Unbroken Promises of the Heart: (Promises of the Heart Book 2)

by Valerie Loveless

“No, he just seems very sad. All the time. As though our life is a burden to him.”

  Liz and the girls were all quiet for a long time.

  “Well, I don’t need your pity,” Mary said. “He will forgive me someday. What choice does he have? We are married.”

  “I knew a couple that got divorced,” Jessi whispered.

  Megan elbowed her. “Shush.”

  “Oh, well, I suppose he could do that.” Mary sighed.

  “Never. It’s not in him to be that kind of man. He just needs time to mourn the loss of his business venture,” Liz said, hoping her words were true.

  “I’m not worried. What about Peter? How has he fared?”

  “He describes disappointment that it didn’t work out, nothing like the levels of despondency that Michael has fallen to, however. I think he’s too excited about the baby to worry too much.”

  “Oh dear, there is another level of disappointment for Michael. He told me that he wouldn’t be so depressed if he had something like a baby to look forward to like Peter. I have yet to fall pregnant.”

  “It will happen. In God’s time,” Jessi said whimsically, painting hearts on the wall and then filling them in.

  Harriet marched through the door. “What has you all so depressed?”

  “We are talking of our husbands’ depression, not our own. We are through the moon excited to get this place up and running! Thank you for helping.” Mary handed Harriet a brush and bucket of paint.

  “I am not dressed to paint! I didn’t realize it was painting day. I’ve got to rush home and change.”

  “All right, no matter. Hurry back!” Mary called as Harriet rushed out the door.

  Harriet walked as quickly but ladylike as she could manage. The breeze was still strong today, so she held on to her hat so it wouldn’t fly away. This of course, blocked her vision, and she ran squarely into a man.

  “I beg your apology, this wind is so—Isaac?” Of all the people in the town, she had to run squarely into Isaac again.

  “Arie, forgive me. I turned around and I didn’t see you.”

  “No, I am the one who couldn’t see where I was going. This blasted wind!”

  “Yes, It’s quite blustery.”

  “Yes.”

  They stood awkwardly, neither of them knowing what to say. Finally, Isaac broke the silence.

  “I wanted to tell you. I was going to tell you, but Peter and Michael asked me not to.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “About their business.”

  “Oh, yes. I thought you meant something more nefarious than that.”

  “No. That is the only reason I did not go to the Fourth of July celebration with you. Now that everyone knows that we were hiding their business ventures, we can talk openly about it.”

  “And we can move on?” Harriet said as she grabbed her hat from an oncoming gust of wind.

  “Yes, I am moving on.”

  “What? Did you say you are moving on? The wind, I can’t hear you.”

  “Yes. I’m moving on. There’s no work for me here now.”

  “You are leaving?” Harriet no longer felt the wind or the heat from the sun. She only felt her world spinning far too fast around her.

  “Yes.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, I’m moving on, Arie.”

  “But, Isaac, surely you can find work here?”

  “I might be able to, yes, but not the kind of work I’m passionate about doing.”

  “Issac. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just goodbye?”

  “Goodbye then.”

  “Goodbye, Arie.” Isaac tipped his hat and walked on, leaving Harriet stupefied in the street.

  She couldn’t let him go like that. She had to try. They had to give them a chance. She whipped around.

  “Isaac, wait! Can’t I convince you to stay? For me?”

  “I don’t know what you could say.”

  “Then I won’t say anything!” Harriet rushed over to Isaac and kissed him mightily. He melted into her arms and kissed her back with the same fervor. She grabbed his hair and intended to never let go as her heart pounded and she could feel his heart pound in time with hers. He put his hands on the sides of her face and gently pulled away from her. His breath came out harder than usual, and he placed his forehead against hers.

  “I can’t stay. Not even for you.”

  “Isaac, please give us a chance.”

  “It’s not that. I’d ask you to come with me, but it’s not right. It’s not right to take you from your family.”

  Harriet pulled away from his grasp.

  “You don’t get to make that decision for me!”

  “I am making that decision. I’ve seen it before. In my line of work, it’s hard to settle down. I’ve seen men drag their wives from city to city, never building a proper home, never a proper family. I’m sorry, Harriet. I can’t do that to you!”

  Harriet had little rebuttal. What could she say? He didn’t even give her time to consider if this was something she wanted to do. He just made the decision for her. And then before she could say anything, he was gone.

  In her despair over Isaac walking away, Harriet didn’t know where to turn. There was only one soul she felt she needed right now.

  “Harriet, I didn’t expect to see you today!” Harold beamed, until he recognized the torment in Harriet’s face. “Come in, let’s go to my office.”

  Harriet tried to hold in her tears, but she could not any longer. In Harold’s presence she felt the freedom to be herself and allow her emotions to come to the surface. He gently led her up the stairs to his office and sat her in the chair opposite his desk.

  “I’m sorry to come to you like this. I am aware of your feelings for me, and I don’t mean to disregard them or be insensitive. It’s just, you were the first person I wanted to talk to.”

  “Go on.”

  “I bumped, quite literally, into Isaac in the street. He told me he is leaving and that he couldn’t be bothered to give our relationship a chance.”

