A Place of Refuge

by Janet Lee Barton

  “I don’t know. But you can be sure I’ll be on the lookout for him. I don’t think Kathleen’s sister will let him know where she is—she sent her here for her safety, after all.”

  Michael nodded. “I’m just concerned about Mother. And yet I’d never want to stop the good she does. But since I’ve moved out, I do worry about her. You can’t be here all the time, but knowing you are around most of the time—actually more than I was before I married—and trusting in the Lord to watch over Heaton House...well, it gives me peace.”

  “I’m glad to know that.”

  “But I do remember that man from the park last year. He’s a bad one.”

  “Yes, he is. I’m glad Kathleen—Miss O’Bryan got out of there. But I believe she worries a great deal about her sister and nephews.”

  “I’m sure she does. Has she heard anything from her sister?”

  Luke nodded. “They’re corresponding through a neighbor. Still, I think she worries about the time in between letters.”

  “That’s understandable,” Michael said. “You know, she’s quite pretty.”

  “Yes, she is.” In Luke’s opinion, pretty was an understatement. But then, Michael hadn’t seen her come downstairs dressed in a gold dinner dress the night before. She’d looked beautiful. Her hair had been done up in what looked like a cloud of fire and he’d had a hard time keeping his eyes off her all evening.

  She’d looked just as lovely today when she attended church with Mrs. Heaton, Luke and some of the other boarders. Michael and Violet were there when they arrived and Mrs. Heaton had introduced them to Kathleen before sliding into the pew to sit beside her daughter-in-law. She’d motioned for Kathleen to sit beside her and Luke had taken the seat on the other side of Kathleen. Ben, John and Julia slid in the pew behind them. Luke found he had to really concentrate to keep his mind on the sermon. It was from Romans 8, about how all things work together for the good of those who love God, those called according to His purpose. He sent up a prayer that all things were working for the good of Kathleen and her sister.

  “Luke?”

  “What?” Luke dragged his thoughts back to the present. “Did you say something?”

  Michael laughed. “You must have been lost in your thoughts.”

  “I’m sorry. Apparently I was. What were you saying?”

  “I said, one wonders why Miss O’Bryan isn’t married with a family of her own.”

  Luke had wondered the same thing. “Her brother-in-law isn’t the best example of a husband. Could be she doesn’t want one. And if she had any suitors, he probably kept them away. If she married, he couldn’t get part of her income to help out.”

  “True. I wonder what he’s going to do now.”

  “I don’t know. But it does weigh on my mind.”

  “Do you want me to assign a man to watch over Kathleen on her way back and forth to work?”

  “No. I’ll take on that job for now.” Luke wasn’t going to give over Kathleen’s protection to anyone else.

  Michael nodded. “All right. But if you need some help, let me know.”

  “I will.”

  A light rap sounded on the door just before it opened, and Violet, Michael’s wife, peeked her head around it. “Dinner is ready, Michael.”

  “We’re coming now, love.” Michael quickly joined his wife and kissed her cheek.

  Luke couldn’t help but notice the smile Michael gave his wife and the look that passed between them. He’d known from the beginning that they were attracted to each other and gave himself some credit for getting them to admit it to each other. He was happy for them, but at the same time, seeing Michael and Violet together sometimes made him feel sorrow, too. It brought up memories of what could have been had his fiancée, Beth, not been killed in a bank robbery before he’d ever come to the city.

  In fact he probably wouldn’t be here if not for losing her. He couldn’t stay in Texas after that. Instead he’d decided to go somewhere totally different and had ended up right here at Heaton House. He hadn’t shared his sorrow with anyone—nor the guilt he felt that he hadn’t shown up to see Beth home from work in time to do something—anything—to save her. It was only lately he’d begun to forgive himself.

  Luke followed the couple to the dining room and watched as Michael put an arm around Violet’s waist and leaned close to whisper something to her. She giggled and blushed.

  Much as Luke liked being footloose to go where he needed to research his books and work for Michael, he had to admit that sometimes he longed for a relationship like theirs. Longed for someone to love again. But he’d vowed never to let himself fall in love with anyone else. He never wanted to chance going through that kind of heartache again—ever.

  Everyone was already in the dining room when they got there, and he took his customary seat next to Kathleen. Michael took the seat at the opposite end of the table from his mother after seating his wife adjacent to him.

  Everyone bowed as Michael asked a blessing over the food and then there was clatter and chatter around the table as everyone served themselves from the dishes Maida started around the table.

  Luke held the dish of scalloped potatoes while Kathleen helped herself to a spoonful. Then he took a portion for himself and handed it off to Ben.

  As conversation flowed around them, he leaned toward Kathleen and asked, “Are you sure you’re ready to go back to work tomorrow? Did the doctor give his okay?”

  “He did. I’m sure I’ll be fine. And I must get back to work. Mrs. Driscoll was good to give me a week off, but I can’t ask for more time.”

  “Are you worried that your brother-in-law might show up there?”

  She gave a little shake to her head. “Not really, but the thought has crossed my mind from time to time.”

  It’d crossed Luke’s and Michael’s, too. “Well, just to be on the safe side, I’m going to accompany you to work and back, at least for a while.”

