A Home for Her Heart (6 page)

“I just hope there’s something worth developing in them.” Elizabeth wasn’t even going to pretend she was as good a photographer as Millicent.

“There will be.”

She didn’t know why he was being so...nice. Maybe, like her, he realized working together would be easier if they weren’t always in competition with each other.

“What are you two whispering about back there?” Luke asked.

“Oh, this and that.” John chuckled. “We just didn’t want to disturb you two lovebirds’ conversation.”

Luke seemed to pull Kathleen a little closer and smiled down at her. “Nice of you to be so considerate.”

They’d reached the crowded soda shop and were glad to find one empty table. “If it’s this busy so early in the season, think what it’s going to be like midsummer,” John said, pulling out a chair for Elizabeth.

The men asked what they wanted and went to the counter to order.

“It was nice of the guys to think of this, wasn’t it?” Kathleen asked, watching Luke and John make their way to the counter.

“It was.”

“I’m glad John came along,” Kathleen said.

Elizabeth wondered whose idea it was for him to come along. Not that it really mattered, but she thought it must have been Luke’s.

“He doesn’t always have a chance to do fun things—or hasn’t up until lately. He’s not covering the society doings as much as he used to, is he?” Kathleen asked.

“I don’t think so.” Which would be a good thing. Elizabeth always worried when she was with her aunt at one or another charity function that she might run into him and he’d find out who she really was. Although, lately she almost wished he would. It would force her to get things out in the open. If she weren’t so afraid of losing the friendship of those closest to her, she would have made a point to try to run into him.

“Hopefully these articles he’s doing about the tenements will help get him a better position at the
Tribune.
”

“So do I.” And she really did. She just didn’t always like that it seemed to be all he thought about.

The men came back to the table just then and John set her chocolate soda down in front of her before taking his seat next to her. He’d bought the same for himself. Luke had bought a vanilla one for himself and a chocolate one for Kathleen.

As they all took the first sip from their straws, a collective sigh was heard around the table.

“Hmm, this is wonderful,” Elizabeth said. “Thank you, Luke, for thinking of this.”

“Actually it was John’s idea,” Luke said.

John shrugged. “I noticed it the other day and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I’m glad you ladies agreed to come with us.”

Lately the man never failed to surprise her. One minute he was focused only on work and the next he did something like this that made her wonder once again if there was more to him than she knew. And why was he just now showing that side?

* * *

John couldn’t help but see the surprise on Elizabeth’s face when she found out this outing was his idea. Why did she seem so surprised? Probably because he rarely found time to enjoy himself. Since coming to New York City, he’d been so busy trying to get to the same status he’d enjoyed in Natchez that he’d had little time to do anything else.

If he’d been able to give his editor as a reference, he more than likely wouldn’t have had to start at what he considered the bottom. But he’d feared the man would have given him a bad reference and he wouldn’t have found a job at all. At the time it’d seemed no reference was better than a bad one.

And maybe it hadn’t all been for naught. At least he’d proved he was willing to cover anything—even the high society affairs of the city. He hated doing it, but he’d done his best at it and earned the respect of his superiors. Just today his boss had told him that he wouldn’t have to write for the society page much longer. The new guy was getting the hang of it and John would soon be moving into a regular reporter’s job.

From there it was up to him and his writing how far up he’d go. John was almost certain that the articles he’d be doing about the run-down buildings in the tenements would get his byline on the front page one day. That was the goal. But now that it was in sight, he wondered what he was doing sitting in an ice cream parlor with friends instead of back at Heaton House working on the next article.

But when Elizabeth got to the bottom of her soda and sipped the last bit through the straw, making an unladylike slurp, and then laughed at herself along with the others, he was very glad he was here and not hard at work.

Chapter Six

J
ohn’s laugh was deep and rich and Elizabeth wished he did it more often. She didn’t even mind being the cause of it.

But she couldn’t resist saying, “Tickled your funny bone, did I?”

He chuckled and nodded. “I never thought to hear that sound coming from you.”

