Purling Road - the Complete Second Season: Episodes 1-10 (10 page)

“Food,” she said, not turning toward him.

“I can see that, but why so much?”

Arianna merely shrugged. He pulled his cap off and shoved a hand through his hair. “We’ll never eat this in a week, and we can’t afford to waste it.”

The only sound was the whisk scraping against the metal bowl as she prepared the meringue.

***

Arianna listened to the sound of the ticking clock. Generally, this lulled her to sleep, but not tonight. She stared at the murky shadows cast by the moon on the wall and ceiling. Beside her Caleb lay on his back, snoring lightly, the sheet pushed down to his waist on this muggy night. Turning her head silently, she could barely make out the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He was in a deep sleep now. Ever so gently, she pushed the sheet off and slipped her feet to the floor. She made it to the door with only three creaks of the floorboards, none loud enough to wake him. Out the door and into the hall, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Getting down the stairs proved a bit more difficult. Every step had something to say. Once in the kitchen, she stopped and listened. She heard nothing from upstairs. Much more nervous now, she inched toward the pantry. Lighting a candle from the counter, she opened the door, wincing at the groan the old wood made. She stopped and listened again.

A moment later, she dropped to her knees and pushed aside the bucket of potatoes. Behind it sat a small box, and she opened the lid and looked down at their cash savings. It wasn’t much. More than her friends had set aside, for certain. But still, if she used this money to purchase everything they immediately needed, there wouldn’t be anything left. It was for the direst of emergencies. The most desperate of circumstances. She took two one-dollar bills and clutched them tightly. Shame and guilt rose up, and she beat it back viciously.

Only when she was out the door, standing on the porch in her nightgown, did she feel like she could actually breathe and she sucked in a gulp of air. She scurried down the stairs and around the corner of the house. There she found the small bag she’d placed earlier and tore it open. Throwing her nightgown over her head, she stood naked in the dim moonlight. Just as quickly, she threw on a dress. Black, sleeveless, and short.

She hopped as she walked, slipping on one shoe then the other as she moved down the long driveway. She could barely make out a vehicle at the end, inched just past the opening. The headlights snapped on, the passenger door flew open, and Arianna picked up her step.

Episode Four

Changed

He’d smiled all the way from Boston, had stuck his head out the window, and let the wind whip his hair, his eyes closed against the bright sun. Now he was more serious, more nervous. And it was just beginning to sink in that this was real. He had a family.

Jonathan opened the front door. He stepped aside and Ava led Eddie by the hand.

“Here it is,” Jonathan said.

“Welcome home,” Ava added squeezing his hand. He looked around. It was all he’d hoped for and more. The orphanage smelled musty, often of sickness and strong cleanser. Here, it was bright and clean, and he could smell something baking. It made his stomach growl.

Maura walked from the kitchen holding Amy on her hip and a broad smile on her face.

“Eddie, this is our good friend, Maura.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Eddie said shyly.

“Very nice to meet ye, Eddie. I’ve heard a lot about ye.”

He only stared back, not knowing what to say.

“I’ve made a late lunch if you’d like some,” she said, thumbing over her shoulder. Amy stretched her arms out to her mother, and Maura passed her off. She squatted down gracefully, bringing Amy down to Eddie’s height.

“This is Amy,” she said. Eddie smiled and touched her hand.

“You have a son, too?” he asked, craning his neck to look at Jonathan.

“Yes, I thought he’d be here—” Before he could finish, they heard the bedroom door fly open, hitting the wall behind, and Jean’s heavy steps stampeding down the staircase.

“Did you bring him? Is he here?” He came to an abrupt halt.

“We did. Eddie, this is Jean.”

They were both smiling.

“How old are you?”

“Eight,” Eddie said.

“I’ll be eight soon. Wanna see our room?”

Eddie nodded quickly, and they ran up the stairs together. And with that, Eddie had moved in.

“Well, isn’t that sweet,” Maura said. “A successful homecomin’ if ye ask me.”

“Thank you so much for watching them while we went to pick him up,” Ava said.

Maura threw a hand. “Don’t mention it. I hardly feel of use anymore outside me own family and the Hettie Helps column. Sometimes I wish for a crisis—a wee one, mind ye—just to have more to do.”

“You were a tremendous help with Ethel’s funeral.”

Maura dismissed the compliment.

“As for a bigger crisis, be careful what you wish for,” Jonathan said with a wink. “I’ll go get Eddie’s bag.”

Ava followed Maura back into the kitchen.

“I hope he’ll be happy here,” Ava said, glancing at the ceiling where she could hear the boys bumping around upstairs.

