Diane T. Ashley (38 page)

“You do have some difficult days ahead of you.” Jasmine knew that sugarcoating the situation would not help Angelica. She needed someone who would help her face her future and perhaps even appreciate the blessings in her life. “You also have a lot of things going for you.”

“You don’t know anything about it.” Angelica sniffed and sat up. “If I don’t do something, I’m going to have a baby. My life will be over if that happens.”

“What do you mean … if?”

“Tabitha says she knows of a doctor in St. Louis who can take care of my problem.”

Jasmine was horrified at the suggestion. “You cannot be serious, Angelica.”

“What do you know about anything?” Angelica could be a pretty girl, but the sneer on her face distorted her features, making her look like she was wearing an evil mask. “You waltz in here all fresh and innocent like you aren’t planning to step into my shoes the minute the Easleys dismiss me. I know you want to steal my career.”

“I have to admit I’ve enjoyed playing larger roles, Angelica. I want to be a serious actress, too. But I’ve always been eager to give them back to you.”

“Well, you can have them now, unless I decide to go see Tabitha’s doctor.”

“You can’t do that, Angelica.” Jasmine reached out and pushed Angelica’s hair away from her face. “You’re carrying a life inside you. A life God has given you.”

Angelica didn’t pull away from her touch. An encouraging sign. Jasmine decided to risk going a step further. “I can’t say I approve of the way you went about this—and we both know God is not pleased when we go against His Word and choose our own pleasure over His will. But you can’t change the situation now. What you have to consider at this moment is the precious baby you’ll get to love and care for.”

“But what about my career?”

“That has to come secondary to the precious life you will bring into this world. That’s what any loving parent does: put what’s best for the child before his or her own dreams and wishes.” Jasmine felt an inward prick as Lily came to mind. She knew deep down her oldest sister always wanted what was best for her. She pushed aside her guilt for now, as she needed to concentrate on Angelica. “Who’s the father?”

“Rafe, of course.” Angelica frowned at her.

“What does he say about the baby?”

Angelica twisted her hair and pushed it behind her shoulders. “He says he’ll marry me.”

“See? There’s your answer.” Jasmine paused as another thought occurred to her. “Do you love him?”

“I suppose so. But even if we do get married, I still won’t be able to continue acting.”

“That’s true. But you’ll be busy with an even more important role. You’ll be raising a beautiful son or daughter.”

Angelica rubbed her nose with the heel of her hand. “Do you think I can do that?”

“I’m sure you can. God gave you this baby because He knows it, too. You and Rafe can make a good life for your child. God has a plan for all three of you. All you have to do is follow Him.”

A tiny smile appeared on the other woman’s mouth. “You remind me of a lady from my hometown. She was always telling me about God and Jesus, too. You know, you’re not as bad as I thought you were.”

Jasmine couldn’t help laughing at the backhanded compliment. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Angelica pushed herself up from the bed, a look of hope on her face. She moved to her dressing table and pinned her hair in a bun. “Thanks, Jasmine. I’m going to think about what you said. I may even go talk to Rafe.”

Feeling better than she had since David arrested Vance, Jasmine left Angelica’s room. She didn’t know if the couple would turn to God, but she prayed they would.

David heard the
Miss Polly’
s paddlewheel stall. He looked back to see if he could identify the problem. No sign of a snag or sandbar. What was wrong?

A hint of black smoke rising past the blades of the paddlewheel made him wonder if something had happened to the pistons under the deck. The engineer stuck his head out of the boiler room. “I’ve got pressure building up in here.”

Several of the crew ran away from the engineer, but David moved toward him. Boiler explosions were the most common reasons for the loss of a riverboat. And for the deaths of passengers and crew. If the boiler exploded, the ship often sank. Those who survived the initial explosion were in danger of drowning. In his years with Jasmine and her family, he had seen the ghastly remains of more than one such incident.

David threw open the door and ran to help Sal Benson, the engineer. Outside the cramped room, men yelled, and he thought he heard a splash. Had someone decided to jump before knowing whether or not it was necessary?

Throwing his weight against the largest valve, David prayed for the safety of the tugboat, the showboat it was pushing, and the lives of everyone aboard both vessels.

Sal kept one eye on his gauges as he tackled the other valves. “I think we’re getting ahead of the problem. The needles are beginning to drop.”

“Thank You, Lord. “David grabbed one of the coal shovels and used it to jam his valve open.

Sal pulled a filthy handkerchief from his pocket and staunched the beads of sweat from his broad forehead. A gray streak caused by the swipe of the dirty cloth stood out in stark relief to his parchment-hued face. “That was a close one.”

“What do you think happened?”

“I have no idea. I had just added fresh coal to the boiler when I realized it was too quiet. Even tossing a bucket of water on them wasn’t enough to stop the pressure from building up. If you hadn’t come to help me …” His voice trailed off.

Captain Ross’s face appeared at the boiler room door. “Is everything all right in here?”

Sal nodded. “Thanks to David. He was the only one who wasn’t too scared to help me get the boiler shut down.”

“Is the
Ophelia
okay?” David didn’t want to dwell on his actions. He hadn’t been any braver than the engineer standing beside him.

“Yes, but we’re going to have to land and figure out what’s happened to our paddlewheel. Luckily we’re only a few miles north of Wittenberg, Missouri. I hope to negotiate a safe landing there.” He tugged on his cap and left them alone.

When David left the engineer, he helped the others knot lengths of rope around several grappling hooks. The plan was to hurl the hooks toward trees or any other targets that could hold their boat against the current of the river. He was glad they were far enough north of Cairo that the rough water of the confluence wouldn’t be a danger.

