by Cathy Marie Hake, Lynn A. Coleman, Mary Davis, Susan Page Davis
“Then why can’t you remain a little longer? You should be feeling much better soon. Running was definitely not a wise undertaking, but it presents only a momentary setback.”
“Is there a problem with procuring my return voyage?”
“No. I … I …”
Beatrice searched his blue-gray eyes. He seemed strangely vulnerable, and yet so formal.
“Richard …”
“Is something wrong with Richard?” Bea jumped up from the sofa.
“I’m sorry. No, he’s fine. I’m just concerned that your immediate departure would be terribly hard on the child.”
“I spoke with him this afternoon. He seemed to understand my need to return home.”
“Understand, yes. But is he ready to break his emotional connection with you?”
“I don’t believe I’ve coddled the child as much as you think.”
“Coddled? What are you talking about?”
“Coddling. The first day we met, you said I coddled the child.”
Ellis stood up and approached her. “I may have said that, but I’ve come to see you have not coddled the boy at all. I’ve never met a woman who could bait a hook. And to hear Richard say it, you’re the best there is.” Ellis winked.
Beatrice lowered her gaze and nervously rubbed her fingertips. “It took some practice.”
“I can imagine. All the girls back home would scream and run away from me. Of course, I was threatening them with a fierce and mighty ‘worm.’ ”
Bea giggled. “I can see Richard doing that one day.”
Ellis chuckled. “Boys—we are different.”
She sighed and relaxed. “I truly love him, and will miss him greatly, but my time in his life has come to an end.”
“That may be, Miss Smith, but don’t you see—a few more days or weeks won’t hurt you, and those same days will help him tremendously.”
“Perhaps. I just don’t know how long I can survive in this heat.”
“You’re looking much better, and doing better. Granted, your little morning escapade was a supreme act of foolishness.”
This man is some charmer. “Thanks.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not your father. I have no right scolding you. But you do see the foolishness, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. I saw it when I nearly passed out on Front Street. I thought I could handle the short distance. Richard and I did a lot of racing back home.”
Ellis bobbed his head.
“I suppose you think a lady shouldn’t do such things.”
“Now don’t go putting words into my mouth, Miss Smith.” Ellis shook a finger in the air. “I’ve never seen a woman running before, that’s all.”
“I reckon. But you grew up on Richard’s family farmstead. You know there are no children around for miles. The boy needed a playmate, as well as a mother, father, nurse, teacher, and whatever else needed doing at the time.”
“True. I always had my brother Richard to play with. Granted, he was older, but it was still someone.”
Bea sat back down on the sofa and Richard returned to his chair.
“Miss Smith, please tell me you’ll stay for a few more days, perhaps a week or so.”
“I would love to explore this island some. I’ve been trapped in this yard for days, and while you do have a charming yard and beautiful garden, I would like to see more.”
Ellis grinned. “I understand. But …”
Bea watched his hesitancy, his hands folding and unfolding. “I need you to be spending your free time with the boy. I don’t think courting would be proper.”
“Courting? What on earth are you talking about?” She watched his eyes focus on his lap. Was he considering asking her to court him? Couldn’t be, he’d hardly even looked at her since her arrival.
“Sorry. I had a gentleman caller today who asked for my permission to seek the pleasure of your company.”
“He asked you?” She huffed. How dare the man. She wasn’t Ellis Southard’s ward. She wasn’t anyone’s ward. She had a free mind and a bright one at that, and she would determine whom she would or would not court.
“Now before you get yourself worked into a tizzy, let me explain that Mr. Dabny comes from the North. Where, as you probably know, in good society a man comes to the father before approaching the woman.”
How could she possibly forget? She was born and bred in that society, and while Ellis Southard didn’t have an inkling of her true social status, she shouldn’t have been so offended.
“I see,” she said, her voice controlled.
“I let Marc know he would have to ask you himself.”
