All the Blue of Heaven (17 page)

           
“A hymn?” she asked, the smile settling into a bemused expression.

           
“When voices are raised in petition, or praise, I feel Him very near to me.”
Thomas felt his heart lift just speaking the words. He had always loved to hear
Allie sing in church. Her pure voice seemed to bring the words to life, to
elevate them from simple music to deep prayer.

           
“I didn’t know that,” she said, her expression softening as she considered him.

           
Thomas felt as if he couldn’t tear his gaze away from hers and everything within
him yearned to speak now, to ask her now, to be his wife. Instead, he got to
his feet and brushed the grass from his trousers. He kept his face hidden until
his emotions were under control, then he held out a hand. “It’s time we got
back to the house. Your mother will be wondering where you’ve been, especially
if Mr. Bascomb has reported your disappearance.”

           
He wasn’t sure but he thought he saw a flicker of disappointment on her face.
She nodded. “I must put these awful boots back on my poor feet. Mama would not
approve of my wandering home barefoot.”

           
Thomas reached in his suit coat and offered a large cotton handkerchief to
Allie. She took it gratefully, patted her damp toes, and worked at putting her
silk stocking back on. Thomas turned and wandered a little further down the
path so that she might have privacy. His heart ached when he saw the dark pink
welts on her fair skin. How he wished Allie had been spared, that her studio
had been spared. No matter how grateful he was for a second chance, the pain
she endured as she adjusted to her new life, as she struggled to approach the
One she blamed for her loss, Thomas still wished the earthquake had never
happened. But it had.

           
Now Allie had to decide what sort of woman she was: a strong woman of faith who
rose above tragedy, or a woman who let fear run her decisions and ran from her
idea of a vengeful God. There was only one type of woman Thomas could marry, no
matter how much he loved Allie, no matter how many years he had prayed for her
return. Allie was here beside him, needing a husband and a protector, but he
could only be that for her if it was God’s will.

           
The soft sound of her footsteps roused him from his reverie. He turned and
said, “I was thinking Janey would love to try a little fishing. Do you think we
could spirit her away, one fine afternoon?”

           
A wide smile spread over Allie’s pale face, lighting up her eyes. “She would
love it.”

           
They headed back to the automobile, stepping carefully over vines on the old
overgrown path, planning all the while.

                                          
***

           
Thomas’s car rolled to a stop as the front door burst open and Mrs. Gibson
tumbled out, her round face pink and sweating.

           
“Thank goodness! We have been absolutely out of our wits with worry!” She
trotted toward them, twisting her hands in her apron, a gesture so rare it
caused alarm.

           
Allie scrambled out of the passenger seat, grabbing the hand that Thomas
offered for support, but then quickly dropping it again.

           
“What’s happened? Is it Janey?” Her heart was pounding so loudly she could
hardly hear herself over the din. If anything had happened to the little girl,
while Allie was swinging her feet in the pond and mooning over Thomas, Allie
would never survive it.

           
“Janey is fine. No, my dear, it is Maggie McGovern,” the housekeeper said this
last bit in a shocked whisper.

           
Allie slowed her trajectory toward the front door, her mind working to make
sense of Mrs. Gibson’s statement.

           
“Maggie... the servant girl?”

           
“Yes! She has run off, most likely to California.”

           
Thomas inhaled, the sharp noise against his teeth speaking more than any words could.

                                   
Chapter Twelve

           
“But, not to be uncaring, how does this affect us?” Allie felt her cheeks warm
and glanced at Thomas. “I am sorry. It’s a terrible thing, I agree. But
how...?” And then it came clear as she watched Mrs. Gibson’s gaze drop to her
hands, twisting in her apron once more. “Oh, I see. Mr. Bascomb sent word of
my... escape and Maggie went missing. And all the house believed that we had,
what, run away together? As if two poor young women would do much better out in
the world than one?” It was almost laughable. Almost, but not quite.

           
Thomas cleared his throat. “I am sure that Mrs. Gibson never believed you had
left without Janey.”

           
Allie whirled on him. “But she might believe I would sneak away with Maggie
and
Janey?” She shook her head, disbelieving. “You are acting as if I am a
thoughtless, selfish woman.”

           
“No, no, my dear! Please, understand. Mr. McGovern is here, at this moment, in
the parlor. He is convinced that you had something to do with Maggie’s
disappearance.”

           
“But that’s absurd. I have only spoken with the girl a few times.”

           
Mrs. Gibson nodded her head, loose tendrils coming loose from her bun, cheeks
flushed. “Of course, we all did not believe it for a moment.”

           
“Except, perhaps, when Mr. Bascomb relayed our carriage mishap.” Allie could
feel her face tightening. She was sure that horrible man had made it out to be
much more dramatic than it was. Although, striding off into the city without a
word did look peculiar. If only he was not so insufferable, so bigoted, so
angry at everyone.

           
“I am sure you had very good reason to... walk home.” Mrs. Gibson’s gaze
flicked back toward Thomas’s car, then back at Allie. There was the hint of a
smile on her lips.

           
Of course, the housekeeper was getting ideas. She never understood why Allie
had refused Thomas and left for San Francisco. And of course, Allie had never
explained.

