A Home for Her Heart (13 page)

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Elizabeth said. “And it is possible to get out of here. Miss O’Bryan and her sister did. Did she tell you?”

“She did. It gave me hope.” The older woman smiled and Elizabeth wished she could get her and her daughter out now.

John came back into the room and headed to the small kitchen where he proceeded to work on the small window over the sink. He must have gotten the hang of it because it took only a few minutes for him to break the dried paint seal and get it open. Then he went back to the first window and worked on it until he could open it all the way.

“Oh, I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Talbot.” Mrs. Oliver got up and went to the open window. She took several deep breaths. The noise below wafted up to the fourth floor, but she didn’t seem to mind, looking down on the street and then in both directions. “I can’t say it’s the freshest air I’ve ever smelled but at least it isn’t stagnant like the inside of this building. And it might at least give us a nice breeze to make sleeping easier in this heat.”

“I hope so. And you can choose whether it’s open or closed now,” Elizabeth added.

The woman chuckled. “It’s nice to feel I still have a choice on some things in life. Now sit, both of you, and ask away. I’ll tell you all I can about this building. I only wish I knew who owned it.”

“We’re going to do all we can to find out who the building belongs to, I can promise you that, Mrs. Oliver,” John said.

The older woman spent the better part of the afternoon answering their questions and even taking them to several other apartments and getting the tenants to answer more. John helped open several more windows while they were there and by the time he and Elizabeth left the building, they had enough information for several articles.

“If this doesn’t help get the city leaders’ attention, I’m not sure anything can,” Elizabeth said once they got on the trolley to take them back to Heaton House.

“Oh, we’re going to get their attention. You took some good shots today. I doubt that Millicent could have done any better,” John said.

“Thank you, John. But it wasn’t hard. Those two children playing in the hall captured my heart.”

“Mine, too. They didn’t seem to realize that they should have somewhere better to play.”

“It was as if they just accepted the conditions they live in. But, of course, it’s all they know.” She turned her head to look out the window, trying to will away the tears that suddenly threatened to fall. “I wanted to pick them up and bring them with us.”

“I know. I did, too. It made me more determined than ever to find the owners of these places. First thing tomorrow I’m going to start digging. And if I can’t find out anything, I’m going to ask Michael to help. The owners of these buildings can’t get away with this.”

Elizabeth’s heart swelled with admiration for him. She’d never seen him so passionate about anything, and she had no doubt he meant what he said. He wanted to help these people as much as she did—only she’d never realized it until now.

* * *

As soon as they arrived back at Heaton House, Elizabeth gave her film to Millicent and she promised to have it developed the next day.

“We’ll pay you for developing them, of course,” John said.

Millicent shook her head. “No need. After seeing how awful the tenements look, I’d like to contribute something to the cause. Besides, I know you don’t always know when you might need a photographer and I’ve been keeping fairly busy lately. The shots you used for the paper really helped. I’ve had several requests for photo shoots and have made enough on those to tide me over for a while.”

“I’m glad,” Elizabeth said.

John hoped she didn’t feel guilty for taking the photographs herself. But she did and whispered as much to him right before dinner as they met up in the parlor.

He shook his head. “You have nothing to feel bad about. Millicent was right. It’s hard to know when we might need photographs, and to my way of thinking we’d be wasting her time to ask her to be available and then not be able to use her.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Elizabeth released a sigh. “Thank you. I was feeling horrid for not asking her to go with us. But you’re right. I’d feel just as bad if she’d gone and we hadn’t needed her. I do hope the photos turn out.”

“They will.” He was getting to know Elizabeth better every day, but it surprised him to hear the vulnerability in her voice. This was a side of her he’d never seen. He’d always thought of her as one of the most self-confident women he knew. But perhaps he’d gotten self-confident and independent confused. That she was an independent woman was evident. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t vulnerable at times.

Realizing that made him want to be there for her, to assure her, protect her, do whatever he could to encourage her...just as she’d been doing for him.

“Thank you for your confidence in my photography skills, John. But I know I’m just an amateur.”

“That may be so. But you’re a talented one. I don’t think there’s anything you couldn’t do if you set your mind to it, Elizabeth.”