Well, that ended any lingering doubt she might have had that Ellis’s intentions were to court her. No, while she had noticed how handsome Ellis was, obviously he didn’t have any attraction toward her. On the other hand, hadn’t she caught him staring at her when she first greeted him at the door?
Ellis appeared to be awaiting her answer. What was his question …?
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Ellis shifted in his chair and pulled at his collar with his right forefinger. “Do you agree you shouldn’t be socializing?”
“Mr. Southard, whether I do or do not accept Mr. Dabny’s offer has little or nothing to do with my care of Richard. Wouldn’t you agree that once you are home for the evening, my time is my own?”
Ellis squirmed. “I reckon.”
Bea smiled. “Then if I should accept an invitation from Mr. Dabny or anyone else, it would be when my duties as Richard’s nanny are over for the day.”
She couldn’t believe her own ears. Was she really telling this man she was going to get on with her life, begin socializing again? Allow for the possibility of a courtship? A prickly feeling climbed her spine.
“Very well, Miss Smith.” Ellis lifted himself from the chair.
She’d done it again. The man became an instant board around her. Straight, rigid, and totally unfeeling. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Put up a wall of defense around me. Just when I think we are beginning to talk like normal people, you pull back into … into … a plank. Stiff, unbending, un—”
Fire ignited in Ellis’s eyes. He closed them, and when he lifted his lids again his eyes were stone cold, dark, and piercing. “Good night, Miss Smith.”
For a moment she thought she had reached him. But it was gone in a flash. With long strides to her door he made a hasty retreat. If the man had any appreciation for her as a woman, he sure kept it well hidden. No, she could never stay in Key West. Living under the same roof with a man she found so attractive she lost sleep over, yet who seemed almost repulsed by her, would be nerve-racking, to say the least. Still, he wasn’t truly heartless. He had spoken words of appreciation for the fact that she would even bait a hook for the sake of his nephew. “I’m so confused,” she huffed.
Ellis stomped back up to the house. How could she be so casual about courting? And why did he feel like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar? Fact was, he would like to explore the option of courting the woman, but he was too afraid of himself, of his responses, of her beauty.
Ellis groaned. “Heather, I’m so sorry.” His past, his mistake, would continue to haunt him when in the presence of someone as tempting as Beatrice Smith. Her beauty was only part of the attraction. Her strong, determined spirit. Her ability to reason. Her way with Richard. These traits and so many more formed the foundation of his attraction. An attraction he could never act upon.
No, he was not a man to be trusted.
Chapter 10
Beatrice saw nothing of Ellis Southard the following day. He even missed his evening meal with the family. “Is he still angry, Lord? And what is he so angry about, anyway?” she rambled in prayer, pacing the small cottage floor from the front room into her bedroom. “I only agreed it was my business if and when I accepted anyone’s invitation.”
Marc Dabny had been a perfect gentleman, but she h
ad turned him down. For a moment she considered accepting his invitation just to get a rise out of Ellis Southard. But she saw the intensity of Mr. Dabny’s interest as a wife-hunter, and she would not be the woman to break the man’s heart. Better to leave a man before he’s attached, she felt. Not to mention his intentions were totally self-motivated and had little to do with “love.”
Given Ellis’s recent behavior, all signs seemed to indicate that he was avoiding her. She’d never been so offensive to another individual and that bothered her. Of course, the other side of this meant that, by his absence, she wouldn’t be led down the wrong path of temptation.
To Ellis’s credit, he did manage to make time for Richard that evening. As she stayed within the confines of her cottage, laughter drifted across the yard once again, creating within her a longing to be in the middle of such joyous activity.
The candle on the windowsill remained unlit, as per young Richard’s instructions. He had proclaimed during dinner that he was a big boy now and didn’t need it. The unlit candle was now a solemn, cold reminder of her time to release Richard and give him to his uncle and new life.
