Daylight Comes (8 page)

Mrs. Faraday leveled a warning look at her daughter. “I doubt any money has exchanged hands. I’m sure Mr. Hill won’t hold your father to the contract if we decide this isn’t where we want to settle.”

Harvey laughed. “I wouldn’t rely upon that notion. Mr. Hill may have softened a bit in the last year or two, but when it comes to business, he’ll hold you to the contract.”

Though Mrs. Faraday appeared unconvinced, she didn’t argue. “In that case, I suppose we should finalize our living arrangements. I believe I saw a hotel in town.”

Mrs. Boyle waved away the comment. “I see no reason you couldn’t stay at our old house. It’s been unoccupied since we moved into this home. Of course, if you find it comfortable, you may even want to purchase it in the future. I can send Fern over to remove the dustcovers from the furniture and tidy things up a bit. I know you’re accustomed to much finer, but we’d be willing to rent it to you until you decide whether you prefer to purchase or build. Wouldn’t we, Samuel?”

Macia’s father gave a hearty nod. “You’ve seen the house, Mrs.

Faraday, and your family is most welcome to rent the dwelling. In addition, you’d have time to make a proper assessment of the town before deciding to build a house.”

Mrs. Faraday chased a single pea across her dinner plate and speared it with her fork. “Since my husband has already sealed our fate in Hill City, we will thankfully accept your proposal—and the offer of your housekeeper to set things aright.”

Macia immediately turned her attention to Mrs. Faraday. “Will you be requiring a housekeeper on a permanent basis?”

The question appeared to cause the woman a moment of discomfort. “Not immediately, though we might after we’re settled. I imagine it’s somewhat difficult to find good help that you can trust.”

Macia jumped to her feet, shrieking as cold liquid splashed down her back. Fern was holding a pitcher that had been filled with milk only moments earlier. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I tripped on the rug. I do hope I haven’t ruined your gown, Miss Macia.” Fern offered a napkin, but she was wearing a smile so unctuous it nearly slid off her face.

Holding her temper in check, Macia excused herself and headed toward the stairs. “You’re absolutely correct, Mrs. Faraday. Finding capable help is virtually impossible.”

Camille stood up and followed Macia. “I’ll come along and help you out of your dress.”

“Thank you, Camille. It’s obvious Fern isn’t going to offer her assistance—not that I’d trust her to help me. She’d likely tear this gown to shreds, also.”

Fern returned Macia’s icy stare with a look of pure hatred that sent a chill of fear coursing through Macia’s being. She
must
convince her father to terminate Fern’s employment before the woman did more than just destroy her gowns and pour milk down her back.

Once in Macia’s room, Camille motioned for Macia to turn around and began to unbutton the soggy gown. “I didn’t want to say anything downstairs, but I know your housekeeper didn’t trip. I watched her intentionally pour that milk on you.”

“I don’t doubt you.” As Macia slipped out of her gown, she explained the circumstances surrounding her return to Hill City and Fern’s obvious fears about losing Jeb Malone’s affection. “I’ve truly done nothing to warrant such outrageous behavior. I’m not competing for Jeb’s attention, but she remains jealous of any contact I have with Jeb or his sister.”

After she draped the gown over a chair, Camille blotted out the dampness with a towel. “So even though you were planning to marry Jeb, you no longer have any romantic feelings for him?”

Macia paused. She didn’t want to admit she still cared for Jeb. “Time and circumstances have a way of changing our feelings. Besides, I’ve met someone new—Garrett Johnson. He’s quite handsome and extremely kind.” She didn’t give Camille the opportunity to quiz her further. Instead, she talked—about Garrett, about the canning factory, about her trip abroad, about Mrs. Donlevy’s illness and subsequent death, and about her own family’s move to Hill City years earlier. By the time her narrative finally ended, she had sponged off and redressed.

“I feel like we’ve been friends for years,” Camille said as they departed the bedroom.

Macia laughed. “You should. I’ve told you my entire life history. And next time we’re alone, you must do the same. I want to hear all about your life before arriving in Hill City.”

“I doubt you’d find it very interesting.” Camille tugged on Macia’s hand before they descended the steps. “Tell me, does Harvey have somebody special?”

Macia gave her a wink. “He doesn’t seem to have time for anything or anyone other than his printing press. Perhaps you can change that.”

