Chapter 22
Louise had greatly enjoyed her visit to town and shopping. She had bought a few more clothes, and also some things for the house. Her initial intentions had not considered going over the top, or purchasing too much. Yet, when she had been in the store, she had not been able to control herself. There were so many pretty items for sale that she had felt a very strong temptation to buy everything.
Louise really wanted to make the house look nice, and add her personal touch. That way she would start to believe this was her home. The last thing she wanted was to feel like a guest in her own place. Actually, that had been her situation for too long. Even though she was totally at ease living with Theresa and Albert, she knew she was a mere visitor in their home. She really missed having her own space. Therefore, it was not so odd she got a bit carried away. And then, why should she restrain herself from doing what she felt like? She had fresh money with her. It was a neat sum they had now since the honestly-earned money had remained untouched for too long. Kid had told her they should make good use of it, so why not?
Louise swept her eyes around her bedroom with a satisfied smile. Now it looked a bit better. Lou had changed the quilt, and now instead of the dull brown spread that she had slept under last night, a new one in a soft blue shade embellished the bed. Apart from that, she had bought a couple of lovely vases she had placed on top of the chest of drawers, and filled with some dry flowers. This week she intended to make new curtains with the new material she had purchased in town, and maybe she could talk Kid into getting a bigger mirror and a dressing table for her.
After smoothing a rebellious crease on her new quilt, Louise cast a last look at her bedroom before she walked out. Now it was time for the living room. Once downstairs she stood before the table where she had left a box with other things she had bought. One by one, Louise took her purchases, and went about the living room, placing everything where she liked. With the new vases, the flowers, the lamps, and even a tapestry the room looked different, lighter and more colorful. Kid would also like it, Lou thought with a smile as she stood in the middle of the living room and admired the result of her few touches, and the room would even look better with new curtains and some other ideas she had in mind.
Louise's smile froze when her gaze fell on Kid's housekeeper, who stood before the kitchen door, arms folded, a serious expression on her countenance, and sharp eyes looking in Lou's direction. Since Louise had overheard the conversation between Kid and Mrs. Giles, she felt very uncomfortable. Sharing the table with the woman at lunch had been very awkward, filled with too many silences, and even though Kid had tried to engage her in conversation, Louise had not been in a very talkative mood.
"Mrs. Giles," Lou said in a soft voice. The woman did not say anything, which unsettled Louise even more, so she forced herself to break the uneasy silence. "Uh… I bought a few knick-knacks for the house in town. Don't you think the living room looks lovelier and prettier now?"
Ari ran her serious eyes around the room, but she did not seem too impressed. "I think most pretty things are impractical. The more you have, the more you have to clean," the woman said, and pointing her finger to the mantelpiece she added, "Those lamps with those innumerable crystals are a nightmare when dust gathers in the most unlikely places."
Louise naturally did not like the comment, but it didn't surprise her. "I don't mind cleaning," Lou simply said even though she silently admitted she had not given a thought to what the woman was saying.
Mrs. Giles took a few steps closer. "You got yourself a good bunch of things," she remarked in a flat tone. "Prices are hardly affordable in these hard times."
Lou nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's true," she conceded. In truth, it was not her style to blow money senselessly, but today had been an exception. Making her new home as cozy and welcoming as possible was one of her priorities, and if they had the money, why couldn't she be a bit extravagant for once in her life?
Ari had something on her mind, and she persisted until she finally had it out in the open. "You know, your husband's worked very hard these years to have this piece of land and the business. He's struggled to make ends meet more than once, and things ain't easier now."
Her words felt like the sharp bite of a poisonous snake. Lou's shocked eyes darted to meet Ari's, and in a slightly high-pitched tone, she said, "I've also worked hard all my life, and if you're implying I'm squandering what my husband's earned with so much effort, you know nothing… nothing at all."
"We women often don't consider money matters, and…"
"Not me!" Lou stated firmly. "If you are too eager to know, let me tell you I bought all this with the savings Kid and I have from the time we worked together years ago. It was a hard job, and I think we have a right to decide to buy what we want."
Ari's face flamed into an intense crimson color as she realized she had let her opinion of Louise cloud her senses. "Forgive me, Ma'am," she muttered between clenched teeth. "I had no call to nose into your matters. Won't happen again." The woman paused, and added, "I better start making dinner."
