Hannah's Wishes

by Agnes Alexander

  Lulu turned the meat over in the pan. “No. Who you expecting anyway?”

  “I ain’t expecting nobody.”

  “Then quit asking about people coming around.” She wondered if she should ask him any more questions, but before she made up her mind, he spoke.

  “You like staying here, don’t you, old gal?”

  She whirled around. “Why you asking that? You ain’t gonna make me leave are you?”

  “No, I ain’t asking you to leave, but if’n the wrong person shows up here, you and me could both be looking for another place to stay.”

  She frowned. “Who’s that wrong person?”

  “You don’t need to know. Jest keep your eyes open. Don’t let nobody sneak in here that I don’t know about.”

  “Don’t worry yourself, Burl. I’ll tell you ’bout anybody who comes around.”

  “Good. Now, you got that meat done?”

  “It’ll be done in a minute. Want some taters with it?”

  “Might as well.” He picked up his coffee and took a long drink.

  Lulu poured the potatoes in a pan with some onions and salted and peppered them. As she stirred the concoction, she made up her mind that the next time he left for the woods she’d start searching this place. There had to be something around to give her a clue about what was going on. She might even find something that MacMichael man would give her another five dollars for.

  Soon, the food was ready. She made a plate for him, then decided since she’d lost her apple, she might as well eat, too. She made a second plate for herself and sat in the chair opposite him. Though she knew it would be the perfect time to pursue the questions with him, she didn’t know how to start the conversation. They ate the meal in silence.

  ♥♥♥

  The next morning, Jarrett decided his first stop would be the newspaper office. He walked through the front door and the smell of ink and paper accosted his nose. A man wearing a long white apron and with his sleeves rolled up looked over his wire rimmed glasses. He had a big, friendly smile on his face.

  “Hello, there, mister. How can I help you?”

  “I’m Jarrett MacMichael. I’m in Savannah on business, and I’d like to check some of your back issues to see how businesses have grown in the area in the past several years.”

  “Well, I’m Al, the typesetter, but the editor is out right now, so I guess that means I’m in charge. I don’t see any reason why you can’t look at all the old papers you want to.”

  “I appreciate that, Al.”

  “Then follow me. I’ll show you where we keep them stored. The shelves are labeled by the years.”

  “That’s great.”

  “I’d stay and help you, but I’ve got to finish up the set up for this week’s paper.”

  “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome and if you need any help, just yell.”

  “I’ll do that, and thank you again.”

  In a matter of minutes, Jarrett sat at a small table in the back room of the newspaper office with a stack of old papers. He busied himself looking through copies of old editions containing the stories and announcements about the deaths of Ella Carlton Hamilton and Hector Wedington. There was nothing unusual about Mrs. Hamilton’s death. She had been sick for some time, then she contracted a fever and died after a few days. She left three daughters, a husband and a sister. No one else was mentioned in the obituary.

  On the other hand, Wedington was mentioned in several stories other than his death. He was a prominent businessman and had influenced many of the happenings in the town, and even on the state level. Other than his political and business dealings, there were stories of his personal life. His marriage to Verbena Carlton not only had a half-page story, but there were several photographs of the couple at their lavish reception. He couldn’t help noticing Verbena was a lovely woman in her younger years. Other papers showed the couple at different charity events and social gatherings. It was when he found the write up of Hector Wedington’s accident that his interest was pricked. According to the story, the maid, Minerva Johnson, heard a loud crash and came running into the entry to find her boss crumpled at the bottom of the stairs. A scream brought Mrs. Wedington and the butler, Tobias Johnson. Tobias went for the doctor. Mrs. Wedington’s sister, Ella Hamilton, who was visiting, extended her stay to be with her sister and to help with her brother-in-law’s care. Though he was unconscious for several days, Mr. Wedington seemed to be improving. Then, after a restless night, he died in his sleep and was discovered by his wife the next morning.