Camille responded with a beaming smile.

CHAPTER
9

Nicodemus , Kansas

T
he unfolding events swirled around Truth like a prairie whirlwind. When had her life gotten so out of control?

When Moses mentioned his plan to visit Harvey Boyle in Hill City, Aunt Lilly jumped up from her chair. Truth listened in amazement as her aunt declared her desire to visit the Nelson children in Hill City. In fact, Truth nearly laughed aloud at the declaration. Aunt Lilly wanted to go visit the Nelson children? Had the woman lost her senses out in Colorado and forgotten she disliked children? Obviously, Lilly had no memory of the trials and tribulations she purportedly suffered at the hands of the Nelson children while in the employ of the Hill City banker and his wife a couple years ago. Or was this merely a masquerade? A ruse to conceal the genuine reason she wanted to accompany Moses to Hill City? One could never be sure with Aunt Lilly.

Lilly glanced across the table at Jarena. “I’m certain Truth won’t feel up to making the journey in her condition, but perhaps you’d be willing to accompany me, Jarena. Thomas won’t mind the fact that you want to spend time with me, will you, Thomas?”

Without waiting for a response, Lilly continued to formulate her plan. Truth waited and watched as Jarena and Lilly outlined their journey. Pained and somewhat confused about the fact that they’d just assumed she wouldn’t want to join them for the trip, Truth motioned for Moses to join her in the kitchen.

“I believe I’ll go with you to Hill City. I’d like to see the Boyles before we move to Topeka, and this may be my final opportunity.”

Moses looked delighted, but Truth didn’t fail to notice Aunt Lilly’s frown when they returned to the dining room and she heard the news. Clearly, Lilly wanted to spend time alone with Jarena and likely surmised Truth would listen in on everything they said. And she would! Truth was curious to discover how and when Jarena and Lilly had developed this seemingly close relationship. So far as she knew, the two women hadn’t even been corresponding.

After breakfast, the four of them loaded into the wagon, and Jarena held out her arms to take Jennie from Thomas’s arms. With an air of authority, Lilly pushed Jarena’s arms aside. “Surely the child would be more comfortable at home with Grace or her father.”

Truth turned from her seat up front and gave her aunt a wry grin. “Why, Aunt Lilly! I thought you enjoyed children. Isn’t that why you’re going to Hill City? To reunite with the Nelson youngsters?”

“I’m thinking of Jennie, not myself. It’s chilly and she’ll likely catch her death of cold if she’s out in this weather.”

“There are blankets, and Jennie would much prefer being with her mother,” Truth pointed out. “Besides, the sun is out and it’s going to warm considerably. Don’t you agree, Jarena?”

“Yes. Besides, I wouldn’t consider leaving her behind.” Jarena settled the child onto her lap and leaned from the buggy to kiss Thomas good-bye. “You can help me if Jennie becomes fussy, Truth.” Jarena giggled as she playfully tapped her sister’s shoulder. “You’ll need the experience more than Lilly.”

When the baby was settled, Moses flicked the reins, and they headed out of town. Apart from the clopping of the horses’ hooves on the hardened dirt road and Jennie’s gurgling coos, silence permeated the buggy. The open plains soon spread before them like a painted canvas portraying the change of season. The prairie grass had turned to a dull shade of brown, and the curled, dry yellow leaves from an occasional cottonwood crunched beneath their wagon wheels. Rather than a full palette of autumnal colors, the canvas presented a stark, barren beauty all its own—one that Truth had grown to love. She leaned back against the seat and inhaled the prairie’s grassy scent and the musky aroma of the fallen leaves.

While the buggy rolled along the well-worn path, bits of conversation drifted to her from the rear of the carriage. Truth shifted in her seat and strained to hear. The slight breeze carried the conversation directly to her ears, and she unashamedly eavesdropped as Jarena questioned Lilly about her life in Colorado. And Lilly, always so secretive in the past, seemed eager to tell of her escapades. Strange!

Truth managed to discern that Lilly had received word from a woman in New Orleans that Bentley Cummings had contracted a lung disease. Truth wondered if he was alive or dead, but Lilly hadn’t said. It would be nice to know, for Mr. Cummings had placed a bounty on Lilly’s head for the kidnapping and death of his child back in New Orleans.

