The Promise of Morning (15 page)

Arthur pivoted in his chair and peered out at the brightening day. When he turned back to them, his eyes were deep pools of pain. “At the hotel, that namby-pamby clerk was all in a dither. Seems them actors packed up and left in the middle of the night without paying their bill.” He paused. In the heavy silence, they could hear the iron surface of the stove tick as it heated.

Tears formed at the corners of Arthur’s eyes and trickled down his round cheeks. “Ruby went with them.”

Matthew waited while Arthur settled onto the seat of the buckboard. He’d already tied Arthur’s horse, King George, to the back of the wagon.

“You don’t have to do this. I can ride home.”

“Course you can. Just thought you might like a little company.”

Arthur stared straight ahead as the buckboard rolled out of the farmyard and crossed the wooden bridge over the creek. “I feel like I been trampled by a team of draft horses. All these years with Ruby and never a notion she’d do something like this.”

“We don’t know what really happened. Maybe she’s been taken against her will.”

“Hah! Against her will, my foot. You don’t believe that, and neither do I. If you could’ve heard all the ‘Mr. Forsythe this’ and ‘Mr. Forsythe that’ the woman’s been prattling, you’d know it was him turned her head.” His voice shook. “You was right from the beginning. That play brought no good to this town—Ruby’s gone, and Jack Bryant is out food and lodging for all the time them folks spent in his hotel.”

In a corner of his mind, Matthew couldn’t help but feel vindicated. But even his greatest fears hadn’t included Ellie losing her aunt, the only mother she’d known. He considered reassuring Arthur that God had a plan in this for everyone’s good, then rejected the idea. Instead, he glanced around at the sprouted corn in fields lining the road. The downy leaves reflected the soft gold of the morning sun. “Feels sticky already. Going to be a hot one.”

Arthur ignored the remark. He sat with his hands clasped on his knees, fingers clenching and unclenching. He shook his head like someone trying to wake from a dream. “Thirty-one years. You’d think you’d know a person after all that time.”

Matthew nodded, holding the reins lightly while Samson trotted down the dirt track. “Yup. You’d think so.”

“She was such a pretty little thing when I met her. Old man Long, her pa, had a passel of daughters, but she was the best looking of the lot.” His voice trailed away. They rode without speaking for several minutes, then Arthur cleared his throat and continued. “Anyways, she said she’d marry me when I came calling. We settled down there in Flint County. I figured we’d have a houseful of young’uns, but it didn’t happen. Ruby kind of watched over her nieces and nephews, but it ate at her, not having any babies of her own.”

“So you ended up with Ellie when her pa took off.” Matthew fought down impatience at hearing the familiar story once again.

“The way she doted on that child, I figured she was enough for Ruby.” More to himself than to Matthew, he continued, “But now that I think of it, she never seemed satisfied-like.”

Matthew thought of countless occasions when he’d heard Ruby harangue her husband about one thing and another. Unsatisfied was a good way to put it. “Um-hmm.”

“Like she was after something just out of reach. Well, guess she’s found it.” Arthur’s voice faded.

Holding the reins with one hand, Matthew guided Samson onto the lane leading to the Newberrys’ house. When they reached the barn, Arthur climbed out of the wagon and untied King George, then led the animal toward its stall.

Matthew followed.

Turning, the older man jutted out his jaw. “There’s no need to hang around me. I ain’t going to kill nobody.”

“I know that.” He gentled his voice. “Thought maybe there might be something I could do to help.”

“Help what? Bring Ruby back? We don’t even know which way they went.” Arthur pulled off his hat and rubbed a hand over his bald scalp. “Just let me be for a while. I got to think on it before I decide what to do.”

Matthew’s feelings of inadequacy taunted him. His father told him he’d fail, and here was the proof. He couldn’t even help his own family
.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ll come by later today.”

“No need. See you tomorrow in church.”

He raised his hand in a half wave and walked toward the buckboard.

When Matthew arrived home, Ellie looked up from her kneading, the rolled-up sleeves of her black dress bordered with flour. “How’s Uncle Arthur?”

“Poleaxed.” Matthew dropped heavily into a chair.

“I know how he feels.” Her hands stopped moving, and she rested them on the edge of the bread trough. “I can’t believe this is really true. Seems like any minute now she’ll come through the back door to lend a hand with the baking.” Ellie glanced at him, a frown sketched across her forehead. “Now that I think about it, she hasn’t been here to help in quite a while.” She returned to her task, rocking back and forth as she pushed and folded the mound of dough. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

Matthew walked to the worktable and put his arms around his wife’s waist, lightly, so she’d know he wasn’t thinking of anything but comforting her. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t even guess how you must feel right now.”

