Rose (Suitors of Seattle) (14 page)

Rose nodded, excitedly. “I would love to teach you to be a lady.”  She eyed her sister with a gleam in her eyes.  “Can we start with your hair? Please?  I’ve been dying to get my hands on your hair.”

Lily shrugged.  “It’s just hair.”

“It’s the most beautiful shade of red I’ve ever seen.  It would look so good pulled up on top of your head and not just dangling in braids.  After lunch, we’ll go upstairs and I’ll show you how to fix it.”  Rose was practically bouncing up and down with her excitement.

Lily made a face, obviously not wanting to.  “Do you think it’ll get men to notice me?”

“I do!  In another year you’ll have men falling at your feet.”

“But will I still be able to go fishing when I want to?”

Rose rolled her eyes.  “Why would you want to?”

They spent the afternoon upstairs in the room Rose shared with Shawn practicing different hairstyles.  Finally, they settled on one Lily liked and Rose showed her how to do it herself.  “If you don’t want to learn how to do a bunch of different ones, this one is fine.  Just no more braids.”

“Braids don’t get in the way.”

“Neither will this!  Your hair is all up and out of your face.  Braids get caught in things. I was so excited when Mama let me start putting my hair up.”

“I had better things to do.”  Lily folded her arms over her chest, making it clear she thought turning into a lady was boring.

“Who is it?”

Lily shook her head, blushing again.  “I’d rather not say.”

“Will you tell me how long you’ve had feelings for him at least?”
  Rose was dying to know the details of what man had caught Lily’s attention.

Lily sat silently for a moment before finally whispering, “Three years.”

Rose felt bad for her sister. All the time whoever it was had been her suitor Lily had feelings for him.  She wished she could turn back time and refuse to let any of them visit her.  “I’m sure he’ll never look at me again with you beside me.”  She took Lily’s hand and pulled her to her feet.  “You need better dresses.  You don’t have to wear the pretty stuff for school, because I know you like to play baseball at recess, but you could wear them away from school.”  She couldn’t think of any of her former suitors who were still going to school.  “He’s not still in school, is he?  Because if he is, you probably shouldn’t play baseball at recess anymore.”

“He’s not in school.”  Lily looked down at her dress.  “I’m sure Mama would be thrilled if I started wearing prettier dresses.  Will you help me choose them?”

Rose grinned delightedly.  “I’d love to!  Mama will set up an account for you.  We can have a lot of fun choosing pretty fabrics and designs.”  She absolutely loved the idea of spending hours with a dressmaker helping Lily pick out pretty dresses.  “You’ll wear them to church?”  She had a vision of Lily in front of a wardrobe full of beautiful gowns that all made her look like a princess and choosing the one with the huge patch on the front for church.

Lily nodded.  “I will.”

Rose smiled.  “We’ll go Friday.  Tell Mama you can’t work at the women’s shelter because you and I have plans to shop for new dresses.  She can send Amaryllis in your place.”

“You don’t think she’ll mind?”

“Mind?  Mama will be so excited you’re getting pretty dresses that she’ll probably dance a jig as soon as you leave the room.”

Lily laughed at the vision that created in her mind.  “Maybe she will.”

*****

Their Friday shopping trip was fun for Rose.  They picked out six different gowns that suited Lily with her dark red hair.  The dressmaker promised to have them ready for a fitting in two weeks.  They made plans to go back on Saturday and afterward had lunch together at the small restaurant next to the hotel.

They were eating their first course when a throat was cleared beside them.  Rose looked up and smiled.  “Daniel!  You’re everywhere these days.”  She indicated Lily.  “You remember my sister, Lily.”

Daniel turned to Lily
, his eyes widening.  “I didn’t recognize you.”  He took Lily’s hand and bent over it kissing her fingertips.  “You look beautiful, Lily.”

