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I shook my head and pressed the baby to my chest. His strident cries reverberated over the marble tile of the entrance. Little Paula clung red-faced to my robe.
"The children are yours? Really?" Marta asked.
I nodded.
"What’re you going to do?"
What was I going to do? "I guess I’ll be a mom," I replied.
She rubbed her forehead. "Seriously?”
Was I serious? But what choice did I have? Gloria Pinser had entrusted her children to me. Me.
“Where’s Elias?” she continued.
At that moment, footsteps entered from the kitchen, and Elias emerged, his brow drawn tight.
“What happened?” I asked.
His shoulders sagged. “I went to tell your papa where you were, but I never made it there. I heard a scream ...” His voice fell. “The sheriff kept me back to write down what I said.”
He paused, and his eyes searched my face. “You all right?”
I tried to smile. "I'm ... tired? Confused? Too young?" I looked down at myself and my face heated. "Not dressed?"
He stopped a smile from appearing and instead, stretched out his hands for the unhappy baby. "Give him to me."
Marta sat up straight. "Elias?"
"What?" he asked. “I have a younger brother. I know how to take care of babies, and this one’s hungry." He turned about and headed for the kitchen.
Marta stared at his retreating back. "You're really going to do this? Give up everything to care for somebody else's kids?"
But what was "everything" after all? I spent my days rearranging the store's shelves or hunting in the woods. I spent them selfishly on myself. Somehow, that didn't matter anymore. Paula and her brother needed me.
"Babies!" A voice crowed. "You've brought them to me!"
Marta whirled, her eyes spread large like summer flowers. "Mama?"
Mrs. Eisenberg whisked into the room, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glittering. "I knew they'd see this was the best place for them! It's been a long time, but I'm ready. I'm ready now for the babies." She knelt down.
Paula cringed in my skirts, tears filling her eyes.
"You're frightening her," I said.
"Oh, I'm not! She just needs to get used to me. I'll take good care of them." She looked behind her, and her eyes narrowed. "Where's the baby?"
Marta's jaw snapped shut. "Mama, the children are Angel's, not yours."
Mrs. Eisenberg's face gelled and her breathing became erratic. "Angel's."
"Yes, Mama. Mrs. Pinser left them to Angel. The deputy had a note."
"A note."
I stared at her. I'd never had anything against Mrs. Eisenberg. She'd done other strange things in the past–the incident with the ducks came to mind–but this was by far the strangest.
I rose to my feet. "I need to go home. Marta, fetch the baby and ask Elias if he'll hitch up the wagon."
She nodded slowly, her gaze held on her mama's face.
Spinning around, I took Paula’s hand and headed up the stairs.
Elias pulled the wagon to a stop and twisted in the seat, his mind in a thousand directions. Angel had taken hold of things with her usual forthright style. He'd only known her for a few days, and yet he already expected that.
But where did this leave them? A man should court a girl for months, maybe even a year, before considering marriage. He’d thought he had more time–time to find a job and a home first, some security for a family. Why was he still thinking of this? He inhaled sharply.
He dismounted the wagon and lifted Paula from the seat to the ground. His eyes met Angel’s.
"We need to talk," she said.
He folded his fingers over hers. "My feelings for you haven't changed."
She smiled. "Nor mine. But the children."
He nodded. "I'm here if you need me."
Her face wavered then. "Elias?" She squeezed his hand. "I ..." The front door swung open, and her words fell away.
"Lands sake! It's a ready-made family,” Brian called from the doorway.
She scowled past his shoulder.
"You two couldn't wait, hey?"
"Brian, you are the single most insensitive individual I know. If my hands weren't full, I'd thrash you."
He shook his head and laughed. “Where you been anyway? And why have you brought Gloria Pinser’s children?”
A sigh escaped her lips. Cradling the baby on her chest, she took Paula’s hand and pushed in the door.
Elias leaned back on the wagon seat. Now what? What was she about to say? He rested his foot on the wheel and lifted the reins.
"Elias!" Angel called from indoors.
His head flew upward.
"The baby's diaper!"
He smiled.
"Idiot!"
Arthur crouched beneath Herr Eisenberg's rage. Where had things gone wrong?
"That ... that ... girl has the children!" he spluttered.
"But, sir," Arthur squeaked. "No one suspects you of anything."
"That’s just as well," he growled. "But now the missus is inconsolable. She has gone to bed!"
Arthur licked his lips. He must salvage this somehow.
"They’ve cancelled the dance," Herr Eisenberg continued. "Did you know that? The mayor agrees with the sheriff that it is unsafe. There might be an assailant on the loose, so now the entire town is on alert."
Cancelled the dance? Arthur’s blood raced. But Marta! His face darkened. This was not his fault. It was, as Herr Eisenberg said, "that girl." How was he supposed to know any paper gave the children to her? He couldn’t read anyhow.
His fingers twitched, and he wadded them together. If she wasn't in the way, then this wouldn't have happened. Maybe there was a way to fix this. If he could do it once, he could do it again.
"I think I know how to get you the children,” he said.
Herr Eisenberg rubbed his bulging belly and his watch chain jangled.
"Leave it up to me." Arthur rose from his chair. Dragging his leg behind him across the polished tile, he entered the foyer, stopping as Marta appeared on the stairs. Her dark locks framed her beautiful face.
"Hello, Marta," he said.
"Arthur." Her hand tightened on the rail. "You’re here early."
He nodded uneasily. "To ... to decide about the structure in the park. They’ve cancelled the dance."
She didn't blink. "They have?"
"Will ... will I see you later?" he asked. He crushed his cap in his hands.
"Perhaps not," she said. "Goodbye, Arthur."
The heat in his gut began to boil. That girl. This was her fault, and he planned to fix it.