by Erica Vetsch
Papa cleared his throat again and rose, lifting his water glass. “Josephine. . .”
Uh-oh, this is serious. He remembered my name right off.
“We, your mother and I, have decided that, in light of Clarice disappointing us, you will take her place. The Kennebraes are amenable to this change. You will marry Eli.”
Not a snatch of breathable air remained in the room. Josie blinked. That explained Mama’s fake brightness and the mulish set to Grandma’s jaw. It even explained Papa’s determined look and Mr. Kennebrae’s triumph. But what about Eli? She turned to him. He lifted his gaze to hers in a mute plea, though for what, she couldn’t guess.
Indignation licked like fire through her. According to her father, any Zahn girl would do, and she was next in line. What about what she wanted? What about her promise to God to pursue her studies? What about being the woman God made her to be? Was all of it to be sucked away because she was needed to fill a quota in her father’s schemes like another railcar of logs or unit of pine?
She straightened her back, hot words dancing on the tip of her tongue. They wouldn’t coerce her like they had Clarice. And that was that.
Then Eli touched her hand, the merest whisper of a caress. She froze. He took a deep breath then gathered both her hands in his, turning in his chair to face her. “Josie, I’d hoped for some privacy to ask you, instead of having it announced like this.”
She looked into his gentle eyes, drowning in his imploring gaze. What she saw there wasn’t love, nor even affection, but a sort of calm desperation.
“But will you marry me?” His thumbs stroked the backs of her hands, warming the chilled shock from her fingers.
In spite of all she had meant to say, she found herself nodding, a wave of care for him crashing through her, extinguishing the fires of indignation to piles of steaming ash.
He kept hold of her hands in one of his while he reached into his pocket.
Papa and Mr. Kennebrae beamed. Papa raised his glass again. “This is wonderful. Abraham, later this week I’m hosting a picnic for all my workers as a thank-you for meeting a major contract deadline a month early. You and Eli should attend as my guests, and we’ll announce the engagement then. If we get it all out in the open, hopefully things will all blow over then, and we can put this unpleasantness behind us.”
Josie looked down at her left hand, noting the pale gray smudges where she hadn’t been able to get all the ink off completely, trying to ignore the huge sparkling diamond Eli had put on her finger—the huge sparkling diamond she’d helped him pick out for Clarice. Evidently one Zahn girl was the same as another to Eli, too.
Twelve
For two long days, Josie tried to settle her mind and escape into her work. She sketched and erased, figured and reworked until her head ached, trying not to think about the matter of her engagement. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep and poring over ship plans.
Giselle bounced into Josie’s room and wrinkled her nose. “Mama wants you downstairs, Josie. She’s got a visitor.”
“Is it Mrs. Jefferson?” Josie knew Giselle didn’t like the florid Mrs. Jefferson, who pinched little girls’ cheeks and talked too loudly.
“No, it’s a fat man. With a yellow vest and shiny shoes. He’s sitting in Papa’s chair, and he has whiskers like a badger.”
Mystified, Josie stood up. She checked her reflection in the mirror, combed her hair, and straightened her dress, brushing the wrinkles from her skirt. She hoped his visit wouldn’t take long. Work was the only thing that took her mind off her engagement.
Mr. Fox scooted to the edge of his chair and stood when she entered the parlor. He waited until she drew near and held out her hand, as she knew Mama expected her to do. “How do you do?” He took her fingers in his beefy grip, lingering over his greeting.
When he finally let go, she resisted the urge to wipe her hand on her dress.
“Josephine, this is Mr. Fox. He’s the owner of Keystone Steel and Shipping.”
Fox waited until she was seated before speaking. “We’ve met briefly before. Miss Zahn, I hear congratulations are in order.” He grinned, ingratiatingly, over his tea cup. “I’m sure you’ve made a sound match.”
Mama beamed. “We’re all very happy with the way things have worked out.”
“Thank you, Mr. Fox.” Josie kept her tone neutral. Something about the way this man looked at her unsettled her. What was he doing here in the middle of the workday? If he had business with Papa, why didn’t he go to the sawmill office?