  “I’m so sorry, Harriet.”

  “How could he be so cold? He—”

  “He what?”

  “He kissed me. I thought he would stay then, but he still left.” She sniffled.

  Harold stood up, straightened his vest, and came around the desk. He kneeled next to Harriet. “Harriet, any man that could bear to leave you is a fool and doesn’t deserve all that you have to offer. Think of him no more.”

  Harriet looked into Harold’s eyes. They glistened with moisture and almost a tear. She felt her heart flutter and was touched by his kind words.

  Suddenly Mary burst into the office. “Oh, thank heaven! Reverend, we need you at Sue’s. Liz is in real trouble. Sue thinks her baby may be coming now! It’s three months too early! Sue’s worried we could lose both of them!”

  Without a word Harriet and Harold ran to the midwife’s.

  Volume Twelve

  Too Early

  Harriet and Harold heard moaning when they entered the midwife’s home. They knew Liz was in great trouble.

  “Where is she?” Harold asked.

  “In here.” Mary led the reverend to a room down the hall. Harriet saw Jessi and Megan standing nervously in the front room. They gave her a foreboding look.

  “Peter?”

  “Sue’s husband has gone for him.”

  “Please, go fetch my mother and father!” Harriet said. The girls nodded and quickly left as Harriet followed Mary and Reverend down the hallway.

  Liz was in the bed in terrible agony, sweating and panting. Harold took Liz’s hands and immediately began to offer a prayer.

  “Father, we ask you to comfort this woman—”

  “Mary!” Liz called out. Mary rushed to her side as the revere
nd continued to pray.

  “No baby has ever survived this early!”

  “Liz, please, try to be calm.”

  Sue was rushing around mixing herbs and tinctures. “Yes, very good, Mary. Try to keep her calm. My husband has fetched your husband, Elizabeth. It won’t be long now until he can hold you in his arms and comfort you.”

  “—and we pray, Father, to quicken the feet of Liz’s husband,” Harold continued.

  “Here, can you swallow this?” Sue handed Liz a cup full of dark liquid.

  Liz tried it but spat it out.

  “Please try! It will stop the pains and the contracting. It may be the only thing that can save you and your baby.”

  Liz tried again, and while she gagged a few times and choked, she was able to get it all down.

  “Bless the efforts of the midwife to stop the progression of this child—”

  “Hang on, dear. Breathe in through your nose and out your mouth.”

  “Father, we pray that if it be your will that this mother and child will be effected by efforts of this midwife, that they will be safe from an early delivery . . .”

  Harriet sat on the edge of the bed as Harold continued in fervent supplication. She took his hand and silently prayed with him. Liz continued to hold onto Mary, who cried quietly but continued to hold her friend as she suffered through the pain. As each minute passed, the prayer and herbs began to take effect. The contractions gradually slowed down, and Peter arrived at the same time as Michael and the parents.

  Gretchen rushed to Liz’s side and stroked her sweat-soaked hair.

  “Sue, what happened?”

  “She’s gone into early labor. I was able to calm it with dogwood, cramp bark, and magnesium sulphate, but she will need constant monitoring and continued administration of the herbs and salts. We can only pray we can stop the baby from coming for maybe one or two months more.”

  “I won’t leave her side.” Peter had replaced Mary as he wrapped his arms around his crying and shaking wife. “Shh. It will be all right; I just know it.”

  Mary rushed to Michael’s side and threw her arms around him. She sobbed into his neck. They said nothing as they held each other.

  “Listen to me, Peter. She will need bed rest. That means nothing strenuous. Nothing at all. We have to keep that baby inside for as long as possible.” Sue then turned to Gretchen. “She will need all her needs provided for her. Bring her food and water and make sure she takes her herbs every six hours. She’s not going anywhere for now, until I’m satisfied the labor has ceased.”

  “Thank you, Sue.” Gretchen sighed. “I won’t leave her side.”

  “Neither will I,” Harriet said. She opened her eyes as Harold finished his prayer. He gave her a sympathetic smile, and she returned a grateful one.

  Volume Thirteen

  Dixon Diction

  Dear Mr. Dixon,

  As you are well aware, I am bedridden at the present time. I am going to try to compose the next draft with the help of my sister Harriet. Yes, you remember her. She was forced from your employ by your scandalous son’s unwanted advances.

  Here is what she has agreed to, and I agree as well. Fire Mortimer. Once that is done, she and I will continue to deliver Enduring Promises of the Heart once a week.

  Yours,

  Elizabeth Latter

  Dear Mrs. Latter,

  I wonder how you could suppose that I could fire my own son from my employ in exchange for your stories, which have decreased in their popularity. Why, this very morning I had a submission for a story that is so far similar that I dare say that no one would notice the difference. Besides, you have finished out your story satisfactorily for me and your fans with the marriage of Lavender and John. I will accept an apology from you and will allow you to continue writing the Featurette for me with the understanding that Mortimer will retain his position here.

  Yours,

  Elias Dixon, Editor-in-chief

  Mr. Dixon,

  I simply refuse to continue on my working relationship with the Pleasant View Gazette as long as you employ that monster you call a son. His behavior to my sister is beyond reproach. I suppose we are at an impasse as it is. I knew that if ever Enduring Promises were to fail it would be because of your actions. Here, I am proven correct.

