by Laura Abbot
Rose curbed a giggle. She couldn’t recall a time when Lavinia had been at a loss for words. “Would you join Papa, Alf and me for the dinner? It’s spread out in the jail—enough food to feed a small country.”
The four proceeded to the jail quarters where tables had been set up in every nook and cranny. Just after they’d served themselves, Lily, Caleb and Mattie arrived, trailed by Seth and Andrew. Exchanging excited greetings, the others filled their plates and joined the Kelloggs, Mattie insisting that she sit next to “brudder.” Lily, in a full-sleeved claret gown, nipped at the waist and then swirling to the floor, sat down beside Rose. “Where’s Sophie?” Ezra asked.
Lily laughed. “One guess. She hasn’t left Charlie’s side since we arrived. I think she’s enjoying all of the congratulations due him for his stonework.”
After comparing notes about the unusual features of the building, at the sound of instruments tuning in the second-floor courtroom, the group dispersed. As Rose and Alf mounted the coiling stairs, Papa lagged behind. Looking over the railing, she saw what—or rather who—had detained him. Bess stood gracefully, her lilac dress the perfect hue to highlight her hair and complexion, receiving Ezra’s kiss on the cheek. Rose paused, lost in the wonder of the two of them together, deserving souls who had blessedly found one another. “Rose, c’mon. I hear music!”
Rose entered the courtroom where the ball was being held, awed by the craftsmanship of the high ceiling covered by embossed tin and the burnished wooden judge’s bench. Beyond that, in celebration, the walls were draped with bunting, and chrysanthemums and bittersweet overflowed from strategically placed vases. When Ezra and Bess entered the room, Rose gushed to Bess, “What wonderful work you and your committee have done. This night is the stuff of storybooks.”
“Bess’s efforts have produced magnificent results.” Ezra’s doting look said it all. When the musicians struck up the first number, Rose led Alf to a row of chairs lining the walls. “We’ll sit here and take in the fun.”
“You. Dance.”
“I think not, Alf. I’ve not had much practice.”
“Let’s try. You and me.” He jumped up and before she could protest, led her to a corner, where he took her hands and pranced about in a ring-around-the-rosy manner. “See. We’re dancing.” Rose couldn’t deny him this pleasure and found herself caught up in his enthusiasm. Behind them, couples cut figures on the varnished wooden floor, vibrating with the activity. When the music stopped, Alf bowed and Rose curtsied.
“You’re quite the dancer, Alf. Maybe you could teach me.” The deep masculine voice caused them both to turn around.
“Sett. You seed us? Rose and me?” The boy glowed with pleasure. “Now, you dance.” He took Seth’s large hand and placed it in Rose’s.
“I, uh...”
“That’s all right, Seth. I’m quite ready to sit.”
“No! You and Sett. Dance.” Then Alf’s stubborn expression melted into an impish grin. “I did it, Sett. You can do it. You and Rose.”
Rose looked up helplessly and read in Seth’s expression his discomfort. He placed a forefinger between his neck and collar, as if unaccustomed to being so constricted. “Uh, Lily and Sophie tried to teach me.”
“Well, then, you’ve had the benefit of lessons. I have not.”
“Dance!” came the insistent voice of their boy.
Seth looked around the crowded ballroom. “Perhaps if we stay in the corner—”
“No one will see us?” Rose laughed then. “Are we being a bit silly? Who cares how we dance? Look there.” She nodded toward the floor. “I see that farmer from over Strong City way lumbering around. Surely we can best that.”
With a deep sigh, Seth placed a tentative hand on her back. When she put her hand into his, he straightened up and began guiding her in wide circles. At first her feet refused to cooperate, but then as she relaxed and he gained confidence, they were able to move more or less gracefully, not daring to look at one another for concentrating on the steps.
“See? I told you. You’re dancing.” Alf was jittery with excitement.
“We’ve made at least one person happy,” Rose commented, nodding toward the boy.
Seth didn’t immediately answer. Then squeezing her hand gently and drawing her a bit closer, he said, “Maybe two, or dare I hope, three?”