  “I can’t be taking that much of your time, Mr. Patterson. You have your own work to do.”

  “You aren’t taking it. I’m giving it. And don’t you think it’s time we call each other by our first names? Everyone else here does.”

  She looked around the table and nodded. “Yes, they do. I suppose we should...Luke.”

  Luke liked the way she said his name in her Irish accent. “And I agree, Kathleen.” He also liked the way it felt to say her name out loud. He watched soft color flood her cheeks and wanted to say more, but before he could, Violet captured Kathleen’s attention from across the table.

  “What is it you actually do in Mrs. Driscoll’s department at Tiffany Glass Company?” she asked. Her question got the attention of all the diners at the table.

  “I help cut the glass at times and I work on foiling the pieces with sheets of copper.”

  “Oh, how interesting,” Violet said. “And how do you go about that? Foiling the pieces of glass?”

  “Bee’s wax is applied to foil sheets, which are then cut into strips. Then the strips are wrapped around the pieces. Once we tamp down the edges and reassemble them, our work is done. Then the copper is soldered to the adjacent pieces of glass.”

  “It sounds as though it’s very tedious work,” Ben said.

  Kathleen nodded. “Sometimes it is. And it’s tiring. But seeing the finished product makes it worthwhile.”

  “Would you change workplaces if you found something else that might be easier on you?” Mrs. Heaton asked.

  “If it were something I felt qualified for, possibly. Mrs. Driscoll hasn’t said anything to any of us, but I’ve heard through some of the girls that she might be thinking of remarrying one day and they won’t allow a married woman to work there.”

  “Not even the supervisor?” Julia asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Kathleen said.
/>   “So, if you got married, you wouldn’t be able to work there?”

  “Oh, no. That’s why there’s a lot of turnover in the department. Someone is always in training because it seems one of the girls is always getting married. But if Mrs. Driscoll does get married, I’m not sure I’d want to stay.” She looked at Mrs. Heaton. “Has she said anything to you about leaving?”

  “Not really. But Clara is very quiet about her private life. I know she cares a great deal about her ‘Tiffany Girls,’ though.”

  “She does, that. I’ll be sad to see her go if she does.”

  “But you’re bound to marry one day,” Violet Heaton said. “You’d be leaving then, too.”

  For some reason the conversation had Luke wondering if there were some young man in Kathleen’s life and he wanted to ask, but thought it’d be impertinent to do so...at least in front of so many people.

  “And is there a young man in your life that we should have notified, Kathleen?” Julia asked as if she read his mind.

  Her timing couldn’t have been better and Luke was thankful for it as he listened for Kathleen’s reply.

  “No. I’ve had no time for young men,” Kathleen said.

  Luke told himself that it shouldn’t matter to him whether Kathleen had a beau or not. He barely knew her. But somehow...it did matter. He let out a pent-up breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding.

  * * *

  After breakfast the next morning, Luke was ready and waiting to accompany Kathleen to work. He helped her on with the coat Elizabeth had given her.

  “Luke, you really don’t have to go with me. I ride part of the way with Elizabeth. I’ll be fine.”

  “But you don’t ride all the way with her. Besides, it does me good to get out first thing of a morning. I’ll walk part of the way home and think about the next chapter I’m writing.”

  There was nothing to do but accept his offer as he walked to the trolley stop with her and Elizabeth. The two women sat together and he stood, holding on to the rope hanging from the ceiling. When Elizabeth got off at her stop, he took her seat.

  He smiled down at Kathleen. “Did you get a chance to get to know Violet yesterday?”

  Michael and his wife had stayed awhile until supper Sunday night and she and Mrs. Heaton had invited Kathleen to join them for tea in the back parlor that afternoon. Violet was easy to talk to and they’d discussed all manner of things. Kathleen liked her. “I did. She’s very sweet and remembered Colleen and me from that day in the park. I think she was quite taken with my nephews Collin and Brody.”

  “Everyone who was there that day was concerned about you all.”

  “I’m thankful that Mrs. Heaton gave me her card for so many reasons. But one is that as much as it pains me to know everyone saw what kind of man my sister married, it is a relief not to have to explain it all to everyone. Besides, there is still so much I don’t remember.”

  “Kathleen, his actions are no reflection on you. You could have been killed trying to protect your sister and—”

  “But I wasn’t, thanks to you, Luke.”

  “Anyone would have done the same thing.”

  “No. Not anyone. I—”

  The driver called out her stop just then and Luke moved into the aisle to let her out, and then followed her out of the trolley. He walked the block to Tiffany Glass Company with her.

  “What time do you get off work?”

  “At five-thirty.”

  Luke nodded. “I’ll be here.”

  Kathleen felt certain it would do no good to tell him not to come, so she thanked him instead.

  Several of her coworkers came up just then and she joined them to go inside. She turned back to see Luke standing by the curb. Evidently he was waiting until she got inside. She gave him a little wave and hurried through the door.

  “Who is that, Kathleen? Do you have a beau?” a girl named Cindy said.

  Kathleen’s heart did a funny little twist at the very thought. “No. He’s...just a good friend.”

