He nodded. "That's correct. Apparently he felt that if you were out of the way Miss Gale would get some of the parts instead of you."
She sighed. "He's always been so nice to me." Beulah came into the room with a tray with tea and the cookies they'd baked Sunday afternoon. Eliza took a cup and a plate of cookies thankful for the distraction. "What happens now?" She'd had more dealings with the authorities in the past month than ever before in her life. She hoped it wasn't a trend that would keep going.
"Mr. Black is in custody. You've given me the letters, and they're now in the custody of the police. A case will be built, and he'll go to trial. You're safe again, Mrs. Simpson."
Eliza let out a breath. She could sing again. Anytime she wanted. In front of anyone she wanted to sing for. It was freeing.
"Thank you, Mr. Bigelow. I do appreciate your time."
He got to his feet. "I 'm happy to be of service."
"Would you like to stay for lunch? It's just breakfast foods, but there's plenty of it." She couldn't let him leave without feeding him when he'd just brought her such wonderful news.
"No, thank you. I have another train to catch." She stood, and he shook her hand. "It's been a pleasure meeting a singer of your caliber. I hope to hear you perform again someday."
Eliza shook her head with a smile. "I'm afraid I won't be singing outside church any longer, Mr. Bigelow. I'm a wife and soon to be mother. I don't have time for singing any longer." She knew she wouldn't miss it either. Singing in a church was all she'd ever wanted, despite what people around her had wanted for her.
"The world will be missing out on a great talent."
She walked him to the door thanking him again. When he was gone, she ran across the room and hugged Beulah tightly. "It's over. The man who was threatening me is behind bars." She couldn't keep the joy from her voice. She wanted to dance a jig, but she'd never been a great dancer and didn't want to fall and harm the baby.
Beulah smiled relief on her face. "My boys can go to school."
"I can sing in church! I can't wait to tell Calvin and not be guarded anymore." Eliza had no idea how oppressed she'd felt until the danger was over. Finally, she'd be able to be a normal housewife who just happened to like to sing in church. Nothing more.
The door opened, and Calvin rushed inside. "Slater told me Mr. Bigelow came by. He didn't wait for me?" His eyes were panicked as they met Eliza's.
Eliza smiled her whole face lighting up. "He didn't need to wait. Everything's fine. The man who was threatening me is in jail awaiting trial. I'm free!"
Calvin smiled finding her enthusiasm contagious. While they ate, she talked about singing in church again and about how much she'd missed it. The more she talked, the more Calvin's heart sank. She wanted to return to her old life of singing now that the danger was past. He could feel it.
While they washed the lunch dishes Beulah asked, "What was wrong with Calvin during lunch? He seemed happy at first, but then he seemed to get sadder and sadder as the meal went by. Do you know why?"
Eliza looked at her sister with surprise. "He did? I wonder why." She'd been so caught up in her own excitement, she hadn't even noticed.
"I'm not certain. Does he not want you singing in church?"
Eliza frowned. She knew how Calvin felt about her singing, but he'd said he didn't mind when she sang in church. Had he been lying? She wanted to be able to at least sing for services, but if he didn't want her to, she wouldn't. He was more important to her than her singing. She'd never thought she'd be able to say that about a man. But with Calvin, it was true.
*****
Calvin spent the day working out how he was going to give Eliza her freedom. He knew she wanted to spend her life singing, but she felt tied down by him. Finally, he decided how he'd word the subject when he brought it up to her. He knew he could put it in a way that made her realize how very much he loved her and wanted her to be happy.
With the houseful of people they had, he would talk to her after they were in bed. It was their only private time. He'd give her the freedom she needed, but she'd know she could always come home to him.
*****
Eliza knew she needed to talk to Calvin once they were in bed that night. She had to tell him that if he didn't want her singing in church, then she wouldn't sing in church. His feelings were more important to her than singing for others. God had given her a talent, yes, but she could use it singing her babies to sleep at night. What higher calling was there than that?
She waited for him in her nightgown that night, knowing he would be a while. He had taken to teaching the boys how to whittle at night, and he was in the middle of a lesson when she went up to bed. The baby was draining all her energy, and she was nodding off to sleep after dinner while she and Beulah were sewing.
When he opened the door and blew out the lamp, she knew it was time for her to talk to him about his worries. Did he think he'd lose her because other men would hear her voice?
"I won't sing in church again. I know you don't like it." She decided to just be blunt. It would be the easiest way to get the conversation started.
Calvin turned to the bed in surprise, dropping the last of his clothes in a heap on the floor knowing she'd pick them up in the morning. "What are you talking about?" He climbed into bed beside her pulling her close.
"I know you were upset at lunch today when I was talking about how I was free to sing in church again. I don't want to do anything that would upset you. I love to sing, but you're more important than anything." She hated that he was jealous of her singing, but she didn't know what to do about it other than stop singing.
Calvin kissed the top of her head. "You think I was upset because you want to sing in church?" Where did she get her ideas?
