Days of Gold (Edilean 2)

“As you can see,” Harriet said, “I didn’t buy much furniture. I didn’t have the money and I had no idea what an earl’s daughter would want. I hope you don’t want gilt mirrors and gold frames on the chairs.”

“No,” Edilean said. “I rather like Chippendale. I’ve seen a lot of his work in other people’s houses, and I like it.”

“Then I hope you can draw what you want so we can have it made here. Now, about finding you a husband. I haven’t had much time to think on it, but I know a few men who might do very well as possible suitors.”

“Husband,” Edilean said, as though she’d never heard the word before.

“Yes. That’s what you want, isn’t it? That’s what you were after with my brother, wasn’t it?”

“I thought I was in love with him,” Edilean said as they walked into the parlor. There were two high-backed chairs upholstered in a heavy red fabric and a tiny tea table, but nothing else in the room.

“Yes, of course. My brother’s face is easy to love. It’s when you get to know him that he becomes intolerable. Are you hungry? We could have tea in this room.”

“Tea would be lovely,” Edilean said as she sat down on a chair and looked about the room. The windows were bare and she could see the people walking by outside. Several passersby looked in at them in curiosity.

When Harriet left the room, Edilean collapsed against the back of the chair. Curtains, tea, Harriet, male suitors, James’s face, it all seemed to whirl around and around in her head until she thought she might faint.

When Harriet returned with a tray full of tea and little cookies that she had herself baked, Edilean was leaning against the chair and sound asleep. Harriet put the tray on the table, took the chair across from her, looked at the young woman, and nibbled on a cookie.

The truth was that Harriet was very glad that her odious brother hadn’t shown up with an earl’s daughter. In fact, she was glad that her brother hadn’t shown up at all. She’d already decided that tonight she’d write him a letter saying that she’d met the ship he was supposed to be on but he hadn’t been there with the gold as he’d said he would be. As a result, Harriet’d had to get out of the house she’d rented and was now living with a nasty old woman as a paid companion. Better yet, maybe she’d say she was working as a housekeeper for a widower with six children. She’d say most anything that she thought would keep James from coming to America and ruining what could turn out to be a very good job.

When Edilean moved in her sleep, Harriet smiled. She was such a pretty girl, and with her wide eyes she looked as though everything in life was a wonder to her. Harriet tiptoed into the little sitting room off the kitchen, picked up a cotton quilt, and took it back to spread over Edilean. Poor dear, she was probably tired to death.

For a moment Harriet stood over her, then reached out and tucked a strand of Edilean’s hair behind her ear. If she’d had a daughter she would want her to look exactly like this young girl.

“We’ll do fine,” she whispered. “We’ll make a life for ourselves as best we can.” Smiling, she went into the kitchen to see about dinner. Maybe now that they had some money they’d be able to hire a cook.

14

EDILEAN WAS ASLEEP in the new bed she’d bought from the cabinetmaker, under the new sheets she’d bought straight off a ship as it came in from France. On the table were d

ishes and a lamp from estate sales. The huge chest of drawers had come from an auction of a man who was going back to England. To get the bed hangings, she’d had to drive three hours across roads that were hardly roads at all to the farm of the woman who’d embroidered them.

When Edilean heard the noise at the window, she paid no attention to it, just fluttered her lashes, and went back to sleep. Even when the lamp was lit, she still didn’t wake. But when the hand went over her mouth, she woke up in alarm and tried to scream.

“It’s just me, lass.”

She felt the big, warm hand over her mouth, and when she felt Angus’s body next to hers on the bed, she flung her arms around him, and the tears began as she clutched on to him, her head against his chest. She could hear his heart pounding. “I thought you’d gone away to Virginia and that I’d never, ever see you again. It’s been months and months since I saw you, and—”

“Sssh, lass,” he said, stroking her hair. “It’s only been six weeks. Has your life been that bad to make you think it was so long?”

“Yes,” she said. “I mean, no, it hasn’t been bad, but I was used to seeing you every day.” She was clutching onto him with all her might, but he hadn’t put his arms around her. One hand was on the bed and the other was at her hair.

She moved her head away to look at him. He hadn’t shaved in days and his eyes looked worried. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said as he moved to sit up on the foot of the bed. “I came here to see how you are. How is this woman treating you?”

“Harriet?”

“Aye, that’s her name. The old spinster.”

“Don’t call her that! She’s a good woman. She’s been very kind to me, and we spend a lot of time together.”

“So you like her?”

“Very much.” When Edilean reached out her hands to him, he took them in his and looked at them in the pale light of the room. “Something is wrong. Why are you here? Why aren’t you in Virginia?”

“I liked it here, that’s all,” he said, still holding her hands and looking at them. “I’d almost forgotten that hands as small and soft as yours exist.”