Cora's Deception (9781476398280) (14 page)

“Ain’t ya gonna open it, Woman? Cain’t git
no good outta that fancy paper.” Mr. Stark’s rough voice sliced
through the emotion he obviously didn’t feel.

Cora frowned at his intrusion, but at that
moment, she understood why Ivy was so desperate to marry well. She
didn’t want to end up like her mother, working herself into an
early grave and being unappreciated by her husband. Poor Ivy. Deep
sympathy for the girl filled Cora’s heart. How could she escape a
life of drudgery except through marriage to the right sort?

“All right. I’m a-takin’ it off.” Even as
she spoke, Mrs. Stark carefully slid the ribbon to one side and
lifted the paper. She gasped. “Why, looky there. It’s some kinda
fancy candy.”

“They’re pecan pralines.” Cora stepped
toward the door. Poverty, hard work, and hopelessness fed on women
like Mrs. Stark and Ivy. Slowly the lifeblood was sucked from their
souls, leaving them old, tired, and ugly. Sympathy for them and
fear for herself rose as gall in her mouth. She needed to get out
of this house and away from what could be her future.

Another step backward brought Cora against
something hard. She turned, her cheeks burning for her
clumsiness.

“Ya didn’t hurt a thing. That’s my spinning
wheel.” Mrs. Stark’s voice held a note of pride.

Cora reached a tentative hand toward the
gleaming cherry wood of the head assembly. She’d never seen a
spinning wheel quite like this one. Especially the wheel post. An
intricately carved wreath of rose leaves circled each end of the
post while a single rose bloomed just below the peg holding the
wheel. How odd something of such beauty would find a home in these
humble surroundings. Where had the Starks gotten it? Surely they’d
paid an enormous price for such a treasure.

As if to answer her unspoken questions, Mrs.
Stark sighed. “Purty, ain’t it? My boy done made it fer me. Took a
tolerable long time fer him to git all that foolishness on there,
but it pleasures him to whittle.”

“He’s very good at it.” Cora thought of the
box Aaron had made her.

“He certainly is.” Eliza brushed against
Cora as she crowded close to look.

Mrs. Stark shifted in her chair toward them.
“Was your ma able to bring her spinning wheel when ya moved?”

Eliza shook her head. “She doesn’t own
one.”

“Don’t own one?” Mrs. Stark’s eyes grew
wide. “A body cain’t make cloth without a spinning wheel and a
loom. Ya got one o’ them?” She nodded toward her unassembled loom
leaning against the wall.

Cora took another step toward the door. “No,
Mother always had a seamstress make our clothing.”

Mrs. Stark snorted and shook her head.

Ivy moved close to the spinning wheel.
“Since it’s a fer piece to a seamstress from here, you’ll have to
come over sometime and let me learn you to spin.” The condescending
tone in Ivy’s voice was not lost on Cora.

“Thank you. Maybe I will.” Cora turned to
Ben, hoping he felt her desperation. “Right now it’s getting late,
and we need to go home.”

When Ben and Eliza joined her at the door,
Cora breathed a sigh of relief. The paper covering Aaron’s gift
crackled when Ben lifted her to the horse. She searched the yard in
hopes of seeing Aaron, but he wasn’t there. Loss and emptiness
stole over her heart, intensifying when she heard Ralph’s
voice.

“Hey, looky here what I got. These is the
fanciest rags I ever did see. That’s right nice stitchin’ in the
corner too.”

Eliza’s cheeks flamed as she smiled at the
handsome, but crude, young man. “Those are your initials.” She took
the handkerchiefs. “See, this is R and it stands for Ralph. W is
for Walter and S is for Stark.”

“Well, ain’t that fancy?” Ralph looked
impressed. He grinned at Eliza, taking her hand and giving it a
little shake. “Thank ya much. I’m real put out I ain’t got nothin’
ta give you.” A cocky grin spread across his lips. “Maybe I could
come callin’ sometime.”

The look on her little sister’s face was
enough to bring a smile to Cora’s. Eliza nodded. “Yes, that would
be nice. Please, do.”

Mr. Stark came outside. “Ma says fer me to
send this home with y’all to your ma.” He handed a package to Ben.
“Hit’s souse meat.”

Ben looked up from the package with a
questioning frown. “Oh, well, thank you. I’ll tell Mother.”