Her heart fluttered out of all proportion to the words he’d spoken, words she wasn’t sure how to interpret. Caught up in the spell of the moment, she couldn’t think how to answer him.
Just as the music ceased, she heard him mumble, “Well, two anyway.” Then in an abrupt change of mood, he lifted Alf onto his shoulders. “What do you say we fellas go for some of that ice cream downstairs?” He faced her. “It is all right with you?”
She nodded, then watched them leave, suddenly feeling quite alone. As she moved toward a vacant seat, the next dance began. Observing the twirling couples, one thing was clear. Neither Sophie and Charlie nor her father and Bess were having difficulty with the intricacies of dancing. Nor, from the looks of it, with courtship.
She bowed her head. On a night when she should have been overflowing with happiness, melancholy blanketed her. Until Alf was legally hers, she could not celebrate.
When Seth and Alf returned, Rose took out a handkerchief and wiped the remnant of ice cream from the boy’s mouth. “Was it good?”
The boy held his arms up to form a circle. “Sett and me had a big bowl.”
“But not enough to give anyone a tummy ache,” Seth added.
Just then Alf spied Mattie across the room. “I see Mattie. We can dance, us two,” and he ran off to the little girl. As Seth and Rose watched, he took Mattie by the hand and began leaping about.
“Quite a lad,” Seth said, sitting down beside her.
Rose merely nodded. Dancing with Seth had been unsettling. From the fact that he said nothing more and stared intently at the dancers, Rose sensed her failure to answer his earlier question had put him off. Did he make her happy? After all the humiliation she’d been through at the fort, might she risk making him happy? Or was he merely looking for a friend? Or, worse yet, a housekeeper?
Before dwelling further on those thoughts, she clamped them off. Once she had actually believed her happiness lay with a man. Foolishness! True, Seth was nothing like the sergeant to whom she’d lost her heart, but no good could come of entertaining anything beyond their friendship.
Seth fidgeted beside her, tugging at his cuffs and staring alternately between the ceiling and the floor. If he was that uncomfortable, why did he continue to sit beside her? She had to say something to break the ice. “Perhaps you would like to dance with Sophie or Lily?”
“No, thanks.”
She couldn’t imagine what was going through his head. Just then her father appeared before her. “May I have this next dance with my lovely daughter?” Papa whisked her away, but over his shoulder she spied Seth, standing with his back turned, gazing out of one of the large courtroom windows.
* * *
Seth stared into the night, neither the moon nor the twinkling lights of the town below registering with him. He was in a fix. For one brief moment, dancing with Rose while Alf clapped his approval, he’d entertained a vision of the three of them as a family, but the happiness he’d experienced was fleeting. Rose didn’t think of him in that way. Her behavior made it obvious that they were friends...only. Women were puzzling. He’d thought he and Rose had drawn closer. Yet something held her back. Had he misread their relationship? Was it foolish to risk his heart when he had no assurance of a happy outcome? When the music died, the mayor climbed in front of the judge’s bench and called for attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, please gather around to honor the architects and builders who have made our courthouse a reality.”
Reluctantly, Seth moved to the fringe of the crowd, listeni
ng as the mayor expounded on the prodigious feats and financial generosity which had made the courthouse construction possible. Spontaneous applause broke out at several junctures and cries of “Hear, hear!” echoed throughout the room. Seth scanned the crowd. Squirming with delight, Mattie and Alf were with Lily and Caleb. Doc Kellogg stood close beside Bess Stanton, but much as Seth craned his neck, he could not spot Rose.
At the conclusion of the laudatory remarks, the mayor held up his hand. “Charlie Devane has asked to make an announcement. Come on up, Charlie.”
The dark-headed young man, blushing from being center stage, stood before them, his brown eyes twinkling. “As you know, I hail from New England, but you’ve made me welcome here. Cottonwood Falls has not only given me a home, but another priceless gift. I am proud to say that after speaking with Andrew Montgomery, Sophie has agreed to be my wife.” He drew Sophie to him. “We will marry in a few months after I finish a job at the college in Manhattan.”
