Joyce was a little confused but said nothing. She wanted the whole story and reserved judgment till she had it.
“The house has about 32 rooms now. It was already a mansion before. Tom… hasn’t even put furniture in some of them. He moved all of his things into the new rooms and keeps several of the old ones the way they were when Lizzie died.”
Joyce felt her temper waning. Tom’s depression had led him to do something strange, but at least, he hadn’t murdered someone. “Well, I’ve heard of people in mourning doing that before. How did she die?”
Gary’s eyes snapped down to his wife. “Tell her, Anne,” He said.
Anne pursed her lips for a moment. Finally, she said, “In childbirth.” She let her eyes move up to Joyce’s face as the woman registered what she’d said.
Joyce frowned. “So he lost his wife and his baby at the same time?” She asked.
Gary shook his head. “No, Miss. The baby is healthy and alive. Her name is Eliza, named after her mother.”
Joyce processed the information. “So…there’s a baby?”
The couple sitting across from her stared at her with open faces. Gary seemed to expect Joyce to jump from the carriage at that moment. Anne’s face looked hopeful and anxious at the same time.
Joyce was taken aback, unsure how to feel. She had been lied to about something that was very important. Something that may have made a difference in her choice to come here. She felt betrayed and frowned deeply. She wasn’t going to have her own family. She was going to have someone else’s family.
“That is deeply disappointing,” Joyce said. “I would have liked to have known about that before I agreed to come here. I have no experience with small babies. None whatsoever.”
“You didn’t take care of your nieces and nephews?” Gary asked.
Joyce shook her head. “No. I never did.” She was trying to control her disappointment and anger. She wasn’t sure she wanted to start out with a new baby she hadn’t even had. And this man sounded like he was going to be distant and mournful of his dead wife all the time. Where did that leave her? As a nursemaid and housekeeper? She looked out the window without putting words to her emotions. She had money. She could buy a train ticket and go home.
But was that really what she wanted?
Anne leaned forward and put her small hands over Joyce’s. “Please don’t be angry with Tom, Joyce. He’s such a good man and he just needs to be shown that life isn’t over. He needs someone to show him that there can be love again. I believe you will do that for him. All you have to do is reach out to him and try to understand him.”
Joyce didn’t respond but did look at Anne with a soft look. It was her Godly duty to try. She had to try at least. She wasn’t the kind of woman who started something she didn’t finish, even if there were obstacles put in the way.
Chapter Three
The rest of the ride back was quiet as Joyce thought about her options. She certainly didn’t have to stay. But she felt obligated to do so. This child had been left without her mother, and her father didn’t seem to be in any condition to take care of her. How could she possibly let the child grow up in an atmosphere like that? At least, she had her parents until she was 12. She’d gotten to experience a family. How could she not ensure this innocent child had the same thing?
She tried to reassure herself but still felt resentful. Everyone had problems. Surely Tom could muster up the courage to let go at some point. She had moved on from the death of her parents. It hadn’t been easy, but it had been necessary.
She was once again in awe when they pulled into the long dirt drive that led up to the biggest house Joyce had ever seen. She leaned slightly out the window and scanned the landscape. There was a row of trees lining the dirt drive that reached up into the sky and bent over the path to make a natural shelter. The leaves were in full bloom. Coming from the drab exterior of the town she’d left behind, she was highly impressed.
Beyond the trees, she could see fields stretching out, tall grass waving in the breeze. She moved her eyes to the house they were approaching. It was three stories high and made from what looked like solid red bricks. The porch roof was held up by two opposing huge round stone pillars. There were six long steps that formed a “c” in front of the porch. They were also made of the same light colored stone as the pillars.
“Oh, my.” She breathed.
Anne and Gary didn’t respond.
When the carriage pulled up to the steps, Gary got out first and held out his hand to help the ladies down the small steps. A woman dressed in a frock and apron came out of the house to greet them. She was carrying a very small baby girl. Eliza was dressed to meet her new mother. She had on a bright yellow sundress with a large blue ribbon around the waist that brought out the blue in the little girl’s eyes. Her yellow hair almost matched her dress but gave off a more gold-colored shine. She had one tiny finger in her mouth, where Joyce could see three teeth on the top and three on the bottom.