A glance toward the barge showed that most of the passengers were on deck watching the activity on the tug. He caught a glimpse of Jasmine’s windblown dark hair. Even though David told himself that he was no longer responsible for her safety, he knew better. Just seeing her tentative wave brought a smile to his face and made the muscles of his stomach loosen. Who was he kidding? As long as he drew breath, he would love Jasmine. But if she didn’t soon change her ways, he would have to sever their contact. Watching her destroy her life was something he couldn’t do.

After some tense moments, they managed to get the
Miss Polly
secure against the riverbank at Wittenberg. The showboat suffered no visible damage, but he knew the ride had been rougher than the actors were used to as the river current tried to separate the two boats. Finally it was done.

He crossed to the showboat and began searching for Jasmine and Clem, finding them in the prop room picking up the costumes and props that had become jumbled up during the maneuvers. “Are the two of you okay?”

Clem picked up a bouquet of silk flowers. “What’s wrong with the
Miss Polly
?”

“A piston rod splintered.”

Jasmine looked at him. “That’s serious. I wonder how long it will take to replace it.”

David shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. He had been avoiding Jasmine for days in an attempt to give her time to think about what she wanted to do with her life. Had his tactic worked? Had she considered her future from a different point of view, or was she still clinging to the belief that she could serve two masters?

“I’ve got to go check on something in our room.” Clem put the flowers on a table before leaving.

A backdrop painted to resemble
Macbeth’
s Great Birnam Wood leaned against a papier-mâché arch. David pushed the plywood stage set against the wall. “I heard you’ve been busy over the past week.”

“I don’t have that much to do.” Jasmine folded the costume in her hands and put it in one of the open trunks. “I mostly spend my time helping Clem.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”

He heard her soft laugh. “I didn’t do anything worth mentioning.”

David stopped trying to straighten the arch. It would need professional attention. “Rafe has been singing your praises to anyone who will listen. He says you intervened on his behalf with the Easleys. That you begged them to keep him on since he’s about to be a father. That took a lot of pluck.”

“I was worried about him and Angelica. They’re going to be a family. I know they should have gotten married first, but Angelica told me they’re going to see a pastor as soon as we get to St. Louis.”

“Which is going to take several days longer than expected.” David picked up a skull, shuddered, and set it on a table as Hamlet’s soliloquy about death rang in his ears. “I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you.”

“Will it take that long to replace the piston rod?”

“I can’t believe Wittenberg will have the proper replacement parts. We’ll probably have to order it from St. Louis.”

“If that’s not the definition of irony, I don’t know what is. To get to St. Louis we need to purchase a part from St. Louis.”

This time his laughter joined hers.

“Did I see someone jump off the
Miss Polly
?”

David sobered. “Yes. The idiot apparently decided he’d rather take his chances in the water. He was lucky to be fished out a mile or so downriver. It’s a wonder he didn’t drown.”

Jasmine nodded.

Silence filled the room for several moments until Jasmine stopped working and tossed a glance at him.

“Is something wrong?”

A tentative smile appeared on her lips, making her look so sweet … so vulnerable. “I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

His heart thumped. “And?”

“You made a lot of sense, David, but I’m not sure I want to leave the
Ophelia
when we reach St. Louis.”

David put a hand to his forehead. Nothing had changed. All his prayers, all his heartfelt words had meant nothing to Jasmine. Disappointment weighted his shoulders. What could he say to her?

She forestalled his words. “Before you start in on me again, please let me explain.”

He put his hand down, offering a silent plea to God for fortitude. “Go ahead.”

“Angelica cannot continue acting for obvious reasons. Someone will have to replace her.” She stopped and looked at him.

Was she waiting for his agreement? If so, she would have a long wait. He could already see where this was going.

When he said nothing, she sighed. “You remember how I took over for her on a temporary basis when the Easleys thought her problem was overeating. My name was even on the playbill. I saved a copy as a reminder. Even if I can’t go on to Chicago or New York, at least I’ll be able to say I was a serious actress. That playbill is a memento of the time I—we—have spent on the
Ophelia
.”

He shook his head. “You’re falling into a trap. Even though I’ve never received applause for what I do, the praise I get makes me feel good—it brings me pleasure. If I’m not careful, though, those good feelings begin to replace something important. I start thinking I deserve the praise. That it’s because I’m special—smarter or faster or stronger. It’s like an addictive drug. The more praise you receive, the more you want.”

“You still don’t get it, David. It’s not so much the applause that I want to hold onto, although that is part of it. I want to remember making others happy, helping the Easleys and Tabitha, Angelica and Rafe, Clem and all the others who depend on the
Ophelia
for their livelihood. I want to remember spending this time with you, too.”

David considered her words. He still thought she should go home, but he had to admire her spirit. Jasmine was maturing. She was beginning to sound like a woman he had always hoped she would become. Should he agree? If he insisted on her immediate return, would he risk destroying the bridge forming between them? A bridge that could bring them together?

She smiled, her eyes lighting with mischief, reminding him of the girl he’d grown up adoring. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve already mentioned it to Clem, and she thinks it’s a great idea.”

“What’s that?” He let go of his concerns for the moment. He would have to pray about St. Louis.

“Since Rafe is having to take over for Vance, we’ve struggled to find someone who can do his parts.”

“I find that hard to believe.” David frowned. Why was she talking to him about acting problems? “Don’t you have several men in the stock company?”

“Yes, but none of them seems quite right. Ever since the trouble in Cairo, we’ve been losing people. The ones who are left are either too inexperienced or too old. They’re not convincing, and the Easleys are worried our performances will fall short if we don’t find a strong second lead.”