A Daughter's Inheritance (17 page)

Though he had hoped to return to Rochester immediately following Sunday dinner, Jonas knew that the Sunday evening vesper service would provide another opportunity for Michael and Fanny to enjoy each other’s company. And he did not dare suggest the family miss the service. They’d think he’d turned heathen. The only time they missed the service at Half Moon Bay was when the weather threatened their safety. He would leave first thing Monday morning.

No one seemed exactly certain how the services had first begun, but Jonas surmised they’d been started years ago when religious camps and revivals operated on the islands. Though the camps had lost popularity, they still maintained a presence on some of the larger islands.

And the boat services had never lost their appeal. Folks would load into their skiffs, canoes, or launches and arrive at the bay each Sunday evening. Preacher Halsted’s pulpit was a permanent fixture perched on a hillock near the water’s edge. The ladies in their Sunday finery and the gentlemen in their summer suits would sit in boats that were anchored close enough so that the occupants could shake hands with one another. Boats would arrive each Sunday evening and fill the entire bay. Reverend Halsted used a speaking trumpet for important announcements, though he refused to shout his message through the cumbersome horn. Those at a great distance might not hear all of the preacher’s words, but they joined to sing God’s praises on the preacher’s cue.

If necessary, Jonas could have navigated the launch, but questions would have arisen if he dismissed Michael from the chore. So Jonas had remained. He accompanied the entire family to the launch but shook his head when Fanny attempted to board. “Wait until Louisa is situated with the children.” With practiced ease, he directed Quincy’s daughter and her children to the location near Michael and continued directing the other family members to their seats. Fanny would be sitting between Amanda and his wife. Pleased with the arrangement, he sat down beside his wife and hoped the services would be short this evening. He wanted to speak with Michael upon their return.

Jonas didn’t notice exactly when Mr. and Mrs. Oosterman arrived, but their boat was soon wedged beside the Broadmoor launch. Mrs. Oosterman waved and smiled; then she pointed to Louisa and nodded.

Louisa offered a faint smile. “Why is she pointing at me?”

“I’m sure I don’t know, my dear. Just smile and wave,” her aunt instructed.

There was no time to contemplate Mrs. Oosterman’s behavior, for Reverend Halsted had already raised his speaking trumpet to his lips. “Announcements for the week are as follows: Eliza Preston will entertain all young ladies between the ages of fourteen and twenty at her parents’ cottage on Tuesday for an afternoon of Bible study, followed by tea and a nature walk.”

The preacher continued to read the remainder of the week’s activities before turning the speaking trumpet in the direction of the Broadmoor launch. “I am told that we’ve had nothing short of a miracle occur already this summer. The infant grandson of Quincy Broadmoor was snatched from the very depths of the river and brought back to life by our own Michael Atwell.”

“Praise God!” one of the attendees called out from his boat. Jubilation followed from all quarters, and soon one of the men burst forth in a chorus of praise.

The preacher waved toward the
DaisyBee
. “Would one of you like to say a few words?”

Folks were straining in the direction of the Broadmoor launch. Quincy was suffering from a stomach ailment and hadn’t accompanied the family to the vesper service. The responsibility to acknowledge God’s blessing would fall to Jonas. He stood and cupped his hands around his mouth. “We’re all pleased to say that little Evan is doing just fine, and we’re glad to have him right here with us.” He motioned to Louisa to hold the boy in the air.

“Hallelujah!”

“Praise God!”

“You did a fine thing, Michael.”

The shouts surrounded Jonas, and he dropped into his seat and shook his head. “
Right
. Praise God,” he muttered. “I had the pleasure of paying the ten-dollar reward.”

12

Thursday, July 15, 1897

Sophie spotted her cousins sitting beneath a distant stand of trees that shaded the water’s edge. Without thought to proper etiquette, she hurtled down the sloping hill at breakneck speed. Had Amanda remained in place, Sophie would have plowed her over. Sophie stretched out her arms and headed for one of the large fir trees to break her run. A whoosh of air escaped her lungs as she collided with the ancient conifer.

