The Righteous (16 page)

“Bleeding the beast?” Stephen Paul gave a disgusted shake of the head. “A morally bankrupt tactic. It’s all theft, isn’t it?”

“Ah, but hasn’t the government stolen its wealth anyway?” Jacob asked. “Isn’t theft from a corrupt, self-serving organization justified?”

“In a word, no.” Stephen Paul dished himself a second helping of the pot pie, then served up seconds for two of his children. “No caveats, no equivocating, and no moral relativity in this house. And I thought your father was against that, anyway.”

“He is. Although in my father’s case, it’s practical. It’s a stupid way to attract attention from the government, he says. But I’ve heard the prophet speak and his reasons are similar to your own. So are mine. Stealing is stealing, as far as I’m concerned. But it seems like there are plenty of Saints still bilking the government.”

“It’s a hard habit to break. So, how well do you know my sisters?” Stephen Paul asked, changing directions abruptly. “Is there one in particular you’re interested in?”

“I don’t know them at all, yet.”

“Not at all?”

“No,” Jacob said.

“Haven’t even seen a picture?” Stephen Paul asked.

“I might have met one of your sisters several years ago, but she was a child at the time. I couldn’t even tell you the color of her hair. But look, there’s plenty of time to meet your sisters later. First, I have to make sure that my sister will be happy here.”

“Fair enough.” He looked at Eliza. “Your brother’s a decent man, thinking of you first.”

“Yes, I know,” she agreed. “It’s a lot for my future husband to live up to.”

He smiled at this. “Normally at this point in the conversation I would excuse you from the room. My wives and children, too. Then, I’d have a heart-to-heart with my future brother-in-law to see where we stood. But I have to ask you a question first, and I need an honest answer.”

Eliza nodded. “I’ll give you the best answer I can.”

“Do you want to marry me?”

She blinked in surprise. “Does that matter?”

“To me it does.”

Eliza said, “And your other wives, this is why they married you? Because they wanted to? Not because they thought that’s what God wanted or because their fathers made them?”

“Liz,” Jacob said.

“No, it’s okay,” Stephen Paul said. “Let me explain, Eliza. I’m not asking if you want to marry me because you find me handsome, or are drawn to my animal magnetism. I’m not so self-absorbed as all that. And so-called chemistry is not important in the grand scheme of things. Husbands and wives gain affection for each other through the natural course of childbirth, parenting, and shared lives.

“What I mean by wanting to marry me is that you have weighed
all
the factors. Your belief that I’m a decent man. Your belief that I’ll be a good father, and a righteous husband who will obey the will of the Lord. Your desire to form something larger than yourself. Zion. A community of people pulling in the same direction for a holy purpose. In that light, Eliza Christianson, do you want to marry me?”

The explanation and the question itself was more than she had expected and entirely fair. She looked around the room at the Young family. They looked happy enough. The women remained in the room. Partners. Maybe not equals, but not servants, either.

Yes, it was a fair question, and deserved a fair answer. “No, I don’t. You seem like a good man, and goodness knows you’re a better catch than my other choices. But I’ve known you—what?—an hour? And I’m supposed to decide in an hour whether or not to marry you, not just here, but in the next world, too? It’s too soon.”

“Okay, then,” Stephen Paul said. “That’s all I need to know.”

“Not yet,” she corrected. “You asked if I wanted to marry you and I gave you my honest answer. But that’s not my decision. I
will
marry you, because it is the Lord’s will that I marry and you are a man I can respect. I could live here. Maybe even be happy some day.”

But in the back of her mind she couldn’t help but think those same thoughts that had stirred in her mind since she’d left Eduardo’s trailer. She had turned rebellious, and suffered doubts like the kind that Jacob regularly entertained.

Stephen Paul shook his head. “I have complete respect for your position, but that isn’t enough. My own family has to be Zion within Zion. Every member has to pull in the same direction with no doubts.”

“Unfortunately, no doubts doesn’t describe my personality. Not now and probably not ever. There are always doubts.”

“I’m sorry then.”

Eliza looked at Jacob. She could see him struggling, not knowing whether he should intervene, and if so, how. When it became clear that he wouldn’t help her in this, she said, “You know who my other choices are, don’t you? One is Elder Johnson. The other is Taylor Kimball, Junior.”