  “That’s too bad,” another girl named Ruth said. “He’s very handsome.”

  Kathleen was inclined to agree and yet she had no intention of giving her heart away to any man. Over the years, she’d seen Clancy change from the cocky young man her sister fell in love with to a hard-drinking, woman-beating, mean man. And no matter what her heart was doing at the thought of Luke being a beau, she was determined not to fall for any man. Not even the one who made her feel safe and cared for in a way she’d never experienced.

  “I wouldn’t mind having a friend like him,” Cindy said. “If he’s in the market for a wife and you don’t want him, you can send him my way.”

  That thought didn’t sit well with Kathleen at all.

  She’d never had a man friend before. And deep down she knew that Luke was more than just a friend. He’d been there for her when she’d needed a defender the very most and he’d been there when she’d been brought to Heaton House. He made her feel protected and special. And she was not going to send him Cindy’s way—or anyone else’s for that matter.

  As Kathleen stepped into the workroom, she put the thought of Luke paired with Cindy out of her mind.

  “Kathleen, it’s good to have you back with us,” Mrs. Driscoll said. “I’ve got a new project all ready for you.”

  The rest of her coworkers welcomed her back and all of them seemed glad to see her. Thankfully, no one asked many questions about why she’d been gone—probably because some of them lived in the same kind of conditions that Kathleen and her family did. And besides, they’d seen her bruised before. She didn’t feel the need to tell anyone she was no longer living in the tenement and she knew Mrs. Driscoll wouldn’t have said anything about it.

  It was still hard for Kathleen to believe that she’d begun a new life, and now that she was back at work she found it even more difficult not to feel guilty that her sister was stuck in her old life. It hurt to think of Colleen and the boys putting up with Clancy. She would so love to be able to get them out of the tenements. Much as she loved her work, she did wish she were able to help others.

  “Here you go, Kathleen,” Mrs. Driscoll said, bringing her the design and the cut-glass pieces she wanted Kathleen to start on. “It’s ready for the copper foil.”

  “Oh, it’s lovely, Mrs. Driscoll.”

  “Thank you. It’s one I’ve been working on awhile now. I’m eager to see it finished.” She patted Kathleen on the shoulder and lowered her voice. “Should you get tired, let me know. I can send you home early.”

  “I think I’ll be fine. Mrs. Heaton has taken wonderful care of me.”

  “I’m very relieved that you kept her card and that your sister sent you to her.”

  “Thank you for coming to check on me.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Mrs. Driscoll went to check on another piece of work, and Kathleen concentrated on getting back to her job. She imagined she’d be tired by the end of the day, but it was good to be back at work. She carefully painted the outline of the brass design on what would become a Tiffany lamp, and smiled thinking about the weekend. It’d been the nicest one she’d had in a very long time—maybe ever. And never had she gone on an outing in mixed company, except with family.

  She’d thoroughly enjoyed going to the museum and then singing around the piano after dinner that night. Then, yesterday, she’d enjoyed getting to know Mrs. Heaton’s son and his wife.

  After Sunday dinner, the men were talking about an upcoming sporting event at Madison Square Garden and the ladies had adjourned to the back parlor for afternoon tea. Well, she and Mrs. Heaton and her daughter-in-law had. Elizabeth was still at her aunt’s and Julia had gone to visit a friend.

  They’d just settled down with their tea when Violet turned to Kathleen. “You know, at B
utterick, I didn’t have to leave when Michael and I got married, but I know that it is that way with many businesses and it greatly disturbs me. I can’t help but wonder...what about the married women who need to help support their families? Or the ones who are widowed with families?”

  “It’s very hard for them to find work, although many companies do hire married women,” Kathleen had answered. “Colleen takes in ironing and such from time to time, but it’s not anything she can really depend on. And if she worked outside, she’d have to count on a neighbor to watch the boys—at least until they are in school.”

  “What this city needs is someplace women could drop off their children while they worked. Somewhere they’d be safe and well cared for until she got off work,” Violet said.

  “Oh, that is a wonderful idea, Violet,” Mrs. Heaton said. “It really is.”

  “Yes, but getting it implemented—”

  “Might not be as hard as you think,” Mrs. Heaton had said. “Let me give it some thought and contact a few people.”

  “If anyone could do it, you could, Mother Heaton,” Violet had said affectionately.

  Kathleen could see the two women cared a great deal about each other, and she greatly missed her mother who’d passed away when she was only fifteen—and she missed her sister.

  Now she shook her head and tried to concentrate on foiling the glass pieces. Pushing an errant strand of hair out of her eyes, she sighed. Maybe she’d have a letter from Colleen today. She hoped so.

  By the end of her shift she was more than a little exhausted. Her back was hurting and she was almost convinced that she did have a fractured rib. Maybe tonight she’d sleep in the corset Elizabeth had given her. It had seemed to help the night she’d tried it.

  She headed out with the others and her heart did a little flip when she saw Luke waiting for her just outside the doors. She smiled at him and hurried over.

  “You look exhausted,” he said, lightly grasping her elbow. “Perhaps you should have waited a few days to return to work.”