While Love Stirs (37 page)

“Nothing’s impossible with God, Lottie.” Hannah patted Ellie’s back. “Joel should never have spoken to you like that, but why did you let things with Lewis continue in the first place?”

“I guess part of me didn’t want him to hate me, and part of me wanted to have him on the back burner in case things didn’t work out with Joel.”

“Would you rather be with someone you don’t love than be alone?” Tessa sounded incredulous.

Charlotte swallowed. “No, now that I’ve felt the real thing, I know how silly that was.”

Ellie nestled into Hannah’s shoulder, sleep finally claiming her. Hannah laid her in a cradle she kept in the corner and then sat in the chair beside Charlotte. “Before you can be happy, you’ve got to get over that other ailment you have.”

“More medical stuff? You too, Hannah? Do you both enjoy making me cry?”

“Sorry, but you also have a bad case of people pleasing. You want people to like you.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Charlotte picked up one of the butterflies and began to wrap a wire around it.

“I don’t care if people like me. I’m going to be myself no matter what.” Tessa leaned her back against the divan, raised her knees, and wrapped her arms around them. “Unless it was a movie director or Allan Pinkerton. I’d want a director to like me, and I’d love to be a Pinkerton agent.”

“So you’d want them to like you because you want something from them.” Charlotte gave her a disapproving frown.

“So?”

“Ladies.” Hannah sighed. “I suppose most people do want to be liked, but you have to realize you can’t make everyone happy. The only one you should want to please is the Lord.”

Hannah’s words stung. “And now? You think I’m trying to make Joel happy?”

“No, that’s why I think you need to give this relationship a second thought. For the first time in your life, you’re willing to not make him happy, which means you feel safe enough with him to risk disappointing him. You would never have done that with George. I think you believe deep down that Joel will love you even if you don’t give him what he wants. Charlotte, I think you trust him.”

Charlotte rubbed her temples. Was Hannah right? Had she
settled all those times in order to keep others happy? She hadn’t considered what God would have her do in any of those situations.

And did she believe Joel loved her enough to free her to be herself? Even if that were true, how could two people so prone to disagreeing ever agree on anything as important as a future together?

All they had was a dab of love in the bottom of a jar. How did she know if it was time to gather some empty vessels?

43

Up at four in the morning, Charlotte gathered the ingredients for the desserts she planned to make for the ball tonight. Although the hotel’s kitchen would be providing a lovely iced white cake, Charlotte was adding some different specialty cakes of her own. She’d make three batches each of Lady Baltimore, lemon jelly, and coconut cream cakes. Yesterday she’d made the Lady Baltimore cake, so this morning she could fill it with raisins, dates, and nuts while the other cakes were baking.

The house was blissfully quiet. By eight o’clock, it would most likely be bustling with activity. With twelve children present, chaos had become the norm, but with the ball imminent, today would become rather exciting.

She hummed while she worked. It was nice to have the kitchen to herself too. Mrs. Agle would arrive by six to start breakfast. By then, Charlotte hoped to be nearly finished with her preparations.

Once the gas oven was lit, she mixed up the lemon jelly cake batter, poured it into the prepared round pans, and slid the pans into the oven. She’d mix the lemon filling for those and then get things ready for the Lady Baltimore cake.

Hearing the front door open, she sighed. Mrs. Agle must have decided to come early. She didn’t fault the cook for her early arrival. After all, she was preparing for more folks than usual. But so much for Charlotte’s solitude.

She slipped into the pantry to find the six lemons she’d set aside for the lemon filling. Where were they? They’d been on the second shelf the other day. Finally she noticed the yellow orbs in a colander set on an upper shelf. Mounting the step stool, she reached for the colander.

Just as her fingers found the rim, the pantry door slammed shut.

Charlotte jumped, dropping the colander on the cupboard. The lemons rolled onto the floor with a thunk. She bolted for the door and tried the knob, but it didn’t give. How had it locked? Charlotte yelled for several minutes, but her shouting brought no one. That didn’t surprise her. The kitchen was a long way from the bedrooms.

If Mrs. Agle had been the person who arrived a few minutes ago, wouldn’t she be in the kitchen by now? But what if it wasn’t Mrs. Agle? Maybe it was Nurse Pierce. She had a key and often came early. Would she ignore Charlotte’s cries?

A whiff of browning lemon cake drifted in. If she didn’t get them out soon, the cakes would be a charred mess.

Glancing upward, she noticed the transom window. It opened toward the kitchen, away from the pantry. Could she climb out that way?

Charlotte looked around the pantry. Opposite the built-in cupboards, a small table was pressed against the wall. She pushed it over to the door, but even if she stood on it, she’d not be able to reach the transom.

Ah, but if she put the stool on the table, she could make it.

She set the stool on the table’s surface, then hoisted herself onto the table and stood. So far so good.

She nudged the stool in place, then carefully climbed onto it. It wobbled and she caught herself on the window frame. With the added height, she could stick her head and shoulders through the opening, but it wasn’t enough to get out.

