Home to Stavewood (Stavewood Saga Book 3) (18 page)

Chapter Fifty-Eight

    
 
E
mma Vancouver showed an obvious rounding of her belly as she set out her fine china. The table was covered in layers of lace and she had baked petit fours and tea cakes, iced in soft pinks and ruffles of white frosting.

      Colleen pulled the wagon onto the lane as Rebecca directed her, thrilled to have been invited to the women’s tea and that she could drive the carriage for Rebecca.

      Emma met them at the door, invited them inside and took their wraps enthusiastically.

      “Oh, Becky, you look so much better.” Emma hugged her cousin affectionately.

      “Colleen, how pretty you look.” Emma admired the girl’s fair complexion and tumbles of curls.

      The women laughed over their tea, Colleen sitting quietly, learning about Rebecca and Emma’s relationship, their experiences of falling in love with their husbands, their joys of motherhood and the frustrations as well.

      “When is your baby due?” she ventured.

      “In about four months,” Emma responded.

      “I love babies,” Colleen remarked. “After your baby is born would you mind terribly if I come to visit?”

      “A volunteer!” Emma laughed. “Please do!”

      There was a soft tap at the door and Emma hurried to respond to the knock.

      “Isabel!” Rebecca gasped. “I didn’t know you were coming!”

      “We thought we’d surprise you,” Emma laughed.

      “Good morning, ladies.” Isabel was as smartly dressed as ever, her silver hair arranged fashionably. She slipped her gloves from each finger carefully and looked at Colleen with interest.

      “Colleen Muldoon, please meet Isabel Elgerson, Mark’s grandmother.” Rebecca made the introduction.

      Colleen held up her head and nodded at the woman.

      Isabel smiled casually and nodded. “I understand you will be marrying Mark very soon.”

      “If I meet the approval of enough Elgersons, yes.” Colleen nodded.

      “Oh,” Isabel chuckled. “I like you, child!” She took the girl’s hand warmly. “How pretty are you? I knew that boy was holding out for something special.”

      The women laughed comfortably, enjoying their tea and cakes, and Colleen began to feel that one day she might belong in Minnesota.

      Mark took the reins of the filly and leapt onto her back. It was immediately apparent that Roland had continued to work with her in his absence and he found that the animal handled easily. He rode her towards Billington, in the crisp winter air, and when he reached the place in the road where he and Sam had once fought, he dismounted and stood beside the horse deep in thought.

      He missed Sam. He missed his sunny smile, his boundless energy. He felt responsible for Sam’s death. Had he not wanted to flee the situation with Bernadette so badly he probably never would have left Stavewood, and Sam never would have followed. Now that he was riding to the Even’s house to pay his respects he wanted to put his thoughts in order.

      “I’m sorry, Sam,” he said aloud and the horse laid back her ears.

      “You didn’t deserve what I did to you and I never got a chance to tell you what your friendship meant to me. You were always a good friend and I won’t ever forget you.”

      Mark stood silently in the road for several minutes and then climbed up onto Strawberry’s back.

      When Colleen went to have tea with the women he had decided it was a good time to pay his respects to Sam’s parents. He could have taken her with him easily, and would have liked her beside him, but it seemed wrong somehow. It just seemed it would be rude of him to show up with a fiancée. He would tell them about Colleen, but he would not arrive with her today.

Chapter Fifty-Nine

    
 
C
atherine Evens pulled open her front door and smiled kindly when she saw Mark Elgerson there, his hat in his hands.

      “Mrs. Evens.” Mark’s voice cracked, although he had sworn he would not get emotional.

      “Oh, Mark!” Catherine grabbed the boy affectionately. She could not hold her own son and no social mores could stop her from hugging this one. “Please come in. Nils will be so glad to see you. Mr. Vancouver came out the day you got home to give us the news. We are so glad you are safe at home.”

      Mark felt pangs of guilt and he furrowed his brow. “I’m sorry,” he choked.

      “Oh, I know that. I know how much you loved Sam, I do. Please, don’t.” Catherine put her arm around the young man’s shoulder. “Come with me.”

      “Mark, how good to see you.” Nils Evens rose from his chair and shook Mark’s hand, clasping him on the back.

      “Mr. Evens.” Mark nodded solemnly.

      Nils could see that the boy was struggling. He held nothing against Mark and he knew that he had nearly lost his life as well. Nils wanted good memories of his son and he smiled broadly.

      “You didn’t bring that Irish girl with you today?”

      “I wanted to come alone.” Mark sat down, taking a deep breath.

      “Rumor has it that she is a real beauty.” Catherine set out cups. “Mr. Vancouver said you brought her back to get married. How romantic!”

