something?
“And besides all that—” Sophie leaned closer and stared right into Grace’s eyes—“do you really want Mrs. Valders to be your mother-in-law?”
Grace clapped her hands over her mouth, feeling her eyes grow round at the laugh bubbling up. “Sophie.”
Sophie shrugged, then laughed too. “Just thought I’d ask.”
“Do you feel all you said with Mr. Wiste?”
“Oh my, yes.” She closed her eyes again. “I know this is so right, and we both agree that life might be too short. Look what happened to both our mates. We don’t want to waste any of the time we might have together. In spite of what etiquette says.” She shuddered. “Who made those rules anyway?”
Grace grinned at her sister. “They’re not in the Bible.”
“See? That’s what I mean.”
They both looked up as the screen door opened. Mrs. Sam nodded over her shoulder. “Gentleman here to see you.”
“Can he come out here?”
“I think you better come in.”
Sophie dusted crumbs off her gown and followed Mrs. Sam into the kitchen.
Grace moved to Sophie’s chair so she could continue to rock the cradle. She watched as Joy stretched and then settled back into sleep. Good thing, since her mother was busy at the moment.
The screen door slammed, the babies flinched at the bang, and Grace caught the movement from the side of her eye. Sophie, furious, didn’t need signs or words to let her sister know something was wrong.
“What is it?” Grace asked.
“That insolent creep Mr. Cumberland—the man who wanted to buy the boardinghouse and spread rumors that I agreed to sell—is back. This time with another offer he is so sure I will take that he even offered, mind you, to go talk with Haakan and Thorliff for me so that no one can say he took advantage of a poor widow, young as I am.” She stomped up the porch, then down.
Grace could feel the force of her sister’s fury right through the soles of her feet.
“And then he had the nerve to request a room here for the night.” She glanced in the cradle to see the babies twitching and making faces.
“And if I don’t calm down, I’ll have babies to feed, and maybe my milk will be curdled.” She threw Grace a half smile. “Do women get mastitis?”
Grace shrugged. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Any suggestions?”
“You could write a letter to his company, telling them to leave you alone, that due to his mismanagement, you would never consider selling to them.”
“He is one of the owners.”
“Oh.”
“Now look what I’ve done.”
Grace watched Sophie swoop down and pluck Hamre from the cradle.
What if I have a baby, and since I can’t hear it when it cries, something terrible happens? Where had a thought like that come from?
“Shush, shush. Let your sister sleep.” Sophie looked to Grace. “Joy has been awake for a couple of hours each night lately.”
“Fussy?”
“Screaming. I’m afraid she’ll wake the men who are sleeping. Mrs. Sam has helped me walk her.”
“Still the colic?”
“I don’t know. Ask Mor for me, will you?”
“You ask her. She’s planning on coming in tomorrow. If you want me to, I could spend the night.” She inhaled the wonderful fragrance of strawberry preserves wafting from the kitchen.
“I need to go change him. Keep your eye on Joy, will you please? I’ll be right back.”
Grace leaned her head against the back of the chair, the rocking motion soothing her as much as the baby. How she would have loved to pick little Joy up and rock with her, but Sophie wanted to feed Hamre before this one insisted. After spending the entire day here, Grace realized Sophie was right. Feeding babies was what she did most of the time. How had Mor managed with the two of them?
She closed her eyes, and as usual Toby came striding across her mind, greeting her with a smile. He tucked her arm in his, and they walked up a path lined with green grass and bright yellow buttercups on both sides. Bluebells
“And besides all that—” Sophie leaned closer and stared right into Grace’s eyes—“do you really want Mrs. Valders to be your mother-in-law?”
Grace clapped her hands over her mouth, feeling her eyes grow round at the laugh bubbling up. “Sophie.”
Sophie shrugged, then laughed too. “Just thought I’d ask.”
“Do you feel all you said with Mr. Wiste?”
“Oh my, yes.” She closed her eyes again. “I know this is so right, and we both agree that life might be too short. Look what happened to both our mates. We don’t want to waste any of the time we might have together. In spite of what etiquette says.” She shuddered. “Who made those rules anyway?”
Grace grinned at her sister. “They’re not in the Bible.”
“See? That’s what I mean.”
They both looked up as the screen door opened. Mrs. Sam nodded over her shoulder. “Gentleman here to see you.”
“Can he come out here?”
“I think you better come in.”
Sophie dusted crumbs off her gown and followed Mrs. Sam into the kitchen.
Grace moved to Sophie’s chair so she could continue to rock the cradle. She watched as Joy stretched and then settled back into sleep. Good thing, since her mother was busy at the moment.
The screen door slammed, the babies flinched at the bang, and Grace caught the movement from the side of her eye. Sophie, furious, didn’t need signs or words to let her sister know something was wrong.
“What is it?” Grace asked.
“That insolent creep Mr. Cumberland—the man who wanted to buy the boardinghouse and spread rumors that I agreed to sell—is back. This time with another offer he is so sure I will take that he even offered, mind you, to go talk with Haakan and Thorliff for me so that no one can say he took advantage of a poor widow, young as I am.” She stomped up the porch, then down.
Grace could feel the force of her sister’s fury right through the soles of her feet.
“And then he had the nerve to request a room here for the night.” She glanced in the cradle to see the babies twitching and making faces.
“And if I don’t calm down, I’ll have babies to feed, and maybe my milk will be curdled.” She threw Grace a half smile. “Do women get mastitis?”
Grace shrugged. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Any suggestions?”
“You could write a letter to his company, telling them to leave you alone, that due to his mismanagement, you would never consider selling to them.”
“He is one of the owners.”
“Oh.”
“Now look what I’ve done.”
Grace watched Sophie swoop down and pluck Hamre from the cradle.
What if I have a baby, and since I can’t hear it when it cries, something terrible happens? Where had a thought like that come from?
“Shush, shush. Let your sister sleep.” Sophie looked to Grace. “Joy has been awake for a couple of hours each night lately.”
“Fussy?”
“Screaming. I’m afraid she’ll wake the men who are sleeping. Mrs. Sam has helped me walk her.”
“Still the colic?”
“I don’t know. Ask Mor for me, will you?”
“You ask her. She’s planning on coming in tomorrow. If you want me to, I could spend the night.” She inhaled the wonderful fragrance of strawberry preserves wafting from the kitchen.
“I need to go change him. Keep your eye on Joy, will you please? I’ll be right back.”
Grace leaned her head against the back of the chair, the rocking motion soothing her as much as the baby. How she would have loved to pick little Joy up and rock with her, but Sophie wanted to feed Hamre before this one insisted. After spending the entire day here, Grace realized Sophie was right. Feeding babies was what she did most of the time. How had Mor managed with the two of them?
She closed her eyes, and as usual Toby came striding across her mind, greeting her with a smile. He tucked her arm in his, and they walked up a path lined with green grass and bright yellow buttercups on both sides. Bluebells
Similar Books
