Jewel

by Beverly Jenkins

He thought she was, too.

  After waving goodbye to Jake Adler, they walked back outside. Jewel, feeling as if she were glowing, asked, “Now where to? Home?”

  “Nope. Not yet. We have to get you something to wear besides your brothers’ hand-me-down underwear.”

  “Eli!” she whispered, scandalized that someone walking nearby may have overheard him.

  “Don’t Eli me. You’re a woman, Jewel.”

  Keeping her voice low, she defended herself. “Why should I waste a perfectly good undershirt? It isn’t right to throw them out just because they’re too small for the boys.”

  He shook his head and chuckled. “You have a husband now, Mrs. Grayson, and when he undresses you he doesn’t want to be reminded of your brothers.”

  The next shop was a short drive away. The storefront was whitewashed and the curly blue lettering on the sign read: Fine Women’s Clothing. Jewel didn’t want to know how he knew about this place.

  A bell over the door tinkled daintily to announce their entrance. Inside was a tasteful display of women’s day wear, shoes, and gowns. A tall well-dressed woman appeared from the rear of the store and her beautiful golden face lit up like Adler’s had at the sight of Eli. “Eli Grayson, what are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in a dog’s age?”

  “How are you, Sally?”

  “I’m well.” She seemed to notice Jewel for the first time. “And who is this gorgeous young woman?”

  “Sally Lyle. My wife, Jewel Grayson.”

  She blinked. “Your wife?”

  Jewel saw dismay flash across the woman’s eyes, but it vanished quickly and was hidden behind her smile. “I’m pleased to meet you, Jewel.”

  “Same here.”

  Sally turned back to Eli. “What can I help you with today, Eli, or did you just stop by to introduce Jewel?”

  “Jewel needs a trousseau.”

  “Really?” she asked with genuine interest. “Then let’s see what we can do. Eli, you go do something somewhere else and come back in an hour.”

  “What?”

  “Leave. This is women’s work.”

  “But—” He looked to Jewel who was a bit caught off guard herself.

  Sally waved. “Goodbye. She’s in good hands, I promise.”

  He stood for a moment as if torn, then finally acquiesced. “Okay.” He reached into his inner pocket and extracted some of the bills he’d withdrawn from the Grove bank that morning and handed them to Jewel. He saw her eyes widen at the large sum, so he cautioned with amusement, “No frugality allowed. Treat yourself.”

  Her stunned eyes raised to meet his.

  “I’ll be back later.” With a smile on his face he exited with a tinkling from the bell.

  Silence settled over the shop and Sally said, “I’ll bet Rona blew her bustle when she found out about the marriage.”

  Jewel looked up from the startling amount of money in her hand and, upon seeing Sally’s grin, decided she was going to like Sally Lyle after all.

  She followed Sally into one of the back rooms where the torso mannequins were outfitted in items obviously designed to catch a man’s interest. Gauzy, lacy camisoles, some so thin they ruffled when the awed Jewel walked by, were posed next to daring, nearly transparent nightgowns held together by tiny ribbons. Some of the gowns were long and flowing, others only waist high. Everything in sight was far finer than the plain cotton items folded neatly in her wardrobe drawers back home.

  “See anything you like?” Sally asked.

  Jewel glanced around at the sensual confections. She realized she was in over her head and wished she had Maddie or Viveca with her to help with selecting. “I’m not sure. To be honest, I don’t wear this sort of thing.”

  “It’s never too late to start. Will you let me guide you?”

  Jewel studied the kind angular face. “Sure.”

  With Sally’s help, Jewel soon had a small trove of gossamer items. Sally seemed to know what would fit best and what to overlook. Most of the selections left Jewel embarrassed at the thought of Eli seeing her in them, but she swallowed her discomfort and let Sally continue the choosing.

  Sally held up an ankle-length, long-sleeved gown made of black lace that Jewel couldn’t help but gawk at. It was made of silk, and there were no closures or fasteners. It was designed to hang loosely on the shoulders and the scalloped edged halves would gently billow with each step. Sally said, “If I may be so bold, your husband will adore this.”

