They walked together down the street toward the Eggert Cemetery, avoiding the patches of lingering snow. Rays of sunshine broke through the dense clouds, bathing everything in deceptive yellow light that felt like spring and not the end of fall.
“It’s our lucky day. I think that’s Alberta,” Gilbert whispered to Hazel. “Shall we hide? I think we could both fit behind that large maple.”
“I think it’s too late for that. Look how quickly she’s moving. I suppose you’ll have to repent again tonight.” She grinned at him. “For all the uncharitable thoughts you are about to have.”
“I didn’t know you would throw my transgressions in my face. If I’d known, I’d have let you go on thinking I was perfect,” Gilbert said, loving how Hazel’s presence added so much humor and laughter to his once-dull life.
“Only this one sin. The rest are safe. I’ll never tell a soul about you eating half a pie without permission. That one will go to the grave with me.” She squeezed his arm. “Brace yourself for attack,” she whispered.
“Together outside of the office?” Alberta’s voice broke into their fun. “Everywhere I go, I see couples pairing off and traipsing this city.”
“We’re headed to the cemetery. You have no need to worry about our intentions.” Gilbert smiled at her. “It’s hardly a dark alley.”
“Laughing on your way to the cemetery? That’s not very reverent.” She put her hands on her hips as she appraised the two of them.
“We were only laughing at a thought Gilbert had. You must ask him about it.” Hazel gnawed on her bottom lip as though she were fighting a laugh even now. “I think you’ll find it entertaining. He’s surprisingly witty.”
“Well. What was it?” Alberta questioned him.
“I was only . . . only thinking of a joke my father used to tell me.” Gilbert fought to quickly recall his father’s favorite joke.
Hazel seemed to cover a cough.
“You need to see a doctor,” Alberta said to Hazel. “Every time I’ve seen you, you’re coughing. Now, I have places to be. What joke did your father tell you?”
Gilbert waited while Hazel fought to suppress her “cough.” Once she was again in control of her voice, she said, “Do share. Tell us the joke again.”
“Well, when we’d walk near the cemetery, he’d always say, ‘Did you know a man living on this side of the road can’t be buried in the Eggert Cemetery?’”
“That’s not a joke. Anyone who can buy a plot can be buried here. It doesn’t matter where they live.” Alberta scowled. “I thought your father was a brighter man than that.”
“It’s supposed to be funny. You see, anyone living can’t be buried. Only dead people can be.”
Alberta stared hard at him. “Over thirty for a reason. There’s always a reason.” She grabbed the side of her skirts and walked away.
Hazel laughed. “I’m sorry.”
“You think you’re so funny. I almost told her what I really was thinking.” He smiled with her, and the sound of her laugh made his heart happy in a way he’d never known before. This woman, with her dancing eyes and clever wit, would be the death of his ordinary life—and he didn’t mind one bit.
“That was quick thinking. And for what it’s worth, I thought it was a clever joke.” Hazel waited while he opened the cemetery gate for her.
“No one can please Alberta. But she’s not the girl I’m worried about pleasing, anyway. The one I care most about just had a good laugh, so I’ll consider this day a success.” They meandered through headstones, commenting on names and dates and wondering after the lives of these men and women who had come before them. “My father’s grave is over here.”
“I would have liked to have known him.”
“He was the best man I’ve ever known.” He put an arm around her. Perhaps Alberta was right and couples were becoming more comfortable, but he couldn’t see how leaning on a friend while discussing the loss of a loved one was wrong. “I’ve always wanted to be like him.”
“I think you are. You tell the same jokes.” She turned her head and looked up at him. “What do you think he would have thought of me?”
He pulled her tighter. “He would have liked you.” Gilbert tried to imagine his father alive and there beside them. He knew he would offer wisdom and advice. Gilbert played it safe though. He smirked and said, “He would have said that you ought to be proud of who you are today, and then he would have laughed and said that I was right and your hair is red.”
Hazel and I spent the evening with my parents. Before leaving, they told me privately how much they’ve come to care for her. I think it’s because she makes them laugh. She makes me laugh too. It’s been almost six months, and I’ve laughed more in that time than ever before. The days have flown by, and they’ve been good days.
I heard Joanna has married, and I’m surprised to feel no remorse over it. I never thought I’d be glad I was forced to marry, but I don’t think I’d have it any other way.
I am sitting here next to the bed, watching Hazel sleep. She looks peaceful and less mischievous when she’s resting. I am married to a friend. One I love a little more each day.
Tears dripped from Hazel’s eyes and onto the page as she read the last line over and over. Warmth radiated through her every time she read the word love. They never got to see what was ahead for them. They never shared children or grew old together. Theirs was not the love of sweethearts or the aged. Rather, it was an unexpected love that never got the chance to fully bloom. But even in its tender early stages, it was real.
She no longer felt like she was closing the book on Nathaniel unfinished. She was able to close it with a smile, like an author who knows the story is complete. Hazel brought the journal to her lips, pressed a kiss to it, set it aside, and made her way to the dining room for breakfast.
“Why are you so happy this morning?” Ina whispered moments later when she sat beside her. “Did something happen with Gilbert that you haven’t told me?”
