Tenacious Trents 02 - A Perfect Gentleman (6 page)

The gentleman continued to watch him and did
not say a word. Matthew considered leaving, but knew it would be
beyond rude to do so. A bit ill at ease he approached until he
reached the small table where the older man was sitting. “Good
afternoon, sir, I am Vicar Trent, new to the parish.”

The man offered a slight smile and indicated
to the chair on his left. Matthew relaxed at the welcome and
settled down. A voice could be heard coming from the room inside.
It reminded him of Miss Cooper. He had put off calling on the
family because he was still trying to get her image, eyes and
voice, out of his mind.

An older woman sailed through the door and
placed a tray on the table. “Good afternoon, Vicar Trent.”

He stood. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Thomas.” He
had visited her home a few days earlier.

“Allow me to introduce Mr. Cooper.”

Matthew turned and nodded to the man. Now he
understood why he had not spoken. According to the residents, Mr.
Cooper had been struck in the throat and head by the back leg of a
horse some two years ago. He hadn’t spoken since and could no
longer use his right arm. The townspeople made it sound as if he
were reduced to a complete invalid and simpleton with Miss Cooper
taking care of him day and night. Several residents questioned Mr.
Cooper’s judgment even before the accident because he refused to
let the land be used for a more profitable purpose such as sheep
for the growing local wool industry, farming the fertile land or
allowing mining, since in all probability there were rich iron ore
deposits just below the surface. Mr. Cooper refused, and wanted no
further burden than chickens and cows. Many of the citizens agreed
that it was such a shame since the man was known for his
intelligence and judgment given he had been a solicitor before the
accident.

Over the past several days Matthew had heard
several tidbits of information regarding the Coopers, as if they
were the only family in town worth gossiping about. It had made him
increasingly uncomfortable and he turned the conversation to
something more pleasant the moment he had the chance. He couldn’t
understand the fascination with the father and daughter unless
there was so little to discuss in this town, that they were the
most interesting topic.

“Mr. Cooper, it is an honor to meet you. I’ve
heard much about your family.”

The man rolled his eyes. Perhaps the man
suspected what the people in the town thought of him. Matthew
settled in the chair once again.

Mrs. Thomas handed him a cup of tea. “If you
will excuse me, I need to get back inside to chaperone Miss
Cooper.”

“It sounds as if she has a few callers this
afternoon.”

“Three.” The woman snorted. “And none of them
good enough for her.”

Before Matthew could comment, she returned
inside. He turned to Mr. Cooper who watched him with interest, one
eyebrow raised. Matthew wondered what he questioned.

“Three suitors?”

The man gave a quick nod then brought his
hand up to his ear.

Mr. Cooper may not be able to speak but he
was far from a simpleton. Matthew quieted so Mr. Cooper could
eavesdrop on his daughter’s conversation. While Matthew did not
condone such activity, he understood completely in this instance
since it was the man’s daughter, and her possible future. Matthew
sipped and listened as well. Perhaps this was not well done of him
and he should leave the man to his business, but curiosity won him
over.

The conversation drifted out the window and
he had to wonder what Mr. Cooper thought. Each of the men offered
options for how Miss Cooper could take care of her father. “It
doesn’t sound like Miss Cooper is open to their suggestions,”
Matthew whispered.

The man shook his head and they both went
back to listening.

Matthew was astounded when she announced her
answer was no and he turned back to her father. “Did they all
propose at this visit?” Usually gentlemen approached these matters
when he had the opportunity to speak to the lady alone, and after
he had spoken with the father.

Mr. Cooper rolled his eyes, shook his head in
the negative.

“Did any ask for your blessing?”

The man frowned.

No need to ask if he favored one over the
other. If they couldn’t respect the father, or tradition, they
didn’t deserve to marry the lady in question.

“Is the uncle your brother?”

The man scowled further and nodded.

A door further down opened and Miss Cooper
stormed onto the terrace. Mr. Cooper raised his finger to his lips.
So, Miss Cooper didn’t know her father heard the entire
conversation. Matthew wondered how often the man had sat there and
listened. He wasn’t about to be the one who told her and stood to
greet the young woman when she approached.

She regarded him with irritation, or perhaps
she was still provoked from her encounter inside. “Vicar Trent, I
had not realized you came to call.”

“I was riding in the woods and followed the
path. I did not know it led to your home.”

She glanced at her father.

“When I saw your father sitting here, I could
not just ride on by. Mrs. Thomas was kind enough to introduce
us.”

Miss Cooper worried her bottom lip. Was she
afraid he would insult her father? Given her most recent
conversation, and what he had heard in town, he could well
understand her concern. As their prior meetings had not gone well
either, there was a very good chance that Miss Cooper didn’t want
him anywhere near, and he really couldn’t blame her.

“Your father and I were just having a nice
discussion. I would be pleased if you joined us.”

Her eyes narrowed but she settled into a
vacant seat. Her spine remained stiff however. “You know my father
cannot carry on a conversation.”

Matthew needed to put her at ease. Perhaps
her three suitors had left her in a foul mood, not that he could
blame her. “I beg to differ, Miss. Cooper. A man can speak volumes
with mere facial expressions.”

