Tender Love (19 page)

While he fished in his desk drawer and pulled out the key to the Ferguson property, he said, “That house is going to take a lot of money to fix up.”

“Probably so, but we'll find that out tomorrow.”

“Seems funny for a preacher to have that much money.”

“Of course, Mark hasn't been preaching for two years now, and he's had a good salary at the bank.”

“Hear he's thinking about going back to preaching.”

“He's trusting the leadership of the Spirit in that matter.” Changing the subject, Alice said, “Eddie has mentioned that your son, Don, is taking riding lessons, and we want to get Eddie and Kristin enrolled at a stable. Do you recommend the instructors where your son goes?”

“Yes, I do,” Tatum said grudgingly. “Don is an insecure child, and riding the pony has given him more confidence in what he can do.”

“That's one reason we want to buy this home in the country—so we can have a place for the children to keep ponies.”

 

Alice knew that the old house would be cold and damp, so she searched in the boxes she hadn't unpacked for a long insulated coat, and she found a heavy jacket in the closet that she'd brought along for Mark. When they entered the hallway, Alice didn't sense the welcome that she had the first day they'd come here, when the sun was shining and penetrating the cold interior. She shivered, and Mark put his arms around her.

“Be sure and put a furnace on your list,” he said with a grin, as he pointed to the clipboard she carried.

“And some insulation for the walls,” she agreed.

Each carrying a large flashlight, they made a survey of the two main floors. Alice opened the door to the third floor and flashed her light on the stairs. “I can't see a thing wrong with those stairs,” she said. “I believe Mr. Tatum didn't want to take the time to show us the whole house.”

“Remember, he thought he was dealing with a poor preacher. He couldn't see a pending sale.”

Mark tried his weight on the bottom step. “Seems all right to me. I'll go up first just to be sure.”

The steps did creak, and dust stirred around Mark's feet, but he reached the third floor without mishap, and Alice followed him. There was one long room that stretched the length of the house, and it was cluttered with boxes, trunks, and discarded furniture. Alice marveled at the breathtaking view from the dormer windows of the river valley to the west.

“We won't have to renovate this floor before we move in, but we can eventually make this area into two rooms and a bath. In a few years, Eddie may want to have his room on this floor. What do you think?”

“When I was a teenage boy, I'd have liked such a room.” Mark was checking the structure of the house by looking at the exposed beams. “It seems that this house is structurally sound. I don't see any indication that the roof has ever leaked, nor any termite damage. I'll enjoy living here, and I don't have any objection to buying it, but I won't be of much help to you in the renovation. I don't even have any good ideas.”

“Right now, I want you to make commitment to God's will your first priority. I'll take care of the family, the household and the renovation.”

“I'll support anything you want to do, and I'll give any suggestions I'm capable of making.”

Back on the first floor, they decided that they'd retain Miss Ferguson's apartment as a kitchen, a family dining area, and television room. The four large downstairs rooms would be turned into a bedroom for Gran, a company dining room, living room and an office for Mark. The rooms on the second floor would provide a guest room, and rooms for Kristin, Eddie, and the two of them.

“We'd better have two bathrooms upstairs,” Mark said. “Kristin is getting to the primping stage, and I don't want to fight her for the bathroom all the time.”

“We can make a private bathroom from our room, and one at the end of the corridor. We'll put a bathroom downstairs for Gran, and keep the small lavatory near the kitchen.”

“Alice, you cannot take care of all of this property alone.”

“I don't intend to. The housekeeper I have in Alexandria has agreed to come here, and she'll do all
the cleaning. Her husband will be the outside caretaker, and all I'll have to do is cook, look after the family, and keep my husband happy.”

He lifted his eyebrows and kissed her. “And that will take a lot of time. But where is the housekeeper going to live?”

“Let's check outdoors. There's a two-story log building that looks as if it might have been a garage. That could be made into a delightful home.”

When they went through the garden on their way to the building, Alice paused to say, “We'll have this fence repaired, too. Can't you envision this full of flowers and shrubbery? We'll have a gazebo built in one end.”

“Right now, I can't envision anything but a cold, winter morning, with the wind blowing and my nose getting cold.”

“And I thought you were a romantic!”

“Oh, I can be romantic enough, but not when my feet and hands are cold. Let's check out this building and then go find a cozy restaurant with some hot food.” He smiled at her. “I have no doubt that you'll make this into the coziest home in Virginia, where all of us will be content.”

