Elizabeth (Widows of Blessings Valley Book 1)

by Maxine Douglas

  “Then why haven’t you found love, Willa? Why haven’t you found someone as good as your late husband was?” Elizabeth asked, knowing full well it wasn’t by Willa’s choice. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t bring up the past where I have no business being.”

  “Be that as it may, if there comes a time that my heart finds love again, I’ll marry.” Willa stood, turning her back on Elizabeth. “Do you find Auggie Raines to be a good man?”

  Elizabeth thought for a moment. Auggie Raines was a kind man to everyone at the hotel and to those in Blessings Valley as a whole. Would he be the same with a woman he cared for? Maybe even loved?

  “Yes, I think so. He treats everyone that he encounters as an equal, especially those who work for him at the hotel,” Elizabeth replied, wiping the tears from her face. “He has certainly shown me nothing but kindness. I find that most appealing.”

  Willa turned, a gentle smile on her face. “Then that is a start, Elizabeth. Follow your heart to the living. To someone who will love you as you deserve to be loved.”

  “But what if—” Elizabeth began.

  “You’ll have to find out for yourself. Now, I have to start breakfast.” Willa put their cups into the sink.

  “Thank you, Willa. I’m sorry I disrupted your morning with my foolishness.” Elizabeth smiled, hugged her friend, then set out for the hotel.

  “Today is a fresh start and a new life,” she whispered, covering the distance between the boardinghouse and hotel with a new purpose. And a sense of peace.

  Falling in love with Elizabeth Hamilton? How utterly ridiculous. They were as different as night and day. He was sure it would start with their backgrounds even though he didn’t know much about Elizabeth. Other than she had been a seamstress before she’d married, then they’d come here to Blessings Valley for her husband to work in the mines.

  That was a much as Auggie knew of her past.

  What he knew about her this very day was she worked hard. Was a kind and generous woman to all those around her, including himself. On the rare occasion she was free of repair jobs, she would help out around the hotel whether it was mending a torn tablecloth or sewing on a button.

  The present is what mattered, not the past. Hers nor his.

  Pushing away from his desk, Auggie stepped out into the lobby. He had a mountain of work to do yet all he could think about was Elizabeth.

  “Has Mrs. Hamilton arrived yet this morning?” he asked, walking over to the front doors and peering out the window.

  “Yes, about fifteen minutes ago,” Stewart replied. “Mrs. Hall hasn’t brought her a breakfast tray yet.”

  “She hasn’t?” Surprised, Auggie recognized an opportunity when one was laid right in front of him. “Well then, I shall go and get one for Mrs. Hamilton. It will save Mrs. Hall some time.”

  “As you wish, Mr. Raines,” Stewart agreed, a small grin on his face.

  Auggie gave him a side glance as he passed the front desk and then walked quietly to the kitchen. With any luck, the tray would already be prepared and he wouldn’t have to spend much time with Mary. He did not want another session of questioning like earlier this morning.

  “I’m here to take Elizabeth her breakfast,” he announced, walking into the kitchen.

  “It’s about time,” Mary replied over a pan of sizzling bacon. “It’s right there on the table.”

  “Thank you, Mary.” Auggie went to pick up the tray noticing there was a place setting for two.

  “You didn’t eat earlier, now you can,” Mary said, sliding the bacon onto a plate next to some flapjacks. “Take the small coffee pot with you.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Auggie plucked the pot off the stove, placing it on the tray then exited the kitchen unscathed.

  Humph! I guess she said everything she wanted to, he thought, strolling through the hotel to the sewing room.

  Standing at the slightly ajar door, a sweet humming came from within. A lovely tune that stirred his heart with joy.

  “Elizabeth?” he called when the humming stopped, followed by the rustling of material.

  “Come in,” she answered.

  Pushing open the door with a foot, he stopped short of entering. The sight of Elizabeth took his breath away. Usually neat as a pin, she looked as disheveled as he had been not long ago.

  “Is everything alright?” he asked, concerned that she’d become ill overnight.

