Chapter 4
"What did you say Sonny?" Jason asked in surprise even though he knew darn well what Sonny had said.
At the same time, Francis groaned, "Not you too Sonny."
Holding up is hand, Sonny said to Jason, "Just hear me out, Jase. You want your daughter, right? And you don't want to get her by force. So you need your grandmother on your side. I say if she wants you to get married, get married."
"Sonny..." Jason began angrily.
"I know. You don't want to get shackled, but you're gonna have a daughter to care for Jase. That means you're settling down anyway, right? And you want your daughter to have someone to help care for her...so find yourself a wife."
"No." Jason shook his head. "I don't have anything left to give a woman, Sonny. I can't marry."
Carly glared at him. "Of course ya have a lot to offer a woman!"
Sonny put his hand on her arm to silence her, and said to Jason, "All I'm suggestin' is you find a woman who'll help you care for your daughter, Jase. I'm not sayin' you have to love the woman..."
"What?!" Carly shouted as she turned horrified eyes toward her husband, "Did ya just say he don't have to love the woman?! You want him to marry a woman he hates, husband?!"
Sonny chuckled at his wife's fiery outburst. Damn she was a beauty when she was riled up. "No, just a woman who he can be comfortable with. A companion for him and his daughter."
Carly's eyebrows rose in disbelief as she shouted, "She will be his wife Sonny, not his damn dog!"
"Carly..." Jason began quietly, "calm down." Then turning to his best friend, he asked, "Sonny, even if I was to agree to such a thing-and there's no way I will-how the hell am I to find this comfortable companion? If I know anything about woman, they want love and romance, Sonny."
Johnny nodded sagely. "Yep, you're sure right there, Jase. Women want all that bosh..."
"Sure do! Damn, Johnny, 'member when ya had that mad fancy for that Farthington lass? Lord...the things ya did to make a mash on that gal..." Francis let out a belly laugh. "T-the damn foolishness womenfolk are wantin'!"
Sonny noticed that Carly's face was turning redder and redder, and her fists were clenched on the table in front of her. If he wanted to have any peace this night, he had better shut Johnny and Francis up. "Hobble your lips you two!" Turning back to Jason, he said, "Jase...there has to be a sensible woman 'round these parts who would make a fine wife."
"Forget it, Sonny," Jason replied sharply as he stood up. "I'll figure out another way to put Lila's mind at ease." He turned to head toward the stairs leading up to the boarding rooms. "I'll see you all later. I need to do a few things before I go back to the Quartermaines."
Sonny too stood up and shouted, "Wait! What was all that about jail when I came in?"
Without looking back, Jason said, "Ask Carly." Then he had disappeared up the stairs.
Sonny looked down at his wife. "Well?"
Looking up, Carly replied as she pulled on his arm, "Sit, Sonny. It was just the sheriff. He wanted to haul Jase off to jail after his run in with Sorel."
"Sorel? What the hell happened 'round here Carly?" Sonny sat back down so he could see into his wife's eyes.
Carly explained what had happened beginning with Sorel's harassment of the girls and then his assault of the young miss. "And ya know Jase...he couldn't stand by and let that jackass hassle the girl."
Johnny put in, "Yep, Jase knocked him out good."
"And then that damn sheriff came and he looked fit to kill Jase. Pulling a gun on him..."
Sonny's eyebrows rose at this, but then he remembered that the sheriff had been Robin's uncle...there was no love lost between him and Jason. "Why didn't one of the witnesses tell the sheriff what happened?"
Carly rolled her eyes, and said angrily, "Ya know what upstanding the folks we have 'round here! They didn't wanna get involved in the whole thin'. If it hadn't been for that girlie speakin' up, the sheriff would've hauled Jase off without any of 'em sayin' a word on his behalf!"
"Well, at least he's not in jail. But we're goin' to have trouble from Moreno once he finds out." Turning to Johnny, Sonny said, "Tell the boys to make sure his men don't come in here if their armed." Johnny nodded, and got to his feet with Francis following behind him.
After the two men had left through the back, Sonny looked at Carly and asked, "You didn't tell Jase about Deke did you?"
Carly sighed and shook her head. "Jase's got so much on his mind, Sonny. I didna want to burden him with it. But you should tell him Sonny."
