Glorious Angel (8 page)

“You can have anything you wants, Missy,” Tilda answered jovially. “There’s a pitcher right there on the counter. Let me just wipe my hands here and I’ll gets you a glass.”

Tilda moved to the counter and poured a large glass of the cold lemonade, making Angela thirsty. She took the glass, said her thanks, and hurried out of the room. She went straight to the front room on the right of the hall, the only other room with an open door, and found Crystal and Robert relaxed on a large green and white sofa.

Crystal took the glass of lemonade and tasted it, then made a face. “There ain’t enough sugar in this, girl! Take it back and make sure it’s sweet enough before you return.”

Angela took the glass and left the room, but she stopped just outside the door when she heard Robert Lonsdale burst into laughter.

“Since when did you get a sweet tooth?” Robert asked, chuckling.

“I haven’t. But I told you I’d make her earn her keep,” Crystal answered, then giggled. “My, it’s gonna be fun havin’ that girl here after all.”

“Yes. I think I might extend my visit,” Robert said thoughtfully, then added, “To watch the fun, of course. I never realized you had such a cruel streak in you, sister. If the old man knew what—”

“Oh, hush up, Robert!” Crystal snapped, then smiled wickedly. “Father Maitland ain’t gonna know.”

Angela was close to tears as she hurried back to the kitchen. To be purposely cruel, just for sport!

“Can you make this a little sweeter?” she asked, trying not to show how upset she was.

“Tilda puts lots of sugar in her lemonade,” Hannah answered, surprised. “If you wants more sugar, you’s gonna get fat, Missy.”

“Oh, it’s not for me,” Angela said quickly. “The lemonade is for Miss Crystal.”

“Why you fetchin’ for her?” Hannah asked, her brow creased.

“She told me to.”

“Then she tell you it ain’t sweet enough?”

“Yes.”

“Lord, what’s the gal think she’s doin’?” Hannah exclaimed. “You wait here, Missy. Don’t you do nothin’ ’cept watch Tilda make her peach pie. I’ll take Miss Crystal her lemonade. You wait about ten minutes, and then come to the master’s study. He’ll want to talk with you.”

Ten minutes later, Hannah opened the door to the study and Angela walked in apprehensively. The room was large, and extended to the rear of the house, with the red-yellow rays of the setting sun steaming in the back windows. One wall was covered from floor to ceiling with books, another held a large gun case. There were stuffed animal heads mounted on wooden plaques, and pictures of wild horses and open plains on the walls. The floor-length draperies were dark brown, and the
furniture was covered in black leather. This was definitely a man’s study.

“Hannah, tell the others to wait in the dining room. I will be delayed for a few minutes,” Jacob said.

“Yessuh,” Hannah replied and closed the door, a knowing smile on her lips.

Jacob came around his desk and led Angela to a long sofa. “My dear, something has happened that I don’t quite understand, and I think you can help me.”

“I’d be mighty pleased to help, sir,” Angela returned eagerly.

“Hannah tells me that you went to the kitchen for a glass of lemonade, and that you came back a few minutes later to make it sweeter. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And that lemonade was for my daughter-in-law?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did she ask you to get her the lemonade, or did she tell you to get it?” Jacob questioned.

“It don’t really make much difference, sir,” Angela returned.

“Which was it, Angela?”

“Well, as I recall, she told me to get it,” Angela answered meekly. What had she done wrong?

“And why did you do it?”

“Why did I? Oh, I know you told me to rest, and I didn’t mean to disobey your wishes, but I
just ain’t used to restin’, sir. I had to do somethin’ and so I come downstairs to see if I could be helpful. I started dustin’ furniture, and then Miss Crystal told me. I know you ain’t said what my duties are yet, but I didn’t see no harm in startin’ work. I’m right sorry if I made you angry, Mr. Maitland.”

“Oh, Angela, what am I going to do with you?” he laughed. “One more question, my dear: Did my daughter-in-law refer to you as a servant?”

