This seemed to draw Simone’s interest. “Praying for me? Why?”
Rachel smiled. “Because that’s where I believe the real power to healing lies. In and of myself, I can do nothing, but with Christ all things are possible.”
“You sound like my mother,” Simone said, slowly licking her lips.Then, as if she’d made no comment at all, she asked, “Could I have some water?”
“Certainly,” Rachel answered, quickly dropping her task with the cloth in order to retrieve a half-full drinking glass. “Here, let me help you.” She slipped her arm under Simone’s neck and shoulders and helped to lift her up just a bit.
Simone tried to take hold of the water glass but lacked the energy. She allowed Rachel to see to the task and waved her away when she’d had enough. Rachel didn’t want to lose the openness Simone had offered in her comment about her mother, and so setting the glass back on the nightstand, she picked up the Bible.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been reading from your Bible. The Scriptures seemed to help calm you when you were upset.”
Simone seemed to struggle to focus on what Rachel was saying. “Upset? Why was I upset?”
Rachel reached out and gently pushed back a strand of black hair. “Why don’t you tell me.”
Simone shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Simone, I’d like to be your friend. I’d like to help you through whatever bad times you’re facing. I know you don’t know me very well, and maybe it seems hard to believe that anyone would want to be good to you without expecting something else in return. But I care about you. I genuinely care.”
Simone shook her head from side to side, and Rachel thought she saw tears in the younger woman’s eyes. “Don’t care, Rachel. Not about me.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t deserve it. I’m no good.”
“What a thing to say,” Rachel replied, totally taken aback by Simone’s bluntness. “You’re one of God’s creation. Of course you deserve to be cared for. Besides, everyone here cares about you. They like you.” Simone looked away and said nothing.
Rachel couldn’t help but feel inadequate in her attempt to deal with Simone’s problems. Her fever-induced rantings revealed all manner of possible trials. “Simone, I hope you won’t think me out of line, but I want you to know that you are important to me. Not just because you’re one of my Harvey Girls. Not even because we need the extra help. From the first day you came, I knew you were the kind of young woman I’d like to be friends with. You are smart and self-confident, and even though you have said very little about yourself, I can’t help but feel that we have much in common.”
At this, Simone shook her head and dared a look at Rachel. “No. We have very little in common,” she said weakly.
“We are both on our own … many miles from the people who love us,” Rachel offered.
“There are no people who love me,” Simone replied. “That is one of the biggest differences between us.”
“I read what your mother wrote inside the cover of this Bible,” Rachel countered. “Her love for you is quite clear.”
“She’s dead!” Simone snapped. “Now, please just go away and leave me be. Either I’ll get better or I’ll die. One’s pretty much the same as the other. Either way I’ll be alone.”
The bitterness in Simone’s words was nearly too much for Rachel. “You don’t have to be alone, Simone. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He cares, whether you believe in my feelings or not.”
“I find all of it hard to believe,” Simone replied. “I thought just as you did once. My mother felt that way, too. And now she’s dead and I’m nearly that way.”
“But the truth is still valid, whether you believe in it or not. God is faithful, even if the people in your life failed to be. His hand is upon you. He sees everything that happens, and it grieves Him when you are hurting.”
“Then He must go around grieved an awful lot.”
Rachel had no idea how to answer, and it was just as well. Una had awakened and noticed the conversation taking place.
“How is Simone?” she questioned as she sat up.
“Better,” Rachel answered. “The fever is down. I’m hopeful for a full recovery.”
Una got out of bed and came to Simone’s side. “Can I do anything for you, Simone?”
“No,” she replied, eyes closed and jaw tightly clenched. “I just want everyone to go away and leave me be.”
“That’s the sickness talking,” Rachel replied. “Una, when you go downstairs to work, will you please get word to Mr. O’Donnell that Simone is much better? He’s spent the night in my office.”
Simone’s eyes snapped open. “He did what?”
“He was worried about you. He wanted to stay close by in case you needed something. I allowed him to sleep in my office. I figure rules can sometimes be broken for extraordinary circumstances like this.” She looked hard at Simone, willing her to understand as she added, “Sometimes exceptions are made in order to protect people.”
Simone said nothing but quickly looked away.
“I’ll tell him she’s awake,” Una replied. “Do you want me to send for the doctor?”
“No,” Rachel replied. “He promised to come by first thing.”
Simone shook her head. “I don’t need a doctor. I don’t want him here.” Her tone hinged on fearfulness.
“Dr. Hill is very kind and very attentive. He fears you’ve suffered a heat stroke, but I think God has lessened the seriousness of your condition. I think perhaps you were just temporarily overcome and soon you’ll feel right as rain.”
Light was beginning to filter into the room from the dawning of a new morning, and along with the fact that Una had turned on another lamp, Rachel could clearly see that Simone’s color was nearly normal. Simone might not believe in miracles, but Rachel did. She was seeing one now—of that she was certain. Somehow, some way, she had to help Simone see it, too. Rachel was also determined to make the younger woman see that she could trust her as a friend. Maybe in doing so she could help Simone to believe that she could trust God, as well.
