Chapter 3.
Emily finished all of Audra's garments and Audra was delighted with them. Moreover, she was getting very excited about her trip to Europe with family friends from Philadelphia. There would be a train ride to their home and from there, they would travel together to New York City. Then, they would travel by ship over the Atlantic Ocean to England where they would make their base. There were plans to visit Paris and Florence and Rome as well as London.
A Bon Voyage party at the Barkley home was planned with champagne and dancing, and at dinner one night, the family discussed who should be invited. When Audra mentioned Mrs. Powell, Victoria was enthusiastic but Nick said, "I don't think she'll come. She told me she doesn't like large gatherings."
"Oh?" Victoria asked, curious what else Nick knew about her.
Audra nodded in agreement and added, "She's really quite shy. Why, she hasn't been to any dances!"
"Well," Victoria commented, weighing her words carefully, "perhaps a community dance is a little too, uh, young and cheerful. Perhaps a more formal event with an invitation from me might help draw her out."
Jarrod agreed that the dances Audra mentioned were generally aimed at helping couples meet. This event had an entirely different purpose.
The invitation was issued, delivered, and received, and Emily thought long and hard, trying to find an acceptable excuse not to go. All those people! And she only had a nodding acquaintance with a few of them. Her dilemma lay in knowing this was a very good way for her to continue to meet Stockton society, make some friends perhaps, expand her business even. With a knot in her stomach, she sat down and wrote her letter of response, accepting the invitation.
Emily opened a trunk of clothes she didn't wear every day. On top lay the black and gray dresses of mourning and looking at them brought back all the pain of the days and weeks and months following Sam's death. She lifted them out, placed them on the bed, and returned to the trunk. There she found a small assortment of fancier dresses from her trousseau and wondered if they even fit her anymore.
She selected a gown of heavy lavender silk with enough flounces and gathers to be appropriate for Audra's party but not so frilly as to be too youthful or risqué. She never was one for being showy anyway. And it still fit. It fit differently but it fit. She kept it out for airing and put the mourning clothes back on top and closed the trunk.
The next day, she went to the Post Office and there was a letter from her father waiting for her. The days she got letters from family were her favorite days. She stepped out of the Post Office and saw Nick standing on the sidewalk, leaning against a post. He tipped his hat to her.
"Good morning!" he said, "Mind if I walk with you?"
"Of course not," she replied as he fell in step with her. She was glad to see him. He seemed a nice man and she was fascinated by his work.
They exchanged some pleasantries before Nick stopped, looked at her and said, "I'm glad you're coming to Audra's party."
Before she could think of a courteous response, Emily felt herself blushing deeply and she was helpless to stop it.
"If you'd like, that is, if it would be all right with you, well, I can escort you to the party and be nearby at all times, discreetly, so you don't feel . . . awkward."
It was just about the kindest thing anyone had ever done for her. Thoughts of a rumored romance flickered through her head but were quickly extinguished by the relief of the offer. She waited a moment before composing her response so he wouldn't see the extent of her gratitude.
"Mr. Barkley," she started.
"Nick," he corrected her.
"Nick, I would appreciate that very much, thank you."
He arrived at her shop in a surrey and once seated explained that they would be bringing a few other guests to the party. Emily didn't let on how relieved she was not to be seen alone with him. She didn't know it, but this was no accident on his part.
Once inside the house, Nick helped remove her wrap and brought her a glass of champagne and only after she'd had a good taste did he bring her into the midst of the throng of party guests.
Jarrod crossed the room to make her acquaintance and Nick introduced them. Jarrod mustered all his urbane charm and had her attention. One glance at Nick's face and he took it down a notch. Not that Emily noticed. Victoria had been watching and she did notice. She approached them and pre-empted any further rivalry between her sons by assuming Nick's role as escort and using her own as hostess, greeting Emily warmly and taking her by the arm and introducing her to other guests. Emily felt herself begin to relax under Mrs. Barkley's patronage, the knot in her stomach loosened and she started to enjoy meeting so many people at one time.
Nick and Jarrod were watching their mother lead Emily into the crowd when Jarrod turned to Nick and said, "So that's the judge's daughter who knows horseflesh and rides like a cowboy? She seems a very nice young woman."
Nick was still watching Emily and looked back at Jarrod only long enough to grunt. Jarrod was momentarily stunned by his brother's lack of verbal challenge and concluded it was perhaps best to stay out of Nick's way with this one.
Nick followed his mother and Emily into crowd in order to remain close by should Emily start to flounder, though it did not appear that would happen.
Jarrod was chatting with distinguished guests when Victoria approached with Emily.
"Mrs. Powell, may I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Williams of Washington DC" Victoria said. "Mr. and Mrs. Williams, this is Mrs. Powell, who is new to Stockton." Pleasantries were exchanged and then Victoria mentioned that Mrs. Powell's father was a Federal judge in Ohio, Andrew Barrett.
Mr. Williams exclaimed, "THE Judge Barrett from Ohio?!"
Emily nodded.
"Then your brother would be George Barrett, aide to Senator Thurman!"
