Ivy
Dr. Moretz brought his driver for the carriage. He stopped by the cottage on the way out of town Saturday, and Mrs. Price appeared carrying a bag. “I thought it would look better for you to have a lady companion,” he said, “and you might need a friend after I have to leave. If you don’t want her to stay, I can bring her back with me.”
Leah smiled warmly at Mrs. Price, who hugged Leah. “I’ve been lonely since you left,” Mrs. Price said.
As they rode, Mrs. Price asked her questions about the plantation and her family. She discovered Luke and Leah were married, and she asked questions about the wedding. Leah would have thought talking about the wedding would be painful, but it wasn’t. Leah found herself reliving all the details of that happy day, and it made her feel better.
“Your face is aglow with happiness when you talk of Luke.” Mrs. Price smiled at Leah. “I can tell you’re very happy. I’m so pleased for you.”
“It was hard for me to leave him to come here.”
Mrs. Price patted her hand. “I’m sure it was, dear. When Mr. Price died, grief tore at me. Eventually, I realized if I wanted to honor him and our marriage, I needed to be positive and happy. I reveled in the many good years we’d had, and I lived well for him and the Lord. When I changed my attitude, my days became brighter. After all, our greatest love should be for the Lord, and our mates should be second.”
Leah thought about what Mrs. Price said. She could wallow in her misery, but it wouldn’t put Luke beside her. She would try to focus on good things and cherish the time she’d had with Luke. She would see herself as blessed because, unlike when Mrs. Price and Dr. Moretz were separated from their spouses, she would get to see her loved one again soon. As much as she loved Luke, she realized she did love the Lord more, although Luke might be a close second. She smiled to herself and felt better.
Leah wanted to go straight to Ivy, but she was afraid it would be an affront to Paul. After all, Gold Leaf had been her home.
They pulled up to her old home just as the sun began its descent. The sun hit the windowpanes at an angle to make them turn opaque and golden.
“It’s beautiful!” Mrs. Price exclaimed.
“I knew we could count on you, Leah,” Paul said. “Hester Sue is resting. Bertha will show you to your rooms. You’ll be in your old one, of course.”
Leah turned to find herself smothered in an expanse of brown skin. “Miss Leah, Miss Leah, is dat really you?”
Leah gave Bertha a hug and kissed her cheek. “It’s Mrs. now.”
“Lawsey me, he betta be treatin’ my baby right.”
“He does. You may have seen him, Bertha. He was here for dinner right before Ivy and I left. Luke Moretz.”
“Dat handsome devil. I shore do remembers him.”
Bertha led them up. Leah had her old room, Mrs. Price had Ivy’s old room, and Dr. Moretz was in a guest room.
“If you’ll be okay here by yourself,” Leah said to Mrs. Price, “Dr. Moretz and I’ll go see Ivy.”
“Of course, dear. These old bones don’t travel like they used to. I’ll be glad to rest a while.”
When Leah and Dr. Moretz entered Lawrence’s house, Mrs. Nance came immediately. “I’m so glad you’re here, Leah. Ivy’s not doing well at all, and if something happens to her, I fear what will happen to Lawrence. He won’t leave her side. He won’t eat, and he can’t sleep.”
When Leah entered Ivy’s room, her sister lay in the bed with her eyes closed. Lawrence sat by her bed, holding her hand and watching her. Someone had brushed Ivy’s hair, and she looked clean and neat, but Lawrence was unshaven, disheveled, and dirty. He looked as if he’d pulled a drunk, but Leah knew better.
“Lawrence, I’m here.”
He looked up then. “Thank the Lord.”
Ivy opened her eyes. When she saw Leah, she began to cry.
“Leave us alone for a little while,” Leah asked.
“Come with me,” Dr. Moretz told Lawrence. “You can tell me about Ivy’s illness, and I’ll try to help her. I’ve had some experience in cases like hers.” He led the distraught man out.
Leah leaned over and hugged Ivy. “I love you, Ivy. Why are you like this? You’ve lost weight and look so frail.”
“Oh, Leah, I killed Mama.”
“What nonsense. You did no such thing.”
“She only lived two days after I found the letters and the diary. I’m not even your full sister, and now I’m about to do the same thing as Mama. I’m giving birth to a baby that’s not Lawrence’s.”
“Ivy, you and Paul wrote me how crazed Mama had been behaving. She wasn’t herself before you got here. I know without a doubt it thrilled her to see you. You were all she’s ever cared about. She would be most disappointed in how you’re acting now. And, unlike Mama, we told Lawrence the truth before he agreed to marry you.”
