They reached city hall, where the church services were going to be held. Today the building held very little fanfare, nothing like the night of the dance. Today there were no banners and no tables with bowls of cider and sugar cookies. Only benches and a roughly hewn pulpit that were most likely brought out only once or twice a year when the preacher visited.
Mrs. Franklin arrived at nearly the same time with a middle-aged man at her side.
“Good morning, Mrs. Franklin,” Rosemary said, smiling at the elderly woman in her black silks and lace. The man stared at Rosemary, his eyes steady and curious.
Mrs. Franklin nudged him. “Stop staring, Dr. Richards.”
“I beg your pardon, miss.” He shook his head. “I’m afraid I haven’t seen a pair of identical twins before. It is truly remarkable, isn’t it? I knew your sister. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for her.”
Rosemary shook his hand. “Please don’t apologize for something you had no control over. I’m Rosemary Jackson. I’m so looking forward to the service today.” She offered Mrs. Franklin her arm as they entered through the open double doors.
The elderly woman handed Rosemary her cane and slid her hand through the proffered elbow. She gave a snort. “The preacher is nothing but a bag of wind. Hardly worth the Lord’s time for any of us to attend, but we do anyway because to a starving man even a bug can seem like a feast.”
Hiram Richards chortled at the woman’s assessment, and Rosemary hid her own smile. “Now, Mrs. Franklin,” the doctor said, “that’s uncharitable of you. Besides, we’re not listening to Reverend Myers. You were visiting the East the last time the preacher came. This is a new, younger man, Reverend Bishop.”
“Younger.” Mrs. Franklin heaved a sigh. “The whole world is going to young folks. Pretty soon there won’t be any place at all for someone my age.” She glanced at the doctor. “Or you either, my boy. You’re not so young anymore.”
Rosemary smiled at the doctor over Mrs. Franklin’s white head. “Where would you care to sit, ma’am?”
Mrs. Franklin scanned the seats and chose a row toward the back. “In case I have to get up to use the necessary. This fellow might be a windbag too, for all I know.”
Rosemary’s cheeks warmed as the doctor chuckled loud and heartily. A pair of dowagers on the front row turned and shot him a frown. After all, church should be somber, Rosemary supposed.
After getting Mrs. Franklin settled in, the doctor took a seat next to her. After setting the cane on the back of the bench in front on them, Rosemary realized she was standing alone next to the row of seats, looking conspicuous. “Well, young woman,” Mrs. Franklin said, “are you planning to sit or stand during service?”
Spying Agnes, Finn, and the children speaking with the reverend, she nodded toward Mrs. Franklin and the doctor. “If the two of you will excuse me, I’d best go and join my family.” She caught Mrs. Franklin’s eye and thought she detected a hint of displeasure that she wouldn’t be sitting with the elderly woman. “May I find you afterward during the picnic?”
Shrugging her silk-laden shoulders, Mrs. Franklin stared straight ahead. “I certainly am not your mother. You may do as you like.”
The doctor winked at her. “I, for one, would be thrilled to hear all about what it was like to grow up as a twin. I’ll be looking for you if you do not come to us.”
Gratitude flowed through her like the rush of water through a pump. “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll see you later.”
As she approached Agnes, she grew more concerned than ever. Her pale skin and pain-filled eyes meant she was ill. Rosemary moved discreetly to her side. “Agnes,” she said in her ear, “you are not well. It’s plain as day in your eyes. I think we ought to ask the doctor to take a look at you.”
Agnes handed over the baby but shook her head. “No, Rose. You must not pull the doctor avay from the service, please.” She motioned toward the back door. Rosemary followed her finger and saw Marta and Rolf. His hand encircled the girl’s arm, and she looked distressed. The next instant, they disappeared outside.
“What on earth?”
“He is very much vanting for Marta to marry with him today while the preacher is in town.”
“But that’s ridiculous. She’s much too young. Besides, they hardly know each other.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “And doesn’t Marta have more affection for Peter these days?”
