Dinner at the St. James

by Sandra Robbins

  Perspiration dotted his head, and he wiped his hand across his face. “I’m okay now. I think I tried to get up too fast. Let me rest for a minute.”

  “I think I need to get my father.” She glanced at him once more before she ran to the door. “Poppa, I need you out here.”

  Her father came hurrying from his office. “What’s the matter?”

  “Daniel’s dizzy, and I need some help getting him back inside.”

  Her father’s lips thinned into a grim line. Getting on one side of Daniel, he motioned for Tave to take his other arm. When they had Daniel back on his feet, they steered him toward the door.

  As they crossed the porch, Daniel glanced from one to the other. “I’m all right. There’s no need for all this fuss.”

  Her father reached out to open the door. “We’re not making a fuss. Just taking precautions. I didn’t save your life to have you fall and crack your skull. Now, I think you’ve been up quite long enough for one day.”

  A footstep sounded on the porch behind them, and Tave glanced over her shoulder. Matthew stood there, his gaze flitting over the three of them.

  “Do you need my help, Dr. Spencer?” he asked.

  Her father glanced back. “Oh hello, Matthew. We’re getting this young man back to bed. Are you here to see me or Tave?”

  “Actually, I’m here to speak with Tave.”

  Tave nodded toward the inside of the office. “Then come on in, and I’ll be right with you.”

  She and her father held on to Daniel’s arms as they eased their way across the floor and into the patient bedroom. When he was in bed once more, Daniel smiled up at them. “Thanks. I guess I’m not as strong as I thought.”

  Tave glanced at her father. “Do you need me, or can I go talk to Matthew?”

  He waved his hand in dismissal. “Go on.” He cocked his eyebrow and glanced up at Tave. “Doesn’t he call on you enough at home without having to come here, too?”

  Tave shook her head in dismay. “Poppa, you know you like Matthew.”

  Dr. Spencer shrugged. “I guess I’ll have to like him if you do. Now go on and see what he wants.”

  Tave opened her mouth to protest her father’s words, but the look on Daniel’s face made her heart plummet to the pit of her stomach. His blue eyes no longer held the twinkle she’d seen earlier. They’d clouded, and deep lines cut into his cheeks as he bit down on his lip.

  She stepped closer to the bed. “Are you in pain, Daniel?”

  His chest heaved, and he closed his eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just tired.” The words had a lifeless quality.

  She glanced up at her father. “Do you think sitting on the porch was too much for him? I didn’t mean to keep him out so long.”

  Her father frowned. “Maybe it was. I’ll check him out and see.” He glanced toward the other room where Matthew waited. “Now you go on. I’ll let you know.”

  Tave backed away from the bed. “Call me if you need me.”

  She walked to the door and turned to stare back at Daniel. He lay on his back with his eyes closed. He didn’t move as her father bent over him and examined the wound in his side. For a moment when she’d stared into Daniel’s eyes, she’d been frightened. She’d caught a glimpse of the same look she’d seen when he had called for his mother.

  Perhaps he was sorry he’d spoken of his past life today. She’d learned very little, though, and she had the feeling that there was still much Daniel hadn’t told her. If it was going to upset him, maybe she didn’t need to probe too much into his past. All she could do was pray that he could find some peace.

  She pasted a big smile on her face and headed toward the room where Matthew waited.

  As she walked through the door, his gazed flitted over her body. The scrutiny in his eyes made her face warm, and she brushed at her hair. “I’m surprised to see you today, Matthew.”

  He strode across the floor and stopped beside her. “I know. I don’t usually drop by during the day, but I came to tell you something.”

  She gazed up at him. “What is it?”

  “I’m going away for several weeks.”

  His words shocked her. “Going away? Where?”

  “You know my mother’s sister lives on Dauphin Island near Mobile. She’s wanted my mother to visit for a long time, but there never seemed to be time. Now things have slowed down some with the spring planting, and it’s a good time to leave. Pa doesn’t get along with my mother’s family, so he wants me to accompany her downriver. I’ll be gone for about six weeks.”

