Homespun Hearts (52 page)

He shook his head. He honestly didn’t care for tea, so he didn’t much care how it was prepared. He was more of a coffee drinker himself. He accepted the cup and took a cookie from the plate offered to him.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve asked you here,” Harriett began. “You know that I’m the aunt of the eight Sullivan girls?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, Lily is almost eighteen, and I’ve asked her for a list of men she would be willing to have court her. It is my job to investigate each man and see who I felt would suit her best.” Her eyes peered at him over her tea cup. “You were on that list, but she said you aren’t one of the boys who swarms around her constantly, so I’d like to know if Lily is even a woman you would consider courting.”

Daniel swallowed hard, suddenly nervous now that he was put on the spot this way. “I knew that none of the girls were allowed to court until they were eighteen, so I’ve kept my distance. On Thursday, just before Mr. Higgins gave me the letter, I asked her father if I could court her. I would like nothing more than to court Lily.”

Harriett looked relieved. “You were going to ask to court her anyway?” She seemed surprised by his answer.

“Yes, of course!”

“You were once one of Rose’s beaux. Are you over Rose?”

Daniel laughed. “I thought I was in love with Rose, but my feelings for her were nothing compared to how I feel for Lily. I have no feelings for Rose at all, except a fondness that will always remain, because she was my friend.”
When he was honest with himself, he knew that he’d been attracted to Rose because of her beauty and her careful ladylike manner. What he loved about Lily was she was beautiful without trying, and she didn’t feel like she had to put on a show wherever she went. She was Lily and if you didn’t like it, you could find someone else.

Harriett nodded, obviously pleased with his answer. “Sounds good. I’ll let her know.”

Daniel shook his head. “I’d like to let her know if you don’t mind. I don’t want to feel like we have an arranged marriage or anything. I want her to know that we’re courting because I love her.” He hoped her aunt would agree, because it would just seem odd to him otherwise.

Harriett smiled. “Give her parents a note from me, then?”

“Of course.” While he waited for her to write the note, he happily finished the cookie that he’d only taken one bite of earlier. “Would her parents protest if I went there today and didn’t wait the week?”

Harriett handed him the letter and limped back to her spot on the couch before answering. “I really don’t think they’ll mind. Not if Fred has given you permission already.”

Daniel jumped up with a smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Farmer!” He couldn’t believe this meeting had been so easy.

Harriett watched him go with a laugh on her face, her eyes meeting Higgins. “I was afraid he was going to be just like Shawn was at first. He really cares for her, though.”

Higgins nodded with a slight grin. “He obviously cares for her a great deal.”

As he walked home, Daniel decided to detour to a local florist shop. He knew lilies weren’t in season, of course, but perhaps they’d have a few? He didn’t care what he had to pay for them. His Lily needed her signature flower when he asked to court her, didn’t she?

I
t was just
past six that evening when Daniel stood outside the front door of the Sullivan’s house. He nervously straightened his tie and clutched the flowers a bit too tightly in his hand. He cleared his throat once and reached up to knock on the door.

One of the Sullivan’s maids that he remembered from his time courting Rose came to the door and eyed him skeptically. “Is Lily home?” he asked.

The maid nodded. “I should have known who you were here for by the flowers.”

Daniel looked down at the bouquet of different colored lilies in his hand. He had no idea of her favorite color, but he planned to find out that evening. If he knew, then he could cater the type of lily he brought her to her preferences. “I’m pretty obvious, I guess.”

“It’s easy to figure things out with them all being named after flowers.” The maid smiled opening the door wider. “They’re having supper. Would you like me to set an extra plate?”

Daniel nodded. He’d joined the family for supper many times and liked the idea a great deal. He followed the maid through the house to the dining room and stood, blushing a little, as he held the lilies in his hand, making it obvious to everyone why he was there.

Lily was sitting between her sisters Iris and Hyacinth. Hyacinth didn’t seem to notice him, but she was so dreamy, she rarely noticed anyone. Iris jumped to her feet. “Take my place, Daniel!” She picked up her plate and moved across the table beside Amaryllis.

Daniel moved over to sit beside Lily, her eyes watching him the entire time. He put the flowers in her hand just as the maid placed his plate and silverware in front of him. “I’d like to talk to you after dinner,” he whispered as softly as he could, knowing she would be embarrassed being courted in front of her sisters.

Rose had always acted like it was her due to be surrounded by men bearing gifts, but it was obviously not the same for Lily. She took the offered flowers and rested them in her lap, a smile transforming her face. “I’d like that,” she whispered back.

Jasmine was seated down the table, but she was leaning forward looking between Lily and Daniel, a smile of delight crossing her features. She stabbed a bite of her roast beef, while Daniel did his best not to fidget under her stare. She was enough younger than he was that he didn’t know her as well as the others, but there was just something about Jasmine and her stare that made him uncomfortable.

After a moment, he decided the best course of action was to fix his plate and eat, ignoring her stare. He piled mashed potatoes, roast beef and carrots onto his plate, already drooling at the idea of the food he was about to taste. The Sullivans had an excellent cook, and he was thrilled to be invited to eat with them.