  There was nothing unusual there. Jarrett then turned to the obituary, and after the first reading, his instincts began to niggle at him. He read the announcement again. It said Hector Wedington died in the early morning in his wife’s arms instead saying she found him dead.

  He knew reporters often embellished stories and it could simply mean the writer thought it sounded better to say the man died in his wife’s arms. Or, it could mean the first story writer didn’t bother to find out Verbena was with him when he died. It was too bad Verbena’s sister wasn’t here to ask. But there was someone he could question. He was sure Minerva and Tobias could shed some light on the story and would more than likely be willing to talk to him about it.

  Jotting down some notes, Jarrett folded the old papers and stood. Back in the front office, he thanked Al and hurried out of the newspaper office. Now, all he had to do was think of a reason to visit at the Wedington house, and while there, manage to talk with the Johnsons without Verbena getting suspicious.

  She’d invited him to lunch on Sunday. Maybe he’d go early. Verbena would surely be at church, and this would be the best time to talk with the help alone.

  ♥♥♥

  There was a knock on the bedroom door and Hannah stuffed the book she was reading for the fourth time under her mattress. Putting her hands in her lap, she said, “Come in.”

  Verbena stepped into the room. She had an envelope in her hand. “Tobias picked this up for you when he was in town this morning. It looks like your sister, Drina has finally written you a letter. It also looks like it’s taken a long time for the letter to get here.”

  Hannah’s eyes grew wide with excitement and she reached out her hand. “Oh, I can’t wait to read it. I’m so glad to hear from her.”

  “Calm down, Hannah. I think you should probably read this letter without thinking your sister is perfect. She could be just saying things to make you dissatisfied with your life here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you know you have a good home with me, and I do my best to see that you have what you need. I’m trying to look out for your future so you won’t get strange notions in your head.”

  Hannah frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “Just remember what I said.” Verbena handed her the letter, whirled around, and left the room.

  For a few minutes, Hannah stared at the door and wondered what her aunt was trying to tell her. It was confusing. Shaking her head, she put Verbena’s peculiar actions out of her mind and looked at the letter in her hand. She recognized Drina’s delicate script, but the letter was smudged and looked as if it had been mishandled.

  Turning it over, she gazed at the back of the envelope. Though there was no way to prove it, she couldn’t help wondering if the letter had been opened and resealed.

  Sighing, she opened the envelope and slid the letter out and began to read.

  My dear sister Hannah,

  I hope this letter finds you well. I am fine, except I miss you and Lydia more than I imagined that I would. I hope things work out so we can see each other again in the future.

  Since I promised to write you as soon as I could to let you know how things were going in Arizona, I decided to do it today.

  The handsome Aaron Wilcox and I were married on the day I arrived. I wore the beautiful dress you made me and everyone thought I looked lovely. Mr. Wilcox has a big ranch and the house is larger than I ever dreame
d it would be. Believe it or not, there is a housekeeper who does most of the cooking and the cleaning. At first, I was a little taken aback by her because she’s an Indian, but we have become good friends and she is very accommodating of me. Her name is Beulah Longfellow. Also, one of the older men on the ranch has become a friend. He is originally from Galveston and had been to Savannah when he was working as a sailor. His name is Seymour Andrews, but everyone calls him Salty because of his time at sea. He’s the kind of man we always wished our father had been.

  You can’t imagine how different the area is out here. There are some trees, but not as many, or few, as close together as those in Georgia. A lot of the land is barren with only stubby grass and bushes. The mountains are different, too. The nearest town to the ranch is Hatchet Springs. It’s nothing like Savannah. It’s such a small place that it wouldn’t even be called a town in Georgia. I’ve only been there once since my marriage, but the people seem nice.

  Please write me as soon as you can. I worry about you and your circumstances. I do wish things had been different so I could have brought you with me to Arizona. Please tell Aunt Verbena that I am glad I came west, and when you see Lydia, give her my love and tell her I’ll write her later.

