“All right. You’re right.” Edna stepped to the couch and turned the pillow upside down. “How’s that?”
Annie laughed. “I dare you to keep it like that.”
Edna stared at the pillow as if it were a threat. There was a knock on the door, and Edna rushed to the pillow and turned Niagara right-side up again.
Annie opened up the door and made the introductions.
Thomas looked around the apartment then pointed to the pillow. “My father and stepmother went to the Falls after they were married. Jane and I went with them.”
Edna took up the pillow, gave it an extra fluff, and then returned it to its place. “My husband and I visited there after our marriage, too.” She looked at the couple. “And now you will be married. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Iris wove her hand around Thomas’s arm and looked up at him adoringly. “We are very happy.”
Their love gave Annie’s insides a little twinge. She wanted such a love, even as the thought of it frightened her. Sean was a good man, and all evidence suggested their friendship could be much more. But was she ready for that?
As if summoned by her thought, there was another knock on the door. Sean joined the group easily, as he’d met Iris and Thomas after Danny’s death.
“I’m so sorry you had to come all the way here,” Annie said. “But Officer Brady thought it best.”
“I’m glad to come,” Iris said. “Glad to get away from the bakery for a while.” She looked at Thomas with a panicked look. “I mean no offense. I love your family.”
He patted her hand. “No offense taken. And I agree with you. Any time I get to spend with you away from their prying eyes is a bonus.”
Again, the loving looks. Annie took the subject in a new direction. “Have you seen Grasston?”
“Once,” Iris said. “Gramps saw him standing in the alley across the street, staring at the bakery. He went outside, called a policeman over, and the coward ran away.”
“Pa and I warned him never to go out there alone again,” Thomas said. “I don’t trust the wretch.”
“Nor should you,” Annie said.
“Ma didn’t even want us coming today because she was afraid we would be followed,” he said. “But I did a good scan of the neighborhood before I brought Iris outside, and we kept an eye out for him as we came here. We weren’t followed.”
That you know of. “I hope he doesn’t know where I’m working now.”
Edna smoothed the fringed scarf on the mantle. “We haven’t seen him around Macy’s. No reason to think he knows you aren’t there anymore.”
“Except if he’s been waiting for me before and after work and hasn’t seen me,” Annie said. “Maybe he’s asking around. Maybe he’s figuring things out.”
Sean put a calming hand on her shoulder. “Don’t borrow trouble. We’re being careful. So are the Tuttles. And Officer Brady is on top of things. There’s not much more we can do.”
“Except keep praying for safety,” Edna said.
“And justice,” Annie said.
“We’re doing that,” Iris said. “I’ve got all the children adding it to their bedtime prayers.”
Annie was moved at the thought of all those little heads bowed in prayer.
Iris shook the subject a way with the flip of her head. “I came here to talk about my wedding dress, not Oscar Grasston. Where is it?”
“It’s in the bedroom,” Annie said.
Edna shooed the men outside. “It’s time for the males of this company to take a stroll through the neighborhood.”
“But I’d like to see Iris in the dress,” Thomas said.
“Not until the wedding,” Edna said. “You know it’s bad luck.”
Annie had heard such superstitions but thought them preposterous, yet practical for today since there was work to be done.
She was nervous about Iris seeing the dress for the first time.
Her fears were unfounded when Iris put her hands to her mouth and gasped. “It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.”
It was an overstatement yet also a relief. “Let’s see how it looks on you.”
The high-waisted dress of gray-blue moss cloth had straight three-quarter sleeves, a scooped neckline, and a straight overskirt with a diagonal hem, edged with a twelve-inch band of satin. The overskirt was short enough to reveal the soft drapery of the crepe underskirt. There was little trim, just some braid at the cuff of the sleeve and neckline.
Annie was glad she’d cut it a bit big. “Have you gained a bit, Iris?”
The girl sucked in—which removed an inch from her midsection. “I suppose it’s possible. Working at a bakery makes it hard not to nibble the wares. Can you fit it?”
Annie tugged at the back seam and found there to be just enough. She took pins from a pincushion and pinned it shut. “It doesn’t have the hem in yet, but you can get the feel of it. Go in Edna’s room and take a look-see.”
The three women moved into Edna’s bedroom, and Iris had her first look. She touched the neckline, the cuffs, the curve of her hips underneath. “I look all growed up.”
“That you do,” Edna said.
That you should be if you’re getting married.
Suddenly Edna bounced on her toes. “I have the perfect accessory!”
She stood on a chair and retrieved a hatbox from the top of her chifforobe. With a flurry of tissue, she removed a wide-brimmed straw hat with an ivory ostrich plume on it. There were pink silk roses in a spray on top of a wide blue ribbon. “Voila!” Edna said, presenting it to the ladies.
Annie took possession, giving it a good study. “It’s very lovely. I think the pink flowers complement the blue of the dress perfectly.”
She handed it off to Iris, who held it reverently. “I’ve never worn anything so … so chick.”