“You just don’t understand.”
“You’re the one who’s not thinking straight, Ivy. You’re trying to punish yourself for a number of things, but you shouldn’t. It’s not our job to deal out punishment, even to ourselves. Are you trying to punish your innocent baby, too?”
“No, of course not.”
“Once you asked me to give you something to take it from you, is that what you’re doing now—trying to get rid of it.”
“No! No! I’m not like that now. I’ve accepted God’s mercy, and I’m different.”
“Well, show it. Even if it’s not intentional, that’s exactly what you’re doing. When you don’t eat, it doesn’t get nourished. If you die, it dies, and most likely Lawrence, too. Have you even looked at your husband lately? He looks horrible. He’s miserable with worry for you. Hasn’t there been enough death at our doorstep? Must we also bury you, your baby, and Lawrence?”
Ivy seemed too stunned to cry. Leah knew she had shocked her sister, but something had to jolt her out of this stupor.
“Come on, Ivy. Let’s fight for this baby, and, regardless of what happens, let’s get you well. Do you remember how happy you were when you wrote me? Your newfound love flowed in every word. Lawrence is still here, and he still loves you. Do you have any idea how rare that is? Fight for it; keep it. He’s in your life right now. Don’t desert him.”
Ivy took a deep breath. “Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
“First, I want you to tell your husband to go shave and clean up. Then, Dr. Moretz is here, and I want him to examine you. In the meantime, I’ll get the kitchen to fix you something to eat, and I want you to eat it all, even if you have to force it down your throat.” Leah said it sternly, but she smiled at Ivy and kissed her cheek.
Leah sent Lawrence in first. “He’ll be out in a minute or two, and you can go in and examine her. I’m going to order her something to eat, and I’ll be right back.”
“Make it something light, like an egg and toast.” Dr. Moretz said.
Leah told the cook what she needed, and the slave said she would send it right up. Leah met Mrs. Nance in the hall.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“I think we’ve made progress. Dr. Moretz is with Ivy now. She’s ready to try to eat, and Lawrence has gone to clean up.”
“Bless you, Leah. God surely sent you to us.”
Dr. Moretz had almost finished when she entered the bedroom. Lawrence must have moved at record speed, or his man did, because he came back, and he looked much more presentable.
“It doesn’t look as bad as I feared,” Dr. Moretz said. “She is spotting, but it’s slight. I’m thinking we may be able to get it stopped. She does need to eat and stop being so anxious and distraught. I want her to stay in bed, but she needs to become interested in what’s happening and the things around her. Do you think you can do that, Ivy?”
“I think so. Leah being here helps.”
“I’ll be back in the morning to check on you, Ivy,” the doctor said. “I’ll walk down and wait on you, Leah. Take your time.”
“I’ll be down soon. Could I talk with you in private, Lawrence?”
“Certainly.” He led her to a small sitting room.
“How good are you at being with Ivy and controlling yourself?” she asked him.
He looked at her as if she had gone crazy. She guessed this was her day to shock everyone.
“I can do whatever I need to for Ivy’s wellbeing.”
“That’s what I thought.” Leah remembered Ivy telling her Lawrence had offered to give her time to love him before they became intimate.
“I think Ivy needs you to get her through this time. I don’t want her withdrawing into herself again, so I’d like to keep her from distressing over bad things. I want you to lie down beside her tonight in your clothes. Pull her into your arms and just hold her, nothing more. You can kiss her forehead or cheek, but nothing passionate. Talk to her and get her to talk to you. Can you do this?”
“I can.”
They went back to Ivy’s room. Someone had brought up a tray with a scrambled egg, a piece of toast, and some tea. Ivy had eaten about half of it.
“I’m going back to Gold Leaf now,” she told Ivy, “but I’ll be back in the morning. I want you to eat all the egg and at least half the toast. I expect you to be feeling better in the morning.”
“Thank you for coming, Leah. It seems that you’re always having to rescue me. How is Luke?”
“Fine, I hope. We were married about two weeks ago. Get some rest tonight, and I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.”
“You seemed to be pretty bossy up there,” Dr. Moretz teased as they drove back to Gold Leaf.
“Yes, but I think the situation warranted it. At least things started taking a turn for the better. Ivy has snapped out of some of her hopelessness and she’s eating, and Lawrence has cleaned up and has something he can do to help.”
“I think you’ve decided to push things along quickly, so you can get back to Luke.”
“That sounds like a great plan to me,” Leah said with a twinkle in her eye. Dr. Moretz put back his head and laughed, just like Luke did.