As Mrs. Giles slid back into the kitchen, Louse sighed. This was not the way she should handle things with the woman. Her aim should be to smooth the terrain between her and Ari, not make it even rougher. What the housekeeper had hinted at had annoyed Lou, but she should know better than let herself be carried away. As far as she had seen, Mrs. Giles was an important figure in Kid's life, and Lou knew she had to try her outmost to get on well with the woman. This was just the first day, and they were two strangers sharing a small space. It was natural to clash, especially when Ari had only heard about her bad side.
With resolution Louise entered the kitchen and without a preamble, she asked, "What can I do to help?" Ari sent her a dubious look, and Louise added, "You know, with dinner."
"What can you do?"
"Ah…" Lou hesitated, but her hesitation was cut short by Ari's next question.
"Can you make biscuits?"
"Sure I can," Lou replied in a more certain tone than she really felt. In all honesty, she had not cooked at all since she had moved to Theresa's. Lou did not know who her sister had learned her domestic skills from, but it was unquestionable that Theresa was an excellent housewife, and the food she usually put on the table was to die for. Even before moving with her sister and her husband, Lou had not really cooked that much. Jeremiah had never been too fussy, and he had always been happy with the simple dishes Lou was able to rustle up.
Louise started to make the dough for the biscuits, just pausing to ask Ari where everything was. "I'm sorry to be such a bother," she said with a smile, which contrasted with the older woman's cold countenance. "In a couple of days I'm sure I'll move around the house as if I'd always lived here." Ari did not reply, and with the cleaver in her hand she kept cutting the chicken she would be serving for dinner. Her silence unnerved Louise, and she tried to fill the emptiness with her words. "I always think that working with somebody makes the job much more pleasant, especially chores around the house. Having female companionship is always welcome. Until now I've been living with my sister. She's my best friend, and we always keep each other company when we have housework to do." Ari still did not talk, and Louise dared to ask a more direct question. "Have you been living in Fort Kearney for long, Mrs. Giles?"
The woman turned her eyes to Louise, and in a very flat tone, she said, "You could say so. Over fifteen years."
"That's a long time. I don't think I've remained in the same place longer than five years… well, except when I was a child, and even then I moved a lot, but I hope I get some stability now," Lou paused, and then asked another question. "Does your family live in these parts too?"
Ari pursed her lips, and gave a powerful chop with the cleaver, almost startling Lou. "All my family is dead. My parents, my relatives, my husband, and my son. All of them. There's nobody."
"Oh I… I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"Mrs. McCloud…" Ari called.
"Please call me Louise."
"As you wish. Louise," Ari continued, "I pray you keep your curiosity to yourself. I don't really appreciate being asked a lot of personal questions."
"I was just trying to be friendly."
"I have enough friends, and I don't need any more. You're just my boss's wife, so you stay in your place, and I'll stay in mine," Ari stated firmly, and coming closer to Louise, with a spoon she stirred and checked the dough Lou was doing for the biscuits, and she said, "This has too many lumps. It's inedible."
To Lou's utter shock the woman took the bowl with the dough and poured every single drop into the sink. Louise stared at Ari with big, unhappy eyes, but if the woman noticed her expression, she did not let on. "If you want to make yourself useful, why don't you hang the wash outside? I haven't had the time to do it yet."
Louise surprised herself once again when her quick temper did not retort to the woman's words, and instead she kept quiet as she took one of the wicker baskets sitting on the floor by the door. Carrying the laundry across the yard was a job in itself since it weighed more than Lou could imagine. The basket overflowed with sheets, clothes, and even thick blankets, and naturally as everything was wet, they weighed double. Lou was relieved to finally drop it when she reached the lines. Without wasting a single second, Louise diligently started the job.
As she hung the massive amount of laundry, she wondered whether Mrs. Giles was doing some general washing. Normally Lou did the laundry at home, and she tried not to do so much in just one shot, and when she wanted to wash the bedding, linen, and curtains in the house, she staggered it on different days. Maybe she should discuss laundry arrangements with Ari because it did not make much sense to have that much overload of work when they could do it more easily.
Louise had to return to the house twice for the rest of the laundry, and when she was hanging the last garments on the line, a voice startled her.
"Louise…"
Lou turned around to find Mrs. Giles. "Yes?" she asked, running a hand over her sweaty forehead.
"You're doing this wrong too."
"Excuse me?" Lou let out, not sure she had heard the woman right.