He frowned at this news. “I would recommend Elder Johnson. He’s a good man. Taylor Junior…I know him well. He’s got all of his father’s bad characteristics and none of the good.” He shook his head. “And he holds only disdain for women.”

“I’m painfully aware of that,” Eliza said.

“Then you’re capable of drawing your own conclusions.” He pushed himself back from the table. “It’s getting late. Would you like to spend the night here rather than fight your way down the mountain in the dark?” He directed this question to Jacob.

“Yes, thank you,” said Jacob.

Later, Eliza and Jacob stood on the porch watching the June beetles batter themselves into the lamp. Eliza had helped the women clean up the kitchen, then retreated to the porch to gather her thoughts. She had watched the bugs and wondered what it was about lights that bedazzled the insects and sent them swirling in helpless circles.

Jacob had found her on the porch and said nothing for several minutes. “It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? The insects are out, doing whatever it is they do—breeding, feeding, avoiding bats—when suddenly they see the porch light. They forget everything else to get closer to the light bulb.”

Eliza said, “There’s an analogy to humans in there somewhere, I’m sure.” She turned to look at her brother. “I think I made a mistake. Now I’m stuck with Elder Johnson. Not exactly every girl’s dream to marry a man with a walker and dentures.”

“Stephen Paul gave me these.” Jacob held up a folder with several papers inside. “Father had faxed him some of your old school papers, IQ tests, and such. Assure good breeding and all that. Looks like Stephen Paul is a eugenicist. Or at least, Father thinks he is.”

“So what’s my IQ?”

“Is this the point where I’m supposed to say that of course I didn’t look?” He smiled as he handed over the folder. “138. No wonder everyone wants to bed my little sister. A good opportunity to improve the breeding stock.”

She snorted. “A couple more generations and 138 won’t even warrant a second glance. Of course, everyone will be so pious by then that there will no longer be time to reproduce between all the fasting and praying.” She stopped. “Why the rush? Why can’t I have a couple of months to get to know Stephen Paul?”

“Liz, let’s be honest here. If what Stephen Paul Young wants is 100 percent certainty on your part, he’s not going to get it. Not in a couple of months, not in a couple of years. On the plus side, it looks like my decision is made too. They say Dorothea Johnson has a sweet spirit.”

“E.g., ugly,” Eliza broke in.

His phone rang and Jacob retrieved it from his front pocket. “But she’s a good person. That’s more important than looks or chemistry.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself and not Eliza. “Hello?”

Jacob plugged his right ear with his finger. “I don’t have a good signal out here. What was that? Oh, hi, Dad. Yes, we’re out here right now. What? I didn’t catch that. Oh, really? Is he okay?” He paused and a frown spread across his face, then deepened. “I see. What? No, I’ll tell her. Bye.” He hung up.

Eliza didn’t like the look on his face. “What is it?”

“Elder Johnson suffered a stroke this afternoon. He’s in the hospital, in a coma. They don’t think he’ll survive.”

It was the man she would have married in just a few days, but she felt no sorrow. He was an older man, she didn’t know him well, and, well, it might have been cold to say, but old people died now and then. What she did feel was a growing sense of alarm. Her choices, so recently reduced to two men with the withdrawal of Stephen Paul Young’s interest, had suddenly become very narrow indeed.

Only Taylor Junior remained.

Jacob saw the worry in Eliza’s face and cut it off at once. “Don’t be stupid, Liz. You’re not marrying Taylor Junior.”

“Then what, Jacob?” she asked with desperation in her voice. “Do I go inside and beg Stephen Paul to have me? Do I run away?”

His mind had already set itself to the problem, but he had the uncomfortable position of a chess player who has realized that a superior opponent has taken control of the middle of the board and is forcing the surrender of any piece that stands in his way.

“First things, first. Elder Johnson isn’t dead yet.”

Eliza gave an exaggerated shrug. “Dead or not, he’s in a coma.”

“Sure, but his family will believe that he’s going to pull out of it. That’s what families do, even if the rest of the world knows the guy is already gone. I’ll call the Johnsons. Give them my well-wishes, but also make them think we’re still interested.”

“And if Elder Johnson dies tonight?” she asked. “The Kimballs won’t sit around, especially if they know that Stephen Paul is out of the picture.”

