Читать книгу Somewhere to Call Home - Janet Barton Lee - Страница 12

Chapter Two

“Dinner is served,” Mrs. Heaton announced from the dining room. “Come along, everyone, we’ll make the remaining introductions while we dine.”

Michael held out his arm and Violet hesitated for a moment before taking it. This was Michael Heaton, after all, not a complete stranger. He’d been her neighbor for years and he was only escorting her across the hall to the dining room. Although he was several years older than Violet, she’d known him all of her life. And his teasing manner was just the same as it had been when she was growing up.

But Violet hadn’t been prepared for the effect of his smile on her. The sheer force of it, with those twin dimples that hadn’t been in evidence earlier that day, left her a little stunned and bewildered that she felt so drawn to him. She told herself it was because it was so good to see another familiar face in this strange city so far away from home, but she wasn’t sure she was telling herself the truth. Her heartbeat hadn’t slowed down since her gaze met his.

He led her across the foyer and into the dining room. Pulling out a chair, he seated Violet while another of the boarders seated his mother at the opposite end of the table. Then Michael took his own place at the head of the table; his chair was adjacent to the one Violet was sitting in.

The brown-haired, brown-eyed woman who’d been standing with her hand on Michael’s forearm when Violet came into the parlor had slipped into the chair opposite Violet, but her attention was solely on Michael.

Others who were in the parlor took their seats at the table, and Violet was relieved to see that, just as Mrs. Heaton had said, most of the ladies were dressed in skirts and nice shirtwaists. Mrs. Heaton had changed into a dark brown skirt and beige shirtwaist as well, and Violet felt as if she fit in with the navy skirt and crisp white shirt she’d chosen. It had a lace insert at the top of the bodice and she’d worn her mother’s cameo, which made her feel a little dressed up, but not so much that she felt out of place. She let out a small sigh of relief.

Once everyone was settled, they all looked to Mrs. Heaton for direction.

“Michael, will you please say grace?”

“Certainly.”

Violet bowed her head while he said a simple prayer of thanksgiving. She was touched that he thanked the Lord for her safe travel as well as for the food. Once he’d finished the prayer, he began passing dishes family-style with some help from Gretchen and Maida. The other boarders began to talk amongst themselves as the dishes were passed around, and Violet felt herself begin to relax.

Michael held the tray while she selected a piece of chicken, and then he handed it off to the man beside her while Gretchen and Maida helped keep the rest of the dishes moving around the table. The side dishes were creamed potatoes, peas, carrots and baby onions. The rolls were crisp and hot, and Violet was glad there were so many small conversations going on that hopefully no one could hear her stomach growl.

When all the dishes had made the round of the table, and Gretchen and her sister had slipped into their chairs, Mrs. Heaton introduced Violet to the other boarders.

“This is Violet Burton, our new boarder. She’s a dear friend of the family and we’re very happy that she’s come to live here.” She then motioned to the young woman on her right. “Violet, this is Julia Olsen, who works at Ellis Island. It’s a busy job she has.”

The auburn-haired girl smiled down the table at Violet. Her green eyes sparkled. “It’s certainly an interesting one, too. I’ve many stories to tell.”

“I look forward to hearing them.” Violet took some potatoes and passed them down.

“The gentleman next to her is Benjamin Roth, who is a teacher,” Mrs. Heaton continued with the introductions. “And across from you is Lila Miller, who works at Butterick.”

Benjamin had blond hair and blue eyes. “Good to have you with us, Miss Burton.”

“Thank you, Mr. Roth.” Violet then smiled at Lila. “Butterick! Oh, wonderful! Their patterns certainly have made it easier for the home seamstress to make garments that fit,” Violet said.

Lila gave a half smile and slight nod while Mrs. Heaton continued, “On your right is Luke Patterson. Luke writes dime novels.”

“Dime novels?” Violet asked. She’d never met a real writer before. “How interesting.”

Luke’s blue eyes seemed to twinkle as he brushed his brown hair off his brow and smiled. “I think so.”