Sonny ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. Should he tell Jason his suspicions that Deke had not died from a drunken accident...but from murder?
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
As she stared down into her blueberry pie, Elizabeth tried to block out all the laughter and good humoured conversation around her. For the past hour the Spencer clan had been speaking mostly of the wedding to come in six months, and Elizabeth felt misery like she had not felt before.
She had thought yesterday had been the worst day of her life, but this day had been far worse. Not only was their the prospect of this wedding, but she had the whole town talking about her extreme clumsiness which caused quite the scene. And Grams was still very irate that she had not been more careful of where she was going. As both Grams and Sarah admonished her during their ride over to the Spencers, Elizabeth had felt a twinge of...anger. Had she not been carrying Sarah's hat boxes? Had she not asked for help? But as usual she kept her feelings to herself. She just wanted them to forget the whole thing...but that seemed an impossibility.
"I still can't believe what I heard from Mrs. Collins in town, Audrey. Did one of Moreno's men actually attack poor Lizzie?"
"I am afraid so, Laura. Apparently, Lizzie walked right into the man's path, and caused his horse to buck."
Elizabeth felt a gentle touch on her arm, and she reluctantly looked up. But at the sight of Lucky's concerned face, she felt her heartbeat quicken. "Are you sure your alright, Beth? It must have been frightening for you."
She nodded as she looked into his warm dark blue eyes. "I'm alright Lucky...Thank you."
"Of course she's fine," Sarah began irritably from the other side of Lucky at the dining table, "None of this would have happened if Lizzie had just been more careful."
From the head of the table, Luke Spencer turned surprise eyes toward his future daughter-in-law. He chided gently, "Sarah, darlin', surely you can't be sayin' it's Lizzie's fault that Sorel grabbed her. No man should ever touch a woman like that. I'm just damn glad that Jason Quartermaine was there, and gave that man what was comin' to him otherwise I would be payin' Moreno a visit."
With an agitated hand to her golden hair, Laura Spencer's eyes widened in worry. "Luke, don't go causing trouble. So far he's left us alone. Please, just let it be." Everyone knew that Frankie Moreno had been going after the small landowners, forcing them to sell to him so he could increase the grazing range for his cattle. Only the fact that the Spencer and the Webber farms were so close in proximity to Quartermaine land had prevented them from getting the same harassment. While Moreno likely had enough hired guns to run off most of the farmers in the area, Edward Quartermaine still had the political clout in the county to ward off trouble from him.
"Oh heavens, Mr. Spencer, please don't go to Mr. Moreno on Lizzie's behalf," Sarah added in concern.
Audrey nodded. "Best leave it be, Luke. That disreputable man of his already received exactly what he deserved from that Quartermaine boy."
Luke chuckled. "Boy, Audrey? Lord...that man is reputed to be one of the best sharpshooters in the whole country. I still can't believe Jason has come back to Heaven. Not after all that happened..."
Sarah asked curiously, "What exactly did happen, Mr. Spencer? And why would a Quartermaine want to change his name? Just that name alone could get him everything he could ever want. But he said he goes by the name Morgan now."
Even Elizabeth was interested in the turn the conversation had taken. Earlier she had asked one of their barn hands, Jesse, to deliver that letter of thanks to the man. But even after writing that note, the mysterious man had still been on her mind. She felt this odd fascination with him. While he frightened her with his cold exterior, she wondered why such a man would be fighting his own family for his daughter...and who was the girl's mother?
"He had a falling out with his family. Can't say I blame him. That family could try a saint. Edward Quartermaine has cheated many a fine folk in this area ..." Luke shook his head as if shaking off a memory, "But that's neither here nor there...not many folks know exactly what happened with Jason, and that is mighty unusual in these parts, but apparently it had something to do with Robin."
Laura nodded as she continued for her husband, "Yes. When Jason came back from schooling in the East, they became sweethearts. She was such a beauty that Robin and the sweetest of temperaments. But her family was no where in the league of the Quartermaines. Anyway, Jason apparently defied his family and the rumours of their engagement were everywhere...but then three months later Robin left town, and not much later, so had Jason and that childhood friend of his, Sonny Cor-"
"But why did she leave?" Elizabeth interrupted before she could prevent herself. "Oh I'm sorry." She blushed at her rudeness.