  Tave wondered why she didn’t feel any sadness at the thought of Matthew being gone for such a length of time. Her gaze strayed to the doorway that led to the room where Daniel lay. The thought crossed her mind that his presence might have something to do with her lack of feeling about Matthew’s departure. She smiled up at Matthew. “I’ll miss you, but I’m glad your mother will get to be with her sister.”

  A puzzled look crossed his face, and he frowned. “You’re not upset that I’ll be gone for so long?”

  “Why would I be upset? I understand you have obligations to your family.”

  He stepped closer, and his dark gaze bored into her. “I’m glad you understand how important my family is to me, Tave, but I have other needs in my life besides my parents and preserving the heritage of Winterville.”

  “What kind of needs?”

  “I’m ready to take a wife, a woman who can share my life with me on the land that’s been in my family for generations.” He reached for her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. Straightening, he stared into her eyes. “You’re a wonderful woman, Tave. When I come back, I want to speak to your father. I think it’s time we decided about our future together.”

  “Our future?” She knew the words came from her mouth, but they sounded very much like the nighttime croak of the frogs on the pond behind their house.

  He nodded. “After everything is finalized, I’d like for you and your father to accompany my parents and me to the St. James Hotel in Selma for a few nights. We can celebrate our engagement with our families, and you and my mother can visit the shops in town to pick out your trousseau. I’d love to show you the hotel. The view of the river from the balcony is beautiful.”

  “The St. James?” Tave’s heart pounded in her chest. She’d asked her father several times to take her there, but they’d never been able to afford it. Yet this wasn’t a trip to be taken lightly. There were decisions to be made first. “I—I don’t know, Matthew. Let’s talk about all this when you get back.”

  He released her hand and smiled. “You can count on our talking about it. I’m a determined man, and I always get what I want.”

  Tave’s breath caught in her throat at the intense look in his dark eyes. He was such a handsome man, but in her mind, Matthew’s features dissolved, and another’s took their place—one with wheat-colored hair and the deepest blue eyes she’d ever seen.

  How could that be? She’d known Daniel less than two weeks, yet already he’d found a special place in her heart. It was probably because she’d come to feel so protective of him. It couldn’t be more. She knew nothing about the man who cried out in agony when he was delirious.

  She had to concentrate on Matthew, who could offer her a life like she’d never imagined. But did she want it? She dismissed her doubts and smiled. “Come to see us when you get back.”

  ❧

  Daniel heard the front door of the building close, and he supposed Tave’s caller had left. His mind still reeled at what he’d heard. Tave was interested in another man. He closed his eyes and tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. He should have known. A beautiful woman like her could have any man she wanted.

  How foolish he’d been. Day after day, he’d lain in this bed and waited for her to step into his room and smile at him. Her presence was what had pulled him through the dark nights when he felt like he was going to die. She’d brought him back from the dead, and he’d thought it was because
she felt a connection to him.

  He’d known the moment he saw her sitting in the chair beside his bed that she was different from any other woman he’d ever known. She was the first person he’d ever talked to about his mother. And all the time he’d been thinking about Tave, she’d been in love with someone else.

  Daniel lay still until Dr. Spencer finished his examination, pulled the covers back over him, and sat down in a chair next to the bed. “You gave me a fright, young man. I feared you had an infection setting up, but I don’t see any evidence of it. What happened to you?”

  Daniel reached behind his head and punched his pillow with his fist. “I guess I was just tired. I’m sorry to cause you trouble.”

  Dr. Spencer laughed. “Trouble? Son, that’s what I’m here for. I want to make sure nothing happens to cause you problems down the road.”

  Daniel glanced at the man who’d worked so hard to save his life, and his heart pricked at the doctor’s tired eyes. Patients had come and gone all week, and many times Dr. Spencer had been summoned to go to some farm along the river. He’d never heard the man complain or resist going where he was needed.

