarely found time to enjoy himself. Since coming to New York City, he’d been so busy trying to get to the same status he’d enjoyed in Natchez that he’d had little time to do anything else.

  If he’d been able to give his editor as a reference, he more than likely wouldn’t have had to start at what he considered the bottom. But he’d feared the man would have given him a bad reference and he wouldn’t have found a job at all. At the time it’d seemed no reference was better than a bad one.

  And maybe it hadn’t all been for naught. At least he’d proved he was willing to cover anything—even the high society affairs of the city. He hated doing it, but he’d done his best at it and earned the respect of his superiors. Just today his boss had told him that he wouldn’t have to write for the society page much longer. The new guy was getting the hang of it and John would soon be moving into a regular reporter’s job.

  From there it was up to him and his writing how far up he’d go. John was almost certain that the articles he’d be doing about the run-down buildings in the tenements would get his byline on the front page one day. That was the goal. But now that it was in sight, he wondered what he was doing sitting in an ice cream parlor with friends instead of back at Heaton House working on the next article.

  But when Elizabeth got to the bottom of her soda and sipped the last bit through the straw, making an unladylike slurp, and then laughed at herself along with the others, he was very glad he was here and not hard at work.

  Chapter Six

  John’s laugh was deep and rich and Elizabeth wished he did it more often. She didn’t even mind being the cause of it.

  But she couldn’t resist saying, “Tickled your funny bone, did I?”

  He chuckled and nodded. “I never thought to hear that sound coming from you.”

  She grinned. “I do love a good soda.”

  “Well, so do I.” He took a last slurp of his soda as did Luke and Kathleen all at the same time and together the three of them managed to put hers to shame, causing much laughter at the surrounding tables.

  The four of them were still laughing as they left the establishment. Elizabeth stumbled on an uneven patch in the sidewalk and John reached out to steady her, pulling her hand through his arm. It was a beautiful early summer evening, and she liked seeing lights on in the homes they passed on their way back to Gramercy Park and Heaton House.

  “So, have you two decided where you’ll live once you’re married?” John asked.

  “We’ve begun looking at a few places. It’s going to be hard to leave Heaton House,” Luke said.

  “Yes, it will be. But we’re not going to lose touch with everyone. We’ll visit and have you all over,” Kathleen said.

  Somehow Elizabeth hadn’t thought about them actually leaving Heaton House, and happy as she was for them, she hated the thought of not having Kathleen right next door to her. They’d become good friends from the very first and things wouldn’t be the same with her gone.

  She sighed deeply and John leaned his head near. “You’re going to miss Kathleen, aren’t you?”

  “I am.”

  “I wonder who will take their places?”

  “I don’t know.” Elizabeth didn’t even want to think about it. She’d been close to Viol
et when she came and then she’d married Michael. But she considered Kathleen one of her dearest friends and she couldn’t see anyone taking her place. It’d be lonely without her there.

  “We’ve considered another boardinghouse that takes couples, but I think we’d like to have our own place,” Luke said. “But it won’t be far from Heaton House. It’s been home to both of us and we hope to be asked to Sunday dinner once in a while.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you will be. Mrs. Heaton considers us all her family,” Elizabeth suddenly felt better just saying the words. Even with her own daughter back in the fold, Mrs. Heaton cared about each and every one of her boarders. She’d be heartbroken if she didn’t keep in touch with them.

  There was no need to be anything but happy for Kathleen and Luke. Kathleen would still be her dearest friend and she’d see a lot of her, one way or another. No need to get all maudlin about her leaving.

  “We do need to decide on something, soon, though. It’s not all that long until the wedding, you know,” Kathleen said. “And, well, I’ve never had to decorate a home of my own before. Elizabeth, you will help me with that, won’t you? Luke keeps telling me I can fix it up the way I want, but—”

  “You’ll do fine,” Elizabeth hurried to assure her. “But I will be glad to help you in any way I can.”

  “Good,” Luke and Kathleen said at the same time and laughed at their timing.

  “I don’t want to be dragged from store to store,” Luke said.

  “I can understand that,” John said.

  “I truly will be happy with anything Kathleen chooses. Thank you for offering to help her, Elizabeth.”

  “Looks like we’re going to be busy from here to your wedding, and after, Kathleen,” Elizabeth said.

  “Will you still have time to work on the tenement articles?” John asked.

  “Oh, of course she will. I want her working on those,” Kathleen said. “I’m not going to take all her time, John. Don’t worry about that.”

  Elizabeth wasn’t sure if he worried about her part or not, but she wanted him to know she wasn’t going to back out. “Kathleen’s right, John. There’s no need to worry. I will manage things so I have time to work with you.”