“I am so happy to have a day away from lessons,” Militine exclaimed as they took up their shawls by the front door. “I would work at just about anything else.”
“Surely your lessons aren’t that arduous,” Kolbein said, joining them. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear.”
Militine Scott smiled. “I don’t mind. The lessons aren’t so arduous. Well, the French is. I don’t think I’m meant to speak another language. But the constant messes I make are most arduous. She understands.” She looked to Abrianna. “Don’t you?”
“I do indeed. However, I know it’s best that we discuss such matters on our way. Aunt Miriam may reconsider our excursion as she ponders yet another murder in the area.”
“I just heard about that,” Kolbein said. “Did you know him?”
“No. He was much younger than the old men I care for,” Abrianna said as they headed downstairs and out of the building. “And a wee bit old to be considered an orphan boy. Even so, it’s a terrible thing. Aunt Miriam is finally considering concluding her work as a matchmaker in order to move us elsewhere.”
“I’m certain she will need some solid legal advice,” Kolbein said, thoughtfully. “That’s another reason I came today. I wanted to let you know that I’ve accepted a position with a local law firm.”
“You’re moving here?” Abrianna asked, unable to contain her excitement. “Lenore will be so happy.”
Kolbein raised a brow and laughed. “Only Lenore? And here I thought we were friends.”
“Well, she’s the only one who matters in this,” Abrianna assured him. “She wants very much to . . . to know you better.”
“And I hope to give her that opportunity. However, I won’t close out my house in Chicago just yet. I will find a place to rent here or continue living at the hotel until I am able to locate Greta. After that, I will decide what to do.”
Abrianna took them down one street and then another. There were a great many people moving about the town, and the streets were filled with carriages, wagons, and horses. At the overbearing smell of sewage, Abrianna thought that the sewers were backed up once again, just as her aunts had predicted.
Within half an hour, Abrianna managed to locate the boys. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of them, all wearing “new” shoes. She handed Toby the flour sack of food. “Just keep it. I’m sure we have plenty. Aunt Miriam has us turning the sacks into dish towels, so there must be an abundance. Of course, it could be that we’ve simply worn the others out and are in true need of dish towels, but that really doesn’t affect you, does it?” She paused and collected her thoughts.
“There’s another, more pressing, reason we’ve come today. News most grave.”
Toby handed the sack back to one of the other boys. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s been another murder near our building.”
“Murders happen all the time,” Toby said, shrugging. “Especially in Skid Road.”
“Yes, but we aren’t in Skid Road,” Abrianna countered. “We’re close to the docks, true enough, but our location was, until late, a very decent area of businesses. Now my aunts are considering selling the building and moving us to a small house on the hill.”
Toby looked at the other boys. “Well, if you’re worried about us, don’t be. We can defend ourselves, and we all just got jobs.”
“Jobs? Truly?” Abrianna asked.
“What kind of job, boys?” Kolbein asked. “Nothing illegal, I hope.”
Toby still appeared uncertain of Kolbein. “No, sir, nothing illegal. We’re cleaning up at the theatre. It’s the one over by Marley’s Hotel and that bunch of eating places on the north side. Owner has a new troupe in and said he’d pay us each twenty cents a week to come in and clean up after the shows.” The other boys nodded.
“And he said that if we didn’t make trouble, he’d let us sleep in the room where they keep the things they use in the play,” eleven-year-old Bobby declared.
Toby nodded in affirmation. “It’s like God is answering your prayers, Miss Abrianna.”
“God is good to do that,” she replied. “I’m so glad that you boys have somewhere safe to stay at night. I worried about you, what with a killer loose on the streets.”
Toby smiled. “Like I said—we can take care of ourselves.” He turned toward Kolbein. “We been askin’ around about your sister. Lookin’ for her, too.”
“I appreciate that.” Kolbein’s expression betrayed his worry. “Have you had any leads?”
“Not a one,” Toby said. “But we’re gonna keep lookin’.”
“Thank you. I really am grateful.”
They didn’t stick around long to chat, and Abrianna felt a sense of relief as they turned their attention to looking for Greta.
“I’m so glad God is watching out for them. They’re only a few of the many who need homes and help.”
“You can’t save the world, Abrianna,” Militine said, squeezing her arm. “But I do so admire that you are able to care for even these few.”
“One day,” Abrianna said, “perhaps I will have a place with nothing but beds and a kitchen. Oh, and bathing facilities, of course, and maybe a place for reading. And an infirmary where a doctor can come and treat injuries and sickness. One day I would like to have a place where I can feed as many as are hungry and then let them bed down for the night in safety.”
“You have a big heart, Abrianna,” Kolbein interjected, “but that’s hardly acceptable work for a woman. Especially a single young woman.”
“So everyone tells me, but I feel it is God’s calling on my life. I am here to help the poor, just as I was helped.”
“But how will you finance such an endeavor?” he asked.
Abrianna smiled. “That’s the easy part. God will provide what we need. I just have to be willing to work.”
“Speaking of God,” Kolbein said with a grin, “I had a long talk with that friend of yours, Wade, and I finally feel that I am able to pray and God will hear me. I needed to make things right with Him, and Wade helped me see how to do it.”
