All Things Beautiful (Uncharted Beginnings Book 3)

by Keely Brooke Keith

  The Roberts family hadn’t arrived yet, but the church was nearly full. Half of Hannah’s siblings dispersed inside the chapel. Doris skipped toward the front of the room and sat beside her friends. David slid into a seat two rows behind the pew their father chose. Wade craned his neck, also looking for someone, anyone, to sit with other than his sisters.

  Gone were the days of the family sitting together on one pew. Such was the case with most families in Good Springs. With many of the young people growing up, marrying, and starting their own families, the weekly church services had become more about the community as a whole than one’s own family.

  Christopher had given the older Vestal children permission to sit where they pleased, but Hannah wouldn’t leave her father and the young twins. They might feel rejected if she did. Of course, David, Wade, and Doris weren’t rejecting the rest of the family by sitting elsewhere but enlarging their social spheres. It was natural, expected even. They all still mattered to each other, yet one day someone else would matter more to them.

  Hannah never thought she’d want to spend her Sunday mornings anywhere other than beside her family, but after Henry’s kiss, everything felt different. She’d thought of him while she brushed her hair, while she’d laced her Sunday shoes, and even now as she sat and straightened her posture. Despite a heart swelling with new feelings, she fought the urge to look for him.

  She checked the twins, studied her cuticles, and flipped open the cover of her Bible, but soon her eyes searched the crowd pouring into the chapel.

  Henry had yet to arrive. It shouldn’t matter to her. Her family was her priority. The twins might need her during the service. She belonged here beside them. Still, it would be nice to have freedom like the other young adults. If she couldn’t have a romance in real life, she could experience one in her story.

  As the villagers found their seats, Hannah’s mind drifted. She’d stopped berating herself for not paying attention to sermons long ago. The mind went where it willed, and she was too close to finishing her story to care.

  Adeline had convinced Prince Aric to fight the atrocities of the slave traders. With swords and horses, he’d gallantly led the king’s army out to fight. While he was gone, Adeline was taken prisoner by a neighboring kingdom, which she discovered had funded the kidnapping slave traders who’d stolen her from her homeland.

  During Hannah’s writing time last night, she had left Adeline in a dark, damp dungeon, praying Prince Aric would receive word that his beloved needed help. All that was left to write was Aric’s daring rescue, defeat of the enemy, and declaration of eternal love for Adeline.

  Hannah almost released a sigh, but her attention snapped back to the present.

  As the chapel doors closed, Henry slipped into Hannah’s row and sat beside her. He grinned. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning.” The words fell out of her open mouth as ineloquently as a horse sipping tea. Her face warmed.

  Henry didn’t seem to notice her blush. He leaned in front of her and the twins to shake Christopher’s hand. “Good morning, sir.”

  “Henry,” Christopher replied. He gave Hannah a quick questioning glance then turned his gaze to the front of the room.

  Reverend Colburn stepped to the lectern and began the service with prayer, beseeching God for the congregation’s health, protection, unity, and provision. He thanked the Lord for the coming rain, and as if God replied, drops tinkled against the glass windowpanes and on the roof. The slow patter quickly turned into a steady downpour. When the reverend said amen, he raised his voice to compete with the sound.

  Hannah opened her Bible along with everyone else to the passage the reverend was expounding and tried to calm her thumping heart. No man had ever shown interest in her like this before, and certainly not in public. Was everyone behind them watching them?

  She held her Bible in front of Ida and Minnie so they could read along. Neither of the twins had her own copy of the Scriptures yet. Perhaps one day Henry would print Bibles for every boy and girl in the settlement. Maybe he would print many books for the children. What were his plans for the future?

  Hannah glanced at him. He had his open Bible splayed in his hand and was looking at the reverend. Just when she thought her gaze had gone unnoticed, Henry shifted in his seat and slid his arm over the pew back behind her.

  Now everyone behind them would be watching them.

  She fixed her eyes on the page, praying the twins wouldn’t notice Henry’s arm. Or David. He was sitting two rows back. If he noticed, she’d never hear the end of it.

