by Cathy Bryant
Later that day, Susanna and Maddie had a few purchases they needed to make in Amesbury. Charles was happy to escort them, as William had instructed him to look after the ladies. Once in town, Charles let Maddie and the Jameson sisters off just beyond Winchester’s shop, seeing as another wagon was currently blocking the front of the store. After thanking Charles and informing him of the time they would be prepared to be reclaimed, the ladies said their farewells.
Just as they were about to enter the shop, Jane happened to see Thomas Nicholas moving in their direction. “Thomas, I had not expected to find you in town today!” she exclaimed excitedly.
“Well, I am delighted that I chose this day to come,” he responded with obvious pleasure at seeing Jane.
After studying the man a moment, Maddie found him to have a kind face and an amiable manner. Her eyes remained fixed upon him a bit too long for he soon began to blush at the attention. Having observed his flushed face, Maddie realized that she had been staring. What is more, as she glanced over at Susanna, she was doing the same.
To put the man at ease, Maddie quickly directed her gaze toward Jane. However, Susanna continued to stare at the man. She observed that with his light hair and rather small eyes he seemed a somewhat ordinary-looking gentleman. Still, the longer he spoke the more Susanna began to believe there was something about him that made him a good prospect for her sister. To her, it was evident by his questions about Jane’s welfare that he truly cared for her, and she knew from what Jane had privately disclosed, her sister had a strong affection for the gentleman.
All at once, Jane became conscious of the fact that she had not introduced her sister and Maddie to Thomas. Motioning to Susanna and then to Maddie she said, “This is my sister, Susanna, and our good friend Madeline Osgood.”
The three exchanged greetings before Maddie and Susanna excused themselves to see to the shopping, for they supposed Jane would be all too happy to have a moment alone with the young man. Jane’s gratitude soon showed when she smiled at the pair as they turned to go.
Thomas and Jane continued in conversation, sharing any new information regarding their families. Jane also informed him that she had been staying on at the Osgood farm for a few days with her sister.
From within Joshua Winchester’s shop, Susanna surreptitiously had a look out the window in order to observe her younger sister. Maddie grinned at the sight of the young woman spying on her sister. All at once, she decided it might be fun to give her a start, for Susanna was so distracted by what she was observing out the window that it would be all too easy. Maddie then quietly moved in close before speaking loudly into Susanna’s ear, “What are you up to?”
“Oh! I thought you were shopping,” she gasped while clutching her chest. “I suppose you saw me looking out the window.”
“Indeed I did. What would Jane say if she knew you were spying on her?” Maddie inquired while doubling over with laughter.
With a twinkle in her eye, Susanna replied, “She would have done the same if it had been me and my beau out there—of that I am sure.”
Maddie smiled at Susanna’s response, for it seemed she was admitting to having a beau or she would not have said “my beau.” She would more likely have said “a beau.”
“What are you grinning at, Maddie?”
“Who me?”
“Yes, you. You have a very mischievous look upon your face.”
Maddie simply laughed and went about her shopping. Susanna decided it was best that she do the same. She then moved away from the window to allow her sister her privacy with the gentleman. Before long, in a rather happy mood, Jane joined them.
Seeing her sister’s jovial expression, Susanna stated, “You seem in good spirits. Is this cheerful mood to be attributed to Mr. Nicholas?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” replied Jane, grinning from ear to ear. “I was already in a cheerful mood long before we came to town.”
Maddie chuckled as the sisters bantered back and forth. It was good to see Susanna so light-hearted.
“Jane, in all seriousness, I believe I like Mr. Thomas Nicholas,” smiled Susanna.
“Do you really, Susanna?” inquired Jane anxiously. She had hoped that Susanna would like her young man. Her older sister’s opinions had always mattered greatly to her.
With her hand on Jane’s shoulder, Susanna answered honestly, “Yes, Jane. I truly do.”
The ladies finished their shopping and then went to meet up with Charles at the specified time.
While they waited, Mr. Jacob Ormsby happened along. “Good day, ladies. I see you have done a bit of shopping. I would be happy to escort you home.”
Keeping her temper in check, Maddie responded with feigned cordiality, “Thank you, no. Someone else has already offered to escort us to the farm.”
Mr. Ormsby was surprised by Maddie’s kind response, in relation to his offer. Up until now, she had always been quite abrupt when speaking to him.
Glancing over at Maddie as her elderly friend spoke to Mr. Ormsby, Susanna noted the change in her friend’s manner. Maddie is endeavoring to look upon Mr. Ormsby as a lost soul in need of kindness. I know this is difficult for her, considering her feelings about him. “Thank you for changing Maddie’s heart, Lord,” she whispered, so as not to be overheard.
Jane was oblivious to what was going on. As far as she could tell, this had been a normal exchange between acquaintances—that is until the man had moved on.
Jane then listened while Susanna expressed to Maddie how proud she was of her. “Maddie, you amaze me. I am aware of how difficult that was for you—considering your opinion of the man.”
Upon hearing the praise that Susanna had for Maddie, Jane became clued in to the fact that there was more to the exchange than she had observed. Curious, she asked, “Who was that gentleman?”
