Somewhere to Call Home (Love Inspired Historical) (9 page)

Violet couldn’t tell how he felt about Lila, and she told herself once more that it wasn’t any of her business anyway. Still, she wished she knew. “I suppose I’d better go freshen up for dinner. Hopefully, Lila will feel better and come down.”

“Mother will send something up if she doesn’t. Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine.”

Violet was sure she would be, but today’s events weren’t going to make it easier for them to become friends. And she might have to accept that they never would be. But it would make living in the same house much easier if they could get along.

They parted at the staircase. Violet had just reached the landing when Julia came out of Lila’s room and hurried to give her a hug. “I heard about your wonderful news,” she whispered. “I am so happy for you.”

“Lila told you?”

Julia steered Violet down the hall away from Lila’s room.

“How is her headache? I feel so bad—”

“Don’t you feel that way for a minute. You thought you were being hired to be a pattern folder. You had no way of knowing they would be in need of a seamstress. But you can sew and Lila can’t. For whatever reason you were asked to take the position, just rejoice and thank the good Lord for the blessing. That’s what I’d do.”

“Oh, thank you, Julia. I needed to hear those words. I do hate that Lila is upset, but I’m so very excited to begin my new position!”

“Good! You should be. Hopefully Lila will get a promotion one day soon. But don’t blame yourself if she doesn’t. Now, let’s freshen up and get downstairs. I can’t wait to see what Mrs. Heaton has prepared for your first-day-at-work celebration—it’s bound to be delicious. She’s so great to make all ‘first days’ special.”

“She’s a wonderful woman. I’m so thankful she suggested I come to New York when I couldn’t find work at home.”

“Well, I’m thankful she did, too. I’m glad you are here, Violet. So is everyone...” She grinned and shrugged. “Well, all except for one, maybe. It’s impossible to please everyone, you know.”

Julia was right. If Lila was determined to dislike her, there was nothing she could do to make her change her mind. Mrs. Heaton had put a lot of effort into this celebration dinner and Violet wasn’t going to let Lila’s attitude ruin it.

* * *

The table was set with the Sunday china, and as Michael pulled out her chair for her, Violet realized how much she was coming to look forward to dinnertime. She loved hearing him say the prayer before meals, and that he thanked the Lord for her quick promotion touched her heart.

As Michael began passing dishes around, there was a family feel to sharing meals with these people she was coming to know. Everyone seemed truly happy about the way her day had gone and wanted to know all about her new position.

“I would think that would be a more interesting position than the one you applied for,” Elizabeth said. “How fortunate that you know how to sew.”

“I am very thankful that I do. And the fact that I’d been using Butterick patterns to make mine and Mother’s clothing the last few years seemed to help.”

“I’m sure it did,” John said. “Any company wants to have an employee who likes what they sell.”

The dinner Mrs. Heaton served was one of Violet’s very favorites and it made her feel even more at home than ever. Had her mother been alive, she would have prepared the exact same thing. Dinner was filet of beef with mushroom sauce, creamed potatoes and peas along with other side dishes. The dessert was a huge coconut layer cake.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Heaton. Everything is delicious.” Violet tried not to think of Lila missing out on it. Was she sulking? Violet sighed inwardly at her thoughts. There she went again—judging others. It was possible the other woman really did feel bad for reasons other than jealousy. She shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions.

“I love it when someone has something to celebrate on a weeknight,” John Talbot said. “It feels like a holiday.”

Elizabeth added, “We’re blessed that Mrs. Heaton considers most pieces of good news a reason to celebrate.”

“So, Violet, how did it come about that you’ve become a seamstress instead of a pattern cutter or folder?” Luke asked.

Violet explained about the young woman she’d be replacing getting married. “Evidently, from what I was told, openings come up quite often in all departments for that reason.”

“They come up often in all businesses. I suppose there are some women who keep their positions once they are married, but I haven’t known many,” Julia said. “And, were I to get married, I don’t think I’d want to work. Of course there are women who must take care of their families for various reasons and I would hope they would be able to find work, should they need it.”

“Times are changing,” Mrs. Heaton said. “There are many more opportunities for employment for women now that were not available when I was young. I was blessed in that I married for love, but I knew young women who weren’t so fortunate. Their fathers arranged marriages for them or they felt forced to marry any available suitor. You have many more choices, particularly in this city. But you must always be aware of the dangers, too.”

