Heart Appearances (Truly Yours Digital Editions Book 560) (22 page)

“I shall pray for you, Eric,” Charleigh said before they stepped outside. “That you find the Truth that will set you free.”

He halted, the policemen also stopping, and looked her way. There was no malice in his eyes, only bewilderment. “Why? Why would you pray for me after all I’ve done to you?”

“Because I’ve learned that true forgiveness means not only forgetting the past. It also means refusing to punish the person who’s wronged you, while holding their best interests at heart.”

Eric shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

Charleigh smiled. “Perhaps not now. But I feel strongly in my heart that one day you will. God go with you, Eric.”

Brent stood in the entrance and watched while the two policemen slowly escorted the shaky man to their motorcar. Darcy came to stand beside him.

“That was a noble gesture, giving him that money,” he said, relieved she was no longer avoiding him.

Darcy offered a faint smile, then moved away without a word. Frustrated, Brent watched her go.

❧

Darcy stood in the loft and used a pitchfork to toss hay below. Months had passed since the night Eric disrupted their lives, at the same time bringing all of them into a closer understanding of true Christianity. Spring had come and with it a sense of release for Darcy.

Throughout the long winter, Brent remained distant, though often Darcy would catch him watching her. Yet she kept her vow not to push herself on him. She still cared for Brent; in fact, her feelings had deepened despite the distance between them. Still, Darcy had learned something. It wasn’t all that important if Brent accepted her or if anyone else did, for that matter. As Alice often told her, she couldn’t please everyone. God loved her for who she was, and she liked herself. That was all that truly mattered.

She straightened to wipe perspiration from her brow and then bent to shovel another forkful of hay and toss it onto the growing mound. She needed to hurry. She had promised to help with Charleigh’s new baby, Clementine, while Alice and Irma went to town and Charleigh got some much-needed rest. Clementine had been born the day after Christmas, healthy and beautiful, bringing joy to all their lives.

“Miss Evans!”

Startled to hear Brent’s voice directly below, Darcy peered over the loft. He stared up at her, his hair and suit sprinkled with the hay she’d just tossed.

“Oh, sorry, Guv’ner!” she apologized, giggling.

“If you’re sorry, why are you laughing?”

She grinned. “It’s just that you look so funny!”

“Hmmm. Be that as it may, I have something I wish to discuss with you.”

His sober tone sent warning bells ringing inside Darcy. “Not now. I’m finishing up Tommy’s job—since he’s been sick with those awful stomach cramps.” She turned to shovel up another forkful.

“If that’s for the animals, you could feed the town’s livestock on what you have down here.”

Wrinkling her brow, she stared at the towering mound. Had she pitched too much hay? She wasn’t familiar with the chore.

“Very well,” Brent said. “I’ll come up there.”

Darcy blinked. “You’ll come up here?” she said, watching as he climbed the ladder. He reached the top rung and she backed up, made uneasy by the determined look in his bright blue eyes. She noticed he wasn’t wearing his spectacles.

“Really, Guv’ner, I’ll be down in a jiffy. There’s no need for you to come up.”

“Too late,” he said as he stepped onto the loft’s wooden floor.

She clutched the handle of the pitchfork, uncertain. His strange, intense behavior rattled her. Before she could think about what she was doing, Darcy tossed the pitchfork aside and jumped onto the high mound below. She landed with a loud rustle, the lumpy hay prickling her through her dress.

“Wait, don’t go!” Brent called. To her surprise, another rustle filled her ears as he landed on the mound beside her. He grabbed her arm before she could scramble away. “Why did you jump?” he asked.

“Because you’re actin’ so peculiar!”

He shook his head in exasperation, giving her a wry grin. “You know, Darcy Evans, you make it extremely difficult for a man to make the first move.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Guv’ner?”

“Brent,” he corrected, drawing her close. “The name is Brent.” And with that, he kissed her like he’d never kissed her before.

When he pulled away, Darcy stared, dazed and breathless. “Did you really kiss me?” she whispered, still not believing it.