“She did mention it when she was talkin’ to her brother about me. But that’s a silly question, Mr. Maitland. You must of told your family why you was bringin’ me here.”

“Yes, I did,” he said with a sigh. “But apparently I didn’t explain the situation well enough. Come along, we’ll go into dinner now.”

“Do you want me to serve the table?”

“No, you will dine with the family,” Jacob said in a patient tone.

“But I can’t do that!” Angela was becoming alarmed. “They won’t like it!”

“I am the head of this household, Angela. My family may be stubborn and spoiled, but my word is law. And I thought we agreed you would call me Jacob,” he reminded with a gentle smile.

When they appeared in the doorway, all eyes in the dining room turned to them. Angela felt her palms begin to sweat. She didn’t understand what this was all about. Why did Jacob insist she dine with them tonight? There was bound to be
resentment. She saw it already, just because Jacob had dared to bring her into the room with him.

“Are we having another guest for supper, Father?”

It was Zachary Maitland who asked the question. Angela had never seen Zachary before, but she wasn’t surprised by the resemblance he bore his father. He reminded her of Bradford, except for his bright green eyes.

“Why do you ask?”

“There’s been an extra plate set at the table,” Crystal volunteered.

“The extra setting is for Angela,” Jacob replied, and looked at each person in the room to gauge their reactions.

“You can’t mean to let her eat with us just ’cause she’s white!” Crystal exclaimed indignantly. “I’ve never heard of anything so preposterous!”

“This is absurd, Father,” Zachary added. “What will the other servants think!”

“That’s enough!” Jacob pronounced. It was such a commanding tone that it brought immediate silence.

“I intend to explain,” Jacob went on in a calmer tone. “But first, Robert, my boy, be so good as to let Angela have your seat. I want her to sit next to me.”

Robert thought of Jacob Maitland as a second father. He had done so ever since he and Zachary
became close friends twelve years before. But he did as he was asked without a word.

“You really are goin’ too far, Father Maitland. How much more of this do you expect us to put up with?”

“You will put up with anything I desire, my dear. I believe my wishes are still law in this house.”

Jacob brought Angela to the chair and pushed it in for her, then sat down at the head of the table. Angela fearfully kept her eyes lowered.

“Now I have quite a bit to say,” Jacob began in a level voice. “I informed all of you yesterday that one of my renters had passed on, and had left his daughter an orphan. I told you that I felt responsible for Angela Sherrington, having known her father all these years, and that I was bringing her to Golden Oaks to live. I told Angela exactly the same thing. Now how on earth could all of you, including Angela, come to the conclusion that I brought her here to be a servant?”

“You mean that’s not why she’s here?” Zachary asked incredulously.

“It most certainly is not!”

“Oh, Lord! Then Robby was right!” Crystal gasped. “How do you dare bring your mistress here and flaunt her in front of us?”

“For God’s sake!” Jacob stormed, his eyes suddenly alive with fire. “Where do you get these incredible notions? If I were going to be crude
enough to bring my mistress into my house, then I would be crude enough to tell you about it. And since you have already opened this tasteless subject, I will tell you that I most certainly do have a mistress, who lives comfortably in the city. She is a lovely widow in her late thirties, who has no wish to remarry, though I have asked her. That you would think me lecherous enough to seduce a child Angela’s age is unforgivable!”

“Then why have you brought her here?” Crystal asked defiantly.

Jacob sighed. “Angela is to become a member of this family, and she is to be treated as such.”

“You can’t be serious?” Zachary laughed.

“I have never been more serious in my life. I have known Angela since she was born, and I’ve always been concerned for her welfare. I feel like a father to her, and if she will let me, I would like to be just that. A father to replace the one she lost.”

By now, Angela had tears on her cheeks. All the questions she would have asked were asked by Crystal and Zachary and answered in turn. Was this really possible? How was it that fortune could shine on her so brightly?

“You must forgive me, Angela, for not telling you about this when we were in the study, but I wanted to say it only once,” Jacob said tenderly, then continued. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t more explicit when I talked to you after the funeral. But now that you know I want to take care of you, will you agree?”