He’d taken his first bite when he heard Lily gasp. He looked over and there was a small chunk of carrot stuck to her forehead. She quickly wiped it away with a napkin, not looking to see if he’d noticed. A second later he was hit himself, but the carrot plopped into his hair. He made a face as he pulled out the gooey mess.

Lily glared down at Jasmine. “Behave yourself, Jasmine!”

Jasmine made a face, picked up her spoon, and carefully placed one small carrot on the end of it, aiming for Lily once again. The carrot landed right in the middle of her sister’s forehead, and Lily brushed it aside, her face red with anger. “I’ll deal with you, Jasmine! Don’t think I won’t!”

Jasmine shrugged, eating a bite of her pot roast when both of her parents turned to look at her. “I don’t know what she’s talking about.” She gave her best angelic smile.

Fred cleared his throat. “How do you think the new man, Charles, is working out, Daniel? He doesn’t seem to be learning as fast as I’d hoped.”

Daniel grasped the conversational straw with both hands. The silence was going to grate on his nerves. This family didn’t do quiet, and he knew it was his unexpected presence that had quieted them down. “He doesn’t seem to understand the basics very well, sir. Both Jack and I find ourselves explaining the same things over and over to him.”

Fred nodded. “I was afraid of that.”

Daniel looked back down at his plate. “He does seem to be trying.” He felt the need to defend the young man.

“Yes, he certainly does put in a great deal of effort
.”
Fred frowned and dropped the topic, spearing a piece of meat rather dramatically onto his fork.

Daniel looked over at Lily who was eating with downcast eyes. Under the table, with no one looking, he squeezed her hand. Her eyes cut over to him and she gave a half smile. He couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking as she sat there quietly eating her meal. “What did you do today, Lily?”

“Rose needed to do some shopping so I went with her. She likes to sew all of little Freddie’s clothes herself, so we were looking at fabric swatches all day.” She wrinkled her nose, obviously not realizing she was even doing it.

“You didn’t enjoy that?” he teased. He knew she’d rather be outdoors than shopping any day.

She shrugged. “Well, there are things I would prefer to do on a Saturday afternoon.” She didn’t elaborate, and he didn’t ask. That was something they could discuss later. “What did you do today?”

“I had tea with your Aunt Harriett,” he answered with a smile, suddenly digging into his pocket. “Which reminds me. I have a note for you from her, Mr. Sullivan.”

Fred held his hand out for the note, reading it quickly and nodding. “I was certain it would be that. Thank you.” He gave Daniel a brief smile.

Daniel turned back to Lily. “Would you care to go for a buggy ride after supper? It looks like the rain’s finally stopped.” He had to get her alone so they could really talk. Trying to carry on a conversation with her parents and six of her sisters sitting there was difficult.

Lily nodded, keeping her eyes downcast. “I’d like that a lot.”

Daniel couldn’t figure out why Lily wouldn’t look right at him, but he didn’t say anything. He’d ask once they were alone. He was sure she’d have a logical explanation for her behavior.

Mary Sullivan looked over at Daniel, a smile on her face. He knew he’d always been a favorite of both of Lily’s parents. “Would you like to sit with us in church tomorrow, Daniel?”

Daniel smiled, nodding. By inviting him to sit with them, she would be announcing to the entire congregation that Daniel was the young man she wanted for Lily. He loved the idea of letting everyone know quickly that Lily was no longer available. If she agreed to court him, of course. What if there had been other men on the list she’d given Mrs. Farmer? The woman had never actually said. “I’d like that a lot.”

As soon as dinner was over, Daniel led Lily to the front door. He was glad they would finally be alone. As he helped her put her coat on, he realized she was still clutching the lilies in her hand. He took them from her. “Would you like me to have a maid put these in water for you?”

She nodded, flushing. One of the maids was walking past, and Lily stopped her. “Would you put these in water and take them up to my bedroom, please?”

“Yes, of course, Miss Lily.” The maid rushed away with the flowers.

Daniel took Lily’s hand and pulled it through his sleeve, leading her outside into the cold. “I won’t keep you in the cold for too long,” he promised.

Lily turned her face up toward the night sky. “Oh, I don’t mind. I love the cold.”

He smiled. He’d forgotten that about her. During the winter all the girls had huddled around the wood stove at school, but Lily had gone outside and played with the boys. He took her to the buggy and helped her up before walking around to the other side.

He climbed up, picking up the reins and starting off down the street. “I’ve asked your father’s permission to court you, and your aunt has approved. Now I just need your permission. May I be the one to court you, Lily?” His heart pounded as he waited for her answer. Did she feel the same as he did?

She nodded, her eyes shining as they met his. She was suddenly more like the Lily he remembered now that she was away from the table and her sisters. What had caused the change, he wondered.

“You were so quiet during dinner, and wouldn’t even look at me, that I was afraid you weren’t interested in me after all.” He stared straight ahead as he said the words.