Fanny jumped to her feet and hurried to her cousin’s side. “Are you injured, Sophie?”

She grunted and rubbed her arms. “That didn’t go quite as I had intended.” She examined the bloody scratches that lined her hands and sat down.

Amanda returned to her previous spot on the blanket and dropped down between the other two girls. “Whatever were you thinking, Sophie? Or were you? Don’t you realize you could have seriously injured one of us or yourself? Sometimes I think you give little thought to your behavior! You’re no longer five years old, you know.”

Sophie wrinkled her nose and deftly extricated a piece of tree bark from her flowing tresses. “I may not be five, but I’m not an old woman, either, Amanda. If I want to have fun, I will. And why did the two of you leave me when you knew I planned to join you?”

Amanda stiffened. “Are you implying that I act like an old woman?”

“Most of the time you act older than your own mother. You’re so intent upon acting proper that you’re afraid ever to have fun. I know you want to please everyone, Amanda, but you need to please yourself on occasion, too.”

“I don’t need you to tell me how to behave, Sophie. At least I don’t embarrass the family by making a spectacle of myself.”

Before Sophie could offer a rejoinder, Fanny clapped her hands together. “Please don’t argue. We’re supposed to be enjoying our time together.” She examined Sophie’s hands and then pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. “You were having a private conversation with Paul, and we didn’t want to interrupt. That is the only reason we came ahead without you.”

“I wish you would have interrupted. Paul Medford has become an albatross around my neck. He seems to view me as a part of his assigned duties.”

“How so?” Fanny poured a trickle of water from the jug they’d carried from the house and wet her handkerchief. Thankfully they’d not chosen lemonade to accompany their picnic lunch. She daubed Sophie’s hand with the damp hankie.

Sophie took the cloth from Fanny and began wiping dirt from her arms. “He said he came to the island in order to bring Father some reports regarding his charity shelter, but I know that’s not true. My father is planning to return to Rochester later in the week, and I’m certain the paper work could have waited until his return.”

“What has any of that to do with your belief that you’ve become an assignment of sorts?”

“If you’d just wait a minute, I’m getting to that part.” Sophie frowned at Amanda. “Paul whispered that he needed to speak to me alone about a matter of importance. I joined him outside.” She glanced at Fanny. “That’s when you two saw me with him. He told me that he had heard some unsettling gossip about me from several sources in Rochester.”

Amanda arched her brows. “Unsettling in what way?”

“That my behavior is occasionally viewed as inappropriate for someone of my social standing.” She giggled. “As though I have any social standing.”

“You
do
have social standing, Sophie. You are a Broadmoor. Your behavior reflects on the entire family.” Amanda retrieved a glass from the picnic basket and picked up the water jug. “You act with wild abandon, and the whole family must suffer the consequences. Exactly what has he heard about you?”

Sophie shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask him to go into detail, for I truly don’t care.” She handed Fanny the handkerchief. “Unlike you, Amanda, I don’t live my life to please others.”

“Perhaps you should give it a try. Paul is obviously attempting to help.”

“Help? He thinks I’m immature and take dangerous risks.
He’s
the one who needs help. The man is twenty-five years old, yet he talks and acts like an old man. As I said the first time he visited the island, he’d make a perfect match for you, Amanda. You both think there’s nothing more important than charity work and meeting the expectations of others.” Sophie winked at Fanny. “And you’re both averse to having fun.”

“I am
not
averse to having fun. It’s simply a matter of defining fun. You and I have completely different views.”

“That’s at least one thing we can agree upon, Amanda.” Sophie reached into the basket and removed the tablecloth and napkins. “Are we going to eat our picnic lunch?”

Fanny shook her head. “Why don’t we see if Michael will take us to Boar Head Island on the launch? We can eat there and then explore. Besides, we’ll be all alone, and that makes it even better. No one will be able to bother us.”

