While Love Stirs (35 page)

He set the peaches on the table and frowned. “Yes.”

“At the very least I’m sure they’ve become dear friends. Wouldn’t you be protective and concerned about your female friend given that nasty situation?” She popped open the jar. “Charlotte isn’t Prudence. She’s never lied to you. If she says they’re friends, then you should believe her.”

“But Nurse Pierce said—”

“Let me get this straight. You went to the window because Nurse Pierce needed to talk to you in private. Had she ever done anything like that before?”

He shook his head.

She returned to the basket and took out a plate of sandwiches covered in waxed paper. “So the same woman who’s been hoping for months you’d open your eyes and see her as the answer to your prayers told you this Lewis had been to the house and had also telephoned Charlotte on various occasions. But I’m guessing you didn’t give Charlotte a chance to explain that.”

He took the sandwiches from her. “Perhaps listening to Nurse Pierce might not have been the wisest choice.”

“Then I’m guessing you marched down to the garden and accused Charlotte because all those memories of Prudence came flooding back.” She handed him a second plate of sandwiches. “Does Charlotte even know about Prudence?”

“No.” He set the plates down. “I didn’t know how to tell her.”

“And you’re angry with her for not telling you about Lewis?” Mattie shook her head. “Joel, you were engaged!” She took a deep breath. “Did you even let Charlotte defend herself?”

“I gave her a chance to make things right.”

She narrowed her eyes. “How?”

“I wanted her away from him.”

“And?”

He forced the air from his lungs. “I told her to quit her position with the gas company.”

Mattie rubbed her earlobe. “Good grief. What did she say?”

“Basically, ‘Get out.’”

“Frankly, I don’t blame her.” She opened a second basket and withdrew a large bowl of potato salad.

“I wanted them away from each other. No temptations.”

“And what makes you think you should get everything you want? Furthermore, what gives you the right to boss her around?”

Boss her around? Her words struck him hard. When Charlotte had told him about her old beau George, he couldn’t believe any man would be so callous, and now he’d been no better. On more than one occasion, he’d told her what to do, when to do it, or how to do it. All because he wanted things his way.

Mattie hit him in the stomach with a handful of napkins. “Set these out.”

“Now who’s bossy?” He tried to sound cheery, but the words came out hollow. He laid the napkins in place and glanced at Mrs. Goodwin, who was rounding up the children. Mr. Ottosen was headed toward the house, probably to check on the gas man’s work.

Turning back to Mattie, he sighed. “You’re right about how I’ve been acting. What’s wrong with me?”

She began pouring lemonade into glasses. “Joel, you’ve got a heart of gold, but you’ve spent your whole life trying to prove yourself. You hated what people said about Dad, and you’re determined to show them you’re different.” She paused and handed him a glass of lemonade. “You’d do anything for anybody, but you feel like you need to be in control. In the hospital, that works well. In a relationship, you need to be able to give and take.”

“Don’t you see? When things start spinning, I need order.” Joel took a sip from his glass.

“I know. Control is your lifeline, but your lifeline should be the Lord.”

As Mrs. Goodwin herded the children toward the table, Joel considered what his sister said. Was control his lifeline? Apparently he had some serious soul-searching to do.

He glanced toward the house and saw the man from the gas company return to his wagon for more supplies. Then he spotted
Mr. Ottosen walk up the stairs to the house. He should probably go invite the man to join them.

“Dr. Brooks, would you offer grace?” Mrs. Goodwin asked once they’d all formed a circle.

He nodded and thanked God for his provisions, for his unexpected gifts, and for blessing them all with one another. The children all joined him when he said, “Amen.”

“Okay, you all know what to do.” Mrs. Goodwin stepped behind the table. “Make a line. Older kids help the young ones.”

Joel picked up a plate to pass to blue-eyed Alice Ann when the whole world suddenly tilted.

41

As the ground shook and children toppled like dominoes, debris raining down around them, Joel covered Alice Ann with his body. When the shock faded, he pulled himself up on the edge of the table and whirled toward the house. What had happened?