“It’s pronounced ‘sheek,’” Edna said. “And yes, that hat is indeed chic. I don’t wear it often, but when I do, I feel quite glamorous.”
“You wouldn’t wear it during the wedding,” Annie pointed out.
Edna agreed. “But for the occasional Sunday … you can borrow it sometimes, if you’d like.”
Annie helped place it on Iris’s head, tilting it back just a bit so her pretty face could be seen. “There.”
Iris looked at her reflection and began to cry.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s the most lovely I’ve ever looked. I am so blessed to be marrying Thomas and becoming a part of the Tuttle family.” She turned toward Annie. “It was a good thing we ran away, wasn’t it?”
Annie pulled Iris into her arms but couldn’t help but think of Danny—Danny who would still be alive had they not run away.
Annie peered out the front window of Edna’s apartment, looking for the men. Oddly, she saw them coming out of the brownstone across the street. Sean was carrying a piece of paper, and they were talking with a middle-aged man. Sean shook his hand.
What was going on?
Annie opened the window and called to them. “We’re done, boys. Come back up.”
Within seconds they heard feet on the stairs in the hall, and with a burst of energy, Thomas and Sean came inside.
“You’ll never believe what just happened,” Sean said, holding the piece of paper behind his back.
“You’ll never believe what Sean just did,” Thomas added.
“Do tell,” Edna said. “But don’t start until I get some coffee water on the stove.”
The four of them sat in the parlor, with Iris and Thomas sharing the sofa. Edna quickly returned and stood at the mantel. “So, Sean. What is this amazing feat?”
“It’s not a feat,” he said. “But it is amazing. It’s God’s doing, plain and simple.” Sean’s smile couldn’t get any wider. “While Thomas and I were sitting on the front stoop getting to know each other, I saw a man come out of the brownstone across the way. A Mr. Collins.”
“Mr. Collins?” Edna asked. “The landlord?”
Sean nod
ded. “He was posting this on the door.” He pulled the piece of paper front and center. It said APARTMENT FOR RENT. “All of a sudden I’m walking across the street and talking with him. And then I looked at the place and rented it. It’s mine!”
“Were you looking for an apartment?” Edna asked.
“I wasn’t. But I was swayed because it’s so close to here, to Annie.”
“That was quick work,” Iris said.
Sean nodded at their reaction but looked to Annie. “Aren’t you pleased? Now when I walk you to and from work I only have to cross the street to be home myself.”
Annie knew what she should say, but for some reason the words wouldn’t come. As each second passed without her reaction, Sean’s smile diminished until it was extinguished completely.
“I thought you’d be happy for me. Happy for us.”
A glance to Edna nudged Annie to respond—if not with total honesty, at least with the words Sean needed to hear. “I’m very happy for you.”
“For us.”
“That, too.”
His brow dipped, but he was clearly too excited to let his mood be dampened too long. “Mr. Collins and I shook hands on it, and I’m moving after work on Monday. Luckily, I have very little to move so it won’t be much of a bother.”
“I’m going to help,” Thomas said.
The sound of water steaming in the pot was heard from the kitchen. “Coffee’s coming. And some scones.” Edna nodded to Iris. “Would you like to help me, Iris?”
With a glance at Annie, Iris left the room.
“I’ll help, too,” Thomas said.
Leaving Annie alone with Sean.
Annie immediately regretted the delay of her response. If only she’d given Sean what he needed and not hesitated to dissect her own contradictory feelings.
Sean moved to the chair nearest her. “I thought you’d be truly happy.”
“I am.”
“But?”
She couldn’t go down that road just yet because it had no clear direction. “It will be much more efficient for you. I’ve felt guilty about you having the extra walking every day. You don’t have to see me home. I am quite capable of—”
He popped out of his chair. “You’re quite capable of making something I did because I want to be close to you into something completely pragmatic and convenient. Are you really so cold as to not be happy for the same reason I’m happy?”
She rose and touched his arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You just caught me by surprise.” She thought of something in her favor. “You caught yourself by surprise, too, correct?”
“I did. If Thomas and I hadn’t been sitting on the stoop I may never have noticed the sign.” His enthusiasm took over. “It’s truly as if God put it together for me.”
She said the words that would make him happy. “For us.”
He beamed and kissed her lightly on the lips. “For us.” He drew her into his arms where her doubts could be held at bay.
Iris and Thomas were gone. Sean, too. Annie had sent him away, claiming she had a bad headache.
She did. In a way. She suffered from a mental ache due to decisions left to make, and decisions already made by others.
“Would you like me to get you some aspirin?”
Annie took up Iris’s dress and sat at the sewing machine. “I’ll be all right.”
Edna plucked the dress out of her lap and took Annie’s hand, leading her away from the machine and to the sofa. “Sit.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Lying is wrong. You lied about your headache to get Sean to leave—and don’t deny it.”
Annie drew the Niagara Falls pillow to her chest and leaned back with an expulsion of air.