“Okay, so maybe we’ll talk to Stephen Paul. You heard him. He doesn’t like Taylor Junior. At the very least he can feign interest for a week or two while we sort things out.”

“Didn’t you hear the spiel about moral relevancy, equivocating, etc.? He’s not the sort to pretend or lie, not on his behalf, and certainly not on mine.” She turned to watch the insects in their mad battering against the porch light. Her face was despondent.

“You’re missing the upside of this,” Jacob said. “Really. Dad is not going to marry you off to Taylor Junior. The man assaulted you. In front of witnesses. Yes, there are fathers who would force their daughters into marriages under such conditions. Ours isn’t one of them and you know it. Elder Johnson is down, Stephen Paul has declined. What does that mean?”

She said nothing.

“I’ll tell you what it means. You’re off the hook. There’ll be no marriage. At least not until Father comes up with some new names.”

“Come on Jacob. I’m not a fool. The news is always a shock to the girl. And sometimes her mother or father gives her one name and then another man comes and maybe just because the prophet made an off-hand remark to someone, she’s married to someone else. It takes about five minutes for everything to go bad.” She shook her head. “All I know is that Father insists I should get married and that two of the three choices are no longer available. What does that mean?”

He didn’t know why she wasn’t buying it, why she insisted on this fatalism. Jacob took her shoulders and turned her to look at him. “Fine, you don’t trust your own Father? You want to know who will stand up for you? I will. That’s who. Now stop it, Liz. It’s not going to happen.”

Jacob turned it over in his mind. It was the uncertainty that was getting to her, mixed with the knowledge that other people were making the decisions. Had news already reached the Kimball family? A call to Fernie might let Eliza know he was serious. He took out his phone.

“Who are you calling?”

“Your sister.”

It rang several times and he tried to think what he would do if one of the Kimball men picked up. Ask for Fernie? Hang up? It was a woman.

“Hi, this is Jacob Christianson. Is this Charity?”

“Hello, Brother Christianson. Yes, it is. I’m sorry, but Elder Kimball is out at the moment. Or are you looking for Taylor Junior? He’s got his own line, if you need the number.”

“Actually I wanted to talk to…uhm, my sister Fernie.” He hoped he hadn’t put too much emphasis on sister and thus reminded Charity that Fernie was not actually his sister in any meaningful sense of the word.

“Sure, let me get her.”

She put the phone down and he heard screaming, laughter, and banging from children. It would be bedtime in the Kimball household. Fernie picked up a minute later.

“Hello, Fernie. Can I talk to you?”

Again?
he imagined her thinking.
Didn’t we already rehash this?

Instead, she said in a low, muffled voice. “Actually, I need to talk to you, too. I learned something that might help.”

“What is it?”

“Not now.”

“Ah, got it. If I look for you in the gardens at, say, 9:00 tomorrow morning, will I find you?”

“That will work. Why did you call?”

“First, have you heard the news of Elder Johnson?” he asked.

“They said he was in the hospital. Taylor Junior was here earlier and mentioned it.”

Jacob looked to Eliza, who chewed on a lip. He shook his head for her to stop worrying. To Fernie, he said, “And you know that Taylor Junior and Elder Johnson both wanted to marry Liz?”

“Yes, I know.” Still not talking freely. Voice stiff. Whatever she wanted to share, it had her spooked.

“Fernie, the Kimballs are going to be all over this. But Taylor Junior isn’t marrying Liz.”

“Of course not.”

“Well I’m having a hard time convincing her.” This was for Eliza’s benefit, not Fernie’s. “But just to be safe, can you give me a heads-up if you catch whiff of any scheming?”

“Yes, right away. No problem.”

“Good. Thanks. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Take care, Jacob.”

When he hung up the phone, Eliza had fixed him with a thoughtful look. “I wasn’t aware you knew Fernie that well.”

He forced a shrug. “Sure, we were friendly. Of course, she got married at seventeen, so it’s been several years. In any event, I spoke to her this morning about the Jupiter Medallion. And I think she’s got something new.”

“That’s good.”

“Listen, you look tired and a little shaken. Go lie down. Pray if you think that will help. You’ll come back with some perspective. I’ll talk to Stephen Paul. I’m sure you can stay here tomorrow, at least. Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”