Seth felt as if he had turned into a block of wood, incapable of either feeling or movement. He shouldn’t be surprised; indeed, he should be elated for his sister. Instead, a wave of loneliness inundated him. His sister, resplendent in an aquamarine gown, at this moment was no longer the tomboy of his youth, but a radiant young woman with eyes only for her betrothed. Congratulations rang throughout the room. Then unexpectedly, he felt a small, warm hand slip into his and give an encouraging squeeze. “Seth, dear.”
Where Rose had come from, he didn’t know, but she, of all people, understood how difficult this moment was for him. Perhaps fearing his reaction, it was no wonder Sophie hadn’t told him in advance. “You knew?”
“Lily told me earlier this evening. Sophie wanted to surprise everyone else.” She looked up at him, her eyes troubled. “Will you be all right?”
He shrugged. “I’ll have to be. How can I possibly begrudge my sister happiness? Devane is a good man, but it will be difficult to see her go.”
“Your friends and family will help fill the void.”
He stared down into her trusting blue eyes. “Are you my friend?”
“Always,” she replied.
The moment was broken by yet another announcement. “To conclude this evening,” the mayor called out, “please give your attention to Mrs. Lavinia Dupree.”
Rose grasped Seth’s hand. “What in the world?” she said, turning her attention to the judge’s bench where her aunt was being escorted like a queen by the perspiring mayor.
Lavinia drew herself up and then studied the assemblage until, amid shushes, they quieted. “Good evening.” Her voice rang out clear and commanding. “As you know, my home is in St. Louis, and I have experienced all the advantages a cosmopolitan city can afford its residents. So you may wonder what brought me to Cottonwood Falls. Family, of course. But what keeps me here beyond those bonds? I will tell you. The cooperative spirit of this community, which has now taken tangible form in this splendid courthouse. And now,” Lavinia’s voice soared, “I want to express my appreciation to you by making a sizeable donation toward the building of a library. My nieces will tell you I am not much of a reader, but I see great value in providing a place of learning for others, both now and in the years to come.”
A buzz circulated through the crowd and Willa Stone rushed to Lavinia’s side. “Mrs. Dupree, we are flabbergasted and delighted. Your generosity will indeed provide a worthy legacy.” At her signal everyone joined in enthusiastic applause.
“One more thing,” Lavinia said when the clapping died away. “I intend to invest not only my money to the betterment of this county, but also my energy and presence. I have purchased land in the area, and with young Mr. Devane’s able assistance, am building a summer home here in Kansas.”
Seth’s hand tightened on Rose’s. “Are you all right?”
She leaned against him. “I’m undone. In her generosity and openness, I see so much of my mother in Aunt Lavinia. Either she has changed or I’ve misjudged her.”
“It’s you and Alf, Lily, Caleb and Mattie—all of you. She loves you very much.”
“I see that now, and I’m delighted she feels comfortable and welcome here.”
“The people of Chase County are special.”
“And you are one of them,” she whispered before she started toward her aunt.
He watched her dodge around their neighbors to reach and embrace Lavinia Dupree. Special. He shook his head. Whatever that meant. Then he dutifully embarked on the errand of congratulating Sophie and Charlie.
Chapter Fifteen
The evening after the ball Ezra and Rose invited Lavinia to dinner, eager to hear more about her surprising announcement. Rose carefully removed her mother’s good china from the cupboard and arranged the table just so, complete with a centerpiece of pumpkins and brightly colored gourds. A roast surrounded by onions, potatoes and carrots simmered in the Dutch oven and a Sally Lunn cake was cooling on the sideboard. Surveying the situation, she hoped she had not overlooked anything. She so wanted to approach Aunt Lavinia’s exacting standards.
“Something smells mighty good,” her father said, walking in the door. “I was afraid I’d be late. Jake Witherspoon’s mule kicked him and broke his leg.” Glancing at the set table, he hung his hat on the peg. “I’ll go wash up before Lavinia gets here.”