Rose smiled happily.  Her sister did look good.  She was wearing a dress that had been hanging up in the dressmaker’s shop
; the owner had never claimed it so they’d bought it for Lily.  It fit her like a glove and showed off her green eyes beautifully.  She’d worn her hair up, and really did look like a different person.

Lily blushed, her eyes lighting up excitedly.  “Thank you, Daniel.”

Daniel’s eyes met Rose’s again.  “It was good seeing you the other day.  If you ever get tired of that dentist, remember, I’m here.”

Rose sighed.  “I’m in love with my husband, Daniel.”  She raised her hand to wave goodbye.  “I’ll see you again soon, I’m sure.”
  Whether she wanted to or not.

Daniel looked hurt at being dismissed so quickly, but went back to his friend who was sitting at a table near the window. 

Rose looked at Lily, who was clutching the hand Daniel had kissed to her.  “He’s the one, isn’t he?”

Lily blushed, but nodded.  “He is.”

“He’s a nice man.  I’d have married him if I hadn’t met Shawn.”  She shrugged, making it clear to Lily that Daniel would have been second choice.

“I’m really glad you didn’t, because then I’d have had to hate you for the rest of my life,” Lily declared passionately.

Rose laughed.  “I’m glad too, then.  I wouldn’t want my sister to hate me.”  She applied herself to her soup, wondering if there was something she could say to Daniel to make him realize what a good catch Lily would be.

*****

Rose woke earlier than usual Monday morning, feeling unwell.  She put a hand to her stomach, hoping it would calm down.  Shawn was still sleeping, so she tiptoed from the room, deciding to take a bath to maybe calm her stomach. 

She sat with Shawn while he ate breakfast, but didn’t eat anything herself.  Just the scent of the food was enough to make her want to run for a chamber pot. 
After he’d left, she went back upstairs to lie down, hoping whatever was wrong would pass quickly.
 

It was while she was lying in bed awake that she realized what must be wrong.  It had been almost six weeks since her last monthly. She rolled from the bed to her feet and dressed.  She’d go to the doctor right away and see if her suspicions were correct.  She’d love to tell Shawn he was going to be a father!

Two hours later, she stepped out into the drizzle from the doctor’s office, still feeling a little nauseated, but more excited than she could ever remember being.  She was going to be a mother! 

Instead of going home, she walked the block to Shawn’s office and sat down, waiting for him to appear.  She knew he took his time with each patient, so it could take a while.  When he emerged, he was patting an older man on the shoulder.  “Next time, come to me as soon as it starts hurting.  I don’t want to have to keep pulling your teeth, Mr. Samson.”

The man nodded, his cheek swollen.  “I will.”

Shawn watched him leave
, and then his eyes settled on Rose.  “Do you have a tooth hurting you today as well?” he asked with a grin.

She shook her head.  “No more patients?”

“No, it’s lunch time.”  He took his hat off the peg by the front door.  “Why don’t we eat at the restaurant today?”

She smiled at him, threading her hand through his arm.  Over lunch was the perfect time to tell him.  They both ordered their meals
, and Shawn sat back.  “That was the third time Mr. Samson has been to me to pull a tooth.  Every time I tell him his teeth can be saved if he’ll just come to me when he first has a problem.  And every time he waits until he can’t stand the pain for another second, and he comes to me asking me to pull a tooth.  It’s infuriating!”

Rose grinned.  She loved it when he got angry with his patients.  It always made her want to laugh.  “I’m sorry he’s so frustrating.”

Shawn shook his head.  “I’m boring you.”  He took her hand in his.  “Are you feeling better than you were this morning?”

She nodded.  “A little.  I saw the doctor.”

“The doctor?  I didn’t realize it was that bad!  Did he give you medicine?”

“No.  He said I just had to let it run its course. It’ll be months before I’m completely better.”
  Would he understand what she was telling him?

“Months?  We need to get another opinion!  Is there another doctor in Seattle?”  He’d only ever heard of Dr. Brown, but he was willing to search until he found her someone who could help.