Luke turned to Elizabeth with a warm smile. This Webber sister with her mop of wild curls was a shy lass and often was overshadowed by her beautiful sister, but he had a fondness for her. He had a feeling there were depths to the girl that none of them really knew. "Darling, there ain't no need to apologise. We're all curious. Actually Robin ended up marrying Nikolas."
Nikolas? Elizabeth tried to recall where she had heard that name before.
"You're half brother, Nikolas?!" Sarah asked Lucky in surprise.
Lucky nodded. "Yep. They went off to Boston, and got hitched. He wrote to us when he arrived back in New York with his wife. Reckon they met while he was in Heaven to visit Mother, just around the time before Robin left. Said they were madly in love."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. She remembered Nikolas Cassadine now...a dark handsome young man, who had looked absolutely nothing like his brother, Lucky. It had surprised all of them that Laura had had another child from a previous marriage. Apparently her first husband was not someone Laura wanted to remember, but she welcomed her son with open arms when he came for a visit. His family up East were in the...railroad business, and had forbidden her to contact him after she was divorced from his father. Elizabeth has always wondered about the story behind Laura Spencer's past. A divorce was a drastic action...
But Elizabeth's mind was on the more pressing matter. Lucky's brother married Robin Scorpio? Had she left the man with the hard blue eyes for Lucky's brother. But why would the sheriff say that man had broken his niece's heart? And was she the mother of his daughter? This was all simply too confusing...
Letting out a sad sigh, Laura said softly, "Yes, he sounded heart broken in his letters after Robin's death from consumption."
Audrey shook her head sadly. "I know it broke the sheriff's heart when he heard. I remember Mrs. Jones said his face had turned ashen after reading that telegram. She was such a lovely girl to die so young."
"Did they..." Elizabeth began quietly, then in a firmer voice finished, "...have any children?" While it now seemed unlikely that Robin had been the mother of the man's daughter...the question of the little girl still plagued her.
Laura's eyes widened. "No dear. Robin died not too many months after their marriage. Must have been seven months at most."
Shaking her head, Audrey said, "Well, I think that's enough of that. I'm sure there will be plenty of talk about the whole matter in the weeks to follow if that Quartermaine boy remains in town." Turning to Lucky she continued, "There's the more pressing matter of the county fair in less than a week. I think you and Sarah should announce your engagement at the dance that last evening."
"Oh yes, Grams! That will be simply grand!" Sarah exclaimed excitedly as she reached for Lucky's hand.
Luke chuckled. "Don't you think the whole town already knows? Can't imagine those tabby cats in that sewing circle of yours, Laura, hasn't spread the news around."
"Luke! Let the young people have their moment," Laura admonished.
Lucky spoke up. "I think it would be a good time to announce it to everyone even if they already know, Pa." Then with a big proud smile, he said to Sarah, "I can't wait to tell everyone I'm the luckiest man alive."
As Sarah giggled happily, Elizabeth poked at her still uneaten pie with her fork. When would the torture stop?
Apparently not anytime soon as her grandmother said, "Well, I tell you Lucky, how happy I am that you will be taking over the running of the farm. As much as I love the place, I'm getting too old. And I know you'll do a fine job looking after it. I hope you and Sarah find as much happiness as I did with her grandfather there."
Elizabeth's eyes rose to her grandmother. "What did you say, Grams?!" Her shock caused her to speak much more abruptly than she usually would have. "What do you mean Lucky will be running the farm?"
"Why, of course he will, Lizzie! He and I will be making the farm our home," Sarah explained as if it was something everyone knew.
And apparently it was because only Elizabeth's face showed any surprise. "But where will Grams and I live?"
"Really Lizzie. Don't be ridiculous. In town of course. Grams is much too old to be running the farm, and she's wanted to buy a cottage in town for awhile now."
This was the first of this Elizabeth had heard. Just when she had thought nothing would be more painful than the prospect of having Lucky as a brother-in-law, now she was losing her home. And her only friends...Daisy, Burt and the others...
"Beth..." Elizabeth looked up at Lucky. "You can come by and visit any time...If you want you could live there with us 'til you get married."
