Nine

A busy week followed his dinner at the Drabbles, and he found himself unable to spend much time with Willow after all. Mrs. Drabble sent word she would be unable to help with the orphanage. He knew he should go see her and try to smooth out the rift between them, but he kept putting it off.

Sunday morning, Mrs. Drabble was absent from church, though Alicia and Mr. Drabble attended. He tried to speak to Walter Drabble before they left but got waylaid by the Mackenzies and an invitation to lunch. Mr. Drabble slipped out, taking Alicia with him.

Willow came to church, edging into the back at the last minute, and at the Mackenzies’ insistence was included in the lunch invitation. The meal and the company were excellent and encouraged Silas. Willow was especially taken with the baby, and something about seeing her holding an infant, so enraptured, made Silas’s insides turn to porridge.

Monday evening, Silas found himself yawning right after supper. “Sherman, if I didn’t have these church records to catch up on, I’d fall right into bed.”

Sherman seemed unconcerned, continuing to wash his snowy paws.

Another yawn overtook Silas, and he scrubbed his hair, stretching and trying to wake up. He hadn’t been sleeping too well. Thoughts of Willow kept him awake. And the issue of the ill feelings between himself and the Drabbles. He was also worried about Kenneth Hayes. Since their talk, Kenneth had missed several Sundays in a row at church. “Tomorrow I need to go see him.”

If Kenneth had made his intentions known to the girl’s father and been rejected, it might explain his absence, but if he’d put off asking permission and didn’t want to face Silas, that might also prompt him to avoid church. And there might be another reason altogether. No matter. It deserved investigation.

A knock sounded on the door, and Silas levered himself up from his desk. He hoped whoever it was wouldn’t want to stay long, and he squashed that inhospitable thought before it could take root. If someone needed him, he was there to serve.

Jesse Mackenzie stood on the porch, his face like a thundercloud.

“Evening, Jesse. What’s wrong? Is it Matilda? Or one of the grandkids?”

“No, no, nothing like that. The board has called a special meeting over at the church.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels.

Silas blinked and reached for the doorjamb. “A special meeting? Tonight? What for?”

“Mrs. Drabble called it. Well, I suppose officially Walter Drabble called it, but she’s pulling the strings, same as always. Says he’s got something important that needs to be discussed.”

Silas reached for his suit coat and tried to tamp down his ruffled hair. “Is everyone there?”

“Yep, the whole board, elders and deacons and the two deaconesses. Mrs. Drabble seems to have made a good recovery from whatever kept her away from church yesterday.” Jesse paced the porch. “She won’t say why she called the meeting, just insisted everyone attend, especially you.”

A knot formed between Silas’s shoulder blades as he shrugged into his coat, but he cautioned himself against giving in to dread and despair. If only he hadn’t put off going to see her. These kinds of problems never got solved by ignoring them. “Maybe something to do with the orphanage again. The open house is set for next week.” A weak hope, but something to grasp on to.

Jesse shrugged and continued to pace the porch floor while Silas doused the lamps and closed the door.

Lights blazed from the church windows, and Silas paused on the top step to appreciate what a pretty picture the white-steepled building made with all the colored glass windows.

When they entered the building, the tension in the room bombarded him. Five people stared back at him, six if you included Jesse. Two elders, two deacons, and two deaconesses. Matilda wore a worried look but smiled encouragingly, while the Drabbles looked grim. Mrs. Drabble in particular looked as if she were sharpening her verbal knives. The other two, Larry Horton, a deacon, and Ned Meeker, an elder, had separated into their usual seats. Larry sat with the Drabbles, and Meeker just behind Matilda. Jesse strode up the aisle and took a seat next to his wife.

“Good evening.” Silas walked up the aisle and turned to face them. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. I don’t know why this meeting has been called. Does it have something to do with the orphanage?” He searched Matilda Mackenzie’s face, but she shook her head and gave a slight shrug. Clearly she’d been kept in the dark as well.

Mrs. Drabble poked her husband in the ribs. “Go ahead.”

Walter took his time unfolding himself from his seat. “Silas—”

“Reverend!” Mrs. Drabble hissed the word, poking him again.

