Mail Order Mix Up (17 page)

“The orphanage always needs help.  They need people to help with the children and
to cook and clean.  If you’re interested, I think that would be a great place to start.”

“I’ll talk to Patrick about that and see what he thinks.  Surely he has to understand
that I’ll lose my mind if I sit around doing nothing all day every day.  I love being
his wife, of course, but I don’t love having nothing to do.”

“He’ll understand.  I went through the same thing when I was first married. 
I was certain I would adore being in the lap of luxury and not having to lif
t
a finger for anything. 
It took me all of a month to hate doing nothing.  I begged him to quit his job and
fire all the servants so I’d have something to do with my time.”

Ellen laughed.  “He didn’t agree?”
  She could just picture the scene if she asked Patrick to quit his job and fire the
servants. 

Elizabeth shook her head, her blue eyes dancing with laughter.  “No, he told me to
find something to do and let him get back to work.  What else would he say?”

After the Chandlers had left, Ellen went into Patrick’s office to talk about the things
she and Elizabeth had discussed.  She sat down in the chair opposite his desk and
waited until he lifted his head to look at her.  “I think the party went very well. 
Thank you for all your hard work getting it ready.”

She smiled at the compliment.  “I’m glad you were happy with it.”  She looked down
at her hands for a minute, trying to choose the right words to broach the subject
she needed to discuss.  “After talking with the other women, I realized that our marriage
is normal for a banker’s marriage.  I thought it was odd that you were spending no
time with me, but now I understand.  I do need something to do with my time, though,
so I wondered if you would be amenable to me volunteering at the orphanage in town.”
  She really loved the idea of spending time with children.  She would have preferred
spending every waking moment with him, but there was no way that could happen.

He sighed and put his pen down.  “I’m sorry.  I was hoping to have more time to spend
with you, but I just don’
t.”

“I’m not upset about it.  Anymore,” she added
honestly
.

“But you were?”

She shrugged.  “We spent more time together while we were courting than we do now. 
I mean, you’d come over every evening and we’d have time to talk and sit together
on the back porch.  Now you come home from work late every night, and then you work
in your study most evenings after dinner.”  She paused thinking carefully about her
words.  “I know you’re busy, but I need something to
do
.  I’ve spent my whole life working.  Sitting around all day doesn’t work for me.”

“That’s fine.  Go to the orphanage tomorrow and see if they can use you.  I’m sure
there’s something they need if only someone to sit with the babies while someone else
cooks the meals.  If that will make you happy, then I’m all for it.  I don’t want
you to be bored or unhappy.”

“Thank you.  I was hoping you’d feel that way about it.  It’s so hard for me to be
idle.”
  She hoped it wasn’t coming off as if she was complaining, because she loved him,
and she was happy being married to him. 

He walked around the desk and took her hand, pulling her to her feet.  Leaning down
to kiss her softly, he said, “I’m glad you married me.  I’m very happy in our marriage. 
I just want you to know that.”

She nodded.  “I do know that, and I’m happy, too.  I just wish we could spend more
time together.”
 

“I do too.  There’s nothing I’d rather do than spend time with you, but I can’t sit
around all day either.  I need to work.”

She snuggled against him.  “Just so I know you’d rather be with me, I’m happy.”

His arms went around her holding her against him.  “I’d definitely rather be with
you.”

Chapter Nine

After church on Sunday, Patrick and Ellen invited Wesley and Malinda for a picnic
lunch in the park.  Patrick would have to put in a few hours in his study that evening,
but he
had
some time to spare, and he knew Ellen was worried about the other couple’s marriage.

While they ate, Ellen couldn’t help but wonder what was going on between Wesley and
Malinda.  She’d thought they’d worked their problems out earlier in the week, but
they were very obviously strained.  While the men were eating the cookies she’d packed
for dessert, Ellen pulled Malinda off to go for a walk around the park.

“Are you two okay?”
  Ellen made certain to keep her voice low so no one would hear them.  The park was
fairly busy with picnicking families.

Malinda shook her head fiercely.  “I just think I’ve made a huge mistake marrying
Wesley.”

Ellen closed her eyes for a moment.  “I thought you two were doing better.”
  How long was Malinda going to be unhappy in her marriage?  She’d married a man she
loved.  Surely, they could overcome their problems.

Malinda shrugged.  “Well we are in some ways.  But he knows I wanted to marry someone
who had more money than he does.” 

“Please tell me you didn’t complain about his salary.”
 

Malinda shook her head.  “Of course not.  I know I have a problem with speaking when
I shouldn’t, but even I know better than that!”

“Then what happened?”

“He was right there when I got angry with you for deciding to marry Patrick and ignoring
my feelings.  No matter what I say to try to make him feel better about it, he’s still
angry.   He’s not mean to me in any way, but the open affection he showed me while
we were courting is just gone.”

“Marriage changes things.  Patrick doesn’t have nearly as much time for me as he did
before we married.”
  She’d been careful not to complain about her marriage to Malinda, because she knew
she and Patrick were doing much better than Malinda and Wesley were.

“He doesn’t?  Wesley actually has more time for me, but it seems as if he’s unhappy
with everything I do.  Does that make sense?”

Ellen nodded.  “It does.”  Even though Patrick seldom had time for her, she knew that
he was pleased with her, because he told her constantly.
  Maybe she should have Patrick talk to Wesley about how Malinda was feeling.  Immediately
Ellen rejected the idea.  The other couple needed to work out their problems.  If
Wesley went to Patrick, then it would be okay for Patrick to get involved.  Until
then, both Ellen and Patrick needed to keep from approaching Wesley.