Alf grabbed Rose’s hand. “Come. Watch for ’Vinia with me.” Passing by the hall mirror, Rose checked her reflection. Even though she sometimes still felt inadequate around her aunt, Lavinia seemed to be warming to her. Not only that, Lavinia’s interactions with Alf had gone a long way to soften Rose’s opinion.
Alf straddled the porch rail, cowboy-style. “Know what, Rose? ’Vinia said when I’m a big boy, she’ll buy me a pony.”
“But for now you have the horse Seth made you.”
“Yeah, Spot. He’s a good horse, but—” the boy leaned toward Rose and spoke confidentially “—he’s not real, you know.”
Reflecting on the attention both Seth and Lavinia lavished on the boy, Rose smiled. So many wanted to make up to him for the tragedy of his mother’s death. Pray God the court would favor her adoption petition.
Papa joined them. “Looks as if we’re ready. If I know my sister-in-law, she’ll make a grand entrance. Before she gets here, though, you need to know I saw David Yarnell today.”
At the mention of the lawyer’s name, Rose held her breath. “And?”
“Your hearing is on the docket for this coming Friday.” He reached over and patted her hand. “Come what may, you’ll have an answer soon.”
“I don’t know if I can survive the uncertainty till then.”
“Be thankful. The hearing could have been in weeks, not mere days.”
She watched Alf, caught up in the pretense that the porch rail was a mighty steed. For him, she could endure anything.
“’Vinia! I spy ’Vinia!”
Sure enough, Lavinia was drawing up in her buggy, driven by the hired man she’d recently engaged. She emerged, a fur stole over her black bombazine dress. When Ezra went to the buggy to escort her up the walk, he was nearly bowled over by Alf who beat him to her side and grabbed Lavinia’s hand. “Rose made roast beef. Come eat with me.”
Preoccupied by Papa’s news, Rose had difficulty following the dinner conversation until Seth’s name popped up. “Seth?”
“Yes, dear, that young man was kind enough to give me a tour of the territory and point out the business potential of the Flint Hills. My husband rarely included me in his dealings, but I’m discovering I have a head for finances. When Lily was in St. Louis, she showed me that women are capable of being decision makers, and that is exactly what I intend to be.”
“We’re happy for you and will look forward to your upcoming ventures,” Ezra said, wiping his mouth with his linen napkin.
“I’m particularly excited abo
ut the house I’m building.”
“House?” Alf said. “Building like blocks?”
“Exactly. That fine Charlie Devane has helped me design a home made of your native limestone. It’s tucked against a hill with a glorious southeastern exposure.”
“It sounds lovely.”
“And, Rose, I need your help.”
“Mine?” Rose couldn’t imagine what expertise she would have to offer.
“Who is the best cook in the county? You, my dear. Of course, I will engage my own cook in my new home, but I want an efficient, modern kitchen design. So...sometime soon I want you to accompany me to the building site to make suggestions. Will you help?”
“I’ll enjoy the challenge.”
Papa smiled from one woman to the next. “That’s settled, then. Now all we need is to get the matter of our young man concluded.”
Lavinia’s eyebrows arched inquisitively. “What matter, Ezra?”
He lowered his voice, “Rose’s court hearing. Friday next.”
“What’s a court?”
Not for the first time, Rose reflected on the truth of little pitchers having big ears. “Alf, it’s what happens in the beautiful building with the clock tower. Grown-up business.”
“How are you feeling about the prospect, Rose?”
“Oh, Aunt Lavinia, I’m both eager for it to come about and, at the same time, terrified. What if—” Rose found she couldn’t finish the thought.
“Nonsense. You will not be alone in that courtroom. I will personally rally the family and the women of the Library Society as character witnesses. There is no question what justice demands in this case. Don’t fret, my dear niece. All will be well.”
All will be well. All manner of things shall be well. Rose smiled by way of thanks. In an odd way it was fitting to hear Lavinia mouth the same comforting words Rose had heard so often from her own mother. She studied Alf, his little hands now moving excitedly as he described for her aunt the kind of pony he would prefer. Rose knew she had done what she could for the boy. The rest lay with God.