Truth vividly recalled her first meeting with Mr. Cummings. They’d been on the same train when Truth and Silas had whisked Macia Boyle away from New York’s Rutledge Academy. On the train, Mr. Cummings had revealed that he was traveling to Nicodemus in search of an old acquaintance—his former courtesan, Lilly Verdue.

Though their father had long ago told Truth and her sisters that Lilly practiced voodoo and was a woman of ill repute, the actual arrival of Mr. Cummings proved disquieting—but not so startling as Lilly’s revelation that she was Jarena’s birth mother. That piece of information had threatened to shred the very fabric of their family. Slowly, with God’s grace and much prayer, the emotional wounds had healed. However, with Lilly back in their lives, Truth wondered if those old wounds would be reopened.

As Truth and Jarena spread a blanket on the ground to partake of the noonday meal Jarena had packed for their journey, Truth considered asking if Mr. Cummings had died of his disease. She quickly decided the question injudicious and opted for a neutral topic. “You’ve obviously done well for yourself in Colorado.” Truth lightly brushed her fingers across the skirt of Lilly’s gown. “The very finest silk.”

Lilly nodded. “God abundantly blessed me in Colorado.”

Truth gaped at her aunt, thinking something or someone had muddled the woman’s mind. Had Lilly actually mentioned God and blessings? Was this another ploy the woman was using for her own gain?

While the group dug into Jarena’s sandwiches, Lilly told of how she’d come into her own financially while in Colorado—a story she seemed eager to share with all of them. They sat circled in front of her on the ground, Moses and Truth side-by-side and little Jennie on her mother’s lap. Truth was mesmerized as Lilly told of the preacher she’d met on the train to Colorado.

“I explained to him that I’d been giving a lot of thought to my past life and thought I was overdue for a change.” She gazed into the distance as if she could see images from that long-ago day. “He promised to help me stay on the straight and narrow. He had a fledgling church in Leadville and thought I’d be a good witness to the girls working in the brothels.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I decided to go with him and see if he was correct.”

Truth clasped a hand to her mouth. “So is that how you earned your money? Working in a brothel?”

Lilly laughed and shook her head. “I did what the preacher asked.

I talked with the girls, telling them about my history and asking about theirs, and helped them in any way I could.” She told about befriending Belle Hawkins, the owner of the place. “I can’t say that I didn’t slip from time to time. I still do, but I believe I did a lot of good, too.”

And when Belle became ill, Lilly had cared for her. Tears began to well in Lilly’s eyes and she laughed with a false bravado. “Why, I even learned to cook chicken soup. Not that my soup helped much. Belle died a few weeks later, but she accepted Jesus before she passed.” Lilly dabbed her eyes with a lace handkerchief.

Jarena patted Lilly’s arm consolingly as the older woman explained that she’d been shocked when Belle’s lawyer came calling after the funeral and advised her of the fact that Belle had rewritten her will only days before she died. The terms of the will specified that half of her estate would go to the church and the other half to Lilly.

Truth’s eyes widened. “And so you left town?”

“No. Belle’s been dead for quite a while. I used some of the money to turn the brothel into a millinery shop and sunk part of it into a silver mine.” She casually brushed several bread crumbs from the folds of her skirt. “I also helped a couple of the women leave Leadville so they could have a fresh start in a new town. They’ve begun reputable businesses of their own. A few of the girls have married. I’m proud of all of them.”

Jarena gave a squeal of delight and wrapped Lilly in an embrace. “How wonderful! You provided those women with an alternative to the sad life they’d been living. You’ve done something truly astonishing for each of them.”

Truth flinched at the show of affection between the two women. Although she found Lilly’s story fascinating, she still didn’t entirely trust her. After all, it wasn’t as though Lilly had a stellar past—her former lies were innumerable. She could tell them anything. In fact, Truth hadn’t even heard Lilly say she’d personally accepted Jesus—just that she’d promised that preacher to walk the straight and narrow. Truth figured Lilly’s interpretation of walking the straight and narrow involved a much wider road than the one Jesus walked. Plus, they had no way to verify the truth of her stories. Yet, despite all that had happened between them, Jarena appeared more than willing to forgive and forget Lilly’s transgressions.

