I am having all sorts of problems with this site and notifications and thought I had resolved it but apparently not. And unfortunately, due to reviewers who in the past have used "guest' reviews to troll, I delete them. But I thank anyone who is reading. And I am going to keep trying to resolve my issue with notifications.

Three

All the Cartwrights arrived at the Graham's house together. The other funeral attendees needed to pick up their covered dishes as a way to help the widow; she shouldn't have to provide for the guests after such a devastating loss. And there would be enough food left over for her to eat for at least two, even three more days should she have an appetite. Esther took Adam's arm as they walked up the stairs and into the house. Sibella considered taking Adam's other arm, after all, he was her husband but her possessive action wouldn't have fooled Adam; he had a way of raising his eyebrows that was enough to shame her so she merely walked up the stairs and into the house on her father-in-law's arm with Hoss and Joe behind her.

Sibella heard jarring noise and voices from the kitchen. She recognized it was Hop Sing and Mrs. George. Sibella passed the small buffet with plates and napkins and utensils waiting to be used and going into the kitchen, she saw Noah sitting on the floor and banging on a upturned pot with a wooden spoon, immensely enjoying the noise.

"Noah! Noah, now stop that! What a clatter!" Sibella grabbed the spoon from his small fist and the child cried out that he wanted the spoon while reaching for it, his hands grasping empty air.

"It fine, Missy Cartwright," Hop Sing said, smiling. "Him try make music." Mrs. George smiled as well as she was pouring punch into the Cartwright's cut crystal punch bowl which sat in the middle of the round kitchen table which was covered by an embroidered table cloth that Sibella had seen many times on the Ponderosa dining table. Seemed all the Cartwrights had a hand in helping Esther properly receive her guests.

"He's just making noise and giving me a headache," Sibella said, picking the child up off the floor. He was solidly built like his father and Sibella wondered how much longer she'd be able to lean down to pick him up. Noah began to cry and as Sibella carried the child into the parlor, shushing him, Adam hurried to mother and child. Noah reached out almost throwing Sibella off balance. "Daddy! Want Daddy!"

"C'mere, Son. Come to your old man." Adam held his son who was now happy again, telling him one day he'd teach him the guitar if he liked music. Sibella fumed. From what she had observed over the past few years, Noah was growing into a typical Cartwright male, determined to have his way. Ben asked Adam for the boy who was now delighted to be with his "Gampa." Hoss and Joe sat on both sides of Ben on the settee and a smiling Noah was happily passed among the adoring men of his family. Sibella just sighed in frustration and again, as she always had, she noticed the shabbiness of the settee's fabric and how it was practically threadbare on the arms. Esther had crocheted some doilies in an attempt to cover them and also the antimacassars in an attempt to conceal the greasy stains from men's hair oil on the back. And after her first visit to the Graham's, Sibella mentioned to Adam how bad their furniture and how old—it must have belonged to some ancient relative or bought from a second-hand shop she declared. Especially, Sibella added, considering that Morgan made hand-carved furniture! Adam chastised her for being a snob; not everyone came from a wealthy family as they both did. And he added. "For your information, the house belonged to Esther's parents and the furniture was more than likely brought overland in the back of a wagon from back east." For the rest of the ride home, Sibella looked out into the darkness, blinking back tears and trying to keep her chin from quivering. She wasn't a snob, she wasn't! But it would do no good to protest; she knew Adam would only toss back her remark about the Graham's house. And later that evening as Adam slept soundly, Sibella did some soul-searching and had to confess that perhaps there was a bit of snobbery in her make-up. But still, Esther's furniture was shabby and run down!

More guests arrived bearing covered dishes that were placed on the dining table and offered condolences to the widow. As the gathering grew, the room became hotter and Sibella more uncomfortable. She could take no part in the conversations as people shared their memories of Graham as a child or adolescent if they had known him that long; many had grown up with him and Adam and a few others had been in the war and that gave them a different relationship to the dead man. Noah began to fuss and squirm off of his grandfather's lap; cake crumbs were on his cheeks and chin and Sibella was sure he was wet and needed changing. At last, she thought; now she had a reason to leave!

"Let me take him," Sibella said, reaching for her child. He rubbed his eyes with one small fist and tucked his head into her neck; her heart swelled with love for Noah but she did wonder if the mess on his cheeks was smearing on her dress. "Adam," Sibella walked to where Adam stood with Esther and a few friends. "Noah needs changing and a nap. We need to go."

"Didn't Mrs. George pack any diapers for him?" Adam asked but before Sibella could answer, Esther spoke up, "Noah can take a nap upstairs, Sibella. And I know I have something that'll serve as a nappy. Let me take him, Sibella, please. I always wanted children but…well, let me play at being a mother for a bit, would you? And then you and Adam can stay longer."

Sibella glanced at Adam who said nothing-just waited. Sibella turned to Esther and smiling as graciously as she could manage, handed over her child. "Of course. I'm sure he'll go down easily—he likes you." Esther cradled Noah in her arms and took the child upstairs, talking to him about taking a nice little nap with a dry bottom. Sibella looked at Adam who was watching Esther cuddling Noah go up the stairs. And she wondered what her husband was thinking.

~0~

It was late afternoon and Mrs. George sat on the back seat and Noah jumped up and down next to her while holding onto the back of Sibella's seat. Sibella swung around. "Noah! Stop! You're making my headache worse!" Noah, his eyes wide with surprise, burst into sudden tears and Mrs. George held the crying child, hushing him. "I'm sorry I yelled…" She turned back around, avoiding Adam's eyes and taking off her hat, rubbed her temples; her head was throbbing and Noah was wound up by all the people and the cake and other foods his uncles and Grandfather had fed him. And, in Sibella's mind, Mrs. George should have stayed at the house with Noah; she didn't work for Esther Graham!

