Romancing the Rogue (75 page)

Rose hurried home,
humming as
she
walked. After putting in her time at André
’
s,
she
’
d spent an hour delivering signs to most of the merchants along the Boardwalk. Nearly everyone had agreed to display the flyer in their window, and most had offered words of encouragement. It heartened her to know
she
had the support of the town.

Returning
to the house
,
she
prepared lunch for her mother and changed into work clothes
. Normally,
she
dreaded coming home to clean after having spent several hours scrubbing at the restaurant. But today
she
had lots of help. The entire Brannigan family had arrived earlier, ready to
make
the entire house shine and
get
everything ready for the gallery
’
s
G
rand
O
pening. Connor and Charlie built new frames for the larger canvases. They had moved the large dining table and stored it so that the
carpeting
could be thoroughly cleaned.

Mother, having eaten her lunch, rested upstairs, so
after straightening the kitchen
Rose rolled up her sleeves and got to work
on the rest of the house
.
She
’
d
learned a lot working at the hotel.
At first
she
hadn
’
t known much about housekeeping except to get the dust off the furniture. But one of the older maids had taken pity on her once
she
saw that Rose really wanted to learn and wasn
’
t just playing at being poor.

So now
she
cleaned,
grateful for all the extra help
.
She
liked the affable Mrs. Brannigan, the earnest young Connor, and the ever-cheerful Katie. How
lucky they were
to have siblings
.
The
past several years
would have been
so much easier to bear
if she
’
d had others to share the burden
.

Katie knelt on the floor in the Main Hall, scrubbing
the floorboards
. She looked up
with
a smile when Rose came in
carrying
a
bucket.

“
Afternoon, Rose. Did you get the word spread about the Grand Opening?
”

“
Yes, I did. I gave out fifty posters this morning along the Boardwalk. I personally tacked the posters up in the shops where they let me. With the others
,
I
’
m
not
sure if they
’
ll actually get displayed or whether they
’
ll be used for kindling.
”

“
We really appreciate all the hard work you
’
re doing to help Charlie. I know
he
’
s missed his artist days in New York.
He
was a big deal, you know.
”

“
Rose,
”
Charlie
’
s mother called from the doorway.
“
There
’
s someone here to see you.
”

Susie
’
s
hands toy
ed
with
her
apron and
her
eyes
darted
about.
Rose
wondered
what could have caused the woman
’
s distress, but got up to speak with the caller
.

A
h
urdy-
g
urdy man
stood
at the door
,
cap in hand, accordion at
his
feet, and monkey on
his
shoulder.

“
Afternoon, Miss Sheffield,
”
he began.
“
Sam Henderson
’
s my name.
I heard you
’
re
havin
’
a big to-do here in a few weeks and there
’
s gonna be all kinds of bigwigs and high-flyers here. And
word has it you
’
re
lookin
’
for musicians. Well, Jocko an
’
me, we can kick out a lively tune for your guests.
”
Before Rose could form a polite answer
,
he plunked
his
hat on
his
head, picked up
his
accordion
,
and began
a
jig
. The monkey, taking
his
cue,
played
a
pair of
tiny cymbals
, but t
he
tempo
of the monkey
’
s crashes had no connection with the
music
.

Sam finished his piece and looked hopefully at Rose.
“
What do ya think, Miss Sheffield? Can
’
t ya see those ladies and gents takin
’
a turn with my playin
’
?
”

“
Er, your music is lively
.
I
’
ll certainly consider it, Mr. Henderson.
”
She thought frantically of a polite way to let him down
, b
ut it didn
’
t seem to be necessary. He hung
his
head
,
and Rose felt bad for
him
.

“
Yeah, the other lady told me you had lots of musicians already.
”

“
The other lady?
”
C
onfusion must have shown
,
because the man elaborated.

