The Virtuous Woman (29 page)

“Why?” Cara asked in a puzzled tone.

“She’s afraid.”

“Afraid she won’t fit in?” Phil asked. “That’s nonsense.”

“Actually it isn’t, Dad. She’s really very sensitive.” He poured some more sorghum onto his pancake. “It took me a while to figure that out, though, because her manners are so rough. But she’s working on that. Francis is teaching her all sorts of things.”

“Like what?” Cara asked.

Lucy broke in with a smile. “Like how to dress.”

“I don’t believe it!” Cara exclaimed.

“It’s true, Mom. He took her to a department store and helped her pick out clothes and shoes. He’s even taught her how to use makeup properly and which perfumes to wear!”

“And he’s working on her grammar,” Lucy said with a laugh. “They have an agreement that every time she says
ain’t
he pinches her arm. I couldn’t believe she agreed to that arrangement.”

“But it’s working,” Kevin added. “She gets the word half out, then flinches and looks over at Francis and changes it to
isn’t.
Hard way to learn English, but it works.”

“I wish she’d come back now,” Phil said.

“Just give her some time, Dad. She’s had a lot to learn and a lot of hurts to overcome, but she’s making progress! Now that she’s a Christian, she goes to church every Sunday and reads her Bible. There’s a huge difference in her. You’ll see it at once, I’m sure.”

The Winslows had heard about Grace’s conversion in Kevin’s letters but wanted to hear the story all over again. As the four sat talking comfortably, Lucy felt relief wash through her. She had been very nervous about meeting Kevin’s parents—afraid they wouldn’t accept her—but now she knew
it was going to be all right.
They’re just as sweet as he is,
she thought.

****

The table in the smaller dining room was covered with a white cloth and was laid with gleaming china, silverware, and crystal. Betty had worked hard on the dinner, and now she glanced around with satisfaction, muttering to herself. “It’s good to see Mr. Kevin home again, and that young woman he brought—she’s quality folks. She don’t pay no attention to his scar. I likes that!”

Brian and Joan were there along with their three children, and Paige sat beside Lucy, who was feeling shy and apprehensive. Kevin had warned her that Paige could be difficult, and she feared they might not get along. But Paige had greeted her warmly and said kind things about what Kevin had said about Lucy in his letters.

This had won Lucy over at once, and she wondered how Paige could have been so unfeeling toward Grace. She looked down the table at Brian, noticing the resemblance between him and his father. He was indeed handsome, full of life and energy. His wife, sitting next to him, was a pretty woman with fair hair and a quiet expression.

“If I can get this thundering herd to be quiet,” Phil said over the noise, “we’ll say the blessing.”

Joan reached over and rapped the knuckles of the four-year-old, Scott, who was talking loudly to Kevin, demanding a ride in the plane.

“Ouch! That hurt, Mom!”

“Then you hush and behave yourself.”

“That’s right. Be good like your dad.” Brian winked at him.

“Be better than that,” Cara said.

Brian smiled at his mother, then bowed his head as Phil asked the blessing. They started passing the food around the table, and everyone was full of questions for Kevin.

As her brother spoke, Paige could not believe how much
he had changed. Her shy, retiring brother who had hidden himself away for all these years was now as outgoing as anyone she had ever met. He didn’t seem in the least bothered by his scarred face anymore, and she was truly astounded by the transformation. Her eyes met Brian’s more than once, and he nodded and smiled in understanding.

When little Scott saw that his mother wasn’t looking, he yanked on Kevin’s arm and said, “Uncle Kev, you’ve gotta take me for a ride in your airplane.”

“Only if your mother and dad say so.”

“Can I, Dad? Can I, Mom?”

“I suppose so ... but I’m afraid of those things,” Joan said.

“Don’t do anything you don’t want to do. You can wait until I’m a full-fledged professional before trusting your kids with me,” Kevin said. “But I’ll tell you what—maybe I can just taxi them around. We could just ride on the ground. Then next time I come, I’ll be fully licensed and we can all go up. How’s that?”

This satisfied both Brian and Joan, and the boy was ready to go right then.