Walter began again. “Reverend, it has come to the attention of the board that you may be. . .socializing with an undesirable element. Some of the board members feel you shouldn’t do this.” He sat down again and folded his arms across his chest.

“An undesirable element?” Silas’s heart began to thud, and his ribs squeezed tight.

Mrs. Drabble leaned forward and grasped the back of the pew in front of her. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. You told me with your own mouth you were courting an actress.” Her eyes glowed like coals, and hectic color stained her cheeks. “It’s unseemly, and it’s got to stop.”

Silas braced his palms on the railing that divided the platform from the pews. “You called a board meeting to discuss my private business?” He kept his voice even, but his fingers bit into the banister.

Her chin went up. “You have no one to blame but yourself. I tried to follow the biblical procedure. I tried to talk to you about this privately in my home, but you wouldn’t listen. Now I have no choice but to bring it before the board.”

Jesse leaned forward. “Is this about Willow?”

“Exactly.” Mrs. Drabble snapped off the word like a breaking a twig. “And what kind of outlandish name is Willow anyway? It’s probably not her real name at all. All these actor-types use fake names. It’s like lying.”

Every time she spoke, Larry Horton nodded, and Silas had the feeling she’d been over it all with him already. He seemed firmly in her camp.

Larry squinted. “I can’t believe this even needs to be brought up. Everybody knows women entertainers are of low character. You might’s well have paraded up Main Street with one of the working girls from the Lead Pig Saloon on your arm as bring that actress to church.”

Silas’s head snapped back. “That is a scurrilous remark if I ever heard one. You’re making generalities and assumptions that could have serious consequences. Rumors like that do a lot of damage, and I take exception to you speaking that way about the woman I’m courting.”

Jesse nodded. “Have you even met this girl, Larry? Do you know her? I have. She’s been a guest in my home. She’s as lovely and charming and as good as your own daughters. I’d stake my silver mine on it.” His mighty fist slammed down on the rail before him. “She’s an actress, and a very good one, I might add, and nothing in her behavior indicated she had anything in common with a saloon girl. As far as I’m concerned, she’s welcome in my home and in this church.”

Larry’s neck grew mottled with red splotches. “We’re not talking about your home, and she’s certainly welcome to attend church and change her ways. What we are talking about is Silas keeping company with a woman of poor reputation and compromising the work of the church and the very Gospel he proclaims.”

Matilda cleared her throat. “Larry, those are some very strong words. As Jesse has said, we’ve attended the play being performed, and we’ve had Willow in our home, not to mention meeting her at a reception in the hotel where her manners and behavior were exemplary. She’s done nothing and said nothing to indicate she is of low moral character. In fact, it is just the opposite. She speaks of her faith naturally and openly. You mentioned her reputation, but reputation is something manufactured by others. Reputation has nothing to do with character, and everything I’ve witnessed tells me her character is very good.”

Ned Meeker raised his hand. His pale eyes looked out of a face as wrinkled as crumpled paper. He had years of wisdom, experience, and leadership to draw on, and Silas had always found him a good advisor. “Folks, how many of us here have met the young lady in question?”

The Mackenzies raised their hands.

Mrs. Drabble did as well. “I met her at the hotel restaurant where our pastor was dining with her and her sister. Bold as anything.”

Ned pursed his lips. “Have you spoken to her beyond saying hello?”

Silas cast back to that evening and realized Beatrice hadn’t even acknowledged the Starrs beyond a scowl or two.

“Well no, not to say spoken to. But I’m no fool. I know what I know.”

Ned eased himself to his feet, his knees cracking. “Folks, this whole meeting leaves a rather bad taste in my mouth.” His gnarled hands grasped the pew ahead of him, and his breath wheezed, testament to years spent in mine shafts and rock dust. “Pastor Hamilton has never given us cause to doubt his judgment. If he says Miss Starr is a fitting companion, then that’s good enough for me. There’s them that talks about being good and aren’t, and them that are good and find themselves talked about.” His gaze rested heavily on each one there before he eased back down onto the pew and rested his hands in his lap.

