The Perfect Wife

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “I’m sorry I missed her,” Margie began, “but I understand. My husband is often called to handle unpleasant situations when they arise. It’s best when things run smoothly, but often that which can go wrong, will.”

  “Isn’t that the truth,” Rosalyn said with a chuckle. “My husband owns two hotels, and the new pipes he’d just had put in one of them burst. There was water all over the place.”

  “That’s what he gets for not using the plumber my father recommended,” Annabelle teased.

  Rosalyn laughed. “Well, you notice he didn’t make that mistake with the second hotel.”

  The others joined the two in laughing just as the butler brought three older women into the room.

  “Wonderful,” Annabelle cheered. “Since we’re all here, let’s leave the stuffy indoors and enjoy some fresh air.”

  Natalie supposed she should feel more at ease now that everyone was here, but the opposite was true. All of the women seemed as if they’d known each other for years. Well, except for Margie, but Margie was already talking as if she’d known the others for a long time. It seemed that Natalie was the only one who didn’t know what to say.

  I’m nervous. It’s natural that I can’t think of anything to say. Give it time. When I feel more comfortable, I’ll come up with something to add to the conversation.

  Relaxing, she followed the others out of the house.

  Chapter Eleven

  “No, I really think it’s true,” Fran was saying after the group had ordered some tea and pastries at a restaurant an hour later. “I’m sure there are some flowers that don’t smell pleasant. I know all the ones at the park did, but I distinctly remember hearing my father say there are a couple of flowers that a person should never have at a wedding because they stink.”

  “I’ve never come across a flower that hasn’t smelled nice,” Katherine argued.

  “That’s a good thing,” Janet said. “You wouldn’t want to.”

  “It’s a shame if some don’t smell nice,” Margie spoke up. “They’re all beautiful. I can’t recall a single one that hasn’t brightened up the room.”

  “She’s right,” Annabelle agreed. “They all look splendid. I often think it would be nice to have my own flower garden, but I never seem to find the time.”

  “Why don’t you have the groundskeeper make one for you?” Fran asked.

  “I’d rather do it myself,” Annabelle replied. “That way I can arrange them the way I want.”

  Fran shook her head and laughed. “You’d ruin your hands. Even if you wore gloves, your nails would suffer for it. It’s better you concentrate on other things.”

  The waiter stopped at their table and gave everyone their cup of tea and the pastry.

  Rosalyn leaned forward and asked Annabelle, “What type of flowers would you plant if you had the time?”

  “Don’t encourage her,” Fran playfully admonished as the waiter walked away. “She has the prettiest nails of anyone in Omaha.”

  “The question is only one of curiosity,” Rosalyn told Fran. “We all know Annabelle’s not really going to do it. I only wanted to know her floral preferences.”

  Since Fran seemed content with the answer, Annabelle began to list off flowers she liked. Natalie let out a sigh. Further down the table, the other women were discussing some other topic she didn’t care to keep track of. The only reason she was focused on this one was because she was closer to these particular women.

  Though, for as much as she participated in the conversation, it really didn’t matter if she was there or not. The most she’d said up to now was a brief mention of her favorite flowers when Annabelle made the inquiry. Other than that, she had kept quiet. She’d like to blame it on the fact that it was because she was new to the group, but even Margie had joined into the conversation several times.

  Natalie picked up her teacup and got ready to drink it when someone cleared her throat. She glanced over at Fran. Fran gave a slight shake of her head and motioned for her to pick up the saucer with her free hand. Surprised, Natalie did, and then Fran showed her how many fingers to use to hold the teacup. Natalie released her last two fingers. Fran nodded and then sipped her own tea. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Natalie took a timid sip. Was there a wrong way to sip? If she hadn’t known the correct way to handle a teacup and saucer, could she be sure that she was drinking the tea properly?

  She didn’t recall the way she’d held her teacup being wrong when she’d been with Mark or his family. But, as she glanced around the table, she realized all of the women were holding their cups and saucers the exact way Fran was.

