Her Safe Harbor: Prairie Romance (Crawford Family Book 4) (4 page)

Smithers shook his head. “No, sir, not completely. Some
rooms were bare on the lower floor, but the sleeping rooms and the staff
quarters furnishings were all included in the sale of the house according to
Mrs. Shelby.”

“And where did the furnishings on the lower floor come from,
Smithers?”

“The senator’s wife chose the furnishings. She told me to
tell you the bills would be arriving here for payment, sir.”

“Damnation!” Zeb said. “How much of my money has she spent?
I suppose she anticipated this reaction as well.”

“She did, sir, and I would be more comfortable if Mrs.
Shelby relayed the amount to you in person.”

Zeb was seated at the dining room table at one of the
sixteen chairs and served his dinner while Smithers unpacked his trunk and
other bags in his rooms, even after he insisted that he preferred to eat in his
library at his desk or in the kitchen in the small alcove where the staff ate
their meals. Zeb fell asleep in his new bed as he read and reread the U.S.
Constitution and the accompanying Articles.

Chapter Four

“Aunt Jennifer!” Melinda shouted,
and ran full tilt at her across the black and white tiled floor of Jolene’s
Washington home. “I have been waiting forever!”

Jennifer hugged Melinda and kissed her hair. “It does seem
like forever, doesn’t it?”

“Let your aunt breathe, Melinda,” Jolene said as she made
her way across the foyer. “How was your trip?”

“Uneventful,” Jennifer said, and looked Jolene up and down.
“What is different?”

Jolene linked her arm through Jennifer’s. “Let me show you
to your rooms and allow Mrs. Trundle to help your maid get you both settled.
Finish your studies, Melinda, and then you may have unfettered access to your
aunt.”

Jennifer followed the young men carrying her trunks and bags
into a spacious, high-ceilinged room with long windows and a massive bed.

“How lovely, Jolene! You must have been very busy, as your
last letter said you were considering moving to a hotel until the work was done
here.”

“It has been an incredible rush but well worth it, I think,”
Jolene said as she straightened drapes and ran her hand along a tall dresser.
She turned to her housekeeper. “Please have a tea tray sent up and perhaps some
cakes, as well.”

“That sounds lovely,” Jennifer said as she unpinned her hat.

“You are probably tired,” Jolene said. “Take a rest and
we’ll talk when you are ready.”

“No, no,” Jennifer said, and pointed to two flowered chairs
in front of a marble fireplace. “Sit down with me here. Tell me what is
happening. I’m very excited for you and Max, and you are looking more beautiful
than usual, Jolene. Your dress is lovely.”

“We’ll go to the dressmakers while you are here, if you’d
like. I’ve found a dress shop that is extraordinary, and I’ll be there quite a
bit as I will be needing all new things.”

“All new, Jolene? I was at the Hacienda when Alice packed
you. If I remember correctly there were eleven trunks.”

“But I won’t fit in those dresses very shortly, Jennifer,”
she said and smiled. “Maximillian and I are expecting a son or daughter this
fall.”

“I am so happy for you both!” Jennifer cried, and stood to
kiss her sisters’ cheek. “What wonderful news!”

“It is wonderful news. I never thought I’d feel so much joy.
I never thought I could feel true happiness ever again. But I can and I do.”

Jennifer blinked back tears. “Of course you can. What did
Max say?”

“He is nearly beside himself and is so busy with the Senate,
but he sends me messages by courier at all hours and has told the staff that I
am to do nothing strenuous, as if I were scrubbing floors, and Melinda tattles
on me to her father. The minx!”

Jennifer was in awe of her sister’s transformation. This unguarded
Jolene was nothing as she remembered, not as her sister was while growing up at
Willow Tree, and definitely not during her first marriage. When her son,
William, died, Jolene descended further into her own misery, Jennifer had
always thought, never smiling, speaking rarely, and when she did it was often a
biting, and, on occasion, even cruel remark. Jennifer had not been looking
forward to visiting Jolene and her new husband in Texas, but she desperately
needed time away from her mother and put aside her fears and worries about
traveling that distance to a sister who was not particularly a happy person and
went anyway. She arrived in the midst of the influenza outbreak at the ranch,
but even then, during their worry for Melinda and all the others at the ranch,
she could see that Jolene had changed.

“You look like and act like a different person. I am very,
very happy for you.”

