by Erica Vetsch
Clarice rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Don’t be silly. You can’t go to college. Papa would have a fit, not to mention the absolute earthquake Mama would cause. And where will you get the money? Papa won’t pay your tuition. ‘Women have no business studying beyond what is necessary for running a household and raising children,’ ” Clarice intoned, deepening her voice in a fairly good imitation of Papa.
“I don’t care. I’ll find a way. Didn’t you listen this morning? The reverend said we needed to use our talents like David did. God-given ability should be used for God’s glory.”
Clarice ran her tongue over her upper teeth and thought for a moment. “God also says obey your parents.”
Josie flopped backward on the bed, wincing as her hairpins poked the back of her head. “What if your parents are wrong? Sometimes doing the right thing means you have to go against other people’s ideas of what is right. David did what was right, even when his brothers didn’t like it. He faced down a giant who was defying God. David knew what he had to do, and he did it in spite of opposition.” She scowled at the canopy. “Mama and Papa can try to fit me into their mold of a ‘proper young lady,’ but I don’t have to let them succeed.”
Clarice wrapped her arms tighter around her legs and stared at the little bump her toes formed under the covers. “I wish I had your courage, Josie.”
❧
Matthew Abraham Kennebrae arrived less than an hour after Eli and Grandfather made it home from church. The doctor, packing his bag, smiled and shook his head. “Mighty quick labor for a first child.”
Grandfather wheeled his chair close to Melissa’s side and peered at the swaddled bundle in her arms. “You’re sure he’s healthy? And Melissa, too? He’s on the early side by a few weeks.”
“Sound as a dollar. Though I can’t say the same for Jonathan.” The doctor looked over the rims of his glasses to where Jonathan lay sprawled in a chair. “His missus did well, and she’ll be back on her feet in no time. It’s the husbands who can’t stand up under the strain.”
Melissa motioned for Eli to step close. “Here, you should hold him. Everyone else has had a turn.”
Eli backed up a step. “No, no. He’s too little. I wouldn’t want to break him.” His mouth went dry at the very thought.
“He’s a Kennebrae. They don’t break so easily.” Melissa bent a loving look on the squeaking, grunting infant. Her eyes glowed in a way that made Eli’s chest feel full and empty at the same time. He found himself stepping forward and accepting his nephew into his arms.
It was like holding air. The baby regarded him solemnly with hazy dark blue eyes. Eli’s heart constricted for a moment. What would it be like to hold his own son? To cradle his heir and offspring and feel a tide of love and protectiveness crash over him? A whole little person in his arms. A miracle, right in front of his eyes.
“That’s enough.” The doctor took the baby and placed him in the crib beside the bed. “Mrs. Kennebrae needs her rest. She can’t get it with you men in here.”
Grandfather went to his bedroom to rest before dinner, while Eli headed to the parlor. He would spend the afternoon working on the sketches for the hatch mechanisms until dinner was ready. Jonathan followed, too keyed up to settle to anything.
An hour later, Eli wished he’d gone to the office. Jonathan wouldn’t leave off talking, and becoming a new father seemed to make him an expert on marriage and family.
“You need to take this seriously. Ignoring the situation won’t make it go away.” Jonathan tossed the newspaper down on the footstool.
Eli put his pencil down and looked over his shoulder. “Who says I’m not taking it seriously?”
“I do. Every time I broach the subject, you skitter away like a bug on a stove lid. Marriage is serious business. It changes your whole life. Or at least it should. I bet you haven’t spent more than five minutes considering the ramifications of marrying Clarice Zahn. How did Grandfather maneuver you into this engagement in the first place? What did he offer you?” As if he couldn’t bear to be still another minute, Jonathan sprang up and paced the salon carpet. He clasped his hands together behind his back and lowered his chin.
Eli sighed and turned on his chair until he could rest his arm along the back. “That’s between Grandfather and me, and who’s to say it won’t all work out fine? It sure did for you and for Noah.”
