Concealing Grace (The Grace Series Book 1) (10 page)

They were standing in front of the jewelers.

He held the door and then followed her inside. From behind, he leaned close and murmured, “I thought perhaps we could pick out an engagement ring today.”

It became clear right away that Jon had previously arranged to be there. The clerk addressed him by name and led them directly to the display case that contained rings. Once they were seated, he pulled several trays out from under the glass.

Coaxed by Jon, Jessica tried on many rings, including a most exquisite one the clerk made a point to bring from the back room. It was a full carat, emerald cut diamond, decorated by two small sapphire baguettes on either side. He said, “The jeweler just finished this ring. It was designed with someone very special in mind.”

All of the rings were beautiful, but most of them were too big for Jessica’s slender finger. The special ring the jeweler recently finished fit her perfectly. Even so, whichever ring was chosen, the clerk told them, could easily be sized to fit her.

“Which one do you like best?” Jon asked after a time.

Hesitantly, with butterflies churning in her stomach, she pointed to a smaller, single, marquis cut sapphire. She was afraid to pick one that would be too expensive, and the special new ring would be terribly so. Diamonds were rare and extremely costly.

Jon regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. Then he picked up that special ring and said, “I think this is the one you like best.”

It was indeed the most heavenly piece of jewelry Jessica had ever seen. Wide-eyed and speechless, she could only nod.

“Then this is the one you shall have.” As Jon gently slid the ring onto her finger, he said softly, “You must have a diamond, Sweetheart. And I thought the sapphires would complement it nicely. They are your favorite color, are they not?”

The clerk said, “Miss Emerson, you are the special someone for whom this ring was made. The design was Captain Kinsley’s idea.”

Overwhelmed and barely able to breathe, Jessica stared stupidly at her finger and the glittering stones adorning it. She was still lost in a surreal haze as she accompanied Jon back into the foray outside. As if he understood her fledging composure, he squeezed her hand. All she could think as she returned his smile with a stunned one was that she was the most fortunate girl in the world. She couldn’t wait to tell her father what Jon had done for her. She couldn’t wait to show Trent and Emily.

Emily and Trent, however, were nowhere in sight. Jon told her not to worry. They were aware of the check-in time. If they didn’t bump into each other beforehand, they would meet up at the carriage later.

Jon walked slowly, stopping at booths every now and again. Jessica was glad, as time ticked by, that there was so much to see. It helped to clear her head. By the time they reached the last of the shops on Main Street and turned around to head back, she almost felt normal again. Except that her left hand, with that exquisite ring weighing it down, still tingled.

Near the end of the next block was the music store. Almost every time Jessica came to town she stopped in. This day, however, it was Jon who approached the large front window to admire the grand piano on display. A young man was playing it, but when he stood up, it was evident he was not being paid to do so. He was just another customer appreciating the fine instrument.

Turning to her, Jon gave her hand a gentle squeeze and asked, “Will you play it?”

Jessica shook her head. “Oh no. I couldn’t. Not here.”

Jon suggested they go inside for a better look. Once, long ago, Jessica had allowed herself to admire that piano up close, but she hadn’t done it since. There was no point. Her father would never be able to afford it. Today, however, with Jon beside her, she took the time to run her fingertips over the smooth wood finish. “It is a wonderful instrument,” she murmured.

Wistfully she turned away, and Jon followed her to the shelves where the musical scores were kept. When she came here, this was where she spent her time. As she flipped through the pages of a Beethoven Sonata, Jon, who was standing slightly behind her, remarked, “That piece looks difficult. Look at all those notes! If you can play that, you must be incredibly gifted.”

“I would have to practice it first.” Turning to look at him, Jessica was both surprised and touched by the stunned expression on his face.

She put the score down and moved to the stack of Chopin’s works. “Is there any particular piece of his you like best?”

“There is an étude I really love, but I know Chopin composed many études and I don’t know how to describe it in any more detail.”