Jolene stared at her sister. “But you do not look happy. In
fact, you look quite miserable, Jennifer. What is it? Is it Mother? I have told
you and will continue to tell you that you are welcome to make your life here
with us. Maximillian has told me to impress upon you that he would be happy to
have you live with us indefinitely.”

“But it isn’t always that easy. I don’t know what Father has
said to you, but Mother is ill. She will not tell me or Father the details but
the doctor has examined her.”

“And you believe it is serious?”

“I do. And I will not abandon Father to her tantrums.”

Jennifer sat silently staring into the fire and calming her
racing heart. She was near tears and not quite sure why.

“I have never thought about how this has affected you,
Jennifer. I’m sure Julia did not either. But you must feel as though we’ve left
you there,” Jolene said softly, breaking the silence.

“Everyone is free to live their own life. You have moved on
and are happy, and I am glad for you.”

“Except you, Jennifer. Are you free to live your own life?”

Jennifer swallowed, feeling angry and tense but hardly
willing to upset this new balance between her and Jolene. She jumped up from
her chair and hurried to the window. “What a lovely view, Jolene. This house
compares to Landonmore in many ways. You must be very pleased.”

Jolene came to stand beside her and pushed the curtain back
to look out herself. “I am very pleased and very fortunate. Now, I’m sure
you’re exhausted. I’ll send your maid to you.”

* * *

“She’s finally here, Melinda!” Max
said, and wrapped Jennifer in a bear hug and then kissed both of her cheeks. “I
am so glad you’re here. Jolene and Melinda have done nothing but complain that
you were not with us when we arrived.”

Jennifer smiled and held Max’s hands in hers. “I’ve heard
that you are to be a papa again and I am thrilled for you!”

Max nodded, and Jennifer was certain she saw his eyes
glisten with tears.

“I am terrified something will go wrong and worry about her
and the baby constantly, but the doctor says that she is healthy and fit and he
foresees no problems.”

“You must think good thoughts, Max. Jolene had no issues
when she delivered William, and my sister Julia has birthed three healthy
children.”

“You are right,” he said and wrapped her arm around his to
lead her to the dining room. “But I can’t help worrying about her and Melinda
and this new child.”

“Of course you can’t,” Jennifer said as she was seated. “You
are as smitten with my sister as I remember, and your daughter has you wrapped
around her finger.”

Max laughed.

“I heard from your sister today, Maximillian. She and Calvin
will be here for the ceremonies,” Jolene said.

“Excellent. I haven’t seen Eugenia in ages and I want to
personally thank her for introducing Jolene and I,” Max said. “Do you remember
when your Aunt Eugenia and Uncle Calvin visited with us at the Hacienda,
Melinda?”

“A little,” Melinda said. “Especially that hat that Aunt
Eugenia wore with the pink flowers and the printed ribbons.”

“Your Aunt Eugenia is a bit eccentric in her clothing
choices, but your father is right. She introduced us and we will always be
eternally grateful,” Jolene said as she looked steadily at her husband. “I
shall have to tell the foreman that I need the green bedroom suite ready in
time for them.”

“Are my parents coming?” Max asked.

“No. Eugenia said they are disappointed but your father is
not feeling well and your mother is concerned about him making the trip.”

“With this schedule they’ve got me on already, I doubt I’ll
have time to travel anywhere until the session closes, and Mother and Father
are getting up in years,” Max said as he filled his plate from the platters the
servants were presenting.

“Then I shall go meet and visit with your parents this
spring and take Melinda with me. It is long past—” Jolene began.

Max shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. You will not be
traveling.”

Jolene laid down her silverware and arched her brows.
“Perhaps we should discuss this at another time when you are not so . . .
passionate about the subject.”

Melinda giggled, and Jolene looked at her until she was
silent and took a fork full of food to her mouth.

“Father has written that you have reopened the parlor lobby
at the bank,” Jolene said to Jennifer.

“I have and have found your notes to be particularly useful
when we are entertaining a long-term client.”

“The parlor lobby?” Max asked.

Jolene nodded. “When I was married to Turner, I entertained
clients before they met with my father or other bank employees in a comfortable
room with a private entrance. It started out when I overheard Father telling
his secretary that the week ahead was going to be very busy and he was
concerned that he and his staff were not going to be able to take care of all
the customers coming to see him in a timely manner.”

“Mother was in a foul temper about it if I remember
correctly,” Jennifer said.

