A Lady in Attendance Read online

  Ina laughed. “I was just saying that now you can say you’ve been kissed. It was so romantic too. He walked right for you. I always assumed him to be shy, but he seemed so determined. Was it everything you’ve ever dreamed of in a kiss?”

  “I didn’t say I’d never been kissed,” she whispered to Ina. “I never said that.”

  “You’ve been kissed!” Ina’s face fell. “I thought you and I were the same.”

  “I wish we were,” she said. How much simpler life would be if the only lips to ever touch her had been Gilbert’s. “And we are in many ways.” She looped her arm around Ina’s. “Tonight let’s wander around this barn and see if someone catches your eye.”

  CHAPTER

  EIGHT

  Gilbert won the basket fill, came in second for the ten-minute challenge, and lost the hundred-ear challenge to a coin toss. His arms ached, his back ached, even his neck ached, but he didn’t care. Spectators, no doubt, believed him lost in his work, but in truth his mind was stuck back in time, still mulling over the red ear, his choice, and the softness of Hazel’s cheek.

  Time had moved slower during those moments, each step across the barn floor a deliberate decision that took him closer to her and the intoxicating scent of lavender. He’d seen the ear in his hand and decided in that instant to muster his courage and act. He’d chosen to kiss her cheek instead of her lips, believing it’d be safer, but even their brief encounter had been enough to leave him far from unaffected. Even now, the memory touched him.

  The pile of unhusked corn grew smaller until only a few stray ears remained. Most of the men had left the corn and gone to socialize. He kept husking, slower now but still as steadily, afraid to step away and face the crowd. Soon the last ear rested in his hands.

  “You are the most dedicated man around.” Hazel smiled at him, the corners of her lips pulled high, dimpling the very cheek he’d kissed. “No one else competed in every challenge, and now here you are taking care of the last ear despite there being no prize for it. You’ve not even visited the refreshment table. I would not have guessed that a dentist would outlast them all.”

  “I think there are a lot of things people wouldn’t expect about dentists.”

  “I think you are right.” She picked bits of corn husk off his shirt. “It’s a good thing you are here to set us straight.”

  “About the red ear . . .” He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.

  “You had to kiss someone. It’s tradition.” She smiled when she said it, but her eyes lost some of their sparkle. “It meant nothing. I know that, and of course it’s better that way.”

  He scratched the back of his neck and nodded despite his being acutely aware of how much the kiss had meant to him.

  “I’m grateful it was you and not that lad from earlier.”

  They shared an awkward laugh, remembering the boy with the dark hair and his unsuspecting companion.

  “There will be dancing soon. I won the partner of my choice for the waltz,” Gilbert said quietly, hoping she’d know with her feminine instincts that he wanted her in his arms.

  “Will you dance with Ina?” Hazel pressed her lips together and looked toward her friend. “She borrowed my dress and spent so long on her hair. She’s beautiful, yet no one sees it. Some of us never get a chance to be the woman everyone is watching. It would mean so much to her to be picked from the crowd.”

  “Have you been that woman before?” Gilbert asked, wanting to know she’d experienced the thrill she spoke of and at the same time hating the idea of her on the arm of another man.

  “Everyone watched when you walked across the floor with that red ear of corn.” A far-off look skirted across her face, and he knew there was more to her story. She rallied and offered him a pleading smile. “Ina has never been that woman. Will you ask her to dance?”

  He nodded, unwilling to counter Hazel’s selfless intentions. It did not matter that he wanted to hold Hazel in his arms or that she’d been the reason he’d worked so hard to win.

  “I’ll dance with Ina.” He reached out, though, and took her hand, pressing it gently in his own before letting it go. “Thank you for cheering me on.”

  The first dance was a reel led by the winner of the fifty-ear challenge. Gilbert stood near the refreshment table and watched as Hazel danced with a man who appeared to be equal to her in age and seemed to possess a plethora of wit, enough to keep Hazel laughing. He wasn’t jealous, of course he wasn’t, but he did have to instruct himself not to scowl as he watched. He thought of dancing himself, but the remaining women seemed far too young. And he couldn’t work up the nerve to ask, so he sampled the food instead.

