A Place of Refuge

by Janet Lee Barton

  “You’ve got a nice room. It’s next door to mine, and Ben’s and John’s are across the hall. They’re good men. You’ll meet them tomorrow.”

  “How many boarders are there?” Matt asked as he unlocked the room with the key Mrs. Heaton had given him.

  “Right now there are four men, including you, and three women. You met Kathleen, and there is Julia and Elizabeth. I believe Mrs. Heaton will be adding one more woman before too long. And then there are the two maids, Gretchen and Maida. They live here, too.” He didn’t feel the need to explain that Mrs. Heaton sometimes took in temporary boarders. He’d find that out soon enough.

  “Mrs. Heaton’s son—where is he now?”

  Luke grinned. “Not all that far from here. He married one of the lady boarders—an old friend of the family—at Christmas last year and they set up housekeeping a few blocks away. You’ll get to know them, too.”

  “Sounds kind of like one big family.”

  “It is. And it’s quite nice to have it here in this huge city. That’s what Mrs. Heaton strives for. It’ll be home to you before you know it.”

  “I hope so.”

  “If you need anything or have any questions, just knock.”

  “Thank you.”

  “See you in the morning. You just go up when you’re ready for breakfast and help yourself to whatever is on the sideboard. I’m sure Mrs. Heaton explained it all to you, and she’ll be there to introduce you to the others.”

  “Thanks for your help, Luke.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Luke wondered if Kathleen and Mrs. Heaton were still upstairs. He’d wanted to get Matt out of the room so fast he hadn’t really had a chance to reassure Kathleen again.

  He hurried back upstairs to see if they were around, only to find Gretchen in the kitchen.

  “Mr. Patterson, is there anything I can get you? I have some apple pie left from tonight.”

  “No, I’m fine, Gretchen, thank you. Do you know if Mrs. Heaton and Kathleen are still in the parlor?”

  “No, sir. I believe they just went upstairs. Is it important? I can tell them you’d like to talk to them.”

  “No. That’s all right. I’ll see them in the morning. I will take a cup of that coffee with me though, if you don’t mind.”

  “You know I make a fresh pot for you this time of night. Help yourself.”

  “Thank you, Gretchen.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Disappointed he hadn’t caught Kathleen before she went upstairs, Luke poured himself a cup of coffee and headed back to his room. He’d see her in the morning and talk to her then. For now, he might as well see if he could get any writing done.

  * * *

  For Kathleen, having a new boarder in the house proved a good distraction from worry over her new position. It was quite entertaining to watch everyone at dinner. Kathleen mostly listened and watched as Elizabeth and Julia engaged Matt in conversation, with all kinds of questions about what it was like to work so high up in the air.

  But if the scowl on John Talbot’s face was any indication, he wasn’t too happy about the attention Elizabeth was giving to the other man. Ben was quieter than usual, but Luke was hard to read. She couldn’t tell what he thought of the other man. Still, having someone new at the table made for interesting conversation.

  “You’re from Boston?” Julia asked. “I’d think there was plenty of building going on there.”

  Matt chuckled and shrugged. “There is. But it’s not New York and I wanted a change. And the buildings are getting taller here.”

  “You really like working that high up?” Elizabeth asked.

  “I love it.”

  Kathleen couldn’t imagine working so high in the sky. The fifth floor she’d lived on in the tenements was plenty high up for her.

  “Enough about me. What is it the rest of you do?” His interest picked up when he heard Luke was a writer of dime novels.

  “Luke Patterson,” Matt said. “I do believe I’ve read some of your novels. You capture the West quite effectively. I’ll have to write my father and let him know that I’ve met you. He’ll be bragging to everyone. He loves your stories.”

  “Why, thank you, Matt. I appreciate knowing that. I’d be glad to send him a signed copy of my newest one. It comes out next month.” Luke smiled at the new boarder.

  “I thought you were working on something besides dime novels, Luke,” John said.

  “I am. But it’s not finished yet. I’ll have several dime novels out before then.”

  “Are all your novels set out West?”

  “No. I set them here, too. And I’ve set a few down south.”

  “And you’ve been to all the places you’ve written about?”

  “Not all, but most of them. I like traveling.”

  Somehow that surprised Kathleen. Luke seemed so settled here. Of course, he didn’t say he wanted to move—just that he liked to travel. Kathleen had thought she would, too, until she’d come here by ship. That had been a most unpleasant trip and it’d been hard to leave her homeland.

  But the thought of traveling now and again, coming back home to the city, might be something she’d enjoy someday. Right now she just needed to concentrate on her new position and getting through the first few weeks until she knew whether or not she was capable of handling the job.

  “Are you all right?” Luke whispered to her as the conversation turned to something else.

  “I’m fine. Just thinking about my job.”

  “Please quit worrying about it, Kathleen. You are going to do a great job. If Mrs. Heaton and the others didn’t think so, they would never have offered it to you.”

  “Thank you, Luke.”