“Mother was often in a foul temper,” Jolene replied.
“Anyway, I went to work with my father that week, with a maid of course, and
served coffee and tea and cakes from a pastry shop around the corner from the
bank to clients who were going to be delayed because my father was running late
with a previous appointment. I made polite conversation and kept notes so I
would know what to ask or comment on the next time the client visited.”

“Father said half the reason the bank was doing so well was
because Jolene was greeting customers,” Jennifer said.

“Men are notoriously silly when it comes to appearances. As
if I had the foggiest notion of the business of banking. However, after playing
hostess there for some years, I was much acquainted with how and why things
worked the way they did behind the scenes.”

“Of course you did,” Max said, and waved his fork. “I have
said all along that you are very business savvy and bright. Obviously your
father recognized that.”

“I would like to work somewhere when I grow up,” Melinda
said.

Max grumbled.

“You will, Melinda,” Jolene said. “You will be managing the
Shelby family’s considerable holdings in property and investments, and
preparing the next generation, and your sister or brother, to help you.”

“That is not the same,” Melinda whined.

“What would you like to do when it is time to decide?” Jolene
asked.

Nothing in this conversation or in the energy surrounding it
was anything like the family dinners at Willow Tree, now often just Mother,
Father, and her, and done mostly in silence, other than when Mother berated
someone in her sphere. The great knot in Jennifer’s stomach was slowly
unwinding. How calming it would be to not have constant tension, to relax and
not be so wary. She awoke from her thoughts when Max spoke to her.

“Jolene says that according to your father, a certain
gentleman has become a favorite of yours. When will we get to meet him?”

Her peace was interrupted even without his name being
mentioned. How would she ever escape him? Would she ever have this comfort that
she felt with Jolene’s family as her own? She looked up at Max.

“He is
not
my favorite, and I have recently told
Father so.”

Jennifer concentrated on her meal then and keeping her hands
from shaking as she reached for her wineglass. Max excused himself early to
meet with a fellow senator, and Jolene gave her an extensive tour of the house,
from the attics to the staff quarters. Melinda held her hand and swung their
arms between them as if they did not have a care in the world. When they came
to Melinda’s rooms, she asked if she could stay behind from the rest of the tour
as she was still arranging them to her liking.

“Of course,” Jolene said to her and kissed her forehead.
“Young ladies like to have their things just so.”

“You and Melinda seem quite affectionate,” Jennifer said as
they settled themselves into comfortable chairs in Jolene’s private rooms.

“We are. It is quite astonishing to you, I imagine, knowing
how we were with Mother growing up.”

Jennifer nodded. “It seems as though that is the way it is
supposed to be. I remember going to my friend Ruth Edgewood’s house and
sometimes eating dinner with them when Mother allowed it. The Edgewoods talked
about all kinds of interesting things and there was always laughter and . . .
well, it always made me wonder why our family dinners were not like that.”

“I am very fortunate to have found Maximillian. He has drawn
me into viewing life from a much different perspective. He is happy that he is
alive and that Melinda is well and that he married me . . . although sometimes
I wonder.” Jolene stopped and dabbed her eyes. “I am an emotional mess with
this impending motherhood.”

“I am glad for you.”

Jolene nodded. “It all makes me think of little William, and
makes me alternately joyful and terrified. But Maximillian is my bulwark. He
tells people about our son William and that we lost him to the influenza. He
acts as if he was William’s father, and when I questioned him he told me that I
birthed and loved William and therefore he loves him because he loves me. He
said that I consider Melinda my daughter, and why shouldn’t he consider William
his son? What am I to say in the face of that resolve?”

“He is a very special person.”

“He is,” Jolene agreed and sipped a cold tea, and then
turned in her chair to face Jennifer. “Your response to Maximillian at dinner
when he mentioned Jeffrey Rothchild leads me to believe he is less than
special.”

Jennifer sat in silence, listening to the crack of the fire
as logs broke and watching their sparks fly. “He is not special at all. In
fact, he is not a pleasant man.”

“In what ways, Jennifer? Has he been unkind or
ungentlemanly?” Jolene asked with a keen eye.

She did not know why but she was unwilling to share this
humiliation with Jolene, as she had planned. She was embarrassed, for certain,
but that was not the whole of it. Ghastly as it seemed, there was a small voice
whispering to her that perhaps she deserved whatever punishment Jeffrey saw fit
to deliver. Perhaps she
was
in the wrong. Perhaps that was the reason
that everyone in her family had deserted her in one way or another.