  “Yes, it is now.” She smiled up at him, her tired eyes red and swollen.

  Auggie put the tray down and looked at her again. Shadows under her eyes spoke volumes.

  “You didn’t sleep well either, I take it,” he remarked, pouring them each coffee. Had she been crying? How would he find out if she had been and why?

  “Not really. Not at all,” she confessed, gripping the item on her lap and avoiding making eye contact with him.

  “Neither did I. In fact, I woke to find myself sitting in a chair. Mary’s special coffee will wake us both up, I should think,” he said, placing a cup of steaming brew in front of her. “I hope you were more comfortable than I was, at least. That chair may be comfortable enough for sitting in, but it lacks any of it as a substitute for a restful night in a bed.”

  His heart melted when Elizabeth looked up at him. Even a bit weary for the wear, she was beautiful. Behind the smile and tired eyes was a woman warring with herself.

  Was last night the cause of it? Or had something happened since he left her on her porch stoop?

  “Elizabeth, are you sure you’re all right?” he asked, clasping his hands together to keep from taking her in his arms to sooth her. He wanted to chase away whatever was the cause of her sorrow.

  “Yes, I think so,” she answered, watching him. “Thank you for a lovely evening last night. I don’t remember if I told you that or not.”

  Is that what is troubling her? Not being a gracious guest?

  “It was a pleasure, Elizabeth. It has been quite some time since I dined with anyone.” Auggie smiled, drinking the now warm black coffee. “Sadly, it reminded me how much I stay to myself these days.”

  “It was a pleasure, and that’s what I have been struggling with.” Tears glimmered in Elizabeth’s eyes as her gaze swept across his face. “Steven has been gone for what seems only a short time, as if it were just yesterday when in reality it has been many months. He was the last man I danced with. The last man I took supper with. The last man I gave my heart to.”

  “And you miss him.” Auggie suddenly understood what was upsetting her. It was more than just missing her husband. It was that fact that she’d had dinner with another man, namely him.

  “Yes. I think I always will in some way.” Elizabeth wiped away the tear, then shyly smiled. “Last night reminded me that I am alive, and at the same time, I felt guilty because of it. It reminded me what I have been missing by hoping for the impossible. That I’ll go home one day and find Steven waiting for me. That death has not cheated me out of being married to a wonderful man.”

  Auggie could only nod. Even though he didn’t fully understand the depth of her feelings, he could see it in her face. The love she had for her husband who could no longer return that love. The harsh reality of never having that love again must be devastating for her, and the other widows as well.

  “My heart says I’m a married woman while my common sense quietly says otherwise. I am having difficulty accepting anything else.”

  Auggie gave up his handkerchief as tears washed down her face. His constant concern about his scar was completely unwarranted compared to the barrage of feelings he lay witness to on her face and in her eyes.

  The sorrow.

  The fear of uncertainty.

  “I won’t pretend to understand, Elizabeth. It pains me to see you in such agonizing turmoil.” Hoping to draw her thoughts elsewhere, Auggie uncovered the serving dish to find bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes. “Are you by chance hungry? Mary will be on the warpath if this is not eaten.”

  “Yes, I suppose you are right.” E
lizabeth sighed lightly. “And now that you mention it, I am famished.”

  “Good. I have one more question to ask you.” Auggie held his breath for a moment, then let it out. If his timing was off, so be it. But he didn’t think the opportunity would come again any time soon. “Do you think there is a chance you might dine with me again sometime?”

  The world came to a standstill as he waited anxiously for her answer. Had he moved to quickly? Her gaze bore right through to his soul. What was she looking for?

  “Are you a good man, Auggie? An honest man?” Elizabeth sat back in the chair.

  Her questions surprised him. Didn’t she know him by now? Did she really think otherwise?

  “I’d like to think so, Elizabeth.”

  “Then yes, I’ll have dinner with you under one condition,” she said.

  “What might that be?” Auggie hoped it would not be another night of four at the dinner table.

  “That we go to Millie’s Café. No more dining in your apartment,” she said.