Jonathan stopped and put his hands on his waist. “Your treatment of your fiancée is atrocious. You haven’t spent more than an hour in her presence, and most of that time was in church. You have no idea if you’ll be compatible. If I’d have treated Melissa in such a callous manner, our marriage would be a nightmare, and I’d have no one to blame but myself.”
Eli shifted in his chair. “What do you expect from me? Grandfather arranged this marriage. It isn’t as if I have to court the woman. And frankly, I get the distinct impression the lady would prefer me to keep my distance.”
The fact chafed. Clarice had barely spoken to him this morning. When he’d offered his arm to see her out of church, she acted as if a timber rattler had slithered past her fingers. “I asked her if everything was all right, and she said, ‘Fine.’ ”
Jonathan snorted. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being married to Melissa, it’s that when a woman says things are fine, it never means fine. If Melissa says she’s fine, I’m usually in trouble. ‘Fine’ has a million meanings to a woman, and none of them match up to what it says in Webster’s.”
Eli tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow. “So what do you suggest I do?”
“Spend some time with Clarice. Figure out how she feels about the whole thing. Take her out, get to know her. She seems like a nice girl. And above all else, to save your sanity and the peace of your future marriage, find out what she means when she says, ‘Fine.’ ”
The task of unraveling a woman’s thought processes boggled Eli’s mind. Why couldn’t they be straightforward, like men? Eli knew where he was with a man. Like Gervase Fox. He got directly to the point. And Eli had been just as blunt in reply. No secrets, no hidden meanings, just straight shooting.
“They shouldn’t make things so complicated.” Eli stood and gathered up the papers he’d been working on. “I’m going to my room to work. I can’t concentrate here.”
Jonathan shook his head, eyeing Eli gravely. “Trust me, Eli. You’re going to have to put some effort into this relationship before you take her as your wife. Your life and hers will be miserable if you don’t.”
❧
Josie strolled down the canal pier, listening to the slap of waves against the pilings, wishing she could pull the pins from her upswept hair. A pleasant breeze teased the tendrils along her temples and nape. The high lace collar of her afternoon gown itched just below her jawline.
Clarice walked beside her, careful to shield her face from the sun with her parasol. All traces of her headache had disappeared the moment Josie suggested this excursion. “What time were you supposed to meet him?”
Gulls sailed and swooped overhead, squabbling and calling. Josie checked the watch pinned to her lapel. “He said six o’clock in his note. We’re a few minutes early.”
“Why did he want to meet you in the harbor? It isn’t a very nice place. Why not in one of the parks?” Clarice sidestepped two gulls fighting over a piece of garbage. “It’s so dirty down here.” She tugged her lace gloves on more firmly.
Josie stopped to lean on the concrete wall. She loved the harbor, the sights, the smells, the sounds. Even on a late Sunday afternoon, Duluth Harbor hummed with energy. The lake surged with a life of its own, ever different, ever the same. She peered into the brownish blue water of the canal. A mama mallard bobbed on the waves, her clutch of ducklings like a small flotilla behind her, paddling furiously to keep up. Their tiny peeps made Josie smile. A brave mama indeed to take her babies out on the massive water, and yet they looked content enough.
“Geoffrey said he would explain when he got here.” Josie wonder
ed at the wisdom of bringing Clarice. She couldn’t escape the fact that she was somehow abetting her sister in being unfaithful to Eli. But that was silly. Neither had sought the engagement they found themselves in. And what harm could come from Geoff and Clarice meeting in a public place like the harbor, especially with Josie in tow?
“There he is.” Clarice’s cheeks flushed, and her eyes took on a glow Josie had never seen before.
Geoff strode toward them, the breeze ruffling his hair, his long strides eating up the distance between them. He held a rolled-up bunch of papers clamped under his arm, and his hands were thrust deep into his pockets. When he arrived, he had eyes only for Clarice. His Adam’s apple lurched, and Josie had the uncomfortable feeling that she was witnessing something deeply private.
Clarice’s mouth trembled.