He set his cup down, the chair creaking as he leaned forward. “I understand you received quite a ring from young Kennebrae.”
Josie clenched her fist and put her right hand over her left. But Mama gushed and twittered. “Oh my, yes. A beautiful ring, and large enough to gratify a girl’s heart that her betrothed won’t be stingy with her in the future. Do show it to him, Josephine.”
She had no choice but to hold her hand out. Mama scowled at her, and she realized she was glaring at Fox. Schooling her features, she tried to appear the blushing bride. The entire charade irked her.
“Stunning. You’re to be commended, Miss Zahn. When is the happy event?” Fox slid predatory eyes toward her hand. No doubt he saw everything in terms of acquisition and victory.
“We haven’t set a date yet.” Josie accepted a cup of tea from her mother but didn’t drink. Her stomach roiled, something in her recoiling from Fox’s calculating, insinuating gaze.
He leaned forward to pick up his cup from the low table before him. The china rattled, and he jumped back. “Oh, how careless of me.” The cup rocked on its side in the saucer, tea covering the table and dripping to the floor. His pant leg had received a liberal splattering as well, and his fingers dripped. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Zahn. Do you perhaps have a washroom where I could clean up?”
Mama, who had bounced out of her chair at the first clink of china, rang for the maid. “Show Mr. Fox to the facilities, please. And don’t worry, Gervase, no harm done. I’ll get another cup for you.”
The moment the washroom door at the top of the stairs closed, Josie frowned at her mother. “Mama, I don’t like that man. Did you have to talk to him about the engagement? About the ring?”
“Josephine Elizabeth Zahn”—Mama jerked her hand away and used the tray cloth to mop up the spilled tea—“don’t take that tone with me. He’s a respected businessman in this city, and he came to wish you well in your marriage. He moves in high circles in this town, and you will not antagonize him.” Mama glared at Josie over her shoulder. “You’ll be cordial to him and show some grace. I didn’t spend every day of the last many years drilling manners into your head to have you embarrass me this way.”
Josie bit her tongue and took the tray into the kitchen for the cook to reset.
Fox was gone a long time, and when he reappeared at the foot of the stairs, he slid his watch into his hand and refused Mama’s offers of more tea and cakes. “It’s been delightful, Mrs. Zahn, but I’m afraid I must fly. Businesses, as you well know, don’t run themselves.” He clasped Josie’s limp hand and crushed her fingers in a hearty grip. “And, Miss Zahn, I wish you every happiness in your upcoming marriage.” He bared his yellow teeth, flipped his hat onto his bushy gray hair, and departed, the door slamming briskly behind his rotund figure.
Josie breathed out a sigh of relief at his leaving and this time wiped her hand on her skirt. Obnoxious little man. He looked as if he were trying to figure out how to beat her at some game she didn’t even know she was playing.
She returned to her room and sank onto her desk chair. “Giselle? Antoinette? Where are you little hoydens?” Her papers and books were strewn across the desk, as if someone had accidentally swept them to the floor and hastily piled them back up. She rose and headed to the nursery the little girls still shared. When were they going to learn to keep out of her things?
❧
Josie crossed her arms at her waist and leaned against the slender bole of a young maple tree. Children ran
and women laughed. Men played horseshoes and talked, and wafting over the noise of happy picnickers was the smell of roasting chickens and mustard-laden potato salad. Flags and bunting flapped in the breeze, festooning the pavilion in gay colors. Brawny lumbermen cavorted like kids, nodding with broad smiles each time one of them passed her.
“Your father will be looking for you soon.” Grandma Bess hitched her black bag higher on her arm. “The Kennebraes should be here in a little while.”
“Are you sure he’s looking for me? Or will any of his daughters do?” Josie rubbed the underside of her engagement ring with her thumb, twisting the big diamond in the sunlight.
“What kind of question is that?”
“I don’t understand him. I don’t understand so much right now.” The need to talk to someone made the words pour from her throat. “How can he be so unfeeling to his own family and yet so generous to his workers? Half the time he doesn’t even remember my name, but he’ll throw a party that has his workers falling all over themselves to tell me what a wonderful boss he is.”