“Yes, I did. And I intend to do so every day we have left together on this earth. That is, if you’ll have me.”

“You’re askin’ me to marry you?”

“I am. Frankly, I don’t know how I existed this long without you.” His gaze softened. “You taught me to enjoy life and to look beyond outward appearances—to the heart. And, Darcy, your heart is so selfless and pure and beautiful, always wanting to do good—a man would have to be a fool not to love you.”

She smiled, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing. “You love me?”

“I denied it for a long time, but, yes, I love you dearly.”

“Oh—and I love you dearly too!” She hugged him hard, but her joy flickered as a thought came to her. “Does this mean we’ll be courting the full year?” Alice had informed Darcy about courting, also telling her that many considered it outdated.

Disappointment glimmered in Brent’s eyes. “If you would prefer to, we can. Yet, due to our long association, I don’t feel a short engagement would be inappropriate.”

“Good! But keep in mind, I’ll likely always be brash and speak me mind. Often the Cockney slips out despite my best efforts to speak right.”

“And I shall likely oftentimes be stuffy.” A pained look crossed his face.

Darcy laughed. She couldn’t help herself. She loved this man so much—especially covered with hay as he was now. He looked anything but stuffy!

He plucked a piece of straw from her hair. “Something amuses you, Miss Evans?”

“Nothing, Guv’ner,” she said, her smile wide. “Nothing ter squawk habout anyways.”

Brent laughed at the familiar phrase.

“And the answer is yes—I’ll marry you as soon as you like. In fact, the sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned! Does tomorrow sound all right with you?”

He shook his head, his eyes dancing. “Oh, Darcy. However did I survive my bleak life until you came along?”

Before she could think of a response, he pulled her close and kissed her again.

Epilogue

Darcy stood beside her husband of seven weeks and stared at the magnificent sunset. “I’m going to miss Lila and Angel,” she murmured. Brent slipped a comforting arm around her waist, and she settled her head on his shoulder. Her fingertips brushed the edge of her jacket. A gift from Lila.

Yesterday, while trying to decide what to pack, Lila had thrown her colorful garments into a heap on the floor, stating she wanted no reminders of her carnival days and intended to burn them. Darcy had been horrified to see the gorgeous red jacket with Chinese embroidery and gold buttons cast onto the pile. Seeing Darcy longingly eye the crimson satin, Lila lifted it from the heap and placed it around her shoulders, rendering Darcy speechless. Not only was the jacket a perfect fit, it was ten times prettier than the jacket the organ grinder’s monkey wore all those years ago, when she was a child.

Joy over the long-desired treasure mixed with sadness upon losing a friend. Lila and Angel were leaving the Refuge tomorrow. It had been a shock when Bruce, the strong man from the carnival, showed up at the door last week, begging to see Lila. Concerned, Darcy eavesdropped and heard Bruce vow his love, telling Lila she was the sole reason he’d stayed with the carnival. Judging from the shy smile Lila offered when she later informed Charleigh and Darcy of her impending marriage, Darcy knew Bruce’s feelings were returned; and she was happy for her friend. One thing was certain: Lila and Angel would always be in her prayers.

“I’m amazed at how well Joel has taken to Lila,” Brent said thoughtfully. “Especially since he was her worst tormentor those first few weeks she was here.”

“It is amazing, isn’t it?” Darcy asked. To everyone’s shock, the two had grown close. After his experience with Eric, Joel changed. He still talked incessantly of finding his father one day, but he wasn’t as volatile as before. He’d grown considerate of others, conscientious in his studies, and rarely started a fight with any of the boys.

“Well, I best be seeing to the baby,” Charleigh said from her post by the porch rail. She moved to go, then stopped. “Oh dear, isn’t that Mr. Forrester’s car? What does he want now?”

Darcy peered up the lane toward the gate. Sure enough, a black motorcar with a bent fender chugged their way.

“He’s probably found something else to bicker about.” Charleigh blew out a frustrated breath. “Honestly! It seems that man has nothing better to do than meddle in our affairs and try to find a reason for closing us down.”

A sudden wail reached them from inside.