She grinned. “I do love a good soda.”

“Well, so do I.” He took a last slurp of his soda as did Luke and Kathleen all at the same time and together the three of them managed to put hers to shame, causing much laughter at the surrounding tables.

The four of them were still laughing as they left the establishment. Elizabeth stumbled on an uneven patch in the sidewalk and John reached out to steady her, pulling her hand through his arm. It was a beautiful early summer evening, and she liked seeing lights on in the homes they passed on their way back to Gramercy Park and Heaton House.

“So, have you two decided where you’ll live once you’re married?” John asked.

“We’ve begun looking at a few places. It’s going to be hard to leave Heaton House,” Luke said.

“Yes, it will be. But we’re not going to lose touch with everyone. We’ll visit and have you all over,” Kathleen said.

Somehow Elizabeth hadn’t thought about them actually leaving Heaton House, and happy as she was for them, she hated the thought of not having Kathleen right next door to her. They’d become good friends from the very first and things wouldn’t be the same with her gone.

She sighed deeply and John leaned his head near. “You’re going to miss Kathleen, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

“I wonder who will take their places?”

“I don’t know.” Elizabeth didn’t even want to think about it. She’d been close to Violet when she came and then she’d married Michael. But she considered Kathleen one of her dearest friends and she couldn’t see anyone taking her place. It’d be lonely without her there.

“We’ve considered another boardinghouse that takes couples, but I think we’d like to have our own place,” Luke said. “But it won’t be far from Heaton House. It’s been home to both of us and we hope to be asked to Sunday dinner once in a while.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will be. Mrs. Heaton considers us all her family,” Elizabeth suddenly felt better just saying the words. Even with her own daughter back in the fold, Mrs. Heaton cared about each and every one of her boarders. She’d be heartbroken if she didn’t keep in touch with them.

There was no need to be anything but happy for Kathleen and Luke. Kathleen would still be her dearest friend and she’d see a lot of her, one way or another. No need to get all maudlin about her leaving.

“We do need to decide on something, soon, though. It’s not all that long until the wedding, you know,” Kathleen said. “And, well, I’ve never had to decorate a home of my own before. Elizabeth, you will help me with that, won’t you? Luke keeps telling me I can fix it up the way I want, but—”

“You’ll do fine,” Elizabeth hurried to assure her. “But I will be glad to help you in any way I can.”

“Good,” Luke and Kathleen said at the same time and laughed at their timing.

“I don’t want to be dragged from store to store,” Luke said.

“I can understand that,” John said.

“I truly will be happy with anything Kathleen chooses. Thank you for offering to help her, Elizabeth.”

“Looks like we’re going to be busy from here to your wedding, and after, Kathleen,” Elizabeth said.

“Will you still have time to work on the tenement articles?” John asked.

“Oh, of course she will. I want her working on those,” Kathleen said. “I’m not going to take all her time, John. Don’t worry about that.”

Elizabeth wasn’t sure if he worried about her part or not, but she wanted him to know she wasn’t going to back out. “Kathleen’s right, John. There’s no need to worry. I will manage things so I have time to work with you.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

John’s words managed to surprise her. One minute she thought he wished he were working on his own and the next she thought he might not mind so much that they were working together. The man could make her laugh one minute and make her steam the next, but most of all, John had just confused her to no end.

* * *

The next evening, just as dinner was getting underway, Elizabeth was called to the telephone to find her aunt on the other end.

“Elizabeth, dear, I wanted to remind you about the Barclays’ masquerade party for charity this coming Friday.”

“Masquerade party?”

“Yes, dear. Remember, they want me to be the speaker and you promised to come with me and help take up the collections?”

Oh, yes, it had been in the planning for months, but Elizabeth had totally forgotten about it.

Normally Elizabeth was happy to help her aunt, but with how busy she was with the articles, she hated to take time off. Still, she had agreed. And besides, this was the aunt who had always been there for her and made the way easier with Papa. She couldn’t try to get out of it.