      “Yes, she is beautiful. I love her…” Mark’s words stuck in his throat. “I’m so sorry. I have to say it. I love Sam and I miss him. I want you to know that.”

      “Mark,” Nils Evens spoke directly. “We know that. Catherine and I have decided that he had a good life. Lord knows we gave him everything we could. We want to dwell on his life, not his death. We miss him too, but you’re here and you’re alive and there’s happy news. Tell us about your fiancée and let yourself be happy.”

      Mark looked up at the man with appreciation and respect and Catherine smiled at him warmly.

      “Mr. Vancouver said she’s a beauty. Tell us all about her.”

      “Colleen saved my life. She’s like an angel. I’ll bring her next time. I’m sure she would love to meet you both.”

      “Will it be a big wedding?” Catherine asked expectantly.

      “Big enough for you both.” Mark tried to smile.

      “Let yourself be happy.” Mark repeated the advice to himself as he rode home to Stavewood. He nodded his head and decided he would try very hard to do just that. He was home, it was what he wanted and Colleen would be waiting for him. Mark was ready to plan his wedding.

Chapter Sixty

     
C
olleen rose just before dawn, stretched in the enormous bed and sighed. Some mornings she was able to return to a delightful sleep, but she always woke while the sky was still very dark, even before the chirping of the birds. She decided she could not tolerate the inactivity any longer. Everyone at Stavewood seemed to have plenty to keep them occupied and none of them had enough time on their hands to do everything they liked or needed to do. Colleen found that she had the opposite problem.

      Having no household to run, no business and no small children of her own, she was bored. Mark was also spending more time around the mill and Colleen decided it was time to find some way to be part of the functioning of Stavewood. She washed and dressed, wearing the clothing she had on when she had arrived. When she looked in the mirror she was astounded by how much she had changed. Her face had filled out. Her cheeks were bright and rosy and there was a clear sparkle in her eyes. Her hair, once a dry mass of unruly curls, now fell in gleaming soft tendrils. Her figure was full and voluptuous. Mark had been telling her more and more frequently that he wanted to make love to her, and that she looked beautiful. The girl looking back at her from the mirror wore her old milking clothes, but she was not the same girl. She had watched Mark return to health, but she had not recognized the same changes in herself until this moment. Colleen nodded to her reflection and slipped down the back stairs silently.

      “Oh, Mr. Elgerson,” Colleen whispered. “You’re up early.”

      “As usual.” Timothy looked up from his paperwork. “What has you up at this hour?”

       Colleen poured herself a tall glass of milk and slid into the chair across from him at the table. “I feel useless,” she admitted.

      “I think Mark might disagree with you on that. It seems to me you are doing a very effective job of having him chase you about the place.” Timothy smiled knowingly and Colleen blushed.

     “Well,” the girl had to nod in agreement. “At least until our wedding night I think I’ll need to have him chase me a bit more.” Colleen was not willing to admit to Mark’s father that a lack of privacy may have been the only thing that had kept them from making love.

      Timothy chuckled. “What is your plan?”

      “If you don’t mind,” she began enthusiastically, “I’d like to go out to the barns for the milking and get a bit involved in the butter making. I mentioned it to Birget and Rebecca the other day and they said it would be fine. I have some ways of flavoring the butter. But it has to be done at a particular point in the churning. Would it be alright with you? It’s really very delicious.”

      Timothy, always a man to appreciate good and novel food choices, nodded unreservedly.

      “I’ll walk out with you and introduce you to the farmhands. You just tell them what you need.”

      Colleen thanked him profusely and the two strolled out to the barns together. It did not go unnoticed by Timothy Elgerson that his future daughter-in-law had chosen to wear her milking outfit. He liked that she had the genuine and unpretentious ways of a farm girl. She seemed a fitting choice for his son.

      “Gentlemen,” Timothy announced to his farmworkers in the estate barns. “This is Mark’s intended, Colleen. Colleen ran a creamery business in Missouri and I’m thinking you might benefit from each other’s experience. She’d like to add something to our butter production so please give her a listen.” Timothy gestured to the girl to speak and Colleen smiled in appreciation.

      She was so flattered by his introduction, the kind respect in his voice, and his gentlemanly ways that she took over easily and explained to the handful of men in the barn what she had in mind. They listened attentively and nodded to one another in approval. Colleen looked up to Timothy with appreciation and thanked him.

      The barns were huge, open and airy, with large bright windows and open stalls. The Elgerson cows were a far cry from what Colleen had left behind, all being fat and healthy and contentedly chewing generous amounts of grass and alfalfa hay. Colleen chose one cow and, as soon as she began to milk, she realized that hot baths and lazy afternoons were certainly enjoyable, but she needed to work. Colleen did not want to return to the same level of hard, daily toil, but on this huge estate she swore she would become useful.

