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Hope laid the letter to her mother aside so that the ink would have a chance to dry and addressed the envelope before taking another glance around her room and deciding it was time to head downstairs. Part of her hoped the opportunity to discuss the barn raising would present itself while the rest hoped she wouldn’t have a chance to mention it until Caroline arrived. Then, she’d either go or tell the sweet woman that she wasn’t able to, depending upon Mrs. Howard’s countenance.
Hope was quiet in the hallway, thinking she shouldn’t disturb her neighbor who was still snoring. The stairs creaked a little, but not enough to interrupt the cadence of the senior Mrs. Howard’s breathing. She was glad because sometimes the older woman would shout at her if she was too loud in the hall, even though Hope thought she was being relatively quiet.
Mrs. Howard was chopping vegetables and dropping them into a kettle hung over the fire, and the savory scent of roast filled Hope’s lungs. It had been a long time since she’d had a good stew, and her stomach rumbled to announce she was ready for supper already.
“Well, I didn’t even hear you come in,” Mrs. Howard said, looking away from the carrot she was chopping. “How was your day?”
“Good,” Hope said with a genuine smile, thinking back to some of her triumphs of the day. Steven hadn’t left during lunch, which marked progress. The older kids had had a good discussion about President and Mrs. Adams, though she needed to clarify some things for the younger students, apparently, and Ginny had done remarkably well on her math assessment. The latter was no surprise, but it still made Hope happy. “How has your day been?”
“Oh, ‘bout the same as always. I did go check on your slates this morning.”
“You did?” Hope was glad to hear it and relieved she hadn’t wasted a trip into town. “What did you find out?”
“Mr. Stamine, the shop owner, said he’d ordered ‘em, but it’ll be a few weeks before they get here. He didn’t seem all that concerned, though. I let him know it was urgent, and he assured me he’d do all he could to get ‘em in quick as possible. So... I guess we’ll see.”
Hope didn’t like the sound of it. For a moment, she wondered how close this Mr. Stamine and Mr. Stewart were. Maybe neither one of them wanted her to have slates for her class. The whole thing was becoming ridiculous. How was she supposed to teach without them?
“Mr. Canton is a workin’ on getting’ some of them primers you said you needed, too. Maybe we’ll have more luck with ‘im.”
“Did you stop by the library, too?” Hope asked. She absolutely loved the library and couldn’t believe Mrs. Howard didn’t visit there regularly, but she insisted she didn’t have as much time for reading as she would like. Hope knew that was likely true since she had her mother-in-law to care for, and she was fairly certain Brady still brought his clothes by to be cleaned every week. She also regularly made enough food for both of her sons for supper, though Brady hadn’t visited since the first night Hope arrived. She had a feeling he didn’t much care for her. Or maybe that was just his disposition.
“I did. I decided to take your advice and find a few minutes in my day to read. You know, I always loved reading as a girl, but since the boys came along, I ain’t had five minutes to myself. But I deserve that, so I’m gonna make it happen.” Nita’s smile lit up the room, and Hope was glad she’d had a positive effect on the woman who’d been taking such good care of her.
“Is there anything I can do to help you with supper?”
“Oh, no, dear. I’m just dropping these last vegetables into the pot.”
“All right then.” Hope looked around but couldn’t see anything that needed to be done. She contemplated going back upstairs to get her book. It was a nice day outside; maybe she could sit out there and read. But then, she imagined now was as good a time as any to ask about the barn raising. She just wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. She let out a breath and realized she was fiddling with the corner of the counter so she folded her hands in front of her.
“Somethin’ on your mind, dear?” Nita asked, scooping the last of the vegetables up and dropping them into the pot.
“No,” Hope said before she could even consider the fact that Mrs. Howard had given her an opening. But the other woman wasn’t fooled. She wiped her knife off, picked up her cutting board, and took them both to the washbasin before taking off her apron and setting it aside. Then she turned and slowly looked at Hope with an expectant look upon her face. “Maybe.”
Nita gave a little chuckle. “What is it, dear? Did something happen at school today?”
