No Other Love (11 page)

“I hope you’re right, but I fear you’re too optimistic. He seems to be getting worse, rather than better. I've run into him a time or two in town and he's always in his cups. Not to mention the fact that he's late again today.”

“Never fear, dear brother, here I am.”

Nathan entered the room with a swagger and sat down heavily in the chair beside Jonas. It was not yet ten o’clock and already he smelled of spirits, his face an unhealthy pallor. Luke's jaw clenched as he took in Nathan’s state of dress and bleary eyes. He looked as if he'd been up all night, and he smelled it too. The fact that this sad excuse for a man had a stake in their company infuriated him.

“It was good of you to show up,” Luke shot back, immediately regretting his lack of control.

“I hate to disappoint you, but I have things well in hand.”

“Is that right? By all means then, do show us where we are to lay track,” he said, gesturing to the map on the wall.

At this, Nathan’s skin paled and his eyes darted to the map and back again.

“Actually, I believe we've received a break on that score. Mrs. Harris’s brother has been killed in some sort of an accident. I daresay we'll have no trouble buying the land now.”

“I see.” Jonas replied. “When was this?”

“Five months ago, I believe. But I only just found out.”

Nathan’s manner was curious and Luke watched as he shifted in his chair, his eyes not quite meeting theirs. If what Nathan said were true, things might turn around. Still, he had no desire to circle the women left behind like scavengers at a kill.

“Well done, Nathan. It's a smart man that keeps his ears open,” Jonas said, his tone warm with approval. “We’ll approach Mrs. Harris and make another offer, a little more generous than our last. That should suit her well if she has any notion of selling.”

“Of course, it only makes sense to make one more offer,” Luke put in. “But I think we ought to leave it at that. We've spent enough time badgering a family that has no interest in selling. Until we know, we should continue looking into other routes.”

Nathan glared at Luke with true malice.

“Agreed,” Jonas said. “Luke, I’d like you to ride out to the Harris farm and see what you can do. If Olivia Harris doesn’t accept, we'll lay track to the north and get on with the business of building a railroad. Either way there will be more mapping and surveying to do. Nathan, once Luke returns you can ride to Albany and reassure interested parties there.”

Luke expected Nathan to argue that he ought to be the one to go to the Harris farm, but in fact he looked relieved not to be chosen.

The three men discussed other business for a few minutes more before the clerk knocked on the door and poked his head in.

“Sir? Mr. Miller is here to see you about the coal.”

“Oh yes, I'll be right with him. We're nearly done in here.” Turning to Nathan, Jonas fixed him with a steady look. “I’ll expect you to arrive promptly to work in the morning. We have a lot to accomplish if we want to get back on schedule.”

Luke didn’t linger after his father left. Without a word to Nathan he headed down the hall toward his own office, only to have Nathan catch up to him before he reached his door.

“I know very well what you’ve been up to with Rose,” Nathan said, walking quickly to keep up with Luke’s longer strides. “I can’t fault your taste. We've had ourselves some nice little talks lately. In fact, I think she's grown rather fond of me. I know I'm quite fond of her,” he finished, smirking at Luke in deliberate provocation.

Luke fumed. Nathan was like a spoiled child trying to pick a fight because things hadn't gone his way. Still, there was something threatening about his remarks. Was Nathan all talk, or would his fixation on her lead to more trouble? He’d assumed Nathan hadn’t bothered Rose recently, but would she have told him if he had? It didn’t sit well with him that he’d be away for several weeks and Rose would be left without anyone to protect her.

He turned around to face Nathan, standing closer than necessary to make his point clear. Nathan had to look up to meet his eye, a fact that pleased Luke greatly.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at, but if you harass or harm Rose in any way, you’ll answer to me. Rest assured I would take great pleasure in teaching you a lesson. Your place with the railroad is already hanging by a thread. I won’t hesitate to break it.”

Luke didn’t wait for a reply. Without another word he strode away, anxious to put distance between them.

***

Vivian peeked out the parlor window.

“Of course he’s there, exactly as he always is. Why would you doubt it?”