A shaft of sympathy arced through Josie. She knew what it was to be in love with someone out of her reach. Knowing she was intruding, Josie turned her back and contemplated the ducks again. God, how did we wind up in this mess? They are so in love. How can it be wrong for them to be together? But what of Eli? What would he say if he knew? She shoved aside her guilt and cleared her throat, turning around to face Geoff and Clarice.
Geoff seemed to realize for the first time that Josie was there. Faint ruddiness climbed his neck, and he touched the brim of his hat. “Hey there, Professor.”
“Are those for me?” Josie motioned to the papers.
He took them out and handed them to her. “Schematics, supply lists, and here’s an envelope with notes from Eli.” A thick brown envelope appeared from inside his coat. “I picked them up on the way down here. Big uproar at Kennebrae House. Abraham’s fit to burst his buttons. He has a great-grandson.”
Was Eli as happy as his grandfather? As close as he seemed to his brothers, he must be happy for Jonathan and Melissa. Josie had to remind herself that she wasn’t supposed to feel this glad. It wasn’t as if she were part of the Kennebrae family. How deeply ingrained thoughts of Eli had become. This infatuation had to end. Eli was engaged to Clarice, and Josie had best get used to the idea. The wind fluttered the edges of the rolled-up papers, reminding her why she was here.
“Did Eli say when he expected a reply?” Josie turned and laid the plans on the wall, anxious to get her first peek at the design. She anchored the pages with her arms. It would just be the end if she let them drop into the water.
Geoff stepped close and looked at the drawings. “He said he put it all in the notes, just what he was looking for and what he needed help with. Are you sure you can do this?”
Josie glanced up, indignant.
Geoff’s brow was wrinkled, and he ran his fingertips down his shirtfront.
Clarice took his arm. “You don’t need to worry, Geoff. Josie dreams in numbers.”
Josie shot Clarice a grateful look and carefully rolled the pages up again. “I’ll get to work on these as soon as I get home. How should I contact you when I’m done?”
Geoff dug again into his pocket and produced a card. “Send word to me at this address when you’re ready, and we’ll arrange a time to meet.”
Josie scanned the card, plain white with bold black lettering, nodding. Now that she had the plans, she itched to get started. How she wished her relationship with Eli wasn’t so distant, having to go through someone else in order to share ideas and explore design possibilities. If only they could meet as equals, as peers in this project. . . But that was foolish. No powerful man like Eli would ever see her as a peer or respect her work and abilities enough to admit he needed her help. She glanced at her timepiece. “We’d best get back. Mama will be wondering where we’ve gotten to.”
“Oh no, not yet.” Clarice’s eyes implored Josie. “Just a few more minutes, please?”
Clarice had never been so open with Josie, had never let Josie see her want something so desperately. Pity again swamped Josie at their tangled situation.
“Here, before you have to go, there’s something I wanted you to see.” Geoff handed Josie a pair of field glasses from his pocket. “If you look over there”—he pointed across the harbor beyond the ore docks—“you can see the Kennebrae Shipyard. The ship you’re working on is the Bethany.”
Josie smiled and took the glasses. “Here, hang on to these while I walk up the way for a better look.”
Geoff took the plans and the envelope back, giving Josie a grateful smile. “Take your time.”
Josie walked toward the bridge, and when she was out of earshot of the couple, she lifted the binoculars. The great hulk of the Bethany swung into her view. Scaffolding shrouded her in a maze of boards and poles. The cleft amidships showed bright with new welds and repairs, ropes swung in the wind, and the deck had been removed like the lid of a sardine can. All that remained of the ship that had sat icebound just outside the harbor last winter was the hull and pilothouse and the great smokestack. Behind the ship, the long, sloped roof of the shipyard building loomed, Kennebrae Shipping painted in high, white letters on a vertical sign at the peak.
Resolve and eagerness merged as Josie scanned the length of the ship. She could do this. She would do this, for herself and for Eli. Though he may be out of her reach forever, she could still be joined with him in this project. They’d be unknowing partners in fulfilling his plans.