“Can you hum it?” Jessica asked.

He shook his head. “I can’t carry a tune to save my life. I have no musical talent whatsoever. I just love it. I love to listen to it.”

This explained why he didn’t sing the hymns at church. She’d been wondering, but thought it would be impertinent to ask. In thumbing through scores by Chopin, Jessica found several études. One by one she opened them and hummed the first few lines of the melody. On the fifth one, rather than shaking his head negatively, Jon announced, “That’s it! That’s the one!”

“Étude in E flat,” Jessica told him. “I have never played this piece, but I will learn it for you.” She closed the manuscript and reached for her small purse to count out the coins she would need.

Stopping her by covering her hand with his, Jon said, “Please, allow me.”

He was staring at her so oddly Jessica didn’t know what to make of it. She’d never seen that expression on his face before. To hide the sudden, uncomfortable feeling, she said, “I can only practice after church on Sunday, but I will do my best to learn it quickly so I can play it for you.”

“May I see the score?” As he opened the pages, his eyes grew larger. Then he closed it and handed it back to her. “It looks more difficult than the Beethoven,” he said.

Jessica teased, “It’s an étude, a study. It’s supposed to be technically difficult.”

With his brow drawn, he opened his mouth, closed it, opened it and closed it again.

“Is something wrong?” Jessica asked.

“I don’t know what to say,” he replied. “I am… I am very touched you would do this for me.”

“Good,” Jessica said with a firm nod. “It’s about time you were the speechless one of us.”

Jon chuckled heartily. Hearing him warmed Jessica from the inside out. She couldn’t believe it! She’d actually, and finally, said something funny enough to raise his laughter! Once again she fingered her beautiful engagement ring. As far as she was concerned this was turning into the best day of her life!

Time had flown by, too. As they stepped out of the music store, Jon told her they needed to head to the rendezvous with Trent and Emily at the carriage. They hadn’t gone far down the next block when they heard a commotion coming from the corner. Jon tucked her arm in the crook of his and said, “Perhaps we should cross the street. It’s not as crowded over there.”

The disturbance was being caused by the same group of colored people Jessica had noticed when they first arrived, except the group was much larger in number now. A colored man named Carl Robbins was standing on an overturned crate, giving a speech. Jessica recognized him right away. He was well known around town because he was vocal about the poor living conditions of colored people. Twice before, Jessica had heard him speaking in this same manner. Both of those times she’d stopped to listen.

“…we need to educate ourselves so we can survive in this world,” he was saying. “An education will enable us to get jobs that will pay a decent wage. It is the only way we will ever have a chance…”

Some people were pushing through the crowd, shoving others out of their way as they went. Jon quickly sidestepped, drawing Jessica with him. They ended up against a store-front wall, with Jon using his body as a buffer to protect her from the pressing entourage.

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart,” he said, when finally he could step away, “but it would be best if we move on.”

“May we stay for just a minute?” Jessica asked. It became apparent, however, that Carl Robbins was wrapping up. He was thanking people for coming. Disappointed they wouldn’t hear any more of what he had to say, Jessica turned to Jon. “I find him interesting, but I think his method of delivering his message is very dangerous.”

“Why is that?” Jon asked.

Before Jessica could answer, two men approached. They were engrossed in their own conversation, but Jon and Jessica couldn’t miss overhearing them as they passed. The older of the two said, “He needs to be lynched.”

The younger man said, “The Sons will take care of him. Plans are already being made. Soon enough that nigger will no longer be a nuisance on our streets.”

Jessica bit her lip and said quietly, “That’s why.”

“What’s the Sons?” Jon asked.

Lowering her voice even more, Jessica said, “They call themselves the Sovereign Sons of the South. I don’t know much about them, except they…” She paused and drew him farther away so no one would overhear. “They blame crime on colored people, and they think the police and the army don’t do enough to punish them.”

Imitating her whispery tone, Jon said, “And they take it upon themselves to protect the community?”

