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  Though Macia was the only guest, Mrs. Rutledge presided over the afternoon tea as though overseeing an event of grand proportion. Her mood had greatly improved, and she insisted Macia drink several cups of the acidic brew. Macia had barely finished her final cup of tea when Silas entered with several young ladies in tow. Macia stared in astonishment when Mrs. Rutledge immediately rang for the young maid and ordered the tea cart removed.

  Remembering her weary journey, Macia motioned for the servant to leave the cart. “I thought the arriving students might find a cup of tea refreshing after their travels.”

  Mrs. Rutledge frowned at Macia and the servant. “I said to remove the tea.”

  The maid scurried to collect the cart, and Mrs. Rutledge turned to greet the new arrivals. Her icy gaze instantaneously thawed and radiated warmth as she began introductions. The woman was completely unpredictable. If she truly suffered from a mental condition, should she be operating a school for young ladies? Yet she did have the assistance of her husband and cousin and the school’s instructors. . . .

  One by one, each girl was escorted into the office while Macia remained in the parlor and visited with those awaiting their turn.

  Amanda, Lucy, and Rennie were from Massachusetts, while Janet and Inez had traveled from Maryland. Not one of them was pleased to be spending the summer at boarding school.

  Inez plopped down on the settee beside Macia. “When Mother inquired if I would like to spend the summer in New York, this is not what I thought she had in mind. I was planning a summer of un-chaperoned pleasure. Instead, I have twelve weeks of French lessons and Mrs. Rutledge’s prying questions.”

  Rennie giggled. “She is rather meddlesome, isn’t she? All three of them, for that matter.”

  Amanda nodded. “They wanted to know if my parents would be visiting me this summer. I laughed. My parents use their precious time to travel here and visit me for a few hours? They would find the idea ludicrous. Besides, they’ve already sailed for Europe.”

  Rennie tucked a blond curl behind one ear. “I think my family may actually come for a visit, though I’m uncertain exactly when they’ll arrive. Mrs. Rutledge said I should encourage them to set a date that won’t interfere with my classes.”

  Moments later, Mr. Rutledge appeared at the parlor doorway to announce the baggage had been delivered to the girls’ respective rooms. “You will have ample time to unpack before supper.”

  Rennie grasped Macia’s hand. “Do come with me, Macia. I want to hear all about life out west. You’re the first person I’ve met who has traveled beyond the borders of Ohio.”

  CHAPTER

  3

  Nicodemus , Kansas

  Ezekiel swung his hoe into the ground with more force than necessary. Better to alleviate his anger out in the fields than in front of his daughters, he told himself as he continued to chop at the weeds. His attempts to remain civil toward Lilly had fallen short—way short. The woman had a way about her that brought out the very worst in him. Perhaps because she managed to outwit him or avoid his questions with the agility of a fox. She used all her energy seeking ways to make life easier on herself. Yes, Lilly was the epitome of selfishness. Hadn’t he learned that lesson long ago when his Jennie had been dying?

  What about forgiveness? The small inner voice nudged him away from his angry hoeing. Yanking the handkerchief that loosely hung around his neck, Ezekiel wiped the mounting sweat from his face. He leaned against the hoe’s hard wood handle and looked heavenward. Billowing clouds floated overhead to form a tranquil blue and white canvas. The serene image pricked his conscience.

  As the years had passed after Jennie’s death, he’d attempted to forgive Lilly. In fact, until his sister-in-law arrived at his front door, he thought he’d been somewhat successful. However, all his old anger and fear had resurfaced the moment she’d arrived wearing that flaming red dress.

  Once again Ezekiel began prodding weeds from the dirt, swinging the hoe a bit harder with each stroke. “Who’s she think she is, coming out here ’specting me to provide a place fer her to live? That woman’s gonna be nothing but trouble; I can feel it in my bones.” A brown squirrel turned a quizzical look in his direction and then scampered away. The hoe clunked loudly against a sharp rock, and he ceased his chopping to examine the pockmarked metal. If he didn’t quit thinking about Lilly, he’d soon need to replace the tool.

