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FAITH COULD FEEL THE sweat dampening the back of her dress, and couldn’t wait to get into a bath and wash the day’s stickiness and dust from her skin.
There was also the matter of a considerable amount of drool little Joey left behind, as his mother revealed upon retrieving him that he had some teeth coming in.
“How is your sister?”
She was met at the door to her bedroom by her maid’s younger sister, after her father insisted on a carriage ride back home when the event closed down in the early evening. Faith knew that the comfort was not for her, but for her mother, although she couldn’t see anything wrong with her.
Her mother was tired just as she was, and she wondered why in the world her father was so concerned.
“She’s just fine, thank you, and the baby is lovely. Well, not really, but it’s what we’re meant to say. Babies look like wrinkled up old men, truth be told.”
Joanna, Jeannette’s sister, talked as much as Jeannette did, and Faith was too weary to do anything but offer her a smile as she was expertly unbuttoned and prodded into a cool tub of equally chilly water.
Her parents had suggested that Joanna, who was employed by the family as well, assist Faith from now until Jeanntte returned, and the timing was perfect.
“It was hot a bit ago, Miss Faith, but there was no real telling when you would all be back, so . . .”
Faith slid gently into the tub and leaned back, allowing the tendrils of her wet hair to trail into the fragrant water.
Lavender and chamomile; her favorites.
“Never mind, Joanna. Thank you for having it ready for me. It was a long day, but a lot of people came by to eat and socialize, not to mention take home clothes and whatever else they needed that we had on hand.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Joanna?”
Her voice sounded faint to her own ears, but the maid was at her side instantly, her tone breathy as if she expected some enticing revelation.
“Yes, miss?”
She and her sister were two of a kind, and while both were considerably older than she was, they never seemed to age. They loved to talk, but mostly, they loved to listen, because nothing pleased them more than an interesting tale about someone they knew.
Faith laughed a little as she gathered her thoughts. Joanna wouldn’t gossip, but she would carry whatever she heard from her back to her sister.
And her sister was close friends with her aunts’ maids, so saying anything would be risky.
“If I ask you about someone, will you promise to keep it to yourself?”
Joanna tucked her head back, then pushed it forward like a chicken, her mouth open, her gaze incredulous. Faith had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing once more.
“Why would you even have to ask?”
There was no miss this time, and Faith could tell that she had offended her.
But if she hadn’t explicitly asked her not to share it with her sister . . .
“Has anyone new moved into town? Someone with means?”
It was a logical step for Faith to assume the dark haired man in the blue suit came from money, if for no other reason than the cut and fabric of his clothing.
And all changes in Newport were noted by the servants first and foremost. They all seemed to know each other and somehow, shared information faster than one could make a telephone call.
Joanna blinked a few times and pursed her lips, clearly no longer upset.
“No, not that I can think of. Why? Did you meet someone new today?”
That was unexpected, and Faith wanted to pinch herself for not seeing it coming.
Who was he, then, if he wasn’t a new resident, and why had he come to First Steps?
“Oh, there were a lot of people there that I hadn’t personally met before, that’s all. I think I’d better get out before I fall asleep.”
She rubbed the wet washcloth that hung over the side over herself to wipe off the grime, feeling a chill more deeply as the air from the open window swept in.
“No one in particular, miss?”
The miss was back, and no matter how many times Faith told Joanna and her sister to just call her Faith, they still kept at it.
“Long standing habit,” her mother had explained, and while Faith knew this was true, it felt strange to be called something that felt so formal by women older than she was.
She shook her head, stepping out of the tub and onto a plush mauve rug as Joanna covered her with a thick towel, holding it close together with both hands under Faith’s chin.
“There was someone,” Joanna whispered loudly, her face only inches from Faith’s, and her serious tone made Faith burst into laughter.
There was no reason for her to be so interested in the dark stranger, who wasn’t a part of the community. She rarely left Newport, even as her Travers cousins went back and forth from Newport to their Manhattan townhouse, and even to Europe on excursions that took months.