  —Liz

  Peter put down the letter. “Liz, I insist that this stops now. Sue made it perfectly clear that stress such as this can put you and our baby in danger. Please, I will not respond. Let’s focus on our family, and then once the baby is safely in your arms you can get your featurette back.”

  Liz sighed and lay back in bed. She had spent so many days and weeks trapped in her room, and so many hours trapped in her bed that oftentimes her legs would feel numb. She was only allowed to walk to the washroom and back. Her mother, Peter, Mary, and Harriet had taken excellent care of her. However, she nearly died from boredom. Harriet had been helping her write, using her own typewriter. Liz watched as Harriet taught her the proper way to hold her hands and the proper finger to strike each key. But mostly Liz spent her days staring out the window or reading books. She did enjoy being able to read for once. She was so consumed with writing that she had forgotten what a pleasure it was to be taken into a story instead of creating one.

  It was Harriet’s day to visit, and after the reply from Mr. Dixon, Liz had made up her mind about something.

  “Hello, sister. How are you feeling today?” Harriet asked.

  “Fine and well. I always feel fine, which is what makes this bed prison so unbearable. I am fit as a fiddle, and yet I am confined to a sick bed.”

  “I can imagine that must be difficult.” Harriet sat on the end of Liz’s bed.

  “What about you? How are you faring? You must be trapped in a sick bed of boredom.”

  “Well, I am not so bored as you may think. I’ve been helping Harold plan the fall festival and have been visiting the poor and sick with him. We prayed together this morning for you and for others who are in need of blessings. He also asked me to look over several of his upcoming sermons and edit them. I think he knows I am bored and feel useless, and he is simply trying to help me stay sane.”

  Liz raised an eyebrow at Harriet. “Perhaps he is testing you out.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “For a wife, obviously.”

  “Oh, no. We agreed that we are only friends.”

  Liz traded one raised eyebrow for the other. “Harriet, everyone, including yourself, knows that Harold is madly in love with you. He may be trying to keep you occupied, but he is doing so with the things he would otherwise be asking the League of Grandmothers to do, or his wife! Do you enjoy it, though? Have you enjoyed his company?”

  “I can’t say that I haven’t.”

  “Harriet, I can see it in your face.”

  “There is nothing to see.”

  “You are happy despite your situation.”

  “I wouldn’t say I am not happy.”

  “Why won’t you allow yourself to love him?”

  “I do love him!” Harriet clapped her hand over her mouth. “I do love him . . . ”

  “Aw, Harriet! That is wonderful news. Why don’t you tell him?”

  “I was focused on being his friend. Can I say it first? Is that proper?”

  “I don’t think he will mind.” Liz smiled sympathetically and reached for her sisters’ hand.

  Harriet laughed lightly. “No, I suppose he will be thrilled!” Harriet sighed contentedly. “Now, what about your Gazette story? How goes the negotiation with Mr. Dixon?”

  “The negotiations are dead in the water, I am sorry to say. He refuses to fire Mortimer. I am forced to forget the whole thing until the baby comes because it causes me stress.”

  “Oh, I see. Then we will talk of it no longer.”

  “I had an
idea that I need your help with.”

  “No.” Harriet waved a dismissive hand at Liz. “I will not scheme with you about this. If Sue says no stress, then we will avoid it completely.”

  “No, no. A new idea. A novel idea.”

  Harriet waited patiently for Liz to reveal her idea. “Well? What is it?”

  “Oh, for pity’s sake, that is the idea! A novel!”

  “Oh! A novel! That is a wonderful idea!”

  “I can’t do it alone, and I wonder if you would transcribe it for me.”

  “Only if we ask Sue. I won’t do anything without her authority.”

  “I already did, and she said as long as I am not overdoing it, which is ridiculous. How could I overdo telling you what to type? It would be perfectly wonderful!”

  “All right! Let’s begin! We are out of paper. We used the last few sheets on that last scathing letter to Mr. Dixon that we threw out. I shall go to the store and purchase some more right now. Don’t wait up for me. I may not return until tomorrow. I need to drop by the church!”

  “Oh, Harriet, I am most pleased for you!”

  Harriet kissed her sister’s cheek and rushed away.

  Harriet found Harold at the top of the hill overlooking the schoolchildren playing on the beach. He often kept a close eye on them as they had recess from class. It gave their teacher a much-needed break.

  “Harold!” Harriet shouted over the roaring of the waves and breeze.

  “Harriet!” he shouted back joyfully. “How are you? Just a few more minutes before the children go back to class and we can get back to work on the fall festival.”

  “Oh, wonderful. I shall just stand with you then.”

  “That would be nice. Another pair of eyes could never hurt.”

  Harriet felt anxiety. Even though she knew Harold was in love with her, the thought of being vulnerable was difficult to overcome.

  “Would you like another pair of eyes more often?”

  “Oh, yes, if you could spare it. I never mind your company.” Harold was entirely occupied with watching the children and barely took his eyes off of them to glance at her.