“Yes, we know. And we’re all thankful to you, Mrs. Heaton. You’ve given us a safe haven and you watch over us so well,” Elizabeth said.

“Even with my rules about not going out at night alone or without one of our male boarders accompanying you?”

“Even with those,” Julia said. “I think that’s part of why I feel so much at home here. I know you would give me the same advice my mother would. And I have no desire to go out by myself after dark.”

“There’s not one of us who objects to keeping you ladies company any evening.” Luke grinned and winked at Violet.

“That is true,” Michael said, capturing Violet’s gaze. “Anytime.”

The look in his eyes as his gaze met hers had a warm flush creeping up Violet’s neck and cheeks.

“Why don’t we all go to a concert at Carnegie Hall—” All conversation stopped as a loud series of knocks on the front door interrupted Michael.

Maida hurried to see who was interrupting their dinnertime. Then Michael and his mother were called to the door. The pocket doors were shut for but a few minutes and then Gretchen was summoned to the foyer. From the looks on the other boarders’ faces, Violet was certain she wasn’t the only one wondering what was going on.

Chapter Nine

E
veryone was waiting in silence when Michael opened the pocket doors once more. In fact, no one spoke until he and his mother had taken their seats.

“What is it, Michael? Has there been some kind of trouble?” John Talbot asked.

“No, at least not for any of us. Only for the young woman we’re taking in for a while.” Michael understood the intensity in John’s voice. He wanted a big story to break. One that could get him out of covering those high-society festivities that he disliked so much. If he could break a big story, he could work for any newspaper in the country. But it had to be the right one, and John was always on the lookout. This wasn’t it, unless one took a look at the bigger story—the overcrowding of the tenements, the corruption that couldn’t be completely eradicated.

“I’m sorry about the interruption, everyone,” Mrs. Heaton said. “I knew we were going to gain another temporary boarder, but I wasn’t expecting her quite so soon.”

“A temporary boarder?” Violet asked.

Michael could see the confusion in her eyes as his mother tried to explain.

“Yes. Sometimes we take in someone who needs a safe place to stay just for a while, until they can go back to the home they’ve left or move on to another more permanent place. I give them a room on the third floor. Anyway, Mrs. Clara Driscoll, who lives a few streets over and works for Tiffany Glass, asked her landlady, Mrs. Owens, to see if we could take in one of her girls for a short time, as there was no room at her boardinghouse.”

“And of course you said yes,” Elizabeth said. “That’s one of the things we all love about you, Mrs. Heaton. You are always willing to help out those less fortunate.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Michael’s mother cleared her throat before going on and he knew Elizabeth’s words had touched her deeply...along with the problems of the young woman they’d just taken in.

“You all know not to mention this to anyone, of course. This young lady has been treated very badly where she’s been living.” She sighed and tears came to her eyes. “It seems her brother-in-law kicked her out of their tenement and she had no place to go. Clara says she’s a hard worker and will help to find her a more permanent place. For now, though, she needs encouragement and the peace of knowing she’s safe.”

“How sad,” Violet said.

“I’m sorry that I haven’t gotten around to explaining all this to you, Violet.”

“I’ll explain to Violet later, Mother.”

Mrs. Heaton took a deep breath. “Thank you, Michael. For now let’s get on with our meal. I’ll have something sent up to her after she’s settled in her room.”

“Oh, Mrs. Heaton, if you are needed upstairs, please don’t give me another thought. We’re nearly finished with our meal anyway. Thank you very much for making it so special.”

“I’m not leaving until we have the cake. Michael, please bring it to me. And, Julia, would you be a dear and get the dessert plates, please?”

Michael and Julia hurried to do as requested. Once the cake was in front of her, his mother cut large slices and sent them around the table.

“Too bad Lila didn’t feel like joining us,” Elizabeth said. “Coconut cake is one of her favorites, too.”

“She won’t miss out,” Michael said. “Mother will send a plate up to her.”

“I already did—all except for the cake,” Mrs. Heaton said. “But she sent it back down. I’ll leave it in the kitchen in case she changes her mind, and I’ll make sure there’s a slice of cake for her.”

“If she doesn’t want it, I’ll be glad to take her piece of cake so it doesn’t go to waste,” Benjamin said.