Ruby was on one such tour with a friend and her friend’s family, and when Faith turned down her invitation to join them, she had huffed a little, although the smile on her face was genuine enough.
“I’m not surprised. Don’t worry, I’ll bring you a pretty souvenir.”
With a kiss and a brief hug, Ruby had been off on another adventure.
Faith squinted as she thought about her cousin, who probably would have charmed the stranger at first sight and left no question unasked.
“It’s a gentleman someone, isn’t it?”
When Faith groaned and turned away, Joanna sighed.
“I’ll keep my ears open for any news about a . . . what does he look like?”
Dark curling hair, eyes black as night, and that smile. It was inviting, as if he would be a comfortable companion.
“Oh, never mind, Joanna. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Her words made no sense to her own ears, and Joanna twisted her lips in disapproval until Faith finally shook her head and told her she could go as soon as she was buttoned up into a fresh dress, one that was light and airy to avoid too much trouble with the heat.
“Please, Joanna, don’t give it another thought. Please give Jeannette my best, and let her know I’d like to visit as soon as she’ll have me.”
Joanna looked incredulous.
“As soon as she’ll have you, Miss Faith? Why, it isn’t as if she’s the queen of England! You can come by whenever it pleases you.”
With that, the maid wadded the damp towel in her arms and marched from the room, closing the door firmly behind her.
Faith sighed, smiling. Joanna and Jeannette’s husbands were quiet brothers who were silently devoted to their outgoing wives, and Faith often wondered at the matches they had made.
She slipped her feet into a pair of shoes, wishing she could go barefoot instead of scrunching her toes up again.
If no one saw beneath her dress, no one would know, would they?
Hopefully her grandmother was resting, because it would be anyone’s luck to be caught by the family matriarch the one time they went about the house without shoes.
She left her room, closing the door just as Joanna had done so the breeze would continue to fill the room with cooler air, making for a more comfortable sleeping environment later, and padded down the hall and stairs to the great room where they held most of their family gatherings.
It was also where she was sure to find her brother, who liked to sit and read the newspaper in the last rays of the day’s sunlight, exactly the opposite of when their father spent time pouring over its information in the morning.
“This war in Europe,” Johnny began, noticing her presence before he could have seen her walk into the room. “It’s very upsetting.”
He was unnaturally serious, but as Faith came to sit beside him on the sofa, she understood that any talk of war would make anyone become somber.
“I don’t understand all of it. It seems so complicated, and while I’m glad we’re staying out of it, I do pray that it will end soon, so lives will be spared.”
She leaned into him, their shoulders touching as she spoke. Fortunately, Ruby would be home soon and out of the way of any trouble overseas, although it didn’t look like she was close to the conflict anyway.
He folded the newspaper, crumpling up the edges a little as he pushed it onto the small table in front of them.
“So, how was Thomas this morning? I haven’t had a good talk with him in a little while.”
Faith rested her head on the back of the sofa, fighting the urge to sigh. It was best not to tell anyone about Thomas’ reaction to someone new at their uncle’s, if only because she didn’t want Johnny, or anyone, to give Thomas a difficult time over it.
“Thomas is well,” she began, but a young girl practically skipped into the room, waving two envelopes in the air in front of her.
“Letters from Miss Ruby!”
She called out as she approached Faith and Johnny, a big smile lighting up her face. Her cheeks were flushed and she heaved a sigh Faith nearly echoed as the maid stopped abruptly in front of them.
“Well, I don’t think we could be as enthusiastic about them as you are, Kelly!”
Johnny teased the maid as he and Faith stood up, and Kelly shoved one of the envelopes into his chest, making him laugh as Faith opened her hand to accept the remaining one.
Kelly stayed, bouncing on her toes as she waited for the two of them to open their letters, and Faith shook her head, unable to resist the other girl’s mood as she tore open the paper impatiently.