As Truth and Jarena repacked the picnic basket, Lilly picked up and folded the blanket they’d been sitting on. She spoke over her shoulder as she walked toward the buggy. “And now I must decide what I’d like to do with the rest of my life. Returning to the warmth of this family has meant more than any of you can imagine.”

Truth shuddered. After all her lies, Aunt Lilly was trying to slide back into their lives like a snake slithering onto a rock to sun itself. Truth inhaled a deep breath before addressing her aunt. “And so you accepted Jesus and became a Christian while living in Colorado, Aunt Lilly?”

Lilly hesitated, but only for a moment. “Yes, I did, Truth, but I still have much to learn. Too often, I slip back into my old ways. Unfortunately, I find that happens to all Christians with greater frequency than many of us would like to admit.”

Was that final remark intended as a jab at me?
Truth couldn’t be sure, but her own guilt forced her into silence for the remainder of the journey.

When they arrived in Hill City, Moses pulled the carriage to a halt in front of the newspaper office and then handed the reins to Truth. “You ladies take your time. I’ll have no difficulty locating you when I finish my meeting with Harvey.”

Truth glanced over her shoulder and announced her plans to visit at the Boyles’. Instead of requesting a ride to the Nelsons’ home, Lilly stepped out of the carriage and held out her arms to Jarena’s baby. “I believe I’d like to stop at the general store and walk about town before visiting the Nelsons.” She waved a hand at Truth as though shooing away an annoying fly. “You go on to see the Boyles by yourself. Come along, Jarena.”

Truth leaned back in the buggy and watched the two women saunter down the street. Lilly had dismissed her like an unwanted guest at a tea party. So much for Christian love! Turning away, she snapped the reins and encouraged the horse into a trot. Hopefully Macia would be pleased to have her come calling.

Beginning to shiver from the cold, Truth got out of the buggy and walked up the front steps of the Boyle house. She knocked and waited, clutching her wool cloak a bit more tightly. She hoped Macia would be at home, for she needed someone with whom to share her concerns about the future—someone other than family members. Even though she and Macia had shared a special bond during their time in New York, Truth could trust her to render an objective opinion.

Moments later, the front door opened and a surly-appearing housekeeper stood in the doorway, obviously not happy about being interrupted. The woman’s expression could have soured milk. The housekeeper folded her arms across her chest. “Well? What is it
you
want?”

Truth took a step backward. “I’ve come to call on your mistress.”

The housekeeper blew a strand of dark hair from her face. “Come on in. We’re heating the outdoors.”

For a moment, Truth considered telling the woman she considered her behavior rude and abrasive. Instead, she held her tongue. Perhaps Mrs. Boyle had taken ill and the housekeeper had been forced to endure a hectic morning. Removing her gloves, Truth waited a moment. When the housekeeper wasn’t forthcoming, she inquired as to Macia’s whereabouts. Without offering to take Truth’s cloak, the woman pointed her thumb in the direction of the dining room and then strode off toward the kitchen.

Stunned by the woman’s conduct, Truth hung her cloak near the entrance and walked down the hallway, where she discovered Macia seated at the table polishing the silver.

Macia jumped up from her chair and gathered Truth in a warm embrace. “It’s difficult to believe we haven’t seen each other for two years. You look wonderful.”

“I didn’t know if I’d find you at home. I assume you’re not teaching this year?”

Macia shook her head as she explained the teaching contract had been offered to someone else shortly before her return from Europe. “Not that I blame the district supervisor, of course. He needed assurance he could count on having a teacher present, and unfortunately my parents couldn’t confirm when I would arrive home.”

“So you now occupy your days polishing the silver? And
who
is that housekeeper your family has employed? She isn’t pleasant in the least.”

Macia giggled and leaned closer. “She intensely dislikes me.”

Truth listened attentively while Macia explained her situation in a hushed voice—the distressing story of Jeb’s affection for the Boyles’ housekeeper and Macia’s concerns for young Lucy. When Macia finally grew silent, Truth patted her hand. “So Fern and Jeb are to be married?”

Macia shrugged. “If Fern has her way, I’m sure they will. Poor Lucy—I hope I can find some way to help her. In all fairness, my parents tell me Fern was an excellent housekeeper before my arrival. However, she considers me competition for Jeb’s affection, and that fact has . . . well, drastically interfered with the performance of her duties.”