Her shoulders relaxed.

“You did not accompany your daughter to
church. Were you under the weather?”

Mr. Cooper gestured to his legs, and then
pointed to the cane on his left.

“My father can no longer get in and out of a
carriage, or ride a horse.”

As there was no other way to travel to
church, as he was certain Mr. Cooper could not walk that distance
either, Matthew knew this man would never grace one of the pews.
Still, that should not keep the man from the Word of God. I would
be happy to call on you each Sunday, after service, and share with
you the message of the day.”

The man’s face brightened and this time the
smile revealed straight white teeth. Matthew was encouraged that
the man still wished to attend even though it was physically
impossible.

“Do you intend to stand in the parlor and
deliver the same sermon?” Miss Cooper asked.

Matthew chuckled. Perhaps she was thinking
she would not have to attend either and simply hear the message
here. “No. When I visit my parishioners in their home, I offer an
abridged version and talk with them.”

Her cheeks pinked.

“I know my father has missed attending
services. We would both be grateful if you could call.”

Mr. Cooper nodded his head with
enthusiasm.

“And, if you are here with my father, I won’t
need to worry about how much noise the children make during Sunday
school.”

Her smile did not meet her eyes, and Matthew
surmised she still was not happy with his intrusion on her lessons
earlier in the week.

“Perhaps it is the best arrangement. We shall
see.”

Grace stared down at the structure of rocks
and twigs. It was a fine replication indeed. The children
surrounded her, each grinned, and pleased with their work. “And
that, children, is Solomon’s temple.”

“It is very grand indeed,” a young girl
whispered in awe.

“Now that we know how it was built, close
your eyes and try to image it full size, and how splendid it must
have been.”

They did as they were told, a variety of
smiles appeared on their faces. It pleased Grace to see them this
way. Learning the lessons from the Bible was very important, but
she thought it almost as important to let them be creative. A
stilted imagination led to a stilted mind. Had her gentlemen
suitors’ imaginations been encouraged perhaps they would have been
better suited to her. But no, given their conversations, their
minds could not see beyond outward appearances. Was Vicar Trent as
unimaginative?

No one saw beyond her father’s disability. If
he lacked this ability, he would have dismissed her father at their
first meeting. She wondered how the visit this afternoon progressed
and hoped her father was not disappointed. Since his accident, he
dressed only in the clothing he wore when working in the barn and
tending animals. Today he had his valet dress him in a fine pair of
breeches, waistcoat, outer coat, shirt and cravat as he had worn to
church and to the office prior to the accident. It warmed her heart
to see him enthusiastic and looking forward to the visit from Vicar
Trent. He had even shooed her from the house before he arrived.
This is what she found odd, but didn’t question it as her father
seemed happier than he had been in a very long time.

“What do you think is most magnificent in
Solomon’s Temple?”

Some of the children looked at her, others
scrunched their faces as if trying to determine.

“The carved cedar walls,” Patrick, a boy of
about ten, answered. This did not surprise her. Patrick always had
a piece of wood and small knife and carved whenever he sat.

“The inner sanctuary in all gold.”

“The cherubim.”

The children called out their various
answers.

“I have the ark, Miss Cooper.” Becca stepped
forward and offered her a small boat made out of twigs.

Grace took the item. Oh dear, the child
misunderstood. A boy to her left snickered and Grace shot him a
disapproving look. Becca was only five. Grace should have
anticipated that the term ark would confuse some of the
children.

She knelt to look the young girl in the eye.
“This is a lovely boat, indeed, Becca, but I am afraid I confused
you.”

“You said they put the ark in the
temple.”

A smile pulled at Grace’s lips. “Yes I did,
which was my mistake. The Ark of the Covenant was placed in the
temple. Not Noah’s ark.”

The child frowned and took the boat out of
Grace’s hand. Tears pooled in her eyes and Grace reached out for
the girl. “I am sorry. I should have been more specific. Do you
think you could make the Ark of the Covenant?”

The child looked up and nodded. Grace brushed
the tear from her cheek. The little girl set about gathering more
twigs.

Matthew stood a few feet away and listened as
the children discussed the temple and he wasn’t surprised by
Becca’s mistake. Children were always more fascinated with Noah’s
ark and completely misunderstood the Ark of the Covenant. Miss
Cooper handled the situation well so that the little girl was not
too upset. His heart went out to Becca and it was a lesson for him.
One cannot assume everyone understands, and he would need to be
careful in the future so that one of his parishioners did not
mistake his words.

One person who did understand and Matthew
wished the man could converse with him verbally, was Mr. Cooper.
They had spent the last two hours on his sermon from this morning,
being the salt of the earth and light of the world. Mr. Cooper felt
strongly about these verses, especially the part of the salt losing
its saltiness. For so long Mr. Cooper had been treated as if he was
no longer good for anything. He scratched out notes with his left
hand, ones Matthew could barely read, but the message was clear.
The village treated him as if he had little to offer the world, and
he struggled with how he could make people see him differently.
And, the man hated that his daughter was the one taking care of him
instead of the other way around. Miss Cooper should be enjoying
friends, attending dances, even the Season, but she refused to
leave his side except occasionally.