  “I’m not saying it just to make you feel better, although I hope it does have that effect on you. I truly believe it. And I’ve heard Mrs. Heaton talking about how blessed they were to be able to talk you into taking the position. They don’t know the tenements like you do.”

  “But I’m afraid I don’t know them as well as they think I do.”

  “You know all you need to know. It will all fall into place, you’ll see.”

  * * *

  Luke’s encouragement went a long way in helping Kathleen through the rest of the week. By the weekend she was more excited than nervous to begin her work on Monday.

  She spent most of Saturday with her family and was a bit surprised to find that Officer O’Malley had stopped by several times to visit Colleen and the boys in the last week. Before they’d moved, he’d stopped by the apartment a time or two, but Kathleen had put it down to him doing his job, following up on a crime he’d been called in on. But now she wasn’t so sure his visits weren’t for some other reason. Although if he were attracted to Colleen, he’d better be prepared to wait a good long while for her to be able to even think about remarriage.

  As far as Kathleen could tell, except for Collin and Brody, the only thing marriage had brought her sister was heartache. And if witnessing it had made Kathleen leery of giving her heart away, she could only imagine how Colleen felt.

  But her sister seemed quite willing to accept the policeman’s friendship and it did give Kathleen a measure of comfort to know that he’d be watching out for Colleen and the boys.

  Just as she was about to leave, she remembered to ask about going to the park after church the next day. “Luke thought the boys would enjoy flying the kites he bought them. And Mrs. Heaton always has plenty of food for the picnic. She’d love for you to join us.”

  “Well, now, that is very nice. But I’ve already asked Officer O’Malley to come for Sunday dinner.”

  “Oh?”

  Colleen shrugged. “The boys seem to like him and—of course they like Luke, too.”

  “Well, maybe he could come wi
th us. Think about it, okay?”

  “I’ll think on it. But you have a good time, either way, all right?”

  “I will. But Mrs. Heaton meant it when she said she wanted you to feel welcome with all of us.”

  “I know she did. But, Kathleen, you need a life of your own without worrying about me every minute.”

  “I’m not worrying all the time anymore. I just want you to begin to enjoy life again.”

  “I know. And I will. I just have to give it time.”

  Kathleen nodded. It wasn’t easy to put all the sorrows and fears of the past behind. She knew that as well as Colleen did. She could only pray that one day they would.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kathleen’s first day out in the tenements wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. Having Luke along made her feel safer, although it also resulted in having a few doors shut in their faces.

  As they left the third building in the neighborhood Kathleen had lived in, she tried to find words that wouldn’t offend Luke. But it’d become very obvious as they’d knocked on first one door and then another that he couldn’t accompany her on her interviews.

  As they walked outside toward the next building, she gnawed her bottom lip before finally saying, “Luke, I’m sorry, but I think you’re going to have to let me do this alone or wait downstairs or out of sight in the hallway while I try to talk to these women. They just aren’t comfortable talking to both of us.”

  He rubbed his forehead. “Much as I hate to admit it, I know you’re right. I’ll wait in the hall and if that doesn’t work, I’ll wait in the foyer downstairs.”

  “Thank you.” Kathleen was relieved that he’d agreed so readily. Maybe he felt a bit uncomfortable in talking to the harried women holding babes in their arms and other children clinging to their skirts. No. That wasn’t fair. It hadn’t seemed to bother him that Collin and Brody had clung to her skirts. In fact he’d been very empathetic.

  She wondered what kind of childhood he’d had and realized that there was much about Luke she didn’t know. How selfish of her—she’d never even asked, letting him see to her and her sister’s needs instead of trying to get to know him better.

  Where had he come from and what had his life been like before he came to live at Heaton House? It was time she showed some interest in him and his life, after all he’d done for her and her family.

  But now wasn’t the time. She did have a job to do and she’d like to be able to report that she’d found several people who either could use day care or were interested in helping run one of the homes. Of course, she really couldn’t make a decision about anyone from one interview—or without checking them out and getting references. But she’d like to have a few leads at least.

  They entered the next building and Kathleen was relieved when Luke said he’d stay out on the stoop and see if he could find anyone to talk to. She supposed it was in connection with his writing and though she still wasn’t sure how she felt about his interviewing the less fortunate for a novel, she decided to trust that his intentions were honorable.

  “All right,” she told him.

  “Take your time, but yell if you need me.”

  “I will.” Although Kathleen doubted that he’d be able to hear her, still, she felt better knowing he was near. And she had no doubt that he’d come looking for her if she didn’t come back soon enough to satisfy him.

  As she began knocking on doors and went from one apartment to another, Kathleen was pleased to find that she actually recognized several of the tenants.

  “Well, if it isn’t Kathleen O’Bryan! ’Tis good to see you, dear,” an older woman named Mrs. Connor said. “Come in and have a cup of tea with me.”

  Kathleen knew Mrs. Connor wouldn’t need day care, as she lived with her daughter and son-in-law who both worked and had no children, but she might know someone who did. “I’d love a cup of tea.”