“How can he not? He has a real family now, and anything has to be better than livin’ at the orphanage.”

Ava nodded thoughtfully. “Looking back, it just seems like it happened so fast. Not that I’m regretting it,” she added quickly. “Jonathan and I, we acted on our heart’s instinct and it just…happened so fast.”

Maura patted her arm. “Yer heart’s instinct is rarely wrong. Don’t give it another thought. After a few days, you’ll be over the newness of each other and things will settle into a routine. It will be like he’s always been here.”

“I hope you’re right,” Ava said.

“Of course I am,” she replied with a huff, busying herself at the sink. “When am I wrong?”

Ava just grinned.

“I finally heard back from Miss Arianna. She said they will be able to make it for Eddie’s wee party tonight after all.”

Ava frowned. “I hope it’s not too much to ask her to come out so soon after the funeral.”

“On the contrary. I think it will do her good. Miss Arianna is always up for a gatherin’ of any kind.” She cast a knowing glance in Ava’s direction, and they shared a smile. “Speaking of which…” Maura dropped her voice. “Does Mr. Jonathan have any more knowledge of that night?”

Ava shook her head quickly. “No, and let’s keep it that way.”

She bent to pull the cake out of the oven. “I’d consider tellin’ him now that some time has gone by. Maybe mention it casually somehow. After all, this bunch has never been good at keepin’ secrets from one another.”

***

Ava was angry. Frustrated, really. Of all the gatherings they had, she’d hoped her friends would rally together a bit harder to make this welcoming party for Eddie livelier. There were no gifts, which Ava understood completely given everyone’s situation. That didn’t bother her. It was how everyone was acting. It hardly seemed like a party at all, but more like a bunch of people stuck in a room together trying to pass the time.

Arianna sat off by herself, brooding and only flashed a false smile when Jean or Maura said something to her. There were smaller children scattered all over the floor, and Claire had been wise to place Jac next to Amy to help keep him calm. In fact, everyone was calm. Too calm. Caleb stayed huddled with Ian and Aryl. Ava noticed Claire was watching them nervously. Normally, Jonathan would be with them, but tonight, he moved about, staying close to Eddie. The child seemed to be overwhelmed with the number of people crowded into the small house and the initial attention. As often as he could, Eddie sidled close to Scottie and Jean and clung to them like a life raft.

Ava began to regret the decision to have a party on the same night that Eddie arrived. She should have known it would be too much too soon. A picnic lunch at Caleb’s in a week or so would have been a better decision. She folded her arms and sighed, glancing around for Maura. She was with Tarin and Gordon, who sat on the sofa. They were the only ones who looked genuinely happy to be here. Tarin’s stomach swelled under her loose dress, she’d lost the pale, sickly look to her, and now her face glowed radiant, if not a bit swollen. Maura was completely absorbed in talk of her grand niece or nephew.

Claire crossed the room without taking her eyes off her husband.

“Care to share why you look so nervous tonight?” Ava asked.

“Is it that obvious?”

“More than the nose on your face.” Ava followed her eyes to where the men stood. “You told him, didn’t you?”

Claire groaned. “I had to. It was driving me crazy.”

“Claire! I thought we promised not to say a word to anyone!”

“I know, I’m sorry. He swore to me he wouldn’t say anything. He promised, and he’s not going to break it. I was just worried if she keeps going with this, we might need his help.”

“She’s not going to keep it up. She can’t, especially if we don’t agree to go back with her again.”

Claire rolled her eyes over to Ava. “When has Arianna ever needed us to go along with something?”

With her arms folded tightly. Arianna crossed her legs, swinging one quickly. She stared a hateful hole into the hardwood floor in front of her.

“Maybe we should go talk to her?” Claire suggested.

“Does she look like she wants to talk?”

Claire threw a hand and retreated to the empty kitchen. “I’m sorry Eddie’s party is a bust.”

Ava dragged out a chair and sat down with a thump. “It’s my fault. It was too soon. Not just for him but for everyone else. With Arianna not being herself and Ethel dying… I should have known better.”

Jean poked his head in the kitchen. “Ava, the sun is going down. Can we go outside and chase fireflies?”

“Sure,” Ava said, smiling. Certainly, it had to be more fun for them than standing around with adults and their boring chatter. Jean, then Scottie, then Eddie filed past. Eddie stopped abruptly and threw his arms around Ava, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you for the party. I’ve never had one before,” he said quietly. Ava’s eyes misted.

“You’re welcome, Eddie.”