Alice rubbed her hand across his cold face and kissed his cheek.

The log house was in good repair, and both of them agreed that it could be made into a lovely home. The downstairs could be living and kitchen quarters, and the upper floor reached by an open stairway would make a cozy bedroom and a bathroom.

“Pretty small for a residence, isn't it?” Mark asked.

“The housekeeper will be working in our house most of the day, and she won't want a large home to care for. They wouldn't have much company, for they don't have any children, but if any of their extended family comes to visit, they can always use the guest room in the big house. We'll build to suit their needs.”

Mark laughed at her. “I've never seen anyone more generous with money than you. I believe you like playing Santa Claus.”

“It does give me a satisfying feeling,” Alice admitted.

“What better way to fulfill the command of the Scripture, ‘Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously…for God loves a cheerful giver'? I've been given money that John and his ancestors accumulated—I really don't feel as if it belongs to me, only that I'm the steward. John was very generous with those who worked for him or wherever he saw a need. I learned the example from him, not from my parents.”

Mark's eyes were glowing and he pulled Alice close. “I know a few verses of Scripture, too, and one that I believe applies to you was when Jesus said, ‘Give and it shall be given to you.' I don't know what God has in mind for you, Alice, but it's bound to be a great life. He'll reward you for your generosity.”

“The day God gives you to me, I'll have everything. You and your children are all I want.”

“Don't you want a child of your own?”

“Very much so, but I'm in my midthirties, and it may not be a good idea.”

Mark bent his lips to hers, and both of them forgot the cold, blustery winter weather buffeting them. They didn't mind at all the half-hour wait for the contractor and Mr. Haycraft. Now that they'd definitely agreed to be married, the two of them had relaxed the strict hands-off policy that they'd stuck to so rigidly during her first months in the house. Even yet, they held their emotions in check, but they found no reason to refrain from occasional hugs and kisses. Alice hadn't doubted that the emotional relationship between her and Mark would be fulfilling, but she hadn't expected the camaraderie they enjoyed. Not only were they sweethearts, they were also best friends.

The contractor agreed with most of their plans, and they took his suggestions about changes in the house to make it more livable and economical on utilities. The price he quoted for repairs was reasonable, according to Haycraft, and Alice and Mark relied on his advice.

“And how long will it take you to do this work?” Alice said.

“Six months, if I don't run into any trouble.”

Alice groaned. “That seems like a long time.”

“Now, Mrs. Larkin,” he said, “you want this work done right, and it will take longer to renovate than if you had me build a new house. By the time we remove the old plaster, insulate the walls and ceilings, install new walls, sand the floors, and repair and refinish all of the woodwork, it takes time.”

“And we shouldn't move in until it's completely finished,” Mark said.

“You mentioned that you'd refurbish the third floor at a later time,” Haycraft said. “May I suggest
that you do that now? It won't delay you much longer, and if you do it later, think of all the dirt the workers will make carrying supplies up to that area.”

Alice threw up her hands. “I didn't think of that— I was mostly interested in time. That's the reason John told me I could rely on you to set me straight.” To the contractor, she said, “Go ahead and finish that floor—make two rooms and a bathroom.”

“We can decide about fixtures and other ideas as we go along,” the contractor said.

“I'm sorry that I won't be of much help to you or Alice,” Mark apologized, “but Alice has a better head for business than I do anyway.”

“She had a good teacher in John Larkin,” Haycraft said.

 

Acting on the advice of Mr. Tatum, Alice and Mark took Eddie and Kristin to a riding stable a few miles from their home. Eddie was enthusiastic about the idea of learning to ride, but Kristin was reluctant.

“You don't have to participate in this, Kristin,” Alice assured her as they drove to the stables. “We're simply giving you the opportunity. Perhaps you'd like another activity, and that will be fine. You can make up your own mind about it.”

“Can I really have my own horse when we get moved?” Eddie asked.

“It will have to be a pony for a few years, but if you learn to ride and take care of the pony, you can have one of your own,” Mark said. “The contractor will be renovating the barn into a riding stable as soon as he finishes with the house. You'll have plenty of space to ride on our property.”

“Will you have a horse, too, Daddy?”

“I will, according to Alice,” Mark said, with a tender smile in Alice's direction. “She thinks riding will be a good family activity, but I haven't ridden a horse for years.”