“Why, John Talbot, how can you say you don’t know how to talk to women? That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

And that was the nicest thing she’d ever said to him.

“Dinner is served,” Mrs. Heaton called from the foyer.

John crooked his arm and smiled down at Elizabeth. She took his arm and they headed to the dining room. Was it possible he’d learned a few things in the years he’d been at Heaton House? Oh, he hoped so.

Chapter Thirteen

O
n Wednesday another of John’s articles came out in the
Tribune,
and Elizabeth arrived home with a copy of the
Delineator
that featured her piece. Mrs. Heaton declared it reason to celebrate and hurried to the kitchen.

John was called to the phone just before dinner and was pleased to hear Michael’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Congratulations, my friend. I’m very impressed with your article.”

“Thank you, Michael. I hope it helps.”

“It certainly can’t hurt. Violet let me read Elizabeth’s write-up and she did a great job, too.”

“Yes, she did. She gets right to the heart of the matter, doesn’t she?” He’d been more than impressed with her piece. “If any of the city leaders’ wives read her story, I have no doubt that they’ll be looking into things very soon.”

“Neither do I. Listen, Violet and I were wondering if you, Elizabeth, Kathleen and Luke might want to come over after dinner and let us in on everything. We feel a bit out of it all not living there and being able to keep up-to-date with what’s going on.”

“Why, I’m sure they’ll be glad to come by. If not, I’ll let you know, but I can’t imagine them not being up to an outing.” He knew he’d be glad to go, especially if it meant spending more time with Elizabeth. He was dreading the upcoming holiday more each day knowing she’d be gone.

“Good. We’ll expect you if we hear no different.” Michael ended the call and John hurried to the parlor to let the others know of his request.

“I’d love to go see them,” Elizabeth said.

“So would I,” Kathleen added. “After all, they had a lot to do with getting me and my family out of the tenements and have helped so much with getting the child-care homes started.”

“We should have realized they’d want to keep up with things,” Elizabeth said.

“Well, we can do that from now on,” John said. He felt bad for not keeping his friends up-to-date on what was going on. He just figured they had enough going on in their lives what with Rebecca and Jenny living with them and Violet expecting their first child. But none of that was an excuse for not keeping them abreast of what was going on. “And they needn’t feel left out. I’ll ask Michael to see what he can find out about these owners. Won’t hurt to have a professional investigator on this.”

Mrs. Heaton called them in to dinner and was quite pleased they were going over to see her children. “I do think they feel left out from time to time. They’ll love getting caught up on everything and being asked to help where they can.”

She brought out a three-layer chocolate cake—a favorite of both John and Elizabeth—to celebrate their articles coming out on the same day.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Heaton. This does make it a celebration,” Elizabeth said.

“Thank you. And don’t feel you have to tarry. I know you’d all like to be on your way. Why don’t I just send half of this with you and you all can celebrate with them?”

“We’d be delighted,” Elizabeth said. “The least we can do with them feeling left out is share our celebration cake with them.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” John said. “Thank you for thinking of it. Would you like to go with us?”

“I would. But I think I’ll let you all go and give them my love. I have several things I need to catch up on in the office. I’ll have some wrapped up for you to take as soon as you are ready to go.” She served cake to the boarders who’d be staying and then hurried to the kitchen with the rest of the cake.

Elizabeth and Kathleen hurried upstairs to freshen up and John took charge of the basket Mrs. Heaton brought back to the dining room.

“You all have a nice time, and enjoy your cake.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Heaton, we will.” He knew he’d enjoy the cake. And with Elizabeth along, how could he not have a nice time?

* * *

It was a beautiful evening to enjoy a walk and Elizabeth found herself wishing Michael and Violet lived a little farther. But when they opened the door and greeted them she was very happy they’d gone to see them.

“Come in, come in,” Violet said.

“Mother called to let us know you were bringing dessert. Thanks for letting us in on your celebration.” Michael motioned them inside.

“Can’t think of anyone else we’d rather celebrate with,” John said, handing the basket to Violet.

“Let’s go to the dining room and I’ll serve this up right away. We let Hilda off for the evening.”