NINETEEN
“OH, SIMONE, I wish you could come with us to the picnic,” Una said, and the genuineness of her concern and desire was evident for all to hear.
“I’ll be fine,” Simone replied. “Rachel has me all settled here on the sofa, and Henri has supplied me with huge quantities of freshly iced lemonade.”
Jeffery O’Donnell watched the scene with intent interest. He’d not yet told Simone of his plan to remain with her while the others went to the festivities. The house would be nearly empty, with the exception of the few Harvey Girls who had volunteered to stay behind and help with the evening meal’s preparation. In Rachel’s private parlor for “her girls,” Jeffery intended to talk to Simone about her past … and perhaps even about her future.
“Your new dress looks so pretty,” another of the girls added. “I’ve never seen anything quite so nice.”
Simone nodded. “It is lovely, but I have to admit Una did most of the work. I’m still learning how to operate that newfangled sewing machine.”
Laughter filled the room as the conversation turned to tales about one mishap after another that some of the girls had experienced with Mr. Singer’s machine. Jeffery bided his time patiently until Rachel appeared, bonnet in hand, with the announcement that their transportation had arrived.
As the ladies filed out in animated whispers and giggles, Jeffery watched Simone for any sign of regret. But like a stone statuette, Simone kept all emotions from her face. She had been very quiet and withdrawn since her ordeal, and Jeffery could only hope that it was simply an aftermath of the illness.
“So do you wish you were going along?” he asked casually, coming across the room to where Simone sat.
“No, not really. I had looked forward to the picnic and seeing the boat races,” she admitted, “but I’m just as content to stay behind.”
Jeffery took a seat o
pposite her and stretched out his long legs before him. He wondered what she’d think of his actions but didn’t have to contemplate it for long.
“Won’t you be late?” Simone questioned.
“No,” he said, smiling. “I’m not going.”
“What?”
He let his smile broaden. “Why would I go along with that passel of giggling geese when I can remain here with the loveliest girl of all?”
Simone blushed and Jeffery knew she was genuinely embarrassed by the flattery. He’d known many a young woman who could blush on command, but with this woman, he knew it was a natural response.
“You should go along with the others,” she murmured uncomfortably.
“But I want to be here with you,” Jeffery countered, crossing his arms against his chest. “And since I’m in a position to do as I please, while you, my dear Simone, are stuck here recuperating from your illness, I win.”
“I could leave and go upstairs,” she said defiantly, lifting her chin.
Jeffery studied her face for a moment. Her appearance was like a fine china doll. Her skin, so flawlessly white and smooth, made him long to touch her. Her eyes, dark in their midnight shade of blue, caused him to yearn to know what secrets lay behind their intense gaze. And her lips … He shook his head to keep from concentrating too long on the area of her mouth, lest he make a fool of himself by saying the wrong thing.
“Did you hear what I said?” Simone questioned.
Jeffery shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant about the entire matter. “If you think that’s best, then I won’t stand in your way. However, my fondest wish is that you would stay and allow me the privilege of sharing your company.”
Simone rolled her eyes. “My company is hardly something to classify as a privileged event.”
“That, my dear Simone, is entirely a matter of perspective.”
She stared at him curiously for a moment before smoothing out the folds of her skirt. “Why do you keep calling me that?”
“Calling you what?” Jeffery questioned, genuinely confused.
“My dear. You keep saying ‘My dear Simone.”’
“I suppose because I’ve come to feel that you are dear to me.”
She shook her head. “There’s no call for that. I’m nobody to you.”
“Ah … but that, my dear, is where you are wrong.” He grinned ever so slowly and watched her discomfort grow.
“I think we should talk about something else. Rachel has rules about getting too familiar with men,” Simone offered weakly. “And Mr. Harvey has rules about Harvey employees fraternizing.”
“Rachel knows all about my staying here. I’m sure she’ll understand my choice of conversation. As for Mr. Harvey, well, I think he’d understand my actions, as well.” He watched her look away and toy with her long black braid. Taking pity on her, he added, “But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll change the subject.”
Simone nodded. “I think that would be a good idea.”
“What shall we talk about, then?”
Simone leaned back against the cushioning of pillows Rachel had provided for her comfort and grew thoughtful. “Well, you could tell me about Chicago.”
“A harmless enough topic,” Jeffery agreed. But before very long he realized that even this subject led him back to better familiarizing himself with Simone, and in turn, making her more familiar with him.
“My family is what you would call ‘well-to-do.’ I grew up on a monstrous lakeside estate where there were servants for every possible need. We had the best of everything, for my mother was quite concerned that she not be outdone by her neighbors. We entertained regularly, having a dance or dinner party at least once a week—sometimes more. And always, my mother invited unthinkable numbers of people. She had a special dining room table that you could extend to serve up to one hundred people at a time.”
“I can’t imagine,” Simone replied. “There’s so much that I have no knowledge of. We lived very far removed from anything of society or big cities.”