“No, nothing in particular,” Hope replied, trying to pick her words carefully. “It’s only—do you know the Coy family? I think they live pretty far out of town.”
Pursing her lips together, Nita seemed to consider where Hope might be going with her question. “Yes, I know the Coys. They’s kin to the Wilcoxes, Anna’s folks.”
“They are?” Hope asked. She still hadn’t met Brady’s fiancée but hoped to soon.
“Yes. Melissa Coy is Anna’s first cousin. So we know of ‘em.”
There was something about the way Mrs. Howard spoke that made Hope think there was a falling out of sorts or something that made the Coys less than desirable. “Well, apparently, they’re having a barn raising on Saturday, and I’ve been asked to go—not by the Coys. I’ve never met them. But....” She had to choose her words with care now. She didn’t want to lie, but she could hardly tell Nita the truth either. “Caroline Pembroke can pick me up Saturday morning, if I’d like to go.”
Mrs. Howard cocked her head to the side and studied Hope so intently, the schoolteacher had to look away. She couldn’t tell if it was the mention of Caroline’s name that had Nita’s dander up or something else, so she waited, trying to seem nonchalant. Finally, Nita asked, “Do you think that’s a good idea, Miss Tucker? Cavortin’ with Caroline Pembroke?”
Hope wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that question without sounding rude to her hostess. She thought for a moment before she said, “I don’t guess she’s done anything wrong, has she? I mean, she seems nice enough. Her children are excellent students and very well mannered. I suppose my mama would ask what would Jesus do, and I can’t imagine he’d stay clear of someone because of what her brother is rumored to have done.”
“Rumored to have done?”
Hope bit her lip. Had she been so close to making a case for herself and then ruined it with the last phrase? She tried to keep her voice calm and even, not at all like she was questioning the logic of Mrs. Howard’s opinion. “Is there evidence that Mr. Lawless killed his wives, or is it all speculation?”
“Well, considerin’ his sister is married to the man who did all the talking, and he seemed to think there was guilt the law never discovered, I guess that’s gotta serve some purpose. Listen, Miss Hope, you’re a grown woman, and I ain’t yer mama. You know what your contract says. If you’d like to go to a barn raisin’ with a woman whose known to have a man livin’ with her kids whose had two wives die under mysterious circumstances, then that’s your choice, my dear. But what I will remind you of is that you are not allowed to be seen in public with an unwed man for any purpose that might be considered courtin’. Now, I don’t think Doc given you a ride back and forth to the schoolhouse would fit that description. But at that barn raisin’ there’s bound to be some dancin’ and carryin’ on. You best be careful about that.”
Despite her words, it was clear to Hope that Mrs. Howard did not approve of her attending the barn raising with Mrs. Pembroke. Maybe she didn’t like the idea of Hope going with anyone at all, but definitely not Judah’s sister. But she was certainly right on one count; Mrs. Howard was not her mother. “Are you saying that dancing with a gentleman in public would be a violation of my contract?” Hope asked, still keeping her voice even.
“I am saying I think Mr. Stewart may consider it so, and if you like your appointment, and I think you do, I wouldn’t be willing to take the chance if I were you.”
Hope nodded, clear on the point now. “I think I’ll go up to my room for a spell,” she said, trying not to show her emotions. “If you need me to do anything before supper, please let me know.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Howard’s smile was tight, and Hope imagined she likely had a few more disapproving comments to make if she was willing to listen. But she understood now. If she went to the barn raising at all, she had better not do any dancing. While it seemed like a small sacrifice for the opportunity she’d dreamt of for so many years, this was the first time the rules of her contract seemed confining, and like a woman with a corset drawn too tight, Hope was beginning to have trouble breathing. She could only hope she’d get to the barn raising and realize there was no one she cared to dance with, but something told her that would not be the case.
She crept up the stairs almost laughing at herself. Why would it matter if she couldn’t dance with Judah Lawless when she could be chastised for even speaking to the man? And then, why would she want to dance with him when everyone else believed he’d done the unspeakable? Despite Doc’s warning, however, when she looked into his eyes, she didn’t see a man capable of killing, but she did see one capable of much more than anyone was giving him credit for.