Emily smiled brightly, clearly proud of her brother, "One and the same, Mr. Williams."
"A fine young man! A fine young man!"
Jarrod caught Nick's eye from across several people. They had both heard, Jarrod impressed and Nick intrigued by the political connections of this new family friend.
Audra had been busy chatting with guests, her countenance bright, almost giddy. Emily sought and found an opportunity to wish her safe and happy travels. Audra was polite but clearly preoccupied and her attentions were briskly redirected elsewhere. Emily smiled serenely, hoping it would tame her growing dread, and began to turn away, the knot in her stomach tightening as she realized she could not see either Nick or his mother. Before she could actually panic, however, she felt a hand on her elbow and Nick's voice above her ear. "Let's move out of the crowd, shall we?"
He moved her to the periphery of the room where others were engaging in quieter socializing.
"Thank you," she whispered to him.
Nick smiled and picked up two glasses of champagne from a passing tray. Handing her a glass, Nick said, "So your brother is an aide to United States Senator Thurman?"
"My brother George, yes," she responded. She was smiling and watching the party. Nick was watching her.
"You have other brothers?" he asked.
She looked at him. "Why, yes. I have four other brothers."
"Four – YOU HAVE FIVE BROTHERS?" he said loud enough for people to stop talking and look at them.
Emily laughed. She delighted in having five brothers and was always a little surprised that other people didn't naturally know this about her, like it should be emblazoned on her forehead or something. It was that much a part of who she was.
"Any sisters?"
She shook her head, "No."
They stood side by side, watching the party together, and Nick settled in next to her, "And what do these brothers do? And where?"
Emily loved talking about her brothers and turned to him. He looked at her face and knew he had just struck conversational gold.
"My oldest brother, William, is an attorney in Cincinnati. George is next. He lives in Washington, DC, of course. Frank breeds horses – "
"You have a brother who's a horse breeder," he repeated to be sure. This piece of information explained a lot, he thought.
She nodded. "John is a banker in Columbus and Paul is studying theology at Yale."
"And you're the youngest," he guessed.
She nodded again.
Nick was almost as intrigued by this brood of accomplished if disparate siblings as Emily was happy to talk of them, her affection for them obvious.
There was a loud rhythmic chiming of glasses and Jarrod, standing a few steps above the crowd on the staircase, made a short speech about his sister, wishing her a safe trip and fun travels. Audra joined him on the step and the guests joined the family in raising their glasses in a toast to Audra.
Soon after, the music started. Nick held his arm out to Emily and asked, "May I have this dance?"
A shadow fell over her face as she hesitated, afraid of rumors but chiefly concerned that dancing may not yet be socially acceptable in her widowhood.
Nick nodded towards the floor, smiling, arm still extended to her, "Come on!"
With slow care, she placed her arm on his and followed the few short steps to what was now the dance floor.
For a cowboy, he was a good dancer and while she enjoyed dancing very much, she knew she would have to be cautious not to dance the rest of the evening and not with one man only.
She need not have worried for they were soon interrupted by another, older gentleman asking to dance with her and Nick acquiesced, his manner polite and gracious and, Emily thought, a little eager.
When the dance was finished and another begun, Emily thanked the older man as he escorted her to a small group engaged in discussion for which she feigned knowledge and interest. To the casual observer, her efforts may have gone undetected but not to the man who now approached her as a lilting waltz began.
"Mrs. Powell, I would be honored to share this dance with you," Jarrod said, offering his arm and she accepted.
Jarrod was a very good dancer and Emily loved to waltz.
"You know," he said as they swirled about the floor, "I don't know who's more taken with you, my mother or my brother, Nick."
Emily did not ignore the comment about Nick as much as she failed to hear it, so flattered was she that a woman such as Victoria Barkley would favor her.
"Your mother is a remarkable woman, Mr. Barkley," she said.
"Jarrod," he said.
"Jarrod, I am honored she would consider me at all," she offered.
Further pleasantries were exchanged and information gleaned about Judge Barrett and the political connections of Emily's family. As the dance ended, Jarrod told her that he hoped she might come visit the ranch and keep his mother company during Audra's absence. And then he delivered her to Nick.
The party wound down and Emily silently thanked God for champagne. But she had not been out this late for a long time and now she was tired. She was relieved to hear the guests with whom she and Nick arrived had children they were eager to get home to and they were brought to their home first.
Nick had been too preoccupied to notice earlier in the evening but now as he helped Emily down from the carriage in front of her shop he knew his hunch was right: a strong wind probably would knock her to the ground.
"Mr. Bar – Nick, thank you so much for your care and attention tonight. I had a lovely time and credit that mainly to you," she said, warmly.
They stood silent for a brief moment in front of her shop but before he had a chance to consider a kiss, Emily stood on tiptoe and offered him a chaste kiss on the cheek, then quickly retreated into her shop and home.
He remained still for a long while, making sure she got a lantern lit, recalling the scent of her hair, the depth of her blue-gray eyes, the feel of her lips on his cheek, and thought to himself, "I'm a goner."