Everyone laughed at that. It’d been mentioned on more than one occasion that with men in the house, there wasn’t much food that went to waste. From what his mother told him, Michael knew it was true. But she always took that into account and he was certain there would be plenty left for both Lila and the new boarder. And he was pretty sure Lila’s appetite would be back before the evening was over—in fact she’d probably be starving by then. He had a feeling that migraine was only a ruse to keep from celebrating with Violet.

* * *

Violet joined the others in the front parlor after dinner, but her thoughts were on the young woman the Heatons had just taken in. What must it be like to be kicked out of your home...even if it was a tenement? Thoughts of the area she and Michael had wound up in made her shudder. But still, it was home to many. It was all they had. And to be forced out... Where did one go from there?

It appeared they could possibly come here. Violet had known there were rooms on the third floor and that Gretchen and Maida stayed in two of them, but she really hadn’t thought about the other empty rooms. Nor did she know how many there were. But she was pleased to know that the Heatons reached out to those in need. Much like they did her, only in a different way.

Mrs. Heaton went upstairs right after dessert to see about the young woman they’d taken in and Michael seemed to have disappeared. Violet wondered if it had anything to do with their new boarder. Everyone else was there, except for Lila, who still hadn’t made an appearance.

Violet wondered if she should go check on her. She’d just decided to do that and had excused herself when Maida met her in the foyer.

“Miss Burton, Mr. Heaton would like to talk to you, if you have time for him. He is in Mrs. Heaton’s study.”

If she had time for him? Violet couldn’t imagine ever not having time for Michael Heaton. “Thank you, Maida.” Violet headed down the hall to the study. She knocked lightly on the door frame and was pleased to be greeted with Michael’s smile.

“Maida said you wanted to talk to me. If I’ve come at a bad time—”

“No, you haven’t. Please, come in and take a seat, Violet. I didn’t forget that I would try to explain about our temporary boarders to you. Would you like me to have Maida bring us some tea?”

“No, thank you. I’m still quite full from supper.” She took a seat in one of the chairs by the fireplace. “And please don’t feel you have to explain. It’s really none of my business.”

“Oh, but it is. You live here, and while most of our boarders know Mother takes people in from time to time, they don’t know everything. But Mother and I want you to know what it is we do here besides take in boarders.”

Michael took the seat on the other side of the fireplace. “It’s been a busy evening. We were expecting this new boarder, but we didn’t know exactly when she would arrive. There’s been trouble in her family for a while now, but evidently things escalated last night and her brother-in-law insisted that she move out of the apartment she’d been sharing with her sister and him and their children.”

“How sad.” Violet’s heart broke for the woman upstairs.

“It’s a story we hear often. Families all crowded into a small apartment, with little income to provide for everyone.” He shook his head and looked into the fire. “Tempers flare and relationships are sometimes damaged forever. This may be one of those cases.”

“I hope not.”

“So do I.” Michael’s gaze turned to her once more. “But to explain about how we came to take in temporary boarders—”

“Michael, you don’t have to explain to me. This is your home. You have the right to do whatever you want with it. And I am the last person who would have a problem with you helping others less fortunate. Your mother came to
my
aid. It does not surprise me at all that she would do the same for others.”

“It is a little different with you, Violet. You’re a family friend and you’ve become very special to mother and...” Michael paused and chewed his bottom lip. He shook his head and continued, “I cannot thank you enough for moving here and becoming part of this household. Your presence has made my mother very happy. Since Becca’s disappearance, she’s poured herself into this house and helping others. But with each passing year, much of the hope of finding my sister has disappeared, and, well, you’ve brought joy back into my mother’s life. I am so glad you are here.”

“Why, thank you, Michael. But it’s I who am blessed to be here.”

Michael smiled and shook his head. “Shh. I’m trying to thank you for what your being here means to my mother. And I’m getting off track. I’m supposed to be telling you how this all came about.”

“I just assumed it was because of Becca’s disappearance that your mother decided to open the boardinghouse.”

“And you’d be right in that assumption. From the first, Mother’s goal has been to provide a place for young women to live where they could feel at home and safe.” Michael got up and began to pace and Violet could tell it was hard for him to continue. She waited in silence, not knowing what to say.

Finally, he continued, “When it became obvious that Becca wasn’t coming home, we came here and went to the boardinghouse where the last letter we’d received had come from. But it was only to find that she’d lived there just a week before disappearing. She’d never given them our address to contact us, if something happened, never even—” He shook his head and sighed.