  Her gaze went back to Fran who was chuckling. Fran was looking at Rosalyn, but Natalie wondered if Fran was laughing at her. No. That was silly. Why would Fran laugh at her? She’d just helped her out.

  “Have you ever planted a flower garden?” Annabelle asked Natalie, breaking her out of her thoughts.

  Natalie’s attention went to her sister-in-law. “Yes, but I often used perennials, so I didn’t have to plant flowers often.”

  “What’s the difference between perennials and the other kinds of flowers?” Annabelle asked.

  Natalie noticed that Annabelle had put her saucer down. She glanced at Fran who was whispering to Rosalyn. Did that mean it was alright to put a saucer down from time to time while drinking tea in public?

  “Natalie?” Annabelle asked.

  Natalie forced her gaze back to Annabelle. “Sorry.” She offered a smile. “Um, well, there are some flowers you need to plant every year. The perennials are ones you plant once, and they keep coming back.”

  “Maybe I could plant all perennials,” Annabelle said. “Then I’d only have to make a flower garden once.”

  Fran’s nose wrinkled. “Flower gardens need more than planting. My groundskeeper goes out every day to weed it and make sure all of the flowers are watered. You can’t just plant flowers and leave them alone.”

  “She’s right,” Rosalyn agreed. “You’re better off telling your groundskeeper what you want and having him take care of it.”

  Annabelle seemed disappointed but didn’t argue. Instead, she picked up her pastry and started eating.

  Natalie wanted to tell Annabelle that keeping up a garden really wasn’t that much work. It only required five minutes a day, or every other day, to nurture it. Annabelle might even be able to get away with tending to it a couple days a week. But she knew the others wouldn’t approve, so she kept her mouth shut.

  “You know what we should do?” Katherine asked everyone in the group.

  All gazes went to her, but it was Janet who encouraged Katherine to tell them her idea.

  “We should all go to the opera that’s playing next week,” Katherine said. “We could have husbands, fathers, or a gentleman courting us be our escorts. Then when the opera’s over, we can come to my home for dinner.”

  “I’d love to watch an opera,” Margie replied. “I haven’t been to one in over a year. I miss listening to those gifted singers. They have voices that make my heart swell up with emotion.”

  “What a lovely idea,” Fran added. “I’d love an excuse to wear the new evening gown I bought the other day.”

  Rosalyn turned to her in interest. “The dark blue one with the puffy sleeves?”

  “That’s the one,” Fran replied. “Father spoils me so. He insisted the seamstress use real diamonds to decorate the neckline.”

  “You’ll make the rest of us jealous if you show up in something like that.” Though Katherine gave the comment, Natalie could tell she was excited by the prospect of seeing the gown.

  As the others started talking about what gowns they might wear, Natalie focused on the pastry in front of her. These women were different from the ones she’d grown up with. She didn’t know how to relate to them. She had nothing in common with them, except for her financial status, and that was only because she had married Mark. For the first time, she began to wonder if Velma had been right. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for this
kind of life.

  ***

  “If you’re too sick, we can stay home,” Natalie told Mark on the evening of the opera performance.

  Mark glanced over at her from the mirror where he was adjusting his tie. She had finished getting dressed early. She’d been too restless to do anything else. Otherwise, Mark was usually ready to go somewhere before she was.

  “It’s just a head cold,” he replied with a smile. “And I’m practically over it. All I do is cough from time to time.”

  “Yes, but when you cough, you have a hard time stopping. What if you start coughing in the middle of the opera? There won’t be any water nearby to help sooth the tickle in your throat.”

  “I got that taken care of.” He pointed to his dresser where a small tin can held hard candies. “My uncle Joel said the honey in those candies will ease the urge to cough.” He finished with the tie. “Can you believe he charged me for that even though I’m family?”