“Neither have I,” Alice said, “so all of us can learn together. It will be relaxing pastime for you after the pressure of your job.”

“Kristin is a sissy if she doesn't want to ride.”

That comment convinced Kristin, that if the rest of the family had horses, she was determined to have one, too. She wasn't going to have her daddy doing something with Eddie that she couldn't do.

The lessons did go well, and Alice was impressed with the academy's instructors. Noting the children's rapid progress, she thought the two-hour lessons each Saturday morning were well worth the time and money they spent. The children rode Shetland ponies, and Alice and Mark were mounted on American quarter horses.

 

And then the murmurings started!

Friends whom Alice had made at Tyler Memorial started avoiding her, many dropping their gazes when she entered the church with Mark and his family. After this went on for a few weeks, she went to see Betty.

“What's going on, Betty?”

Betty didn't pretend that she didn't know what Alice meant.

“I wondered how long it would be before you found out. I should have told you, but I've been so angry I couldn't talk about it.”

“Talk about what?” Alice demanded.

“Ethel Pennington! She's spreading rumors that
you and Mark are having an affair ‘right under the same roof with his kids,' to quote her exact words, and when she accused him of it, Mark ordered her out of the house.”

Alice slumped down in a chair. “I knew this would happen. I should have left months ago. I'll go back to Alexandria until we're married.”

“And send Eddie into a decline that might kill him?”

“I've only stayed for Eddie's sake, but he's stronger now. He'll be all right.”

“Don't be hasty in that decision,” Betty advised. “Perhaps this will blow over as most gossip does.”

A
few nights later when Mark came home, after he'd checked the day's mail that Alice always placed on the hall table, he came immediately to the kitchen with a letter in his hand. His face was gray as ashes.

“What's wrong, Mark?” Alice said and went to his side.

He dropped down in a kitchen chair and handed her the letter.

“It's a letter from the ordination committee of our state convention, asking me to appear before them to answer charges of gross immorality. If they find the charges to be true, they'll withdraw my ordination.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I would never get another position of any kind in our denomination. I've wondered why I haven't been approached by any churches after I submitted my name as a pastoral candidate. This must be the reason.”

“This accusation has apparently originated from rumors that Ethel spread about our relationship.”

“The pastor of Tyler Memorial mentioned the rumors to me, but I hoped you wouldn't hear anything.” He put an arm around Alice's waist and pulled her close to him.

“There's only one thing to do—I'll go back to Alexandria and stay until we can be married, Mark, but not until you've dealt with this.” She lifted the letter and read it. “That meeting is next week. I won't leave until after that, for I'm going to the meeting with you. My reputation, as well as yours, is at stake. I see the meeting will be held at the local church.”

“Yes, but the board members are from all over the state.” Mark laid his head against Alice, and she bent over and kissed his forehead. “I want you to go with me, but I wouldn't have asked.” He shook his head, “I don't see how Ethel's suspicions could have influenced the state ordination board, but one never knows. Be in prayer about the situation. If there's any doubt about our relationship, we have to put it to rest now, or it will follow us wherever we go.”

“‘If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases Him,'” Alice reminded him.

“That's true. The months you've been in this house, it hasn't been easy to keep my distance, but I was as determined as you that our relations would be open and aboveboard.”

 

Alice's nerves had never been more jittery than when she walked into the conference room the next week. The last thing in the world she wanted was to cause shock waves for Mark's ministry. They arrived
at the church a few minutes before the hour of the appointment, and she waited in the entrance hall until Mark got permission from the board for her to sit in on the meeting. When a man came and motioned for her to enter, Alice eased down in a chair by the door, miserable and self-conscious, as every eye in the room turned toward her. She might as well have had a scarlet letter emblazoned on her blouse!

Mark patted a vacant chair beside him. “You come and sit here, please, Alice.”

The presiding board member was Reverend Astor, the man she'd met at church camp in the summer. Since he was a good friend of Mark's, she hoped that he could sway the deliberations in Mark's favor.

After clearing his throat a few times, Reverend Astor said, “This is a painful meeting for me, Mark, and I know it must be for you. However, charges have been brought before this board on the basis of circulating rumors, and while most of the board members feel the charges are unjustified, you should have a chance to defend yourself.”

“What are the charges?”