In the morning, Ivy did look better, and so did Lawrence. He smiled at Leah when she came in, and Leah knew things had gone well.
“While Leah is here, I’m going to take care of some business I’ve neglected,” Lawrence told Ivy. “I’ll be back and eat dinner with you.” He kissed Ivy’s cheek and left.
Dr. Moretz examined her. “Well, there’s some new spotting, but it doesn’t seem to be any worse. Her color is a little better.”
“I ate a boiled egg and half a biscuit for breakfast,” Ivy said.
“Good. I’m going to leave Leah to visit with you. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Oh, Leah, last night was wonderful,” Ivy said when the doctor had left. “Lawrence acted so tender and sweet. He said Dr. Moretz had told him not to get too intimate with me until after the baby is born, since I’m having trouble, so he lay beside me and held me in his arms, and we talked well into the night. I fell asleep in his arms, and, when I woke up, he was there beside me, just watching me. You were right. Our love is too precious to waste. I’ll be all right, as long as I have Lawrence.”
“I know just how you feel, because I feel the same way about Luke.”
“You promised to tell me all about your wedding, so let’s hear it.”
Leah began by telling Ivy about the robbery and Luke getting shot. Then they got back to the farm to find Granny Em sick. She told her every detail about the meadow wedding and how special Luke had tried to make everything for her.
She attempted to tell Ivy how much she loved Luke and how he seemed as much a part of her as her own heart. She thought Ivy might begin to understand what words couldn’t explain, since she and Lawrence were in love, too.
“Your wedding sounds so romantic, it almost makes me wish I’d been there, and you know how I feel about going back to the mountains.” They both chuckled.
“It’s so good to hear you laugh.”
“It’s good to feel like laughing again.”
By Wednesday, Ivy had stopped spotting. “You can get up and sit in a chair beside the bed for an hour at a time mornings and afternoons,” Dr. Moretz told her. “If there’s the least bit of spotting, I want you back in bed for good.”
Leah met Lawrence in the hall as she was leaving. “Thank you so much for everything,” he said. “How did you know what Ivy needed from me right now?”
“I just went by what I’d want from Luke in the same situation.”
“Luke’s a lucky man,” he said.
Thursday on the way to Lawrence’s, Dr. Moretz told Leah, “I’m going to have to return to Salisbury tomorrow. I’ve got to get back to my practice, or I’m going to end up a pauper. I think Ivy is over the worst of it. You can return with me if you want.”
“I’m not sure. Ivy might need me, if she were to lose the baby. Let me talk with her, and I’ll let you know this afternoon.”
“If you stay, you’ll probably have to remain here until after the baby’s born. Are you willing to be gone several more months?” He made a good point, but she still wanted to talk to Ivy.
“Of course you must go,” Ivy said. “By what you’ve told me, I know you sacrificed to leave Luke in the first place. I’ll be all right, Leah. Even if something happens to the baby, and I don’t think it will, I’ll cling to Lawrence. I know he’ll be there for me. I’ll depend on Lawrence and trust in God. Everything will be fine. Go make your own babies.”
“Ivy!”
They both laughed.
Leah had two more things she needed to do before she left. She said her good-byes to Ivy and Lawrence a little early Thursday and returned to Gold Leaf.
She went immediately to the stable. “Jasper, Jasper,” she called.
The old slave came out of a stall. “My, oh my, if it ain’t Miss Leah in de flesh. Come here.” He held out his arms, and Leah ran to them. She felt like a little girl again and almost expected Papa to ride in at any minute.
“I’s missed yuh somein awful. I heard you be back, but I ’spected you’d forgot all ’bout ol’ Jasper.”
“You know better than that. Would you take me out to Papa’s grave?”
“Yuh knows I’d carry ya anywheres yuh wants go.”
Leah stood just looking at the gravesite. Papa’s grave had been placed on the right side of Paul’s mother, and Mama’s newer grave was on the other side of him.
“I miss you, Papa. I love you, but I found a real good man. I’m happy, just like you always wanted.”
Jasper waited beside the carriage. The old slave had always been there for her. He was as special as they came.
Leah said her good-byes to Jasper again. She told him she loved him and left him with tears in his eyes.
The doctor, Mrs. Price, and Leah left early Friday morning. Leah knew her face must be glowing with excitement. She couldn’t wait to get home.
“I feel like you made the trip for nothing,” Leah told Mrs. Price.
“Nonsense, dear,” she said. “If things had taken a turn for the worst, and you’d had to stay longer, you’d have needed me. I’m glad you didn’t have to stay, but it’s been good for me to get out. This has been like a vacation for me.”