"Feel better now?" Adam asked and snapped the reins; the sooner they were home, the better.

Mrs. George gave Noah a bath and then Moss, the hand who tended the horses and kept the buggies clean and oiled, came to the door to drive her home. "I can stay longer if you need, Mr. Cartwright, seeing as how the Missus is feeling poorly."

Adam declined. "No, you've had a long day and thank you again for helping Mrs. George."

"Oh, it was my pleasure to help such a lovely lady. So sad about her loss, so sad. They were always so kind and friendly when they were over it was the least I could do."

"Well, goodnight then," Adam said as Moss stepped forward to help Mrs. George up.

Adam spent the next two hours with his son, helping him build a stack of blocks only to have the child knock them down with delight. "Here I am, a college-educated architect who is building masterpieces with blocks and you," he said, grabbing his child and tickling him, "destroy my work in a second. Noah the Mighty! More powerful than Sampson!"

Adam put Noah to bed, softly singing a lullaby as he leaned on the crib and when the child was finally asleep, Adam checked in on Sibella. She lay in bed with the covers at her knees, wearing her chemise and drawers, her dress, petticoats and stockings in a pile on the floor next to her black velvet shoes. Adam picked up the discarded clothing and tossed them on the plush chair in the corner and then began to undress, placing his striped dress pants on top of the pile and dropped his long underwear on the floor. Sibella opened her eyes. "How are you feeling, sweetheart? Any better?" Adam stood by the bed and unbuttoned his white shirt. "I'm sorry I wasn't…nicer. It's been a trying day."

Sibella had placed a wet flannel over her forehead and she snatched it off. "Oh, so now you care about my feelings!' She sat up and pushed the damp tendrils off her face.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Adam looked down at his angry wife; he was tired and not in the mood for an argument especially over something so foolish. He finished taking off his shirt, happy to be relieved of the starched collar.

"All day long you paid no attention to me or how I felt about anything! All you thought about was Esther and her feelings!" Sibella waited.

"So that's what all this is about. Tell me something, have you always disliked Esther and it's just now coming out?"

"No…I just…well, I think Esther wants what I have."

"What? You've come up with some silly ideas but that's the most ridiculous one to date."

Sibella moved to sit at the edge of the bed and Adam sat beside her. "Adam, did it ever occur to you that maybe Esther killed Morgan?"

Adam stared at her. "Sibella, stay on one topic for at least a minute. I've known Esther and Morgan for over thirty years and was best man at their wedding. He and I fought together and…suffered together so if there had been any problem between the two of them Morgan would have told me. So, to answer your question, no, I don't think Esther killed Morgan."

"Oh, you're just so busy defending your sainted old love that you won't even consider…." Sibella stopped talking and held her breath. She had said the wrong thing.

"Old love? Who told you that?"

Sibella stammered a bit. "Oh, well…Esther told me once that you and she, that you used to lead your horse and walk her home from school. The two of you held hands and you even stole a kiss from her once on the playground."

"Oh, I see. And that makes her a murderer." Adam shook his head in amusement, chuckling.

"No, or from what I heard, with all the girls and women you've kissed over the years, the landscape would be crawling with murderesses including me! But, look, consider this: They never had children and Esther once said that Morgan couldn't father children and so, well, I think she wants you and she wants Noah and this house and everything I have."

"Well, if that's so, that she wants all that you have, then shouldn't you have been the first one killed?" Sibella said nothing; it hadn't occurred to her. "Sibella, you need to stop this. Seems Esther's not envious of you but that you're envious of Esther and to prove my point, I asked her if she would like to come home with us for another few days but she declined, citing you as the reason; she said that it would be one too many women in the house. Of course, she treated it as a joke but knowing Esther, she was serious."

"See! See what I mean! 'Knowing Esther.' You admit that you and she had a close relationship!"

"I didn't mean in the biblical sense. I never denied we had been friends, I just saw no reason to mention it just as you never saw fit to mention your engagement to that man from Baltimore or the one from Richmond. Let's see…who else did your father say you almost married?" Adam furrowed his brow as if pondering her past reckless romances.

"It's not the same thing! I don't invite them over for dinner and force you to sit by and listen while we reminisce and laugh over things only we two share, but you and Esther and Morgan did it to me all the time!" Her breasts heaved with righteous anger.

Adam stared at Sibella; she was always desirable but when fired up over something, she was irresistible and many an argument ended with a pleasurable tumble. But he had to admit to himself, Sibella had a point. "Well, I'm sorry for that. If we excluded you from anything, it wasn't intentional. But while we're on the subject of Esther, I should tell you I'm considering asking her if she would take over for Miss Pear after her marriage. She'll need the money, has no family and since-how did you put it? Oh, yes, since Esther and I have a 'close relationship,' who better than I to offer her employment?" He watched his wife carefully. "Do you have any issues with that?"

Sibella said nothing, just huffed and crawled across the bed to her side, jammed her feet under the covers, pulled them up to her chin and turned on her side. It seemed all Adam thought about was Esther and to have them together all day was just asking for trouble in her mind. "You know what, Adam?" Sibella said, not even bothering to look at him, "To quote a male vulgarity, you can just kiss my ass."

The bed sank as Adam moved closer and Sibella could feel his heat as he slid his hands under the covers, one hand slipping about her waist and the other reaching around to pull the tie on her drawers and push them down. "All you had to do was ask, Sibella."