“Clemmie,” Darcy said to Charleigh. “Go. I’ll take care of Mr. Forrester.”

With a grateful nod, Charleigh hurried inside.

“Darcy,” Brent warned.

She flashed him a smile. “In a nice way, of course.”

“Perhaps you’d better let me handle this,” Brent suggested as the car rolled to a stop. “Especially after the way you lit into that peddler last week for his derogatory comments about Lila when he spotted Alice shaving her—” His words broke off as he stared at the vehicle.

Looking thinner and tired, Stewart patted the side of the car and motioned a farewell to the driver. A scrawny young boy in ill-fitting clothes stood off to the side. Mr. Forrester offered a feeble smile and drove away while Stewart hurried up the steps. He clasped Brent’s hand in a heartfelt shake and accepted Darcy’s welcoming hug.

“Delighted to have you back,” Brent said.

“You could have told Charleigh your plans,” Darcy lightly admonished. “I do believe she was beginning to wonder if you were ever coming home.”

“Darcy,” Brent said.

“No, she’s right,” Stewart replied, his voice hoarse. “Things have been rough. Mother almost lost her home, and I had to intervene. Then I got sick, and there were other problems too.”

“Stewart.” Charleigh’s disbelieving whisper reached them.

His gaze whipped past Darcy’s shoulder, and he moved the few yards toward his wife, though he didn’t take her in his arms as Darcy thought he might. He looked awkward, standing there, and Darcy’s heart went out to him.

“Forgive me, Charleigh. Forgive me for staying away.” His voice came low. Brent averted his gaze, but Darcy watched the reunion out of concern for her friend. Charleigh nodded but looked as uneasy as Stewart did.

“I need to tell you something. Something that might help you understand why I had to go.” Stewart hesitated. “Since the war’s end, I’ve dealt with some tough issues. You were depressed about losing the babies, and I didn’t feel I should burden you, but now you need to know. Two days before the fighting ended, a good friend of mine, a lieutenant, died in my arms in the trenches because he obeyed my orders.”

“Oh, Stewart.” Charleigh clasped her hands in her skirt, seeming at a loss.

“I won a medal for saving others, but I couldn’t save Rudy,” he continued, as though he had to get the words out quickly before he lost courage to say them. “I failed him. A good man depended on me and died. Eventually I convinced myself that you’d be better off without me too—that I’d brought you nothing but heartache—”

“No, that’s not true.”

“Please, Charleigh, let me finish. I’m telling you this now because in mending the breach with my family and helping them, I began to heal. But it wasn’t until I was laid up with the flu and had idle time that I saw how unfair I was being to you, by not sharing what I was going through. And by staying away. I was wrong. I decided that as soon as I recovered, I’d come home and somehow make it up to you. So here I am.” He lifted his hands upward. “That is, if I’m still welcome.”

“Of course you’re welcome,” Charleigh whispered. “But you’re not the only one at fault, Stewart. I was wrong too. I was so absorbed in self-pity, thinking only of myself at the time, that I wasn’t even aware you were hurting and needed me.”

Unmoving, they stared at one another, then closed the short distance between them until they were in each other’s arms, murmuring words of love and forgiveness. “I’ll never stay away again, Charleigh,” Stewart said. “You’re all the world to me.”

Tears stung Darcy’s eyes, and Brent drew her close. “Perhaps we should go inside,” he whispered. Darcy nodded, and they moved to go.

Stewart pulled away from his wife, keeping her within the circle of his arms. “Please, wait—both of you. There’s someone I want you to meet.” He looked toward the child still standing where the car had left him off. “Clint, come here.”

The scruffy-looking boy hesitated, then, hands in his pockets, shuffled toward them and halted at the foot of the steps. Darcy figured he was ten. His wheat-colored hair hung in clumps around his ears, and he looked and smelled as if he hadn’t had a bath in weeks.

“This is Clint. I met him at the station in Raleigh—after I chased him down when he picked my pocket. He’s an orphan and was sleeping in some crates in an alley. I told him he has a home here at the Refuge from now on.”