  But try as he would, he couldn’t dispel his remembrances of Lilly and her heartless disregard for Jennie during that last year of Jennie’s life. Hadn’t he and Jennie helped Lilly in her time of need? She could have done the same for them. Sending off that pleading letter to Lilly had been more difficult than most anything he’d done in his life. After all, he had never been one to beg—not even in his early slave years at the plantation when the lash of a bullwhip would slice into his back.

  As far as Ezekiel was concerned, begging was evidence of weakness— unless you were addressing the Almighty, of course.With the exception of his prayers, that letter to Lilly was the only begging he’d done in his lifetime.

  Truth be told, had it not been for Jennie’s tearful pleas, he never would have asked for Lilly’s help. To his thinking, Lilly and the past were best left behind. But he couldn’t refuse Jennie, so he’d pushed aside his fear and pride and slowly dictated the letter to Jarena. He watched his daughter carefully pen each word—and then he listened just as carefully when Lilly’s letter of response finally arrived. He asked Jarena to read the letter several times, initially unwilling to believe the harsh refusal. Lilly didn’t even care that her own sister was dying and needed her. She was involved with her own self-indulgent life in New Orleans. Surely Ezekiel didn’t expect her to leave her home and affairs to come and help care for Jennie—moreover, being around illness depressed her. So instead of Lilly coming to their aid, Jarena was forced into the roles of mother, nurse, teacher, housekeeper, and cook for their beleaguered family.

  Lilly’s refusal wounded his dear Jennie—and whatever upset Jennie cut Ezekiel to the quick. Merely seeing the distress in Jennie’s eyes caused an overwhelming anger to well up inside him. When Lilly didn’t attend Jennie’s funeral, he was relieved. Had she appeared, he might have done something rash. His devotion to Jennie was replaced by an incomprehensible sense of loss that even he could not have imagined. After her death, there were days when he thought he couldn’t possibly go on. Yet he had three daughters depending on him, and as time passed, his pain began to lessen. Time, however, hadn’t erased his feelings of bitterness toward Lilly.

  Once more, Ezekiel leaned on the handle of his hoe and gazed at the sky. “D’you remember me askin’ you to never send that woman my way?” he called out toward heaven. “You know that woman ain’t nothin’ but trouble. You knows that better’n anyone.” Save the chirping of a meadowlark, silence surrounded him. Not that he’d expected a response. But maybe, just maybe, Lilly would be gone when he returned home for supper. That would be right nice.

  He trudged back from the fields, murmuring his despair to God. As he neared the doorway, a tiny glimmer of hope banked his cold heart, a hope that Lilly was headed back to New Orleans. Instead, she was sitting in his house, still wearing that indecent dress and acting like she’d been invited to some highfalutin’ afternoon tea.

  An ache of hopelessness filled Ezekiel’s heart before his anger slowly seeped back in. “You been here all afternoon and still ain’t found no decent clothes to cover yerself with? Jarena, give her one of your dresses to put on.”

  Lilly stood up, completed a pirouette, and cast her brother-in-law a defiant look. “I did change, Ezekiel. That just shows how little you pay attention to details. I was wearing a red dress when I arrived. As you can see, this one is blue and white.”

  “Only thing different is the color. That garb ain’t no more proper than the red dress you was wearing earlier today. You need to cover yerself. I have a mind to take you to the train depot down in Ellis come morning.” A pang of guilt shot through him lik
e a piercing arrow. He knew his words and deeds weren’t a proper reflection of the faith he espoused, but he didn’t apologize.

  “Tomorrow’s Sunday, Pappy,” Grace reminded.

  Lilly winked at the girl. “I’d wager your father would be willing even to miss church if I agreed to take the train tomorrow. In fact, you’d be willing to do anything to get me out of here, wouldn’t you, Ezekiel?”

  He dipped his hands into the tin washbowl and doused his face with tepid water. “No, Lilly, not anything. I gotta meet my Maker one of these days. You might give some thought to that fact, too. You’s gonna be answerin’ for your devilish ways in the hereafter,” he warned while drying off his face and hands. Unfortunately, Ezekiel’s sharp words only served to confirm that Satan had a tight hold on his actions right now.

