She looked at Mother’s bedroom door and brought her finger to her lips, waiting to get closer to me before whispering, “I wanted to be sure everything was all right with the guest room. Daddy just assigned her the room without checking to be sure she has everything she needs in the bathroom. We haven’t had anyone use that room for some time.”
“Oh,” I said, surprised that she was concerned for Mrs. Bledsoe now.
She saw it in my face. “This is the Heavenstone house, Semantha. We don’t run a third-rate boardinghouse.”
“I know.” I looked toward Mother’s bedroom.
“I checked on her. Don’t worry.”
“She was awake?”
“She was for an instant but fell back to sleep.”
“I thought we weren’t supposed to go in.”
“No one tells me when I can and can’t see my mother. She’s groggy, so for now, we’ll let her sleep. Let’s go down and see what we can do to help Mrs. Bledsoe in the kitchen,” she said.
“Help?” I wanted to be sure I heard right, that Cassie really did have a change of heart and maybe was beginning to see things Daddy’s way.
She paused and turned back to me. “There are ways to help, and there are ways to help, Semantha,” she replied, and continued to the stairway.
What did that mean? Why must Cassie speak in riddles? I followed her down. Mrs. Bledsoe was in the kitchen, obviously searching for things. She was squatting by one of the lower cabinets and was taken by surprise when she turned and saw Cassie and me standing in the doorway, watching her silently. It flustered her for a moment, and she dropped a pan.
“Oh.”
“Let us help you, Mrs. Bledsoe,” Cassie said in a sweet, soft change of voice that surely would make anyone wonder if she was schizophrenic. “I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot before. We do want to be cooperative for Mother’s sake.”
“Oh, thank you, dear. I was looking for a blender.”
Cassie nodded to me, and I stepped into the kitchen and retrieved the blender from one of the lower cabinets.
“What are you blending?” Cassie asked.
“I have this nutritional supplement I give all my patients who need to be built up. Anemia can be so devastating. Your mother told me she’s fond of apple juice, so I’ll blend it with that. I’d like her to have the supplements between meals. Perhaps in a day or so, we’ll get her moving about. I’m sure she’ll be fine in a week’s time.”
“Perhaps sooner,” Cassie said.
“We’ll see.”
“I’m going to prepare one of Daddy’s favorite meals,” Cassie continued. “It’s a meat loaf. I’m sure you would agree that Mother could use some meat.”
“Maybe in a day or so. I’d prefer she eats a lighter meal for her first day back,” Mrs. Bledsoe said. “I’m just going to give her some eggs and toast tonight.”
“Eggs. Okay. She likes the way I scramble them. I use just the right amount of milk and cheese and …”
“We’ll see,” Mrs. Bledsoe interrupted, and began to blend her supplement with the apple juice.
Cassie went over to look at the canister of powder. She read the ingredients. “It does have many good things in it. Maybe we should all take this. Do you, Mrs. Bledsoe?”
“Not regularly now. I do take vitamin supplements, however. Don’t you girls?”
“Oh, we eat really well here, Mrs. Bledsoe.”
“Nutrition is a science,” she replied, “and is especially important when someone is run-down, someone like your mother.”
“Then we’re lucky we have you,” Cassie said. If a smile could poison someone, Cassie’s could, I thought. Mrs. Bledsoe just nodded and continued preparing her nutritional drink.
Cassie turned to me. “Help me prepare dinner,” she said, and started to gather the ingredients for her meat loaf. She kept an eye on Mrs. Bledsoe as she worked and assigned different tasks to me.