***

Today, Ava would have a houseful. Arianna was due any minute with her three children, and she’d barely finished the breakfast dishes. At least it was a sunny day, and the older ones could play outside and help keep an eye on the younger ones when she needed to hang out the wash. Arianna hadn’t been specific about why she needed to drop the children off for the day other than saying she had errands to run. When Ava asked why Caleb couldn’t watch them, Arianna rolled her eyes and said he had to work and cursed his horse a few times.

While on the surface, Arianna seemed to have returned to her old self, both from the raucous night out and Ethel’s death, Ava knew her well enough to know something wasn’t quite right—like a clock that had one gear turning out of time. She couldn’t figure it out as she raced to get her morning chores done. Right as she finished, she heard the truck sputter to a stop outside. It sounded as if it was running very rough and wondered why Caleb was neglecting it.

Arianna walked in a moment later with her small brood and her appearance caught Ava by surprise.

She threw her eyes over her dress. “You really are intent on driving that poor stock boy out of his mind, aren’t you?”

Arianna pinched her nose with a grin. “Do I look good?”

“Yes. Too good to run errands on a Saturday, I’ll say that.”

Ava had brought Amy’s cradle downstairs and placed it by the window. Arianna settled Felicity in it and turned, dropping a hand on her hip.

“Well, they’ve had breakfast, and Felicity’s diaper was just changed moments before I left. The twins are mostly trained, but I’ll apologize in advance if they have an accident. Savrene hops on one leg when she has to go, and Samuel holds himself just so you know what to look for. I brought a change of clothes just in case.”

“Don’t worry about them, we’ll be fine. I have Jean and Eddie here to help.”

She expected Arianna to ask how Eddie was settling in. Instead, she let her eyes wander over her children for a moment and then they flashed up.

“Well, au revoir!”

“Wait.” Ava stared, folding her arms. “Where did you say you were going? You know, in case one of them is sick and I need to find you.”

“They won’t get sick, they are the picture of health,” Arianna said with a laugh and turned.

“No, wait.”

Arianna turned slowly. “Yes,” she asked with strained patience.

“What’s going on? You and I both know you’re not going to parade around downtown Rockport looking like that just to buy a few groceries.”

Arianna debated, flopped her head around, growled, and stamped her foot.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. But you have to swear to still watch the children.”

“Okay.” Ava smiled. Oh, this should be good.

Arianna stepped closer and dropped her voice. “Remember Josh from the club?”

Ava’s smile fell.

“I’m meeting up with him in Boston for lunch and a matinee.”

Ava’s mouth fell open. “You’re what?”

“You promised you’d still watch the kids,” she reminded, eyebrows arched.

“Arianna! I can’t watch your children while you have an affair!”

“I’m not having an affair. Not… officially. I haven’t even kissed him for God’s sake. Of course, he thinks he’ll get that and more if he’s just patient enough. All I’m looking for is a good time. A fun afternoon in the city… a break from all this. When he starts demanding more, I’ll break it off.”

“Arianna, I’m going to warn you right now. Stop this. You are inviting disaster.”

“Nothing’s happening,” she replied, eyes bugged. “It’s harmless fun.”

Ava stood back, crossed her arms, and glared. “I was there that night, remember? It didn’t look harmless to me. And I don’t think Caleb would see it as harmless, either.”

“Oh, stop looking at me like that. So I’ve snuck out at night a few times.”

“Dear Lord! You’ve been sneaking out?”

She shrugged and aimed her eyes off to the side. “It’s not like Caleb notices.” Her eyes hardened. “Or cares.”

“Wrong and wrong. In fact, when he finds out…” Ava shook her head. “I know things have been hard for you. Before and since Ethel. But this is madness, Arianna! You can’t act this way. You’re a grown woman with children and a farm to take care of.”

Arianna huffed. “I’m not ignoring those things. Everything in my house is in order. Look at these children. They’re clean and their clothes are pressed. They are perfectly fed. I read to them every day and tuck them in every night. What’s wrong with taking a little time for me after they’re asleep?”

“The way you’re doing it, there’s everything wrong with it.”

Arianna glanced at her watch. “I have to go. I’m going to be late.”

“Wait, I can’t—”

“You promised! You promised if I told you, you’d still watch the kids.”

“That was before I knew what you were going to do!” Ava hissed.

“Ava, please? Please do this one thing for me, and I’ll never ask you to do anything ever again. I swear. You’re my friend. I know you care about me. Just this one time…look the other way.”

When Ava struggled to find a reply, Arianna took that as acceptance and jetted out the door.