  Your loving sister forever,

  Drina

  Hannah let the letter drop to her lap. It wasn’t a bad letter, but it was confusing. It sounded as if it was written shortly after Drina arrived in Arizona. Could this be the answer to the letter Lydia said she would write Drina and explain that Hannah hadn’t heard from their middle sister since she went west? No that wasn’t possible. There had to be another answer.

  And why hadn’t Drina said more about her husband? She only mentioned that he was handsome. There was no mention of whether they liked each other or not, or if they hated each other on sight. She didn’t say she was happy to be married to the man, or that she might one day fall in love with him. But maybe it wasn’t all bad for Drina in Arizona. She did say to tell Aunt Verbena she was glad she decided to go west.

  She then picked up the letter and looked at it again. The date Drina had jotted in the top corner jumped out at her. The letter had been written almost five months ago. Either the mail was awfully slow or this letter had arrived…and it had been kept from her.

  Hannah bit her lip. Because of the letter’s condition, she was sure it was the latter reason. She was sure of something else, too. From now on, she was going to have Minerva or Tobias mail her letters if she didn’t see Lydia to have her do it.

  ♥♥♥

  On Sunday before Verbena left for church she knocked on Hannah’s door.

  “Come in.”

  She pushed open the door. “I just wanted to remind you that Mr. MacMichael is coming for dinner at one. Make sure to put on your new dress. I don’t want you to look like a ragamuffin when he sees you this time.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I also told Tobias to bring you down a little early. I want you to be downstairs before my company gets here. I don’t want him thinking I make you stay in your room all the time.”

  Again, Hannah said, “Yes, ma’am.”

  Verbena nodded and closed the door. Smoothing her dress as she went down the stairs, she muttered. “I’ve got to have another new dress. This is the third time I’ve worn this one to church. I can’t have my friends thinking I’m wearing old clothes. I’ll manage somehow to get some material this week. Maybe something rose-colored this time. I’ve always thought rose looked good on me.”

  Tobias was waiting at the bottom of the steps. “Your carriage is ready, Miz Wedington. Shall I drive you to church?”

  “Not today, Tobias. I’ll drive myself. I want you here to bring Hannah down about twelve, or a few minutes after. I may be a little late, because Reverend Calhoun asked that the ladies on the decorating committee stay after the service.”

  “Yes, Miz Wedington. I’ll bring her down.”

  “I’ll be here in time to greet Mr. MacMichael when he arrives at one. Make sure Minerva knows he’s coming so she’ll prepare the special meal.”

  “I will, ma’am.”

  Verbena nodded and went out the front door. Tobias followed to help her into her buggy. After she was seated, she shook the reins over the horse’s rump and drove off without saying anything else to her butler.

  Though Verbena thought Tobias and Minerva were good servants, she never felt the need to thank them for anything they did for her. After all, she paid them what she thought was a decent wage, so there was no need for informality between them. She’d tried to teach this to Hannah, but the young girl insisted on saying ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ to the couple. Finally, Verbena had given up trying to change the girl’s habit. After all, she never left the house anymore, so nobody heard the remarks she made to the couple and wouldn’t think she was being too familiar with the servants.

  When she pulled the buggy to a stop near the hitching rail at church, Verbena noticed Reginald Phillips was already parked in his usual spot under the old gnarled oak tree. As she sat there, it crossed her mind that she could invite him to lunch, but she immediately rejected the idea. Hannah would be there and she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t bring up something about the girl getting married in front of everyone. Especially Jarrett MacMichael. He’d already said he knew Drina’s husband. She couldn’t have him telling tales to Hannah’s sister or to the cowboy she married.

  So engrossed was she in her thoughts, Verbena didn’t notice the couple behind her until a female voice said, “Good morning, Mrs. Wedington.”

  She whirled around to see Hilda Sawyer and her brother, Calvin walking toward her. “Good morning, to you, too.” She smiled at them.

