A Home at Trail's End (11 page)

“A wedding with no gifts?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “And I will make sure my mother understands this too. No gifts at this wedding.”

Malinda still looked uneasy.

Elizabeth pointed out how much simpler Malinda's life would be with fewer people inhabiting her house before her wedding. “Three less people under your roof. As well as one less dog and numerous livestock and chickens. I should think you would be relieved to see us go.”

“Yes, I can understand your rationale. It would be helpful if you and Ruth and JT were settled in your own home by then.” She brightened. “But why couldn't you and the children move into your cabin without getting married? If it would help matters, I could invite Eli to bunk in the barn with my boys. He could have JT's bed.”

Elizabeth stifled her irritation over what seemed like Malinda's incredibly selfish stubbornness. But even as she resented her friend, she felt like digging in her own heels as well. If she and Eli wanted to get married in early December, why shouldn't they?

“I appreciate your generous offer,” she told Malinda in a stiff tone. “But I think I would feel greedy to move the children and myself into our lovely new home—the house that Eli is working so diligently to build for us—and forcing him to come sleep in a barn.”

“Sleeping in a barn is a sight better than what we had to put up with when we arrived here,” Malinda said a bit sharply. “The rains had already started by then, and it was too late in the year to build much of a cabin. And it didn't help matters that we'd sold our team to afford our passage on the ship. Did you know that we spent our first winter in that horrid little sod house that I now use to store my root vegetables? Can you imagine that tiny space with John and me and three children crammed into it?”

“I'm sure it was difficult.” She peered curiously at her friend. “I'm surprised you never wrote me of those deprivations. You never mentioned such things in any of your letters. You always made it sound exciting and wonderful here.”

Malinda made a funny little laugh. “If I'd told you of all the hardships, how would I have enticed you and James to move out here, pray tell?”

“Don't get me wrong, Malinda. I loved your letters. And I'm very happy to be here now.”

“I hope you appreciate that you have it much better than we did. A school and a church and a mercantile and blacksmith. You should be counting your blessings.”

Elizabeth looked at the clock on the mantle and realized she should be counting the seconds because the children would be home any minute now. “So if my wedding is a very simple one,” she said quickly, “and if I make it plain to the guests that we expect no gifts, would you be amenable to Eli and me getting married the first Saturday of December?”

“Well, certainly, Elizabeth.” Malinda huffed as she reached for her sewing scissors. “You can have your wedding whenever you wish. It is after all a free country, is it not?”

Elizabeth couldn't remember ever being in a position as socially awkward as this. She loved Malinda and wanted to please her. But she loved Eli more. “So it seems obvious that you would be much happier if Eli and I waited to marry?”

“Spring is a lovely time for a wedding, Elizabeth. And it comes early in this part of the country. Everything is so lush and green by March, and wildflowers would be in bloom.”

“Spring?” Elizabeth took in a deep breath. How could Malinda be so stubborn? But before they could say another word about it, the children came bursting into the house. Suddenly it was time to hear about the happenings at school and to dole out apples for snacks and start preparations for supper. This uncomfortable conversation would have to wait.

Elizabeth had never liked conflict. She tried to avoid disagreements whenever possible, especially with loved ones. For that reason she was tempted to give in to Malinda without a battle. As she checked on a bowl of bread dough that had been rising, she thought perhaps it would be wise to wait until spring to marry. After all, only a year earlier, she felt she'd never be ready to remarry. James had been gone for nearly three years, and her mother had been pushing available bachelors her way, but Elizabeth had felt certain she could never love again.

She gently removed the risen dough, setting it on a floured board. She thought of Eli and how meeting him had changed everything, even if it had taken a while for her to admit to herself that he really was the one. And then she'd felt she'd lost him for good. As she kneaded the warm dough, she considered the freedoms he'd given up just to come back to her. She thought of all he'd done—including giving up his beloved horse—just to hasten their wedding date. And now she had to tell him to wait until spring?

“Goodness, Elizabeth,” Belinda said abruptly. “You look as if you want to beat the living daylights out of that poor lump of dough.”

Elizabeth gave Belinda a sheepish look. “I suppose I was overly exuberant.”

“Are you disturbed about something?”

Elizabeth glanced around and noticed that Malinda wasn't in the house right now, so she decided to speak freely. After all, Belinda was Will's older daughter, and she'd grown up in Boston, where social conventions were respected. Perhaps she could test Belinda's reaction. “The truth is I'm feeling a bit torn about something.”

“What is it?” Belinda asked as she tied on an apron and reached for a paring knife.

Elizabeth quickly told Belinda the good news about her house getting finished sooner than anticipated. “And today Eli encouraged me to pick a wedding date.” She placed the pummeled dough back into the bowl, covering it with the towel. “I don't want to have a big wedding. Not like Malinda and your father are planning. And I don't want our guests to bring gifts. But I would like to be married before Christmas so that Eli and the children and I can be settled in our house. So I thought the first Saturday in December might work.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Belinda exclaimed. “Another wedding. What fun!”

“But do you feel that's unreasonable for your father and Malinda? Just two weeks before their wedding day?”

Belinda pursed her lips as if considering this. “I don't know…maybe it would be odd if we were back in Boston. But life was different there. When I think of the weddings on the trail…” She laughed. “Well, I'd never seen anything like that before. But I loved it. I love frontier weddings. I hope I have one someday too.”

“From what I've observed with Jacob Levine and how he's always got his eye on you, I'd wager you'll be planning your own frontier wedding before long.”

Belinda made an embarrassed smile as she looked down at the potato in her hand.

“But there's no hurry.” Elizabeth set the bowl of dough back over by the fireplace. “Perhaps there is no hurry for Eli and me as well.”

