A Fragile Design (17 page)
‘‘He still threatens it,’’ Matthew threw in. ‘‘I heard of quite an incident over a birthday party for Thomas Jefferson. It seems President Jackson gave the toast, ‘Our Federal Union—it must be preserved!’ and Vice-President Calhoun came back with, ‘The Union—next to our liberty, the most dear!’ According to the report, the men are worse enemies now than when they began their administration.’’
‘‘To be sure,’’ Kirk said, nodding. ‘‘I share a rather casual acquaintance with Calhoun. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the man resign his position and return to South Carolina.’’
‘‘Resign the vice-presidency?’’ Nathan questioned. ‘‘That would be sheer lunacy.’’
Kirk smiled and pushed his plate away. ‘‘No, sheer lunacy is having those two under the same roof for any purpose—much less the running of the country.’’ The men enjoyed a good laugh over this.
‘‘So, Nathan, I understand the Corporation has given you the nod to expand into some new markets,’’ Kirk commented as the men finished their meal and retired to the library. J. P.’s butler followed the men into the room, poured drinks for all, and offered cigars. Matthew had no interest in either refreshment and settled back into the plush wing-backed chair. The supple cushioning and upholstery seemed to embrace Matthew. He’d have to look into purchasing some of these chairs for his own home.
Nathan took a cigar from the humidor and clipped the end. ‘‘There’s ample interest in the carpets being produced at the Lowell Mill, and we can’t seem to keep up with the demand for Negro cloth. I’d like to expand markets for our calicos, finer linens, and cotton to the southern states. The demand is certainly strong in all of the larger cities of the South for those fabrics. I’ve also received several missives from a New Orleans businessman who wants to purchase carpets—probably more than we can produce in the next year.’’
J. P. came to attention. He waved his butler away and questioned, ‘‘New Orleans?’’
‘‘Yes. He wants to distribute carpets throughout the South as well as overseas. By my calculations, the Corporation would make more money shipping directly to him for further distribution. That may not always hold true, but for now we can make more money sending to only one destination.’’
‘‘I like the idea of New Orleans. I’d be pleased to go and meet with the distributor you’re considering,’’ J. P. offered excitedly.
Nathan glanced at Kirk then back toward J. P. ‘‘I’ll keep your offer in mind. A trip to New Orleans may be necessary to finalize the agreement,’’ Nathan replied as he blew a puff of blue gray cigar smoke into the air.
Matthew glanced toward J. P. The man had appeared to be daydreaming as they had discussed shipping fabrics to the South—at least until Nathan mentioned New Orleans. It was at that point J. P. had come to life, his behavior becoming quite animated. It was obvious the mention of New Orleans and the overseas markets excited him more than anything else they’d discussed all evening. Matthew couldn’t help but wonder why. After all, the profits from the other markets would be much greater than those for the carpets. It was, he decided, an interesting conundrum.
Bella and Daughtie stood among the throng of girls gathered in the hallway. Miss Addie clapped her hands several times, resembling a schoolteacher summoning an unruly class to attention. ‘‘Now, remember that I expect each of you to be on your best behavior. This is an excellent opportunity to utilize the manners you’re forced to push aside during weekday meals. I know that you can have a good time and still make me proud of your conduct.’’
Janet Stodemire was standing on the steps. ‘‘I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going,’’ she called out.
‘‘I sent a formal response on behalf of all those who signed up to attend Lilly’s tea. Did you sign the sheet?’’
‘‘Yes, ma’am, but a friend who works over at the Lowell Mill saw me in church this morning. She invited me to spend the afternoon with her. We’re going on a picnic with two boys,’’ she proudly announced.
‘‘No, Janet, you’re not going on a picnic. You have a prior engagement, and you will attend with the rest of us. If there is time for your picnic after the tea, then you may go,’’ Addie staunchly replied.
Janet’s eyes flashed with anger. ‘‘You can’t force me to go.’’
Bella gasped. ‘‘You ought not speak to an elder in such a fashion,’’ she said without thinking.
‘‘Stay out of this, Bella. We all know you and Daughtie are the perfect little Shakers or Quakers or whatever you call yourselves. This is none of your business.’’
Bella glanced at Janet and then toward Miss Addie. ‘‘You’re right; it isn’t. I apologize for interfering.’’
‘‘Thank you for your apology, Bella,’’ Miss Addie replied before tilting her gaze upward to meet Janet’s stare. ‘‘Come along, Janet,’’ she said firmly. ‘‘Otherwise, I’ll be forced to write a letter to your supervisor that I’m requesting your removal from my house for failure to abide by the rules.’’