Grandma tugged her arm and led her to a nearby park bench. “Your father can be as thick as two planks sometimes. I know. This picnic was my idea, actually. It would never occur to your father to do something like this.”
“How did you talk him into it then?”
“I told him happy workers were productive workers.”
“So you showed him how he would benefit from it, and he agreed to do something nice. That’s just like him. Never do something for nothing.” Josie tightened her lips in disapproval.
“You’re too harsh on him. He isn’t unkind, just a bit thoughtless. He needs a nudge in the right direction from time to time, that’s all.” Grandma dug in her bag for a magazine.
“Are all men like Papa?” Josie twisted her ring again, still unaccustomed to the weight of it on her hand. “Are they all just a bit thoughtless?”
“By ‘all men’ I assume you mean Eli?” Grandma folded the cover of the magazine back and scanned the table of contents.
Josie didn’t answer, not sure what to say. Though she’d imagined herself engaged to Eli Kennebrae a thousand times in her girlish dreams, the reality had turned out much different. This ring was just the most prominent example of how wrong things were. She was everyone’s second best.
“I think”—Grandma flipped another page—“that you should talk to Eli. You should get to know him and let him get to know you. You might both be surprised by what you find. And, Josie, you don’t have to stand by and take this, not from your parents, not from Eli. If you’re truly unsuited to wed, you should say so. But not before you give it a chance. From what I can tell, Eli Kennebrae is a bright, caring, good man. He’s still a man, though, which means he’s not a mind reader. If you want something from him, or you want him to know something, you’re going to have to tell him.”
“How do I tell him I want to pursue my studies in higher mathematics? How do I tell him that I despise this ring and everything it stands for? How do I tell him that just when I was sure I had things mapped out, that I had figured out just what God wanted me to do, my whole world got thrown into an uproar, with Eli Kennebrae right in the middle of it?”
Grandma chuckled, licked her finger, and turned a glossy page. “You have plenty of questions, that’s plain. Have you prayed about any of them? How do you know what Eli’s reaction to your gift for numbers will be if you never reveal that gift to him? Is it fair to harbor a grudge about that ring when Eli has no idea how you feel about it? And have you considered that marrying Eli might be what God had in store for you all along?”
Before Josie could answer, girlish squeals erupted in the pavilion. She rose, her mouth falling open.
Eli was wheeling Mr. Kennebrae’s chair toward the pavilion, and at the same moment, Clarice and Geoffrey returned, hand in hand.
“Now might be a good time for you to go up there. Your mama might need you to spread a little oil on the water.” Grandma stood and used her magazine as a sunshade. “The little girls look happy to see Clarice.”
“Aren’t you coming?” Josie didn’t want to go up the slope alone.
“Plenty of drama up there without my adding to it. I’ll wait here.” She settled herself on the bench again and resumed reading.
When Josie reached the pavilion, the atmosphere of tension clogged her lungs like soot. Clarice lifted wide, imploring eyes to her. Papa’s face resembled a November gale, cold and forbidding, while Mama sat in a wicker chair fanning herself, darting worried glances between her husband and her daughter with the occasional nasty look for her brand-new son-in-law.
Geoffrey stood behind Clarice with his hand protectively on her shoulder. His jaw muscles stood out and his legs were braced, as if to do battle.
Abraham Kennebrae’s eyes drilled each person he looked at. Red flushed his hollow cheeks, and the breeze ruffled his white hair.
Beside him, Eli blew out a long breath. His eyes found Josie’s.
The lid would blow off this tea kettle in a moment. Josie found herself moving forward, her mouth stretching in a smile she didn’t feel. “Clarice, Geoffrey, welcome home.” She embraced her sister’s stiff shoulders and whispered, “Cheer up. It will all blow over.” Josie turned to Geoffrey. “I’ve always wanted a brother. Welcome to the family, Geoffrey. I know Clarice will be very happy with you.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his rock-hard cheek. Josie walked over to Eli and slid her arm through his. “Things have worked out so well, Clarice. You got Geoffrey, and I got Eli.” She gazed up into Eli’s stunned eyes, begging him to catch on, to back her up.