Matilda turned and patted his hand.

Silas decided it was time for him to step in. “I thank you, Ned, for your support, and you too, Jesse and Matilda. I think the crux of the matter here is that there have been opinions formed without knowing the facts. Perhaps if you were to get to know Willow, you’d all come to see what I’ve seen.” He looked sternly at the Drabble contingent. “All I’m asking is that you give Willow a chance. Get to know her and the other folks at the theater. I’m not saying they’re all saints, but Willow is a fine young woman, and I intend to marry her.”

Mrs. Drabble sucked in a gasp and coughed. “Marriage?”

Silas frowned. “Mrs. Drabble, surely you didn’t think I would court a woman if I didn’t think she was suitable for marriage?”

She fanned herself with her handkerchief. “You mean you would refuse my daughter and all the other nice church girls in favor of an actress?”

“Mrs. Drabble, I don’t think a church board meeting is the place to discuss this. Alicia and I have made our feelings clear to you on this matter. She has no more interest in marrying me than I have in marrying her.”

Larry stood and creased the crown of his hat, his jaw set like granite and a flinty look in his eye. “Looks to me that even if we was to vote, we’d be split, just like usual, and the pastor would break the tie in favor of himself. But I warn you, if you bring that woman into the parsonage, you’ll find more than a few families in this church unhappy about it. Not to mention the denomination. I haven’t turned in my questionnaire yet, and neither have a few others. If you insist on cramming this woman down our throats, you might find yourself on the outside of this church looking in.”

He jammed his hat onto his head and stalked out. Mr. and Mrs. Drabble followed after him, leaving Ned and the Mackenzies.

Silas sank onto the front pew and put his face into his hands. He’d been blithely following his heart while a chasm opened between his feet and split the church board right down the middle. He had underestimated Mrs. Drabble’s vitriol. Larry’s words both surprised him and hurt him, since he’d never borne any ill will toward the man and had assumed they were not only friends but had a mutual respect for one another.

Jesse squeezed Silas’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Silas. I had no idea this was coming, or I’d have tried to head them off somehow.”

He raised his head to look at Jesse, Ned, and Matilda. “What should I do about this?”

Ned pursed his lips and rubbed his hand down his cheek. “For now, nothing. Best to let us try to talk to them. They’re so worked up, I have a feeling anything you tried to do would be taken wrong.”

Matilda threaded her reticule over her wrist. “What about the supervisor’s visit? We really should try to get this resolved before his arrival. A church board with daggers drawn wouldn’t be the best endorsement for our pastor’s leadership abilities.”

Silas shuddered, imagining what his father would say. I told you not to take that church. You’ve failed. Failed me. Failed the denomination. Failed God.

“Now Matilda, don’t tease like that. You’ve made Silas go white as a winter moon.” Jesse whacked him on the shoulder. “I’m sure we can get this thing turned around before it comes to that. You’re a fine pastor, and you’re not doing anything wrong. The church will see that, and Beatrice will, too, once she gets over her peeve at you not marrying Alicia.”

“I hope you’re right. I just know if people will give Willow a chance, they’ll come to love her like I do.”

“Leave it to us. We’ll see what we can do.” Jesse helped Matilda to her feet.

❧

Early Tuesday afternoon Willow slipped from the theater in search of solitude and a place to think. Philip had been particularly obnoxious today, standing too close, whispering crass comments and suggestions until she wanted to slap his face. He’d gotten worse ever since he’d learned Willow was seeing Silas, as if her being in a relationship with a man meant she was open to much more.

The early morning showers had given way, and the world reminded her of a freshly scrubbed child, rosy and warm. She lifted her face to the sunshine, letting it warm her through, trying to forget for a moment the expectations and responsibilities of the theater, especially those of Philip and Francine. And yet no amount of fresh air and sunshine could lift that weight.

What was she going to do? Clement was pushing for her to sign the contract, Francine had already started planning her new wardrobe for a New York fall season, and more than one of the cast and crew had congratulated Willow on her success and commented on how they were looking forward to the big city.