“No. I’ve told you everything. But maybe something will happen.” She twirled her spoon around in her oatmeal. “You were right. I don’t know how to explain it, but last night I prayed for direction and this morning I found a new sense of peace.” She groaned, then laughed. “It’s hard for me to explain.”
“Are you telling me you’re ready to forgive yourself?” Ina asked.
“I think I am. I’ve been thinking, and maybe romance is not a game of chess.”
“More like a three-legged race. You can only win if you work together,” Ina whispered with a smile on her face. “And it’s full of exhilarating bursts of speed and stumbles and joy when you cross the finish line.”
Hazel set her spoon down and nodded. “Yes. I like that. I’ve never run in a three-legged race, but I think that’s got to be what real romance is like.”
“All this whispering. Do the two of you have some guilty secret you are keeping from the rest of us?” Mrs. Northly asked. She set a basket of bread in the center of the table and scowled at them.
“No, of course not,” Ina said. “I’ve already announced my news.”
“That Duncan fellow.”
“Yes, Duncan.” Ina smiled brightly. “We will be getting married in a few short weeks. I hope you’ll come.”
“I may.” Mrs. Northly nodded. “A wholesome marriage is a cause for celebration, even if you’re rushing into it.” The woman’s eyes narrowed toward Hazel. “And what about you? You going to marry the dentist you are always out with?”
“He is rather nice to look at.” Hazel gave her a questioning look. “Don’t you think?”
“You’re an impossible one. I’m not sure what he sees in you.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Northly, but I knew you wouldn’t like whatever I had to say.” She gathered her dishes in her hands and headed for the kitchen. “I don’t know if I’ll marry him. I guess that all depends on if he ever asks me.”
She waited for the sick twisting of her insides to come or a wave of
nausea. But the only thing she felt was a sweet longing to enter the dental office and see Gil’s handsome face. Hazel retreated to her room for a few minutes of solitude before she left for work. Half of that time was spent staring at the painting done by Gilbert, with its warm orange and red leaves and autumn sky. Each brushstroke painted meticulously. What would a future be like with such a man?
“You’ll be late,” Ina called from outside her door.
“I’m coming.” She grabbed her flute box and lunch tin.
Once outside, they both shivered as the winter chill crept through their coats. “Did you mean it?” Ina asked while tightening her scarf around her mouth and nose. “That you’d marry Gilbert if he asked?”
“I probably should not have said that to her, especially since I’m not sure. I think I might say yes, but I’d like to have at least a good solid week of no worries before I decided.”
“After this weekend, you may have just that.” Ina grabbed her hand. “Imagine, we could both be married to the best of men before long.”
Hazel squeezed her friend’s hand in response. “Shhh, don’t tell Gilbert what I said. It’s merely a dream. Well, more like an idea right now—and not one I’m decided on. It may never happen, and I don’t think I could ever set foot in the dental office again if he heard of our conversation.”
“You may not have to work there after this weekend. I think we ought to tell him. I’d love to see the look on his face.”
“Not funny,” Hazel said. “For now, we still have to see if Hugo can catch the captain and Patrick. It’s much too soon to decide when my time at the office will end.”
They were at the crossroads where they said their farewell each morning—Ina off to the schoolhouse and Hazel to work as an attending lady. Such a small part of her day, but one she cherished.
“Duncan is taking me to dinner tonight, and we will make wedding plans. I want to hear all about your day when I get home.” Ina hugged her quickly. “I’ll see you later.”
“Have a wonderful evening.” Hazel waved and watched her friend skip off down the road. Then she turned and walked toward the dental office.
“You’ve brought your flute,” Gilbert said when she walked through the door. His face was clean-shaven and his tie straight. Such a handsome man.
“I thought during the noon break I might play. With the weather turning cold, I don’t think I’ll walk. But I’m so nervous for the coming weekend. I knew I couldn’t just sit.”
“I hope you’ll let me listen.”
“I had planned to play for you.” She ran her hand along the flute box. “I have a new song I want you to hear.”
The day passed like a fairy tale. They stole glances over the heads of patients, she played her heart into her music when they were alone, and before she left, he offered to walk her home. Simple pleasures.
“You have a letter,” Mrs. Northly said as they approached the boardinghouse.
Hazel grabbed Gilbert’s hand and pulled him faster toward Mrs. Northly, who stood on the porch, waving the letter in the air. “It must be my parents.”
As soon as she had the letter in her hands, she looked around for a warm place to read it with Gilbert. “May we read it in the parlor?”
“You haven’t made arrangements to use the parlor,” Mrs. Northly said.
“Fine. We’ll sit here in the freezing cold and read it. I’ll have to sit very close to him so that I don’t catch my death in this weather.” She inched closer to Gilbert. “You don’t mind, do you, Gil?”
He cleared his throat. “I’ll keep you warm.”
Mrs. Northly’s eyes grew large. “Stop this nonsense and go into the parlor.”
“That’s so kind of you.” Hazel stepped past her into the house, with Gilbert at her heels. Once out of Mrs. Northly’s earshot, she whispered, “Do you think I’ll get a lecture later?”