The back of the house, where Mr. Ottosen had been standing a few moments before, was gone, but where was the board member?

He spun back to assess those with him. Locating his sister first, he helped her up. Her foot caught in the hem of her skirt and she wobbled. “Mattie?”

“I’m fine.”

“Everyone else?” One by one, each child climbed to his or her feet. “Leroy, run to the fire station. Tell them there’s been an explosion.”

The older boy sped away in that direction.

Joel hastily checked each of the children. Some had a few scratches and bruises, but nothing serious. Mrs. Goodwin, however, would be sore from the tumble she took.

Mattie gathered the upset children. “We’re all safe now.”

Joel squeezed Mattie’s shoulder. “I have to go check on the gas man and Mr. Ottosen.”

“I’ll come too. You might need my help.” She started to pull away from the child clinging to her.

“No, not yet.” He touched the child’s head. “Get the children as far back from the house as you can.”

“You think there might be another—”

He silenced her with a stern look.

“I’ll get them to move away.” She closed her eyes. “Please, Joel, be careful.”

Arriving early to prepare for the evening’s production, Tessa entered the theater. She paused to let her eyes adjust from the bright sun outside. She started down the hallway toward the dressing rooms but stopped when she saw Mr. Jurgenson speaking with someone.

Even though she’d finished that letter, it had been well after five o’clock when she’d done so. Since he wasn’t around when she’d finished, she’d placed it on his desk and locked the office on her way out. The last thing she wanted was to speak with him now.

She froze. If only the two men would continue on their way, she could as well. While she couldn’t discern their muffled words, she could tell the discussion was heated by their fierce expressions and wild gestures.

The man with Mr. Jurgenson looked up and spotted her. She’d never seen him before. Was this Mr. K. O.?

Apparently not wanting their conversation to be public, Mr. Jurgenson led the man down the remainder of the hallway and they stepped into the director’s office. Tessa eased her way behind them. Maybe she could surreptitiously listen to their conversation. That’s what any good Pinkerton agent would do.

She reached the wall outside the office door and plastered herself against it.

“Listen, this can’t go on forever.” Mr. Jurgenson’s voice sounded tense.

Then the office door closed, and so did her hopes of hearing any more about the mysterious visitor.

Charlotte traced the butterfly template on a sheet of yellow construction paper and then began to cut out the delicate creature. Beside her, Hannah did likewise with pink paper. They both passed their butterflies to Nurse Pierce, who added a wire stem to each one. At the ball, they’d insert the butterflies throughout the floral decorations.

“Thank you for helping me with these.” Charlotte laid her butterfly in front of the nurse. “I think these will help tie the decorations together for the ball.”

“About the ball . . .” Hannah set down her scissors. “How are you holding up?”

The butterfly blurred beneath Charlotte’s gaze. A teardrop splattered on the construction paper and spread in a dark circle. Her heart ached in a way so different than it had at the loss of her parents. Every time she thought of Joel, anger and love mixed in a painful swirl.

If she’d only made things clear to Lewis when she had the chance, then this wouldn’t have happened. Still, why had Joel overreacted?

Worst of all, she now knew any future with him was impossible. His telling her to quit her work for the gas company spoke volumes. She’d always known he liked control, but she thought he kept that confined to his work. Now she had no doubt the tendency would always follow him home at night.

The butler stepped into the doorway. “Miss Charlotte, Dr. Brooks would like to speak with you outside.”

Hannah cut another butterfly out of the paper. “I’ll go talk to him, Charlotte. You don’t have to.”

Charlotte blotted her eyes and squared her shoulders. “No, I’ll go.”

Too many things had gone unsaid, and she intended to rectify that.

She stepped onto the front porch and gulped. Instead of the polished man who usually greeted her, Joel had arrived in a dirty, torn shirt. Black smeared his cheek, his face pale and drawn.

Charlotte pressed her hand to her throat. “What’s wrong?”

“Let’s go to the south porch and sit down.”

He sounded so tired she didn’t have the heart to argue with him—at least about that. Instead, she walked around to the side and settled in a rattan chair.