“Of course, Aunt Bea. What time do I need to be there?”

“You can come here straight after work. I’ll have your costume ready and waiting for you. I found a lovely one and I can’t wait for you to see it. You’ll stay the night, of course.”

“Of course. But I need to be back here fairly early. We’re all going on a picnic to Central Park.”

“I’ll make sure you get up early, then. I look forward to seeing you, dear.”

“I look forward to seeing you, too, Aunt Bea.” Elizabeth hung up the receiver and released a sigh. At least it was a masquerade party. She had no way of knowing if any reporters would be invited, but assumed they would. And it was possible that John could still be assigned to something like this. But she was becoming quite nervous about running into him. She’d seen him at several balls and functions her aunt insisted she attend. She’d always assumed that she could use working for the
Delineator
as an excuse to be there. And she did almost always write an article for the magazine. But if she were ever introduced as her aunt’s niece in his hearing, she was afraid he’d unravel her secret.

If she knew he wouldn’t think badly of her, she’d almost be encouraged to make it happen. She was so very tired of keeping who she really was a secret. Perhaps she should have sought the Lord’s guidance before she decided to go by her mother’s maiden name. In the darkened alcove, she bowed her head and silently prayed.

Dear Lord, please forgive me for not always seeking Your guidance. I went out on my own and made a decision without coming to You about it. And now, I’m living with the consequences of worrying if my friends will hate me once they know I’ve not been totally truthful with them since I came to Heaton House. I am so afraid they will feel betrayed in some way.... But I know the time is coming when I must tell them. Please let me know when the time is right and give me the right words to say. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

She brushed a tear that ran down her cheek and took a deep breath. She needed to join the others or Mrs. Heaton would send someone after her.

She hurried to the dining room and slid into her chair beside John.

“Everything all right?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, of course. It was my aunt wanting me to come stay with her on Friday evening.”

“But what about the picnic on Saturday?” Mrs. Heaton asked. “You will still be able to make it, won’t you?”

“Yes, I’ll be back in plenty of time. I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Good,” Mrs. Heaton said.

“I’ve got to cover a society thing that night,” John said. “I hope it isn’t too late getting over with. But I’m looking forward to the picnic, too.”

Elizabeth caught her breath. Was he covering the Barclay party she was going to? Oh, please, no. And she couldn’t ask. Oh, she hoped her aunt had a good mask for her to wear.

“I’m glad everyone will be able to make it,” Mrs. Heaton said. “Millicent has agreed to take pictures of all of us, but we’ll need to get someone to take some that include her, too.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Millicent said. “There are always people around that are willing to take a few photos.”

“That’s true. But I want to hire you to take some family photos of me, Michael and Violet, and Rebecca and Jenny.”

“Oh, Mrs. Heaton, I’ll do that for free. After all, Michael has loaned me a room to develop in and I—” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “I totally forgot that I brought home the photos you took when you and John were out on Monday, Elizabeth! I’ll go get them right now!”

She started to jump up, but Elizabeth waved her back to her chair. “No, don’t worry about it, Millicent. You can get them after dinner. We can’t do anything with them right now anyway. Sit back down and enjoy your meal.”

“You got some really good shots,” Millicent said.

“I know they aren’t as good as yours, but hopefully they’ll work to be able to prove what we saw,” Elizabeth said.

“You’re going to keep track of all that, right, Elizabeth?” John asked.

“I am.” She’d already told him she would. Did he not trust her? “Unless you want to do it.”

“No. I have— I’m glad you offered to.”

Was he going to say he had enough to do? There was no way to know and Elizabeth told herself to quit being so suspicious of everything that came out of his mouth. What was wrong with her anyway? “It’s the least I could do with you doing so much of the research.”

“What is it you are going to research?” Luke asked.

“I’m going down to city hall to see if I can find out who owns some of these buildings as no one we’ve talked to so far seems to know.”

“Maybe Michael could help in some way,” Mrs. Heaton suggested.