"Lucky!" Sarah exclaimed in horror.
Shaking her head adamantly, Elizabeth said with a catch in her throat to the boy she loved, "No. I c-cannot. B-but thank you for asking Lucky."
An awkward silence followed. Luke watched as the young lady struggled to hide her disappointment in losing her home. He wondered why Audrey and Sarah had not told the girl sooner to let her get accustomed to the idea. It was a harsh way to let the girl find out. Wanting to ease her discomfort, Luke soon changed the subject to the upcoming county fair with its many contests and competitions, and where many of the goods and livestock in the area would be put up for sale.
"I'll come by tomorrow Audrey and help you pick out which hogs and chickens will fetch you the best prices this year. I'll take them down to the fair in my buggy the next day."
"Thank you kindly, Luke. I want to be able to clear out most of the older ones this year, as we had a lot of youngin's this spring."
Elizabeth felt the air get knocked right out of her as her grandmother's words ripped through her melancholy. Lord...did her grandmother mean Burt? "No..." Elizabeth whispered in horror, "Grams, surely you don't mean Burt."
"I told you not to get too attached to those animals, Lizzie! And yes I mean that hog you've named. He's nice and plump now, and will fetch a fine price." As Elizabeth was about to argue, Audrey shook her head firmly. "No, Lizzie, you won't talk me out of it this year. It's a farm I'm runnin' and those animals are not pets."
As she saw the determination in her grandmother's hard eyes, Elizabeth felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness come over her. It seemed that everything that meant anything to her was slowly being ripped out of her life, and there seemed nothing she could do about it.
"Izzie..." Elizabeth looked down as she felt a tugging of the bottom of her skirt, and even though her whole being ached, she smiled down at the round little five year old girl. Elizabeth had always felt connected to young children. They never cared that she was clumsy or shy. They just wanted from her what she could be-a friend. "Yes, Lulu?"
"Izzie...needa hug?" The girl's large dark eyes seemed to look up at her with sympathy.
Slipping out of her chair to the floor unnoticed by all the adults in the room who had turned to another topic of conversation, Elizabeth let the arms of the little girl offer her comfort.
"What did you say Sonny?" Jason asked in surprise even though he knew darn well what Sonny had said.
At the same time, Francis groaned, "Not you too Sonny."
Holding up is hand, Sonny said to Jason, "Just hear me out, Jase. You want your daughter, right? And you don't want to get her by force. So you need your grandmother on your side. I say if she wants you to get married, get married."
"Sonny..." Jason began angrily.
"I know. You don't want to get shackled, but you're gonna have a daughter to care for Jase. That means you're settling down anyway, right? And you want your daughter to have someone to help care for her...so find yourself a wife."
"No." Jason shook his head. "I don't have anything left to give a woman, Sonny. I can't marry."
Carly glared at him. "Of course ya have a lot to offer a woman!"
Sonny put his hand on her arm to silence her, and said to Jason, "All I'm suggestin' is you find a woman who'll help you care for your daughter, Jase. I'm not sayin' you have to love the woman..."
"What?!" Carly shouted as she turned horrified eyes toward her husband, "Did ya just say he don't have to love the woman?! You want him to marry a woman he hates, husband?!"
Sonny chuckled at his wife's fiery outburst. Damn she was a beauty when she was riled up. "No, just a woman who he can be comfortable with. A companion for him and his daughter."
Carly's eyebrows rose in disbelief as she shouted, "She will be his wife Sonny, not his damn dog!"
"Carly..." Jason began quietly, "calm down." Then turning to his best friend, he asked, "Sonny, even if I was to agree to such a thing-and there's no way I will-how the hell am I to find this comfortable companion? If I know anything about woman, they want love and romance, Sonny."
Johnny nodded sagely. "Yep, you're sure right there, Jase. Women want all that bosh..."
"Sure do! Damn, Johnny, 'member when ya had that mad fancy for that Farthington lass? Lord...the things ya did to make a mash on that gal..." Francis let out a belly laugh. "T-the damn foolishness womenfolk are wantin'!"
Sonny noticed that Carly's face was turning redder and redder, and her fists were clenched on the table in front of her. If he wanted to have any peace this night, he had better shut Johnny and Francis up. "Hobble your lips you two!" Turning back to Jason, he said, "Jase...there has to be a sensible woman 'round these parts who would make a fine wife."