“
Mrs. Sheffield. She answered the door yesterday when I came. Said
you
had so many musicians that
there was
a waiting list. So I wanted to make sure I was on that list, in case ya need more of us.
”

Bless Mother and her years of being a proper hostess to those high-strung Wall Street types. I never would have thought of
the
waiting list idea.

“
My mother was correct.
We
already have enough musicians, but I will be sure to start calling people on the waiting list should
we
have a cancellation or if the event grows large enough that more people
are needed
.
”
A thought occurred to her, and she asked,
“
Do you have a business card you can leave with me?
We
might not need your services for this time, but I
’
m hoping to have other special events later in the summer that
might
require your talents.
”

The man brightened and stood taller.
“
No business card, but I can write my name down if you have some paper.
”

Rose fetched a notebook
, and
Sam scribbled his contact information
then
went away. Rose went back to her work
.
T
hroughout the afternoon
,
a steady stream of musical acts of varying degrees of talent came to call.
Apparently, Sam had spread the word about the waiting list.
She
thanked them politely an
d took their names and addresses
. If Sheffield Galleries was to be accepted,
she
needed to make friends with the locals.

But there was one local citizen in particular whose approval she craved.
The
idea of setting
her
home up as an art gallery had sprung from
a
desire to provide better care for
her
mother. But now
,
she thought of him often, wondered what
he
was doing, considered what
he
would like, looked in his eyes for approval. She knew now that
her
original
opinion of him as a bohemian, living hand to mouth and not worrying about stability and responsibility, was wrong.
Charlie and his brother
delivered newspapers
early in the morning to make sure his family had enough to eat
, a
nd
he
wasn
’
t afraid of hard work.
She
could depend on him. And
she
wanted him to depend on her.
The
gallery
would
be
a success. So
she
dipped her rag into the soapy water and went back to work, making the woodwork gleam once more.

Rose hurried
home
from her shift at the restaurant
,
nearly skipping with exciteme
nt. Only one more day and she w
ould find out whether or
not all her hard work would net
results.
As she passed the Seaside Motel,
Ned Barker,
the
owner
,
stopped her
.

“
Miss Sheffield, you
’
re a godsend,
”
he exclaimed.
“
I thought your hoity-toity art gallery idea was gonna be a bust, but my hotel is full for the next month, and so is every other hotel in town. We
’
ve got bigwigs coming in from Philadelphia and New York City and more calling every day. I
’
ve had to turn away at least half a dozen people this morning. This place is going to be crowded with visitors! I had doubts about your Grand Opening, but you really pulled it together. If there
’
s ever anything I can do for
you
and
your
gallery, just see me!
”

Similar sentiments came from several of the shop owners as she continued toward her home.

“
Miss Sheffield, I can
’
t remember when we
’
ve ever been so busy!
”
The hot dog vender waved her
over to his stall
.
“
The usual vacationers must have invited everyone they knew to the shore this weekend. I
’
ll be lucky if I don
’
t run out of food!
”

She
entered the house with a s
mile, and her spirits
high.
The entire Brannigan family arrived soon afterward, and together they
put the final touches on the displays.
The entire house shone, and all of Charlie
’
s paintings hung in the former dining hall, now dubbed The Main Gallery. Other pieces, such as Erin Grady
’
s weavings and Mrs. Lindeman
’
s stitchery, graced the walls in the foyer and the sitting room
.

Everyone
gathered around the table as Rose served a freshly baked cake and hot tea.
E
verything was ready
,
and they could
celebrate
a little.
Rose thought about the bottle of champagne in the cupboard above the refrigerator.
If the Grand Opening was a success,
she
’
d have a bigger celebration
later
.

Hopefully, Charlie would want to celebrate with her.

“
Rose, this cake is delicious,
”
Katie said. The chocolate frosting circling her mouth was a testament to her enjoyment.

“
It certainly is,
”
Connor agreed.
“
Thank you from the bottom of my empty stomach.
”

“
You
’
re always hungry,
”
Katie teased.