She nodded hesitantly.

“Do you not agree with what they do?” Jon asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know enough about them to say. But I do think colored people are often wrongly accused. I think the Sons sometimes do more than they should, just like the Klan used to. I didn’t like the Klan,” she said. “If you want to know about the Sons, you can ask my father about them. Or Trent. They know more than I do.”

“Hello, Miss Emerson, Captain Kinsley.” Jon and Jessica turned to the deep voice, and unmistakable accent, of Reverend Nash.

Once greetings were exchanged, Jon asked, “Are you enjoying the fair, Reverend?”

“To be honest, I didn’t come to town for the fair,” Reverend Nash said. “I came to hear Carl Robbins.”

Jessica wasn’t surprised, but Jon was. He looked appalled.

As if he didn’t notice Jon’s reaction, Reverend Nash went on, “He makes a lot of good points. I’m glad I came. Did you come to hear him as well?”

“No. No,” Jon shook his head. Still appearing shocked, he said, “We came to enjoy the fair.”

The reverend smiled and glanced at the piano score in Jon’s hands. “And it looks like you’ve done some shopping. Is that music for you, Miss Emerson? Or do you play the piano also, Captain?”

Jon chuckled and Jessica was glad to hear it. He seemed to have relaxed again. “No, I can’t play,” he said. “This is for Miss Emerson.”

“I’ve heard you practicing. You’re very good, very talented,” Reverend Nash said to her. “I’ve been wondering why you don’t play during services. I think the church would benefit—” Abruptly he cut himself off.

Jessica felt the blush rise in her cheeks. She hoped neither the reverend nor Jon would notice. Whether Jon did, she didn’t know, but it was clear by the reverend’s next comments that he did.

“Of course, Mrs. Wingate, our organist,” he said. “I should have known. She is quite controlling when it comes to the church instruments. I think she considers them to be her own rather than the property of the church. No wonder you only play when she’s not around. Perhaps someday, Miss Emerson, we can convince Mrs. Wingate to share.” Then he changed the subject. “Captain, how are your horses?”

“Doing well. In fact, I have twenty more coming next week. Three foals on the way. Things are going much better than I expected,” Jon said.

For the next few minutes the two men discussed the value of good horseflesh. The captain was breeding American Quarter Horses and Tennessee Pacers, and Jessica was intrigued by how much Reverend Nash, a city man, knew about the two breeds, especially the Tennessee Pacers, which were relatively new.

Eventually, the reverend said, “It has been a pleasure to see you both. I hope I have not detained you too long.” Giving them another friendly smile, he asked, “Will I see you Sunday?”

Jessica nodded and Jon said, “We look forward to it.”

As she watched the tall minister disappear into the crowd, Jessica found herself, not for the first time, impressed by his insight and thoughtfulness. To Jon she said, “He is nice man.”

“Yes,” Jon agreed, “and running into him reminded me of something else we need to do. We need to pick a wedding date.”

It was all happening so fast. Perhaps too fast. Then again, hadn’t she worried that because they hadn’t picked a date, Jon didn’t really want to marry her? She must have looked stricken, because Jon chuckled and said, “I promise not to pressure you too much, Sweetheart, but I hope you won’t keep me waiting long. For now, let’s go find your brother and Emily.”

As it turned out, Emily and Trent found them first. They had just crossed the street, when from behind, Jessica heard Emily call out, “Jessie! Jessie! Captain Kinsley! We’re coming! Wait for us!” She turned in time to see Trent being yanked along by Emily’s firm grasp on his arm.

As expected, right there on the sidewalk, Emily gushed madly over Jessica’s ring. She was oo-ing and ahh-ing so shrilly several people turned to stare. Trent didn’t say a word, but there was no mistaking his sneer. Jessica could only hope Jon didn’t notice. But Emily apparently did. The next thing she knew her brother was yelling, “Ouch! Emily! Geez! Watch where you’re going!”