“That you and Mrs. Larkin are involved in an illicit relationship, and that she's bought your affections with a huge outlay of money. In addition to that, we've had a complaint about your ethics in a business deal.”

Alice sensed Mark's rising anger, and she rather forcefully took hold of his arm and kicked his foot slightly.

“Mrs. Pennington, who's your neighbor and a member of this church, charges that Mrs. Larkin has been living in your home for several months.”

“There isn't any secret about that. Alice came in
May as housekeeper and a nanny for my two children.”

“But it seems there's more to your relationship than that,” Astor said.

“We fell in love immediately,” Mark admitted, “but we haven't done anything to bring reproach on either of us. We haven't been alone in the house—my two kids and Gran Watson are there all the time. I sleep upstairs with the rest of the family, Alice sleeps in a downstairs room, a long way from mine. You'll have to take our word for it, for I won't have you questioning my children or Gran.”

“I do believe you, Brother Tanner,” Reverend Astor said.

“To be honest, it isn't that we haven't wanted more than that, but our relationships have been honest. We plan to marry, but it isn't because we
have
to get married.”

“In her letter, Mrs. Pennington states that you ordered her out of your house when she accused you of an affair,” Astor continued.

“I asked her to leave the house, and stay away, because she was meddling in the discipline of my children. Her accusations against Alice and me aren't true.”

Alice spoke for the first time. “Since modesty will keep Mark from telling you this, I will. In case you hadn't noticed, he's a very attractive man, and long before Mark's first wife died, Ethel pursued him rather ruthlessly. She was in and out of the house, ingratiating herself with Gran and the children. Those of you who live in Richmond know that. When she learned that Mark and I planned to marry, she encouraged Kristin and Gran to fight our plans. That's
when Mark refused to have her come to the house or to contact his children. In other words, I accomplished in a few months what she'd set out to do, and she's jealous.”

Several of the board members laughed, and the tension in the room lightened.

“There's little we can do about her accusations, except go on living as we have, knowing that we haven't done anything to be ashamed of,” Mark said. “And if you find us innocent of this charge, it will indicate that you consider our relationship is, and has always been, circumspect.”

Alice sensed that the board was behind them, and that they were somewhat ashamed that they'd even called this meeting.

“I believe you've answered our questions about the immorality accusation, now we need to deal with the ethics charge.”

“You didn't say who brought that charge,” Mark said, and Alice wondered if the accuser was someone Mark had dealt with at the bank.

“The agent who recently handled a real estate purchase for you,” Astor said.

“Mr. Tatum?” Alice said in an incredulous tone. Astor nodded.

“Then we need to hear directly from Mr. Tatum,” Mark said. “He lives nearby— Could he be asked to appear before this board?”

The pastor of the Tyler Memorial Church was one of the board members and he stood. “Mr. Tatum is in the church now at a trustee's meeting—we could ask him to come in for a few minutes.”

“Please do,” Mark said, and his face was white, his features tense.

While Mr. Tatum was being summoned, the pastor continued, “I want to apologize to Brother Tanner, as well as Mrs. Larkin, for this meeting tonight. I realize when the board was presented with these charges, you had no choice except to investigate. However, the majority of the members here in the local church are indignant and embarrassed by these events. Mark Tanner was an effective pastor of this church for several years, and we have in the building now a delegation of more than one hundred people, led by Betty St. Claire, who've come as character witnesses for Mark and Mrs. Larkin.”

“Thank you, Pastor,” Reverend Astor said. “I doubt they'll be needed, but their support is appreciated.”

Grover Tatum's face paled, and he gasped slightly, when he entered the room and saw Mark and Alice.

“Mr. Tatum,” Mark said as pleasantly as if he were discussing the weather, “we've learned that you've accused us of unethical dealings when we purchased the Ferguson property. We'd appreciate it if you'd tell us why you think that.”

The Realtor's face turned a mottled red and white, and his eyes darted from one person to another, although he carefully avoided looking at Mark and Alice. He swallowed convulsively a few times, and then he blurted out belligerently, “They cost me a tidy sum in closing fees.”

“Could you explain?” Reverend Astor asked.

“Because he was a minister, I dropped the price several thousand dollars.”

“Right, when you quoted us a price on the property, you said the owners would take quite a bit less to make a sale.” Mark said.

