She scooted a little closer to him on the mattress. “You could hold me in your arms now to practice.” She still wasn’t ready for more to happen between them, but she loved the idea of him holding her close.
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, his cheek resting atop her head. “This feels nice. I like practicing with you.”
“Me, too.”
That evening, when they were getting ready for the dance, Toria used Grace’s sewing room as a place to get ready so Mortimer wouldn’t see her dress until she was completely ready. She took a hand mirror into the room and carefully did her hair, forgoing the curling, but instead putting it up atop her head in a new style she’d seen back east.
When she was completely ready, she slipped her shoes on and stepped out into the hallway, seeing that Mortimer was stepping out of their bedroom, tying his cravat.
He stopped short at the sight of her, wondering how he had ever compared her unfavorably to another woman. “You look beautiful.”
She smiled sweetly, thankful he thought so after the time she’d put into dressing. “Thank you. I’m ready. I just have to get the food we’re taking from the oven.”
“Would you help me with my cravat?”
She nodded, stepping close to him, her fingers going to his neck to work on the tie. “I like how this suit looks on you. Who tied your tie the day we married?”
“John helped me with it. For some reason, he’s always been better at ties than me. Of course, my hands were shaking so badly there was no way I could ever have dressed myself properly.”
“You were nervous the day we married?” She was surprised. She’d never seen one little sign of it.
“I was. Until I saw you.”
“And then you were disappointed.”
“I was. I shouldn’t have been, but I was.” When she’d finished with his tie, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “I have something I’d like for you to wear to the dance, if you don’t mind.”
She looked at the box in his hand and nodded, knowing she would take off her brooch if he wanted her to wear something he’d given her. It didn’t matter to her enough to not. “I’d like that.”
He handed her the box, and she opened it, gasping when she saw what was inside. “I never got you an engagement ring, or even a wedding ring. I thought tonight would be a good night to rectify that.”
He took the ring from her hand and slipped it onto the third finger of her left hand. “I hope you like it.”
“How could I not like it? Mortimer, it’s beautiful!” The ring was gold with a diamond in the center. Never in her life had she dreamed she would own something so beautiful. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Will it seem strange if I say it will give me pleasure to see you wear it?”
She shook her head, still staring at the beautiful ring. “I hope I don’t blind anyone with this thing tonight.”
Mortimer laughed. “Let’s go dance the night away.”
She gathered the dish she’d made and followed him down to the front of the store. Otto the liveryman had brought the buggy around, and Mortimer gallantly handed her up into it. “Thank you, Otto,” he said, taking the lines and sitting closely beside her.
Otto nodded. “Sophia wants to go, so I’ll see you there!”
“I’ll look forward to seeing her.” Toria gripped Mortimer’s arm, and they headed for the dance. “I can’t believe how excited I am. I haven’t been to a dance in a good ten years. There just wasn’t anyone I wanted to go with.”
Mortimer smiled at her. “And you want to go with me?” He was well aware of the disparity in their looks. She was beautiful, and he was past his prime. He was in good physical shape from all the work he did in the store, but so was she.
“I want to do everything with you, Mortimer.” She bit her tongue to keep from telling him she loved him. She knew he wasn’t quite ready for those words, and she wasn’t ready for the rejection they’d bring. The courting he’d done that week had been very nice, and she’d loved the flowers, little gifts, and walks in the snow. “How well do you know Marta and Royce?”
He shrugged. “They come into town to buy things, so I know them from the store. Marta is Royce’s second wife. His first wife died in childbirth, but the baby lived. He has a whole houseful of kids—I can’t even recall how many now. But Marta has been very good for all of them. You can see that he’s happy again.”
“Do they often have barn dances?” Back in Beckham, there were dances, but she’d never been to one in a barn. She couldn’t believe how much she was looking forward to it.
“I have no idea. I believe this is the first, but I don’t always hear about fun things to do. I’m an old man.”
“You’re not an old man! Why, you’re not much past forty, are you?”
He smiled at her. “I’m forty-two. I feel like an old man. I’ve raised a child, lost a wife…those are things that you’ve done when you’re old.”
“But you started so young!” Toria exclaimed. “You don’t seem at all old to me.”
“You make me feel young.” They rode along in silence for a bit before he pulled into the ranch yard where they were headed. He parked among the other buggies and wagons, carefully tying his horses to a tree. Walking around, he held his hands up for her, catching her waist and helping her down.
She immediately turned to get her covered dish, which every woman knew was her key to get into a party like this. They walked in together, and she was aware that people were watching them. It was their first social event as a married couple, so it was natural.
Walking over to where Marta was standing with children surrounding her, Toria handed her the covered dish. “Thank you so much for inviting us. I’m looking forward to the dance.”
Marta smiled, her eyes a bit sleepy. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Are you feeling all right?” Toria asked, immediately worried about her new friend.
Marta nodded. “I’m just tired. It takes a lot out of a woman having so many people depending on her. I love to cook and clean, and the children make me happy, so please don’t think I’m complaining.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying things. Don’t dance so much that you can’t make it through tomorrow.”