“Oh, no!” She moved closer to him on the buggy seat, tucking the blanket that was over both of them. “If my sisters, especially Jasmine, realized how I feel about you, they’d torment me horribly. And you, too! Jasmine was bad enough with the carrots at dinner.” She shook her head and sighed. “My sisters are idiots.”

He laughed. “Is that all? I can handle teasing from your sisters.” He moved the reins to just his left hand and reached out to take her left hand in his right. “I was hoping you weren’t disappointed that I was there.”

She rested her cheek against his shoulder for a moment before sitting back up straight and tall. “It was just my sisters. I was really glad you came. Thank you for the lilies. They’re beautiful.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to turn eighteen, Miss Lily, but your aunt told me that your parents wouldn’t mind if I came to see you tonight. I’m glad she was right.”

Lily looked at him in surprise. “What were you waiting for me to turn eighteen for?” Her expression was truly inquisitive as if she had no idea why he’d want to see her.

His eyes met hers in the bright light of the moon. “Well, so I could court you.” He would have thought that was obvious.

“What? You weren’t planning to court me before Aunt Harriett talked to you, were you?” She found that difficult to believe with as much as he’d loved her sister. She was willing to put up with him marrying her just because he needed a wife and not because he loved her, but she wanted complete honesty from him.

“Yes, I was. I asked your father if I could court you even before your aunt sent me her invitation for tea.”

She studied him for a minute. He didn’t seem to be lying to her. Maybe he thought it would help him at the bank if he married one of the boss’s daughters. She wouldn’t argue with him. “Where are we going?” she asked, just to change the subject.

He shrugged. “I thought we’d just drive for a while. Maybe to the outskirts of town and then come back?” He didn’t really care where he went as long as he was with her.

She nodded. “That sounds fine.”

“Do you have plans for Friday night?” he asked, looking down at her again. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could until he convinced her that she should be his bride.

“No, not yet. What do you have in mind?” She’d take any minute she could spend with him.

“Well, one of my friends is having a dance. Do you remember James Bigelow?”

Unfortunately
. She nodded. James had been one of the boys who always made fun of her. “Yes, I do.”

“Well, he’s hosting five other men and their ladies. I’d love to take you dancing.” Daniel watched her expectantly.

She hated the idea of spending time with James, but she was sure he’d grown up. “That would be nice.” And it would, because it meant she could spend the evening in Daniel’s arms.

They had reached the edge of town, but instead of turning around and heading back, he pulled over to the side of the road and turned to her after setting the brake on the buggy. “Do you mind if I kiss you?” he asked. He had a feeling she wouldn’t want him to kiss her at home for fear one of her sisters might be watching out the window.

Lily’s heart jumped into her throat. No boy had ever even tried to kiss her. She nodded, lifting her lips to his.

Daniel lowered his face slowly, his lips lightly brushing hers. Lily’s hands went up to clutch his shoulders, and he deepened the kiss, his lips pressing firmly against hers and his arms going around her waist.

Lily had dreamed of being kissed by Daniel since she was twelve, and the reality of the kiss left her dreams far behind. His hands stroked her back through her coat and dress, and his lips played with hers. After a moment, he pulled away looking straight into her eyes. “Okay?” he asked.

She nodded, her lips parted and moist from his attentions. “Very okay,” she whispered, wishing he’d kiss her again.

He must have read her mind, because he lowered his lips to hers again, slanting his mouth against hers and taking advantage of her slightly parted lips to explore her mouth with his tongue. His hand went up to cup her cheek, and he kept his other hand at her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Lily loved the feel of his lips against hers. She was slightly startled when his tongue entered her mouth, because she hadn’t known that happened, but after a moment, she sighed deeply, happy to be so intimate with him. She could feel tingles of pleasure shooting up and down her spine and she shuddered in his arms.

He pulled away. “You’re getting cold. I’ll take you home.” He tucked the lap robe more securely around her and picked up the reins clucking to the horses.

Lily sat, embarrassed, but not knowing what to say. She hadn’t been cold. She’d liked what he was doing to her so much, she'd shuddered in his arms. She stayed close to his side, though, and he put his arm around her to keep her from growing colder. “What would you have preferred to do on a Saturday afternoon since shopping didn’t appeal to you?”

She shook her head, not answering. “You’ll laugh.” How could she admit that she still preferred fishing to shopping? It made her sound like a little girl. Or worse. A little boy!

“No, I won’t!” And he wouldn’t. He’d just see to it that she had the kind of Saturday afternoon she wanted as soon as possible.

“I’d like to go down to a small stream east of town and fish. I’d spend every Saturday there if I could.” She stared at her hands as she said the words, worried he’d think less of her. She hadn’t had a chance to go fishing in months. One demand after another seemed to be there now that she was out of school.

He laughed. “Next Saturday afternoon, we’ll go fishing together if you want. I love to fish.”

Her eyes met his, startled. “You don’t think it’s unladylike that I’d rather fish than go shopping?” Would any other man in the world be willing to fish with her? And not think less of her for it?