CHAPTER 12

August 25, 1914

Dear Grace,

Remember when we used to plan our weddings? How we promised to be each other’s maid of honor? Well, please don’t hate me, but . . . Frank and I got married! Frank begged me to elope with him before he went away to war. He said he needed to know I’d be here when he returned and not run off with the first available bloke. To be honest, I couldn’t bear for him to go without us being married. Now we’re husband and wife and nothing can change that. I only wish Frank’s parents had come around. Don’t they realize what they’re doing to their son?

On Saturday afternoon, Grace prepared Christian for their daily walk. Due to the threat of rain, she decided to stick closer to home. Virginia wouldn’t be joining them since she had plans with her new fiancé. Grace tried to be happy for her, but something about Virginia’s lack of enthusiasm unsettled her. Surely a woman in love should be glowing with happiness, her head in the clouds. But Virginia appeared strangely subdued, as though the light had gone out of her. As soon as Grace had the chance, she planned to talk to her friend about it.

Grace tied Christian’s bonnet under his chin. “There’s my big boy,” she crooned as she picked him up. “Are you ready for your walk?”

Christian’s answering smile told her he agreed wholeheartedly. The boy loved being outdoors.

She carried him down the back staircase to the side entrance where the pram was stored. The house seemed eerily silent today. Likely Andrew and his father had gone into the office. Saturdays were not always a day off for those two. Since Virginia had gone out with Basil, perhaps Mrs. Easton was catching up with some of her friends.

Grace placed Christian inside the pram and released the brake.

“How about we explore your grandmother’s garden today? I’d like a better look at all those lovely flowers.” She aimed the pram onto the path that led around the property.

They passed the greenhouse, where she imagined Collin Lafferty would be hard at work. Or perhaps, despite the threat of rain, he would be tending the outdoor plants on this warm June day. She circled the perimeter of the property to the rear of the house where the magnificent sunroom dominated the setting. The solarium had apparently been added at Mrs. Easton’s request. In the winter, she loved to sit there and enjoy the sunshine, as well as the many indoor plants that mirrored the ones outside.

Grace headed toward the center of the fabulous gardens, eager to find the stone fountain. She’d caught a glimpse of it the other day and wanted to take a closer look. It didn’t take long to locate the elegant statue of a lady swathed in flowing robes. From the middle of the fountain, she stretched one hand toward the sky. Her other arm held an urn tipped toward the ground where a stream of water poured out into the pool below.

“She’s breathtaking,” Grace whispered, marveling at the artist’s talent. One could almost feel the soft flow of her garment, the gentle fall of her hair.

The fountain was surrounded by a low stone seating area, but Grace wasn’t ready to rest just yet. She continued through the rows of flowering greenery until she came to the small orchard and a vegetable garden that she knew kept the house supplied with fresh produce. In the far south corner of the property, a gleaming white gazebo created another inviting space to relax. But she would explore that area another day.

Grace stopped the pram near an array of flourishing rosebushes. Blossoms in yellow, pink, and red filled the air with the most glorious scents. She lifted the baby from the carriage and held him up to share the beauty.

“Do you like roses, Christian? They’re one of my favorite flowers.”

“Ah, but don’t forget to beware of the thorns.”

Grace whirled around to see the chauffeur standing behind her. “Mr. McDonald. You startled me.”

“It’s Toby, please.” He plucked a bloom from the bush beside her and held it out to her. “A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady.”

Heat rose in Grace’s cheeks as she accepted the blossom. “That’s kind of you, but I am far from beautiful.” She fingered the velvet petals.

“On the contrary. Your beauty has been the topic of much discussion among the staff.”

“Then you all must be sadly lacking in conversation topics.” She ducked her head, anxious to get away from this uncomfortable sensation. Flirting with the chauffeur would not earn her any favor with the Eastons.

Toby must have sensed her unease for he quickly changed the subject. He pointed to the boy in her arms. “How is Master Christian faring today?”

“He is doing very well under the circumstances.”

A shadow chased the humor from Toby’s face. “Such a sad tale. I guess we have to be thankful the boy had family willing to take him in.” He swept a hand toward the house in the distance. “He’ll certainly never want for anything living here.”

She bristled. “Except for the love of his parents.”

“Yes, of course. I didn’t mean to minimize the tragedy.” He cleared his throat. “And how are you settling in, Miss Foley?”