  Before long, Mr. Stoddard stood on a barrel and whistled for the crowd’s attention. “Gilbert Watts has earned himself the pick of partners for the next dance. Ladies, step forward. Gents, step back.”

  Gilbert set down his plate and went to the center of the floor. He ambled past Samantha and her cluster of giggling friends. He looked at his feet as he passed Hazel and stopped in front of Ina.

  With a hand outstretched, he bowed slightly. “May I have this dance?”

  She dipped a deep curtsy and took his hand. The music started, and for a moment they were the only ones on the floor while everyone else scrambled to find a partner.

  “Thank you,” Ina said as they stepped together across the wooden floor. “Hazel is a good woman to give her dance to me.”

  “She may have planted the idea, but I’m not sorry.” He led her around the floor with ease. “I think it’s the perfect chance to become better acquainted with you.”

  “Why have we not seen you at the socials before?”

  “I used to come. It’s just been a long time. When my father was ill, I stayed with him and never came back.” He shrugged. “My friends were married, and I felt old . . .”

  “But now something, someone, has given you a desire to return.”

  “Life has a way of changing when you least expect it.”

  “It won’t for me. I believe I’ll continue living at Mrs. Northly’s and teaching until I die. All the girls I teach will grow up, and I’ll keep doing what I’ve always done. I’m sorry to complain. My lot is not so bad.”

  “Those girls are lucky to have someone who cares about them and teaches them,” Gilbert said as they floated across the floor. “Did you always want to teach?”

  “I don’t remember dreaming of teaching, but I do find fulfillment in it.”

  “I did not dream of dentistry as a boy.”

  She nodded. “I still hope that life has a few unexpected surprises ahead. Do you not?”

  He laughed quietly. He’d been so comfortable with his life not long ago, but now the world seemed to be upside down. “I suppose I do.”

  He looked around at all the young faces, stopping only when he saw the face of an old schoolmate. “Do you know Duncan Franklin? I did not realize he was here.”

  “I don’t think I do.”

  “He’s a patient of mine, and before that we were boys together at the same school. He’s only a little younger than I am.”

  “Show me who he is?”

  “Over there near the door. He’s the man with the brown vest. If you’d like, I’ll introduce you.”

  “Do you think he’d want to meet me?” Ina’s eyes stayed on Duncan. “What is he like?”

  “He’s lonely.” Gilbert let the statement hover in the air.

  “Lonely?”

  “He confessed to it when he was in the office not long ago. His wife died a few years back, and since then he’s not been the same.” He told her about Duncan as a boy and how he won every spelling bee and should have been every teacher’s favorite pupil, but he also had a fondness for snakes and used to sneak them into the teacher’s desk. He told her about Duncan going off to become a lawyer and returning to take over his uncle’s office.

  “He married Estelle Cline when he returned. She was younger than he was, but they’d known each other their whole lives and n
aturally took up with one another. She died giving birth to their child.”

  “Oh, that poor man. What happened to the baby?”

  “The last time he was in, he said the little girl was living with his sister. He hopes someday to bring her home. I know he sees her as often as he can. He talks about her like the proudest father.”

  “I’m sure she eases his grief,” Ina said. “I will pray for good things for Duncan.”

  Gilbert offered his arm when the music ended. “I too hope he finds happiness. Perhaps you can brighten his day.”

  “Me?” Ina’s hand shook as they neared him.

  “Duncan.” Gilbert greeted his friend by shaking his hand. “I’d like you to meet Ina. She’s a friend of my attending lady, Miss McDowell. I believe you met her when you were in last.”

  “Only briefly. She was helping someone else most of the time,” Duncan said.

  “Ina teaches at the young ladies’ academy.” Gilbert took a half step back so they could have a proper hello.