Mrs. Heaton continued, “And next to him is Elizabeth Anderson, who works for The Delineator. She’s also the young woman you’ll be sharing a bathroom with.”

“We met at the landing, Mrs. Heaton,” Elizabeth said with a smile. She had blond hair and hazel eyes.

“And Elizabeth was kind enough to accompany me down to the parlor,” Violet added. “I love The Delineator. Mother subscribed to it and we pored over it, looking at all the newest styles.” She looked from Elizabeth to Lila and back again. “Isn’t The Delineator owned by Butterick? Do you two work together?”

Lila gave a brief shake of her head, but Elizabeth explained. “Butterick does own the magazine. And we joke about being coworkers, but The Delineator has its own offices at Butterick Publishing Company on Thirteenth Street.”

“I see.” Violet liked Elizabeth. She was quite friendly and helpful. She wished she could say the same about Lila, who only seemed to smile for Michael’s benefit.

Mrs. Heaton continued with her introductions. “Of course you’ve met Gretchen and Maida. We have another boarder, but he’s out for the evening. You’ll meet him tomorrow.”

“It’s probably better this way. The whole bunch of us at one time might intimidate Miss Burton,” Luke Patterson said.

“I’m sure she can handle being around us all, Luke.” Julia took a roll from the basket Mrs. Heaton passed her and handed it to Benjamin. “She’s got to be a brave woman to move to New York City on her own.”

Violet almost laughed out loud. If Julia could have seen her at the train station today, she might not think she was so brave.

“Violet will be able to handle this household with ease. I’m certain of it.” Mrs. Heaton smiled at Violet and then looked around the table. “What we need to do for her now, though, is try to come up with places that she can apply for employment. Do any of you know of any openings?”

“What is it you are trained to do, Miss Burton?” Julia asked from down the table.

“Well, I can’t say I’m trained to do anything. I can cook and clean. And I can sew, but I’m not sure I could call myself a seamstress. I’ve only sewn for my mother or myself.” Suddenly, Violet realized she wasn’t really trained for any kind of employment. She’d been groomed to be a wife, but that wasn’t anything she wanted any part of at the moment—if ever. “I really don’t know what kind of work I’d be best suited for....”

“Don’t worry,” Elizabeth said with a chuckle. “I most certainly wasn’t trained to work for a magazine. Most of us have positions where we’ve been trained to do the job. I don’t think The Delineator has any openings at present, but I’ll check. I’m sure you’ll find something, though.”

“Lila, didn’t you say recently that Butterick was needing help?” Michael asked.

Lila glanced over at Violet and chewed her bottom lip for a moment before looking back at Michael. Her smile brightened as she fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I believe they were needing help with folding and packaging the patterns or possibly with cutting them out. I know they hired one girl, but I can ask tomorrow if they still need help.”

“Oh, would you, dear?” Mrs. Heaton asked. “I would think of it as a personal favor to me, if you would.”

“As would I,” Michael added.

“Then I will certainly ask.” Lila batted her eyelashes once more.

“Thank you, Lila,” Violet said. “That is very kind of you.”

The other girl’s smile dimmed somewhat as she glanced at Violet. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

“Anyone else know of anything?” Michael asked.

“I have a friend who works at Tiffany Glass. They might not be hiring right now, but she says someone is always getting married and there are bound to be openings before too long,” Elizabeth said.

“We can look at the classifieds in the morning paper, too,” Michael suggested.

Several other ideas were mentioned as they ate their meal and Violet felt her hopes for employment grow. Surely in a city this large, she could find something before long. At least Harlan Black didn’t have an influence here. He couldn’t stop people from hiring her.

Coconut cake was served with coffee, and Violet enjoyed it while she listened to the others talk about their day. So far everyone seemed nice, but Violet couldn’t help but notice that most all the women at the table seemed to hang on to every word that came out of Michael’s mouth. And if Lila Miller batted her eyelashes at him each time he looked her way, she wasn’t the only one doing so. Even with two other men at the table, Michael seemed to be the one who had the attention of every woman, and—much to Violet’s dismay—that included her. She couldn’t really blame them. Those dimples were hard not to watch for.