Eliza shrugged, snuggling close to him in the dark. "I know you're upset about something, and I can't think what else it could be. I thought you'd be happy when the danger was past."
"I spent all day thinking about how I was going to offer you your freedom. I was sure now that your family was no longer in danger that you'd want to go back on the road."
Eliza chuckled. "There's nothing I want less." She suddenly stiffened realizing what he was saying. "You don't want to be married anymore? You want me to leave?" She'd thought he wanted her around. He wasn't upset about her singing in church. He was done with her.
"No! I want you to know that I love you enough to set you free. I was thinking you could be on the road part time, and could be here part time. I would hire someone to take care of the baby who would travel with you while you're gone. I want you with me always, but I won't keep you locked up when you want to be able to sing." He'd even considered going on the road with her, but he'd worked too hard to build up his ranch to be able to do that.
"Oh, Calvin. I love you too. All I've ever wanted was to sing at church when the mood struck me. I never wanted to travel around singing endlessly." She pressed a kiss to his lips, her hands stroking his shoulders. "Even with the danger I've been in, I've found more happiness here with you in the last three months than I had in the sixteen years I traveled and sang. You make me happy. Not singing. So if you're all right with me singing at church, then I'll do it. If you're not, I won't. Our marriage is too important to throw away just so I can sing at church once a month."
He dropped his forehead onto hers having a hard time believing she cared enough for him to give him that choice. "I liked it when you sang in church. I was very proud of you."
"Good. Then I will continue to sing in church, but that's all." She shook her head. "I can't believe you were going to let me travel half the time. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking I love you so much that I'll take what I can get."
"You don't have to because I love you just as much."
Epilogue
Eliza stared down into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. The baby lay contentedly in her arms right after a feeding. She'd expected him to fall asleep while eating, but he hadn't
. Her little angel was still awake returning her gaze.
It was a quiet morning in mid-September. Beulah had come over to help with the birthing, but she had left an hour or so before to get some sleep. She'd promised to be back in a few hours to help her, and that she'd come every day for a few days until Eliza got into a good routine with the baby.
"What should we name him?" she asked.
Calvin was leaning over her shoulder looking at the boy. "He's so alert. Is that normal?" He'd never been this close to a baby before.
Eliza shrugged. "I don't know. I've never really been around babies much, but I'd guess it was normal." She hoped it was normal. He seemed normal in every other way.
"I thought you hated all my names." Every name he'd suggest for the past eight months had been shot down with haste. Now she was asking for help naming him. What was wrong with her?
"How would you feel about naming him Walton after the man who helped me get away from Sebastian? We could name him Walton Calvin Simpson and call him Walt for short."
Calvin felt a smile cross his lips. "Walton Calvin? You don't want to name him Walton Dalton?" He still wanted to laugh every time the man's name came up.
"I'm not that cruel."
"I think Walton Calvin is a fitting name for him. Walt for short. Or Wally even. Wally will fit better while he's still a baby."
Eliza couldn't believe that the perfect baby in her arms had grown inside her. "I can't wait until Beulah's baby is born. They’ll only be four months apart." She was happy for her sister.
"How are the boys doing about it? I know Jack wasn't thrilled at first."
"Oh, they're both happy now. Jack says he always wanted a little brother or sister. He doesn't know where we got the idea that he didn't want one." She grinned over her shoulder at him.
Calvin reached out and put his finger to the baby's marveling at the way Wally reached out and grabbed it. "He's strong already."
"I've been telling you that for months. His kicks were very powerful." Eliza was tired, but happy. She'd never imagined such a small person could make her so very happy.
"Do you still want a dozen now that you know what childbirth is like?" He'd spent hours pacing downstairs waiting for news on whether the baby was a boy or a girl. He wasn't sure he could go through childbirth again, but he would leave it up to his wife.
She smiled. "I don't know about a dozen, but looking down at him, I certainly want more. It's like all the pain just washed away as soon as Beulah put him in my arms."
"I'm glad she was able to help you. You never told me she was studying to be a midwife back East."
"I didn't know until after she got here." Eliza hated that she hadn't known. There were many things Beulah had written her about over the years that she didn't know. The only thing she could guess was that Sebastian had been keeping her sister's letters from her. She was so glad he was locked up for the rest of his life and would never be able to treat another woman the way he'd treated her. "She wrote me about it, but I never received the letter."
Calvin shook his head. 'That man has a lot to answer for."
"He's answering for it in prison, and he'll answer for it again when he meets his Maker."
Calvin wished he could be as forgiving as Eliza had been. He wished he could go to two different prisons and thrash both of the men who had made her life so difficult. He knew it would do no good, but it was what he desperately wanted.
He looked at the baby again and thanked God for new beginnings. If Eliza hadn't been poised to run away from Sebastian the day she'd received the threat, would she have married him? Would his life have been different? He didn't know. He leaned forward and kissed Eliza's shoulder. "I'm glad you're in my life. No matter what happened in the past, that's what's important. You're mine now."
Eliza smiled. "I couldn't agree more."
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