Shining Water 01 - The Icecutter's Daughter (10 page)

“Yes,” Merrill replied. “I know he’ll be quite happy to hear that news.”

“Well, you just go on about your business, and I’ll have this ready for you this afternoon. Bring the wagon around back when you’re ready to go, and I’ll get things loaded.”

“Thank you,” she told the man. “I shouldn’t be much past one.”

Exiting the store, she caught sight of Rurik and his visitors. Svea held his arm possessively as they entered the hotel across the street.

“Put it from your mind, Merrill Jean,” she muttered under her breath.

She hurried toward the residential area, where the Lassiter house welcomed her with the promise of warmth. Granny and Corabeth looked happy to see her as usual and, amidst their rapid chatter, pulled her inside.

“We wondered if you would make a visit today,” Corabeth enthused. “Didn’t we, Granny?”

“Looks nice enough outside, but it’s awfully cold,” Granny said, taking the proffered basket from Merrill. “Goodness, but why isn’t your bonnet tied?”

There was no chance to answer as the older woman pushed Merrill into a seat at the kitchen table and looked through the contents of the basket. “These look most inviting, Merrill. Thank you.” She nodded appreciatively, then continued. “Did you hear the sad news about Mr. Middaugh’s brother, Solomon?” she asked.

Merrill shook her head and sipped at the tea Corabeth had put in front of her.

Granny’s expression grew grim. “He was making his way home, driving a wagon of lumber and tin roofing,” she began. “He was about a mile from his house when something happened, and the tongue broke away. The horses were spooked and ran, and of course the wagon could not hold together
in all the uproar. It sent poor Solomon into the air and entangled him in one of the wagon wheels. Broke both legs just below the knee.”

“Oh, how awful,” Merrill said, picturing the terrible scene.

“That’s not all,” Granny continued. “There was no one around to help him. He had to crawl quite a distance and bled all the way. The only thing that kept him from bleeding to death was the cold. It froze the wounds.”

Merrill shuddered. “And only a mile from his house?”

“Yes,” Corabeth nodded, her expression sad. “But he was alone all night.”

“Some children on their way to school found him the next morning—more dead than alive. He was taken home, but I’m sorry to say he didn’t survive.” Granny shook her head again. “The poor horses were found later. One was still pulling the front axle and one wheel.”

Merrill could only imagine the fear the horses experienced. “When did this happen?”

“A couple of weeks ago. Mr. Middaugh posted a letter in the Waseca County
Herald
.” Granny picked up her teacup. “A person just never knows when life will end,” she went on. “Makes you mindful of eternal matters, doesn’t it?”

“Life just seems so unpredictable sometimes,” Corabeth said, sounding thoughtful. Merrill wondered if she was thinking about Zadoc.

Merrill’s own thoughts turned to Svea and Nils Olsson’s surprise visit, and she nodded slowly. “Yes, life is full of surprises, some of them rather unpleasant.” But at their quizzical glances, she quickly changed the subject.

Rurik led the way into the hotel lobby. “I’ll arrange for the depot master to have your bags delivered. This is a nice hotel, and I think you’ll find the rooms comfortable.” He stepped aside as Nils reserved two rooms.

When they reached room number five, Nils opened the door. It boasted an iron bed, small sofa, and electric lamps. The adjoining room included another bed, rocking chair, and lamp. It seemed to meet with Svea’s approval, and she turned to give Rurik a smile.

“It will suit us for the time being,” she said, pulling her gloves off.

“Kind of nice to have electricity, ja?” Rurik said, switching on the lamp. “Uncle Carl has it in the shop, and it’s a lot easier than trying to work by lantern light.”

“It’s cold in here,” Nils commented.

“I’ll make sure you have extra blankets. You should be able to get the train back to Kansas tomorrow,” Rurik declared. “I’ll check on the schedule for you.”

Svea stopped and looked at him with a frown. “We aren’t going back to Kansas tomorrow.”

“We’ve no reason to go back,” Nils confirmed. “My father has replaced me. He hired a regular office manager. He’s insisting that I get out on my own, so here I am.”