* * *

During the meal, Michael watched the interaction between the boarders and Violet. She listened more than she talked, and she seemed to be totally unaware that Luke and Benjamin were both taking in everything she did say. On the other hand, he hadn’t missed the way the two men watched her every move.

A new woman in their midst was always of interest to the male boarders. Just as he supposed a new man would be to the females sitting at the table. But Luke and Benjamin appeared to be totally captivated by Violet. While he couldn’t blame them—she was lovely and quite unpretentious—Michael felt a little out of sorts about the attention they were giving her.

He watched as Violet asked Luke about his writing and wondered, what would she think if she knew Luke sometimes did investigative work for Michael’s detective agency? It was something few people knew about, which worked to Michael’s benefit. No one would suspect one of his agents was the dime-novel writer living in his mother’s boardinghouse. Violet seemed interested in Luke’s writing—was she interested in him?

It shouldn’t matter. Michael had made up his mind never to become interested in any of the women living in his mother’s boardinghouse—an easy thing to do since he’d been burned once and was determined never to let it happen again. But Violet wasn’t just a boarder. They’d lived next door to each other, and their mothers had been best friends. He couldn’t ignore that connection. Nor did he want to.

He glanced her way as she spoke to Elizabeth, and realized how much she’d changed since he last saw her. She seemed to have lost the smattering of freckles that once graced her nose, and her skin was smooth and flawless now, but he found he missed those freckles.

It took some effort to pull his thoughts back to the present and he was glad to see that most everyone seemed genuinely interested in helping Violet find employment, with the exception of Lila. She didn’t seem enthused about assisting in the search—at least not where she worked. He was certain she’d mentioned that Butterick was expanding and needed more help just a week or so ago, and he’d almost laughed at the look on Lila’s face when he’d backed her into a corner so she had no choice but to say she would check on it. However, he wasn’t totally confident that she would keep her word.

He’d had no reason to check the classifieds, so he didn’t know if Butterick might have placed an ad. Hopefully they’d find something in the paper tomorrow, whether it be Butterick or some other place. It would make things easier if Violet found a position where one of the other girls worked. She’d be able to learn her way around a little faster if she had someone to go to work and come home with. But this was New York City, after all. Violet would find something. He was sure of it.

* * *

When everyone adjourned to the parlor, Violet excused herself saying she had unpacking still to do. That was the truth, but the real reason she felt the need to escape to her room was that she was quite overwhelmed by her whole day. It had been a very long one and she hadn’t had time to let it soak in that she really was going to make her home in New York City, in this house, with these people.

Mrs. Heaton followed her upstairs. “Are you all right, dear?”

“I’m fine. I’m just—”

“Not used to all that conversation and everyone talking at the same time, are you?”

“No, ma’am.” She smiled. The older woman seemed to have a knack for knowing what she was thinking. “But I did enjoy it. I think I’m just very tired tonight.”

“I’m sure you are. I wanted to show you where the towels are kept and make certain you weren’t feeling poorly.” She pointed out the linen closet in the hall and got out a fresh towel and washcloth for Violet. “My room is just across the hall from yours, should you need me. Please remember, Violet, that you are like family to me and—”

“I thank you so much for that. Your hospitality is more of a comfort than I can tell you. But that being said, I need to pay you my first month’s rent. It’s fifty dollars, isn’t it?”

“That’s the fee, but I want you to wait until the first of July to pay me.”

“Oh, no.” Violet shook her head. “I can’t let you do that, Mrs. Heaton.”

“You have no choice, dear. I don’t want you worrying about money until you have a paying position, which I’m certain you will have by then. You have enough stress trying to find employment and getting used to everything. Think of yourself as my guest at least until July. Then you’ll be a boarder.”

“But—”

Mrs. Heaton held up her hand and smiled. “Not another word about it, dear. It’s final.”