“I am afraid so.” She slowly lowered herself onto the bench and reached for Sarah.
Rosemary shook her head. “I’ll take care of her. Why do you say you’re afraid so about Marta and Peter?”
“She should not trifle vith the affections of one and then the other. It is not kind.”
Trifle seemed a strong word for a young girl losing interest in one boy and becoming much more interested in another. It happened all the time without too much heartache. “I’ll go after them and make sure Marta gets in for service. I see the reverend making his way to the front.”
Finn raised his eyebrow in question as he walked toward their bench. “Where are you going?” he asked. “Service is about to begin.”
“Ask Agnes,” she said. “I’ll be right back. Here, take Sarah.”
Rosemary slipped through the back door and spied the pair almost instantly. Rolf still had a tight grip on the girl’s arm, and Marta winced with pain.
As if sensing Rosemary’s gaze, Rolf glanced her way and then began walking toward the lake that ran behind the town on that side of the street. Rosemary quickly closed the distance. “I will be taking her inside to her mother now, Rolf. Let her go.”
“You shall not.” Rolf’s knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on Marta’s arm. Marta winced and Rolf practically dragged her away from Rosemary.
Indignation shot through Rosemary, and she stomped forward. “Rolf! Come back here.”
He turned, anger flashing in his blue eyes, his hand still firmly clasped around Marta’s arm.
“I said, let her go—immediately.” She kept her voice low but firm, leaving no room for misunderstanding. She meant what she said.
But Rolf shook his head. “Marta vill be my wife. She vill not disobey me in this manner.” He sneered at Rosemary. “She vill behave as a voman should. Not like you, Fräulein. You haf poisoned her mind to me.”
Taken aback by the anger and contempt in his eyes, Rosemary pressed her hand to her stomach and gasped. In the months he had worked for her, she had never witnessed this sort of behavior from him. The only reason she could think of for his possessive attitude was jealousy. Didn’t he know that Marta preferred his younger brother? Where was Peter, anyway?
Rosemary knew she couldn’t allow him to intimidate her this way. He had no right to force Marta to do anything she didn’t choose to do. “Rolf, I must insist that you unhand Marta now.” She met Marta’s panicked gaze. “Marta, do you plan to marry Rolf?”
The girl’s lips trembled. “Mama says I must marry soon so that I am taken care of.”
Anger flashed through her at the thought of Agnes saying that to the girl. She supposed it had to do with Agnes’s own situation. But she should know that Marta was welcome at the homestead for as long as she wanted to stay.
“And she thinks Rolf is going to be the one to take care of you?”
Rosemary glared at the young man, for the first time not liking him at all.
Rolf sneered, but his expression remained proud and confident. “I take goot care of her vhen ve are married.”
“That won’t be for a long time, if at all.” Rosemary couldn’t believe they were even having this conversation. “And as long as you’re on my property, you’ll not treat Marta in this manner. Turn her loose immediately, or you will find yourself without a job and banned from ever setting foot on my land again. Try to see Marta then.”
Slowly, one finger at a time, he turned her loose. Marta rubbed the spot on her arm. He silently warned her with his eyes then said, “The preacher will not be here after the meeting. Peter vill not marry yo
u. He is too young and too stupid to take care of a voman.”
Marta jerked her head at his words. “Peter is not stupid. He is…very…smart and…wonderful. Don’t you say those things about him.”
Rolf shook with anger, and his hands balled into fists. Rosemary stepped in quickly. “Don’t even consider laying a hand on this child.”
Rolf stared hard at Marta. “Ve shall speak after vhile.”
He stomped away from the meeting, but Rosemary wasn’t as concerned about his soul as she was with Marta’s well-being. The girl melted against her and Rosemary held her while she cried. When she finally pulled back, Rosemary removed her lace handkerchief from the sleeve of her dark green gown and handed it to the girl.
“Has he treated you that way before, Marta?”
She averted her gaze, but not before Rosemary noticed her beautiful blue eyes filling with tears. “It’s okay. You don’t have to answer. Do you want to marry him? If he’s this rough with you now, in front of me, how will he treat you when the two of you are alone?”