           
Allie drew in a breath, struggling to calm herself, aware of her pulse beating
in her temples. “I found the situation untenable. Mr. Bascomb is not capable of
carrying on a conversation that does not include the amount of his own fortune
or the lack of another’s. He also seems to consider every problem in the world
attributable to either the poor or the foreign in this city. Frankly, I had had
enough.” With that, Allie stepped past Mrs. Gibson and into the entryway. She
could hear a rough voice coming from the parlor.

           
“Miss Hathaway, please, wait,” Thomas called from somewhere behind her but she
didn’t slow.

           
Allie entered the room without pausing. A man stood in the middle of the room,
feet planted apart, arms across his chest. His face was dark with a week’s
worth of beard and his eyes were murky with drink. Allie had seen the signs
often enough on the docks and would have known he liked his whiskey, even
without the powerful smell that clung to his clothes. Maggie’s father was
partial to more than the strap, it seemed.

           
“Mr. McGovern. I am Alberta Hathaway. I have only spoken to your daughter a few
times since I’ve arrived here. She expressed her desire to travel to California
but I did not encourage her, nor did I assist her in any way.” Her tone held no
argument and she barely glanced at her mother, seated rigidly on the edge of
the couch.

           
“Well, that’s what ye say, now, isn’t it? But I have a feeling that my Maggie
was unduly influ– influ– ”

           
She sighed, waiting for Mr. McGovern to stop swaying and finish his sentence.
“Influenced,” she finally supplied.

           
“That’s it,” the man slurred, pounding one fist into his palm. “She was the
only girl I had working. Her ma is sick and we canna live without her. I want
some compen– , compen– ”

           
Allie wanted to slap the word out of him but spoke quietly through clenched
teeth instead. “Compensation.”

           
“Right! You gave her the idea to go,” he pointed a dirty finger in her general
direction, “with all your talk of fancy people and movie stars and―” He
seemed to lose his train of thought and blinked at the ceiling. “She was a hard
worker and now she’s gone.”

           
“I’m sorry Maggie has left without your permission. But I will not be providing
any money to you or your family because she has made that decision. It had
nothing to do with me.”

           
His face screwed up as if he was getting ready to spit. Deep color spread from
his cheeks to his forehead. He took an unsteady step closer, arms hanging at
his sides, hands clenching and unclenching.

           
Allie shivered inside, wondering how many times Maggie had seen this furious
expression. She heard Thomas move behind her, felt his hand touch her shoulder,
as if ready to fling her out of the way if need be, but Allie did not move.

           
“We do have a position open now, since Maggie has gone. Perhaps if there is
another daughter who could take her place, we would be willing to interview her
for the post.” Allie heard her mother’s sharp breath but didn’t drop her gaze
from Mr. McGovern’s watery squint.

           
“Bah! Why would I put another child in this house? She would just end up
runnin’ away like the first!”

           
Allie shrugged. “It is your choice. That is the only offer of help you will be
receiving from me or my family.”

           
Mr. McGovern shifted his feet and made unhappy noises, but Allie already knew
that he would accept the offer. Thomas was a steady, powerful presence behind
her.

           
“I s’pose that is the best we be gettin’. If we were a family of means, I would
take you to court for inter– , inter– ”

           
“Interfering.”

           
“Aye, interfering with Maggie’s education.” He folded his arms again and tried
to focus on Allie’s face.

           
“Was Maggie still in school, Mr. McGovern?”

           
“Well, not at the moment. We needed the money she made here, cause her ma is
sick and all. I want to take a job but all the bosses are against the Irish,
you see.”

           
Allie did see. One look at the man and no boss in his right mind would take a
chance, no matter from what country he hailed. “Send over your daughter
tomorrow. We will interview her and see if she is suitable.”

           
He rolled one large shoulder in his dirty coat and nodded. “She’ll come.”

           
She stepped to the side of the parlor, Thomas moving away from her now. She saw
him out of the corner of her eye, standing straight and silent close to the
door. Mr. McGovern lurched through the doorway and Thomas slipped out a few
paces behind him.

           
Allie sagged into the couch, her temples pounding with the headache that
threatened earlier. Too much exercise and too much sun, she supposed.

           
“Goodness,” her mother whispered. She peered toward the doorway, as if she
didn’t quite believe the man had actually gone.

           
Thomas reentered the room. “He left without another word. I’m sorry that you
had to endure such a scene. I apologize for bringing Maggie to this house. I
truly thought she would find the strength to rise above her situation, if she was
surrounded by good people like yourself and Mrs. Gibson.”

           
“You could not have known she would run away. I do not blame you, Thomas.” Her
mother heaved a sigh and patted the cushion beside her. He sat down, face grim,
eyes troubled.

           
She continued. “Tomorrow, when the sister comes, we will not give her entry. We
will bar the door, and be ready to call the police when her father pays us
another visit.”

           
Allie sat up, eyes wide. “Mama, you cannot! We have just told the man that we
will interview his daughter for the post!”