“Thank you. I am so blessed that you wrote me offering your help. I had no intention of ever leaving Ashland, but with Harlan Black making it impossible for me to find work, your letter seemed an answer to my prayers. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Your being here is enough thanks. You bring back happy memories to me of times past and I cherish them. As for Harlan Black...I do remember him as well, and I am glad you got away from that horrid man!”

“Oh, so am I.” The very thought of Harlan sickened her.

“Do you think he’ll come after you?”

Violet’s heart plummeted to her stomach at Mrs. Heaton’s question. Thus far, she’d not let herself think along those lines, but now she realized that same question had been lying at the back of her mind just waiting to torment her. “I don’t know. I certainly hope not.”

Mrs. Heaton placed a hand on her ample chest. “I am so sorry, Violet. I didn’t mean to bring up unpleasant thoughts for you.”

“It’s all right, Mrs. Heaton. I’m just glad to be out of Ashland and away from him.” She shivered again thinking of the last time she’d seen him.

“Well, never you worry, dear. He won’t bother you here.” Mrs. Heaton waved her hand as if to dispel the thought of Harlan. “Enough of this depressing talk. I’ll let you have some time to yourself. Breakfast is from six to nine. It’s set out on the sideboard in the dining room. We’ll take a look at the classifieds and see if we can find some positions for you to apply for tomorrow. Good night, dear.”

“Good night.”

Violet heard the sound of the piano being played and voices singing “The Sidewalks of New York” as Mrs. Heaton went back downstairs. For a moment she wished she’d stayed with everyone. Then she reminded herself that there would be other nights and much more time to get to know the others. For now, she needed some quiet time.

Violet finished her unpacking and then took a long soak in the big tub in the bathroom. Once she was back in her room, she settled herself into the chair by the window and listened to the singing from downstairs. She loved to sing and would be happy to join them around the piano one day.

The music faded and she heard footsteps on the stairs, doors opening and closing down the hall and the sound of water running in the bathroom she shared with Elizabeth. She found she liked the sounds of life around her and knowing she wasn’t alone.

As the house quieted, Violet opened her Bible and read several of her favorite Psalms. Then she said her prayers before turning in, thanking the Lord for giving her safe travel and for Mrs. Heaton and her offer. Exhausted as she was, Violet felt certain she would drift right off to sleep.

Instead, she remembered the conversation with Mrs. Heaton earlier and before long, her thoughts were in such turmoil wondering what Harlan would do when he found she’d left town that she couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before flinging back the covers. Violet got out of bed and paced around her bed and back again.

Harlan was not going to be happy, that was for sure. But would he try to find her? She prayed not. Still, afraid that he might look for her, she’d bought a ticket as far as Baltimore, then bought another one from there to New York City. She hoped it would be impossible for him to locate her, should he decide he must.

Violet stopped and pulled the curtain away from the window. Lights were still shining in some of the homes nearby and she could even see a light or two in the next street over. Somehow the light in the darkness comforted her, knowing others were up at this hour. Back home there wouldn’t be a light shining anywhere this time of night, except for the taverns and the small police station. But this city was so large—surely Harlan would never find her here if he did decide to look for her.

She dropped the curtain and went back to bed. It wasn’t going to do any good to worry about him. He’d either track her down or not. But he couldn’t make her marry him. Worrying about him would serve no purpose; she’d just turn it over to the Lord and leave it in His hands.

* * *

The next morning Violet awakened to the sounds of doors opening and closing once more. She looked at the small clock on her bedside table. Six-thirty. She was used to sleeping a bit later than that on a Saturday, but she was eager to start the day.

Throwing back the covers, she hopped out of bed and hurried to the windows. The sun was up and it looked as if it were going to be a beautiful spring day.

Violet started to walk to the bathroom, but she heard water running. Elizabeth would be getting ready for work. She’d said she worked a half day today, and Violet was glad she hadn’t hurried to the bathroom right away. It seemed everyone had a job or somewhere to go except her, and she certainly didn’t want to hold Elizabeth up.

The water stopped running, but Violet waited until she heard the bathroom door shut from the other side, signaling that Elizabeth had finished washing up. Even then she knocked just to make sure the bathroom was empty before entering.