“
It
’
s the least I can do after all of
you
worked so hard to get the house ready. I
’
m not sure it would have been done in time without
you
r help
,
”
Rose insisted.

“
Why, that
’
s what families are for.
”
Susie wiped her mouth and continued.
“
I don
’
t know how I could have gone on after my Ned passed away if it hadn
’
t been for my children and other family.
”

“
You
’
re so fortunate to have a large family. Rose and I have only each other
.
”
Lily sighed.
“
How long has your husband been gone?
”

“
About five years.
”
Susie set her fork down.
“
I still miss him so.
”

“
So we
’
ve been widows for about the same amount of time. Was your husband ill?
”

Susie
’
s eyes filled
with tears
, and
she bowed
her head
.
“
He was the strongest man I knew. Tall, like my Charlie, and a charmer, like Connor. He was a fisherman, he was. Went out every day and didn
’
t come home until he collected a good day
’
s haul. Because that was how he took care of us. But then the hard times came. The boat needed repairs, and we didn
’
t have the money for them. Without his boat, he couldn
’
t fish. And without the fish, he couldn
’
t provide for us. No matter what I said or did, he considered himself a failure. He didn
’
t smile, didn
’
t eat, didn
’
t talk. And then he got sick and never got better.
”

“
Oh my dear Susie, how awful for you,
”
Lily murmured.
“
Too bad he didn
’
t talk to my husband. Arthur could have helped.
”

“
Your husband?
”

“
Yes, my husband was Arthur Sheffield, of the Carter and Dunham Bank in Manhattan. But
he
loved to come here to Wildwood in the summertime.
He
always said it relaxed him to come to the shore, even if
he
had to work at the local branch. Did you know him?
”

Rose
noticed
Susie
’
s
smile become strained
, and
a sense of foreboding made its way to her heart
.

“
I didn
’
t have the pleasure of meeting him,
”
Susie said evenly.
“
But I believe my husband did.
”

Rose
’
s unease heightened as t
he Brannigan children
straightened and
gathered around
their mother
in support.

Lily seemed unaware of the undercurrent and continued on.
“
How fascinating! I really didn
’
t know much about Arthur
’
s business goings-on. He didn
’
t share it with me, and I probably wouldn
’
t have understood it. I miss him so. Good thing I
’
ve got my Rose here to help me.
”
She smiled up at her daughter and patted her arm.

“
Ned loved his family too, but he wanted to provide for them. When his fishing boat was damaged beyond repair,
he
went to the bank here in Wildwood, and when they turned him down
,
he went to their managers.
”
S
usie
sniffled, and Charlie took her hand and gave her a clean handkerchief. Connor and Katie stood behind her, each putting a hand on her shoulder.
Seeming to g
ather strength from her children, she went on.
“
They
,
too
,
turned him down. He protested and went all the way to the bank
’
s offices in New York to plead with someone there. But that person wouldn
’
t budge. Ned never missed any payment, but they didn
’
t have faith in him to repay a loan. He couldn
’
t stand it, the thought that someone didn
’
t trust him to keep his word. After he got back from New York he was a different man.
”

She turned her bleak eyes at Lily.
“
The man at the top who turned him away was Arthur Sheffield.
”

Silence reigned. The two widows stared at each other
:
one in anger and sorrow, one in disbelief and shame. Charlie was torn. He hurt for his mother, who had watched her husband die needlessly. And he ached for Rose and her mother, knowing the guilt they obviously carried, despite their innocence.

Susie
rose from her seat
.
“
I believe it
’
s time I made my way home,
”
she
declared.
“
It
’
s a long walk back to Anglesea.
”
S
he
swept out, her children following in her wake.

Rose stood,
wanting to
plead for forgiveness,
need
ing to
atone for her father
’
s callousness, yet not knowing what to say.
“
Charlie,
”
was all she could manage
to
whisper.

Pausing a
t the doorway,
he
turned sad eyes to her.
“
We
’
ll talk later,
”
was all
he
said before closing the big oak door behind him.