The dear lady always seemed so cheerful and positive. Leah told herself she needed to be like that, even when bad things happened.
How to get Leah back to the farm became their new problem. Dr. Moretz would accompany her if need be, but he really needed to stay in Salisbury. He’d been away for a month.
Dr. Moretz mentioned the problem in the carriage. “I wish I knew of someone we could trust who’s planning to go to Watauga and you could accompany them,” he told Leah.
“I know just the thing,” Mrs. Price said. “My brother’s a minister. His wife is from Sugar Grove, and they’re heading out to Mountain City, Tennessee, on Monday or Tuesday. He’s accepted a church there, because his wife wants to be closer to home. Leah should be just fine with them.”
Leah would have preferred to go back quickly, but this would have to do. At least she would be traveling toward Luke.
“Now you must stay with me,” Mrs. Price said. “It will be like old times in the little house.”
Leah did. They spent a leisurely day Saturday resting and reading. Dr. Moretz joined them before supper and stayed until almost dark. He planned to pick them both up for church the next day. They would go to the church where Mrs. Price’s brother would be a guest speaker.
A cold rain with a little sleet mixed in fell Sunday morning. “I hope you don’t hit weather problems up the mountain,” Dr. Moretz said, worried. “Winter seems to have set in early this year.”
The Picklers looked to be a middle-aged couple, and they had a bundle of energy. Their twelve-year-old son, Timothy, looked older than his age. He was as tall as Leah and taller when he wore his hat.
“I’m so pleased to have you come with us,” Mrs. Pickler said. “It’ll be good to have some female company.”
Mr. Pickler preached about the Good Samaritan. He talked about going out of our way and beyond what man expects to help others. Mrs. Price reached over and patted Leah’s hand, as if she were telling Leah this is what she’d done. Mrs. Price didn’t know how reluctantly Leah had come down the mountain to help Ivy.
After the service, Mr. Pickler told Leah they would leave at daylight tomorrow, if the weather cleared. Otherwise, they would wait until Tuesday. Leah prayed for clearing.
Dr. Moretz ate dinner with them. By the time they’d finished eating, the rain had stopped, but it had grown very windy.
“Don’t worry, dear,” the always positive Mrs. Price said. “The wind is just blowing the clouds away and drying out the ground.”
“I wanted to suggest a drive, but not in this wind,” Dr. Moretz said.
“Shall we play some chess or checkers, since we’re stuck inside?” Mrs. Price asked.
“Leah beats me too soundly,” Dr. Moretz declared. “I don’t think I’m up to that today. It humbles me too much.”
“I don’t feel like playing anyway,” Leah told them. “You two play, and I’ll sit with you and read.”
They spent a peaceful afternoon talking, laughing, and sitting in comfortable silence. Leah spent some time praying for good weather, at least until she got back to the farm. Dr. Moretz won the game of chess without much problem.
“That’s more like it,” he laughed. “Leah’s bad for a man’s ego.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seemed to deflate Luke’s ego.”
“No, you build his up, because he knows he’s won your heart.” Luke had certainly done that.
The air felt nippy Monday morning, but the sun smiled brightly. Mrs. Price had been right.
The heavy covered wagon pulled in front of the cottage at first light. It held many of the Pickler’s household goods, since they were moving permanently, and they’d packed the wagon tightly. Leah hoped they would make it up the mountain with all this, but they had an eight-mule team.
Dr. Moretz rode up to see her off, and he led Luke’s chestnut. Leah petted the horse, and he acted as if he were glad to see her. Perhaps he knew she would take him back to Luke.
She hugged and kissed the doctor and Mrs. Price. “I love you,” they both called as the wagon pulled out. “Have a safe trip.”
They started off with the three adults on the front seat, and Timothy wedged into a small slot in the back. Timothy had begged to ride the chestnut, but his father had told him to wait until they got out of town, and then it would be up to Leah.
“As you can see, I only have the sidesaddle with me,” she told the lad.
“I can ride bareback,” Timothy said. “I’ve ridden that way many a time.”
“I didn’t know we were rearing such a little savage,” his father said.
The word “savage’ didn’t sit well with Leah, but she didn’t say anything. She hoped the trip didn’t turn unpleasant. She really didn’t know these people.
“I’ll probably ride the horse some,” Leah told Timothy, “but you can ride him some, also.” That seemed to satisfy the boy.
“I have a saddle in the wagon,” Mr. Pickler whispered to Leah, “but it would be even more trouble to keep switching saddles, and the boy will do fine bareback. Maybe he won’t be so glued to the horse this way.”