Marta shuddered. “I do not know, Rosemary.”
“What is it that you want to do?”
Her eyes took on a dreamy look. “I would like to go to school and get a certificate to teach school. Peter says he would also like to be a teacher, but his papa says he must work to help the family.”
Delight filled Rosemary’s heart, and she couldn’t help letting out a big laugh. “You want to be a teacher?”
Mistaking her laughter for mockery, Marta ducked her head. “But I am marrying Rolf, of course.”
“No, you’re not, you silly girl. If you want to go to school, you certainly must go to school.”
“It is not possible.”
“Of course it is.” Rosemary winked at her. “Anything is possible. You just have to believe. It is even possible for you to marry Peter if you want to, if the two of you care for each other. I wouldn’t suggest it for today, of course. But, honey, you are not beholding to Rolf. And you are welcome to stay with me for as long as you want. Don’t get married because you feel there is no choice.”
“As you didn’t, Rosemary?” The girl’s eyes shone with admiration, and it was clear to Rosemary that Rolf resented her for the influence she wielded, unwitting or not.
Slipping her arm across Marta’s shoulders, she led her toward the building. “My situation is a little more complicated. Mr. Tate was in too much pain to consider a marriage to me when I first arrived or I would likely be his wife now, or at the very least be planning my wedding for today.”
“He did not wish to marry you?” She shook her head. “But he loves you so much. Even Mama says so.”
The girl’s words were like rain on a parched land. “Your mama said that?”
“It is so plain in the way he smiles at you and listens to the things you say as though they were sent from angels’ lips.”
“Gracious. Angels’ lips.” She chuckled. “We must be speaking of two different Mr. Tates.”
Marta giggled as they reached the door. “No, ma’am. There is only one Mr. Tate.”
She was certainly right about that. As they tiptoed into the hall, the congregation was standing for prayer. Finn turned, and as his eyes found her, he smiled, motioning to the seat next to him on the bench.
Shoulder to shoulder, they shared a hymn book. As loudly as her heart sang, Rosemary was surprised her voice didn’t overpower the congregation around her.
Chapter Nineteen
...........................
Finn kept a sharp eye on Clayton during the service, so much so that he had trouble staying focused on the preaching. He had no intention of allowing him to waylay Rosemary again like he had at the dance.
The parts of the message he heard he liked, and he sure hoped Clayton was paying more attention than he was. The topic appeared to be “love your neighbor as you love yourself” and included the command to not covet your neighbor’s land,” or something like that. Anyway, it seemed to be directed at Clayton, and Finn sure hoped the man had ears to hear.
The sermon went on for over an hour and a half. The temperature inside the building began to rise, and the baby grew fussy. Agnes reached for her and stood slowly, grabbing the bench in front of her for support, as though she were losing her footing. He reached for her. Rosemary leaned over. “Go with her, Finn. She won’t admit it, but she’s not feeling well.”
The reverend’s voice rose in volume to draw the congregation’s attention back to himself as Finn escorted Agnes and the baby out the front door. Thankfully, a breeze wafted over the little town, bringing relief from the stifling air inside. “Let’s go and sit next to the lake, where you can be comfortable, Agnes,” he said.
“You cannot sit vhile I feed the baby.” She sighed as though her strength was gone. “It is indecent.”
“I know. I’ll just help you over there and get you settled, and then I’ll wait for you to finish, okay?”
“Ja, okay.”
Finn would have given just about anything to take off his shoes and slip his bare feet into the cool water of the lake. He hadn’t worn these shoes since the last time the preacher came through, two months before Christmas. This past winter had been too harsh to allow the circuit preachers to make the rounds as often as usual. The tightness of his shoes was a testament to the fact that they were rarely used. His feet were in for a long day.
