The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter (11 page)

“Your father wasn’t really angry at me earlier, was he?”

“What?”

“When I said that about the poor people educating their children.” He threw a glance at the vicarage again and sighed. “I don’t think he likes me at all. He can make me feel quite the child sometimes.”

Elizabeth lowered her chin a little, not sure if it was relief or disappointment she was feeling. “He’s very fond of you, Paul,” she assured him, though earlier tonight some doubt had nudged at her mind. “He just has a softness for the less fortunate.”

“Well, so have I.” He frowned. “I just wasn’t thinking when I spoke. In fact, my brain almost ceases to function whenever I’m in his company. I assume that he’s expecting me to say something idiotic, and so I end up obliging him.”

“He understands what it’s like to be a young curate, you know.”

“Are you sure?”

“I should know my own father, Paul.” She sighed and caught sight of the lamp now burning from the front window nearest to the door. “But our ten minutes are up. Be careful on your way home.”

When they had said their good-night and she stepped back inside, her father gave her a wary look. “I suppose I’m about to be scolded.”

“For what, Papa?” She knew what he meant but wanted to hear him say it.

“For correcting Mr. Treves.” His hazel eyes narrowed a little. “You already knew what I was talking about, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Papa. He’s convinced you think he’s an idiot.”

Her father sighed. “Laurel should be ready to be tucked in now. Then let’s sit for a while, shall we?”

Later, when he had settled himself into his favorite parlor armchair and Elizabeth occupied a place at the near end of the sofa, he explained, “It wasn’t my intention to embarrass the young man, Elizabeth. But certain things had to be said in light of that comment he made. I thought I was as tactful as possible. Mr. Clay and I disagree at times, and he never takes offense.”

“But don’t you see, Papa? When you correct Paul, it’s not the same as your verbal sparring with Mr. Clay. You’re not on equal footing. He not only looks up to you as an older man, but as his senior in the church hierarchy.”

“ … who will very likely become his father-in-law,” her father added, studying her face.

“Yes. Does that distress you?”

“Not if he makes you happy, Elizabeth. I don’t fault Mr. Treves for his youth. He’ll make a fine minister one day and a good husband and father.”

She knew her father wouldn’t say that if he didn’t mean it, so she should have been pleased. Instead, she felt an odd sense of disappointment.
You’re just in a blue mood
, she told herself.

“Beth?” he said softly.

Forcing lightness into her voice, she answered, “Yes, Papa?”

“How do you feel about him?”

About whom?
was her immediate thought. “Paul is a wonderful person. Kind and considerate.”

“But you didn’t answer my question, did you?”

“I love him, Papa,” she replied with a little more conviction than necessary.

Thank God she confides in Julia
, Andrew thought later from his bed as he marked his place between the pages of Trollope’s
Phineas Finn
. Reading any more of the novel tonight was futile, he realized upon discovering that his eyes had traveled through the same paragraph three times. The subject could have been the latest horticultural methods for growing tea in the Orient for all he could remember of it.

He blew out his candle, allowing the darkness that had pressed against the window glass for the past half hour to flood the room. Why was it so difficult to say what was in his heart to his daughter? On the heels of that question came an unsettling answer.
Because I’m afraid if she follows my advice, another disaster will happen
. For he could no longer put off admitting it …
he
was the one who had encouraged Elizabeth’s friendship with Jonathan Raleigh. He had been too blinded by the young man’s courtly manners, his academic triumphs, and his well-connected family to see him for the scoundrel he was. What if he hadn’t received the anonymous letter that caused him to discover Mr. Raleigh’s secret life? What if they would have married? He would have had to blame himself for the rest of his life for the misery he had inflicted upon his daughter and even future grandchildren.

The sad episode with Jonathan Raleigh had caused him to question his own ability to advise Elizabeth in the matter of her future. If he encouraged her to marry Paul Treves, who was a decent man and probably loved her very much, and the marriage proved to be an unhappy one, how could he live with himself?

But on the other hand, if he continued to express doubts about Elizabeth’s feelings toward the young man and caused her to reconsider the marriage—what if it turned out that he would have been the perfect husband for her?

I should be more like my own father was
, he thought wryly. All his father had asked, when told of his betrothal to Kathleen, was, “Has she money or title?” But Andrew wouldn’t even consider taking as little interest as that.

I know you want what’s best for her, too, Lord
, he prayed.
Please give her a wisdom beyond her years
. And as an afterthought he added …
and help me not to influence her in a direction not of your choosing
.

Chapter 7

Wednesday morning, as Mercy closed Mrs. Brent’s wooden gate behind her, the sound of weeping drifted from the upstairs window, mingling with pelts of rain against her umbrella. Inside Mrs. Brent’s cottage, Mercy propped her umbrella and climbed the stairs with what felt like a stone centered in her chest. She paused at the first doorway—Janet was on her knees at the side of the bed, her back to the door and shoulders heaving. Elliott stood at the foot, reddened eyes set in a somber face. He nodded at Mercy as she stepped into the room.