  Duncan’s balding head and expanding middle might not have caused many women to swoon, but his presence brought a flush of color to Ina’s face. He reached out a hand to Ina. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

  Ina grinned. “Gilbert was telling me you like snakes.”

  “I do.” He looked at her intently. “I’ll tell you about them if you’ll dance with me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, taking Duncan’s arm. “I’d like that.”

  Gilbert couldn’t keep the smile from his face. Pleased with himself, he watched the pair set off into the crowd. Then he made his way to the table of food that had caused his mouth to water with the scent of apples, cinnamon, and sweet potatoes.

  “Does the man who never desires a match do matchmaking work?” Hazel asked, startling him and keeping him from loading a plate with vittles.

  “When I saw Duncan—you remember him, don’t you?—it just made sense.”

  “I met him briefly when he was in the office but hadn’t thought to pair them up. I’m delighted. She’s told me many times that she longs for romance.”

  Gilbert nodded. “I’ve heard everyone wishes for romance.”

  “No. Not everyone. I’m told that some people intend to remain unattached, always,” Hazel said with only a hint of mischief in her voice.

  “I’ve been told that those are the famous last words of many a married man.” Gilbert’s voice matched hers despite the fact that his palms were sweating. “Even the most stalwart fall to the right foe.”

  “And that is what marriage is, is it not? A battle of two foes.” Hazel’s retort was surprisingly terse. She scooped out a slice of pie and flopped it onto a plate with far more force than necessary. “Mrs. Northly never makes pie.”

  He stayed by her side despite her shift in manner. “I don’t make pies either.”

  “Maybe if you had a wife, she’d make you a pie from time to time. Or maybe you should learn to make your own. It would save you from having to fraternize with the enemy.”

  “What’s wrong, Red?” Gilbert asked. “You don’t have to like romance to see that your friend does. Look at her smiling. And he’s laughing. They hardly look like foes.”

  Hazel studied her friend, relaxing as she did so. “She does look happy.”

  “So does he.” He searched for safe words. “How is your pie?”

  “Whoever baked this did a fine job.” Hazel froze with a bite in midair. “Do you cook all your own meals?”

  “No. Clara Ervin was a friend of my mother and father. She decided long ago that I am a poor orphan boy and brings me meals a couple times a week. I pay her for the food, and we both win.”

  “You eat alone?”

  “I have a dining room with a table covered in dust. I tend to eat near the fire or by the stove. Eating at the table without my parents or my brother has never felt right. Besides, a quiet man is well suited for a quiet meal.”

  She put a hand on his arm. “Keep saying things like that and I might just join Clara and take pity on you. Meals around a table are a treasure far too few cherish.” She took another bite and ate it slowly. “You do look a bit like a poor orphan boy who has no one to care for him.”

  “I do?”

  “You could use a haircut.” She looked him over. “A little trim would help. I thought dentists were barbers too.”

  “They were in the old days. Have you forgotten we are almost to a new century?”

  She nodded. “Time is propelling forward so quickly. Nights like this, I wish it could slow down. Why is it that the pleasant moments go so much faster than the disagreeable ones?”

  “I’ll have to ponder that. You have me talking more than before, but I’m still not a philosopher.”

  A girl’s laughter interrupted their conversation, drawing their attention to the corner of the barn where a young woman stood surrounded by a cluster of men.

  “That’s Florence Calbert. I don’t get out much, and even I’ve heard of her,” Gilbert whispered. “People talk to me at the office, saying all sorts of things when they are nervous. I’ve heard stories about Florence.”

  “Is she always like that? With everyone all around her?”

  Gilbert shrugged. The idle gossip he’d heard meant little to him. “I hear she breaks hearts.”

  “I feel sorry for her,” Hazel said in a soft voice. “Someone ought to tell her that having one good man’s eyes on her is better than having a crowd of gawkers.”

  “It’d be better to feel sorry for the men she is ruthlessly leading along.”

  “I feel for them too. But I wonder if she really knows what she wants, or if she’ll wake up one morning and wish she’d done it all differently.”