“I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t come over every morning to help me with the
cooking.  I don’t want to displease him, but I can’t seem to do anything else.”

Ellen sighed.  “Starting tomorrow afternoon, I’m going to start going to the orphanage
here in town to volunteer.  I have way too much time on my hands.”
She wanted Malinda to understand that she wouldn’t be at her beck and call any longer. 
She’d help her in the mornings, but soon she’d have to stand on her own two feet.

“I feel like all I do is work.  Of course, I don’t mind it as much as I used to because
I like doing things for the man I love.”

Ellen looked at her sister.  “Love?  Have you told him you love him?”

Malinda looked down at the ground and shook her head.  “He’s certain that I’ll say
anything to make it better
so
he wouldn’t believe me.  He’s really hurt over the way I reacted to you marrying
Patrick
.  He thinks I should have been thrilled the decision was made for me and just jumped
into his arms ready to say ‘I do.’”

Ellen laughed.  “He doesn’t know you at all, does he?”
  How could any man think Malinda wanted decisions made for her after knowing her
for more than an hour?

Malinda grinned.  “Maybe not as well as he thinks he does.”

Ellen slipped her arm through her sister’s as they continued their walk around the
outskirts of the park.  “It’ll get better.  Just keep doing everything you can to
be a good wife to him, and things will work out.  You’ll see.”
  She hoped she was right.  She’d expected Malinda and Wesley to enjoy being married
with how much they liked being together, but so far, that hadn’t been the case.

“I hope so.”  She kicked at a rock on the ground sending it careening into a towering
oak tree.  “I just wish I hadn’t messed things up so badly.”

“He’ll come to understand why you felt as you did.  I told him about the banker back
home, and I think that helped him understand a little.”

“You told him about that?”

Ellen nodded.  “Of course, I did.  He needed to understand why you feel as you do.”

“I’ve never talked to him about it.”

“Maybe that’s part of your problem.  If you two can’t talk about something as simple
as that, then you
r
marriage isn’t going to work.”
 

“Well, I have to say, you don’t look like you’re in the bloom of love anymore either. 
You looked like you were much happier a week ago.”  Malinda eye
d
her older sister.  “Something’s bothering you, too.”

Ellen sighed.  “I just wish he’d put me ahead of his work.  He works so hard to make
more and more and more money, when we already have enough for a lifetime.  I don’t
know why he can’t spend some time with me instead of spending all his time working.”

Malinda laughed softly.  “I guess neither of us have the lives we dreamed about when
we were courting, do we?”  She put her arm around her sister and hugged her.  “We’ll
get there.  It takes time to build up a good marriage.”

“Promise me you’ll talk openly with Wesley about what happened with the banker back
home.  I don’t want him to think you’re hiding things from him.  That’s probably part
of the problem you’re having with him.”
  Why wasn’t Malinda opening up to her husband anyway? 

“I promise.”

When they rejoined the men, they seemed to be deep in conversation.  They stopped
talking when the women approached.  “Are you ready to go home?” Patrick asked.

Ellen nodded.  She’d have preferred to spend all day with the other couple in the
park, but she knew that Patrick had work to do.  At least she could cook dinner that
evening.  She found she was thankful for Alice’s days off, because it gave her a chance
to do some work.

Ellen and Malinda packed up the picnic basket and hugged.  “I’ll see you tomorrow
morning,” Ellen told her sister.

Malinda’s eyes cut over to Wesley as if she hadn’t wanted him to hear that. Ellen
sighed.  Her sister really did need to be more open with her husband.

*****

When Ellen arrived at the orphanage Monday afternoon, they were thrilled to have her. 
She was immediately put to work fixing dinner, because the other women were busy with
the laundry.  “Mondays are hard because we try to do all the laundry on top of everything
else we have to do around here.”

Ellen smiled.  “I’d be thrilled to do the cooking.”  She headed straight for the kitchen
and found the food that had been left out for dinner that evening.  There was a huge
pot of beans soaking and some bacon for flavoring.  It wasn’t much to work with. 
Ellen couldn’t help but wonder how often the orphans had to make do with beans when
she was eating like a queen just a few streets over. 

Two of the teenage girls were assigned to help her, and she decided while they cooked
the beans, they could spend time getting the kitchen in order.  It was obvious that
it was all the women who worked there could do to keep the children fed and clothed. 
There was little time left for cleaning.  The girls helped her move the table out
of the way, and the three of them got down on their hands and knees and scrubbed the
kitchen floor. 

She’d been there for several
minutes
when there was a loud bang as the kitchen door was slammed open against the wall. 
“I’m sorry I’m late!”

Ellen looked up to see Angela, the girl who had helped her with her hair.  “Are you
late?”

Angela nodded.  “I was supposed to be here to help with cooking dinner.”

Ellen hadn’t realized Angela was one of the orphans.  She suddenly felt badly that
she hadn’t offered her money for helping her with her hair that day.  She wondered
if Alice had, and determined to ask her later. 

Angela
dropped to her knees with the others, and helped scrub the huge floor.  When they
were finished, they scrubbed the walls as well. 

Ellen assigned A
ngela
to cleaning the table while the other two girls were washing down the work tables. 
“How long have you lived here?” Ellen asked Angela as she worked on cleaning the chairs
around the kitchen table.

“My parents died five years ago when I was eleven.  I’ve been here ever since.”

“I’m sorry.  I lost my mother when I was twelve and my father just a couple of months
back.”
  She was thankful she hadn’t lost both parents at such a young ago, though.  At least
she’d been an adult and able to fend for herself.