She shook her head.  “No.  There’s not.  I guess I’ll have to wait it out.”  Her eyes twinkled as they met his.

“How long does he think you’ll feel badly?”

“Oh, the morning sickness should be over in another two months or so.  But I won’t feel like myself again for at least seven months.”

Shawn stared at her, his face lighting up as understanding dawned.  “Morning sickness?  Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

She nodded, giggling slightly.  “You’re going to be a father.”

His smile transformed his face.  “I’m going to have a son.”

“Or a daughter!”  She smiled.  “My father only had daughters.”

He shrugged.  “Or a daughter.  What should we name it?”

“If it’s a boy, I’d like to name it after my father.  He always wanted a boy named Fred.”

He made a face.  “I’ll make you a deal.  If it’s a girl, I get to name it.  You can name any boys.”  He hoped they only had girls, though, because he didn’t much like the name Fred.

She nodded slowly.  “That sounds like a fair deal.”  The waiter placed her soup in front of her.  “We’ll have to turn the room next to ours into a nursery.”

“You can do whatever you’d like with it.”  He took a bite of his soup.  “Do you think you’ll hire a nurse?”

She shrugged.  “We always had one, so probably.  If you don’t mind that is.  I’d like to be able to keep working with the home for battered women.”

“I don’t mind that.  A nurse would make your life easier.”  He reached over and took her hand in his.  “Thank you.”

She smiled happily.  “I’m as happy about this baby as you are.”

“I can see that!”  Her whole face was alight with it, even though she still had a slightly gray cast to her skin.  He hoped the morning sickness wouldn’t be too bad for her.

“I can’t wait to tell my mama she’s going to be a grandmother.”  She giggled softly.  “She’s going to hate how old it makes her feel.  I guarantee it!”

Shawn smiled as he leaned back in his chair.  “Well, I don’t want to make your mother feel old, but I want to shout it from the rooftops.  Should we go over there after we eat supper tonight and tell them?”

She nodded slowly.  “We should!”  She pressed her hand to her belly that was still totally flat.  “I can’t believe there’s a baby growing inside me.”

“I hope we have dozens more.”

*****

It was raining after supper, so they took the buggy instead of making the short walk.  Rose half-ran up to the house and knocked loudly so they could be heard over the storm.  Shawn stood behind her, his hand on her back.  He couldn’t believe how much joy the idea of having a child filled him with.  He was going to be a father!  He’d have to write a quick note to his parents as soon as they got home.

Hyacinth came to the door and opened it widely, looking out the door like she was surprised it was raining.  Shawn watched her, all but laughing.  He was surprised the girl wasn’t always walking into things.  She seemed to live in her own little world.

Rose caught her sister’s arm before she wandered off.  “Where are Mama and Papa?”

Hyacinth shrugged and walked away, her eyes unfocused as she watched what was going on in front of her.

Shawn looked at Rose.  “Is there something wrong with Hyacinth?  I mean, is she…slow?”

Rose laughed.  “She’s smarter than me by far.  She gets the best marks in school of any of us.  She’s just never quite here.”

Shawn shrugged.  If he ever figured her sisters out
, he’d feel like he held the secrets of the universe in his hand.

Rose took his hand and pulled him through the house, knocking on the door to the parlor and pushing it open.  Her parents were sitting together on the couch, obviously deep in conversation.  “Rose!”  Mary jumped to her feet.  “What are you two doing out visiting in a storm like this?”

Rose sank down onto a chair and faced her parents, noting that Shawn sat in a chair beside her.  “We have news!”

Mary looked between the two of them, noting that both of them were all but glowing.  “You’re having a baby.”  She clapped her hands together and ran toward Rose, pulling her to her feet and hugging her.  “I’m going to be a grandmother!”

Rose laughed, nodding emphatically.  “You are!”

Mary made a face.  “I’m too young to be a grandmother!”
she wailed.

Rose laughed, hugging her mother and patting her back.  “You’ll be the youngest grandmother in Seattle.”