  Why did it matter what David thought? She was a grown woman, and a man who liked her had awakened her heart. Did he love her? He might. Or he might be a scoundrel, a thief of affection here to rob her peace. Or he might one day be her husband.

  What a silly waste of energy! She could no sooner get married and leave her family than she could sprout wings and fly to the fictional land in her book. They needed her to keep her promise, and her characters needed her to finish her story. Henry Roberts might be interested in her, but he didn’t need her. Not like her family did.

  She tried to remind herself of her first encounters with Henry. He was aloof and independent. So what if he’d said he hadn’t stopped thinking about her since the dance? Good Springs was a small, isolated village with little entertainment. His attraction was probably nothing more than a passing fancy, and she’d be a fool to make more of it.

  Still, all she could think of was the warmth radiating from his body and the minty scent of his breath.

  He might not be thinking of her at all. He was probably thinking about his work. She should think about hers too if she wasn’t going to listen to the sermon. She tried to recall the scene in her story she wanted to write later, but her stubborn thoughts were fixed on the man beside her. He’d kissed her, sweetly, privately, but now was publicly showcasing his affection by draping his arm across the seat behind her.

  Or was he?

  Maybe he always rested in such a position when he sat casually in a crowd. Many of the men did. It was a relaxed posture, the very reason some elders had objected to the pews having backs. When any other man sat with his arm behind his sweetheart, she judged it a possessive posture, as if he were staking his claim. But maybe Henry was just at ease in her company.

  That was a much more tolerable thought. He was simply enjoying her company, becoming her friend. Yes, a friendly gesture—that was all. A friend wouldn’t make demands of her life that she couldn’t oblige.

  Reverend Colburn referenced another scripture passage, and Henry took his arm down to flip through his Bible. He held the book with both hands and looked at the reverend for the rest of the sermon, save for the occasional glance at Hannah. She wished he’d put his arm behind her again.

  After the service, Henry made small talk with Christopher then complimented the twins on their curls. “Pretty like your big sister,” he said.

  Minnie pushed in front of Ida. “But my hair is prettier isn’t it?”

  “No, my curls are bouncier!” Ida protested.

  “There now girls.” Christopher put a fatherly hand on each of the twins, ushering them toward the door. “Say thank you and good day to Mr. Roberts.” He looked up at Henry. “Come to our house for dinner tonight.”

  “Thank you, sir, but it’s my sister’s birthday.”

  “Perhaps another time, then.”

  Hannah silently watched the exchange, her stomach flipping like a fish in a frying pan. Why was her father inviting Henry to dinner? Did he know they had kissed? Had Henry spoken to her father about her?

  Rain poured from the sky as the family stepped out of the chapel. Christopher opened the family’s big umbrella and passed it to Hannah. The twins gathered closely beside her while she held it overhead. Doris popped open a new umbrella, one made by Mrs. Owens with a gray leaf wood frame and waxed cotton fabric. Christopher and David slapped on their wide-brimmed hats to shield themselves from the downpour, but Wade joined Dor
is under her umbrella.

  Doris let Wade hold the umbrella’s curved handle. As soon as they were down the chapel steps, Doris’s voice fought the rain for volume. “I’ll say, Hannah, that was a delightful surprise seeing Henry Roberts sit by you. Aren’t you intrigued with him? You should let him court you.”

  Hannah watched the road ahead, trying to guide the twins around the deepest of the puddles. “Not now, Doris.”

  “You would make a handsome couple. He is dashing, don’t you think?”

  David flipped up his collar to shield his neck from the rain. “Shut it, Doris.”

  Their father’s voice came from behind them. “Speak kindly to your sister.”

  “Fine,” David huffed. “Shut it, please.”

  Unabated by her brother’s scolding, Doris continued. “I think Hannah is the luckiest lady in the village. If a man came to sit by me and put his arm around me like that, all of my friends would die of jealousy.”

  Christopher said, “It is never charitable to want others to be jealous, Kitten.”