“I’m not so fond of being alone, although I’d like to get off of this island. I’d like it better if we’d go to Round Island. We could visit at the New Frontenac Hotel there. There are certain to be more guests arriving by the day.”

Amanda gave Sophie a sidelong glance. “If you dislike socializing with prominent families, I don’t know why you’d want to visit Round Island or the Frontenac.”

Sophie locked her arms across her chest. No matter what she suggested, Amanda would find fault. “I’ll defer to Fanny, and we’ll have our picnic on Boar Head Island. I can visit the Frontenac this evening. I plan to attend the dance even if the two of you decide to remain at home.”

They gathered their blanket and basket and sauntered toward the boathouse. Amanda circled around Fanny and came alongside Sophie. “I’d like to know exactly what rumors are circulating in Rochester, Sophie. How can we dispel such talk if we don’t know what’s being said?”

“I told Paul I didn’t want to hear any of the small-minded tittle-tattle and walked off before he could tell me. I’m certain it has to do with the Independence Day celebration over at Brown Square.” She giggled. “I believe I may have been a bit tipsy by the time the evening ended. I was singing with the German musicians. I didn’t know the words, but I made up my own. You two should have come along. We had great fun.”

Amanda gasped. “I love you dearly, Sophie, but I do wish you’d find some other method to gain your father’s attention. In the end, you’re hurting yourself more than Uncle Quincy.”

They neared the boathouse, and Sophie decided she’d carry the conversation no further. Arguing with Amanda always proved useless. Her cousin would never change her idealistic attitudes, and Sophie didn’t plan to change, either—not for Amanda, not for Paul, and certainly not for the sake of the beloved Broadmoor name! She and Amanda stood inside the doorway of the boathouse while Fanny talked to Michael. Strange how animated Fanny became while visiting with him—her smile widened, her eyes sparkled, and her laughter rippled with a delightful lilt that Sophie had never before heard in her younger cousin’s voice.

Fanny beamed and waved her cousins forward. “Michael says he’s willing to take us over to the island, and he’ll come back and pick us up at four o’clock. Does that suit?”

Sophie wrinkled her nose. “Nearly four hours is a long time, don’t you think?”

“Boar Head is a large island,” Michael said. “You’ll find plenty to keep you occupied. If you want to take some fishing poles along, there’s a great ledge where you’ll be able to sit and fish.” He curled his fingers into a fist and pointed his thumb at Fanny. “Your cousin can bait your hooks, and if you catch a fish, she’ll be able to help you out with that, too. Fanny’s an expert when it comes to fishing.”

Sophie saw the way Michael looked at Fanny. Were these two interested in each other? She glanced at Amanda and wondered if her cousin noticed the attraction, but she appeared oblivious.

“I thought I heard voices down here.” Theresa O’Malley entered through the side door, glanced around, and immediately flashed a pouting smile at Michael. “Are you all going on a picnic?”

Michael shook his head. “I’m merely providing boat service for these ladies. I won’t be gone long. If anyone is looking for me, you can tell them I’ve gone to Boar Head Island.”

Theresa tucked her hand beneath his arm. “Oh, may I ride along with you? I’ve completed my chores, and Mother said I didn’t need to return to the house for an hour.”

Sophie didn’t fail to note the way Theresa gazed into Michael’s eyes—and that demure smile. Theresa had set her cap for him!

“I promise I’ll be good company on the return trip,” Theresa cooed.

“I don’t know,” Michael mumbled.

Sophie felt pity for the girl. Like Sophie, Theresa was obviously bored to tears on this island. “Oh, do let her ride along, Michael. What difference does it make?”

But one look at Fanny told her that it did make a difference. Fanny’s earlier sparkle had been replaced by a brooding stare. So there
was
something between these two. Fanny was jealous of Theresa. And from the possessive hold Theresa maintained on Michael’s arm, Theresa was jealous of Fanny. Little Fanny was hiding a secret. Uncle Jonas and Aunt Victoria would not approve! This picnic might turn out to be more interesting than she’d anticipated.