Once she’d finished freshening up, she went back to her room to dress in a burgundy skirt and ivory shirtwaist. She put her hair up, twisting it up into a knot on top of her head in one of the current styles, and made her bed before leaving the room. By the time she arrived downstairs, some of the boarders she’d met the evening before were heading out the door and they wished her well in her search for employment.

“Thank you,” she called as she waved goodbye and entered the empty dining room. She took a plate and began to fill it from the sideboard, choosing a couple of slices of bacon, some scrambled eggs and a biscuit. Just as Violet took a seat at the table, Maida, or maybe it was Gretchen, came in the room. On closer inspection, Violet decided it was Maida. She was a little taller and her hair was a darker shade of blond.

“Good morning, Miss Burton.”

“Good morning, Maida.” Violet knew she got it right when she was rewarded with a smile.

“Did you sleep well last night?” the maid asked.

“I did.”

“Would you like tea or coffee this morning?”

“Tea, please.”

Maida poured her a steaming cup from the silver pot on the sideboard. “Mrs. Heaton asked me to let her know when you came down. She’ll be joining you soon.”

“Wonderful. Maida, do you know where the morning paper might be? I’d like to look over the classifieds.”

Mrs. Heaton walked into the room just then, the newspaper in her hand. “It’s right here, dear. I’ve been looking over them for you.”

Maida poured Mrs. Heaton a cup of tea and set it at her place at the table. “Would you like me to prepare you anything, ma’am?”

Mrs. Heaton glanced at the offerings on the sideboard. “No, thank you, Maida. There is still plenty here to choose from.”

After Maida replaced the pot on the sideboard and left the room, Mrs. Heaton handed Violet the paper. “There are several positions you might be interested in, dear. If you see anything you want to apply for, I’ll be glad to accompany you on Monday to put in applications. However, I hope you will let yourself rest this weekend. Besides, some of the other boarders might come back with news about openings in their companies this evening.”

“That would be wonderful.” Violet took the folded New York Tribune Mrs. Heaton handed her. “I’m sure I will take you up on the offer to go with me on Monday. I wouldn’t have the faintest idea on where anything is located.”

“I thought you might enjoy a ride around town today so that I can show you several of the places you might want to apply at on Monday—if you see anything that appeals to you.”

Remembering the terrible traffic of the day before, Violet didn’t exactly look forward to getting out in it again, but she did want to see the city. While Mrs. Heaton filled her plate, Violet looked at some of the circled entries. There were several requests for shopkeeper positions, a straw-hat presser—whatever that was—and an opening for a correspondent. Those were the only ones Mrs. Heaton had circled, but Violet’s gaze skimmed the rest. A lady wanted a person to do writing for her at home; another wanted a companion, but that meant living at the residence, and Violet knew she wouldn’t want to do that.

She liked being right here. When she’d awakened this morning, it’d been quite comforting to know that she was in the home of someone she was acquainted with, someone she could call a friend.

“What do you think? Do any of those positions sound good to you?” Mrs. Heaton took her seat at the table.

“I’m not sure appealing to me is the important thing,” Violet said. “I need work, so most likely I’ll accept any decent position I’m offered.”

“Don’t feel you must rush into employment, Violet. I’d prefer you take your time and find something you believe you’ll be happy at. One good thing about the Butterick position is that you’d know someone who works there, and you’d have company for the trips to and from work.”

“But we don’t know if that is still open, do we?”

“You didn’t see it?” Mrs. Heaton jumped up and came over to her. “Oh, dear, it’s on the top of the next page.”

She took the paper from Violet and turned the page. There, at the top, was circled: “Pattern cutter/Pattern folder wanted. No experience necessary. Will train. Apply at 555 Broadway Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.”

Violet looked up at Mrs. Heaton. “Oh, yes, I would like to apply there. They’re willing to train me and that is exactly what I need.”

“And once you are established here and meet more people, if this position isn’t one you like, it will be easier to find another one. You’ll know your way around the city and you’ll have a résumé.”