      With Birget and Rebecca in the kitchen she explained her seasoning choices. She stopped her churning and showed them how the herbs were added while the moisture of the milk could rehydrate them, just before the butter fat separated.

      Colleen churned for several more minutes while Birget and Rebecca both watched the girl’s practiced and efficient plunging of the blend. Then Colleen pulled out the paddle and allowed the women to taste the mixture.

      Birget exhaled with pleasure. “Do you know what this would do to my fresh wheat bread? I think I’ll be doing some baking this morning!”

      “Colleen, this is unbelievable. How wonderfully delicious! What other recipes have you been hiding from us?” Rebecca put her arm around the girl’s shoulder. “We need to know every secret!”

      “I see that Colleen has divulged her mysterious butter recipe.” Mark walked into the kitchen, sliding his arms into his sweater. The aroma of the herbs filled the room. “I hate to say it, ladies, being that you are very fine cooks, but Colleen fed me a few things in her barn that rivaled the food here pretty seriously.”

      “And she’s going to share every recipe,” Rebecca smiled.

      “I will certainly look forward to that.” Mark grinned and kissed his fiancée’s cheek warmly. He looked at her attire, shaking his head and smiling. “Did you have to go milk the cows to share those secrets?”

      “Most definitely.” Colleen put her hands on her hips.

      Mark smiled at her with love and affection in his eyes. “I wondered how long you could sit around before you’d be out at the barns while the rooster crowed.”

      Colleen sometimes felt that Mark Elgerson knew her a bit too well.

Chapter Sixty-One

    
 
M
ark waited until after supper to show Colleen his surprise. He knew that she was proud and pleased that everyone around the table had enjoyed her contributions to their dinner. The three women had spent nearly the entire day in the kitchen and the smile on Colleen’s face reassured Mark that she needed to be busy.

      The entire family ate ravenously, showering compliments on her. Timothy even took credit, more than once, for having shown Colleen the way to the barns.

      No snow had fallen in several days and, although there were not yet signs of spring, the calendar promised it would not be much longer. Mark looked forward to milder weather, but at the moment an outdoor stroll was out of the question. He decided instead to take Colleen out into the turret. From there she could see some of the beautiful property and he could have a moment with her alone. He had pulled his father aside before dinner, and Timothy had assured him they would not be disturbed.

      “Are we going out?” Colleen asked, as Mark draped a woolen cape over her shoulders.

      “Not quite,” he responded.

      Colleen looked at him in confusion as he took her hand and led her towards the third floor.

      When he pulled open the doors to expose the turret a gust of wind entered the third floor hall, making a soft, low whistle.

      The couple stepped out and Mark closed the door behind them.

      “I didn’t realize that we could come out here!” Colleen exclaimed. “I saw it from the yard. Mark, this is spectacular!”

      The moon shone through the trees, casting enchanting blue shadows across the grounds, a crisp silence hung in the air and the sky was an ocean of twinkling stars. “Look,” Rebecca pointed. “I can see the Milky Way, and it’s as if the sky is filled with diamonds.”

      “Not quite.” Mark reached into his pocket. “I think one has fallen to earth. I collected it for you.”

      Colleen looked into his eyes, questioning.

      “I expect I did not do this quite properly before.” Mark cleared his throat. “Colleen Muldoon, will you become my wife?”

      Mark opened the tiny container he had been carrying in his pocket, revealing a sparkling diamond ring. The setting was simple and elegant, a pure white gold surrounding a rare heart-shaped diamond.

      “Oh my!” Colleen touched her fingertips to her lips and gasped. “It’s so beautiful!”

       Mark took the ring from the box and slipped it onto Colleen’s finger.

      “It fits!” Colleen looked down at her petite hand and silently thanked Rebecca for her luscious creams. Her hand was feminine and well groomed and the ring looked stunning. “It’s so beautiful,” she hummed.

      Mark kissed her hand and pulled her to him. “Do you like it?” he whispered.

      “It’s lovely. Oh, Mark, yes. I’m so happy.”

      “You are beautiful.” His voice was deep and he gazed into her eyes lovingly.

      “I’m ready,” Colleen admitted. “I was a little nervous about getting married, a honeymoon, all of that. Not anymore. I am ready now.” Colleen kissed him passionately.

      “Right now you’re ready?” He plunged his fingers into her tumble of curls and looked into her eyes seriously.

      “To be married,” she whispered.

      “We can do that later.” His voice was low.

      Colleen put her hands around his neck and looked up to him hungrily.

      Mark kissed her neck and shoulder as her cape fell open and she shuddered with delight. She could feel her body flush warmly, hungry for him and she felt any shyness slip away. She found herself craving him, wanting him close up against her, and more.