  Despite her apprehension about the evening, she found herself laughing. “Your uncle has to make a living, Mark. And besides, it’s not like you can’t afford it.”

  He grinned and slipped the tin into his pocket. “I remember when I was a kid. He’d offer things like this for free. But,” he quickly added, “that was before my parents earned the bulk of their wealth. My uncle has been generous in the past. I don’t mind handing him a coin for these. I only give him a hard time because he picks on my uncle Tom a lot.” He retrieved his suit jacket and slipped it on. “I always felt sorry for Tom. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, Joel got the best of him.”

  “If I had been able to stay around after the wedding, I would have met these uncles, and then I’d have a better idea of what you’re talking about.”

  He finished buttoning his jacket then went over to her and drew her into his arms. “No way. I much preferred what we ended up doing instead.”

  She shouldn’t be surprised he made the reference to their first time together. Since he’d come down with the cold, he hadn’t been intimate with her, and she could tell he was starting to get antsy by the way he slid his hands along her body whenever he held her. Just as he was doing now.

  “We could stay here tonight instead of going out,” she offered, hoping he’d take the bait. For good measure, she pressed her body up against his in a way she knew brought him some pleasure.

  He groaned. “I’d like to, but this will be a good thing for us to do as a couple. You’ll get to meet more people and get new acquaintances. You’ll never know what friends you’ll make if we don’t go.”

  She hid her grimace. She didn’t think she’d make any friends at all. Maybe it’d been a mistake to tell him she’d enjoyed going to the park and restaurant with those women. At the time, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth because it seemed to mean a lot to him that she’d had a good afternoon.

  He gave her a kiss, keeping it much too short so she couldn’t use this as a distraction to get him into bed.

  He pulled away from her then grabbed his hat. “We don’t want to be late.”

  Forcing a smile, she let him lead her out of the room. She could only hope the evening would pass by faster than the afternoon with those women had.

  ***

  Mark shifted in his seat at the opera house so he could get a better look at Annabelle and Kenneth. He’d escorted Natalie to the row behind them for this very reason. Unfortunately, they weren’t directly behind Annabelle and Kenneth. They were a couple seats away from them. Which made it hard to see exactly what was going on.

  Was Kenneth sitting too close to her? He’d been hoping his parents would be the ones attending this event tonight, but they had opted to stay home and spend some time alone. He rolled his eyes. His parents were too old to do anything interesting. What could they possibly do alone that they couldn’t do around other people?

  Kenneth whispered something in Annabelle’s ear, and Annabelle softly chuckled.

  Mark frowned. Why did they have to be so far away?

  Kenneth sat back in his seat and turned his attention to the opera singers.

  Mark resisted the urge to let out a frustrated sigh. Why did Ben have to be so stubborn? Why couldn’t he do something to stop this travesty playing out before Mark? Ben could make an effort to court Annabelle, but he refused to do it. And why? Just because he was afraid Annabelle would tell him no? If she told him no, then that meant Ben had to work harder to win her over.

  One wouldn’t know it to look at Ben, but his parents were well off. Mark’s parents were well acquainted with Ben’s parents. Mark and Ben, after all, had attended the same school. After going to seminary, Ben had chosen to give up the rights to his inheritance, leaving everything to his younger brother.

  Mark had thought that was as ridiculous as Tony giving up the family business to live on a farm. Tony, at least, had kept the rights to his share of the inheritance. Ben had told Mark that being a servant of other people was more important to him than money. At the time, Mark had thought Ben intended to become a butler, but then Ben had left to become a preacher. He’d only asked for enough money from his parents to pay for his schooling at the seminary. After that, he had returned and picked one of the poorest churches to preside over. Not that he thought less of Ben because of it. He didn’t. What Ben had done was admirable. Mark didn’t think he had it in him to be as self-sacrificing as Ben was.