  Lilly tilted her head to one side and laughed—a low seductive ripple that softly ebbed and flowed like the call of a whippoorwill on a summer’s eve. “You seem to forget that Jennie and I were taught those same lessons at our mother’s knee—all that fear of hell and damnation. Somehow Jennie took it all to heart, but I never did. And look what it did for her! She lived a life of poverty and died young. I, on the other hand, remain in good health and have managed to enjoy many of life’s pleasures.”

  Grace leaned on the table. “But you don’t have anyone who loves or cares about you. I’d rather be poor and know that my family loves me.”

  “Love? Love doesn’t buy pretty dresses or a fine house to live in. Once you’ve experienced the finer things in life, you’ll see the error of your ways. Of course, I don’t know how you’ll ever have that opportunity unless you get out of this place.” Lilly suddenly clapped her hands like a small child. “When I’m ready to leave Nicodemus, perhaps you can come with me.”

  Ezekiel crossed the room in three long strides and leaned down until he was nearly nose to nose with his sister-in-law. “You best stop right now with them ideas. You didn’t want nothin’ to do with these gals back when your sister was dyin’, and I won’t let you steal them away from me now that they’s almost grown.”

  “You think Truth and Moses will stay for the noonday meal?” Grace asked as she struggled to fasten her dress.

  “Of course. It’s the first Sunday of the month,” Jarena replied. “Come over here. I’ll help you with your dress.” Jarena fussed with the bow. “You know Truth wouldn’t miss her visit—especially with you.”

  Jarena patted Grace’s cheek and gave her a bright smile. Though Grace and Truth had been living twenty miles apart for more than two years now, Jarena knew the separation was still difficult for the twins. Truth had always been the more boisterous, outgoing twin while Grace tended to hide in her sister’s shadow. Yet this long period of separation had forced Grace to develop on her own. Though her spirit remained gentle, she had surprised them with her desire to work in the fields and with her ability to cultivate her own vegetable and flower gardens. Her hands were callused, but her heart remained soft and pliable. And, like her flowers, Grace continued to blossom.

  Lilly peered into a small looking glass and carefully adjusted her hat, which was festooned with a plethora of feathers and ribbons. “At the very least, I would think your father would have chosen to remain in town so you girls could be around someone other than him—and each other, of course. We’ve had little opportunity to discuss your sister Truth. Why is she permitted to live in Hill City while the two of you are forced to remain out here on this farm?”

  “Living in Hill City’s not so wonderful. I’m certain it isn’t anything like living in New Orleans. Besides, I didn’t want to go and live in Hill City, and neither did Jarena. We like it out here on the farm. And we get visitors. Why, if you remember, Miss Hattie was here only yesterday. She comes to visit us at least once or twice a week. And sometimes Nellie brings her children, too. I like it when Nellie brings little Nathan and the baby.”

  “Sounds enchanting,” Lilly responded disdainfully. “But you still haven’t told me why Truth is living in Hill City.”

  “She went over there to work for Dr. Boyle and his family not long after we moved to Nicodemus,” Grace explained. “At first, she gave Pappy all the money she earned—to help us get by until our first crops came in. But once we were doing a little better, Pappy told her she should keep some of her wages for herself.

  “As for living in Hill City, Pappy said it was up to us to decide. I was afraid to move away, but Truth’s never been frightened of anything. She said she wanted to go. Later, when Moses arrived and set up his newspaper office in Hill City, she continued working for the Boyles. But now she works for the newspaper, too. She writes articles for both the Hill City and Nicodemus newspapers. Sometimes she even sets type,” Grace proudly announced.

  Lilly tucked her mirror back into her trunk and then looked at Grace in surprise. “There are two newspapers? Hill City can’t be such a small town if it produces two newspapers.”

  “Moses prints a weekly newspaper for Nicodemus and one for Hill City, but both are printed in Hill City,” Jarena clarified. “When he first moved west, he planned to set up his newspaper in Nicodemus, but the printing machinery and an office were for sale in Hill City, so he set up over there.”