“Nanna!” she heard Richard call. Bea raced to the window which faced Richard’s room, lifted the screen in its wooden track, and waved. A wide smile filled his face, his small arms wiggling back and forth. Bea could see Ellis’s strong arm wrapped around Richard’s small waist. A proud smile softened Ellis’s otherwise rigid stance.
“Good night, Nanna. I love you.”
“Good night, Richard. I love you, too.” With all the energy she could muster, she stepped back from the window and lowered the screen. Mosquitoes thrived on this island, in numbers she’d never seen before. Grateful for the mosquito netting draped around her bed, she checked its corners again to make certain it hung properly, then prepared for bed.
Sitting in front of the vanity, Bea let down her hair. As a child she had worn it loose. After her coming-out party she had taken to wearing it up in public, wrapped into a tight bun and generally hidden beneath a hat or scarf, in keeping with proper etiquette. A nightly custom of a hundred strokes kept her thick curls from snarling in her sleep. She loved the feel of her hair on her shoulders and back, sometimes feeling a little ashamed of her own vanity. She’d known many women who would curse their hair, wearing it in all kinds of unnatural styles, and fuss and fume when it didn’t do what they wanted.
Her hair brushed, she sat down to read before retiring for the night. Lost in her loneliness, the comfort of her nightly ritual had a hollow feel.
“Uncle Ellis?” Richard looked up from his pillow.
“Yes, Richard.” Ellis sat down on the edge of Richard’s bed.
“Is Nanna going to always sleep over there?”
How could he tell the boy she would be leaving soon? Granted, Miss Smith had prepared him for her departure, but …
“No.”
“Can she move into the big house?”
“I don’t think so, Son. She’ll be going back to New York.”
“Will you be going to New York too?”
Ugh, Ellis inwardly groaned. For a child he sure did ask difficult questions. “Richard, it’s late, and you need to get your sleep. Remember, we’re going fishing in the morning.”
Richard nodded his head and wiggled himself under the covers.
“Is Nanna coming fishing?”
“No, Son. Not tomorrow.”
“When?” Richard lifted his head up off the pillow.
“I don’t know. When she’s well enough. Now, let’s say your prayers.”
“Yes, sir.” Richard lay back down and clasped his tiny fingers together. “Dear Jesus, tell Mommy and Daddy I miss them. Help Nanna be happy again. And bless Uncle Ellis and Cook. Amen.”
“Amen,” Ellis echoed.
Help Nanna be happy again? Was she upset with the boy? he wondered. Truth be told, he had avoided her today. Was she still upset regarding their conversation last night? Did she regret her decision to postpone her departure even for a few days?
Ellis kissed Richard on the forehead. “Good night, Richard.”
“Good night, Uncle Ellis.”
Ellis closed the door to the child’s room and headed down the stairs to his study. Invoices needed posting. Jedidiah Brighton had managed to load additional sponges to carry to New York. Pleased with the sales and the plentiful supply of natural sponges on the various reefs around the small island, his business would continue to grow. The Bahamian men he hired were naturals in the water and excellent sponge fishermen.
A parrot cawed, and Ellis looked out the window. The sky, a blanket of dark velvet with a silver pearl nestled on it, created a wonderful backdrop for his tropical garden. He lowered his glance to the cabin in his backyard. Scratching his beard, he wondered if it was wrong to separate the nanny from the boy. Should he offer her a permanent position to stay in Key West? He had assumed from the start she would want to get back to her life in New York. From their conversation last night, he finally understood that Richard was her life. She had poured her heart and soul into the child. And his brother had spoken highly of her competency. Maybe he should ask her to stay in charge of the boy’s care.
Ellis leaned his chair back on its two hind legs and plopped his feet on his desk, a bad habit he never saw the need to break. Maybe he should pray about this. He’d been praying about how to be a good father to Richard, and reading every verse in Scripture he could find about children and disciplining them. But had he actually asked God if Miss Smith should remain on for a time as his nephew’s nanny? Or was he simply allowing her to leave because of his attraction to her, not wanting to fight with temptation? Not wanting to deal with his past, his …
Yes, prayer was most definitely in order.