“I would be a fool to refuse your kind offer, Mr. Maitland—I mean, Jacob,” she managed without breaking down.

“Splendid!” He looked around the table, defying the others to say anything more. Then he smiled and called out in a booming voice, “Tilda, you can send in the food now.”

Ten

The night was a long one, for Angela had a difficult time falling asleep. She spent hours remembering every word said at the dining-room table.

Crystal hated her, Angela had no doubts on that score. But Robert Lonsdale was a different story. He had been surprised at first, but then Angela detected amusement in him. He had eyed her all evening, as if she were a mare he was appraising for purchase. She would have to be wary of Robert, she was sure of that.

As the night wore on, Angela began worrying about Bradford. How would he react? It suddenly hit her that he might not like it any better than Zachary did.

She fell asleep thinking of her father. He had been gruff and took to the bottle a bit too much, but she had loved him. She had had a hard childhood,
but she would give anything to be home with William Sherrington now. She cried herself to sleep.

“Mornin’, Missy.” Hannah came bustling into the room in a cheery mood. “Sun’s been shinin’ for some time now. You don’t usually sleep this late, do you?”

Angela opened her eyes to find the room flooded in daylight. “What time is it?”

“A little past eight.”

“Eight!” Angela quickly jumped from the bed and ran for the closet.

“What’s your hurry, honey?”

Angela stopped short as she realized there was no hurry. She no longer had chores to do.

“I guess I forgot.”

Hannah laughed in her cheerful way. “You’ll get use to this easy life soon enough. All you got to worry about is if you wants your breakfast downstairs, or if you wants me to send up a tray for you.”

“Will the others be goin’ down to eat?” Angela asked apprehensively.

“Only Mr. Lonsdale. Master Jacob ate some time ago, and Miss Crystal eats in her room.”

“And Zachary?”

“He went into the city this mornin’,” Hannah replied. “He gots hisself a law office he’s tryin’ to build up again, now that the war is over.”

“Then I guess I’ll go down for breakfast, Hannah,” Angela stated. As long as she didn’t have to
face Crystal or Zachary and their obvious dislike of her, there was no point in staying in her room. “I can’t go gettin’ lazy.”

“Good girl. You gonna need all the exercise you can get, now you ain’t got so much to do. And afterward, Master Jacob wants to see you in the study.”

“Did I do something wrong again?”

“No, honeychild, he just wants to talk to you,” Hannah replied quickly, setting Angela’s mind at ease. “Now, I’ll send Eulalia up to fix your hair and help you dress. She’s gonna be your personal maid, ’lessen you don’t like her?”

“But I don’t—”

“You hush now.” Hannah cut her off as she went to the door, knowing Angela’s objections. “You gonna be a lady now, and ladies don’t do
nothin’
for themselves. You got lots to get use to, child.”

A while later, Angela was wearing a stiff green cotton dress, with an equally rough chemise under it. She would much rather be wearing her old beat-up breeches and cotton shirt. But Hannah had taken it upon herself to get rid of those old articles.

Angela had argued about it, but to no avail. She had also spent thirty minutes in battle with the young girl who was going to be her maid. Eulalia had received orders from Hannah to fix Angela’s hair into a becoming coiffure. Her hair was a few inches below her shoulders, and she was used to
wearing it in tight pigtails, or tied back with a ribbon. She had won that battle, and her auburn hair was neatly tied with a green ribbon.

When she walked nervously into the dining room, she found Robert still there, sipping black coffee.

“I was beginnin’ to think you weren’t comin’ down,” Robert said, a warm smile coming to his lips when he saw her. “I’m glad I waited.”

“I’m sorry I took so long. Have you eaten already?” Angela asked uneasily. She wished he wouldn’t stare so.

“Yes, and a pleasant meal it was. Tilda’s artistry has drawn me to Golden Oaks for many a year—made this place a home away from home, you might say. But now I’ll have to admit Golden Oaks has a much greater attraction,” he added meaningfully.