The only sound was the forks and knives against the fine china that Adeline had set out in front of them. Overhead a chandelier with glass crystals hung, shaking slightly when the house creaked. Modesty kept wide eyes on it, like it might all any second. For the owner of a small grocery who'd just moved into New York, Mr. Nickels seemed well off.
Adeline sat across from him and Modesty while Mary Lou and Mr. Nickels sat at the two heads of the table. Beside Adeline, sat Chastity. Every so often, Credence would catch Adeline's eye, but it always darted away before he could be certain it wasn't his imagination. Wisps of hair hung out around her face from her braids and her fingers kept touching the pendent at her neck. Mr. Nickels cleared his throat, startling Credence from his thoughts. The older man had him fixed with a hard stare, glass in his hand.
"That was very nice," Mary Lou's voice broke the silence. "Thank you for having us, Mr. Nickels, it's very kind of you."
"Oh, please, call me Scott. There's no need for formalities."
The couple exchanged a smile from across the table that made Credence nauseous. He folded out his napkin over his lap. A wedding band glinted on Mr. Nickel's right hand and he wondered if Adeline's mother was still alive or if she'd run off from the man. Credence wouldn't entirely have blamed her, he seemed to hold Adeline under his thumb with barely a glance.
Earlier that day had been Adeline and Mr. Nickels first time attending the Sunday service and the whole time Adeline had stood beside her father with hands clasped and eyes turned down, just slightly behind him in his shadow. And, Mr. Nickels hadn't wasted time on inviting Mary Lou and her family over for dinner. Adeline had jerked her head up, seeming just as surprised as they had been. Credence had the notion she cooked the whole dinner herself.
"Adeline, would you mind clearing our plates? I think we might need a bit of room for dessert."
"Yes, daddy," Adeline jumped up almost immediately.
"Credence," Mary Lou looked at Credence dangerously. "Don't you think it would be proper to help Adeline with the dishes?"
Though she sounded polite, he didn't miss the sharp undertone in her voice that caused his ears to burn like a chided child. "Yes, ma."
As he stood and began picking up plate, he could feel Mr. Nickel's gaze burning into the back of his head. And when he glanced in the direction of the older man, he found him staring him down from over his glass, running a tongue over teeth.
They carried plates down the narrow stairwell, through the storage of the grocery store, into the kitchen in silence. On the stove set on a low simmer the smell of cinnamon apples filled the air, warm and inviting in the damp kitchen. Down here the atmosphere was light, like all the bad energy had been soaked up through the ceiling and squeezed out into the dining room overhead.
Adeline scraped away leftovers into the trash while water ran in the sink. All the while she watched from the corner of her eye as Credence was shrugging off his suit's jacket and rolling white sleeves up over strong arms that indicated he was no stranger to labor. She averted her eyes, feeling her cheeks burn and moved to stir the apples.
She couldn't deny she was attracted by him, something drawing her in like a mosquito to a bug lamp. Becoming a young woman in the time that she was, where more than ever women were fighting for their independence and right to work, Adeline would be embarrassed to tell you she dreamed of white weddings and the pitter patter of little feet.
The corners of her lips turned up slightly and she placed a hand over her stomach. Though, in her experience, things usually ended poorly for the mosquito. Her smile melted slowly and with shame sitting heavy in her chest. Just the same as the shame she'd felt taint her skin in the Barebone church under the watchful eye of The Cross.
No, it wasn't right of her to trap a man like that. To make him believe something that wasn't. There was a reason Father wanted her there. He said it would be good for her, and maybe he was right.
That wasn't just it though, Father was real lonesome since Mother left, and she knew it. Work kept him too busy for a proper family, work was the whole reason they were here in New York as it was. They moved around a lot. As long as she could remember, never really settling down anywhere. Some of The Brothers said he was wrong for keeping her like he did, but she was grateful for it. Though none of them liked it. None of them liked her.
"Ouch!"
Credence's attention cut to Adeline, who stood with a finger pressed between her lips. He hesitated.
"...Are you okay?" His voice soft, eyebrows turned up with concerned. He stood just a few inches taller than her and she liked that.
"Oh...yes, just a bit of heat. Caught the edge of the pot…"
He didn't respond, gaze lingering on her going back to the dishes. She had the feeling he still felt a bit hurt over that time in the grocery store. Or maybe it was that she hadn't so much as looked at him since then. She just knew she shouldn't be too friendly, but that didn't stop her from feeling bad. He always had this sort of look in his eyes, like a dog that'd been beaten too often.
The faucet squeaked when he turned off the water and he dried his hands on the white kitchen towel beside the sink. He was just about to turn and go upstairs when she turned.
"Would you like to try some?" She held up a spoonful of tiny bits of stewed apple.
Credence hesitated, appearing confused and apprehensive, glancing back at the kitchen exit where he knew Ma was waiting for him. And her father too, something about him scared him nearly more than Mary Lou did. But she just looked so wide eyed and hopeful, like she'd just offered him a bit of her life's work.
He leaned forward and he'd just taken a bite when Chastity came in. Adeline and Credence turned from each other so quickly that a glass was knocked over and sent rolling. Chastity stood in the doorway, eyeing them suspiciously; watching Adeline scurry away to the pantry with the spoon still in her hand, hands on her hips, pretending to find something.
A small smile turned up at the corners of Chastity's lips, like someone with a secret. She slipped the dish in the sink in front of Credence who avoided her gaze. And while she said nothing, she made sure to cast him a long, sideways look. The back of his hand still pressed to his mouth, eyes turned down. He swallowed the bite of apple whole. A lighthearted 'Hm..' came from her disguised as a sigh.
"Would you like some help carrying up dessert?" Chastity asked to Adeline.
Adeline pressed her lips together. Hands on hips. She didn't turn around. Face as scarlet as a cherry.
"Oh no, no, that's alright! I'll be up in a jiff!"
Chastity just smiled.
Over dessert they kept their eyes fixed on stewed apples over vanilla ice cream. Way more extravagant than Mary Lou had ever allowed. She'd always said excess was a sin. But with Mr. Nickels, she seemed willing to make an unnatural exception.
"Ms. Barebone, I wanted to ask, and I hope I'm not overstepping my welcome here. But I'm going out of town for a few days this coming week and I was wondering if you'd all be willing to have Adeline for just a few days. In this city, I'd hate to leave her by her lonesome in the house."
"That would be no trouble at all, Scott. It's important for a young girl in the city to have her guidance. She's more than welcome at our home."
His teeth clenched so hard a sharp pain shot up his jaw. Perhaps because Adeline was not her child, she would be spared, but with certainty they would not. Across the table, Adeline kept her eyes focused in front of her, a small, hesitant glance at Mary Lou giving away her unease.
Later that evening Mr. Nickels and Mary Lou stood in the doorway saying a long goodbye. The air was just starting to form a chill, raising goosebumps on their skin. Credence could just see Adeline behind her father's shoulder, like she'd spent the majority of her time that morning. This time when he caught her eye, she gave him a small smile, then disappeared into the house.