      Colleen boldly pressed herself into him and although she did not hear it, she was sure she felt him groan. He wrapped his arms around her and she felt his passion. Colleen loved that he wanted her that way, that she had such an exciting effect on him and she wanted more.

      He lowered his kisses to her throat and she felt as if her body was begging for him. She was swept away with desire and when she let her head fall back he began to kiss her along the neckline of her gown. She began to pant softly.

      Mark felt consumed with longing for her. He loved the soft warmth of her skin and the taste of her kisses, sweet like summer fruit. He could feel her hunger for him, her urgency, and it fed his own.

      As he pulled away the shoulder of her gown he stopped. In the hallway he heard Louisa call out and he cursed under his breath.

      Colleen took a deep breath, and cursed as well, and Mark looked at her in surprise.

      “I’m allowed to get angry, too.” Colleen tugged at her gown, righting the shoulder and scowled.

      “There’s a lock on the bedroom door, Mark Elgerson, and the minute we are married I intend to turn it. I’ll tolerate it until our wedding night, but not a second longer. Louisa will just have to wait until I am done with you.”

      “I’m sorry, Colleen.” Mark opened the door and called into the hallway, “In a minute!”

      Timothy had not seen the child leave the room and he bellowed up the stairs. “Louisa Elgerson, get down here.”

      The child returned, thumping her feet on the stairs and looking dejected.

      “I told you that you were not to bother Mark and Colleen while they were upstairs, didn’t I?” Timothy stood over the girl.

      “Yes, sir,” she sighed heavily.

      “So, why did you bother them?”

      “Because they are always trying to go somewhere for kissing. I hate Colleen and I wish she had never come here.”

      “Louisa!” Rebecca walked through the kitchen doorway into the foyer angrily. “That is a terrible thing to say!”

      Louisa hung her head. “It’s the truth. Mark is going to marry her and she’ll never go away. Never.”

      “That is not your decision to make, Loo.” Timothy took the child’s hand and led her into the parlor. Rebecca followed.

      “Is that why you have decided that you don’t like Colleen, because you are jealous of her?”

      “When Mark came home he didn’t even care about me, he only loves her now,” the child pouted.

      “Louisa, you know that is not true,” Rebecca pointed out. “Mark has paid plenty of attention to you. He loves you
and
Colleen. Mark’s happiness is important right?”

      “I liked it better when he was being in love with Bernadette. He didn’t have to be touching her and smiling like that all the time.”

      Mark and Colleen stood in the doorway.

      Louisa frowned. “I want to go to bed now.”

      Timothy took the child’s hand. “I’m sorry,” he apologized to Mark and Colleen and climbed the stairs with the girl.

      Rebecca sighed. “I’m sorry as well.”

      “She’ll adjust.” Mark took Colleen’s hand to show off the ring. “What do you think?”

      “Oh, it’s magnificent!” She smiled at Colleen.

      “Thank you. I think so, too.” Colleen smiled proudly. “I’d like to talk to Louisa myself, please.”

      Rebecca nodded and Colleen climbed the stairs.

      Timothy left the room and Louisa sat on the bed, her arms folded.

      “You and I are going to have this out.” Colleen put her hands on her hips and furrowed her brow. “You don’t have to like me. That is certainly your choice, Miss Louisa Elgerson. But I will not have you punishing Mark with your bad attitude. I love him too much to ever see him unhappy. I know that every time we are alone together you can’t stand that and we are going to talk about that right now.”

      Louisa pouted.

      “So tell me, child. Why don’t you like me?”

      “You are being mean to me.”

      “You think that because I am not talking to you all sweet and gentle I am being mean to you?” Colleen stood her ground.

      Louisa sat quietly.

      “What do you want to have happen, Louisa? Before you answer me, let me say, telling me to leave will not work. I love your brother more than anything in the world,
anything
, and I’ll not be leaving. That is not a choice.”

      “More than anything?”

      “Anything. Now tell me how we can stop this problem, because I am not leaving. So we had better find a way.”

      Louisa looked up at Colleen angrily.

      “I can wait.” Colleen sat down in a chair and folded her arms.

      “You’re going to stay?”

      “Yes, I’m staying. I’ll give you fair warning, Louisa Elgerson. I’m a very stubborn person and if I have to sit right here until my hair turns all gray and my skin wrinkles up like an old witch and I start to shrivel up like a rotten old apple, I will. Your room is going to smell simply terrible, but if that’s what I have to do to put an end to this, I will.”

      Louisa struggled not to smile at the thought of Colleen rotting in her chair.

      “You won’t,” the child dared.

      “Will,” Colleen countered.