“Jane, that was Mr. Jacob Ormsby, and believe me—he is no gentleman,” informed Susanna. She then grinned at the startled look upon her sister’s face.
It isn’t like Susanna to speak ill of another—at least not without a good reason. Jane thought about the man’s name for a moment and then remembered where she had heard it before. “Oh! That was Jacob . . . Jacob Ormsby. Now I understand why you said what you did, Susanna.”
“Jane, though this is truly my opinion of the man—that he is not a gentleman—we are keeping him in our prayers. Neither I nor Maddie wish to see him continue down the same path as his grandfather before him—the wide path of destruction. I pray that in the end his grandfather made peace with God by receiving His sacrifice on his behalf.”
Struck by the way her sister and friend were concerned about the man enough to pray for him, Jane decided she would do the same. “If the three of us beseech the Lord on his behalf, he doesn’t have much of a chance of continuing on as he has,” she laughed.
“Indeed,” smiled Maddie, warmed by the sisters’ concern for Mr. Ormsby. “There is one other praying. We must not forget that William is praying too.”
Jane was a little overwhelmed by the news that William was praying for the man responsible for placing his relationship with her sister in such a quandary. Then, as she glanced over at her sister, she hoped the two would find a way forward.
Chapter 30
Charles and the ladies were now on their way home with their purchases. Although they were spent, they laughed and talked on the way. Unbeknownst to them, William had come to the farm while no one was there. With great concern, he waited impatiently for them to return.
As he stormed around the barn mumbling to himself, he worked on a few tasks, which had been requiring his attention. But given his mood, he was not accomplishing a great deal. Where could they be? It isn’t like Charles not to tell me before taking leave of the farm. What if something has happened and there wasn’t time to inform me?
Just then, William heard the wagon pulling into the yard. With his heart racing, he hastened out to ascertain whether everyone was all right. However, as he approached,
all that came out was, “Where have you been?”
Seeing the wild look in William’s eyes, Charles knew right away that he had made a mistake. “William, I apologize. We should have informed you that we were going to town.”
Angrily, he replied, “That would have been the courteous thing to do, Charles! I have been half out of my mind with worry!”
Susanna glanced over at Maddie and saw concern on her face. Maddie spoke up—placing the blame upon herself. She told him that it had been an impromptu excursion and that she had been thoughtless by not informing him.
By this time, William’s heart began to beat at its regular pace. He simply nodded at Maddie and then gave her a hand down from the wagon. Following that, he assisted Jane and finally Susanna. Without a word, he turned and marched off to the barn.
Maddie glanced over at Susanna and Jane. “Oh, girls, I think we have made a grievous error. We must have scared the lad witless.”
Charles tended the horses without saying another word to William. He thought it best to give him time to compose himself.
By now, William was feeling a bit embarrassed on account of his outburst. For that reason, he quickly finished up with his work, jumped on his horse, and rode off for home.
Charles knew William to be a fair man; consequently, he was unconcerned about his anger. He was sure that it had been instigated by fear and would soon subside, so he returned to the work he had been doing before their trip to town.
Once they had gone into the house, the ladies discussed William for some time. They felt terrible for having scared him so badly. As a result, they vowed that, in the future, they would tell him before taking leave of the farm.
The following day, as usual, Charles came to the farm. Spotting him in the barn, Susanna inquired about William and whether he would be joining him. She was then informed that William had remained at home and most likely would not be coming today. Disappointed by the news, Susanna went about her chores.
Discovering that William had remained at home, Maddie decided the best thing to do was to go straight away to apologize. Once again, after readying the horses, Charles came along to see to her safety. Not that he was all that concerned about Indians or wolves with the properties so close, but, as Maddie was getting up there in years, he wanted to make sure she made it to William’s without difficulty.
Upon their arrival, William caught sight of them just as he was coming from the barn. With his head hanging low, he strolled over and assisted Maddie down from her horse, while Charles went over to the barn to give them privacy.
“Maddie, I am sorry for the way I acted yesterday. I made a humiliating spectacle of myself. It is just that my mind had been racing to figure out what had happened. I thought it possible that one of you had been hurt or that there had been trouble with the Indians again. Frankly, I didn’t know what to think. Though there have not been many reports this year of Indian attacks on the settlements, we can never forget that just over in York, the French, along with the Indians, killed dozens of people and captured as many. As Jane and Susanna escaped unharmed from their encounter with them, I am afraid we may have become a bit complacent.”
Eager to gain eye contact, Maddie grasped William’s arm. “William, we should never have gone off without telling you where we were going. It was clear to all of us that you reacted out of fear for our safety. Do not be ashamed of your concern—we love you all the more for it.”
William observed that Maddie was smiling warmly as she spoke. “You are very forbearing. I acted like such a fool. Susanna must think herself glad to be rid of me.”
Narrowing her eyes at William, Maddie responded sternly, “She thinks no such thing, William! What she thinks, as do we all, is that she is blessed to have such a caring friend. You must put all of this out of your head! Do you hear me?”