He walked away from the lake to give Agnes her privacy and leaned against the side of City Hall, realizing he had never seen the town so deserted. Of course, the only Sundays he’d come were meeting days, and no one would have been out and about on those days, for the most part. Which is probably why movement behind the sheriff’s office caught his eye. He shifted so he could see who the men were. It was Rolf and two of Clayton’s henchmen. Indignation welled up. Were they bullying him over his position as one of Rosemary’s men?
He shoved away from the wall and was about to go to the young man’s aid when he stopped short. One of the men laughed and clapped Rolf on the shoulder. The other handed him something that Rolf shoved into his pocket. Finn slid behind the next building, where he could watch without being discovered. Rolf walked away, head held high and unafraid. The two men went into the sheriff’s office through the back door.
Shaking inside, Finn tried to piece together what he’d just seen. It didn’t make sense that Rolf might be a traitor to Rosemary. She had been good to the boy and his family. If he had to bet on who was behind the barn fire, if indeed it was one of Rosemary’s men, he would have bet on Ian, Rolf’s uncle. The man was a good worker, but Finn didn’t like the way he eyed Rosemary. Leered was more like it. And he had chosen to stay in the bunkhouse today rather than come to church.
What if both men were working for Clayton? Had he bought them off? If so, what did that say about Peter?
Finn didn’t like the idea that Ian had remained on the homestead. He glanced at his horse, tethered to the hitching post in front of the city hall. On horseback, without the wagons to accompany him, it wouldn’t take him long to ride out there, check things out, and ride back to escort the ladies and children home.
But he dismissed the idea. The day was shaping up to be a hot one, and without any proof, he couldn’t do that to his horse. Besides, surely Ian wouldn’t be foolish enough to sabotage anything when everyone knew he was the only person on the property. He’d be fingered and convicted before he could defend himself.
No, he was going to stay in town and keep an eye on Clayton and his men and, most of all, make sure Rosemary and Sarah were protected. A man like Bart Clayton wasn’t above creating a little havoc on the Lord’s Day.
* * * * *
The service finally let out after two and a half long hours of sweating in the seats as the sun beat down on the roof, making the temperature inside feel like an oven. Rosemary gathered up Agnes’s children while holding a sleeping Gerta in her arms. The child’s angelic face rested on her shoulder, and Rosemary ached for one of her own. She sm
iled at Mrs. Franklin, who had slept through the last hour and a half of the sermon.
“Land sakes,” the elderly woman said, not bothering to keep her volume down. “We got us another windbag of a preacher.”
“Mrs. Franklin!” Rosemary said. “Don’t be unkind.”
“Me? He’s the one who kept us in this hot room like the three men in the fiery furnace. A man of God oughta have more compassion.”
Rosemary couldn’t help but glance around the room. Shock spread through her when she found the preacher, who was too close not to have heard and was laughing under his breath as he wiped perspiration from his face and neck. He met her gaze before she could look away, and Rosemary knew he’d heard the old woman—but, true to his message, he’d chosen to love her as he loved himself and laughed instead of being offended. She smiled at the preacher and made a note to invite him to share their lunch.
She spotted Finn walking toward them by himself. “Marta?” she said softly. “Will you please take Gerta while I go and find your mama?”
Finn reached them. “Finally over, huh?”
“Finally,” Afonso said, yanking on his tie.
“Finn, honestly. Don’t be a bad example.”
Obviously unaffected by her scolding, he grinned.
Rosemary turned to Marta. “Please take the children to the wagon and wait for me to come back. We’ll find a nice cool spot by the lake for lunch.”
“Agnes already has us a spot,” Finn said. “Don’t tell anyone, but we cheated and got lunch set out early. There was no sense coming back in after Agnes fed the baby.”
Though she gave him a scolding glance, Rosemary almost envied the two of them that extra hour away from the heat.
The doctor and Mrs. Franklin walked near them, presumably heading for the doctor’s buggy. Was he taking her home? Mrs. Franklin might have complained about the heat, but Rosemary had a feeling she would prefer to continue with the festivities rather than go to her house alone while the rest of the town lunched and played games.
Love Finds You in Wildrose, North Dakota Page 18