"Forget it, Sonny," Jason replied sharply as he stood up. "I'll figure out another way to put Lila's mind at ease." He turned to head toward the stairs leading up to the boarding rooms. "I'll see you all later. I need to do a few things before I go back to the Quartermaines."
Sonny too stood up and shouted, "Wait! What was all that about jail when I came in?"
Without looking back, Jason said, "Ask Carly." Then he had disappeared up the stairs.
Sonny looked down at his wife. "Well?"
Looking up, Carly replied as she pulled on his arm, "Sit, Sonny. It was just the sheriff. He wanted to haul Jase off to jail after his run in with Sorel."
"Sorel? What the hell happened 'round here Carly?" Sonny sat back down so he could see into his wife's eyes.
Carly explained what had happened beginning with Sorel's harassment of the girls and then his assault of the young miss. "And ya know Jase...he couldn't stand by and let that jackass hassle the girl."
Johnny put in, "Yep, Jase knocked him out good."
"And then that damn sheriff came and he looked fit to kill Jase. Pulling a gun on him..."
Sonny's eyebrows rose at this, but then he remembered that the sheriff had been Robin's uncle...there was no love lost between him and Jason. "Why didn't one of the witnesses tell the sheriff what happened?"
Carly rolled her eyes, and said angrily, "Ya know what upstanding the folks we have 'round here! They didn't wanna get involved in the whole thin'. If it hadn't been for that girlie speakin' up, the sheriff would've hauled Jase off without any of 'em sayin' a word on his behalf!"
"Well, at least he's not in jail. But we're goin' to have trouble from Moreno once he finds out." Turning to Johnny, Sonny said, "Tell the boys to make sure his men don't come in here if their armed." Johnny nodded, and got to his feet with Francis following behind him.
After the two men had left through the back, Sonny looked at Carly and asked, "You didn't tell Jase about Deke did you?"
Carly sighed and shook her head. "Jase's got so much on his mind, Sonny. I didna want to burden him with it. But you should tell him Sonny."
Sonny ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. Should he tell Jason his suspicions that Deke had not died from a drunken accident...but from murder?
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
As she stared down into her blueberry pie, Elizabeth tried to block out all the laughter and good humoured conversation around her. For the past hour the Spencer clan had been speaking mostly of the wedding to come in six months, and Elizabeth felt misery like she had not felt before.
She had thought yesterday had been the worst day of her life, but this day had been far worse. Not only was their the prospect of this wedding, but she had the whole town talking about her extreme clumsiness which caused quite the scene. And Grams was still very irate that she had not been more careful of where she was going. As both Grams and Sarah admonished her during their ride over to the Spencers, Elizabeth had felt a twinge of...anger. Had she not been carrying Sarah's hat boxes? Had she not asked for help? But as usual she kept her feelings to herself. She just wanted them to forget the whole thing...but that seemed an impossibility.
"I still can't believe what I heard from Mrs. Collins in town, Audrey. Did one of Moreno's men actually attack poor Lizzie?"
"I am afraid so, Laura. Apparently, Lizzie walked right into the man's path, and caused his horse to buck."
Elizabeth felt a gentle touch on her arm, and she reluctantly looked up. But at the sight of Lucky's concerned face, she felt her heartbeat quicken. "Are you sure your alright, Beth? It must have been frightening for you."
She nodded as she looked into his warm dark blue eyes. "I'm alright Lucky...Thank you."
"Of course she's fine," Sarah began irritably from the other side of Lucky at the dining table, "None of this would have happened if Lizzie had just been more careful."
From the head of the table, Luke Spencer turned surprise eyes toward his future daughter-in-law. He chided gently, "Sarah, darlin', surely you can't be sayin' it's Lizzie's fault that Sorel grabbed her. No man should ever touch a woman like that. I'm just damn glad that Jason Quartermaine was there, and gave that man what was comin' to him otherwise I would be payin' Moreno a visit."