Thickening smoke made her choke and sputter. If she didn’t get to those cakes in the next few minutes, the smell would surely
wake everyone in the house. That wouldn’t be a good way for the orphans, whose experience was all too recent, to start their day.

She yelled again through the open window.
Please, God, send me some
help.
After several minutes, she stopped shouting. Since no one had come, she had no choice but to attempt to climb out.

Hoisting herself as far into the transom as possible, she pushed off the stool with her toes. She felt the stool teeter, then it tumbled over and rolled onto the floor with a bang. She wiggled a little farther until she was halfway out. Just a little more . . .

She stopped. What was she going to do if she went any farther? Fall on her head? This had been a horrible idea. If she backed out now, hopefully she could drop safely to the table.

Her eyes watered and burned from the smoke. At least the air was clearer down below. Bracing herself, she tried to inch back into the pantry, but her body didn’t budge. She squirmed but remained fast. What was she caught on?

She released an exasperated breath. This day was not starting out well.

The Model T rumbled up Summit Avenue. Once again Joel couldn’t sleep, so he’d decided to give Charlotte a hand in transporting her cakes.

Who was he kidding? He wanted to see her. Since the other day, he’d done some serious soul-searching, and he had something important to talk to her about.

He parked the motorcar, hurried up the walk, and went around to the kitchen door in the back. That way he wouldn’t wake anyone.

He rapped on the back door. No answer. That was odd. Charlotte had to be up by now.

Concern mounting, he tried the knob and found the door locked. He cupped his hands to one of the panes and peered inside. Darkness greeted him.

No!
The room was filled with dense smoke.

“Charlotte! Open up!” He pounded on the door again. Where was she?

He heard a faint response. Was she hurt? Overcome by the smoke?

He seized a rock from the herb garden and broke one of the windowpanes on the door. The glass chinked onto the kitchen floor, and he cleared the remaining shards with his gloved hand before reaching to unlock the door and swing it wide.

“Charlotte?” He coughed on the smoke.

“Up here!”

He followed the sound of her voice until he spotted her. Good grief. How did she get up there?

Charlotte trembled with relief at the sight of Joel. But how would she explain her predicament?

Before reaching her, he threw open the sashes on two windows. The air began to clear. He rushed over to her. “What are you doing up there?”

Even though her ribs ached from the pressure on them, she had to take care of first things first. “I’ll tell you after you get the cakes out of the oven.”

He yanked open the oven door and black smoke billowed out. Using a dish towel, he pulled the first pan from the oven and tossed it out the back door. He repeated the process with the rest of the cake rounds.

Charlotte cringed at the damage he was doing to her pans, but she’d probably be doing the same thing if she wasn’t dangling from the ceiling. “Can you get me down now?”

He hurried over and looked up at her. With a chuckle, he shook his head in disbelief and pulled off his gloves. “I can’t wait to hear about this.”

“Just get me down. I think the key is still in the lock.”

He jiggled the key and she heard a click. He started to turn the
handle, but at that moment she realized what he would see when he opened the door—her feet hanging in the air over the table, ankles and undergarments in plain view. “Wait!”

“What’s wrong? Does it hurt you when I move the door?”

“No, but you need to close your eyes.”

“How am I going to get you down with my eyes shut?”

“It’s not proper to see me this way.”

He sighed. “Charlotte, I promise not to look anywhere I shouldn’t, okay?”

“It’s not like I actually have a choice.”

Joel eased the door open but had to push the table out of the way to squeeze inside. He chuckled again. “Let me climb up on this table, and then I’ll help you out.”

“What would help me the most is for you to stop laughing at me.”

Two solid thumps and the sound of his voice told her he was now standing on the table behind her.

“Why are you just standing there?”

“Enjoying the view.”

“Joel!”

“Easy, Charlotte. I’m only teasing.” She heard him move on the table and felt his hands press onto her hips. “Can you wiggle out now?”

She squirmed in the window frame and he pulled. Her face flushed hot as he wrapped his arm around her upper thighs. As long as she lived she’d not forget this.

“That’s it. Come on down. I’ve got you.”

With a final twist, she freed her upper body. With her flush against him, he lowered her down until her shoes touched the table. But instead of releasing her, the hand now around her waist tightened. She could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest against her back.

They were standing on a table inside a pantry, but the moment that passed between them stole her breath.

Then she coughed and the spell was broken.

“Let’s get you out of here.” He released her and hopped off the table.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and let him lift her down. Again, he held her longer than necessary and a current raced through her. If they were still courting, she’d have wished he would steal a kiss.

Truthfully, even though they weren’t courting, she still wished it. Was he thinking the same thing?

“I, uh, uh . . . better move the table,” Joel said.

“Probably.”

He removed his hands and tugged the table out of the way. Finally Charlotte could step into freedom.

Mrs. Agle entered the kitchen and stopped when she saw the two of them exiting the tiny room. “Charlotte Gregory, what were you and the doctor doing in my pantry?”