“Oh, believe me, I’ve already talked to him and he’s willing to. I just need to get some names for us to go on.”

“I’m sure you all will find them out sooner or later,” Kathleen encouraged them.

The front door opened just then and Julia breezed in, looking flushed and excited.

“I’m so sorry I’m late for dinner, Mrs. Heaton.” She slipped into her chair across the table.

“Don’t worry about it, dear. We kept a plate warm for you.”

As if on cue, Gretchen came through from the kitchen and set a plate down in front of Julia.

“Oh, thank you. I think I may be too excited to eat, though.”

“Why? What’s happened, Julia?” Mrs. Heaton asked.

Her eyes fairly sparkled and Elizabeth leaned forward, as eager to hear what her friend was about to say as everyone else.

“Well, I-I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve received some correspondence from Oklahoma Territory.”

It wasn’t hard to notice something like that. All their mail was put on a table in the foyer and although it was sorted to each person, one could sometimes see the return address of the top letters.

“Well, as I sort them, I must admit to knowing. I didn’t want to appear nosy by asking about them, though.”

“Well, considering my news, I probably should have told you about them before now.”

Everyone around the table grew quiet, waiting for Julia’s news.

“Well, please do tell us what you are so excited about, dear,” Mrs. Heaton said.

“Well, seeing so many come through Ellis Island, I’ve been inspired and have been thinking about going out West. There are a lot of opportunities in the territory. And well, when I mentioned as much to my superior at work today, I was offered a promotion to stay here.”

“Why, that’s wonderful news, Julia—if you are going to stay,” Elizabeth said.

“Yes, it is,” Millicent added. “But I imagine it will make it more difficult for you to leave. What are you going to do?”

“For now, I’m going to stay here. I’ll have a raise in pay and that will allow me to save more money for when I decide where exactly I want to go.”

“And give us some time to get used to the idea of you leaving,” Mrs. Heaton said. “I’d hate to see you go, but I can understand wanting to head out West. I have a cousin who did just that years ago.”

“Where did she go, Mrs. Heaton?” Elizabeth was surprised at the small twinge of envy she felt. Here she thought she was independent, but to move away from all that was familiar—

“She was part of the Oklahoma Land Run and settled out there.”

“Oh, my. That is exciting. To be in on settling a new area. I don’t think I’m quite that brave,” Elizabeth said. “If I were, I might tag right along with Julia when she goes.”

* * *

John didn’t like the sound of Elizabeth’s words. Surely she wouldn’t up and take off for the Wild West!

“You wouldn’t really, would you?” he whispered as everyone began to give Julia suggestions on where she might want to go.

She shook her head. “I’m not that brave. Besides, Heaton House is home to me. I can’t imagine taking off and leaving everyone.”

The odd tightness in John’s chest lightened a bit. “I’m glad. I’m sure there is a lot happening out West, but it can’t compare to what goes on in this city.”

“I don’t think so, either.”

“I haven’t heard from my cousin in a while,” Mrs. Heaton was saying. “Perhaps I should write her and see how she likes it there and find out what it is like for you, Julia. It might be a place you’d like to go and you’d have at least one contact.”

“That would be nice of you, Mrs. Heaton. I’d love to find out more. But I’m happy to be staying here for a while longer and thrilled that this promotion will make it possible for me to go out West one of these days. It gives me time to plan. So, please do write your cousin. I’m excited to see what she says about it all.”

Talk around the table turned to places everyone had been. Luke had actually been all the way to Arizona and New Mexico and was planning on taking Kathleen out there to see it at some point.

By the time the meal ended, John had almost begun to think he’d like to go just to see what it was like one day. Almost. But with his career about to take of, he wasn’t going anywhere.

He slid out Elizabeth’s chair from the table and she stood. “Thank you, John. Do you want to see the photos Millicent developed?”

“I do.”

“I’ll run up and get them,” Millicent said. “I’ll be right back.”

“Meet us in the back parlor, okay?”