Mrs. Brent lay with hands folded together upon her frail chest, her eyes closed. For the peacefulness on her face, she could have been merely having a pleasant dream. Surely she would open those eyes and smile at them if they just waited long enough!

It’s Jesus she’s smiling at now
, Mercy thought, reaching out to touch her friend’s cold hand.
Or perhaps her husband and all those babies she lost
. She was surprised at her own composure, but then Mrs. Brent had warned her that this time would come. And now there were things that had to be done.

She touched Janet’s shoulder. The maid looked up at her with sodden cheeks. “We should bathe and dress her,” Mercy said. “She asked for the blue nightgown.”

“The blue one’s nice,” Janet sniffed, seemingly relieved to have something useful with which to occupy herself. “It’s folded in the chest of drawers. I’ll press it now.”

To Elliott Mercy said, “Would you fetch Mr. Croft?” Generations of Crofts, the village joiners, had crafted coffins for Gresham’s departed for as far back as anyone could remember. “And please stop at Reverend Seaton’s on your way back.”

“Laurel is beside herself with excitement over the Shrewsbury plans,” Andrew told Julia over their morning cups of tea in the
Larkspur
’s garden. “It was kind of you and Mrs. Clay to include the girls.”

“Oh, but kindness had nothing to do with it,” Julia assured him. “Outings are so much more fun when we can savor them through the children’s eyes.” As soon as her own girls heard about the trip they had begged to come along, so now the number had increased to six. “I invited Philip, too, so he wouldn’t feel left out, but of course he said he would rather go fishing with you and Mr. Clay.”

“Of course.”

Julia took another sip of tea and sighed. “You know, boys turn into entirely different creatures when they reach fourteen. He seems to have a mood for every day of the week. I’m glad girls aren’t that way. I don’t believe I could live through this two more times.”

“Mmhm,” Andrew mumbled before taking a prolonged sip of tea.

Julia could see the corner of a smile lurking over the rim of his cup. “What are you smiling at?” she asked suspiciously.

“I don’t think you want to know.”

His hazel eyes were sparkling, and it suddenly dawned upon her that she knew exactly what he was thinking, which came as a rather pleasant shock. When her parents were still living, there had been occasions when they seemed to possess an uncanny ability to read each other’s minds. It had never happened during her own marriage to Dr. Hollis, but she knew now that her late husband had had to shield his thoughts, lest she have suspicions about his secret life in the gaming houses. It pleased her to know she and Andrew already had such a bond between them.

“You’re amused by my naïveté, aren’t you?

“Why, no …”

Julia frowned. “It’s a sin to lie, Vicar Phelps. You were just thinking that girls change into different creatures, too, weren’t you?”

He let out a guilty sigh, but a hint of that maddening smile still remained. “I’m afraid they do, dearest. Don’t you remember how it was when you were that age?”

“Actually, I was already at boarding school with three hundred other girls. If there was any moodiness, it must have seemed the natural order of things to me.”

“Hundreds of moody young ladies under the same roof.” He exaggerated a shudder. “But now tell me. Do you regret ever having any children?”

“Of course not.” No longer able to resist the warmth in his hazel eyes, she smiled back at him. “Not for one minute, Andrew.”

They sipped from their cups, wrapped in a comfortable silence, until Julia voiced the thought that had been nagging at the back of her mind for some days now. “Andrew, are we doing right by them—Philip and Laurel?”

He set his cup on the tray between them. “You mean by sending them to school? I believe so, Julia. They both want desperately to further their education, so what choice have we?”

“I wonder now if we should have looked for a tutor. It’s not too late.” She expected that he would gently chide her for her overprotectiveness, but his expression became serious.

“It’s a thought that has crossed my mind more than once. I’ve even considered tutoring them myself, but my duties require so much time.” He gave her a sad smile. “I don’t know if I’m relieved or a little hurt that Laurel is so eager to leave. She thinks of it as a great adventure. It would crush her if I forbade her to go.”

“It’s the same with Philip. He can hardly wait. But at least you’ll have Laurel at home every weekend.”

Doctor Rhodes had recommended the academy to Philip, with its heavy emphasis on science and Latin. The lodging house account ledger showed a healthy balance every month, so Julia could afford to send him without too much of a financial strain. It just didn’t seem natural to send a child so young away, even though her own boarding school experience had begun at age twelve.

“He’ll be fine, Julia.” Andrew gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. “We have to allow them to grow up sometime.”

“I suppose so.” Reaching up to cover his hand with her own, she said, “I wouldn’t be able to go through this without you, Andrew. You’re such a comfort.”

“As you are to me, my dear. I cannot tell you how relieved I am to know Elizabeth seeks your counsel.”

“She hasn’t lately, Andrew.”

He kissed her hand and then rose to make his calls. “But she will soon, I have no doubt. She’s much confused, no matter how she tries to pretend otherwise.”