  Jewel fingered the expensive fabric. “You think so?” She thought it was as beautiful as it was sensual.

  “I do.”

  Jewel turned her attention from the gown for a moment. “May I ask you a question?”

  Sally nodded and replied, “Yes, Eli and I were lovers. It was years ago and it didn’t last very long.”

  A bit floored that Sally had read her mind, Jewel asked. “How’d you know I—?”

  “I saw you watching my reaction when he introduced you as his wife. My mask slipped, didn’t it?”

  “Yes it did.”

  “It was quite a shock.”

  “Did you break it off or did he?” Jewel knew it was a nosy and personal question, but being Eli’s wife, she claimed the right to be nosy and personal. Sally didn’t have to answer if she didn’t want to.

  “I broke things off. I have a fairly high opinion of myself,” she admitted proudly, “and I don’t like to share.”

  Jewel responded with a quiet, “Good for you.”

  Sally’s eyes were sad but still sparkled with light. “I’m betting you aren’t the sharing type, either.”

  “No.”

  “I knew that the moment I looked into your eyes. And good for you, too.”

  “Thanks.”

  Sally folded the gown and laid it on the counter with the other choices Jewel had made and continued the conversation. “I was selfish enough and, yes, arrogant enough to believe I should have been enough for him, but he was of a different mind.” She paused for a moment and stared off unseeingly as if remembering the past. The silence lengthened until she said, “He’s a good man, though. Funny, attentive, generous. Not many women would have the fortitude to ask the questions you have.”

  “Not many women would have the graciousness to answer.” Jewel stuck out her hand, “Pax?”

  Sally nodded, her smile soft. She clasped Jewel’s hand in response. “Pax.”

  Jewel never thought she’d make peace with one of Eli’s old mistresses, but she had with Sally, and now, on the way home, packages filling up the boot in the buggy, she thought about the day. First a wedding ring and now a wealth of gowns that she might be too modest to wear. She’d made a conscious decision not to relay the conversation she’d had with Sally out of respect for Sally’s kindness and for the sadness Jewel sensed she carried. Eli didn’t need to know.

  She looked his way, taking in his sure hands holding the reins. Sally had described him as funny, attentive, and generous. Jewel could only agree. “Thank your for the purchases, but did you rob a bank?”

  The smoke-black eyes held hers. “I wondered when you’d bring that up.”

  “It’s not every day somebody fills my hands with so much money.”

  He told her about the visit from his mother and the whys and reasons surrounding his new-found wealth. “You’re married to a fairly wealthy man.”

  “Better than a fairly poor man, I suppose.”

  “Having been a fairly poor man as recently as yesterday, I can only agree.”

  Smiles met and they went back to enjoying the drive.

  Jewel kept thinking about Sally and wondered if after the divorce the memory of Eli would haunt her the way it seemed to haunt the other woman. Three days ago, had someone asked Jewel if she’d ever pine for Eli, she would have laughed in his or her face. Now she wasn’t sure. Being with him was enjoyable. He kept her on her toes with both his banter and potent kisses and she would be the first to admit that she now cared for him in a way that she hadn’t when she’d
been just plain old Jewel Crowley. Her fourteen-year-old self aside, what seemed to be blossoming inside now were the feelings of a grown woman for a man, and that was a bit unsettling, only because she didn’t want to give him her heart and maybe end up second-guessing her decision to go through with the divorce. However, she was honest enough to admit that a portion of her heart was already his. There wasn’t a woman born who could resist Eli’s charms—but she kept seeing Sally staring off into the distance. Jewel didn’t want to be that woman so she planned to keep the rest of her heart hidden away.

  “How did you and Sally get along?” he asked.

  “Fine. She has some beautiful things and I treated myself, just as you suggested.”

  “She’s an outstanding lady. She’s also a former mistress.” He looked her way. “You need to know that.”

  “Oh.”