  Auggie smiled, relief flooding through him. Could his loveless life be turning around?

  “Agreed!”

  CHAPTER 12

  Several Days Later

  “I’m going to dinner, not a dance, Willa!” Elizabeth said, exasperated by all the fussing about. Willa had been twisting her hair in every way possible for the past twenty minutes.

  “A first public dinner is important. It shows your suitor how lovely you look when you step out for the evening,” Willa explained as she continued to manipulate Elizabeth’s hair to bend to her will.

  “Auggie sees me every day. I am pretty sure he knows what I look like,” Elizabeth remarked. “I see no practical reason to change my daily appearance. I don’t want him to think I’m trying to snare him.”

  “I know he does. This is a different Elizabeth from the workplace. Have you forgotten what it is like to be courted?” Willa teasingly questioned. “He won’t think anything that isn’t already on his mind.”

  “Courted? Have you lost your senses?” Elizabeth turned to look at Willa only to have her head placed back in position.

  “Keep your head straight and stop moving around,” Willa instructed as she continued to twist and poke. “What would you call it then if it’s not courting? Because from where I stand when a gentleman takes a lady out for dinner it is most definitely courting.”

  Elizabeth drew in a breath. “Friends spending time together. Auggie and I are friends. We most certainly are not courting, do you understand? Auggie has his business to take care of. It’s far too soon for me to even consider if I want to be courted by Auggie, let alone any other man.”

  “Believe what you must,” Willa laughed patting her on the shoulder. “There, I think I have finished. If I do say so myself, you look transformed into someone I don’t recognize. Do you want to see for yourself?”

  Did she? Part of her wanted to look while another part said it was wrong. Wrong in that she didn’t want to see the old her give way to the new. She sucked in her bottom lip, threw caution to the wind, and nodded her head.

  “Yes, I want to see.” Elizabeth held her breath as she took the pewter hand mirror Willa handed her from behind. Laying it in her lap, she gazed down at the scrolled heart design on the back. It had been a gift from Steven one Christmas. Smiling at the memory, she closed her eyes and lifted the mirror.

  “Go ahead, Elizabeth. There is nothing to fear,” Willa whispered in her ear.

  Slowly, she opened her eyes and gasped at the image of the stranger looking back at her. Her auburn hair was pulled up in a bun on a pillow of soft and fluffy hair. Ringlets and tendrils frame her face. She looked, and felt, years younger.

  “Do you approve?” Willa asked.

  “I haven’t looked like this since—for some time now,” Elizabeth said, her words soft and wispy. “Thank you, Willa.”

  “I hope you don’t mind that I rummaged through your wardrobe and decided you should wear this.” Willa smiled, holding up a light blue two-piece set. “If found it hidden away in a corner.”

  “I don’t know, Willa. Is it too soon for something like this?” Elizabeth worried if the garment was too colorful for a widow. Yet she longed to put it on, just to see if she remembered how it felt on.

  “No, it’s not. Try it on and see before you decide to wear it or not,” Willa suggested, holding out the skirt.

  “Would you help me?” Elizabeth asked.

  “I’d be honored.” Willa held the skirt open.

  Elizabeth stepped into the full deep pleated skirt then allowed Willa to fasten the back of it once the seams were straight. When she slipped into the long-sleeved stripped shirtwaist, she felt refreshed.

  Willa buttoned up the lace bib yoke with no problems. One would think the fit was tailor made for Elizabeth, it fit that well in all the right places, and they’d be right. It was one of her own creations before she married Steven.

  “Are you sure this isn’t too much for Millie’s?” Elizabeth hoped the answer was no. She couldn’t help it but it felt quite comfortable against her body. And not one ounce of guilt was in her heart.

  “Nonsense!” Willa insisted looking her over, checking to make sure everything was fastened and all the seams were straight. “A piece of jewelry would make it complete. Do you have anything?”

  “Yes, I believe I do. A cameo my mother gave me. I’ll go get it.” Elizabeth ran up the stairs to her bedroom. Reaching her bureau, she opened the jewelry box, withdrawing the white rose broach. She pinned it onto the dress just at the throat.