  “I can help you a down from your buggy, Mrs. Wedington.”

  “Why thank you, Calvin. That’s quite gentlemanly of you.” She held out her hand to him and he took it. When Verbena was on the ground, he crooked his arm for her to take. She did.

  “Hilda tells me I should always be a gentleman around old women.”

  Hilda blushed and punched her brother with her elbow, but Verbena wasn’t offended. Like everyone else, she knew how muddled Calvin’s brain was. He was so childish he didn’t often think before he spoke.

  “Why’d you punch me, Hilda?”

  “Never mind.”

  He shrugged and continued to hold Verbena’s arm as they walked forward.

  Following them, Hilda said, “How’s your niece, Mrs. Wedington?”

  “She’s fine. As I’ve told you before, I’d like to bring her to church, but I’ve about given up trying to get her to come. She’s just too embarrassed with her crippled foot.”

  “Don’t see why,” Calvin said. “I’m sure nobody will make fun of her, but if they do, she can just ignore them. That’s what Hilda tells me to do when people say mean things about me.”

  “Hilda is right. You should always be proud of yourself, no matter what anyone says.”

  He grinned. “I like you, Mrs. Wedington. You’re always nice to me.”

  “I’m glad. Just for that, I’ll invite you and your sister to come by the house next week. I’m sure you might like to see if you could persuade my niece, Hannah, to come to church, and I have some things to discuss with your sister.”

  “Can we go see her today, Hilda?”

  “No, Calvin. We must wait until we’re invited.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t invite you today, but I’m having company for lunch. Why don’t you come the first of the week?” Verbena felt the marriage to Calvin was the divine the answer to her problem of getting Hannah married. She was almost positive Hilda felt the same way about Calvin. But she did need to talk to Hilda privately about it since time was getting close. She already knew Hilda would be happy to rid herself of such a burden as her brother. Most important of all, Hilda hadn’t said a word about Verbena paying her anything to cement the marriage.

  They reached the church door. “Do you want me to help you to your seat, Miz Wedington?”

>   “I think I can make it, Calvin.”

  “Okay. Hilda and me always sit in the back ’cause sometimes, I can’t sit still and she takes me out.”

  “I understand.”

  “If the preacher wouldn’t talk so long, I could be still.”

  “Calvin, Mrs. Wedington needs to get to her seat.”

  “Okay. Go on and sit down. I know you sit in the front and it takes an old person a long time to walk down the aisle.”

  “Thank you, Calvin.” She turned and added, “I’ll look forward to you coming to visit me next week, Hilda. There are some things I’d like to discuss with you concerning my niece and your brother. Maybe he and Hannah could become friends.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Wedington. I’ll look forward to the visit, too.”

  As she went down the aisle to her pew, Verbena was delighted with the way the plan had fallen into place today. Nothing could be better for her than getting Hannah married to this slow-thinking man. She knew that with his problems, Calvin would never complain about a wife who couldn’t walk like a normal man would. She just hoped Hilda wouldn’t nix the idea when she thought it through, but again, she didn’t think that would happen. Before she even came up with the plans for the marriage, she remembered Hilda dropping some hints at Bible study meetings that she wished there was something she could do for Calvin and his future. At the time, Verbena read between the words and figured Hilda was looking for a way to get rid of her brother. Now, both women thought the nuptials were a good idea.

  Verbena still had these thoughts on her mind when Reginald Phillips walked up, smiled and slid into the second row pew beside her. She returned his smile. Things were going to work out as they should. If she was careful, she could even bring Reginald in on her plan. She was sure he’d like the idea as much as she was beginning to.

  Chapter 11

  Jarrett arrived at the Wedington mansion an hour before time for Verbena to return from church. Tobias looked surprised when he opened the front door. “We didn’t expect you this soon, Mr. MacMichael. Minerva ain’t got dinner ready yet.”