Ralph laughed. “Hit’s real good eatin’ iffen
you like hog’s head. Jist cut ya off a piece to eat cold or heat it
up on that fancy stove y’all got.”

“Hog’s head?” Ben’s voice cracked.

“Yup, like I said, it’s real good
eatin’.”

~*~

When Aaron rounded the corner of the house
to see what was stirring up Old Blue, the last thing he expected to
find was Cora. She sat on that fine house with her brother and
sister and looked prettier than any girl he’d ever seen.

Aaron kicked at a rock sticking above the
snow He tied the dogs and left. He knew it was the coward’s way,
but he couldn’t stay and watch her shock and disappointment at the
way they lived.

He stepped over a log, not knowing where he
was going. He just wanted to get away and stay away until Cora
left. With no conscious thought, he headed toward the hollow tree
where he’d seen Cora that first time. He remembered how scared
she’d looked when she crawled from the tree that morning. That was
when he’d fallen in love with her.

He bent and looked inside the old sycamore
before he crawled in. It was warm inside and dry. He leaned back
against the wall and closed his eyes. Cora likely thought dirt
floors were for animals. With self-imposed torture, he compared the
differences in their lives.

Cora was used to nice things. Things folks
didn’t need to survive. All his family had were the
necessities.

He could build a fancy cabin like her pa’s
and put a wood floor in it too. He could even make some real pretty
furniture. But it took money to get one of those fine cook stoves
like her ma had. And what of the dishes they ate off of? Dishes
like that took money and lots of it.

With a quick movement, he straightened his
back and squared his shoulders. No sense pining away over something
he could never have. What was he doing, anyway, hiding away from a
little slip of a girl? He needed to get back home. There was plenty
of work waiting, and work was a good way to get a man’s mind off a
girl.

He dropped forward to crawl out the opening
but stopped short of sticking his head through. A horse was coming.
With his heart in his throat, he watched them. Ben sat in front,
then Cora and Eliza.

He breathed a sigh of relief. They’d pass
right by the tree without recognizing it. How could they remember a
tree they’d only seen once even if it had sheltered them for the
night?

“There it is, Ben.” Cora pointed toward
Aaron, and his heart stopped beating. He melted back inside out of
sight. How could he explain what he’d been doing inside the tree
while they were visiting his folks?

Ben brought the horse to a stop barely six
paces from the tree. “Yep, that’s it. Do you want to get down and
look at it closer?”

“Oh, yes, let’s do.” Eliza bounced as if she
might jump. “I’ve never been inside a tree. I don’t see how you
could have enough room to sit up, let alone sleep in there.”

Cora’s laughter brought Aaron a curious mix
of pain and pleasure.

“You have to realize, Eliza, we slept
sitting up.” Cora’s tone sobered. “Come on, Ben, let’s go home. I’m
cold and it’s getting late. Mother may be worried about us. Eliza
can see the tree some other time.”

“Sure, blame it on Mother when it’s really
because you think George will be there.” Eliza sounded angry.

“George?” Ben swung to look at the girls.
“He isn’t coming here, is he?”

“Yes, he is.” Eliza spoke before Cora could.
“He’s coming to take Cora back to St. Louis. They’re getting
married, you know.”

“No, I didn’t know.” Ben frowned. “Why would
you do a dumb thing like that, Cora?”

“I don’t see where this is any of your
business—either of you.” Cora folded her arms. “Please, Ben, let’s
go home. It’s getting late and I’m cold and hungry.”

“Might as well get it over with. If he’s
there, he’ll stay awhile.” Ben clucked to the horse.

Eliza nodded. “Yeah, he’ll stay way too long
even if it’s only overnight.”

Aaron watched them ride away until they
disappeared into the trees. Then he crawled out of the tree.

So Cora was promised to a fellow named
George. He sighed as he turned from the tree. He’d have to stay
away from her now for sure. A leaden lump sat where his heart
should have been as he made his way back home.

~*~

George hadn’t come. Not that Cora was
worried. He’d probably show up tomorrow on Christmas Day.

When he didn’t, Cora still didn’t worry.
George had never been consistent about keeping promises. He’d
surely be there by the New Year.

When the first day of 1834 faded to night
without an appearance from George, Cora began to wonder. Had
something happened to him enroute? As one day blended into another
with no word from him, she thought of little else. Each night she
felt the bag with her belongings still hanging behind her best
dress.

