Idle hands ~ Chapter 1

Janet stood hovering at the door. She bit her lip nervously hopping from one foot to the other hoping he would notice her.

Adam finally stopped singing and saw her standing at his bedroom door.

"Jan, what is it" he asked scraping his face with the razor.

"My wonderful singing giving ye goosebumps." He smiled.

Jan didn't smile as she approached the wash stand.

"No sir." She frowned.

"Why so serious ladybug, you have a nightmare last night?" He asked.

"No sir, did you and Sam have an argument?" She asked, her prim little face pale with concern.

"No we did not and what have I told you about adult concerns." He asked.

"They shouldn't concern me." She rattled off the familiar speech.

"No they shouldn't, the adults in your life are well able to look after themselves Jan, they don't need you to intervene." He told her firmly.

"Yes sir, " she conceded.

"But Adam, she's crying." Janet told him.

"She's crying?" Adam thought for a minute and then he wiped soap from his face and grabbed his shirt.

"Will you bring Ronald down for breakfast Jan, we can dress him after."

"Yes sir , what are you going to say..."

Adam gave her a look.

"I'm a little girl not concerned with adult affairs" she rattled off quickly as she headed into Ronald's room.

Adam smiled as he pulled on his shirt and headed down stairs.

~o~

Sam wiped her eyes quickly as he entered the kitchen.

"I'll have bacon and pancakes for you in a minute." She told him in a put on cheerful voice.

He went to her putting his hands on her shoulders. His gentle touch was too much for Sam and she began to sob quietly, putting a hand to her face.

"Adam..."

Adam turned her to face him and let her cry into his shoulder.

"It's ok." He told her softly. As he stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Next time" he told her "next time for sure."

"I was so sure," she sobbed. "It's not fair."

"I know," he said kissing the top of her head "I know."

Janet stared at the kitchen door intently as she sat Ronald down on the sofa. He wanted to get up and play but she held him fast knowing it wasn't a good time for a boisterous four year old to be making his presence known. She reflected on the conversation she'd had with Adam upstairs. He was always telling her that she was not to worry herself with adult concerns but how could she help it. Mostly Adam and Sam were happy and time spent at Adams house was fun but she had to be ready, she had to look after Ronald.

Kirby often told her she worried too much, Adam and Sam were nice people and she should just enjoy her time with them but things change. Like, why was Sam crying. What happened?. Did they fight?. Adam wasn't drinking last night. She never actually saw him drunk. Did he drink after she was in bed?. Why was Sam crying?.

~o~

They emerged a little while later. Sam was smiling but her eyes were red.

"Come on now, come to the table," she told them.

Adam was setting the table and helping her bring out the food. Janet bit her lip as she took her place at the table. She frowned deeply, there must have been a bust up after she went to bed. Her parents were always having bust ups and her father would hit her mother. Janet never saw Adam hit Sam but she was crying this morning so...

Janet began helping Ronald with his food until Sam took over thanking Janet and telling to eat her own breakfast.

~o~

Janet was very quiet on the way to school. She was lost in her own thoughts and none of them were happy or childlike. She didn't notice anything on the road until the carriage suddenly ground to a stop.

She turned to Adam.

"We've stopped." She said looking up into his face.

"Yep and we're not going to start again until you tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me," she lied.

"Now come on Janet, we're friends aren't we, friends tell each other everything. Back at the house you were fussing and caring for Ronald. You do that excessively when you're bothered. Now, out with it?" He told her.

She looked down at her hands, not wishing to tell him her fears.

"Why was Sam crying?" She asked.

He was about to give her the usual talk about adult concerns but she looked so worried. For a child Janet had an awful tendency towards worrying, Adam and Sam were trying to discourage it.

"Sam was crying because she was excited about something but it didn't work out. And now she's very disappointed," Adam told her.

"Ohhh," she nodded. "She thought she was going to have a baby."

Adam thought he had made that cryptic, obviously not.

Janet brightened up considerably. "Oh I see, poor Sam"

"We'll have to be extra nice to her." She smiled as she settled herself for the rest of the journey. But Adam didn't start the buggy moving again.

"What did you think," he asked.

"Nothing, I was just worried about her," she blushed red trying to avoid his searching gaze.

"Janet, what did you think. There was something in your head this morning," He asked again.

"I thought you'd had a fight,"

"Is that all, no we didn't fight," he smiled, patting her knee and taking the reigns in his hands.

"Yeah I should have guessed, I mean there weren't any bruises. I'm just being silly," she shrugged.

Adam dropped the reigns again and looked at her.

"Janet even if we did have a disagreement, we wouldn't hit each other. That just wouldn't happen." He told her.

Janet cringed then, she knew her life with her parents was very different from life with Adam and Sam.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"There's nothing to be sorry about Jan but I want you to promise me one thing."

She looked up at him then.

"I want you to promise you'll tell me or Sam if you're worried about something. It's not good to keep things bottled up."

"I promise." She told him solemnly.

Adam decided it was time to change the subject.

"Janet, remember the picnic on Sunday you saw that big salmon in the lake."

"Yes sir."

"What's say after school we get our fishing poles and go after him." Adam grinned.

"But he'll be long gone," Janet smiled, her face starting to look merry once more.

"That's what he wants you to think Jan, that's what he wants you to think."

The rest of the ride to school was pleasant with Adam telling Janet stories about fishing trips with little Hoss, who as a child would give the fish it's freedom when Adams back was turned.

Janet laughed happily feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

~o~

Adam made way as a large buggy passed them on the road. The owner of the fine carriage didn't salute as is the usual custom if someone lets you pass on the road.

"Well would you look at that." Adam whistled at the black shiny carriage with fine sturdy wheels and lanterns back and front.

"That is Mr Vernon Manning." Janet said in her poshest voice.

"He resides at the largest house in Virginia city with his dear sister Angela. They spend their days eating tiny sandwiches and drinking tea from tiny china cups."

"Manners, young lady." Adam told her, but inwardly he was proud of the little character that was emerging in his ward. She had come a long way from the timid little creature scampering about Desmond Nash's house.

"How do you know so much about him?" Adam asked.

"They're the talk of the town Adam, no offence but someone in the saloon said that, that family could buy and sell your pa twice over they are so loaded."

"Janet what did I tell you about the saloon."

"Not to go in," she pouted a little.

"Will I have to tell Kirby?" He asked.

"No Adam, she'll take the hair brush to me."

Adam couldn't help smiling at Janet's wild look.

"Well ok but, keep out of the saloon. I mean it Jan, it's not a fitting place for you to be seen in," Adam helped her down at the school gates.

"Yes sir."

"And tell Kirby Sam wants to keep Ronald an extra night as he still has that cold."

"I'll tell her, bye Adam." Janet ran to join a cluster of girls gathered at the large oak tree in the corner of the playground. She rummaged in her bag for her collection of fancy note paper. It was the latest craze among the girls to collect and swap the fancy scented sheets. Adam despaired of Janet wasting pocket money on such things, Sam called him an old poop and hunted out some note paper she had kept since she was a girl. Janet was thrilled, nobody else had those sheets, she would be the only one.

Adam smiled as he watched the girls crowd around Janet to get a glimpse of the new sheets that nobody had. He couldn't remember ever being that young.

Vernon Manning watched as Adam walked the wooden path towards the mercantile. Everybody greeted him as he passed. Ladies particularly seemed warmed to him. They clustered around him laughing at all he said. Adam tipped his hat and excused himself edging towards the door. Vernon Manning was intrigued. So this was one of the famous Cartwright's his father was so taken with.

"We'll see." Manning said out loud as he moved off.