Violet couldn’t help but chuckle. “You speak as if I already have this position. It may be filled by Monday.”

“I don’t think so. But we won’t know until then. In the meantime, I’ll show you around so that you can see where some of these places are. We’ll be on our way as soon as we finish breakfast.”

“Where is it you are off to so early in the day, Mother?”

Violet’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of Michael striding into the room.

Even Mrs. Heaton seemed surprised to see her son. “Michael, I thought you left for work over an hour ago. What are you doing back home?”

* * *

“Good morning, Mother.” Michael gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and grinned at Violet. “Good morning to you, too, Violet. I hope you slept well.”

“I did, thank you.”

“Michael, you haven’t answered my question.”

“I’m sorry, Mother. I did go to the office and I telephoned Butterick from there and found that they are indeed hiring, but they only take applications Monday through—”

“Friday.” His mother laughed. “Well, I could have told you that!”

“How could you have known?”

“I read the paper this morning,” she answered, waving it at him.

“So that is where it was!” He laughed. “I looked all over for it.”

His mother grinned. “It was in my study. I’m sorry. It appears we’re both anxious to find something for Violet.”

Michael poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot Maida had left on the sideboard. He took his seat at the table and smiled at Violet. “Now that Mother has you here, she wants to make sure you stay.”

“I have no plans to go anywhere other than out to find work,” Violet said. “And I am very grateful to your mother for coming up with a solution for me.”

“I thought we could take a ride around the city this morning so that Violet could get a look at some of the places she might want to apply at on Monday,” his mother said.

“If you don’t mind the company, I’ll escort the two of you.”

“I hate to take you away from your work—”

“We’d love to have your company,” his mother interrupted. “I’ll feel better if you are the one explaining the El and the trolley to Violet.”

“Good. And there is no need to worry about taking me away from my work, Violet. I am fortunate in that I get to set my own work schedule.”

“Then I thank you both. I’ll just go freshen up and be ready when you are,” Violet said.

Michael pulled out her chair for her. Although she’d given in gracefully, he couldn’t really tell if she was pleased or not that he’d be going with them.

“And I will talk to Maida about our dinner tonight,” his mother said.

He pulled out her chair, as well. “All right. But there is no need to rush, ladies. I’ll sit here and have another one of Maida’s biscuits while I wait for you.”

Although Michael could set his own hours, it wasn’t often he took a day off from work, and he was going to enjoy it. He buttered a biscuit, plopped a spoonful of apple jelly in the middle and took a bite. Delicious.

He wasn’t sure exactly why he’d decided to come back home this early. He’d telephoned Butterick when he got to his office because, for some reason, he didn’t quite trust that Lila would ask about openings at the company. Still, he could have waited until this evening to tell Violet about it; she couldn’t apply there until Monday, anyway.

However, knowing his mother as he did, he was sure that she and Violet would be out and about today. He really was a little concerned about Violet learning her way around the city—after all, it was his mother’s suggestion that brought her here and there was no denying that made him feel personally responsible for her safety. He couldn’t let anything happen to her.

“I’m ready, dear, and I’m sure Violet will be coming down the stairs any moment now. I do appreciate you checking into the Butterick position for her. I’m praying she gets it.”

“So am I.” For his mother’s sake, if not for Violet’s. “You like having her here, don’t you?”

“I do,” his mother answered. “Don’t you?”

Michael hadn’t expected that question, and he wasn’t really sure he could answer it right now. After all, Violet had only been here one night and her presence meant more responsibility for him. But his mother looked so happy this morning, he wasn’t about to tell her any of that. So he chose to be as truthful as he could at the moment. “I want you to be happy, Mother.”

“Thank you, dear. I want the same for you, don’t you know?”

“I—” Footsteps could be heard crossing the foyer and Michael was glad. He took one last sip of coffee and stood just as Violet entered the room.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long,” Violet said, pulling her gloves on and smiling at them.

She did have a beautiful smile. Michael couldn’t help but smile back. “Not at all. Are you ready to see the city?”

“I am.”

“Then, I’m at your service, ladies.”