  Which would make Ben an excellent husband for Annabelle. Annabelle would do very well to marry someone who could put everyone else, especially her, first. While Mark liked money a lot, he did agree it wasn’t everything. Annabelle wasn’t a snob like some of the elite in Omaha were, either. They’d both had humble beginnings. They hadn’t started out wealthy. It was only when Mark was five that the wealth began to accumulate in the family business. Surely, she could be happy living with Ben even if he had given up all of his family’s money. She could bring money into the marriage. She was good at saving. She could tuck all of that money away or use it for herself. She didn’t have to give up everything to be with him.

  Kenneth shifted in his seat. Mark watched him. Kenneth adjusted his cufflink then turned his attention back to the stage. Good. He wasn’t going to say something else to make Annabelle laugh. It was just Mark’s luck that Annabelle liked men who had a sense of humor. If Kenneth kept making her laugh, it could spell disaster for everyone.

  Mark felt a tickle in his throat, so he pulled out one of the honey candies Uncle Joel had given him. He popped it in his mouth. Thankfully, it did the trick. He only coughed twice until the urge to keep coughing subsided.

  He sucked on the candy for half a minute before Kenneth leaned over to whisper in Annabelle’s ear. Annabelle gave Kenneth such a sickeningly sweet smile that Mark knew Annabelle was falling in love with Kenneth—and fast. Mark gasped, and the candy slipped down his throat. He coughed, trying to bring it back up, but he swallowed it. He coughed again. And again.

  Since he couldn’t stop himself from the series of coughs that overtook him, he jumped up from his seat and hurried out of the theater so he wouldn’t annoy anyone.

  By the time he made it to the entrance, he was frantically digging in his pocket for another honey candy. This was just his luck. Not only was Annabelle falling in love with Kenneth, but he couldn’t stop coughing.

  “Sir, would you like a drink of water?” one of the ushers asked him.

  He nodded as he finally got the tin can out of his pocket. He opened it and took out one of the candies just as Natalie came up to him. He accepted the glass of water from the usher and drank it. Thankfully, the water did the trick. Once he finished the glass, he was done coughing.

  “Are you alright?” Natalie asked.

  “I’m fine. I swallowed the honey candy by accident, and then I couldn’t stop coughing.”

  He handed the empty glass to the usher and thanked him. He led Natalie to an area where they could talk without being overheard. Since he didn’t need the candy anymore, he put it bac
k into the tin.

  “I was right about Tony and Velma being happy together, wasn’t I?” he asked. “Even when it looked like things weren’t going to work out, they did.”

  “Yes, they did work out,” she replied. “I suppose I owe you an apology for not believing you.”

  “An apology isn’t necessary. You were right to be upset.” So they wouldn’t keep talking about Tony and Velma, he continued, “I’m worried about Kenneth and Annabelle. They aren’t a good match. Annabelle won’t be happy with him.”

  “She looks happy to me.”

  So Natalie had noticed the disgusting way Annabelle was giggling at all of Kenneth’s ridiculous jokes. In that case, it was more important than ever to deal with this situation.

  “I’m asking you to trust me,” he told Natalie. “My instincts are never wrong about this kind of thing. Kenneth’s hiding something. I don’t like him. He has this…” How could he explain it in a way she’d understand? No one ever understood how his instincts worked. “There’s something about him that keeps warning me to keep him away from her.”

  “And you don’t know why?”

  There it came. The demand for a logical explanation that he couldn’t provide because his instincts ran on emotion rather than reason.

  “Will you do me a favor?” he asked, deciding to try a tactic he’d never used before. “Will you watch Kenneth tonight? After this, we have the dinner party, and there’s probably going to be some dancing. You don’t have to follow him all over the place, but would you just take note of what he’s doing? See who he talks to. See if you can get close enough to hear something he’s saying. Just pay attention to him.”

  “It sounds like you want me to spy on him.”

  “It’s not spying if we’re all in public.”

  After a moment, she finally conceded. “Alright, I’ll pay attention to what he’s doing.”