Betty’s special meal was magnificent, and the family made sure to compliment her over every dish she served. Kevin was extremely pleased to see how well received Lucy was. He knew she had been afraid to come, and he was proud of Paige and of Brian as they both made every effort to include her in the conversation.

At the end of the meal, Paige took Lucy off to show her some more of the estate, and Kevin pulled Brian aside to talk privately. “How’s Paige taking things, Brian?”

“You mean her broken engagement?”

“Yes.”

“You know, after she got over the initial shock of it, she was really relieved. I hate to say it, but she was becoming as much of a snob as the Asquiths—and even she realizes that, looking back on it.”

“Does she still talk about John?”

“Not at all. For a while, she didn’t go out with anybody, but here lately she’s been out twice with a young fellow she met playing tennis. Nice guy as far as I can tell. Works for a big life insurance company. Their up-and-coming star, I understand.”

“Do you think they might be serious?”

“Oh no, nothing like that. They’ve only just met. But I’m really glad to see her get out into the world again. Did you know that John got engaged to someone else already?”

“No, I didn’t know that.”

“A real society girl—someone his parents picked out.”

****

The next day Kevin had a chance to speak with Paige, and he asked her directly about her feelings about John Asquith.

She made a face. “I can’t believe I was about to marry him. He’ll never change, Kev. He’ll be doing what his mama and daddy tell him to do when he’s fifty years old. I want my husband to have a mind of his own.” She dropped her head for a moment and said, “I guess I never thought I’d hear myself saying this, but Grace really did me a favor. I could have killed her for a while, but looking back on it, her short stay here was the best thing that could have happened to me.”

****

The visit was in its third day when Cara had a chance to spend some time alone with Lucy. They were walking around the estate, and Cara was pointing out the different things that Kevin had done.

Lucy was awed by the estate, and she said frankly, “This is all so great, Mrs. Winslow. My sister and I have had a hard life. I’ve never even been near anything like this before.”

“It’s just a house.”

Lucy laughed as she looked at the mansion. “Just a house with twenty bedrooms!”

“Oh, it’s not quite that many.” Cara smiled. “Phil didn’t
want to buy it because it was so big, but he loved the studio so much, that settled it. Besides, it’s big enough we can always have our children and grandchildren come back to visit.”

As the two walked along, Cara skillfully induced the young woman to talk about herself. She found out that Lucy had never had a serious attachment to any man. She also got the impression that she had very special feelings for Kevin but was too shy to say so.

“I’ve always been very direct,” Cara said, “so I hope I don’t offend you by what I’m about to ask. But I would really like to know how serious you are about Kevin.”

Lucy caught her breath and looked frightened. Turning pale, she found it difficult to meet Cara’s eyes. “Why ... I like him a lot,” she whispered.

“Is it more than that?”

She swallowed and shook her head. “I ... I don’t think I’d ever learn to fit in here.”

“There’s no need to think that way. You already fit in.”

Lucy did not know how to say what was on her heart.

Finally Cara asked, “Do you love him, Lucy? I ask because I’ve always wanted Kevin to have a wife. His accident cut him off from the world. He’s never had a girlfriend. He’s never had a romance in his life. But he obviously cares for you deeply.”

“You really think so?”

“I know he does just by the way he watches you and the way his voice gets tender when he speaks of you.”

Lucy struggled to speak for a moment, then looked up and said eagerly, “Yes, I love him.”

“I’m glad, but I must warn you about something.”

“What is it?” she asked, frightened.

“Kevin has come a long way these last few months, but he’s very sensitive by nature. Far more so than my other children. I believe he loves you, but he may never ask you to marry him.”

“Because of his scars?”

“Yes, that’s it. He might be very afraid that you’d reject him.”

Lucy looked at Cara with a new determination and said, “Then I’ll ask him.”

Cara reached out and pulled the young woman into a quick embrace. “I think you’ll have to, Lucy,” she whispered.

****

Lucy thought all day about what Cara had said. She knew she loved Kevin as she would never love another man, and she also understood that Cara was right. Kevin
was
sensitive. He might think that no woman could love him with his scarred face. She had already sensed this in him and knew that several times he had almost told her how he felt but then had lost his courage. She had not understood at that time what it meant, but now she did, and she determined that she would make the first move. It was a difficult choice, for she was usually quite shy, but she also had a steely thread of courage running through her.