"You're hanging the laundry in the wrong way," Mrs. Giles repeated, and as she noticed Lou's clueless expression, she elaborated. "The shirts, blouses, pants, and undergarments have to be hung from under the shoulders or the waistband, depending on the garment. Otherwise, doing it the way you've done it, everything will end up creased, and we'll need twice the time and the effort to iron things. And the bedding has to hang from the shorter side because if a wind picks up, all these might drag on the ground and get dirty, and we don't want to have to wash everything again."
Lou nodded. What she said made sense, but in reality she had never thought it mattered how you hung clothes to dry. "Uh…thanks, I'll change everything," she muttered, not really happy about having to rearrange all the laundry.
"Don't bother yourself," Ari retorted sharply, and without waiting for her permission, she started to remove the clothespins and move everything. "It'll be faster if I do it myself," she exclaimed without bothering to conceal the hostile tone in her voice. "My goodness, didn't your mother ever teach you how to do some basic cooking and housework?"
The question was obviously direct criticism, and this time Lou felt irritated. This woman was judging everything she had done in the last hour, and now she even dared to pass judgment on her mother. Louise knew her skills around the house were not something she could brag about, but having a busybody pointing out her mistakes constantly was not something she had the patience to stand. Her fiery character was close to exploding, and this time she did not try to stop the dart she consciously threw at the woman. "My mother died when I was still a child, and unfortunately, she couldn't teach me anything from the grave," Lou spat, and after a second to catch her breath, she added, "Mrs. Giles, I thought personal matters were off the table… never imagined it would be just a one-way road."
Ari did not allow herself to be intimidated, and shot back. "I'm sorry about your mother, but maybe from now on you should let me do my job and limit yourself to rest, go for walks, and frolic around."
Louise shot the woman a deadly glare before she swirled around and marched towards the stables. God, she was fuming. That woman was beyond unbearable, and what was worse, she had managed to push Lou out of her good intentions and mood. Louise cursed herself for being so stupid as to let herself be dragged to her game. How was she going to bear this situation? What could she do now? Tell Kid about her as if she were a pathetic, childish woman who could not fight her own battles? That was not the best move, but Kid had to know, didn't he?
"Kid?" she called once she got into the stables. She did not intend to say anything about what happened with Ari, but she felt a terrible need to see him.
"Over here, Lou," Kid's voice resounded among some loud neighing.
Louise walked along the corridor, and as she approached the stall, she saw him on his knees inside. A mare was lying on the hay, and Kid was cooing and running his hand over the animal's swollen belly comfortingly.
Louise came closer and rested her arms on the stall door. "Is it time yet?" she asked, staring wide-eyed at the mare which was obviously in great pain.
Kid nodded. "Pretty soon we'll be welcoming a new member to this family."
"How can I help you, Kid?"
"Don't worry, Lou. I think Clara and I can manage fine," he replied, softly tapping the mare's back.
"Please don't send me away. Today I feel like the most useless woman in the whole world. Please let me help you."
"All right," Kid agreed, wondering what she meant by her words, but he felt he should not ask her. "Come here, and do as I tell you."
Lou nodded, slid into the stall, and lowered herself onto her knees just across from her husband. What she thought it would be a question of minutes turned out to take hours. Kid's estimate proved to be wrong this time and they remained with the animal for hours. Ari even had to bring them something to eat to the stables.
It was close to midnight when Clara finally went into labor. Lou was totally mesmerized as she saw the foal appear, first its thin legs, then its head, and finally the rest of its perfect body. By the time the colt managed to stand on its weak four legs, Lou's eyes were flooded with hot tears of emotion. It was the cutest and most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Lou felt unable to stop crying.
Kid had checked the new colt to make sure it was fine, and as he heard his wife sniff and saw her tears, he smiled, aware of what she was exactly feeling. Still on his knees on the hay-covered floor, Kid opened his arms to her. "Come here, Lou."
Louise crawled to her husband and hugged him tightly as she kept crying. Kid kissed the top of her head and breathed in, relishing the warmth and comfort her presence always gave him.
"I'm so proud of you," Louise said in a husky voice, lifting her red-rimmed eyes to him. "It's amazing what you've done today."
"We did it together, Lou," he softly replied.
"Do… do you think we'll ever have something like this? A baby?" Lou asked tentatively.
"I really hope so."
Lou smiled, but the fear she had felt the last days took a grip of her soul once again. She was trembling, and all she could see was a black cloud that blinded all her senses. Totally out of her wits with fear, Louise tightened her hold around him and buried her face on his chest while she mumbled in a shivery voice. "Oh God. I love you so much… so much. I don't want to leave you. Please don't let me go. Never let me go."