  Doris added a twinge of whininess to her voice. “I meant it as a compliment, Father. Hannah finally has a suitor, and for it to be someone as dapper as Henry, she should be glowing.”

  David raised his voice. “He isn’t her suitor!”

  “What’s a suitor?” Minnie asked.

  Hannah wanted to cover the twins’ ears, but her hands were busy keeping the umbrella steady in the rain. She ground her teeth together. “Please drop the subject, everyone.”

  She hadn’t figured out what Henry was to her or what he wanted to be or what she was to him because none of it mattered—at least not now and maybe not for years to come. Aric and Adeline’s romance was the only love story she should be concerned with at the moment.

  Once home, the family hung their dripping overcoats in the mudroom. Hannah sent Doris upstairs to help the twins change while she got lunch on the table. Christopher and the boys returned to the kitchen first, talking about the growing puppies and what homes they would go to once they were weaned.

  Doris stepped into the kitchen during their discussion. “I think Henry should have one of the puppies.”

  “Doris!” Hannah warned.

  “Well, Sarah Ashton told me Henry is trying to make the printing press a village-supported trade, so I think we should at least offer him a puppy.”

  David narrowed his eyes at Doris. “He’s not getting one of my dogs.”

  Christopher lifted a palm, silencing them both. “Kitten, this is none of your concern. David, you and Henry will be on the elder council together your whole lives. You should respect him.”

  David dropped into his seat at the table looking more like a sulky adolescent than the eighteen-year-old that he was. “He’s no good for Hannah.”

  “David!” Hannah’s hand slipped as she carried a tray of cheese to the table. The tray clattered on the table, drawing everyone’s attention.

  Doris jumped to her aid. “Now you’ve upset Hannah. What have you got against Henry?”

  David crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t like him.”

  “You don’t have to like him,” Christopher said, “but you do have to respect him and your sister. Hannah is an adult and can make her own decisions.”

  After Hannah slowly lowered herself into her seat at the table, Christopher said the blessing. She didn’t speak for the rest of the meal.

  Once the table was cleared and the dishes washed, she went to the window in the mudroom to check the sky.

  Christopher shuffled into the kitchen from the parlor. “Has it stopped?”

  “For now.” Hannah picked up the plate of scraps for the dogs. “The wind has died off. I need out of the house for a while.”

  Christopher nodded and took a step away, then turned back and grinned slightly. “Just so you know… I like him.”

  “Who?”

  “Henry. He’s a good man. Hard worker.”

  “Father, I don’t want to talk about Henry.”

  He raised a palm in surrender. “Well, if you do—”

  “I don’t.” She balanced the plate of scraps on one hand and turned the doorknob with the other. “I’ll be back in time to start dinner.”

  The break in the clouds and the lack of voices outside made her wish she’d brought her writing paper. If the rain was over, she could go to the springs and write. As she walked into the barn, she glanced back at the house. If she went back for her satchel, the girls might ask to go with her. She needed time alone more than anything. She hadn’t been able to think through her story during church, so she could use the time to plan her final scene.

  After giving the table scraps to the dogs, she stopped in front of Zelda’s stall and fed her a carrot. The wind whipped past the barn, slamming the door shut. Hannah petted the horse. “Don’t worry, girl, the storm is over. I have one quiet hour before I have to be back in the kitchen, and I will spend it well.” She reached for a bridle that hung on the wall. “Let’s go for a ride.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Henry sat at the far end of the table in his family’s kitchen while his mother and Ellenore washed the dishes from Hazel’s birthday dinner. The air in the room was thick with merriment and the scent of roasted chicken. Matthew Roberts had spent the better part of the meal steering every conversation to the subject of holy matrimony, eyeing Hazel and her suitor, Arnold McIntosh, all the while. The three youngest children had gone into the parlor to play after dinner, but everyone else stayed in the kitchen, knowing what their father and Arnold had planned.

  Rain pounded the windows as Matthew nudged Arnold. “Go on, boy. Haven’t you something to say to my daughter?”

  Hazel blushed and glanced at Henry nervously. Henry nodded once to assure his sister the coming surprise from her suitor was a pleasant one.