  “And he hired your sister to work for him? I am pleased to find you girls well educated. At least my sister did something well.”

  “Your sister did everything well!” Ezekiel’s voice boomed as he walked through the doorway. “You’re not even fit to say her name. You girls get in the wagon. You, too, if you’re plannin’ on riding with me, Lilly.”

  She brushed past her brother-in-law. “I do hope today’s sermon is based upon Christian love and forgiveness. Don’t you, Ezekiel?” Each word dripped with sarcasm.

  Jarena’s fine features crumpled into a frown as she hoisted herself into the wagon. She sat down beside her aunt and leaned close. “Please don’t keep aggravating Pappy, Aunt Lilly. Why do you say such things to him? He’s a good man, and he deserves your respect.”

  A curt nod was the woman’s sole acknowledgment.

  Her aunt had either been offended by the request or struck by a fit of conscience. Given Aunt Lilly’s silence, Jarena doubted it was the latter. Attempting to thaw the tension, Jarena carefully related the names of each settler’s family members, the size of their farmstead, the length of time the family had been residing in Nicodemus Township, and the family’s state of origin as they passed each farm. Although Jarena knew her aunt wasn’t interested in where the Beyers, the Kem-bles, or any of the other families lived, she didn’t want her father’s mood to worsen before they arrived at church. After all, they would have precious little time to visit with Truth and Moses, and she didn’t want it marred by incessant wrangling between her father and Aunt Lilly.

  When the horses finally lumbered into the churchyard, Grace pointed at a shiny black runabout with the top folded down. “There’s Truth and Moses!”

  While Ezekiel tied the team to a post, Jarena grasped Lilly by the elbow and propelled her toward Moses’s buggy. “Come along. I’ll introduce you to Truth. I’m certain she’s already dying of curiosity.”

  “That’s quite the young man she’s snagged for herself. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was white. He could pass easily enough—at least with most folks.”

  Jarena gave her aunt a sidelong glance. “But not with you?”

  “Not with me—I can always tell.” There was a note of authority in her voice. “Was he trying to pass when he came out here?”

  “No, though the folks in Hill City initially thought he was white. So did Truth. But he wasn’t trying to deceive them.”

  Lilly chuckled in a smooth, velvety tone. “That’s what they all say.”

  Truth hurried toward them, obviously entranced with Lilly’s fashionable attire.

  “This is Aunt Lilly. She’s come for a visit,” Jarena said as Moses came to a halt alongside Truth. “And this is Moses Wyman, Truth’s intended.”

  Lilly flu
ttered her eyelashes at Moses as she wrapped Truth in a tight embrace. “I’m very pleased to meet both of you. Jarena tells me you’ll be joining us after church. I trust we’ll have time to become better acquainted.” She grasped Moses by the arm and flashed him a beguiling smile.

  “Truth mentioned that she had an aunt—living in New Orleans, if memory serves me correctly.”

  Lilly squeezed his arm. “Why, I’m flattered Truth would even think to mention me. After all, I haven’t been an important part of the girls’ lives.”

  “Now dat’s a fact,” Ezekiel said as he approached. “Let go of the boy’s arm, Lilly.”

  Her eyes gleamed, and Jarena wondered what she was thinking.

  CHAPTER

  4

  Following Sunday meeting, Jarena watched in silence as Aunt Lilly used her feminine wiles to win Moses’s attention. There had been little doubt of the older woman’s anger when she had been intentionally shuffled to the end of the church pew—as far away from Moses as possible. Her father’s purpose had been as obvious as Aunt Lilly’s flirtatious behavior.

  The moment the final amen was uttered, Aunt Lilly elbowed Jarena aside and positioned herself beside Moses, immediately clasping his arm and leading him to a quiet spot in the churchyard. Truth, who was completely uneducated in the art of seduction, had left Moses’s side and was chattering gaily with her twin, far from the secluded location chosen by Aunt Lilly. Poor Moses looked like a cornered animal seeking a path of escape.