Marta laughed. “I’ll dance, at least a little. I didn’t have this barn cleaned out for nothing.”
Toria nodded, moving away from her friend. There was a small band in one corner of the barn consisting of a fiddle, a harmonica, and a guitar. It wasn’t the kind of dance people went to back east, of course, but it looked fun to her.
Royce stepped into the middle of the barn and removed his hat. “Let’s thank the Lord for this meal, and then we’ll get into the most important part of our evening—having fun!”
After the prayer, they all lined up and filled their plates from the smorgasbord in front of them. Toria was genuinely amazed at all the dishes that had been provided, and she was sure they’d be able to feed everyone at least twice over. She herself had brought enough food to feed at least four people, instead of the two of them. Then she spotted John, who was off to one side of the room, looking excitedly at the crowd. She raised her hand in a wave, and he nodded at her.
After their plates were filled, Mortimer led her over to a hay bale that would serve as their bench. They both held their plates in their laps, prepared to eat. John walked past them with his plate. “I’m going to find the other young men,” he said.
Mortimer nodded, watching him carefully. He didn’t seem to be under the influence of drink, but he knew that John’s friends often brought their own entertainment to parties.
As soon as they were finished eating, Mortimer held his hand out for her and helped her to her feet. “May I have this dance?”
Toria smiled, nodding emphatically. “I can’t think of anything I would like more.” The band was playing a slow tune, and she was happy to be able to dance in his arms.
As they danced, Mortimer realized the s
econd thing Toria had no talent for. She couldn’t dance. She tripped over her feet, his feet, and once a speck of dust on the floor. But just like when she sang, she was happy, her whole face lit up. He would deal with bruised toes to keep his wife so very happy.
As they danced, Toria saw Grace behind them, and she was beaming. She looked genuinely happy that Toria and Mortimer were happy. Toria nodded to her as they continued their dance.
The next time she twirled to where she could see Grace, the angel’s face looked panicked. She was gesturing for Toria to follow her.
Toria looked at Mortimer. “I need to excuse myself for a moment,” she whispered, then she hurried toward the angel, following her.
When she got outside, she saw John slowly backing away from two other young men, a look of fright on his face. She saw one of the young men pull a knife. He wielded it with more enthusiasm than skill. The other young man pulled a knife and the two of them circled each other, both looking for just the right time to attack. Toria called for John to come beside her, needing him away from the danger.
John hurried over, his eyes wide as he watched the fight. There was a dark figure over the young men. Toria didn’t know who it was, but he frightened her.
“It’s the Angel of Death. One of them isn’t going to make it. Don’t try to stop it. Nothing will work once Death gets here,” Grace whispered to her.
Toria thought for a moment about trying to stop it, but she knew it wouldn’t end well. Instead, she took John’s arm and pulled him back into the dance. “Were they drinking?” she asked softly, with no accusation in her voice.
“Yes, and they wanted me to drink with them.”
“But you didn’t?” Toria asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“I didn’t.”
She squeezed his arm. “I’m going to go let Royce know there’s a knife fight in his barnyard.” She was surprised no one else had seemed to see what was happening.
John stayed beside her as she went to Royce, whispering to him that he was needed outside, and Royce rushed out. She sat down beside Marta, who looked even more tired than before. “Are you all right?”
Marta nodded. “I need to get a drink of water. Other than that, I’m just fine.”
John hurried to get the water, bring her a glass back.
The men quickly ran from the barn one at a time, but John stayed beside Toria. She wasn’t sure if he just didn’t want to be part of the altercation, or if he needed to stay where he could be seen so no one thought he was part of it. Either way, she was glad to have him there.
Mortimer came into the barn a few minutes later, making a beeline for his family. “Are you all right?” he asked John softly, more asking if his son had participated in the drunkenness going on outside.
“I got away as soon as I knew what was going on, Dad.”
Royce came back into the barn, and he raised his voice. “There was a little problem outside. Jim Thompson was stabbed, and he’s dead. I think it’s time for the party to be over.”
Chapter Ten
Mortimer took Toria’s arm. “Let’s get out of here.”
Toria nodded. She felt almost guilty that she hadn’t done anything to stop the fight, but the whole situation had seemed too dangerous to her. She simply wanted to get John away from the fight as quickly as possible.
John frowned at her as he headed for his own wagon. Toria grabbed the dish she had brought, feeling a small sense of pride that it was completely empty, and she walked with Mortimer to the buggy.
She could see there was a group of people surrounding Jim, the boy who had been stabbed, but the Angel of Death was no longer there. She had to assume that he had gotten what he came for.
On the drive back, she was mostly silent, not certain what to say at all. She was simply relieved that her own family was untouched.
“Do you know if John was involved?” Mortimer finally asked. He was nervous that his son had been part of the knife fight and the drinking that had preceded it. Even though John had said no, he needed confirmation, and he needed it badly.