After he sat down in the chair facing her, he ran a hand through his hair. “There’s been an accident.”

“With your motorcar?”

“No, at the orphanage.”

She felt the blood drain from her face. “What happened? Is anyone injured?”

“Mrs. Goodwin and the children are all fine, but the gas man was installing the new gas stove and there was an explosion. A visiting board member suffered a broken leg. The man from the gas company received a concussion.”

“My stove caused it?” Her stomach roiled. “If I hadn’t—”

“Stop right there.” He held up his hand. “This isn’t your fault. Mr. Ottosen tossed a cigar butt. There must have been a slow leak and that’s what ignited it.”

“Where are the children?”

“Mattie and Mrs. Goodwin took them to my house.”

“But you don’t have enough room for twelve children, do you?”

“We’ll make do.”

Charlotte stood. “Come with me.”

She didn’t wait for him, but his footsteps told her he was following. Inside the house, she found Aunt Sam sitting at her desk. The nurse set her butterfly aside as soon as she spotted Joel.

“Dr. Brooks, we weren’t expecting you again today.” Nurse Pierce glanced from him to Charlotte and frowned in disappointment.

Charlotte clenched her fists. She’d been trying so hard to be kind to the nurse. Why did she have to act like this? “Joel, tell Aunt Sam what’s happened at the orphanage.”

“Yes, please do.” Aunt Sam lowered her spectacles.

He quickly relayed the events of the afternoon. “Charlotte
thought you might have an idea for a place the children might temporarily stay?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” She straightened in her chair. “They’ll come here. Tessa can share a room with Charlotte. Nurse Pierce can return to her home at night, as I no longer need her twenty-four hours a day. Then there will be a room for Mrs. Goodwin and two others for the girls upstairs. The boys can sleep in the billiards room on cots and pallets. It might be a little crowded, but I think they’ll have a grand adventure.”

Nurse Pierce paled. “B-b-but Mrs. Phillips, that will be a great inconvenience.”

“To you or to me?” She waved her hand dismissively. “We’ll all have to bend a little, but I won’t have it any other way. Dr. Brooks, have Henry follow you back with the motorcar, and he can begin transporting the children here.”

Joel smiled. “They can take a streetcar, Mrs. Phillips.”

“They’ve already lost their parents, and now they’ve lost their home. I think the least I can do is give them a ride in a motorcar. We’ll provide good food and a place to sleep until we can find more suitable accommodations.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

She shooed him away. “Go on now and bring those children back.”

Charlotte watched him walk away and swallowed the lump in her throat. How was she going to get over him if he was constantly around?

By the time twelve children and one additional woman squeezed into Aunt Sam’s home, Charlotte discovered that even a large house on Summit Avenue could begin to feel rather crowded.

“Geoffrey, will you show these lovely ladies to their rooms? I’m sure they’d like to get settled. Maybe show them the gardens too.” Aunt Sam turned to Charlotte. “And you take Dr. Brooks down to the billiards room and help him set up those cots.”

Scooping up a pile of blankets, Charlotte nodded to Aunt Sam, then hurried out of the drawing room. Joel followed behind with the cots from the attic in hand. When she opened the door to the stuffy room, her gaze fell to their unfinished game on the billiards table, and her heart throbbed. She set the blankets on the table and ran her hand down the green felt along the side rail.

Joel lowered his armload of cots with a clatter. “Where do you want—” He stopped speaking and approached the billiards table. “Charlotte, I think we need to talk.”

She ignored him and picked up the top blanket. If she tried to talk now, her feelings would spill out like an upturned sugar bowl. These children were homeless because she’d wanted to be kind. She and Joel were over because she’d wanted to be nice to Lewis. Wanting to be loved was costing her a lot of heartache.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I think we could set the cots up over here if we move these chairs to the other side of the room. The three little boys will have to sleep on pallets.” Tears gathered in her eyes, but she couldn’t let them fall. “I thought maybe we could put them under the billiards table.” Her voice broke, so she quickly unfolded the blanket. “It would be like they’d have their own clubhouse.”