  “She called it off when I wouldn’t agree to see her exclusively. I was real stupid back then.”

  Jewel’s soft chuckle fell between them. “Do tell.”

  “Yeah. Contrary to popular belief, my swelled head is much smaller now than it was in those days. I’m surprised I didn’t topple over myself.”

  He went silent as if he were remembering, too, then said, “I want you to know about my past so that you can’t be hurt by it.”

  The sweetness of his words was moving. “Fore-warned is forearmed?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Thank you, Eli.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  And as Jewel went back to admiring the country she felt another piece of her heart become his.

  Chapter 10

  As Jewel rode to church with Eli Sunday morning, she looked down at the gold band gleaming on her finger and smiled. She had no idea what being married was supposed to feel like, but for some reason she did. Maybe it had to do with the ring or with the fact that she and Eli were getting along so famously. Whatever the reason, she was content being Mrs. Eli Grayson.

  “This will be our first Sunday at church as man and wife,” he pointed out, interrupting her musing.

  “I know. I just hope we aren’t assaulted by a slew of impertinent questions. It would be very unchristian of me to have to shoot someone during the reverend’s sermon.”

  He flashed a smile. “Yes it would, so let’s hope everyone behaves themselves.” Eli was content, too. He was proud to be her husband. The rough patches that had plagued their union initially seemed to have smoothed over. Now they could concentrate on enjoying each other.

  The Grayson Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church was packed. Usually such crowds were reserved for the first Sunday of the month, but on this, the second in May, the small whitewashed church with its new steeple was filled to capacity and Jewel assumed they’d all come to see her and Eli.

  Seated up front in the Grayson-family pew beside Eli, Abigail, and Adam, she saw the smiles on the faces of people like Maddie, Miss Edna, and Vernon Stevenson. In contrast was the burning disapproval of people like Widow Moss and James Wilson and his family, but she forced herself to ignore them and concentrate on the reverend’s sermon.

  Before being married, Jewel’s seat in church had been on the Crowley pew with her brothers. Now that her status had changed she wasn’t sure she liked sitting so close to the pulpit. The reverend, although a fine man, wasn’t the best preacher. Known for being long-winded, he sometimes lost his place in the sermon and therefore had to preach longer in order to get back to the message he was originally trying to impart. In the past if her mind began to wander, her former seat in the middle of the church kept her from being overtly noticed, but up here on the Grayson pew she had to pay attention, or at least pretend to because not only could she be seen by the entire congregation, the reverend standing right above her could see her as well. However, that didn’t seem to deter her father. He habitually drifted off to sleep just as soon as the reverend began to speak. Gail countered by jabbing him in the side with her elbow, startling him awake as if silently reminding him that if she had to listen to the sermon, so did he.

  After the reverend finally wound down, the rest of the service seemed to go quickly, and a short while later, she and Eli and the rest of the congregation were out in the sunshine heading to their buggies and wagons for the drive to the Crowleys and the reception—everyone except the Widow Moss and a few others like the Wilsons, who got into their vehicles and drove off in the opposite direction.

  Jewel wasn’t sure how the reception would go. It was obvious that some of the attendees had come strictly to be nosy, like Mrs. Rumble, the former Sunday-school teacher, who stopped Jewel on the way to the food tables and asked, “Is it true you and Eli eloped in the middle of the night?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Jewel lied without batting an eye.

  But to Jewel’s surprise she had a good time. There were spitted pigs, fried chicken, lemonade, pies, and ice cream among the many food offerings. Children ran here and there playing tag, glad to be outside in the sunshine after being cooped up in church all morning. The men threw horseshoes and talked politics, while the women saw to the food, played croquet, and shared the latest news. During the first hour, Eli never left her side. The two of them went from group to group thanking folks for coming and graciously accepting congratulations on their marriage.

  Later, while he went to play a few rounds of horseshoes, she drifted through the celebration, pausing here and there to talk to family friends and neighbors. She spotted Abigail and Anna Red Bird seated under the shade of a big elm and waved to them as she walked by. The salacious gossip that had caused her marriage in the first place seemed to be a thing of the past, now that she was wearing Eli’s ring. The change in attitude didn’t make her feel any better about the sullying of her name, but because the day was so perfect, she chose not to dwell on it.