Then, on January 9, Cora woke the happiest
she’d been in two weeks. Maybe George would surprise her and come
for her birthday. She hummed as she dressed.

 “
I hope this means
you’re going to stop brooding over that conceited show-off.” Eliza
propped on her elbow and watched Cora from their bed.

Cora looked up from buttoning her dress.
“Brooding? Have I been?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Eliza’s voice dripped
sarcasm. “You’ve been dragging yourself around, sighing every few
minutes when you aren’t looking out the door. What would you call
it?”

Cora’s eyes grew wide. “Have I really been
that obvious?” Do you think Mother has noticed?”

“No, Mother is too busy trying to make a
civilized home here. She has more on her mind than your moods.
Besides, I don’t think she feels well.”

“What do you mean?”

Eliza threw back the covers and reached for
her dress. “I don’t know. She acts tired.”

“Maybe that’s because of all the work there
is to do.” Cora flung her arm out. “In case you haven’t noticed,
there isn’t any hired help here.”

Eliza shook her head. “No, it’s more than
that. We all help more than we ever did in St. Louis.”

“Vickie hasn’t been doing so much.”

“That’s true.” A musing expression settled
on Eliza’s face. “I don’t think she feels well, either.”

Cora shrugged. “Maybe they just haven’t
gotten used to all of this yet.” She looked around the room.
“You’ll have to admit, it isn’t exactly like home.”

“I know.” Eliza grinned at her sister.
“You’ve probably even forgotten that today’s your birthday.”

“Oh, no, I haven’t.” Cora smiled “I also
haven’t forgotten that Esther promised to come over today.”

“That’s fine. Just so George doesn’t show
up.” Eliza’s skirt twirled out as she turned quickly and flung her
leg over the ladder. She dodged the pillow Cora threw. It sailed
over her head, through the opening, to the floor below.

“Girls!” Father called.

Cora covered her mouth and giggled.

His voice drifted up. “You know, I was
sitting here trying to decide if a nineteen-year-old girl is too
big for a spanking on her birthday. Then, a pillow flew right out
of nowhere and hit me on the head. Cora, maybe you’d better come
and get it. It might come in handy in case I decide nineteen isn’t
as old as I thought.”

Eliza laughed.

So did Cora. “Coming, Father.”

Cora joined the gaiety of her family as they
celebrated her special day. Vickie baked a cake, putting a ring of
pecan halves along the edge. When Cora saw the pecans, she thought
of Aaron, and warmth spread through her heart. Maybe he’d come over
today.

“Hey, Cora.” Ben brushed snowflakes from his
dark, wool coat as he came inside. “We won’t have company today.
Looks like this snow’s coming down to stay.”

“Esther’s not coming?”

“I doubt it.” Ben’s expression showed his
own disappointment. “Her father surely wouldn’t let them start out
with it snowing like this. I was going to ride out to meet them,
but there’s no use now.”

Cora put on her coat and ran outside. Snow
stung her face as she looked up at the gray sky. Ben was right. No
one would be coming today. Not Esther or Aaron. And not George.

A full foot of snow with drifts over three
feet deep fell before it stopped the next day. January passed and
February came in before the snow began to melt.

Just when Cora thought winter would finally
step aside long enough for George to show up, the temperature
dropped, turning the outdoors into a world of ice.

As the days went by, Cora stopped looking
for George. Then, one night in late February, she and Eliza were
getting ready for bed. Eliza pulled her nightgown over her head and
spoke from its fold. “I know what’s wrong with Mother.”

Cora sharpened her gaze on her little sister
as her head popped through the gown. “What do you mean? What’s
wrong with her?”

Eliza’s light brown eyes sparkled in the
candlelight. “How would you like to be a big sister—again?”

Cora’s mouth gaped. “What do you mean?
Mother is. . . There’s going to be. . .” She couldn’t get a
sentence finished. “Eliza, are you sure?”

“Yes, I heard her and Vickie talking.” Eliza
squealed as Cora fell across the bed, taking her with her.

Cora gave her sister a playful shake. “Tell
me when. When will she be born?”

“Who said it would be a girl?”

“No one, but I want her to be.” Cora fell
back on the bed and stared at the ceiling while a smile curved her
lips. She grinned at Eliza.

“Oh?” Eliza raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t
know you liked little sisters.”