At this point, William began to grin a little at Maddie’s temper rising. “Perhaps we all can get a little heated at times.”
All at once, Maddie comprehended his meaning—she too had allowed her temper to flare. Chuckling, she said, “Yes, William. At times, our tempers do get the best of us.” Then the two had a good laugh before Maddie and Charles started for home.
At last, Susanna spotted Maddie approaching. After having been informed by Maddie where she was going, eagerly the young woman had been awaiting her return. Without hesitation, she rushed over to Maddie to inquire about William. “Did you speak with William?”
“Yes, and he is fine, my dear. He feels a little ridiculous with respect to his behavior yesterday. However, I soon helped him to overcome his somber mood by directing a bit of my own bad temper toward him.”
“What! Why were you upset with William?”
“Oh, I wasn’t really. I simply allowed myself to react badly to his humble attitude, for I did not think it necessary. After all, we were at fault, not William. In the end, we both saw the whole thing as quite humorous. We had a good laugh over it.”
After hearing Maddie’s account of her conversation with William, Susanna got a case of the giggles as well.
Smiling at Susanna’s reaction, she then informed, “He was worried that one of us had been injured or that there had been trouble with the Indians again.”
Susanna felt terrible about the worry they had caused him. “I had not thought of that. There are so many people traveling the road to Amesbury, and there has been little trouble with the Indians of late, other than the most recent incident with Jane and me. But even then, we were not injured. What is more, there is a garrison house not far from here and someone is on watch day and night.”
“Yes, that was my thinking. Thus, I was unconcerned over our trip. Additionally, Charles was there to offer his protection. However, I do think it might be best if we were a bit more cautious when traveling to town.”
“Agreed. And, if we assure William that we shall always inform him before setting off anywhere, it is certain to put his mind at rest.”
After their conversation came to an end, the ladies parted company. Susanna went on with her chores, while Maddie went into the house. While she worked, Susanna considered all that Maddie had said with regard to her conversation with William. That Maddie had settled things—concerning their thoughtlessness in going to town without first having left word with William—pleased her immensely. And, as usual, she was quite impressed that her elderly friend, when necessary, was still able to climb on a horse.
Mr. Jameson arrived the following day to convey Jane home again. With hugs from her sister and Maddie, as well as promises to see each other soon, Jane climbed up onto the wagon. Just as her father and Jane were about to set off, however, Susanna remembered to inquire after her uncle John. Her mother’s brother had been hovering at death’s door for some time now.
Her father assured her that not much had changed and to keep the man in her prayers. Susanna smiled at the news that her uncle was still living before she turned for the house. She intended to make her way to the sitting room for a much-needed rest.
While there, Maddie and Susanna talked over all that had happened that week. Their conversation included a question of whether Susanna should ask William if he had, indeed, been to call on her grandmother. As the diary had revealed—a young gentleman had gone to the woman with the intention of warning her of the forthcoming accusations. Susanna was, therefore, anxious to know the identity of the unnamed gentleman. Maddie, knowing William was prepared for this, had left the decision to her.
With thoughts of her grandmother lingering, Susanna set off for bed knowing that she would most likely have a fitful sleep, as was often the case when she went to bed with such thoughts on her mind.
Chapter 31
The nights had begun to cool to the point that Maddie’s lovely quilts had become rather useful. With summer quickly coming to a close, Susanna was happy she had made the decision to stay on at the Osgood farm. Though she would miss the daily interactions with her family, she thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Maddie.
&n
bsp; As Susanna thought about it, she believed that, upon the whole, it had been a pleasant summer at the Osgood farm—apart from making the acquaintance of Jacob Ormsby and all that entailed. While a bit sad that the warm season was almost over, she remembered that she had also always enjoyed autumn with all of its brilliant colors. Additionally, this year Elizabeth’s wedding was sure to be a very special event.
William was also delighted that Susanna had stayed on, for he hoped that having her close by would bring about the solution to their dilemma. Had she returned home to the Jameson homestead, they would have seen each other but rarely.
Early one morning while Susanna was feeding the horses in the barn, William came strolling in. He was about to set off to begin cutting the final crop of hay for the season. “William, you startled me,” giggled the young woman.
Turning around to where Susanna was tending the horses, William smiled, and responded, “Oh, I beg your pardon. I would have alerted you to my presence had I noticed you over there.”
“That is quite all right. I don’t know why I should be so easily frightened. After all, you and Charles are here a good deal of the time. I should expect to see you about the place.”
Searching for something to say, William then inquired, “Have you been home to collect the rest of your things?”
“Yes, Father conveyed me home for a visit just the other day. You must have been at your farm when he came. I gathered up the remainder of my belongings then.”
“Yes, I must have been, as I was not aware you had gone. Then you are all set to stay?”
Smiling at the intensity in William’s gaze, Susanna answered, “I believe so, yes.”
William longed to have their relationship as it had been before Susanna had learned of his parents’ identity. However, he understood that the best course of action for now was to pray and wait on the Lord’s timing. It saddened him to think that the He might have other plans for them, and that they may never be anything more than friends.