The next morning, Bea woke early and hurriedly dressed. She knew of Ellis’s and Richard’s fishing plans. She’d hoped for an invitation. Oddly enough, she’d gotten used to the sport. She’d done it simply to do “manly” things with Richard, and much to her surprise found she actually enjoyed it. The peaceful ripple of the water allowed one to think and pray. She’d never fished in an ocean before. In fact, until she boarded the Justice in New York harbor to come to Key West, she’d never even seen an ocean. The vast water contrasted dramatically with the mountain springs that fed the various farms she’d lived on in upstate New York. The smell of salt permeated the air. Low tide … well, low tide left something to be desired.
The movement of the water was different as well. In the springs it flowed in one constant direction; the ocean flowed in different directions depending on the tides. And the gentle roll of the surf as it lapped the shore was just as captivating as the constant movement of the water rushing downstream. While she found the two types of water very different, they both had the same soothing effect on her—gratitude to her heavenly Father. It gave her something to remind her of home.
Late last evening she had penned a letter to her parents, hoping there would be a boat heading to New York so she could hand it to the captain. She tapped her pocket in her long apron-covered shirt to be certain it was still there…. Perhaps the Justice would be coming back from Cuba soon, and she could send it that way.
The large front door opened and out stepped Richard with his pole in hand, immediately followed by Ellis Southard. Richard’s bright smile filled his face. Ellis’s eyes sparkled as he watched his nephew maneuver the fishing pole down the front steps.
Perhaps I shouldn’t… Bea stepped forward from the trees’ shadows. “Good morning, gentlemen.”
“Nanna! Are you going fishing?” Richard ran up to her.
She glanced over to Ellis. His eyes no longer sparkled. He didn’t want her along. “No, I have a letter I need to post.”
Richard pouted. “Why don’t you want to come fishing with me?”
I do, Child, I really do, she wanted to say but held back her emotions and her tongue.
“If you would like to come with us, Miss Smith,” Ellis paused, “you are
welcome.”
“I would enjoy it, but I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
Ellis grinned and then sobered. “Come along then, and be quick about it.”
Bea tucked the letter back into the apron over her skirt and placed her hands on her hips. “Ready when you are, Sir.”
“Yeah! Nanna’s coming.” Richard pranced up and down.
Looking over at Ellis Southard, she noticed he stiffened and shut down his emotions. Why did the man keep doing that? Bea rolled the tension out of her shoulders. She didn’t understand him, but she would have to accept the discomfort of the day. After all, she had wormed herself a place in this little fishing expedition.
“Let’s go.”
Ellis bolted ahead and walked a brisk pace through the streets to the harbor and down one of the large wooden docks that reached far into the ocean. Lined with sponges, nets, and a variety of ropes in different widths and sizes, she surmised that the dock belonged to Ellis and his sponging company. Afraid to ask, she held her tongue.
She worked up a sweat just keeping pace with Ellis Southard. Even Richard seemed a bit tired from the walk. She slowed her pace. She wasn’t going to fall victim to heat exertion again. Little Richard’s legs took three steps for every one of Ellis’s.
As Bea and Richard started walking on the wooden planks, Ellis stood at the end of the pier. He turned to face her and muttered something to himself, muffled by the expansive ocean. Bea and Richard continued to plod on down the dock. Bea decided a word with Ellis Southard about his careless behavior was in order. But she would wait so that little Richard wouldn’t be privy to their conversation.
Bea sat on the edge of the dock beside Richard and dangled her legs over the water. “It’s a pleasant morning, Richard, don’t you think?”
“Yup.” Richard’s head turned as he scanned the horizon.
“Nanna, see those clouds?”
Bea looked to where he pointed and nodded.
“Uncle Ellis says they are spinning around like a top.”
She looked over to the horizon. Half a dozen small funnel clouds stood up from the sea. “Really?”