“Do come away from the window,” Rose pleaded. “What if he sees you?”

“I shouldn’t worry. He doesn’t see anything but you, dear,” Vivian quipped, stepping back and looking at her friend impishly.

“You haven’t even met him, you goose,” Rose replied, laughing.

“Perhaps not, but I’ve watched his face as you walk toward him.”

Rose’s heart squeezed at Vivian’s observation, and she found herself both wishing it were true and hoping it were not.

Giving her friend a kiss on the cheek, she left the house, restraining the urge to rush toward Luke. Every Monday for the past four weeks she’d made this walk toward him, her heart beating madly, and each time she wondered what she was doing. And then she would answer her own question by reassuring herself that it was just one drive a week, surely nothing to lose sleep over. But the way he looked at her, the way she felt sitting next to him as his deep voice flowed over her, those things did indeed keep her awake nights.

It was getting harder and harder to write to Will, and harder still to read the earnest and devoted letters she received.

Luke smiled as she came closer, his eyes never leaving hers as he handed her into the carriage. It had been an uncomfortably hot day but now a faint breeze stirred, bringing with it some relief.

“I trust you had a pleasant visit with your friend?” he asked.

“Oh yes. Vivian and I talk nonsense and eat ourselves silly. It’s wonderful.”

Luke urged the horses on as she settled her skirts about her. There was something at her feet however, and she bent down to move it aside.

“That’s for you,” he said, his voice casual as he glanced at her and then back to the road.

Leaning over, Rose picked up a package wrapped in heavy brown paper and bound with string. Carefully she removed the wrapping to find her lap full of beautifully bound leather books. There were perhaps a dozen of them – books by Emerson, Dickens, James Fenimore Cooper, as well as Shakespeare and Marlow. All of them perfect new editions, the letters stamped in gold leaf.

Rose stared in disbelief at the treasure she was holding. “What is all this?”

“I thought perhaps you might like some new books for your lessons, or just to read yourself. One can only read the same thing so many times.”

Rose was speechless. It was the perfect gift. Nothing, no jewel or flower could have touched her more. How had he known? She’d told him about the lessons, but never once had she mentioned needing more books. Tears swam in her eyes as she ran her hands over the smooth leather. But how could she accept such a gift from him? It nearly choked her, but she knew she must refuse them.

“I can’t accept such a generous gift from you. It wouldn’t be right.”

Luke reined in the horses and turned to her, but she found herself unable to meet his gaze for fear that he would see how much they meant to her, far more than he could have intended them to.

“Rose.” Luke’s voice was firm but kind, and demanded she look at him. Tentatively she complied, looking up to find his expression serious and full of understanding.

“You owe me nothing in return for these. In fact, you need not think of them as gifts to you at all. They are meant for anyone who needs them, and you may keep them or give them away as you wish.” Here he stopped and his expression grew thoughtful. “Charlie told me how much you’re doing for him and the others. I know it can’t be easy finding books to read. This is the least I can do.”

He made it so easy. Nodding her head, she accepted his gift that was not a gift, finally allowing herself to smile, her joy in the bounty on her lap expanding until she could hardly contain herself. She ran her hands over each book in turn, admiring them all.

They drove on in companionable silence, and she could see him glancing at her every so often, a pleased smile curving his mouth. This time he stopped closer to the house in order that she not have to carry the books too far. There was no one else about, just the trill of birds delighted by summertime and the distant sound of a woodpecker hard at work.

“I’m afraid I won’t see you for some time,” he said, frowning as though the thought disagreed with him. He took one of her hands in his, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “I have some business to attend to in the Berkshires that will likely take at least three weeks. Do whatever you can to stay away from Nathan while I’m gone. He said some things today that have me worried about leaving you.”

“What will you be doing?” she asked, her heart beating fast as she tried to sound only casually interested.