Janet clenched her fists and glared at Miss Addie. ‘‘Where does it say I must attend a tea at Lilly Cheever’s home?’’
‘‘The contract you signed says that you will conduct yourself in a proper ladylike manner. The rules also say that I am the judge of acceptable behavior. Now please get your cape and let’s be on our way. I don’t intend to be late.’’
It was a beautiful early summer day as the girls walked down Jackson Street, two by two, with an excited buzz filling the air as they passed the row of boardinghouses. It wasn’t often the mill girls were invited to visit one of the fine homes in Lowell. Several of Miss Addie’s girls had known Lilly before she married Matthew Cheever, when she had been a resident of Miss Addie’s boardinghouse while they all worked at the Appleton. Now they dreamed about the same fairy-tale marriage occurring in their own lives.
Bella thought them rather silly. It wasn’t a matter of not wanting to ever marry; it was the way the girls seemed to put such stock in marrying someone well-to-do. Whatever happened to marrying for love? Marrying a man whom you love, no matter his station, made you glad to be alive. Bella wanted that kind of marriage.
She ignored the chatter of her friends and thought instead of Jesse. She wouldn’t have had that kind of marriage with him. He was sweet and gentle-natured, but he would never be the kind of man Bella needed. Bella needed a man who could stand his ground with her—who wouldn’t be overrun by her temper or opinionated manner.
Not that I don’t need desperately to alter those areas,
she thought.
I need a man who won’t be afraid of my mind or the fact that I enjoy learning and expanding my knowledge. I don’t need someone of high status or lofty ambitions, but I do need a man who can provide for his family
.
Bella’s breath caught in her throat as they arrived at the Cheever home. It was a large frame house with a wide porch wrapping around the front and side, unlike anything Bella had previously seen. Willow chairs sat on the porch, beckoning visitors to sit awhile and smell the early summer blooms that lined the stone walkway and surrounded the outline of the covered porch. Rosebushes with their buds revealing a hint of pink were strategically planted in a small garden on the east side of the house, and the afternoon breeze was heavy with the smell of fragrant honeysuckle blossoms.
‘‘It’s difficult to imagine living in a place such as this,’’ Bella whispered to Daughtie.
Daughtie nodded her head. ‘‘It’s as big as the house all the Sisters and Brothers lived in. Don’t you love the porch? It’s a shame the Society thought porches too worldly.’’
Bella smiled. ‘‘It’s not so much the porch, Daughtie, it’s the ornamentation a porch provides that causes the Believers to fault them. The Brothers and Sisters would be aghast at the ornate carving on the front door,’’ she said. ‘‘But I find it beautiful.’’
‘‘Ohhh, and look at the columns. They look like the drawings from the Roman Empire in our history book. Don’t you think?’’
‘‘Yes, that’s probably where they got the idea. Sister Minerva said every generation copies from the preceding generations—that nothing is original,’’ Bella replied.
‘‘Well, I find that statement difficult to believe. There are new inventions every day. Aren’t those monstrous machines we use at the mills a new idea? I don’t think any of that machinery was in use several generations ago,’’ Daughtie replied.
‘‘Perhaps you’re correct, Daughtie. It would be nice to think of Sister Minerva being wrong at least once in her lifetime, wouldn’t it?’’
Bella and Daughtie giggled in unison as they walked into the foyer, where Miss Addie stood alongside Lilly to introduce each guest as she passed by.
‘‘And these are my two newest friends and boarders,’’ Miss Addie told Lilly. ‘‘This,’’ she said, patting Daughtie’s shoulder, ‘‘is Miss Daughtie Winfield. And this,’’ she continued while taking Bella’s hand, ‘‘is Miss Arabella Newberry—we call her Bella. Both the girls have come from the Shaker community outside of Concord.’’
‘‘Oh yes, I’ve heard tell of it. In Canterbury, isn’t it?’’ Lilly inquired.
‘‘Yes, that’s correct,’’ Bella answered.
Lilly gave them an inviting smile. ‘‘I’m eager to visit with you. Please be sure to save a few moments so that we may chat.’’
‘‘Why does she want to talk to us?’’ Daughtie inquired as the girls worked their way into the parlor and then moved onward into the adjoining music room.
‘‘She was merely being courteous, Daughtie. You needn’t be so suspicious of everyone. Oh, look at this piano. Isn’t it beautiful?’’
Lilly approached and stood to one side. ‘‘Do you play?’’
Bella nodded and turned. ‘‘My mother was quite accomplished. She taught me when I was very young, but I haven’t played for years.’’