Rurik shook his head. “But as I told you in the letter, there isn’t a job yet available for you—”

“I can’t go back.” Nils’s statement was simple and to the point.

Svea rushed at Rurik, her face a whirlwind of emotions. “You cannot mean to send us away,” she wailed. “I’m here because I decided to forgive you and reinstate our engagement.” She took hold of his arm. “You were very unkind to me, but I believe I understand now. You were just concerned for your uncle. That’s actually quite admirable of you.”

“I wasn’t being unkind to you, Svea, and there’s nothing for you to forgive . . . unless it’s the fact that I let the engagement go on so long. It truly wasn’t fair to burden you in such a way.”

She shook her head quickly. “Rurik, our engagement wasn’t a burden, and I resent you suggesting it was. Goodness knows I want to please you, but I cannot acknowledge our engagement as anything but wonderful. I’m sorry I lost my temper back in Lindsborg, but when you said you were going away . . . it frightened me.”

Rurik looked to Nils, but he only shrugged and walked to the window. Turning back to Svea, Rurik tried to choose his words carefully. “Svea, I’m sorry that I frightened you, but you must understand something.”

“And what is that?” she asked, obviously trying to sound coy but ending up whining.

He drew a deep breath. “I do not wish to reinstate our
engagement.” He wanted to emphasize each word so there was no mistaking his meaning. “After you ended it, I felt nothing but a sense of relief. I’ve long feared that our betrothal was wrong. We are very different, you and I, and I cannot give you the life you desire, with travel—”

“You brought me here to Waseca,” she put in stubbornly.

“I didn’t bring you here,” he said, shaking his head. “In fact, I had no idea you were coming at all. I’m sorry if that offends or hurts you.”

“You’re simply surprised to see us.” Svea threw her gloves onto the bed. “I can’t blame you. We probably should have sent a wire to let you know we were arriving, but then that would have ruined the surprise.”

Nils turned at this. “You have to understand, Rurik, Svea and I have long pinned our hopes on you.”

Rurik was perplexed at this statement. “I can’t imagine why.” He looked between the two of them, trying to figure out what he wasn’t understanding about all this.

“Can’t you?” Nils crossed the room. “You and I have been best friends all of our lives. We’d always planned to work together. I’ve not changed my mind on that matter, and your letter to me showed that you hadn’t either.”

“I wrote to let you know of future possibilities, Nils, but they were
only
possibilities. My uncle wants to take me as a partner in his business. He wishes to expand and add additional workers. I told him of the plans you and I had to open a shop together, and he mentioned that it might work to hire you on to manage the office. But that was something to consider for the future. There is no job available for you at this time.”

“Then I’ll find something else until you can work it out,” Nils said. He brushed back the dark blond hair over his left eye. “I’m sure you can convince your uncle to bring me in sooner than he planned. You’ve always had a way of setting things right.”

Rurik took a long breath, looking from Nils to Svea and back again. “I cannot force you to leave, but you must know that I have no intention of marrying you, Svea, or of pressing my uncle to employ you, Nils. I only wrote to let you know there might one day be a position. I was concerned you might think I’d forgotten our plans if you heard from my brother that Carl wanted to make me a partner. I’m sorry if you read any other intention in my letter.”

“This is ridiculous,” Svea said, stamping her foot. “We’ve come hundreds of miles to show you our devotion, and you shun us.”

“I’m not shunning anyone, Svea. I’m trying to be reasonable. You’ve come at a very bad time, I’m afraid. I have many responsibilities, and I cannot act as host to you and your brother.” He looked back to Nils. “And, frankly, I’m surprised that you would risk your sister’s well-being, bringing her north in the winter cold, on such a pointless venture.”

“I made him bring me,” Svea declared saucily. “And I think you know why.”

“I have no clue.” Rurik shook his head. “The last thing I remember from you were the words, ‘I hope to never see you again.’”

Rurik didn’t wait to see Svea’s response but checked his watch instead. “I need to get back to work. I’m sorry that
you two traveled here for nothing. Since it seems my letter unintentionally enticed you both to come, I’ll help pay your passage back home.”

“We’re not leaving,” Nils said with a stubbornness that surprised Rurik.