Abrianna clapped her hands. “I’m so happy for you. I know that must be a tremendous weight off your shoulders. Or maybe your soul.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, does it? I’m sure it was a great relief, either way.”
He laughed. “Indeed it was.”
“I don’t know what God’s calling is on my life,” Militine said, as if Kolbein hadn’t said anything at all. “Do you suppose everyone gets a calling? I don’t know if God even remembers I’m here.”
“Of course, Militine,” Abrianna replied, surprised by the young woman’s question. “God has a calling for each and every person. It starts with our honoring Him and listening to His direction. After that, who can say where God will lead. I once heard the pastor say that God put a calling on his life to dig for the railroad back east. He said he was able to share the gospel with many an anguished soul.” She put her hand to her breast. “I marveled at that. Just imagine having all those rough and rowdy railroad workers listening to the Word of God and changing their lives. I can’t help but think it would make their hard labors seem much easier. Don’t you?” She looked to Kolbein.
“I don’t know that anything could make railroad work easy, but I’m certain they were relieved to have their consciences clear before the Lord, just as I am.”
Abrianna nodded thoughtfully. “As am I.” She smiled at Kolbein. “I’m so glad you have made peace with God. It will make things much easier for us now.”
“Why do you say that?”
She shrugged. “Now God will hear prayers from both of us. . . . Well, I know we won’t be the only ones praying. Goodness, but Aunt Selma announced it at church the other day when the pastor asked for prayer requests. I imagine there are hundreds of people praying by now. But I digress.” She looked to his smiling face. “I just know that having you pray, as well, will make things easier.”
“Things?” Kolbein asked. “You sound like there is somet
hing we should be praying for besides Greta’s return.”
“Well, there is Lenore’s safe return.”
His expression looked as if he’d just realized the answer to a puzzle. “I will most assuredly pray for that. Have you heard anything more about their return?”
“No, but I expect they will arrive soon. Lenore’s father has businesses to run. I wouldn’t think it prudent to stay away.”
“No, it wouldn’t be wise,” he admitted.
“You know, her parents want Lenore to marry soon.” Abrianna paused, wondering if she’d been too bold. “I suppose they worry about her being an old maid, but I hardly think that’s possible.”
“Neither do I.” He looked both uncomfortable and yet somewhat eager to hear more.
Abrianna shrugged. “I think if the right man asks, Lenore would probably say yes.” There, she thought. I’ve made her need quite clear.
Priam Welby took the delicate china cup and saucer offered him and nodded approval at the coffee he was served. The old women certainly knew how to make a good cup of coffee and how to cook. He had never eaten so well as when attending one of the receptions. Even though it wasn’t a full meal by any means, there was every imaginable type of finger food available—all homemade by Mrs. Madison and her young ladies.
Abrianna Cunningham approached him looking quite wary. He would have laughed had she not been a serious part of his plan. She had dressed in a salmon-colored gown trimmed in a sheer white fabric. It was quite fetching on her and one of the latest styles.
“You look beautiful. That color suits you well.”
Abrianna nodded. “Thank you. Aunt Miriam said as much—regarding the color, of course.” She seemed nervous, and Priam knew it was important to put her at ease.
Abrianna stared off toward the other reception attendees. She seemed most determined to avoid his gaze. She was always quite opinionated, so perhaps he should speak his mind and clear the air between them. “You don’t like me, do you?”
Her eyes widened at this. “I never said that.”
He chuckled and sipped his coffee. Putting the cup back on the saucer, he shook his head. “You don’t have to. I can see it in your eyes.”
“Maybe you just see my frustration at having to be here, but it’s not got much to do with you.” She frowned and seemed to reconsider her words. “I hope that didn’t sound offensive. What I’m trying to say is that it wouldn’t matter if it were you or someone else. I have no desire to be here.”
“Don’t you plan to court and take a husband?”
“No. I have a calling on my life to do work amongst the poor. I doubt a husband would allow for that.”
Priam cocked his head to one side. “Why would you think that? My heart is quite burdened for the indigent. I was once among their number until I managed to work my way out. Their needs are many, and Seattle has more than its fair share of the impoverished.”
“It’s true,” Abrianna replied, “and I apologize, as I did not know your heart was burdened. Most people pass right by the poor and think nothing more of their plight.”
He nodded. “I have seen the same. I think I would very much admire a wife who wanted to see to the betterment of such folks.”
“Perhaps you would agree to have her sit in a committee formed to address the matter,” Abrianna replied. “Dressed in fine clothes and acting socially acceptable with other women who also felt burdened for the poor, but who wanted nothing to do with them physically.”
“I’m not sure I understand. Do you mean that you would want to work amongst the poor?”
“Yes. Why not? I’m not afraid of hard work nor of getting my hands dirty, if need be. I’m not all that good at sewing and cooking, as a wife ought to be, but I’m very good at soliciting donations for the poor and organizing their distribution.”
“And this is the kind of thing you, how did you say it, feel called to?”