Taking his seat once more, he looked at Violet. “It’s been very hard on both Mother and me. Not to know where she is, for the few leads we had go nowhere. Still we look for her, but I’m not sure we’ll ever get the answers to all the questions we have.”

The sorrow in his voice had Violet blinking back tears as she reached out and touched his arm. “I’m so sorry, Michael.”

“I pray you’ll never have to know the feeling.” His hand covered hers and he squeezed it before letting go. She quickly moved her hand back to her lap, her pulse racing up her arm and straight to her heart at his touch.

“So, Mother decided to move here and open a boardinghouse. I wasn’t going to let her do it alone, so I came, too. She’s comfortable with the number of boarders we have, but she’s always wanted to have room for those in dire need, if only for a night, a week or a month or so. It took a year before she began to make the connections that let others of the same mind know she was willing to help in that way.”

“How was she able to get the word out?”

“There are several boardinghouses in the area and many all over the city. She met the owners and let them know that she keeps some rooms available for such a need. In my work, I’ve come to know several policemen, firemen, others who came into contact with young women who needed help, and I let them know. After a few months, we began to get calls from boardinghouse owners who had no room and knew someone who needed a place for a night, then we’d have a knock on the door from a policeman or fireman who’d run across someone in real need for a temporary place to stay to get away from a situation...somewhere safe until they could decide what to do.”

“What wonderful work you and your mother are doing, Michael. If there is any way I can help, please let me know.” Violet paused. “After seeing only a small part of the other side of the city, I’ve not been able to get it or the little boys we saw out of my mind. I realize I’ve lived quite a sheltered life in Ashland.”

“I understand. I realized the same thing. It is quite a shock at first—to know there is poverty at such high levels just blocks from here. Does it make you want to go back?”

“I don’t like it. But no, it doesn’t make me want to go back—at least not until I have the money to pay off the mortgage on my family’s home. However, it does make me feel selfish for feeling sorry for myself. I never had to live in those kinds of conditions. Never had to worry about my next meal or having a roof over my head. Oh, I worry about not being able to keep my home...but if that happens, I’ll be able to work and stay here. I worried about finding work, but I was blessed to find it so quickly. I’ve never had to live in squalor. I’d like to help in some way, if I can.”

“You have the heart of my mother and the others who want to make a difference. And I’m sure you’ll be able to. There are all kinds of opportunities and ways to help, Violet. We just wanted you to know how we came to the point that we take in more than just our regular boarders. You’ll find there is a group of people working to help in many ways. We can’t do it all, and there will always be more problems than we can solve, but we try to do our part, one person at a time.”

Violet had never felt prouder to know this man than at that moment. “Thank you for explaining it all to me. I see now why this house feels like a home. It holds much love for those who come to it.”

* * *

Long after Violet went upstairs, Michael sat in his mother’s study thinking about their conversation. Violet had a huge heart and he could tell she was sincere in wanting to help others. Well, she’d have plenty of opportunity in this house. And his mother would be thrilled to have her help.

Perhaps it was a good thing their hack driver had taken a wrong turn the other day. Although Violet just saw the tip of the iceberg, she at least knew for certain that New York wasn’t all mansions and fancy shops. And she’d find out more the longer she lived here.

There were many who didn’t want to see or even hear about those less fortunate. Sadly, a few of their boarders were like that. Lila came to mind. She was much too self-absorbed to care much about others.

Her actions this evening were a prime example. She might have had a headache, but he’d seen her act that way before and he was pretty sure that Lila was just plain jealous of Violet and didn’t want to be part of her celebration tonight. If she had any idea how transparent she was, she’d see that her attitude was what actually made people less inclined to want to spend time with her. Lila wouldn’t want to know about the temporary boarder. She would barely acknowledge her existence once she joined them downstairs.

She and Violet were total opposites, and it was no wonder that Violet was getting most of the attention Lila craved. Violet cared about the others in this house, how their day went, what was going on in their lives.

Michael had never felt about a woman quite the way he did about Violet. On one hand, it was as if he’d known her all his life, which he had. On the other, it was as if he was getting to know her for the very first time and he was aware of her presence in a way that made him feel more alive than ever. Not even his ex-fiancée, Amanda, had made him feel the way Violet did.