“But Eli is building the house for you and the children. It's only natural that you'd want to live there with him.” Belinda waved her hand to where Susannah and Emily and Ruth noisily burst into the house. “And it probably won't be as crowded there.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Not to mention it will be less crowded here if we go.”

Eager to look at something Emily had brought home from school, the giggling girls hurried up to the loft.

“I wonder what your aunt would think about this,” Elizabeth said quietly. When she'd first met Lavinia, she'd been taken aback by the Bostonian woman's commitment to propriety even though they were on the trail. Of course, it didn't take long before Lavinia set decorum aside.

Before Belinda could answer, Malinda entered the house. But it was too late for Elizabeth to retract her last question.

“Aunt Lavinia's so busy with the mercantile and trying to get into their house up above the store. I truly doubt she'd have an opinion one way or another. Besides that, she loves weddings as much as I do.”

“Weddings?” Malinda came over to where they were working. “What are we discussing about weddings?”

“Elizabeth was just telling me that she was feeling conflicted,” Belinda said.

“Conflicted?” Malinda eyed Elizabeth.

“About her wedding date being only two weeks before yours. But surely you don't mind about that, especially since you're best friends.” Belinda smiled at her soon-to-be stepmother. “Now I have a beautiful idea!” Belinda set the potato and paring knife down and clapped her hands merrily. “Why don't you two have a double wedding? Can you imagine how fun that would be?”

“Oh, I don't think so,” Elizabeth said quickly. She could tell by Malinda's face that she was not in favor of Belinda's idea. “I really wanted a small quiet wedding, and Malinda and your father plan to have quite a party out there in the barn.” She looked hopefully at Malinda. “Which I am looking forward to. Besides that, I promised to stand up with you at your wedding. How could I do that if I was getting married at the same time?” She put her hand on Malinda's shoulder. “And I never properly asked you to stand up with me—I suppose I took it for granted—but I do hope you will.”

Malinda smiled. “Of course I will.”

Elizabeth knew this didn't mean that Malinda was resolved to the two-week gap between their wedding dates, but it seemed a step in the right direction. Perhaps in a day or two Malinda would become more reasonable. Elizabeth could only hope.

Chapter Nine

B
y Sunday Elizabeth felt slightly more optimistic. Although the two brides-to-be had not discussed any further wedding plans—they had barely conversed at all—she hoped that was only because Malinda had finally accepted that Elizabeth was immovable on this subject. Either that or Malinda had simply swept the whole thing under the rug for the time being. And with all that was going on in Malinda's household—her four children, her two soon-to-be step-daughters, and Elizabeth's own two—it was easy to get sidetracked.

It felt wonderful to sit next to Eli with JT and Ruth on either side of them in church, but Elizabeth once again felt dismayed as the service was ending. She was growing increasingly weary of the negativity of Reverend Holmes' sermons. If this was simply a season, as her father had suggested, she was ready for it to be over. The short wiry man was so obsessed with hellfire and brimstone that he seemed to have completely forgotten about God's grace and love and mercy.

She exchanged glances with Flo as they exited the little church building. As usual, Bert was missing, as was Flo's oldest son. Not only that, but Hugh Prescott and a few other husbands appeared to be absent as well. Was it possible that the reverend was slowly driving all the men away, or at least the recent settlers? Perhaps the ones who'd been here longer were accustomed to this sort of church service.

Out in the churchyard, where the heavy-leaden skies were almost as gloomy as the faces of the congregation, no one mentioned the content of the sermon. However, Elizabeth could see that people were avoiding Reverend and Mrs. Holmes as the older couple stood near the front steps. Even Mrs. Taylor, who'd once embraced fiery sermons, looked uncomfortable as she hurried away with Mrs. Levine.

“We better load up and head out,” Asa called. “This storm is threatening to break.” He'd brought his wagon, and the plan was for his family to ride with him to his newly built cabin for Sunday dinner. Expecting rain, he'd even put the cover on top of the wagon, and now all of them piled into the back of the wagon and under its shelter. Meanwhile, Malinda and Will and their children would ride over in Will's wagon. Unfortunately for them, Will hadn't had Asa's foresight regarding the weather.

Ruth rode up front with her grandparents, but the rest of them sat in the back, where Matthew had placed layers of fir boughs and covered them with a quilt. He'd done it for Jessica's sake, but the rest of them enjoyed the unexpected comfort.

“I don't like going to church anymore,” JT said quietly to Elizabeth.

She frowned, knowing she should probably reprimand him for speaking with disrespect. And yet in all fairness, how could she?

“I don't like going either,” Matthew told JT.

JT's eyes lit up. “Really?”

Matthew just nodded.

“Truth be told, I'm not enjoying it too much either,” Eli confessed. “I found myself wishing I was back at the cabin, fitting in the floorboards.”

“Floorboards?” Elizabeth was surprised. “You mean we're going to have a real floor? Not just packed dirt?”

He grinned. “That's right.”

“Back to church,” Matthew said in a serious tone. “I don't know how much longer I can endure being hammered on by Reverend Holmes.”

“Why does he hate us so much?” JT asked.

“He doesn't hate us,” Elizabeth told him. “He just thinks it's his job to keep us from going to—well, from straying from the fold.”

“Well, if loud preaching could prevent someone from going astray, we'd all be safe from the fire and brimstone,” Matthew said. “But that's not the gospel I believe in.”

“That's not how Grandpa preaches,” JT added.

Elizabeth peeked ahead to see if her parents were listening, but she discovered they were having a conversation with Ruth about what they would be doing for Thanksgiving, which was still a couple of weeks away.