  “Good. Take a seat and I’ll make us a cup.” She motioned to a small table that’d been placed in front of a window looking down upon the street. Mrs. Connor was a widow and Kathleen supposed she spent a lot of her day looking out that window and watching the comings and goings of the other tenants.

  Kathleen watched her hostess prepare a pot of tea and bring it and two cups to the table. This apartment was even smaller than the one she and her sister’s family had lived in, but Mrs. Connor seemed quite happy in it.

  “It’s good to have company. I’d heard you all moved out after... How is your sister doing?”

  Kathleen quickly assured her, “Colleen is doing well, thank you. We did move. We were both offered wonderful opportunities that we hope will help others as well.”

  “Oh?” Mrs. Connor poured their tea and settled back in her chair. “Tell me about it.”

  “Well, Colleen is actually running a day care home the Ladies’ Aide Society has started. It’s the first of many they hope to start. That’s why I’m here. I’m the liaison for them, hoping to find those women who can benefit the most from having somewhere safe for their children to stay while they are at work.”

  “Really? Why, how much would that cost them?”

  “Nothing.”

  “How can that be?”

  “There are people in this city who really want to help. And they try to find ways to do so. Colleen and I have been the recipients of their help and through that, they’ve enabled us to be able to help others. Do you know anyone who might benefit from the day care?”

  Mrs. Connor took a sip of tea and leaned her head to one side. “I might. There’s a young mother living upstairs who might be interested. She takes in washing and ironing to support her and her daughter, but I think if she could get a regular job, she might be able to get them both out of here one day.”

  “Do you know her name?”

  “It’s Reba...” Mrs. Connor shook her head. “I can’t remember her last name. But she lives in 4C. She might be there now, but I don’t know.”

  “Do you think she’d talk to me?”

  “I don’t know. She’s very private. I could tell her you might be coming around in the next few days and find out.”

  “That would be wonderful, Mrs. Connor. May I check back with you tomorrow?”

  “Yes, of course you may. You stop by anytime. I’ll try to think of others who might need your help the most. And I’ll ask around.”

  “Thank you. I truly do appreciate that.”

  “It will give me something to do and if I can help one or two women get out of here, I’ll feel I did something good, too.”

  Kathleen nodded. That was what she was happiest about with her new position—the chance to make a real difference in someone’s life. She knew how it felt to look forward to a future in this country she’d come to love. But that had only truly happened because of the help of Mrs. Heaton and Luke and the others.

  Oh, her job would bring her back here, but she’d be able to go back to Heaton House at the end of the day. Still it would keep her humble, remembering where she’d come from and counting her blessings.

  She took the last sip of tea and stood to leave. Luke was probably thinking she was making her way from one apartment to another by now.

  “I’ll check back with you tomorrow. Is there any time that is best for you?”

  “I’m here most of the day unless I need to run an errand—and I don’t have any of those to take care of tomorrow. But should I leave for any reason, I’ll leave a note on the door.”

  “That will be fine. But should you need to talk to me, here is the number of the Ladies’ Aide Society’s office. They’ll let me know to get in touch with you.” Kathleen handed Mrs. Connor one of the calling cards the society had made up for her.

  “I’ll keep it where I can find it. Thanks for sharing a cup of tea with me today.”

  “Thank you fo
r having me,” Kathleen said.

  She knocked on a few more doors in the building, but no one answered and she hurried back down the stairs and outside where Luke waited for her on the stoop.

  His smile welcomed her back. “You look happy. It must have gone well. Did you find anyone to help?”

  “I’m not sure. Possibly.” She explained about Mrs. Connor and the young woman she’d told her about. “I should find out more tomorrow.”

  “Are you ready for some lunch?”

  “I’d like to visit one more building. And I really don’t want to keep you from your work, Luke. Why don’t you go on and—”

  “I’m not leaving until you do. Go on to the next building and do whatever you need to do. We can grab something to eat after that.”

  Kathleen could see from the look on his face that he wasn’t going anywhere today until she was through. Hopefully after a few weeks he’d realize she was safe here and that she knew her way around.

  In the meantime, she’d count him and his concern as blessings and get on with her work.

  * * *

  Luke watched Kathleen disappear into the next building and then took a seat on one of the steps outside. The air was somewhat fresher out here than inside the buildings—but not much with trash building up outside. Kathleen must have a stronger stomach than he did, for the smells in some of the buildings they’d been in that morning had been nauseating.

  He pulled the notepad from his pocket and looked around, watching people come and go on the streets, seeing unsupervised children playing in the middle of them. He wrote down his thoughts and descriptions of different people he saw. There was the older woman who was returning from the grocers or a street vendor. Her bag looked heavy but she shook her head when he offered to carry it home for her.

  She kept looking back as she passed him, as if she expected him to follow her. He couldn’t blame her for being suspicious of a man she’d never seen before, but it saddened him he couldn’t help her.

  He was busy writing down his impressions and questions he’d like to ask, should he get a chance to interview anyone, when Kathleen came outside.