“She’ll be home in two weeks, and she has news to share,” her brother began, but as soon as he stopped talking, Faith picked up the thread.
“But it has to be done in person, as it is of a personal nature,” she continued.
Kelly frowned.
“What does she mean by that, Miss Faith?”
A familiar footstep interrupted the brief silence that followed the maid’s question, and Maddie, the head housekeeper, placed her hand firmly on Kelly’s shoulder.
“It means that it is none of your business, and if you have all your work finished, I’m sure I can find something else to occupy your time, for which, I may remind you, you are being paid.”
Maddie bobbed her head at Faith and Johnny, and as Kelly pouted, pushed the girl away from them and out of the room.
“Now what is all this fuss about, children?”
Faith folded her letter up and stood up a bit straighter as her grandmother’s voice filtered in from the opposite hallway, relieved that she hadn’t arrived moments earlier.
Maddie was a determined taskmaster, but Mrs. Davenport the Elder, as those in town referred to her, would have been appalled to see one of the maids pressuring Faith and Johnny for the contents of private correspondence.
Not to mention that she was most likely supposed to be folding laundry or dusting furniture instead.
Faith hugged her grandmother, kissing her on the cheek even as the older lady patted her absently, and Johnny took her hand and led her to the sofa.
“I’m not so old that I can’t sit down of my own volition, boy!”
She grumbled, but not unkindly. Faith had realized over the past couple of years that most of her grandmother’s ferocity was a show, but when she was truly angry it was mostly out of concern for her family.
She couldn’t imagine the difficulties her own mother had faced when she had married into this family, after working as a maid like Kelly for a few years.
“Well, are you both going to sit here with blank stares, or are you going to answer my question?”
Johnny leaned over a bit, catching Faith’s eye as he glanced around their grandmother. She smiled at him, reminded of times they had cuddled up to her when they were very young and she hadn’t minded their sleepy warmth.
“Ruby is finally coming home.”
“In two weeks, she says.”
They took turns explaining their excitement, and their grandmother nodded along with each revelation.
They had somehow, silently, agreed not to share their cousin’s comment about her news, which might be too personal for their grandmother to hear when Ruby returned.
If they mentioned it, she would be sure to ask Ruby about it right away.
Sometimes her mother or Aunt Catherine would say that Ruby reminded them of Aunt Sarah, but Faith couldn’t see it. Aunt Sarah was very focused on Uncle Sam and Thomas, and she couldn’t imagine her traveling or socializing the way Ruby loved to.
If there was a party, Ruby found it, and even more so, became the center of it.
The very idea of Aunt Sarah in the middle of so much attention was absolutely foreign to Faith.
“It’s about time she came home. All that gallivanting around isn’t good when the world is in such unrest.”
Their grandmother had a good point, one that dovetailed on Johnny’s earlier comment.
“Maybe we could have a little party, just family, with big stacks of waffles and lots of ice cream,” Johnny suggested, and Faith noticed a twitch of their grandmother’s lips before she frowned.
“If we must, I suppose. Now, I’m going to see if Lillian would like to take a turn in the gardens with me.”
She stood up suddenly and without warning, but steady on her feet as she waved them both away.
“It will be good to see all of you together again.”
With those words, she walked away, her stride not quite as quick as it had been when they were children, but her chin was lifted and her shoulders as straight as ever.
“What do you think Ruby means by this?”
Johnny didn’t sound too concerned, and Faith honestly wasn’t sure.
She shrugged, and he raised his eyebrows, wiggling them a little.
“Do you think she’s in love?”
He whispered the word loudly, making Faith laugh again. Of course, he could be right, but they would find out when their cousin arrived and shared all the details of her adventures with them.
When Faith finally returned to her room after spending the rest of the evening with Johnny and her parents, peering at her mother often to see if she could find something about her to worry over, she realized that the three of them had taken her mind off her other great worry.
Thomas.