“It's not right for a preacher to take advantage of me. I thought you were hard up. If you have enough money to buy that place and fix it up, you should have purchased at the asking price instead of driving a hard bargain with me. Preachers are supposed to be ethical.”

Mark smiled. “And the same rule doesn't apply to Realtors, I suppose?”

“Mr. Tatum,” Alice asked, “how much money did you lose because we took you at your word and asked for the lowest possible price?” She reached in her purse, took out her checkbook and waited for his reply.

“At least two hundred dollars.”

Alice made out a check in that amount. “Then we'll pay you the additional fee rather than to have our honesty questioned.” She gave the check to the man on her right. “Will you pass this check to Mr. Tatum?”

When he got the check in his hand, Tatum turned it over and over, as if he didn't know what to do with it, and finally blurted out, “It doesn't seem right somehow, for a preacher to have so much money. I thought preachers were servants of the Lord and of people.”

It took a lot to make Alice angry, but she couldn't stand much more of this, and she knew that Mark was near the breaking point. She again laid a cautionary hand on Mark's arm—the wrong words could ruin his future.

Quietly, he said, “
I
don't have any money, Mr. Tatum. If Alice wants to say anything, that's up to her.”

Reverend Astor rose. “I feel this conversation has
gone far enough. In the first place, Brother Tanner isn't guilty of anything more than buying a piece of property at a reasonable price, and from what I've heard, he still paid more for the Ferguson place than it's worth. Secondly, I believe that Mr. Tatum has an antiquated idea about the finances of our pastors. Today, we provide an adequate salary for those in the ministry so their families won't have a substandard living.”

Several “amens” indicated general agreement to this statement.

“I'm sorry,” Astor continued, “that I've had the misfortune to preside over a meeting that has cast reflections on the reputation of one of the best pastors in our convention. I'll entertain a motion that these charges be dropped and never brought up again.”

A quick motion and second were received, but before the vote was taken, Alice said, “May I speak frankly? I don't consider my financial status any of your business when my money came from a legitimate source, but when my assets might reflect upon Mark's position as a minister, I'm going to explain.”

Alice hesitated, wondering how much to say, praying for the right attitude to overcome her annoyance.

“I inherited a rather large sum of money from my late husband, and that's where most of the money came from to buy the property in question. But we're not expecting that outlay of money to benefit us only. When I envisioned renovating the Ferguson property, it wasn't exclusively for our use, but I planned to have a comfortable setting for visiting evangelists, missionaries, and for church meetings when Mark takes another pastorate. I hosted many social gatherings for my husband, and I enjoy entertaining.”

A woman, halfway down the table from Alice, who hadn't said a word, timidly raised her hand. The chairman asked her to speak.

“I don't want to offend Mrs. Larkin because I've never credited any of the stories we've heard, but I want to pose a question that I think others may ask someday. If you're so affluent, why did you go to work as a nanny and housekeeper?”

“I went to the Tanners upon the request of my friend, Betty St. Claire, who's a member of this church. I'd been confined for several years taking care of my invalid husband, and after he died, my life was rather aimless. I needed something to do and when I considered going back to kindergarten teaching, Betty, who runs a nanny agency, asked me to go to the Tanners. Mark and his two children were hurting over the death of their wife and mother, and Betty thought the situation would be beneficial to all of us. I've always loved children, and I was willing to go. It was a long time before Mark knew I had any money.”

Alice could feel the tears building, and with a little sob, she said, “When I accepted the job, I believed that God had called me to be of service to the Tanners. I didn't intend to love Mark and his children, but I do, and I believe that is God's will, too.”

Most of the people at the table wouldn't meet Alice's eyes, but the woman who'd posed the question smiled and said, “I believe that, too. God bless you, my dear.”

The crisis passed, but several days later when they heard that the church board had asked the Tatums and Ethel to withdraw their membership from the
Tyler Memorial Church, Alice and Mark were stunned.

“How could we have handled the situation differently?” Mark asked.

“I don't know. Perhaps I made a mistake to come to your home, but in my heart, I can't believe that.”

“Neither do I,” Mark agreed, “but I'm going to pray that God will give us the opportunity to make amends.”

 

Alice and the children often encountered Mrs. Tatum and her son, Don, at the riding stables, but they ignored the Tanner children. Alice was especially disturbed that the Tatum boy wouldn't speak to Eddie, who had become a friendly, outgoing child.