She almost corrected him to use her given name, but figured it might be better to keep a professional distance. She didn’t want him to think she was interested in a personal relationship of any kind. “Quite nicely, thank you. How could I not in such a beautiful home?” She smiled, trying to keep the conversation light. “But more importantly, I get to care for this darling boy.” She kissed Christian’s cheek and was delighted when he giggled. “Well, if you’ll excuse us, we should continue with our walk.” She set Christian back in the pram.

“Don’t stray too far. Those clouds look ready to let loose any second.”

“I won’t. Good day, Mr. McDonald.”

He tipped his cap with a smile.

Grace’s muscles began to relax as she headed toward the house. Even as the first drops of rain landed on her cheek, she couldn’t resist the chance to check out the terrace that surrounded the sunroom. She left the pram in a covered area at the side of the house, lifted Christian out, and climbed the stairs to the verandah. The view from the rail overlooking the gardens was magnificent. She wished her mother could see this. Mum would never believe how far she’d come from their country cottage.

She turned and peered in the window of the solarium, expecting to find it empty. Yet amid the plants and wicker furniture, Mrs. Easton sat slumped in a chair, her face in her hands.

Grace took a closer look and alarm swept through her. She appeared to be weeping. Had the woman received some bad news? From various comments she’d overheard among the staff, Grace had determined that Mrs. Easton’s health was quite fragile. Perhaps she should go in and make sure she was all right.

The rain had started coming down harder. Grace rushed to the side entrance, and once inside, she dabbed the moisture from her face and Christian’s and turned down a hallway that she hoped would lead to the solarium.

“Let’s pay your grandmother a visit.” If anything could brighten the woman’s spirits, it would be her adorable grandson.

Still unsure of the house’s layout, Grace ventured through what she remembered to be the main sitting room and found an opening to the solarium. She entered quietly so as not to startle the woman.

The soft sound of weeping echoed in the space.

Grace hesitated. Maybe Mrs. Easton wouldn’t thank her for intruding on her private grief. After all, she hadn’t been overly friendly to her, perhaps out of loyalty to her husband, or perhaps because she felt a similar loathing for immigrants.

Still, Grace would feel terrible if she didn’t try to help.

“Mrs. Easton? Is there anything I can do for you?”

The woman’s head jerked up. “Miss Foley. What are you doing here?”

Grace moved farther into the room. The soothing smell of damp soil and flowers filled the air.

“I was walking with Christian in the garden and it started to rain. When I returned to the house, I couldn’t help noticing you in here alone. I thought a visit from your grandson might be nice, since our outing got cut short.”

Mrs. Easton blew her nose in a handkerchief, then motioned her in. “That was very thoughtful. Thank you.”

Grace took a seat beside her with Christian on her lap. She bounced her knee until the boy giggled.

Mrs. Easton gave a watery smile. “Nothing like a child’s laughter to brighten the day.”

“So true. Would you like to hold him?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Grace handed the boy to his grandmother.

Mrs. Easton hugged him to her chest, closed her eyes, and inhaled. “It’s as if I’m holding my Frank again. He used to smell exactly the same.” Her voice quavered.

“I imagine Christian will grow up to look very much like him.” With the exception of his mother’s eyes.

“I hope so. Maybe then I can learn to live with the sorrow of losing Frank.”

Grace nodded. “I know exactly what you mean.”

Somehow holding Rose’s son helped ease the pain of Grace’s loss. And wasn’t that the reason she’d originally wanted to bring Christian back home to her mother? As a substitute for the loved ones Mum had lost?

Mrs. Easton set Christian on her lap, not even rebuking him when he grabbed her string of pearls. She looked Grace in the eye for the first time. “Have you suffered the loss of someone close to you as well, Miss Foley?”

Grace bit her bottom lip, willing herself to be strong. “As a matter of fact, I have.”

Andrew didn’t mean to eavesdrop. He was just so stunned to see Grace and his mother seated together in the solarium, having an apparently intense conversation, that he couldn’t move away. Then curiosity got the better of him, and he edged closer, staying out of sight behind the heavy drapery by the doorway.

“I see you understand my pain,” his mother said. “Who did you lose? A parent?”

“A parent and siblings. One of my brothers died when I was twelve. My father passed away two years after, which was hard on my mother, being left with three other children. But more recently, we lost my oldest brother, Owen. He died in the war, like your son.” Grace’s voice broke. “It almost destroyed my mother. She took to her bed for weeks after the news.”