           
She spread her hands, as if indicating the parlor where the drunken man stood a
few minutes before. “Alberta, we will not have anything more to do with that
family. The only thing that can be gained from that sort of people is trouble.”

           
Allie shot a beseechingly look at Thomas, but he was frowning at his hands. She
knew she could not keep silent. “Maggie told me he beats them, and the mother
is too sick to care for the little ones. How can we turn our faces from those
children when they are in need?”

           
“Honestly, Alberta. You are making no sense. We can’t be responsible for every
child that has a drunken father or a sick mother.”

           
“No, Mama, we can’t. But we can provide for the ones right before us.”

           
Her mother passed a hand across her brow, and Allie saw with a pang of guilt
that her face was pale and drawn.  “This afternoon has been too much, for
both of us. I do not wish to discuss the situation at this moment, but I will
say that our family cannot be connected to people like the McGoverns.”

           
Allie wanted to let the words slide away, but she felt them bursting out. “What
people, Mama? Poor people? People who have a brute for a father and not enough
to eat?” Her voice rose in anger.

           
Her mother stood. “I am retiring to my room for a rest. Please excuse me. We
will discuss this later.” She turned to Thomas. “Thank you for bringing Alberta
safely home.”

           
He offered her his hand. “My pleasure. She was almost home when we met up on
the road.”

           
She nodded her head, tired eyes seeking the doorway and avoiding Allie’s gaze.
As soon as she stepped from the room, Thomas turned to Allie.

           
“You spoke very well.”

           
“I suppose you think I should have let you handle the situation.” Allie didn’t
know why she was snapping at Thomas. It wasn’t his fault that her mother was
going to make her into a liar. She had offered the man’s daughter a position
and tomorrow they weren’t even going to open the door. She shuddered to think
of what the girl would endure when she returned home.

           
He crossed to her, eyes intent on her face. “Not at all. And you were very
generous to offer Maggie’s position.”

           
“Generous and completely out of line.”

           
His lips twitched. “Yes, that is true. Perhaps you could have consulted with
your mother, or even Mrs. Gibson.”

           
Allie couldn’t help smiling a little, even as her head throbbed out a tempo. “I
know. But there wasn’t time. And I couldn’t let that man walk out of the
parlor, knowing that there are other children in the home who will suffer from
his wrath. It was all I could think of at the moment.”

           
He nodded, and seemed to be trying to decide whether to speak or not.

           
“I know that expression.” Allie lifted her chin and shot him a calculating
look.

           
“Do you now?” he said, a teasing tone creeping into his voice.

           
“You want to tell me something but you’re afraid it will hurt my feelings.”

           
He laughed as if it was startled out of him. “And when I have this expression,
do I usually say whatever it is, or not?”

           
Allie considered for a moment. “You do say it, but you are kind enough to consider
the consequences.”

           
The smiled slipping from his face. She was close enough to see the thick
lashes  that rimmed his dark eyes. She had always loved his eyes. How many
times in the past ten years had she found his features appearing under her
pencil? Dozens? Hundreds?  Her fingers itched to sketch them right now, at this
moment, as they gazed back at her.

           
“Allie,” he said, his voice soft. Something in his tone made her heart skip a
beat. He was not going to give her advice on dealing with drunkards.

           
He reached out a hand and touched her cheek, so softly she wasn’t even sure he
had. She was rooted to the spot. Then he stepped back.  “Maybe it’s better
if I say nothing at all. I will see you at the picnic on Saturday.”

           
Allie could only stare, speechless, as he turned and left the room. She sagged
down onto the couch once more, head in her hands. What did she think he was
going to say? Marry me? Bring Janey into my home and make a family with me? She
wanted to groan out loud in her misery. Coming home was the only thing she
could see to do at the time, but now she knew that it was better for her and
Janey, for them all, if they left as soon as possible.

                                               
***

           
Thomas drove back down the long driveway from Bellevue, his mind so preoccupied
that he hardly noticed where he was and what he was doing. His mind whirled
with the words he wanted to say to Allie, promises he longed to make. But it
was the wrong time. Maybe it would never be the right time.

           
Was it possible that he could offer marriage to Allie, give her sanctuary from
her mother’s matchmaking, give Janey a home, and have Allie grow to love him?
Of course it was possible. He thought he sensed a softening toward him, at
moments like this afternoon at the pond. They had settled old hurts, bound up
wounds inflicted many years ago. It was senseless to wish that the
misunderstanding had never happened. It had and she had left for San Francisco
because she suspected he loved another. Thomas rolled his shoulders, seeking to
ease the tension in his muscles. He would not grieve over those lost years but
only look to the future.

           
No matter how hard he tried, Thomas could not resist the very smallest daydream
of Allie, Janey, and himself, as a family. And if God willed it to be, a
houseful of children who loved horses and sketching, who sang like their mother
and climbed trees like their father. He suddenly flashed on her comment about
blond-haired babes and clenched his jaw. His babies would never be blond, not
with his dark-haired parents and grandparents, Black Irish to the core. She had
said it so lightly, as if she contemplated the beauty of Ransom Garnett’s
future children every day. Thomas shook his head, clearing his mind of the
images that pricked his pride.