She lowered the glasses and looked over her shoulder. Clarice and Geoffrey had their heads together. Josie sighed. She’d best get back there and act the chaperone. The last thing any of them wanted was someone wondering why Clarice, engaged to a Kennebrae, would be out walking alone with another man.
She headed their direction, and as she neared, she realized that someone else was on an intercepting vector with the couple. The short, rounded man looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t place him from that distance. She raised the glasses and brought his face close in her vision.
Uneasiness quickened her pulse and her steps. Where had she seen him before? He looked determined and purposeful. “Here.” Josie put out her hand for the ship plans when she was close enough to Geoff. “We need to go, now.”
“So soon?” He handed her the papers and frowned. A page fluttered away.
“Quick, catch it!” Josie hurried up the sidewalk after the sheet. Just as she bent down for it a shoe came down hard, sticking the page to the ground.
“Lose something?”
She looked up into the short man’s face.
He took her elbow and helped her upright, then bent to retrieve the sheet. He looked at it, then at her, calculation gleaming in his eyes.
She took the page and folded it, tucking it in with the others rolled under her arm.
Geoffrey stalked up and nodded curtly. “Fox, what brings you down to the canal on a Sunday afternoon?”
“Wish it was the same reason as you. Hello, ladies. I don’t believe we’ve met.” Mr. Fox tipped his hat.
“The Misses Zahn. But they were just leaving.”
Josie took the hint, settled the papers in her arms, and took Clarice’s elbow. “I’ll contact you as soon as I can about these.”
Eight
This was a bad idea, and it had taken Eli an entire week since speaking with Jonathan about courting to come up with even this much. What had possessed him to invite Clarice to the circus of all things? He sat in the Zahn parlor, rotating his hat brim in his hands.
Geoffrey would have a good laugh when he heard about that. Eli frowned. No, Geoff probably wouldn’t laugh about it. Geoff didn’t seem to laugh about anything these days.
The clock on the table beside him chimed the quarter hour. What was keeping Clarice?
A movement caught his eye. The curtains in the doorway swayed, and a pair of bright blue eyes peeked through the fringe edging. A black curl slipped off a shoulder, and a giggle erupted. More movement, scuffling, snickering, and two girls tumbled through the doorway onto the rug.
“You pushed me!” The smaller of the two scrambled up.
“Did not. You’re just clumsy.” The
bigger girl stuck her tongue out at her little sister.
Eli said nothing. If there was anything that baffled him more than a woman, it was a little girl. The sisters seemed to suddenly remember his presence, for they lined up, shoulder to shoulder, and smoothed their aprons. They stared at him, the younger twisting one curl around her finger.
Mrs. Zahn sailed into the room.
Eli stood, grateful for an escape from the scrutiny.
“So sorry to keep you waiting, but it seems Clarice has succumbed to another of her sick headaches. She won’t be able to accompany you on your outing.” Her eyes had a hectic sheen, as if she were flustered but trying to hide it.
Relief rushed through his chest. Reprieve. “That’s quite all right, madam. Please give her my regards.” If he left now, he’d still have several hours to see to the laying of the first pieces of the loading system in the bottom of the hold. Not having to go to the circus felt more like shackles being dropped from his wrists.
“But I don’t want to disappoint the girls. You see, Clarice promised them you’d take them in her stead.” Mrs. Zahn cupped the back of the younger’s head and pushed her forward a step. “They’ve talked of nothing else since breakfast. You will take them, won’t you?”
He could have sworn the little girl’s eyes filled with tears on command. How did she do that? The other one challenged him with her stare, unable to keep the excitement out of her eyes.
Before he could answer, Josie entered the room. She’d seemed levelheaded when he’d spoken to her at the wedding reception. When their eyes met, he couldn’t seem to look away. What was it about her that intrigued him? The Zahn girls all looked cut from the same cloth, but something in her walk, in her expression, seemed so familiar to him and yet completely unknown.
He shrugged and forced himself to focus on what Mrs. Zahn was saying.
“They won’t be any trouble. Josephine will go along and help you with them. And please, do accept my apologies for Clarice. She doesn’t usually suffer from headaches.”