  Ellenore wiped her hands on a dishtowel and walked toward the table. Simon hovered behind Henry’s chair, picking his teeth. Outside, the driving rain pattered against the house, but inside the room fell silent, save for Arnold as he knelt before Hazel and professed his love.

  Henry leaned forward. There was something satisfying about watching a young man fidget and sweat as he asked a woman to marry him. Arnold’s fearful expression relaxed as he spoke of his devotion to Hazel and his dreams for their future together. She tearfully accepted his proposal.

  Joyous applause filled the cozy kitchen. The children ran in from the parlor, asking what was happening. A twinge of jealousy pinged inside Henry as the happy couple embraced. He was the eldest; he should have been the first to get married.

  Henry left the table and paced to the window. Though still light outside, heavy rain obstructed the view to the road. A white line of melting hailstones lined the garden. Thunder rumbled all around.

  Ellenore came beside him. “Hazel might be the first of us to the altar, but she isn’t the only one in love.”

  Henry broke his gaze from the storm-tossed yard and lifted an eyebrow at his favorite sister. “Have you got a sweetheart now, Elle?”

  Smiling, she popped him on the shoulder with the back of her hand. “Not me. You.”

  Hannah wasn’t his sweetheart. Not yet. No matter how much he’d tried to resist pursuing her, when he saw her at church this morning, he couldn’t stay away. His heart was dragging him irrationally forward into a relationship he wasn’t capable of sustaining.

  If the past was any indicator, he was in dangerous territory. He didn’t have to tell Ellenore. She’d witnessed every one of his failed relationships. First having to leave Lilly in Virginia, then his infatuation with Peggy Cotter, and more recently, his inability to please Cecelia Foster. With each attempt at love—and each failure—his heart sank deeper within him. He couldn’t describe what was happening now between him and Hannah, so he certainly wouldn’t talk about it. He lowered his chin and gave Ellenore a look to stop the conversation before it began.

  Matthew raised his cup and clinked it with a salt spoon, commanding everyone�
�s attention. “Here, here! Gather ‘round, family.” His voice filled with fatherly pride. “Arnold beseeched me some time ago for Hazel’s hand, and I heartily gave him my blessing. My dearest Hazel, you have been everything a daughter should be. You deserve a lifetime of happiness. I have no doubt Arnold will make you a fine husband.”

  A fine husband—something Henry never would be.

  A frantic knock rattled the front door, ending Matthew’s toast. The children ran to the door as Priscilla opened it.

  Wade Vestal stepped inside with his young face red and rainwater dripping from his cap. “Is Hannah here?” he asked, panting.

  Priscilla answered, “No, she isn’t.”

  Wade’s voice broke. “She left the house this afternoon and hasn’t come back.”

  Priscilla drew her head back. “That’s not like Hannah.”

  “We searched our property but couldn’t find her. Father thought she might have come here.”

  Henry’s heart surged into his throat. He crossed the kitchen floor in three quick strides and parted his siblings. “When did you see her last?”

  “After lunch. She went outside when the rain let up.” Wade flashed Henry a sour glance and quickly returned his gaze to Priscilla. “She took our lunch scraps to the dogs in the barn. We thought she stayed out there to do chores, but she didn’t come back when it started storming.”

  Henry’s sisters were crowding into the doorway and Simon too.

  From across the room Matthew asked, “What’s happened?”

  Priscilla shooed the children away from the door and guided Wade farther inside. “It seems Hannah Vestal is missing.”

  “Missing?” Matthew’s eye widened. “In this weather?”

  The mumbles and questions rose around Henry. He swatted the air to silence them and stepped closer to Wade. “Did she take anything with her?”

  Wade inched away from Henry. “No, but Zelda is gone too.”

  Matthew joined them near the door. “She probably rode to Olivia and Gabe’s house. I sometimes see her ride Zelda past on Sunday afternoons.”

  When Henry had talked to Hannah at the springs last week, she had said it was her favorite place in the Land. She probably went there to write during the break in the storm. “Did you check the springs?”