‘‘You’re welcome to entertain us,’’ Lilly offered.
‘‘No. It’s been too long, and playing the piano reminds me of my mother. She died several years ago,’’ Bella explained. Sometimes it seemed as if her mother had died only yesterday—the pain was so tangible.
Lilly took her hand. ‘‘I understand.’’
Daughtie drifted off with Miss Addie and the other girls as they took their places visiting in the various rooms. Because of this, Bella felt free to question Lilly Cheever. ‘‘Your mother is deceased, also?’’
‘‘Yes,’’ Lilly replied. ‘‘Come sit down and let’s visit. Miss Addie tells me you’ve become one of her favorite people, and she’s an excellent judge of character.’’
Bella followed Lilly to one of the settees across the room and sat down. The cushioning made Bella feel as though she were sitting on a cloud. ‘‘Your home is beautiful,’’ Bella complimented while gazing about the room. Gold-framed oil paintings decorated the wall opposite her. The paintings were of a variety of pastoral settings. The only exception was the large oil over the fireplace. This painting was a most becoming memorial to Lilly Cheever’s wedding day. Bella couldn’t imagine what it might be like to sit and pose for such a thing. Pulling her thoughts back to Lilly’s questioning gaze, she added, ‘‘I particularly like the porch.’’
Lilly smiled and nodded. ‘‘Matthew said large porches belong in the South, but I envision lots of children playing out there, even on rainy days. Wouldn’t that be delightful fun?’’
Bella laughed. ‘‘Yes, I suppose it would. Miss Addie is quite proud that you once lived with her. She tells all of us how you saved her position with the Corporation by teaching her how to cook. I’m sure you know that you have her undying devotion.’’
Lilly blushed at the praise. ‘‘Miss Addie gives me far too much credit for her success. I am pleased, however, that her boardinghouse is considered one of the finest in Lowell. It’s obvious she enjoys her work—perhaps too much.’’
‘‘How can it be harmful to enjoy your work?’’
‘‘Sometimes she tends to put you girls ahead of her personal life,’’ Lilly hedged.
Bella gave a knowing look. ‘‘You mean with Mr. Farnsworth, don’t you?’’
‘‘He’s a fine man. I think she should marry him, move into his home, and begin a joyous life with him. Unfortunately, she thinks if they marry, he should move into the boardinghouse, where she would continue with her boardinghouse duties. I doubt whether he’ll come around to her way of thinking. But I fear she’ll lose him to another if she doesn’t change her mind,’’ Lilly explained, shaking her head. ‘‘I’m not sure why I’m telling you this except I can tell you’ve come to care for Miss Addie, as I did. Perhaps we can conspire to convince her to reconsider.’’
‘‘I would think Mr. Farnsworth would be delighted to move into the boardinghouse if for no other reason than to rid himself of his nephew,’’ Bella confided. The memory of her encounters with Taylor Manning caused Bella to twist her hands together.
‘‘Taylor Manning? You don’t find him amusing?’’ Lilly inquired.
‘‘Frankly, I find him rather pompous and lacking in manners.’’
Lilly didn’t immediately respond. Instead, she gave Bella a curious smile. ‘‘You would agree that he’s very handsome, wouldn’t you?’’
‘‘I would agree that Taylor Manning believes himself very handsome. To me, however, his appearance is completely diminished by his boorish behavior,’’ Bella countered. ‘‘Someone is attempting to gain your attention,’’ she said, glancing toward the doorway.
‘‘If you’ll excuse me, I believe the servants are ready to serve tea. We’ll visit again,’’ Lilly said, rising from the settee.
Bella watched as Lilly swept away in a gown of amber and cream. The dress was most magnificent, with a scalloped flounce along the skirt’s edge and ruching tucked with piping along the bodice. Bella looked down at her own gown of gray homespun. The simplicity was a sharp contrast to Lilly’s gown. Bella glanced around the room and realized that her gown was quite plain compared to everyone else’s, save Daughtie’s. Taylor had chided her for not dressing more fashionably, and seeing the beautiful dresses of the other girls made Bella almost wish she could comply.
But if I make a new dress now,
she reasoned,
Taylor Manning will think I’m doing it merely to impress him
. She stiffened at the thought. There would be no new gown.
The time passed quickly as the servants poured tea and offered scrumptious egg and watercress sandwiches accompanied by fancy breads and jelly-filled pastries. Tea was followed by a tour of the house for those who were interested. Bella couldn’t decide what she found the most intriguing, the beauty of the home or the fact that only two people lived alone in this large house.