“The question is why? You and he should be out celebrating his move to the neighborhood.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Suppose?” Edna stood and stared down at her. “What is wrong with you, girlie? You have the interest of a wonderful man and you shoo him away like a mongrel puppy.”
A wave of regret fell over her. “I did that, didn’t I?”
Edna returned to the sofa. “You did. He was so pleased finding the apartment and you’re acting as if having him close offends you.”
“It doesn’t offend me.”
“Then what is it?”
Annie fingered the fringe on the pillow, giving herself time to find the right word. It came to her quicker than she expected. “It frightens me.”
“Sean Culver is the least frightening man I’ve ever met. He’s a true gentleman.”
“I know.”
“What other man would walk blocks and blocks out of his way—twice a day—to accompany you to and from work?”
“No one I know.”
“Moving across the street will make life easier for him. Or don’t you want things to be easier for him? Maybe you’re a selfish flirt who wants to manipulate men to her bidding, keeping them on a leash she can yank at her every whim?”
Annie tossed the pillow aside. “I am not like that. I appreciate his extra care. I like having him around.”
“But not too close.”
Annie suffered a deep sigh. “I don’t know what I feel about him. And then there’s the Sampsons, offering me the world and—”
“What world? You haven’t told me about the dinner party. What happened?”
Annie described the evening in detail, ending with the Sampsons’ offer. “They want me to design a line of clothes for everyday women that combines function with style. They want me to leave Butterick.”
“But you just started there.”
“Exactly. And to add to the temptation they’ll pay me well—better than what I earn now. By the looks of their mansion, I know they have the money to do everything they say.”
“But it’s an enormous risk. Going off on your own like that …”
“… when I know so little about fashion and design. It’s like leaping from scullery maid to housekeeper with no experience in between.”
“So what are you going to do? You’ve been offered a new job and the love of a man. Two very large, very important decisions have been laid at your feet.”
“Therein lies the problem. A few months ago I lived a life where every decision was made for me, where having a beau was frowned upon. Now I’m smack-dab in the middle of a life where I am in charge, where enormous life-changing decisions are mine to make. The responsibility overwhelms me.”
Edna nodded and her face softened. “It was similar for me when Ernie died. Before his death he was in charge of most of the decisions of our life, and honestly, I was glad to leave him to it. But with him gone I was flung into a world where my happiness—and even my survival—depended solely on me.”
“Spot on!” Annie said. “That’s how I feel. How did you manage to get past it?”
“I didn’t get past it, I trudged through it, one decision at a time.”
“But how did you know which decision was the right one?”
Edna looked at Annie over her glasses. “You know the answer to that.”
Ah. “I pray?”
Edna touched the tip of Annie’s nose. “‘A threefold cord is not quickly broken.’”
“What’s that mean?”
“Think of a rope. One strand is good, two strands wrapped around each other is better, and three strands woven together is not quickly broken.” She pointed to herself. “One.” Then to Annie. “Two.” Then to heaven. “Three.”
Annie nodded with understanding and acceptance. “You have an answer for everything.”
“I don’t, but God does.” Edna offered Annie her hand. “Let’s begin.”
Annie took her hand and their fingers intertwined, becoming strong. They bowed their heads.
The prayers of the two women wove their way to the Almighty, merging with His immeasurable, unbreakable strength.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The dress. Oh dear, the dress.
As it was borrowed, so it had to be returned. Yet there was a flaw in their plan. For going into work on Monday morning, Annie didn’t have the help of Maude or Bertie. She was on her own.
Sean carried it for her as they walked to work. “How are you going to get it back where it belongs?” he asked as soon as they left their neighborhood.
It was the main problem of the day, yet she had to address something else first. “I want to apologize for my lukewarm reaction to the news that you are moving across the street.”
“Tepid. Utterly tepid.”
“I am sorry for it.”
“Can you explain it to me?” He took her arm and helped her around some rubbish in the street.
“I can’t explain it completely or well,” she said. “I must leave it at the fact that I am unused to being around gentlemen who are kind and thoughtful and think of my needs over their own.”
“I think there is a compliment in all that.”
“There is.” She stopped walking and faced him, stepping out of the flow of pedestrians. “You are a wonderful man, Sean Culver, and I appreciate all that you are, and our friendship.”
“‘Friendship’ sounds too lukewarm for my taste.”
Here was the difficult part. “I am a novice at being courted and wooed.”
“I love that word, wooed. And swooned, too, if you ever choose to use it. Very descriptive words.”
Annie smiled but would not be deterred from her point. “Recently I have been faced with many decisions, with more forthcoming. This freedom of choice is also new to me, and I don’t take the blessing of it lightly. And so”—she took a fresh breath—“I wish to take the time to be wise. I am not saying no to everything you so generously offer me but am asking you to give me some time to choose wisely and right.” She took his hand. “Is that acceptable?”
“Acceptable yes, but pleasing? No.” He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “I am in love with you, Annie. If I had my way I would take you in my arms right here and give you a kiss that would create a public scandal.”
She felt herself blush. “I didn’t take you for a rogue.”
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