CHAPTER 4
Adele entered the house directly into the living room. The stairs were at the back of the room directly in front of her and a hallway was to her left.
She didn’t know what she expected but the tidy, comfortable looking room wasn’t it. A large braided rug covered the center of the floor. The chairs on each end of the overstuffed sofa were in the Queen Anne design and all three were upholstered in dark blue damask. The curtains were white with blue flowers.
As they walked down the hall, their boots sounded loudly against the hardwood floor.
Edward stopped at a set of open double doors. “This is the dining room. The men all join the family for every meal.”
She noticed the oak table was very large and could seat twenty easily. “That’s nice. I like the idea of everyone taking meals together. You said you have ten men. Is that correct?”
“I do. Each man is worth his weight in gold. They have all been with me for years. You saw Cookie. He’s been here for as long as I can remember and a couple of the other men as well. You’ll meet them all in a few hours at dinner.”
He stopped at the next door along the hall. “This is the bathing room. Catherine insisted. She said she wasn’t living like poor white trash and bathing in the kitchen.”
The hallway ended at the kitchen which was clear of the smoke and steam.
Edward stood in the middle of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry you’ll have to clean this up on your first day here. Mrs. Underhill will be back this evening but not in time for dinner.”
“Then I guess we’d better finish this tour later so I can get a bath and start preparing the food. I’ll have to see if I can figure out what she was planning, unless you already know.”
Edward shook his head. “You’ll have to check with Cookie. He does the cooking when she’s gone.” He squinted his eye, frowned and scratched his head. “I can’t figure out why he’d be cooking bacon at this late hour.”
“We can ask him when we find him after my bath. Also, we’ll have to resume the tour later. I have work to do now. Would you grab my bags and place them in the bathing room, please? I see a couple of buckets on the stove. I’ll fill those and start them heating. I need to change before I clean anyway. I’m not doing housework in my mother’s wedding dress.”
Adele finished her bath and felt rejuvenated. She hadn’t felt that good in weeks. She’d laid back in the porcelain tub and forgotten all her worries. No thoughts about Richard and most definitely nothing about Edward finding out about her. She didn’t think about Lissa or what she would do about her. Adele had even dozed off for a few minutes before scrubbing herself nearly raw.
When she emerged from the room in a plain black bombazine skirt and blue striped cotton blouse, she found Edward sitting at the kitchen table.
He looked up but didn’t smile. “Did you have a nice bath?”
“Yes, as a matter-of-fact I did. What’s wrong? Did I take too long? I—” She began to unbutton her sleeves and roll them up so she could clean the kitchen.
He waved her away. “It’s nothing to do with you. Well, it is, but not about your bath.”
Adele’s heart pounded in her chest and her stomach roiled. Did he know about Richard? Should I not unpack my bags? She stopped rolling up her sleeves. “What am I supposed to have done?”
“You married me.”
“And that’s bad, why?”
He stood abruptly. “Because I just caught Lissa trying to sneak out of the house to run away.”
Adele thought she would collapse with relief. He doesn’t know about Richard.
“Oh, Edward, I’m so sorry. What will you do?”
“I don’t know. Right now she’s in her room. I’m afraid to leave her there because I fear she’ll try it again.”
Adele thought for a moment. “Bring her down here with her favorite book, preferably one she can read. Does she have one like that?”
“She has a McGuffey Reader. Will that work?”
“Perfect. While I clean she can read to me out loud. When I’m finished, she can take me to find you. Where will you be?”
“I’ll be in the barn with Cookie, grooming the horses.”
She grinned. “That’ll be perfect.”
Lissa entered the kitchen with her father, the reader clutched to her chest.
Adele bent at the waist to greet the little girl. “Hi, Lissa.” Adele looked up at Edward. “Won’t you have a seat at the table? You may begin reading whenever you wish, but you will read to me, until I finish cleaning up your mess. Then you will take me to the barn. Understood?”
The child narrowed her eyes and stared at Adele as though just her thoughts would do Adele harm, but she did sit.
“I’ll see you both soon.” Edward looked at Adele a moment and then turned and left through the kitchen door.
I wonder if he was trying to decide whether or not to kiss me?
“Why don’t you just go away? Daddy and I don’t need you.”
Adele faced Lissa and lifted a brow. “I believe your daddy thinks differently and I must say based on what I’ve seen of you, I agree. You need someone who will discipline you. You’ve run roughshod over your poor father for long enough.”
The little girl set the book on the table and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re not my mother. You’re not the boss of me.”
“I wasn’t before but as of today I am. You will mind both your father and me or you will be a very unhappy girl.” Adele walked to the table and sat across from Lissa. “I don’t want to punish you. I want very much to like you, but—” She paused and gazed at the child who was now her daughter. “Unlike your father, I will punish you when you do something wrong or don’t mind because when it comes right down to it, I don’t really care if you like me or not. Your father is the important person here and I won’t have you disappointing him again.”
Lissa’s eyes filled with tears. “I disappoint him?”
Adele hurt inside. She did not want to upset this child. “Yes, you do. You see he knows that deep inside you’re a good girl and it hurts him when you’re bad…when you’re not being the best Lissa you can be.”
The tears streamed down the child’s cheeks. She swiped at them with her hands.
Adele reached into her skirt pocket and handed Lissa the handkerchief she’d put in after her bath.
“I don’t want to hurt daddy.” Her tears dried up as suddenly as they had occurred. “But I won’t like you.”
“You don’t have to.” Adele stood and walked to the sink. She looked over her shoulder. “All you have to do is obey me.”
Upon reaching the sink she looked underneath and found the items she needed…a jar of lye soap shavings and a scrubbing brush for the stove.
While Adele cleaned, Lissa read and pouted.
Adele smiled.
*****
Adele never did get the rest of the tour of the house, so when she entered her bedroom she was surprised at how beautifully decorated it was…simple and yet elegant. The bed frame was brass with large posts at the corners and a curved head and footboard. It was covered with a beautiful blue patchwork quilt made of six-sided patches instead of just square ones. Edward had brought her carpetbags up here after her bath and they resided on the bed.