“I did the same thing. Strange to think our families live an ocean apart and yet have so much in common.”

“Indeed it is, ma’am.”

“Please, call me Lillian, when it’s just the two of us. Of course when Mr. Easton is present, we must maintain our formal titles.”

“Of course.”

“You mentioned three children. Where is your other sibling? In England, with your mother?”

A long silence ensued.

“I’m afraid we lost my sister recently to . . . a sudden illness.”

“Oh, my dear. I’m terribly sorry. So it’s only you and your mother left.”

“That’s right.”

The sorrow in her voice stirred something in Andrew’s chest. He inched closer.

“Then may I ask,” his mother continued, “why you left to come all the way to Canada? I would think you’d want to be near her after enduring such tragedy.”

When another silence ensued, Andrew risked a glance into the room. Grace was frowning, biting her bottom lip as she often did when agitated. He ducked back out of sight, hoping she would answer since he wanted to know the reason as well.

“It was my mother’s wish that I come to Canada. She wanted me to . . .”

“Find a better life?”

“Yes.”

“And I imagine you didn’t want to disappoint her. Still, it must have been hard to leave.”

“Extremely hard.”

Those two words, fraught with such sorrow, wrenched Andrew’s heart.

“You’re a devoted daughter, which I can respect. You remind me very much of my Virginia in that regard.”

Andrew peered around the curtain once again and his throat cinched. His mother was bouncing little Christian on her knee. The child laughed with undisguised delight. How had Grace known to bring him in to cheer his mother on this difficult day?

Frank would have turned twenty-eight today. Andrew had left the office early when he realized Mother was home alone, knowing she would be grieving and would need her family around her. He also worried she might overmedicate herself to ease the pain.

He stepped out from behind the curtain and entered the solarium. “Well, what do we have here? A party and I wasn’t invited?”

Grace’s head snapped up. Her posture stiffened.

“Andrew darling, what are you doing home so early?” His mother smiled.

He bent to kiss her cheek and rested his hand on Christian’s back. “When it finally hit me what day it was, I didn’t want you to be alone.”

“Thank you. The house was much too quiet.”

“Is today a special occasion?” Grace frowned, her expression confused.

Andrew nodded. “It’s Frank’s birthday.”

“Oh.” Grace looked at his mother, then back at him. “You’d probably like some time alone as a family. I can come back later for the baby.”

Her thoughtfulness was more than admirable.

“Thank you, Grace.” Andrew held out his hand to help her rise. “I’ll walk you out.”

She stared at him, then nodded. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Easton. I hope you’re feeling better.”

“Thank you so much, Grace. I enjoyed our conversation.”

Andrew put a hand under her elbow and led her through the parlor into the main hall. “I want to thank you for bringing Christian to see my mother. How did you know this was a bad day for her?”

She glanced up at him, her eyes awash with sympathy. “I happened to see her through the window and realized she was crying. I hoped a visit from her grandson might cheer her up.”

“That was most kind. Especially since she hasn’t been very welcoming.”

Her eyelids fluttered down and the sweep of her lashes touched her cheek. Why did he find her every move so fascinating?

“I’ll be back in an hour or so for Christian,” she said.

“If he gets fussy before then, I’ll bring him up. Take some time for yourself and relax.”

“Thank you.” She started up the stairs, then looked back. “I’m very sorry about your brother. If I can do anything more, please just ask.”

He nodded, his throat too tight to speak. As he watched her ascend the stairs, he couldn’t help but admire her compassionate nature. She too had lost a brother in the war, and a sister recently as well, it seemed, yet she went out of her way to offer comfort to others.

Cecilia, on the other hand, had not even acknowledged the day. She of all people should know what significance the day held for him. She’d supposedly been in love with Frank once. Shouldn’t she be feeling some sort of sorrow or regret? Yet she’d come into the office to work with Paul Edison as though the day meant nothing, never inquiring about his parents’ well-being or his own, for that matter. Instead she flirted and giggled all morning with Andrew’s nemesis, their laughter ringing out over the halls with irritating regularity.

Another reason why Andrew had wanted to leave early.

With a last glance up the stairs, he shook off his dark thoughts and went to enjoy the extra time with his mother and nephew.