She turned and pressed her face into his chest, sobbing. “How could Aunt Ruby go away and leave me? She knows how much I need her.” Matthew held her, his heart aching as she poured out her grief. Finally, she drew a long breath. “I thought about this the whole time you were gone.” She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “It’s worse than a death, Matt. Aunt Ruby had a choice, and she chose to go.”

“Maybe she’ll have second thoughts and come back.” He stepped away.

Ellie slid a chair from beside the table and sank into it. “You know what I keep wondering?”

He shook his head.

“Did I drive her to this because I was so angry about my father?”

His heart constricted. “No. Of course not.” He tried to think of the right thing to say. Knowing how weak his words sounded, he repeated what he’d said before. “Maybe she’ll come back.”

Ellie wiped her eyes on a corner of her apron. “Do you think Uncle Arthur would take her in?” She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and blew her nose. “It would be like Hosea and Gomer in the Bible.”

Matthew thought a moment. “I don’t know. Hosea took his wife back because he had a word from the Lord.” He stroked Ellie’s hair, gazing out the window in the direction of the Newberrys’ farm. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see what kind of a word Arthur receives.”

Dismayed, Matthew surveyed the few worshipers gathered in church for Sunday services. Several benches were unoccupied. He had to confess to himself that he’d anticipated many congregants returning with their tails between their legs after the news of the acting troupe’s ignominious departure spread through town
.
Then he remembered the rumors about God’s judgment on him. The palms of his hands felt clammy at the thought. He wiped them on his trousers.

Ellie sat with their four children on the first bench. In spite of Arthur’s promise, he hadn’t appeared in his usual place right behind Ellie. That worried Matthew.

His eyes traveled to Molly and Karl who sat with their children on the other side of the center aisle. Ben and Charity Wolcott were also present, as well as a dozen or so of the most faithful worshipers. At the rear, Marcus Beldon sat next to his wife with an expression on his face that could only be described as smug.

With a start, Matthew realized people were looking at him, waiting for him to begin the service. He knelt next to the pulpit. “Let’s pray for the Lord’s anointing on this meeting.”

As soon as the final hymn had been sung, Molly hurried toward him, wide-eyed. “Is it true that Aunt Ruby left town with the Shakespeare troupe? And that the hotel bill wasn’t paid?”

“That’s what I understand. I talked to the clerk at the hotel myself, and he said they must have slipped out sometime after midnight Friday.” Matthew glanced at Ellie. “It’s been a blow to all of us.”

“Poor Arthur.” Molly shook her head. “You know I think that woman is a trial and a sufferance, but he never seems to notice.” She looked behind her at the bench where Arthur would normally be sitting. “He probably didn’t want to face folks today.”

“Not that many folks here to face.” Matthew glanced toward the back of the room. Beldon and his wife were already gone.

Ben joined them and clapped Matthew on the back. “One of your best sermons. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins—but the first step is confession.’ Food for thought.” He grinned. “Speaking of food, why don’t you and the family take supper with us today?”

Matthew wasn’t fooled by Ben’s cheerful manner. He saw concern in his friend’s eyes, and knew the invitation represented Ben and Charity’s attempt to compensate for the emptiness of the church. “Be glad to. I want to look in on Arthur first. Would you mind if we brought him along?”

“We thought he was at your place.” Ben’s voice registered surprise. “We stopped in to take him with us this morning and he wasn’t there. Buggy was gone too.”

Ellie clutched Matthew’s sleeve. “You’ve got to find him. There’s no telling what he’ll do, upset as he is.”

Matthew looked at Ben. “Will you go with me? There’s still plenty of daylight left.”

Following a fruitless afternoon’s search, Ben and Matthew left again at dawn the next morning. Ben planned to ride north to New Roanoke, on the remote possibility Arthur would have passed through there heading for Chicago.

Matthew traveled east as far as Industry Township, asking about his wife’s uncle at every settlement and farm along the way. No one had seen a plump, middle-aged man driving a buggy pulled by a chestnut roan.

Late in the day Matthew followed the scarlet rays of the setting sun back to Beldon Grove. He’d done all he could think of to do. The image of Ellie’s stricken face burned in his mind.

After stopping at Ben’s and learning his search had also been unsuccessful, Matthew turned toward home. Once there, he didn’t need to tell Ellie anything.

She took one look at his expression and dropped into a chair. “Do you think he’s got himself lost on the prairie?”