Chapter 15

Ella sat in the spacious garden of the Barkley mansion, thinking about her conversation with Victoria Barkley. Ella was amazed that she had shared such a personal story with her. It hurt to think that Jonathon had slept with Wilma, but it would have been much worse had it happened once she and Jonathon had been married. Ella was sure there was nothing between her husband and former housekeeper now. She had written a letter to him, and Victoria had seen that it was delivered. She agreed that she needed to listen to Jonathon's side, but for now, Ella needed time away from him to get her thoughts under control.

She couldn't stop the flow of tears when she thought about the years wasted by taking the herbs. They could have a baby right now if Ella hadn't been so insistent in having her own way. Jonathon had tried to discourage her from asking Wilma for help, but Ella had refused to listen. Once he realized she was determined, he supported her, but Ella knew he preferred to let things happen naturally. If only she'd listened to him.

Ella sighed as she wiped away her tears. She looked up and found Heath watching her. It startled her, and she jumped slightly.

"Heath! I didn't realize you were there," she said.

Heath walked over to her and took a seat on a nearby bench. He removed his hat and placed it next to him. He'd seen Ella when he passed by earlier and found, to his delight, that she was still in the same spot when he had returned. He couldn't resist finding out how she was doing. She looked sad, and he'd seen her brushing away tears.

"Sorry to startle you. Are you feeling better?" he asked.

Ella sighed.

"Being able to talk to Mrs. Barkley was a big help. I'm just sorting through things in my mind now. Thank you for bringing me here."

Heath smiled and nodded his head. Ella was wearing one of Audra's dresses and although the color was lovely on Ella, the dress was too long. Heath longed to sit next to her on the bench and put his arm around her. He could imagine them being married. At the end of the day he would come home and sit next to her. She would lean her head on his shoulder and tell him all about her day. Her expressive brown eyes would turn to him, the love she had for him clearly showing. He would lean in and gently kiss her pink lips.

"How is Ellen?" Ella asked, breaking Heath's train of thought.

Heath cleared his throat, trying to think of a response. In truth, he hadn't thought of Ellen since he'd brought Ella home the night before.

"Uh...she's fine. We..ah..we went to dinner together last night."

Ella smiled.

"I'm so glad. Is she coming to the party?"

Heath shifted.

"Yeah. I asked her, and she said yes. Are you still planning on going?"

Ella looked away, the expression on her face becoming sad.

"I don't think so. I'm not sure what Jonathon is planning on doing, and I don't want to go by myself. You know how people like to talk. Perhaps I'll just stay in my room that night."

Heath felt sad that Ella wouldn't be going. Selfishly, he'd hoped for another chance to dance with her. His thoughts turned to Ellen and he knew he wasn't being fair to her.

"So, how was your day?" Ella asked, hoping to get her mind off of her situation. Heath sensed she wanted the subject changed so he talked to her about what he'd done that day. A half hour later, he was delighted to hear Ella laughing at his stories.

Nick had come home wondering where Heath had run off to. He figured he was going into town to see Ellen that night and wanted to be the first to get into the bathroom. Nick was already preparing his response in case all of the hot water was gone. He heard laughter in the garden and thought perhaps he'd find Abby there since it was one of her favorite places. Nick watched as Heath spoke with Ella and it took every ounce of his self control not to go out and drag his younger brother inside. Victoria had told them that morning that Ella would be staying with them a few days but didn't go into any details. Nick took marriage vows very seriously. It had taken him a long time to forgive his father for forsaking those vows. Although at first Nick had blamed Heath, he knew that blame was misplaced. Heath shouldn't be punished for choices his parents had made. And yet, here he was, sitting with a married woman who was separated from her husband. No, maybe he hadn't done anything "wrong", but Nick felt he was headed that way if he didn't change something.

Nick stalked off, knowing he needed to cool down before he spoke with anyone. He went upstairs and took a bath, letting the hot, steamy water relax him. Whenever his thoughts turned to Heath, he felt himself tensing and getting angry. Finally, he dried off and dressed. If Heath was still sitting with Mrs. Sommers, he'd politely get his brother away and try to talk some sense into him.

Abby was just coming from their room when Nick exited the bathroom. He gave his wife a huge kiss, whispered in her ear and then asked her if she'd seen Heath.

"He was downstairs in the garden the last I saw," Abby answered. She was watching Nick closely and saw that was not the answer he was hoping for. His jaw clinched, the muscles moving underneath his freshly shaven skin.

"I think I'll go down and have a word with him," Nick replied.

"Nick," Abby said, putting her hand on his arm to stop him. There was no way Abby could physically keep Nick from going to Heath, but her feather light touch was enough to hold him back.

"I know it isn't appropriate for Heath to spend time with Ella, but we can't interfere. We have to trust Heath and Ella to be mature enough not to do anything that would jeopardize Ella's marriage to her husband. It's not like they're hiding. Besides, I know for a fact, that Ella sent a letter to her husband today."

Nick knew his wife was right, but it galled him that Heath was behaving this way. He nodded silently and leaned down to give his wife another kiss.

"I love you, Mrs. Barkley," Nick whispered.

"I love you, Mr. Barkley," Abby responded and allowed her husband to escort her down to the parlor. Jarrod and Melissa had arrived while Nick had been upstairs. He greeted his brother with a huge bear hug and slap on the back. For Melissa, he gave her a peck on the cheek and a brotherly hug. Melissa and Abby began to discuss wedding plans and it wasn't long before Audra was getting in on the conversation. Victoria had not yet made an appearance. Meanwhile, Jarrod asked where Heath was. Nick cleared his throat, glad the others weren't paying attention to the conversation between he and Jarrod.

"He's sitting out in the garden with Mrs. Sommers."

Jarrod raised an eyebrow.

"Audra said Ella was staying here," Jarrod said, but didn't go any further since Victoria had arrived. Heath made an appearance finally, and Abby watched her husband, knowing he wanted to say something. She breathed a sigh of relief when he refrained, giving her a wink to let her know he would keep quiet...at least for now.