With an agitated hand to her golden hair, Laura Spencer's eyes widened in worry. "Luke, don't go causing trouble. So far he's left us alone. Please, just let it be." Everyone knew that Frankie Moreno had been going after the small landowners, forcing them to sell to him so he could increase the grazing range for his cattle. Only the fact that the Spencer and the Webber farms were so close in proximity to Quartermaine land had prevented them from getting the same harassment. While Moreno likely had enough hired guns to run off most of the farmers in the area, Edward Quartermaine still had the political clout in the county to ward off trouble from him.
"Oh heavens, Mr. Spencer, please don't go to Mr. Moreno on Lizzie's behalf," Sarah added in concern.
Audrey nodded. "Best leave it be, Luke. That disreputable man of his already received exactly what he deserved from that Quartermaine boy."
Luke chuckled. "Boy, Audrey? Lord...that man is reputed to be one of the best sharpshooters in the whole country. I still can't believe Jason has come back to Heaven. Not after all that happened..."
Sarah asked curiously, "What exactly did happen, Mr. Spencer? And why would a Quartermaine want to change his name? Just that name alone could get him everything he could ever want. But he said he goes by the name Morgan now."
Even Elizabeth was interested in the turn the conversation had taken. Earlier she had asked one of their barn hands, Jesse, to deliver that letter of thanks to the man. But even after writing that note, the mysterious man had still been on her mind. She felt this odd fascination with him. While he frightened her with his cold exterior, she wondered why such a man would be fighting his own family for his daughter...and who was the girl's mother?
"He had a falling out with his family. Can't say I blame him. That family could try a saint. Edward Quartermaine has cheated many a fine folk in this area ..." Luke shook his head as if shaking off a memory, "But that's neither here nor there...not many folks know exactly what happened with Jason, and that is mighty unusual in these parts, but apparently it had something to do with Robin."
Laura nodded as she continued for her husband, "Yes. When Jason came back from schooling in the East, they became sweethearts. She was such a beauty that Robin and the sweetest of temperaments. But her family was no where in the league of the Quartermaines. Anyway, Jason apparently defied his family and the rumours of their engagement were everywhere...but then three months later Robin left town, and not much later, so had Jason and that childhood friend of his, Sonny Cor-"
"But why did she leave?" Elizabeth interrupted before she could prevent herself. "Oh I'm sorry." She blushed at her rudeness.
Luke turned to Elizabeth with a warm smile. This Webber sister with her mop of wild curls was a shy lass and often was overshadowed by her beautiful sister, but he had a fondness for her. He had a feeling there were depths to the girl that none of them really knew. "Darling, there ain't no need to apologise. We're all curious. Actually Robin ended up marrying Nikolas."
Nikolas? Elizabeth tried to recall where she had heard that name before.
"You're half brother, Nikolas?!" Sarah asked Lucky in surprise.
Lucky nodded. "Yep. They went off to Boston, and got hitched. He wrote to us when he arrived back in New York with his wife. Reckon they met while he was in Heaven to visit Mother, just around the time before Robin left. Said they were madly in love."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. She remembered Nikolas Cassadine now...a dark handsome young man, who had looked absolutely nothing like his brother, Lucky. It had surprised all of them that Laura had had another child from a previous marriage. Apparently her first husband was not someone Laura wanted to remember, but she welcomed her son with open arms when he came for a visit. His family up East were in the...railroad business, and had forbidden her to contact him after she was divorced from his father. Elizabeth has always wondered about the story behind Laura Spencer's past. A divorce was a drastic action...
But Elizabeth's mind was on the more pressing matter. Lucky's brother married Robin Scorpio? Had she left the man with the hard blue eyes for Lucky's brother. But why would the sheriff say that man had broken his niece's heart? And was she the mother of his daughter? This was all simply too confusing...
Letting out a sad sigh, Laura said softly, "Yes, he sounded heart broken in his letters after Robin's death from consumption."
Audrey shook her head sadly. "I know it broke the sheriff's heart when he heard. I remember Mrs. Jones said his face had turned ashen after reading that telegram. She was such a lovely girl to die so young."
"Did they..." Elizabeth began quietly, then in a firmer voice finished, "...have any children?" While it now seemed unlikely that Robin had been the mother of the man's daughter...the question of the little girl still plagued her.
Laura's eyes widened. "No dear. Robin died not too many months after their marriage. Must have been seven months at most."