“He wasn’t. I went out there and saw him backing away from the boys. His breath has no scent of alcohol on it. The boys asked him to drink with them, but he refused.” She was so thankful she could tell her husband the truth about what she’d seen.
“What made you go out there to begin with?”
Toria took a deep breath, deciding it was finally time to tell him. If he thought she was crazy, then so be it. “I’ve been receiving visits from a guardian angel. She told me that she arranged for me to be the one to respond to your letter.”
He took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her, and then he stared straight ahead again. “Tell me about her.”
“This is the part that’s going to seem crazy,” she said softly. “My guardian angel is Grace.”
He nodded. “I wondered if she was appearing to you as well. She’s made me crazy for the past five years, appearing every time I felt like I was finally getting over her and moving on with my life. I’ll always love her, but the constant reminders have been hard.”
“You mean she appears to you as well? Really?” Toria wasn’t sure if she thought he was crazy too, or if she was simply relieved she wasn’t the only one.
He nodded. “The first time was right after I got home from her funeral. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s happened so often over the years that I just wait for her to come to me again.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy at all. I felt like I was crazy, and I was afraid to tell you about her coming to see me. The first time I saw her was on the train on the way here, while I was making your socks. She told me I was doing the right thing—not by making the socks, but by going west to marry you.”
“Did you know she was my late wife then?” He’d always known, of course, but she wouldn’t have had any way of knowing what his first wife had looked like.
“No. I didn’t discover that until Sunday, I think? That’s when she told me she was my guardian angel. I thought I was just seeing this ghost. It was strange.”
“So did she tell you to go outside tonight?” He was very interested in her seeing Grace, but he was still trying to figure out how she’d gotten outside during the fight.
“She was there during the dance. I could see her behind you while we were on the floor, and then the next time I was facing her, she was doing everything she could to get me to follow her outside. I did, and I saw John standing apart from the others, looking very upset. And then I saw something that I didn’t recognize. Grace told me it was the Angel of Death. I didn’t want to see anything happen, so I went inside. For a moment, I thought about trying to stop it, but she told me it was already too late.” She sighed heavily. “I wanted to have John beside me indoors so no one would think he’d been part of it.”
“I see.” Mortimer thought long and hard about her words. “Thank you for looking out for my son when he needed it.”
“I feel like he’s my responsibility too, now that we’re married. I like John. I think he and I will continue to grow closer as we get to know one another better.”
He stopped in front of the house. “Go ahead and go up. I’m going to return the buggy to the livery. I hope Otto and Sophia are back from the dance so he can help me put them up.”
He looked over and saw John drive past him with the store wagon, heading straight for the livery. He needed to catch up with him and tell him how proud he was that John had stood up to the pressure his friends had put on him to drink.
When he got to the livery, Otto was helping John unhitch his horses. Mortimer parked the buggy and walked over to his son, patting him on the back.
John looked at him, and though his eyes were haunted, they were perfectly clear. “I think I’ve been scared straight, Dad.”
“You were already doing what you should have been doing before the dance tonight. You might have been scared this evening, but it didn’t change you. You were already changed, or you wouldn’t have r
efused their alcohol. I’m proud of you.”
John seemed to grow three inches while Mortimer watched. “Thank you.”
“I only tell the truth. Just like I always have.” Mortimer looked to Otto. “Do you need help?”
Otto shook his head. “I’ll do it.” He’d always been a man of few words, so with a nod of thanks, Mortimer and John began the short walk back to the store.
“It was a good night before the fight,” Mortimer said. “I gave Toria a ring tonight.”
“Good. I felt bad for her, never having an engagement ring or a wedding ring. I’m glad you finally gave her one.”
Mortimer smiled. “You really don’t mind her, do you?”
John shrugged. “She’s not my mom, but she doesn’t even expect me to call her Mom. She’s just Toria, and she’s your wife, and she feeds me and watches out for me. How can I complain about that?”
“Thanks, John. I appreciate that.”
“You don’t need my approval anyway, Dad. You waited five years after Mom died before you even thought about marrying again. I can’t complain about that. Well, I could if I didn’t like the woman you married, but I really like Toria, so I won’t.”
Mortimer laughed, walking into the house. John looked over at Toria. “I’m going to go to bed. I think you two need some time alone together.”
Toria looked at John and smiled, nodding. “Goodnight, John. I hope you sleep well.”
“I will, because I wasn’t part of the nonsense tonight. I’m so glad I wasn’t part of it.”
“Me too.” Toria sat at the table, drinking some warm milk. “I wasn’t sure I’d sleep after everything that happened tonight if I didn’t have something to help me.”
“Is there enough for two?” Mortimer asked, walking to the stove to peer in the pot she’d used.
“Of course. Do you want me to pour it?”
He shook his head. “No, I can pour my own milk. I don’t think it will break me.”
“I’m so glad to hear it.” When he’d sat down beside her, she covered his hand with hers. “I’m so glad you understand about Grace. I really thought I was losing my mind, but I feel so much better now that I’ve talked to you about it.”
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