And every moment she spent with Silas, every long walk, every time he held her hand, every time he caressed her face, bound her more and more to him and his future here. How could she choose? How could she follow her heart and stay when her head said she had to go?

Downstream the trees grew closer to the water, and Willow had to duck under their branches. The game path she followed beckoned her to continue, and she wended her way along Martin Creek farther than she’d ventured on previous rambles.

Around a bend, the trees opened on a little glade with a cabin in the center. As she stood undecided whether to go on or turn back, a movement caught her eye.

The door opened, and a man and woman emerged. The woman threw herself into the man’s arms, and he kissed her again.

Willow realized she was intruding on a private moment, and she turned to hurry away. Her foot landed on a twig, snapping it like a rifle shot. The couple broke apart, and Willow froze.

She knew them. Or the girl, at least. Though she was disheveled, Willow recognized the girl she’d seen in the hotel restaurant with Mrs. Drabble. This had to be Alicia. Silas had mentioned in passing that Mrs. Drabble recently had hopes of his marrying her daughter, but that they weren’t at all suited. And here she was alone with a man in an isolated cabin. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her shoulders shook.

“Are you all right? Do you need help?” She didn’t want to intrude, but neither did she want to leave the girl if she truly was distressed. Willow took the measure of the man still standing in the doorway holding Alicia’s hand, but he seemed to pose no threat to her or Alicia.

Regardless, they shouldn’t be here alone together, and the guilty looks on their faces said they knew it.

Alicia held out her hand. “Please, don’t go.”

The man frowned. “What are you doing?”

“We can’t go on like this. I have to talk to someone—” She broke off on a sob.

The man shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground.

Willow walked up the slope slowly. “You’re Mrs. Drabble’s daughter, right? Alicia?”

“Yes.” The girl hung her head.

Knowing she must choose her words carefully, Willow clasped her hands at her waist. “Are you in some kind of trouble?” Stepping close to Alicia, she lowered her voice. “Does your mother know where you are?”

“No, and she can’t know.” Alicia grabbed Willow’s arm. “Please, promise me you won’t tell her, and please, please, don’t tell Silas.” Tears flowed down the girl’s cheeks, and she bit her lower lip. Dropping her clasp on Willow’s wrist, she turned and threw herself into the man’s arms, sobbing on his shoulder.

He held her tenderly, his face a mask of misery and tenderness. “You’re that actress, Willow Starr, aren’t you?” He spoke across the top of Alicia’s head.

“Yes, I’m Willow Star.” She eyed the young man and leaned a bit to the side to see into the cabin. A table and two rough chairs, a cold fireplace, and a bed in the corner with the blanket hanging half off comprised the furnishings.

“My name’s Kenneth Hayes. All I did was kiss her, I promise. Nothing else happened.”

Willow pressed her fingertips to her brow and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think. Alicia’s sobs made it difficult. She wanted to believe them. What should she say? What should she do? What would Silas do in this situation?

Opening her eyes, she decided to take charge. Clearly neither of these two was capable at the moment. “Alicia, stop crying and come down to the stream with me. We’ll wash your face, and you can try to get a hold of yourself.” She motioned for Kenneth to stay behind. “We’ll be back.”

Alicia sniffed and nodded, following Willow like a child.

When they reached the stream, Willow handed her a handkerchief. “Wash, and we’ll talk.”

“You won’t tell my mother, will you? Or Silas?”

“I won’t make a promise I can’t keep, Alicia, and I won’t lie. You know meeting a man alone like this is wrong. If anyone came to find out, you’d be ruined. Who is Kenneth Hayes anyway?”

“He’s the man I love more than anything in the world. And he loves me.” She dabbed at her red-rimmed eyes and blotchy, damp cheeks. “I’ve loved him since the moment I first met him.”

Willow kept her voice neutral. “You realize you’re compromising your reputation by meeting him here? And you’re putting yourself in a situation where things could quickly get out of hand and overwhelm you. You might find yourself, in the heat of the moment, doing something you’d later regret.”