Shaking her head, Audrey said, "Well, I think that's enough of that. I'm sure there will be plenty of talk about the whole matter in the weeks to follow if that Quartermaine boy remains in town." Turning to Lucky she continued, "There's the more pressing matter of the county fair in less than a week. I think you and Sarah should announce your engagement at the dance that last evening."
"Oh yes, Grams! That will be simply grand!" Sarah exclaimed excitedly as she reached for Lucky's hand.
Luke chuckled. "Don't you think the whole town already knows? Can't imagine those tabby cats in that sewing circle of yours, Laura, hasn't spread the news around."
"Luke! Let the young people have their moment," Laura admonished.
Lucky spoke up. "I think it would be a good time to announce it to everyone even if they already know, Pa." Then with a big proud smile, he said to Sarah, "I can't wait to tell everyone I'm the luckiest man alive."
As Sarah giggled happily, Elizabeth poked at her still uneaten pie with her fork. When would the torture stop?
Apparently not anytime soon as her grandmother said, "Well, I tell you Lucky, how happy I am that you will be taking over the running of the farm. As much as I love the place, I'm getting too old. And I know you'll do a fine job looking after it. I hope you and Sarah find as much happiness as I did with her grandfather there."
Elizabeth's eyes rose to her grandmother. "What did you say, Grams?!" Her shock caused her to speak much more abruptly than she usually would have. "What do you mean Lucky will be running the farm?"
"Why, of course he will, Lizzie! He and I will be making the farm our home," Sarah explained as if it was something everyone knew.
And apparently it was because only Elizabeth's face showed any surprise. "But where will Grams and I live?"
"Really Lizzie. Don't be ridiculous. In town of course. Grams is much too old to be running the farm, and she's wanted to buy a cottage in town for awhile now."
This was the first of this Elizabeth had heard. Just when she had thought nothing would be more painful than the prospect of having Lucky as a brother-in-law, now she was losing her home. And her only friends...Daisy, Burt and the others...
"Beth..." Elizabeth looked up at Lucky. "You can come by and visit any time...If you want you could live there with us 'til you get married."
"Lucky!" Sarah exclaimed in horror.
Shaking her head adamantly, Elizabeth said with a catch in her throat to the boy she loved, "No. I c-cannot. B-but thank you for asking Lucky."
An awkward silence followed. Luke watched as the young lady struggled to hide her disappointment in losing her home. He wondered why Audrey and Sarah had not told the girl sooner to let her get accustomed to the idea. It was a harsh way to let the girl find out. Wanting to ease her discomfort, Luke soon changed the subject to the upcoming county fair with its many contests and competitions, and where many of the goods and livestock in the area would be put up for sale.
"I'll come by tomorrow Audrey and help you pick out which hogs and chickens will fetch you the best prices this year. I'll take them down to the fair in my buggy the next day."
"Thank you kindly, Luke. I want to be able to clear out most of the older ones this year, as we had a lot of youngin's this spring."
Elizabeth felt the air get knocked right out of her as her grandmother's words ripped through her melancholy. Lord...did her grandmother mean Burt? "No..." Elizabeth whispered in horror, "Grams, surely you don't mean Burt."
"I told you not to get too attached to those animals, Lizzie! And yes I mean that hog you've named. He's nice and plump now, and will fetch a fine price." As Elizabeth was about to argue, Audrey shook her head firmly. "No, Lizzie, you won't talk me out of it this year. It's a farm I'm runnin' and those animals are not pets."
As she saw the determination in her grandmother's hard eyes, Elizabeth felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness come over her. It seemed that everything that meant anything to her was slowly being ripped out of her life, and there seemed nothing she could do about it.
"Izzie..." Elizabeth looked down as she felt a tugging of the bottom of her skirt, and even though her whole being ached, she smiled down at the round little five year old girl. Elizabeth had always felt connected to young children. They never cared that she was clumsy or shy. They just wanted from her what she could be-a friend. "Yes, Lulu?"
"Izzie...needa hug?" The girl's large dark eyes seemed to look up at her with sympathy.
Slipping out of her chair to the floor unnoticed by all the adults in the room who had turned to another topic of conversation, Elizabeth let the arms of the little girl offer her comfort.
