The Texan’s Bride(69)
“They’re just kids and well disciplined.”
“No, no, please.” She wasn’t ready to face the world, especially children.
“Okay. You have to leave this room soon, though. Sister Margaret will insist on it.” Teresa walked closer. “I don’t want to upset you, but since you had bruises we need to know if you were beaten by someone. We have to inform the authorities.”
“No, no.” She shook her head. “It was taken care of in the States.”
Teresa eyed her. “You sure you don’t want Mother Superior to call someone?”
“No, please. I’m hoping you’ll let me stay here—to heal.”
“You can tell me anything, Jessie.”
“I know, and thanks. I just need some time.”
“Sì.”
Teresa left and Jessie scooted back on the small bed. She heard children’s voices and stood to look out the window. Suddenly, a loud bell rang and children, single file, marched into the church. The boys wore black slacks and white shirts; the girls were dressed in black skirts and white blouses. They were all ages from six to sixteen.
Teresa rushed back in with Jessie’s breakfast.
“Where are the children going?” she asked.
“To mass. We have mass every morning and I have to run.”
“Teresa,” she called. “What’s the date?”
“December 23 and we’re getting ready to celebrate the birth of Christ. The children are so excited.”
Christmas. She pushed the thought from her mind.
“I don’t know much about religion.”
“It’s not difficult.” Teresa placed her hand over her chest. “You feel it in your heart, you know it in your mind—” she touched her forehead “—and you treasure it in your soul. We’ll talk later.”
Jessie kept watching out the window and saw Teresa flying across the courtyard. What were they doing in there? What was mass like? She gave up trying to figure it out and ate her breakfast. The homemade thick bread slathered in butter was decadent. Rosa had never made anything like this. Rosa…home. The memories seemed to trap her in a purgatory she couldn’t escape.
The children’s voices tempted her again and she returned to the window. The kids were laughing, running, playing. They were happy. How could that be in an orphanage? Maybe it had something to do with their religion.
Teresa rushed back in for the breakfast tray. “Try to walk some today.”
“Could you spare a few minutes?”
“Yes, but not long. The children are out of school for the holiday and someone has to be with them.”
“Where do they go to school?” Jessie was curious.
Teresa looked out the window and pointed. “There is the church, the classrooms, the dormitory, the office and we’re in the sisters’ quarters. The children live here until they’re eighteen and then Mother Superior finds them a job so they can support themselves and live on their own. Some are adopted, some are not.”
“Are…are there babies here?” Why did she ask that? It only made her think and she immediately closed her mind. It was still too painful.
“Ah, babies go quickly. Every couple who comes here wants a bambino.”
Jessie sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around her waist. Babies were something she couldn’t discuss. “Please tell me about my mother.”
Teresa lifted a dark eyebrow. “Is that why you came here?”
“I’m not sure. I’m just curious about her.”
Teresa pulled up a metal chair. “She was bellissima, like you.”
“I know. My dad had pictures of her.”
“Did he? That surprises me.”
“I didn’t see the photos until after his death.”
Teresa nodded. “That I understand.”
“What was she like?”
“Angela was the oldest, fun-loving and impulsive. She feared nothing but poverty. When our father died unexpectedly, she went to work to help support the family.”
“Stripping?”
Teresa’s eyes opened wide. “You know that?”
“Yes, but little else.”
Teresa seemed uncomfortable and shifted in the chair.
“It’s okay if…”
“No, no.” Teresa waved a hand. “Angela grew up fast in the strip clubs and I wanted to be like her, beautiful, seductive.”
“But it didn’t work out?”
“No, I got in with a bad crowd and did bad things…that’s why I’m here to find some peace so I can live with myself.”
“Did Angela find any peace?”
“Sadly, no. Mr. Murdock was older and she thought she could bend him to her will.”