  “Florence is young yet.” He wasn’t looking at the cluster of men around Florence any longer. “A new song is starting. Care to dance with this poor orphan boy?”

  “I’ve recently discovered I have a soft heart for orphans.” She took his hand, and they danced to the lively country music together, laughing as they tried to keep up with the fiddle.

  CHAPTER

  NINE

  “It was perfect,” Ina said as she pulled pins from her hair, allowing her fine yellow locks to fall loose at her shoulders. “Did you see the way Duncan looked at me? It’s like he could see the real me. He danced with me three times. Can you believe it? And we never ran out of things to say. We talked about books we like and our favorite foods, and we talked about being lonely.” She sighed before pulling another pin from her hair. “When we talked, he looked at me in the kindest way.”

  “He couldn’t keep his eyes off you,” Hazel said. “Even when you were dancing with Gilbert, or with that boy who looked to be fourteen, Duncan’s eyes were always on you.”

  “I always dreamed, but never thought it would happen.” Ina smiled at her reflection. “I truly felt like a princess on the arm of a prince.”

  “He seems like a perfect gentleman. And you were the fairest princess there.” Hazel used the back of her hand to cover a yawn. “It was a good night.”

  “Do you think he could grow to care for me? I know it’s unlikely, but do you think it could be possible?”

  “Maybe no one has cared before because you are meant to be with Duncan. Perhaps it’s all part of some grand design.” She said it and she wanted to believe it for Ina, but she wasn’t so sure there was any sort of design for her. “If there were only some way to look ahead and see what will come of it all. But then you’d have to forfeit the magic of the mystery.”

  “For now, I’ll have to be content with this one evening. I want to remember it all. The way it felt being led onto the dance floor. I wish I could live it again and again. I would never tire of it.” She fell back on the bed with a squeal of delight. “I’ll relive it in my mind whenever I feel discouraged.”

  “I should go so you can dream.” Hazel grinned, loving the atmosphere of hope that permeated the room.

  “I’ve been rambling about Duncan. What about you and Gi
lbert?”

  “I don’t know what to think about Gilbert. He seemed to enjoy my company tonight, and of course there was the kiss, but I don’t know if any of it meant anything. I don’t know if I want it to, or that he does either. I don’t even know if I could want it to.” Hazel wished the night could have gone on and on. When she was in his arms, dancing with him, she was able to simply feel and not think. “It’s all so complicated.”

  “Again, you are a mystery.” Ina frowned. “I’ve met no one else who answers questions without ever really answering questions.”

  Hazel sat beside Ina on the bed just like her sisters had sat beside her so many years ago.

  “Tell me what you can tell me,” Ina begged. “We’ve been friends now for well over a month. There must be something you can share.”

  “I can tell you this. I’ve never attended a social I have enjoyed as much as the one tonight.”

  “What sort of parties did you used to go to?”

  “When I was young, I went to fancy parties. I attracted plenty of attention in my younger years, but I was too naive. No, that’s not true. I wasn’t naive. I stubbornly believed that the more men I could flirt with, the more important I was. Men thought I was beautiful, but I wasn’t, not like you. Any charms I possessed went no deeper than my skin. You wouldn’t have liked who I was. Those careless days of flirting were only the start of my troubles. If I told you more, you’d lose that happy glow, and I’d hate to do that to you when you’ve had such a perfect night.” Hazel stood up and moved to the door. “You were truly beautiful tonight.”

  “You think I’m beautiful?” Ina wiped a tear from her face.

  “Perfectly beautiful. You should never question that.” If Hazel could go back in time, if she could undo her wrongs and erase her past, she’d change her course and seek innocence and beauty like Ina’s. But the past was locked, sealed, unchangeable, and tirelessly heavy to drag around. It was always there sneering at her and taunting her when she was tempted to be truly happy. Even now it dampened what would be a perfect night. “Go to sleep and dream of floating across the dance floor with Duncan.”