“The whole house is going to hear about your behavior.” He winked at her. “Let’s read your letter before she decides we’ve shared too much time in each other’s presence.”
“I’m nervous. I want my family in my life. I want their love and forgiveness, and I pray this letter is an invitation home. But if it’s not, that doesn’t diminish my worth.”
“Only God knows our true worth.”
“Yes, that’s what I have been reminded of.” She broke the seal of the letter, looked to Gilbert once more for encouragement, and then read.
Dear Hazel,
Come home and be with us. With Mathilda so sick, we have had reason to pause and ponder what matters in our lives. Knowing you are free and living among us but not with us has weighed on our hearts as we have endured this current trial. We did not know your whereabouts to summon you home until now or we would have written sooner. Forgive us. We are family and wish to have you near.
There is so much to write and so many questions to ask, but with your sister convalescing, we will have to wait until we are under the same roof again. We will be by the window watching for your return.
Love,
Mother and Father
PS: We have not been threatened or unsafe.
Hazel looked up from the page. “They want me to come home.”
Gilbert’s face had creases where she’d never seen them before. “I’m glad for you.”
“Are you?”
Gilbert nodded.
“Gil, I can’t make sense of it all,” she said through her tears. “I want to go home. I want it so badly I hurt, but I want . . . I want other things too.”
“Time to go.” Mrs. Northly entered the room with a frown on her face. “Say your goodbyes.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hazel stood and walked beside him to the door and out onto the porch, where they were once again alone. “Gil?”
“Yes.”
She kept the words she wanted to say inside and simply said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being you.” She gripped his hand tightly, desiring a better goodbye but settling for the touch of his hand. She promised to see him the next day, then hurried to her room, where the tears flowed freely.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
“Did you pack everything?” Ina asked Hazel as they readied to leave for Buffalo.
She nodded.
“I’m sure your family will be glad to have you back.” Ina’s face reddened.
“I’ve sent word letting them know we’ll be at the Williamses while the case is sorted out, and I’ll be coming home afterward. They’re to notify me if there’s an urgent reason to come sooner.” She’d wanted to go home straightaway but feared she would bring danger with her and in the end decided she needed to first hear the latest news about the case.
“You’ll come to the wedding, won’t you?” Duncan asked. “Even if you are settled back in Buffalo?”
“Nothing could keep me from it.” Hazel looked out the window as soon as she was settled in for the carriage ride, afraid she’d be unable to maintain her controlled, unaffected demeanor if she met anyone’s eye. The school and the church were visible out her window, and past them she saw the little hill she’d sat on next to Gilbert. It was no longer adorned with trees full of red and yellow leaves, as a dusting of snow now covered it. But it was still their hill. What would it look like in the fresh greens of spring?
As if on cue, Gilbert put his arm around her and eased her toward him. “Amherst is not so far from Buffalo.” He said the words but he did not sound convinced. “We’ll see you.”
“Why all the down faces?” Eddie asked. “We’re supposed to be celebrating. Aren’t we bound for Buffalo to right wrongs and liberate the innocent? Seems we should smile and be a bit more jovial than this.”
They all nodded, then sat in silence again as the driver turned down the street leading away from Amherst. Hazel tried to think of something lighthearted to say, but in the end, she looked out the window and watched the city she’d come to love fade away. The drive felt longer than normal
, the tension palpable in the air as they all worried about the case—and the future.
“It’s that one up ahead,” Hazel said when they neared their destination and the long, awkward drive reached its conclusion.
“It’s so grand. I’ve never been in a house so large.” Ina reached up and touched her red face. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
Duncan pulled her hand away from her chin and held it. “It’ll be fine. Hazel says they’re good people.”
“They are. You’ll see. We’ll all be welcomed.”
As soon as the door opened, Elizabeth was there greeting them. Her arms found their way around Hazel first, and then she reached for the others. “I’m so glad you’ve all come. It’s lovely seeing your young faces.”
Hugo entered the room, and Hazel gasped. The right side of his face was blue and purple, swollen with a scabbed-over gash below his eye. “What happened?”
“It’s been an eventful week,” he said as he touched his face and winced. “Let me meet our guests, and then I’ll tell you all how I bruised my face. I haven’t had a story about throwing punches in a long time.”
“I expect he’ll be telling everyone about this for years to come.” Elizabeth’s eyes trailed her husband’s every move. “I’d prefer we just forget it. Blood and bruises make my stomach sick.”
Hugo laughed at his wife’s comments while he shook hands with everyone and led them deeper into the massive home. “Tell me, how did you find yourself involved in all this?” he asked Gilbert.
“Hazel is . . . well, I’m a dentist and she was my lady in attendance. I sympathized with her cause as soon as she told me.”
She crept up to his side and laced her arm in his. “I am his lady in attendance. That’s how we became acquainted, but now Gilbert is a dear friend.”
“I’m grateful beyond words that our Hazel has found such helpful companionship. You’re a good man to see past all the slander and harm done to her. I wish we’d been as clear-sighted, and perhaps this all could have been resolved years ago.” Hugo frowned remorsefully. “If everyone will follow us to the dining room, we’ve prepared a meal.”
A Lady in Attendance Page 22