Eli caught her meaning, for he stepped forward and held out his hand to Geoffrey. “Congratulations, Geoff.” He smiled, shook his friend’s hand, and cuffed him on the shoulder. “She’s a great girl.” He winked, then leaned down and kissed Clarice’s rosy cheek. “I’d say my loss is your gain, but I don’t think anybody lost here.”
Josie could almost see the gears turning over in Mama’s mind. Mama sat upright and stopped waving her handkerchief under her chin. All around them, the workers crowded, eyes watching, ears alert. Papa cleared his throat, unclenching his hands. Mama nudged him in the side.
Papa donned his making-the-best-of-things face. “As you can see, things have worked out for the best. Clarice, Geoffrey, welcome home.” He motioned for the servers to begin dishing up the food for the gathered workers.
Though conscious of the uneasiness remaining, Josie blew out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
Clarice clasped Josie’s hand and lifted it to examine the diamond ring. “You’re marrying Eli?” The words were hissed into Josie’s ear.
She nodded. “Papa and Mr. Kennebrae still wanted the wedding, so Papa figured I’d do just as well.”
“But what about your studies? I thought you were going to college.”
The muddle of Josie’s thoughts and feelings sloshed about in her chest. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I thought I had everything figured out, but now. . .” The little girls swarmed around Clarice, and Josie found herself once more beside Eli.
Abraham Kennebrae wrapped her wrist in one of his bony hands and gave her a squeeze. “You’re a good girl, Josephine Zahn. I saw how you handled that situation. You’ll make an excellent Kennebrae. You’ve got smarts and tact, just like my Genevieve had.” The hand around her wrist tightened painfully. “What’s he doing here?”
Josie followed his glare. Her scalp crinkled. Duluth wasn’t such a small place that she should keep running into Gervase Fox.
Fox’s eyes swept the assembly, stopping when they landed on the Kennebraes. He lost no time weaving his way through the picnic tables. “Abraham, Eli, and Miss Zahn, you look even more fetching than you did yesterday.” He bowed to Josie.
Eli wrapped his arm around Josie’s waist and tucked her firmly into his side. “You’ve met?” His whisper brushed her temple, taking her breath away.
“He called on my mother yesterda
y.” The warmth of Eli’s embrace surrounded her. His side was rock hard, as was his arm around her. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was trying to protect her from something.
“Another successful Kennebrae wedding.” Mr. Fox bowed and grinned at her. “Though this one might not sew up the shipping contracts quite as neatly as the previous two.”
Abraham sucked in a breath. “What do you mean, Fox?”
“Just that I’ve been talking with Radcliffe Zahn. He sees no reason why he should tie himself down to exclusive contracts, not if someone else can do the job more efficiently.”
“You bounder. How dare you come in here and try to steal business from me!” Mr. Kennebrae pounded his chair arm.
“Steal? It’s not stealing. It’s business. Zahn feels that the best shipper should haul his goods. If you have the best ship, you get the contract.”
“We’ll see about that.” Abraham jerked his head at Eli. “Take me to Radcliffe.”
Eli stood still a long moment, his arm remaining firmly around Josie.
Geoffrey, as if sensing the need for his presence, slipped alongside. “We’ll all go, Mr. Kennebrae. I’m anxious to hear what Zahn has to say.” He grasped the steering bar on the back of the chair.
Eli drew Josie with him as he fell into step with his lawyer.
❧
Eli’s gut churned. Fox couldn’t be trusted. He was wily and persuasive. Grandfather’s plans looked to be going up in the smoke of Fox’s schemes.
Zahn, when they drew near, shifted in his seat and poked his now-congealed potato salad with his fork.
“Zahn, what’s this Fox is spewing? Are you going back on our agreement?”
Eli grimaced at Grandfather’s direct approach. All the delicacy of a steam-powered ice breaker.
“Agreement? I’m not going back on anything, but business is business. Gervase tells me he can haul my lumber faster and in greater quantities than anyone on the lakes.” Zahn put his fork down. “I can’t pass up something like that, not if it’s true.”
Eli shot a glance at Fox, who rocked on his heels, a smug smile plastered on his face. He looked like a bear sucking on a fistful of honey. Josie’s hand on Eli’s arm gripped tight.