  There was a peace about Dr. Spencer that Daniel didn’t understand. Tave had it, too. He recalled hearing her pray beside his bed, and he realized there was someone else who had once had that same peace—his mother. She’d trusted God all her life, but in the end, it hadn’t done her any good.

  Daniel pushed the unwelcome thoughts from his head. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you for what you and Tave have done for me.”

  “I’m glad I could help, and I’m also glad Tave has been here. She’s been a lifesaver for me. It’s hard to take care of patients in the daytime if you’re up all night. It’s helped me a lot to have her keeping watch over you at night.”

  Daniel thought of the man he’d seen on the porch. “What did you say Tave’s friend’s name is?”

  A slight frown creased Dr. Spencer’s forehead. “That’s Matthew Chandler.”

  Daniel licked his lips and swallowed. “Are they engaged?”

  Dr. Spencer shook his head. “Not yet, but I suspect he’ll propose soon. Matthew’s been calling on Tave for the last year, but he doesn’t seem to be in any hurry about getting married.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’m wrong. At least I hope I am.”

  The words surprised Daniel, and he lifted his head. “Don’t you want Tave to marry?”

  “Of course I do, but I want it to be the right man. Somehow I don’t think Matthew’s the one. His family is the richest in the county, and he’s a nice enough fellow, I guess, although we have some disagreements about the place of former slaves in Alabama life. But then, Dante Rinaldi and I are in the minority when it comes to their rights.”

  Daniel sank back on his pillow and thought of his father. “I guess you need to add one more to your list. My father died at Shiloh fighting for the Union.”

  Dr. Spencer’s eyes took on a faraway look. “I was there as a doctor with the Union forces. There were horrible losses on both sides. I never will forget a pond that was there. During the fighting, men from both sides came to it so they could drink and bathe their wounds. Many of them and their horses died in that pond. By the end of the day it was red with blood.” He closed his eyes for a moment, and his lips trembled. “The Bloody Pond, that’s what they still call it.”

  Daniel reached out and touched Dr. Spencer’s arm. “I’d like to think you were with my father when he died that day.”

  Dr. Spencer patted Daniel’s hand and pushed to his feet. “I don’t know. I could have been. I saw enough death that day to last me the rest of my life.”

  “You must be talking about Shiloh.”

  They both glanced toward the door where Tave stood. Her father exhaled and nodded. “Yes, but the day’s too beautiful to talk about such sad topics. I think I’ll go over to Mr. Perkins’s store and see how he’s doing.”

  He moved to the door but stopped when a musical rumble drifted from the direction of the river. Tave smiled up at her father. “That must be the Montgomery Belle.”

  Dr. Spencer glanced back at Daniel. “I guess you’ll be having a visitor soon. Captain Hawkins said he’d come to see you when they returned.”

  Daniel pushed up on his elbows. “Maybe he’ll let me rejoin the crew for the trip downriver.”

  Tave gasped and rushed to his bedside. “Don’t you even think about it. You need to stay here longer to regain your strength.” She turned to her father. “Tell him, Poppa. He can’t leave yet.”

  Dr. Spencer shook his head. “You’re not ready to go. Give it a few more weeks. Captain Hawkins will make a return trip to Montgomery, and you can leave then.”

  Daniel sank back on his pillow. “Very well. I’ll give it a few more weeks.”

  Tave bent over and tucked the quilt around him. “That’s better. Now let’s not hear anything else about your leaving before you’ve completely healed.” She straightened and smiled down at him. “I’m going to fix some tea for you and Captain Hawkins to enjoy while he’s here.”

  As she hurried from the room, Daniel’s heart thudded. How could he stay this close to her for another few weeks, knowing that she was in love with someone else? She’d awakened something in him that he thought long dead, and he couldn’t bear the thought of her marrying another man. As soon as Dr. Spencer released him, he was going to head for Montgomery and leave Tave Spencer far behind.

  Five

  Tave knew something was wrong. Daniel had spoken very little since Captain Hawkins had come to see him earlier. With this being his first night to sit at the kitchen table for supper, she had expected a more lively conversation. Instead, Daniel had hardly spoken, and she and her father had spent most of the time discussing the yield she hoped to get from her vegetable garden this spring.

