"And then he looked up at Dad and said, 'But you said it was all right
before!'" Sam Marston threw up her hands in a comic gesture of despair.
"So what else could Dad do but surrender?"
Molly Torken clutched her hand to her collar and laughed; small, genteel chuckles that ripened into hearty whoops until her eyes were wet with tears. Sam looked at her with pleasure until she regained control.
"Oh my dear, I haven't enjoyed myself like this in ever so long." She wiped her eyes with the edge of her apron. "Your poor parents!"
Sam grinned. The afternoon was proving to be a revelation: the quiet, timid Molly had bloomed into a charming hostess with a wonderful sense of humour and an unlimited appetite for stories about younger brothers. It seemed like weeks since she'd been so carefree herself and she was grateful to the older woman. For several minutes there was no sound in the room but laughter.
Finally Molly picked up the teapot and carefully poured out the steaming beverage. "Now would you like want milk or lemon, dear?"
"Milk, please." Sam picked up the small silver spoon and stirred the contents of her cup. "I feel so guilty for descending on you like this, especially with Niall. It's so good of you to take us in."
"Oh my dear, I won't hear such talk! It's been so lonely -" She bit her lip and looked down at the table. "I mean, with Cal out and about doing business things, there's been no one to.to talk with.and.and." She set the delicate china down hastily and burst into tears.
"Molly!" Sam sat paralyzed for a moment, then came around the table and fell to her knees. She put her arms around the older woman's shoulders and squeezed them. "What is it?"
"Nothing! It's nothing.Just a foolish old woman being silly, is all." Molly turned away and took several deep breaths. Finally she looked back at Sam with a watery smile. "There now, all better! I'll just have my tea and everything will be all right again." She groped on the table for her cup with a shaking hand.
Sam returned to her chair. The sunny atmosphere of only a short time ago was gone as if wiped away by an invisible hand. She sat down slowly, considering how best to find out what was wrong. Taking refuge in sipping her tea, she examined and discarded several options before deciding on a forthright approach. "Molly, does this have anything to do with what you're in town to see the doctor about?"
Molly gasped, her face blanching. Tea splashed down her frock as she clutched her cup convulsively. "Yes! Oh Sam, I'm so scared! There's nothing wrong with me but I know that Cal will make the doctor give me pills.medicines.that make me see things that aren't really there and hear terrible voices." She looked old suddenly, and vulnerable.
"Why would Mr. Torken do that?" Caution was needed. If Molly really was ill, she might not even know it.
The older woman blinked several times, then carefully put down her cup. "Last year Cal's mother died. She'd been living with us for some time because she was poorly and I took care of her. Something was bothering her - in her mind, like - and she sometimes couldn't sleep. I'd hear her crying when she was supposed to be napping in the afternoon. I asked her and asked her what the matter was but she wouldn't tell me. Until the very end."
Molly looked over her shoulder at the door. Finally she leaned forward and lowered her voice to a bare whisper. "Cal wasn't in the house. She called me into her room and told me that she knew she didn't have much time. I thought she meant that she was going to die soon but that wasn't it. She meant that it wouldn't be long before Cal was back and she had to tell me something."
Sam leaned forward as well, her eyes large and questioning. "Something Mr. Torken wasn't supposed to know?"
Molly shook her head quickly. "No, he knew about it. Oh, Sam!" The tears started to her eyes again. "It's the most horrid thing in the world!"
Sam took a tight grip on her patience. "What was it? You can trust me."
"Murder!" Molly reached across the table and grasped Sam's hand with a strength born of desperation. "Elliott's parents.all those years ago.when the Marstons and the Torkens came out here in that wagon train.it wasn't the aborigines." She took a long shuddering breath, pressing Sam's fingers tightly. "It wasn't the aborigines who killed Elliott's parents. It was Cal!"
Molly Torken clutched her hand to her collar and laughed; small, genteel chuckles that ripened into hearty whoops until her eyes were wet with tears. Sam looked at her with pleasure until she regained control.
"Oh my dear, I haven't enjoyed myself like this in ever so long." She wiped her eyes with the edge of her apron. "Your poor parents!"
Sam grinned. The afternoon was proving to be a revelation: the quiet, timid Molly had bloomed into a charming hostess with a wonderful sense of humour and an unlimited appetite for stories about younger brothers. It seemed like weeks since she'd been so carefree herself and she was grateful to the older woman. For several minutes there was no sound in the room but laughter.
Finally Molly picked up the teapot and carefully poured out the steaming beverage. "Now would you like want milk or lemon, dear?"
"Milk, please." Sam picked up the small silver spoon and stirred the contents of her cup. "I feel so guilty for descending on you like this, especially with Niall. It's so good of you to take us in."
"Oh my dear, I won't hear such talk! It's been so lonely -" She bit her lip and looked down at the table. "I mean, with Cal out and about doing business things, there's been no one to.to talk with.and.and." She set the delicate china down hastily and burst into tears.
"Molly!" Sam sat paralyzed for a moment, then came around the table and fell to her knees. She put her arms around the older woman's shoulders and squeezed them. "What is it?"
"Nothing! It's nothing.Just a foolish old woman being silly, is all." Molly turned away and took several deep breaths. Finally she looked back at Sam with a watery smile. "There now, all better! I'll just have my tea and everything will be all right again." She groped on the table for her cup with a shaking hand.
Sam returned to her chair. The sunny atmosphere of only a short time ago was gone as if wiped away by an invisible hand. She sat down slowly, considering how best to find out what was wrong. Taking refuge in sipping her tea, she examined and discarded several options before deciding on a forthright approach. "Molly, does this have anything to do with what you're in town to see the doctor about?"
Molly gasped, her face blanching. Tea splashed down her frock as she clutched her cup convulsively. "Yes! Oh Sam, I'm so scared! There's nothing wrong with me but I know that Cal will make the doctor give me pills.medicines.that make me see things that aren't really there and hear terrible voices." She looked old suddenly, and vulnerable.
"Why would Mr. Torken do that?" Caution was needed. If Molly really was ill, she might not even know it.
The older woman blinked several times, then carefully put down her cup. "Last year Cal's mother died. She'd been living with us for some time because she was poorly and I took care of her. Something was bothering her - in her mind, like - and she sometimes couldn't sleep. I'd hear her crying when she was supposed to be napping in the afternoon. I asked her and asked her what the matter was but she wouldn't tell me. Until the very end."
Molly looked over her shoulder at the door. Finally she leaned forward and lowered her voice to a bare whisper. "Cal wasn't in the house. She called me into her room and told me that she knew she didn't have much time. I thought she meant that she was going to die soon but that wasn't it. She meant that it wouldn't be long before Cal was back and she had to tell me something."
Sam leaned forward as well, her eyes large and questioning. "Something Mr. Torken wasn't supposed to know?"
Molly shook her head quickly. "No, he knew about it. Oh, Sam!" The tears started to her eyes again. "It's the most horrid thing in the world!"
Sam took a tight grip on her patience. "What was it? You can trust me."
"Murder!" Molly reached across the table and grasped Sam's hand with a strength born of desperation. "Elliott's parents.all those years ago.when the Marstons and the Torkens came out here in that wagon train.it wasn't the aborigines." She took a long shuddering breath, pressing Sam's fingers tightly. "It wasn't the aborigines who killed Elliott's parents. It was Cal!"