The men didn’t need a second invitation as they filed into the room right away. Elizabeth and Kathleen went to the kitchen to help Violet. Her kitchen was smaller than the one at Heaton House but quite nice.

Violet put her to work getting cups and saucers, and putting cream and sugar on a tray to take in, and Kathleen helped by taking the dessert plates with the cake she’d sliced into the dining room. Rebecca came down from putting Jenny to bed and joined them in the kitchen.

“Oh, I would have loved to have seen Jenny,” Elizabeth said.

“I know. But she’d be so excited, I’d never get her to sleep,” Rebecca said. “We’ll come over soon and visit.”

“We’re going to miss them when they move to Heaton House,” Violet said. “The house will seem much too quiet.”

“Not for long,” Rebecca said. “You’ll have your very own little noisemaker in the house.”

“I can’t wait,” Violet said, leading the way into the dining room.

Once they were all settled around the table, talk was all about the articles John and Elizabeth had written and how proud they all were of them.

“They are both excellent,” Michael said. “I feel sure they are going to make a difference.”

“Oh, I know they will,” Kathleen said. “I’m ever so thankful John and Elizabeth agreed to work together on this.”

“We’re the ones who should be thankful,” Elizabeth said. “Without you we wouldn’t have any stories. You see these places first and let us know which ones are in the worst shape.”

“I thought the building Colleen and I lived in was bad, but oh, compared to some I’ve seen...” Kathleen shuddered and shook her head.

John told them he’d be doing two articles a week for the foreseeable future and that there’d already been some threats of taking away advertising. “I’ve started going through property records, but it could take a while to find out who actually owns these buildings now.”

“It certainly could,” Michael said. “And much as I hate so say it, the owners could be people normally considered to be upstanding citizens. Though, I’m sure not all of them know about the neglect. As you know, some people invest their money with others and then in turn they invest in properties without always checking everything out.”

“Yes,” John agreed. “That’s what makes it so hard to get to real owners.”

“I do wonder about the threats to the
Tribune,
though,” Michael said. “Do you think you could get a list of the advertisers? It might lead to something you could use.”

“I’ll sure try. I was going to ask if you might want to do some investigative work for the cause.”

“I’d be glad to,” Michael said. “Then I’d feel I’m doing my part for the cause.”

“I’ve a feeling I’m going to need all the help I can get locating some of these owners. I truly appreciate your offer to help, Michael,” John said.

“Good.”

“Well,” Violet said. “If we have all that settled, I want to take Kathleen and Elizabeth upstairs for a few minutes to show them some fashion plates I’ve found that Kathleen might like for her trousseau.”

“Go right ahead. We’ll be in the parlor.” Michael stood and led the men back to their parlor while Elizabeth and Kathleen followed Violet up the staircase.

* * *

“I’m sure they’ll be gone for more than a few minutes, so let’s not get our hopes up they’ll be joining us anytime soon,” Michael said, once the men had settled in the parlor.

“Not when they get to talking wedding talk,” Luke said. “This planning takes up a lot more of Kathleen’s time than I thought it would. I should have insisted on eloping.”

“Getting anxious, Luke?” Michael asked.

“Probably about as much as you did before your wedding.”

Michael laughed. “Well, I can assure you of one thing. It will be worth it when you see her come down the aisle on your wedding day.”

John listened to their banter and chuckled along with them, but he honestly couldn’t relate to how either of them felt and he felt a bit envious that he couldn’t. Michael and Violet were very happy; no one in their company could question that for a moment. And John had no doubt that Luke and Kathleen would be just as happy. He could no longer deny that he longed for the same thing. A wife he loved to share his life with, to begin a family with.

And despite his vow never to give his heart to anyone again, he was having trouble keeping it. In fact it was entirely possible that he might have broken that vow already. The way Elizabeth took up his thoughts, he was—

“You’re awfully quiet over there, John. Getting tired of all this wedding talk?”

“No. I’m glad to see my two best friends happy.”

“You could be, too, you know.”

John laughed and shook his head.

“I’ve seen the way you look at Elizabeth,” Michael said.

John’s heart pounded ferociously against his ribs.

“Yes, so have I,” Luke added.