  The silence from Daniel began to grate on her nerves, and she stared at him. He glanced up then diverted his gaze back to his plate. He shoveled the last bite of his fried peach pie in his mouth and picked up his coffee cup.

  Tave pushed at the last bite of pie on her plate with her fork. “The lady who’s been bringing us so much food since you’ve been ill made these pies.”

  Daniel took a sip of coffee and nodded. “I’ll have to thank her.”

  Tave waited for him to say something else. When he didn’t, she reached across the table, picked up Daniel’s empty plate, and stacked it on top of hers and her father’s. “I noticed when Captain Hawkins came today he brought all your belongings from the boat.”

  Daniel nodded. “He said they were in such a hurry to depart the day I was shot that they forgot all about getting my clothes to me.” He glanced at Dr. Spencer. “I appreciate you finding me something to wear in the meantime.”

  The doctor set his coffee cup down and wiped his mouth on his napkin. “No problem. The ladies of the church took care of that. I always call on them when a patient has a need, and they never disappoint me.”

  “I hope I get to meet them so I can thank them.”

  Her father chuckled. “Oh, I imagine when word gets out that you’re better, they’ll all be flocking around.” His eyes twinkled. “Several of them have unmarried daughters.”

  Tave swatted at her father’s arm. “Stop it, Poppa. You’re embarrassing Daniel.”

  “Well, I don’t want to do that.” Dr. Spencer straightened in his chair and turned toward Daniel. “How was your visit with Captain Hawkins?”

  Daniel took a sip of coffee and set the cup down. “Fine, I guess.”

  Tave’s father glanced at Daniel. “You guess?”

  Daniel leaned back in his chair and sighed. “He gave me some bad news.”

  Tave set the dishes in the dry sink and sank back into her chair. “What kind of bad news?”

  “The Montgomery Belle needs some repairs. He probably won’t be coming back this way until fall, if then. The company is sending him to New Orleans to work until the Belle is ready to go again.”

  Her father nodded. “He
told me that. But why is that bad news?”

  “Because it means I’ll have to delay going on to Montgomery.”

  Her father pushed back from the table and stood up. “Not necessarily. There are other boats that stop at Willow Bend. You can go on one of them—when you’re well enough, that is.”

  Daniel picked up his spoon and stirred the coffee in his cup. “I don’t have the money for a ticket. I could work on the Belle, but there probably wouldn’t be a job on another ship. I’ve been thinking about what to do. Maybe when I’m stronger, I can find some kind of job around here, just temporary of course, and make enough money to get me up to Montgomery.”

  Tave put her elbows on the table and crossed her arms. “I think that’s a good idea. We can help you look for something.” She glanced at her father. “Isn’t Mr. Perkins always talking about how he needs someone to help in the store?”

  “He is. I’ll talk to him in the morning.” Her father’s eyes narrowed, and he studied Daniel for a moment. “If you continue to improve as much as you have this past week, it shouldn’t be too long before you could do some light work. Maybe sweeping up, helping customers, that sort of stuff.”

  Daniel smiled, and Tave was struck once again by how his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. She reached across the table and patted his arm. “Then that’s all settled. Now why don’t you two go into the other room while I wash the dishes?”

  Her father turned to leave, but Daniel reached out and stopped him. “There’s something else. I’ll need a place to stay. Is there somebody around town who has a room I could use in exchange for doing odd jobs for them?”

  Her father clapped his hand on Daniel’s back. “Son, you have a place to stay as long as you’re in Willow Bend. That bed in the other room is yours as long as you need it.”

  “But what if you have another patient who needs to stay here?”

  “We’ll take care of that if it happens. Let’s just leave all this in the Lord’s hands for now. Since you’re feeling better, I think it’s time for Tave and me to go back home to sleep. You stay here, but we expect you to be at our house for meals. Is that all right with you?”