The Visitor (12 page)

“Is your Bible in English?” Cassandra asked as she began to turn to the book of Psalms. She was rewarded by the sound of Tate’s full laughter.

Cassandra smiled hugely as she watched him. That he’d found the question highly amusing was clear.

Harriet suddenly appeared at the door, having heard the noise. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes,” Tate answered, although his voice was still full of laughter. “The joke continues. I’ll tell you about it later.”

Harriet gave Cassandra a smiling, wide-eyed look before agreeing and going on her way. Tate got down to business moments later.

“ ‘Praise ye the L
ORD
. Praise, O ye servants of the L
ORD
, praise the name of the L
ORD
. Blessed be the name of the L
ORD
from this time forth and forever.’ ”

“ ‘For evermore,’ ” Cassandra corrected quietly.

“ ‘For evermore,’ ” Tate repeated and picked up where he was. “ ‘From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the L
ORD
’s name is to be praised. The L
ORD
is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.’ ”

Tate took a moment to think, and then went on, needing no help at all. “ ‘Who is like unto the L
ORD
our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.’ ”

Tate paused for this last verse, his mind searching. “Is it, ‘He maketh the barren woman…’?”

“Yes.”

Tate nodded and finished: “ ‘He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the L
ORD
.’ How did I do?”

“Very well. I’m extremely impressed. I fudge on words all the time. Yours were nearly perfect.”

“Thank you,” Tate said humbly, but he was ready to go on. “If you don’t mind, I’d like for you to choose another psalm for me to memorize. Not too long.”

“All right,” Cassandra said, wishing to go easy on him. “How about 117?”

Tate smiled. “That has only two verses in it.”

“You already know that one?” Cassandra sounded chagrined.

“Yes, and it sounds as though I should teach it to you.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, sounding embarrassed.

“Well, let’s try.”

“You don’t have to do that, Mr Tate.”

“That’s good to know. Repeat after me,” he said, ignoring her. “ ‘O praise the Lord, all ye nations.’ ”

Cassandra saw no help for it. She was there to help him relax, and if this was going to work, then she would do it. She repeated the words back to him, over and over again, and then Tate told her to try both verses on her own.

“ ‘O praise the Lord, all ye nations; praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us; and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.’ ”

“Cassandra Steele, you close that Bible this instant!”

Cassandra’s laughter filled the room.

“How did you know?”

“I could tell that your head was bent, the way it is when you read.”

“I told you I would fudge.”

“That wasn’t fudging; it was cheating,” he told her, trying to sound firm but unable to stop smiling. “Here we go now, this time without the Bible.”

Cassandra did as she was told, and by the time she was ready to leave, she knew Psalm 117 by heart, every word perfect.

“Thank you for coming,” Tate said as she made to exit.

“No, Mr Tate, thank you for teaching me those verses. I didn’t think I could do it word perfect.”

Tate smiled. He was still smiling when his aunt came to check on him almost an hour later.

“Cassandra,” Harriet called to her the moment church was over; she hadn’t even had time to move from the pew.

“Good morning, Mrs Thorpe. How are you?”

“I’m very well, and I wanted to catch you before you left.” Harriet sat next to her, turning so she could see her face. “Is it still working for you to come each day, or have we completely ruined your schedule?”

“Not at all. I can always fit it in, and on those days when it is impossible, Mr Tate has been very understanding.”

Harriet took the younger woman’s hand.

“I can’t thank you enough, Cassandra. He so enjoys your visits. They give him something to look forward to.”

“I’m pleased to hear that, but you must believe me when I tell you that I no longer come just for Mr Tate. I enjoy the visits too.”

“I’m glad, my dear. I would love to invite you to dinner and tea, and offer you our hospitality, but I must give Tate as much time as he needs.”

Cassandra squeezed the older hand, which was still nearby.

“Don’t give it another thought. I don’t expect such things. We want Mr Tate to heal. That’s all that matters right now.”

Harriet hugged her. She couldn’t help herself. Cassandra gladly returned the embrace, thinking she had made a lovely friend.

Lizzy, watching them from a little ways off, smiled as well, but for an entirely different reason.

Brown Manor

“Hello, love,” Weston said softly, sitting down on his own bed and watching his wife’s eyes open. He leaned to kiss her before asking, “How did you end up in here?”

“I was tired of my room, so after my bath, I told Jenny I wanted to move. Do you mind?”

Weston’s smile was intimate. “Since when do I mind finding you in my bed?”

Anne smiled back at him.

“How was church?”

“Excellent. We’re still in Jonah, and I shall tell you all about it after we’ve eaten.”

“I would like that.”

“Oh! Before I forget, Marianne Jennings will be coming tomorrow.”

“Good. Will she bring any of the children?”

“I don’t know. She might assume, just as Judith and Lydia have, that one visitor at a time is enough.”

“But we could send word, so she’ll know the children would be welcome.”

Weston hesitated. Much as he loved the children in question, he wasn’t certain that Anne needed them to visit just yet.

“You’re not saying anything.”

“I’m just thinking.”

Anne didn’t need to ask the subject of his thoughts. Everything he did these days was with her health and the baby’s delivery in mind. She didn’t want to do anything to make it harder for him, but she thought that visiting with Penny Jennings or seeing baby Catherine would do her a world of good. It was only her husband’s concerned face that kept her quiet.

She would work the rest of the day to be thankful that at least Marianne was going to come.

Thornton Hall

Jennings heard the cry the moment it sounded. He knew his wife, Marianne, as well as the nanny, were in with their youngest, so he didn’t rush, but by the time he arrived in the nursery, Catherine was at full volume.

“She bumped her head,” Marianne explained when the door opened.

Jennings had to hide a smile. Their daughter’s round, pink face was buried in her mother’s shoulder, as she felt most sorry for herself. Catherine’s head came up. Her tears began to abate, and her lids began to droop.

Her thumb found its way into her now-quiet mouth, and within a minute she had fallen asleep in her mother’s arms.

With Catherine tucked into the cradle and the nanny nearby, the couple made their way from the room, only to find James just coming down the hall, clearly intending to rescue.

“Was Catherine crying?”

“She was, James, but she’s sleeping now.”

“What happened?”

Marianne explained the way she’d been crawling and had charged directly into the leg of a table.

“It wasn’t a hard bump,” Marianne assured him. “But she’s tired from church this morning.”

“Maybe I should at least peek in on her.”

“Sophie is with her.”

James’ shoulders relaxed. Sophie was a lovely young woman from the village. She adored babies, and the Jennings family felt she was a godsend.

“I believe it might be time for lunch, James,” Jennings now suggested, seeing that might do the trick. About the only thing that could distract James from his baby sister was his stomach.

Jennings and Marianne exchanged a smile when James lit up like a candle and volunteered to check.

Cassandra had spoken with James Walker on Sunday just before leaving church with her siblings. He had shown not the slightest bit of surprise that she asked for some of his time, and to her great relief, she learned that he was free the next morning.

The coach pulled up in front of Blackburn Manor, one of the most beautiful homes in the area, but its spectacular architecture was lost on the woman who had come to call.

Mrs Walker was on hand to greet her, but Mr Walker was nearby, his expression calm and inviting. The two of them went into one of the small parlors where refreshments were waiting, but Cassandra couldn’t eat a thing.

James Walker looked at the young woman who could have been his daughter and felt his heart wring with compassion. He didn’t know what she needed, but he knew that if it was in his power to help, he would do just that.