Alicia wadded the handkerchief into her fist. “I know, but what can we do? I knew my mother would never let me marry Kenneth, and he even went to Silas for advice. Silas said it was Kenneth’s duty to ask permission to call on me, that sneaking around was wrong.” A hiccup jarred her. “So he did. He asked permission, and they refused. Mother wouldn’t hear tell of my marrying a mere miner. And Father does whatever Mother says. She threatened to lock me in my room or send me away to my aunt’s. And she forbad me ever to see Kenneth again.”

“I’m sorry, Alicia, but is sneaking around the best choice here?”

“It’s the only choice. What would you do if you couldn’t be with the man you love?” Her chin lifted, challenging Willow to walk in her shoes for a while.

Her heart broke for the couple. What an untenable position. If she had to stop seeing Silas, it would break her. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. The power of her love for him overwhelmed her, changed how she saw the world, how she saw herself. In that moment, indecision fell away, and her future crystallized. She was willing and ready to give up her career and everything it offered the minute he asked her to. Her future was here, with Silas.

“I don’t know what to tell you, but I do know you have to stop seeing each other in secret. Meeting together like this, away from everyone, with your feelings so strong, eventually your emotions are going to get the better of you, and you’ll cross a line you can’t get back over ever again. Please, go to Silas together and ask him what you should do. He’ll help you. He can talk to your parents.”

“He can’t. My mother is so angry with him right now I don’t know what she would do if he showed up at her house. After his last dinner at our place, she wouldn’t take a diamond-studded suggestion from him. I’ve never seen her so angry. Then there was the board meeting. If she was angry before, she was white hot afterward.”

“What happened?”

“When Silas came over for dinner, we both made it clear to Mother that marriage to each other was out of the question. Mother already knew I was in love with Kenneth, and Silas all but declared his love for you. She really let him have it, about how you weren’t a suitable candidate for a pastor’s wife and how he owed it to his congregation to choose someone who was above reproach. She’s very class conscious, and she thinks actresses are the lowest form of society.”

A cannonball took up residence in Willow’s chest. Poor Silas. She closed her eyes for a moment against the pain of prejudice. Why hadn’t he told her any of this?

Alicia sniffed. “I don’t feel that way, and I don’t think the majority of the congregation would feel that way. It’s just Mother has these odd ideas, and once she sets her mind on something, it’s hard to get her to change it.” She shook Willow’s arm. “I think you’re perfect for Silas. He’s so nice, and he deserves to be happy. And he is so happy now that he’s met you. He’ll be a better minister, and the church will be better for his marrying you.”

Willow savored the words for a moment, allowing them to soothe the hurt of Mrs. Drabble’s dislike, but there was still the issue at hand to deal with. “Thank you. I hope what you say is true. Now that you’ve calmed down a bit, we should talk with Kenneth. He’s worn a path in front of the cabin.”

As they walked up the bank, Kenneth stopped pacing and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Are you going to go to her parents or the preacher?”

“No, but you should. Both of you.” Lord, help me be bold to speak the truth, but in a way that they will hear and respond to. Give me the words. “Kenneth, it’s plain to me you love Alicia dearly, and she clearly feels the same for you.”

He nodded and put his arm around Alicia. “I’d do anything for her.”

“If you truly love her, then you want to protect her from any harm. You’re endangering her reputation and both of your characters by meeting like this.” She swallowed and looked from one to the other. “If you continue, no good will come from it.”

Kenneth rested his chin on Alicia’s head. “How is it you know so much? You can’t be any older than Alicia.”

Willow sighed. “I’m right out of my depth here, but I’d hate to see you two ruin your lives. I’ve come to the conclusion that if God puts a fence around something, He means it to be there.”

She glanced at the sun. “Alicia, it’s getting late. We should go.”

Kenneth’s arm tightened around Alicia. His face twisted in anguish as he brushed a kiss across her temple and bent for a moment to rest his forehead on hers, as if afraid he might never be with her again.

As Alicia slipped from his arms, Willow offered one last plea. “Please, go see Silas again and explain everything. I’m sure he can help you both.”

Walking along the stream bank, conscious of the need to hurry, Willow contemplated the young couple’s situation. Had she helped the situation or only made it worse?