“It is,” Abrianna replied. “They need someone to fight for them—someone to care. God has given me that job, and I take it seriously. So you see, Mr. Welby, it has nothing at all to do with you.”
“I suppose I should be relieved,” he said, grinning. “I feared I had lost my charm.”
She looked him in the eye at this comment. “No. You are a most charming man, and as Aunt Miriam pointed out, you are handsome and well tailored.”
He nearly burst out laughing. “You needed your aunt to point out that I was handsome. Do you not think me handsome?”
Abrianna looked stunned by his openness. Good, he thought, let her take a dose of her own medicine. However, he wasn’t prepared for her reply.
“I suppose there are those who would think that you’re handsome,” she began. “Perhaps someone closer to your own age. I’ve never really cared for eyes as dark as yours, and they are set a little far apart, don’t you think? Also, your ears are rather large. I suppose that could be good for hearing, but again, they don’t appeal to me. Then there’s your height. You’re only a little taller than I am, and I always figured that if I were to marry, I would marry a tall man. That way he could get things down from the high cupboards for me.”
Priam barely kept his mouth from dropping open at her assessment. He’d never met anyone who so clearly spoke their mind.
“Are you two enjoying the social?” Aunt Miriam asked as she joined them.
“We were having quite an enlightening conversation,” Priam replied. “Abrianna was just pointing out a few things to me.” The young woman didn’t even have the goodness to blush. Welby salved his wounded pride with thoughts of how he could even the score. He smiled at Mrs. Madison. “I don’t suppose you have reconsidered my offer to buy your building.” He prepared himself for the woman’s offense.
“As a matter of fact, I have been doing exactly that.”
Her words surprised him more than he could hide. “I . . . well . . . you haven’t come to a conclusion, have you?”
“Not yet, but I am in discussion with Mr. Booth about it—he’s a lawyer, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know that,” Priam replied. He had hoped to avoid any legal entanglements. “I’m sure there’s no need of a lawyer, however. I am a good businessman with perfectly legitimate contracts to offer. I would pay you far more than the building would garner on the regular real estate market, and I would move you to the house I mentioned without your having to lift a finger or disrupt your business. No lawyer could negotiate better for you.”
“Perhaps not, but it comforts me to know his thoughts on the matter.”
Priam nodded and forced a smile. “I am glad to know that you are even thinking on my request.”
“I hope you will enjoy the rest of the festivities. The ladies plan to recite some poetry in a few minutes.” Mrs. Madison took her leave and crossed the room to greet another couple.
Priam turned to ask Abrianna if she was to participate, but she was already gone. No doubt she had taken her aunt’s appearance as an opportunity to slip away. Well, that was all right. If the old woman would sell him the building outright, he wouldn’t need to tie himself up in a courtship and marriage just to inherit the place. Perhaps things were changing for the better.
He touched a hand to his ear. Big ears? No one before this redheaded hoyden had ever thought to say he had big ears.
11
You are to wear your very best gown this evening,” Mother told Lenore. “The Montgomerys are a well-established family and respected for their influence in San Francisco.”
“Oh, Mother, I can’t imagine that it will matter to anyone what I’m wearing.”
Her mother looked at her aghast. “Of course it matters. It’s a reflection on your father and on me. Don’t you care what other people say?”
“I used to care. But honestly, over the years I’ve come to see life differently. I think I’ve been worried about the wrong things. Abrianna says—”
“If this is about her, then I’m certain it will not meet with my approval. I don’t mind that t
he two of you are friends. You have attempted to make her a better woman, and that’s an act of charity. However, I can hardly accept that she is guiding your choices. Now, please do as I say. This dinner is important.”
“Why must I go?” Lenore asked. She was more than a little homesick and felt her chances with Kolbein were slipping away by the minute. Why didn’t Abrianna write and let her know how things were progressing?
Mother looked confused. “Your father feels it is important, and that is enough. We must present ourselves as his support, and I believe it will also do us good to know the family a little better. After all, they are buying your father’s business and all holdings related to freighting.”
“I don’t know why Father has chosen now to sell. It doesn’t make any sense to me.” Lenore went to the wardrobe and pulled out the only dress she hadn’t yet worn. “Will this do?” She held up the magnificent creation, knowing that her mother would overwhelmingly approve. “It arrived just this afternoon.”
“Is that the gown you told me about?” Her mother came closer to feel the material. “Oh, how lavish.”
The burnt gold silk very nearly glowed in the electric lighting of the room. Trimmed with hundreds if not thousands of sequins and pearls, it was a gown fit for a queen. Lenore had fallen in love with it almost upon first glance and had begged the dressmaker to sell it to her. Lucky for her, the gown had recently been rejected by the woman who’d originally ordered it, and the dressmaker was more than happy, if not relieved, to fit it for Lenore.
“I’ve never seen anything so regal. You were quite right to purchase it without consulting me.” Mother seldom said such things, and Lenore was momentarily taken aback. “I must say for the price you quoted, this is more than worth the money paid.”
“I thought so, too,” Lenore replied, feeling a sense of pleasure in her mother’s approval.
“Do you have shoes that will work?”
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