If they could see how he felt, how much chance did he have of keeping his feelings to himself around Elizabeth? He forced a chuckle and shook his head. “I... Elizabeth wouldn’t... Never mind. Besides, my instincts where women are concerned aren’t very good. I always end up saying the wrong thing.”

“Well, join our club, man. We all end up saying or doing the wrong thing a lot of the time, if not most of the time. Who can understand the mind of a woman? You’re no different from the rest of us,” Luke said.

“Even so. Elizabeth is way out of my league.”

“What makes you think so?” Michael asked.

He shrugged. “A feeling I’ve had since the day I met her.”

“She works for a living like the rest of us,” Luke said. “And I’ve seen her looking at you the same way you look at her, too.”

“You have?” John shrugged. “She’d never—”

“John.” Michael laughed. “You have a lot to learn about love. It doesn’t have a thing to do with being ‘out of one’s league.’ It has nothing to do with where one comes from, what social standing one is in, how rich or how poor. It doesn’t even have to do with having like personalities. It only has to do with how two people feel about each other. Whether they hate the thought of being apart, and don’t want to live one more day without being together as man and wife. It’s missing her when she isn’t with you, even if she’s only in another room. It’s—” He broke off and shrugged and chuckled. “Hard to explain.”

“Very true,” Luke added. “It’s wanting to protect the person you love with everything in you, wanting their happiness before your own and—”

John raised his hand and nodded toward the foyer. His ears had been taking in everything his friends said, but also listening for the return of the women. The sounds on the stairs let him know the women were on their way back down.

“I’m sure looking forward to that ball game this Saturday,” Luke said, understanding what his motions were all about. “I think it’s going to be a good one.”

John’s hearing had been right on as the women entered the room.

“Did you miss us?” Violet asked, crossing the room to her husband.

“No doubt about it, we did,” Michael responded.

“We missed you, too,” his wife responded.

Luke stood and hurried to Kathleen’s side. “I think we’ll be taking off. Colleen telephoned earlier and asked Kathleen if we could stop by for a few minutes.”

That meant he and Elizabeth would be alone on the walk home. John’s gaze met and caught Elizabeth’s and he wished...for so much more than he dared. All this talk with Michael and Luke hadn’t helped him shore up his determination to keep his distance from this woman. Instead they’d made him want to take one more chance. His friends had stirred up a hope he feared reality would dash out.

Still, when Elizabeth smiled at him, he let that hope take over and smiled back.
Dear Lord, help me please. My feelings for this woman are growing with each passing day. But I’m afraid if I act on them, I’ll suffer more than a broken heart. This time I could lose a very dear friend. Please help me to know what to do. And what not to do, especially on this walk home.

“I suppose we should be on our way back, too, if you’re ready, Elizabeth?” John said.

“Yes, I suppose we should.” She turned to Michael and Violet. “Thank you so much for having us over. We do miss you at Heaton House.”

“We’ll have to do this more often,” Michael said. “I’m glad we have the ball game to look forward to this weekend.”

“So am I,” John said.

They all said their goodbyes, and once on the street Luke and Kathleen headed in the opposite direction, waving goodbye. “We’ll see you back at Heaton House.”

* * *

John glanced at Elizabeth and crooked his arm. She smiled and slipped her hand through, resting it on his sleeve.

“It’s a nice night out, isn’t it?” he asked.

“It is. I’m glad it’s cooled a bit since we came over. Maybe Mrs. Oliver will get a breeze in her apartment this evening.”

“I hope so,” John said. “It was nice visiting with Michael and Violet, wasn’t it?”

“It was. I’ve missed her since they married. And now I’ll have to get used to a new boarder next door when Kathleen leaves.”

“Yes. But so far we’ve been lucky to keep in touch and still be friends with those who’ve moved on. And you know it will be the same with Luke and Kathleen.”

“That’s true.” Elizabeth’s chest lightened at his words.

“And at least it’s never boring at Heaton House.”

“You’re right about that. Thank you for making me feel better, John. I must admit I was feeling a little down.”

“You’re welcome. I do understand, you know. Though it’s not quite the same and we men don’t...”

“Don’t what?”

“Well, we don’t...” What had he gotten himself into? Again, he wasn’t sure what to say without it sounding as if he were putting women down.