  Life was becoming full of possibilities, and she wasn’t going to turn back now that she was moving forward.

  Standing before the mirror, Auggie adjusted the royal blue tie then brushed away any lint that may have settled on his steel gray vest and matching trousers. He slid out his pocket watch checking the time: five-thirty, time to get underway. Placing the watch back into the vest pocket, he made sure the chain lay perfectly.

  He’d bitten the bullet earlier in the day and gone to the barber to have his hair and beard professionally trimmed. For a fleeting moment while sitting in the chair, he had considered having his entire beard shaven off then reconsidered, deciding he wasn’t ready to reveal that part of himself just yet. Not until he knew if there was any hope for him with Elizabeth.

  It was then he realized he would like to officially begin courting her. He was unsure as to how it was done here in the West. If he were back East, he’d present himself to her family and state his intentions. The young lady’s family would then require a chaperone accompany them on every outing but only if the lady being courted was under twenty-one. Lucky for him, Elizabeth didn’t require a chaperone any longer.

  Outside of courting Elizabeth, he wasn’t clear in his mind, or his heart, exactly what he wanted beyond that. It was obvious to him that she still mourned for her late husband. To anyone paying attention, it would be clear by the sadness in her eyes on the rare occasion she spoke of him. Her late husband was a subject he tried not to broach unless she brought it up first.

  All that didn’t matter. He wanted to get to know her more. He hoped she would feel the same way about him.

  Slipping on his suit jacket, Auggie left his apartment then jogged down the stairs. A shrill whistle met him when he reached the lobby.

  “You look quite handsome, Mr. Raines.” Mary winked, a bouquet of colorful wildflowers in her hand.

  “Do you have a secret admirer I don’t know about, Mrs. Hall?” Auggie teased back, knowing full well Mary had long ago decided to stay a widow for the rest of her days.

  “By all means no!” Mary laughed, handing him the bouquet. “You can’t very well pick a young lady up without flowers. Or have you forgotten how it’s done?”

  Auggie blushed, for he had indeed forgotten. “You are always on top of these matters,” he complimented, relieving her of the blooms. “Thank you, Mary.”

  “Now remember your manners. And don’t—”

&nb
sp; “Don’t press her about plans for the future,” Auggie finished for her. It had been exactly what he’d been reminding himself of for days. In fact, every minute for the last few hours if he were honest with himself.

  “Well, I think you just might have this under control after all.” Mary winked. “Have a nice dinner and don’t keep her out too late,” she said on her way back to the kitchen.

  Auggie smiled then set out to pick up his dinner companion.

  Dinner companion—it had been many years since he’d had a beautiful woman on his arm for the evening. He was rather looking forward to it.

  With any luck, tonight would be the first of many to come. As long as their working relationship wasn’t strained by it. He’d really rather not have to look for another seamstress now that the service was doing so well.

  Mostly he didn’t want to attempt to get through a day without seeing Elizabeth. He’d gotten rather used to seeing her every day now that she was part of the Grand family.

  Auggie turned the corner of the path leading to Elizabeth’s row house. Passing the church, he paused for a moment. Closing his eyes, he said a silent prayer giving thanks for all God had provided them with and for an enjoyable evening yet to come. He also included that if anyone deserved to be treated to a night out on the town it was Elizabeth Hamilton.

  Auggie continued the short distance to Elizabeth’s porch. Drawing in a breath to calm his quaking nerves, he knocked on the door then took a step back. After several moments, it swung open and his heart sank.

  “Willa, is Elizabeth well?” he asked, hoping she wasn’t for why else would Willa be here?

  “Yes, she is quite well,” Willa answered, stepping around him. “Elizabeth will be right here.”

  “Thank you,” he said, watching Willa take the path back to town.

  When he turned back to the door, he sucked in his breath. Before him was the most beautiful angel he’d ever seen. His heart pounded. Blood raced like fire through his veins. His hands were sweating so badly he almost dropped the bouquet.