She found her moment that night after supper. The family had been listening to Fibber McGee and Molly on the radio. When the show was over, she said, “Let’s go see what the fish pond looks like at night, Kev.”

Kevin had looked at her with surprise but agreed at once. “It’s very pretty,” he said. “I used to go there all the time.”

After they walked out of the room, Phil said, “They’re going to look at the fish in the dark?”

“Never you mind,” Cara whispered.

The moon was high overhead, casting silver shadows on the ground. As they reached the fish pond, the water glowed, and a jumping fish broke the moon’s reflection into wavy patterns. “I helped build this pond. As a matter of fact, I designed it. The fish come all the way from China. They’re called koi—a fancy name for carp.”

“They’re so huge.”

“Yes they are. Some of them weigh up to fifteen pounds. But they’re not very good to eat.”

“Ooh, who’d want to eat one of those beautiful things anyway?”

“Deer are beautiful,” Kevin said with a grin, “but I’ve eaten a few of those.”

Lucy had no good reply for that observation, and the two watched the fish and listened as the waterfall gurgled pleasantly. It had been a warm day, but now that it was dark, the fall air felt cool. As they stood silently beside the pond, she desperately wondered if she could go through with her plan. Finally she turned to him and touched his arm. He smiled at her, which gave her courage. Without a tremor in her voice, she spoke up. “Kevin, I love you. Will you marry me?”

He straightened up as though he had been struck by a bullet. His lips parted, and he swallowed hard. He must have recovered quickly though, as he immediately took her into his arms and kissed her. She clung to him, and her eyes filled with tears. She did not know whether he was simply kissing her out of pity or out of deep feeling for her.

When he lifted his head, he said, “I’ll always be sorry for one thing.”

“What’s that, Kev?”

“That you beat me to the punch. I was going to ask you to marry me, and you did it before I could get up my nerve.”

“I was afraid you’d never ask me,” she said simply.

“Let me ask you, then. Will you marry me, Lucy Delaney?”

Lucy’s breath caught as her heart leaped with joy. “Yes ... oh yes, I will, Kevin Winslow.”

They kissed again, and this time Lucy knew she had found her man.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Old Flame

Babe Delaney stepped into the Green Lantern and saw that there was only a handful of customers. Two old men sat at the bar, one of them with a long white beard like Santa Claus, the other balding and with a round, red face. They were arguing in muted tones and did not even look up when she came in. A couple sat at the back drinking silently with morose expressions on their faces, and another couple was dancing but appeared half asleep. The jukebox was playing “Cheek to Cheek,” and the music seemed to cut through the smoke-filled air.

Babe took a seat at a table close to the bar. She picked up a saltshaker and tapped it nervously on the table until Grace approached.

“Hi, Babe. Can I bring you something to eat?”

“No, just a beer, I think.”

Babe waited until Grace returned with a stein of beer and put it before her. “You’re not busy tonight.”

“No, I think everybody’s at the LSU football game.”

“Can you sit down a minute? I need to talk to you.”

Grace checked her customers and then sat down. She kept her back erect, and there was a cautious light in her eyes as she studied the woman across from her.

“I got a call from Lucy today,” Babe said after taking a sip of the beer. “She tells me that Kev has asked her to marry him, and she’s going to do it.”

“I know. Kevin called me. I think it’s great. Your sister’s a nice girl.”

“Yes she is. I’m proud of her. Never had to worry a minute about Lucy. She’s a straight arrow all the way.” She took another sip of beer. “Not like me.”

“Not like me either,” Grace said.

The remark caught at Babe, and she cocked her head. “You think she’ll make it okay with his family? Your family, I mean. You know, they’re so rich and all that.”

“From what Kev tells me, she’s already made it. They’ve welcomed her with open arms. I don’t think you understand how much that family has worried about Kevin.” She thought for a moment, then added, “It’s like they’ve all been praying for him to come out and do something, and all he would ever do was grow flowers and work on engines. Now he’s a changed man, and I’m pretty proud of him.”