“Oh, just dealing with some trouble with the route over the mountains,” he replied with an aggravated sigh. “We thought we had a route but the landowners in Lenox wouldn’t sell. It should have been sorted out long before I arrived, but that’s another matter. We’ve been set back by months and a good deal of money, and now the shareholders are getting nervous, as are the people in Albany. They expect to connect our railroads next spring. If we don’t keep up our end of the bargain there’ll be serious repercussions. We’ve decided it’s worth speaking to the owner in person, and as I have to go out there to meet with Whistler, I’ll call on her myself.”

“How badly do you need the landowners to sell? Enough to make things difficult for them to stay?” Rose asked, knowing she was taking a risk but unable to help it.

Luke looked at her curiously. “What makes you ask that?”

“I just wondered. If the stakes are so high…”

“We’re offering a very generous amount, and I’ll do my best to persuade the owner of all the benefits to her. We’ll lay tracks over those hills, whether she agrees or not, so she may as well benefit from it. You can’t stop progress, try as one might.”

This last was said almost regretfully, as if he wondered himself about the price of progress. But if he were so ambivalent, why could he not leave her aunt alone?

“Some people have an attachment to the land that’s greater than any price you could name,” Rose said, angry now as she envisioned her aunt having to encounter Luke on her own.

Luke looked at her curiously. “I’ve upset you. Perhaps I sound callous, but I do understand loving the land. I have a job to do, and I mean to do it, but I have no intention of strong-arming anyone.”

Rose didn’t know what to feel. As much as she’d tried not to dwell on his connection to the railroad, it was impossible to ignore. He had no idea how much pain she and her aunt had suffered, nor how closely connected he was to it.

He looked at her, his expression teasing. “Will you promise to leave your friend’s at a decent hour while I’m away? I won’t be able to concentrate if I have to worry about you walking the roads in the dead of night.”

 “Yes, of course,” she replied, but she couldn’t match his teasing tone. She could no longer even meet his eyes. “I must go before someone sees us,” she said, desperate to get away and think. He was frowning, clearly confused by the sudden change in her.

She didn’t wait around for him to ask more questions. Thanking him quickly for the ride and the books, she hurried away, clutching his gift to her chest.

Back in her room, Rose paced the floor, trying to figure out how to get word of Luke’s visit to her aunt. It wasn’t long before she realized it would have to wait until her next visit to town. She could only hope her letter would reach her aunt before Luke appeared at her door.

She would have continued fretting had not Lydia entered the room and exclaimed over the new books sitting on the table.

“Where did they come from?”

“Vivian, gave them to me,” Rose replied, knowing it was unwise to tell Lydia the truth. “They’re for everyone. Won’t the others be pleased?”

“We’ll have the most beautiful reading voices in all of Massachusetts,” Lydia declared, her face beaming so brightly Rose couldn’t possibly regret accepting the books. Already she was looking forward to hearing the students read them, and she was thinking of other ways to keep the lessons fun. Perhaps they might even put on a play.

Rose threw herself into her lessons in the weeks after Luke left, and a curious thing happened. Staff who had until then been cold and difficult began to soften toward her. Whereas previously Mrs. Beech and Abigail had spoken to her only when absolutely necessary, and then with disdain, they were now almost kind. Even George was civil to her, and he was never more than civil to anyone. The one person who remained decidedly unfriendly was Dottie.

And then a rather remarkable thing occurred. It was a scorching day in August, the sun pounding down as Rose hung clothes on a line stretched between two oak trees. She bent over to pull a wet sheet out of the basket and when she stood up Dottie was standing in front of her. But instead of her usual scowl, Dottie seemed nervous, even embarrassed.

“Would you like some help?” she asked Rose. Without waiting for Rose’s reply she began shaking out pieces of clothing and securing them on the line. Rose stared at her for several seconds, wondering what had come over her, before shrugging and continuing her task. Dottie would say what was on her mind in her own time.

The two women worked in silence for a few minutes before Dottie stopped and turned to her.

“I want you to teach me to read,” she said, to Rose’s utter astonishment. “I’m not like the others,” she continued, a note of defiance in her voice. “I don’t know anything besides the alphabet, and I’m not sure I know that too well either. But I’ll pay you five cents a lesson to teach me.”

Rose thought this over before replying, as this presented an opportunity she could not resist.