  She found Maddie dishing up ice cream.

  Maddie greeted her appearance with a smile. “Enjoying yourself?”

  “I am,” Jewel replied as she took a seat on the bench. Maddie stuck the big spoon in a pot holding water and sat down next to her.

  “That’s a fine ring.”

  Jewel looked down at it and nodded. “It is, isn’t it. Eli and I went to Niles yesterday to buy it.”

  “Still enjoying your lemonade?”

  “I am—more than I ever thought I would.”

  “Then I assume you’re going to be moving to his place sometime soon?”

  Jewel quieted. The thought had crossed her mind. “I was going to wait until the house was built, but I don’t really have to, do I?”

  “No, and it will make the marriage look more real, if you know what I mean.”

  “I do.” The idea of living with Eli made her a bit breathless even as it set off an uncertainty she wasn’t sure she could name.

  A few children ran over to Maddie and asked for ice cream. While Maddie set about the task, a still-pondering Jewel rose to her feet, gave Maddie a smile, and moved on.

  The wooden swings her father had built for her and her brothers during their childhood had been taken out of the barn and hung from sturdy branches. The children on them were happily swinging away while a line of their peers anxiously awaited their turns. She stood there for a moment remembering how much fun swinging had been when she was their age, then saw Creighton Wilson watching her from a short distance away. He nodded emotionlessly. Unsure about whether to approach him, she settled for nodding in return, then went to seek out Eli.

  He was at the horseshoe pit watching her father go against one of the Patterson twins, and when she walked up he smiled. “Hello, Mrs. Grayson. Would you like to accompany me to the punch table?”

  Her brother Noah called out. “Getting the pants beat off of you tends to make a man real thirsty.”

  The men laughed and Eli smiled.

  He and Jewel began to walk away and once they were out of earshot, he said, “Missed you.”

  Jewel’s heart pounded just as it did each time he told her that, and she didn�
�t know how to make it stop or whether she even wanted it to. “You’ll always know where I am.”

  He responded with a look so intense it seemed to reach into her soul. “As will you.”

  Jewel hooked her arm into his and let him escort her to the table.

  Doing duty at the punch table were Miss Edna and Lenore Wilson, daughter of James and sister of Creighton. Jewel and Lenore had been fast friends growing up and had shared a schoolgirl adoration of Eli. However, as they grew older, they drifted apart because Jewel was focused on keeping house for her father and brothers and Lenore was focused on gossip, fripperies, and landing a husband. She’d chased after every eligible bachelor in town including Jewel’s brother Noah, only to come away bitter and empty-handed.

  “You want punch, I suppose?” Lenore asked tightly.

  Miss Edna shot her a look.

  Jewel kept her tone light. “Yes, please.”

  Lenore splashed some of the liquid into two cups and handed them over. “I’d offer congratulations but it’s a sin to lie on Sundays. I heard what you did to get him.”

  Jewel shot back mildly, “Was this before or after Noah told half the town he wouldn’t marry you because he had boots more intelligent?”

  Eli spit punch.

  Miss Edna turned away and smiled.

  Lenore’s eyes blazed.

  Jewel’s were sardonic. “Thanks for making the punch, Miss Edna.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Ready, Eli?”

  “Oh, yes, ma’am.”

  As they threaded their way back across the crowded grounds, Jewel told him, “If I hear she’s spreading lies, she’s going to need new teeth.”

  An amused Eli put his arm around her waist and gave it a loving squeeze.

  The final event of the gathering was the jumping of the broom contest, a tradition made popular in the southern contraband camps during the war. Its origins were murky, but many people were convinced it had either African or Native roots because of the trickster element involved. The contest was to decide who would wear the pants in the family—the husband or the wife. It was all good-natured fun, but neither the bride nor the groom wanted to lose.