Jeffery found her sudden openness a hopeful sign, but he hesitated to ask her to continue. From experience, if Simone thought you were focusing on her past, she would clam up. With that in mind, Jeffery shrugged. “Big cities have their merits. You certainly can’t give the excuse that you can’t find what you’re looking for,” he offered with a grin. “But on the other hand, there’s never any place where you can find true solace or silence.”
“I loved the quiet of our mountain. I never realized that until I moved away,” Simone said, her expression growing distant. “When I was all alone, it seemed the very best world. When even so much as one other person came to join me, it suddenly felt rather crowded.”
Jeffery laughed. “Now I’m the one who can’t imagine. A crowd of one? I suppose the cities can feel very intimidating to you. Topeka isn’t as bad as Chicago, however. In fact, it is quite lovely. There’s plenty of nice places to find some solitude and quiet. Maybe not as quiet as your mountain, but nevertheless, better than a busy rail yard. Maybe one of these days you will permit me to take you for a carriage ride to one of those places.”
Simone’s brows knit together as if she were thinking very hard on the possibility of such a thing. “I don’t think that would meet with anyone’s approval. As I mentioned earlier, you know about the rules regarding Harvey employees.”
“I know that you aren’t to date any of the staff working in this house, if that’s what you mean,” Jeffery said, watching her closely. “However, I’m not employed by this house and my circumstance is rather unique, even if that were a matter to be considered. I’m under Mr. Harvey’s employ, but I’m certainly not a Harvey House staff member.”
The silence fell hard between them, and Jeffery, unwilling to lose the closeness Simone had briefly allowed him, quickly continued. “My mother is quite the great lady of Chicago. She’s involved in a dozen or more charities and considers herself a matriarch of the city. She has strange ideas for the town, as well as for her son.”
“How so?” Simone asked, surprising Jeffery.
“In regards to the city or myself?”
Simone actually looked as though she might smile. “Whichever.”
“Well, for the city, Mother sees it as the absolute center of all culture and creation. She chides her friends who insist on making sojourns to New York City and Paris, carefully reminding them that Chicago needs their devotion and allegiance in order to surpass those other places. As for her son … well, suffice to say, she has goals and ambitions for me that aren’t necessarily in keeping with my own thoughts.”
“Such as?”
Jeffery shifted a bit in the seat and stretched his arms casually up before joining his hands together behind his head. “She has plans for me to take my rightful position in society. She believes firmly, however, that in order to do so in a proper manner, I must take a socially acceptable wife. A woman of such high standing and inner grace that she would never for a minute question my mother’s guidance or direction.”
“A follower of the pack,” Simone commented.
“Exactly. Someone who will follow very willingly and not concern herself with the reasonings behind why something was being done a certain way. In other words, someone my mother could boss around.”
At this, Simone did smile. “I’ve known folks like that.”
He laughed. “Yes, I suppose we all have. My mother is apparently their queen. You’ve never seen a more determined woman when it comes to planning out her son’s social future. However, I’ve already fallen well behind her schedule. I’m afraid I’ve been rather hardheaded about her plans.”
“What about the rest of your family?”
“My father is too busy making money to worry about how my mother spends it or who she controls in the process. My older brother, Darius O’Donnell the Third, lives back East, and that’s the sum total of the O’Donnell children.”
Simone seemed quite interested in his line of conversation, so Jeff
ery continued. “My brother’s wife died a year ago, leaving him without children. My mother is rather desperate to see one of us produce an heir to the O’Donnell lineage.”
“Why?” Simone asked curiously.
“Prestige, mostly. But I also think it’s a matter of pride. She can have most anything money can buy and flaunts it in the faces of her friends at every opportunity, but she has no grandchildren and can’t buy herself one, either. She’s pressing me quite hard to marry and reminds Darius in weekly missives that a year of mourning for a young, childless man is more than enough time.”
“So why haven’t you married?” Simone questioned, glancing away as if realizing how personal her inquiry had become.
Jeffery lowered his arms and thoughtfully stared at his hands. “I suppose because for all the women my mother has paraded past me for my consideration, I’ve never found one that interested me half so much as you.”
He looked up in time to watch the color drain from her face. He’d not intended to simply blurt out his interest, but there it was.
“I think you should listen to your mother’s ideas of what’s proper for you,” Simone finally remarked. “She probably knows better what you need than you know yourself.”
“Is that how you felt about your mother? Did she always know your needs better than anyone else?”
Simone’s head snapped up and her eyes narrowed angrily. “My mother certainly didn’t consider my needs. She was a selfish woman who thought only of herself.”
Jeffery hadn’t expected the angry retort, and for a moment he did nothing but stare with what he hoped was an open expression of sympathy. But even though words along the same line came to his mind, Jeffery held back from saying anything. Simone despised pity and seemed not to know what to do with sympathy. Better to remain silent and let her set the stage than to plow ahead and undo any newly gained territory.
“I’m sure, Mr. O’Donnell, that your mother has your best inter-ests in mind. She probably knows all about what kind of wife would do you proud.”
A Shelter of Hope Page 17