He waited for Nils to continue. When the man said nothing, Rurik’s irritation could no longer be held in check. “Do as you like, but this is not my problem,” he said as firmly as he could without hollering at them. “I’ve tried to explain the situation, and I’ve offered to help you get home. If you choose to stay and waste your time and money, I am not responsible.”

“Father won’t have me back,” Nils mumbled. “We’ve had our differences, and there’s no going back.”

Rurik eyed his friend for a moment. He wondered what on earth had happened to cause such an irreversible rift between father and son.

Nils turned back to the window. “I have no choice but to stay.”

Rurik didn’t know what to say. Nils was his friend, and he hated to complicate the man’s problems. He supposed he could try to find
something
for Nils to do. Maybe he could help with the ice harvest. There were numerous people in the area who were busy with that task. Maybe a good word from Carl would allow Nils to sign on with one of the harvesters—maybe Mr. Krause?

“I’ll speak to Carl,” Rurik finally said. “Maybe he’ll have some ideas or suggestions. Nevertheless, you need to send Svea back, and she can hardly travel alone. Why don’t you
escort her home and then return?” Rurik hoped that maybe by the time they got to Kansas, their father would have reconsidered whatever issue had caused the separation between him and Nils. Maybe Mr. Olsson would be so relieved to have them home safe and sound that he would welcome Nils back with open arms. And if not, it would give Rurik a week or two to look into employment opportunities for his friend.

“I cannot go home either,” Svea said. “You cannot take advantage of me as you have, and then just dismiss me.”

“Take advantage of you? I’ve done nothing, Svea.
You
were the one to end our engagement. But it was the right decision,” Rurik said. “Honestly, Svea, we’ve been over all this. There is no reason for you to chase after me now. Find a good man who will court you as I cannot. A man who will love you as you deserve.”

Svea stepped closer and lowered her voice. “You know full well why I cannot do that.”

Rurik looked to Nils and shook his head. Turning back to Svea, he saw tears forming in her eyes. He was astounded. She seemed genuinely distraught. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he finally said.

“It cannot be a secret any longer,” Svea said, looking to Nils. “My brother knows all about it, and in a very short time, so shall everyone else. All will know, and you will have no choice but to do right by me.”

“What in the world are you talking about, Svea?” But his voice sounded distant in his own ears.

She lifted her chin and fixed him with steely blue eyes. “I’m going to have a baby. Your baby.”

The words whirled through Rurik’s head all during the afternoon and into the evening. He knew with absolute certainty they weren’t true. He’d never been intimate with Svea Olsson or any woman. But that Svea was in such a predicament, and she’d told her brother that Rurik was responsible, was more than he could fathom. Had something happened since he’d left home? But why was she laying the blame at his feet? Was the true father not willing to accept the child as his? On and on his thoughts went as he tried to focus on the work at hand.

As Rurik tightened a clamp to glue two pieces of oak in place, he felt the enormous gravity of the situation. Svea was pregnant.

Nils had jumped right in after her declaration, saying that the entire community of Lindsborg knew the couple to be intended for marriage. Such things often happened, Nils stated, and it was no use worrying about how it came about, but rather to make the situation right. He’d not even listened to Rurik’s assurances that he’d never laid a hand upon Svea in such a manner—but then, Svea and Nils were very close. They were the youngest siblings in the Olsson family, and when Nils had taken a fall from a horse some years earlier, it was Svea’s faithful tending that brought him through. Rurik had never known a brother and sister to be closer. But Nils was also Rurik’s friend and knew his character. Why did he doubt Rurik was telling the truth?

God, you know that I never touched her
, he prayed.
Why is this happening? What must I do?

“I thought I might find you here,” Carl said, joining his nephew in the otherwise empty workshop. “Why are you working so late?”

“I have a lot on my mind,” Rurik replied, straightening with a sigh.

“Ja, with your friends arriving here unannounced, I can imagine.” He smiled. “If you need to take some time off for them, I can spare you a day or so.”

“No,” Rurik said. “It isn’t that at all. Nils took more from my letter than I intended. He came with the expectation of getting a job running your office.”

“That I can understand, but what of his sister? She acts as though you two are still betrothed.”

Rurik shrugged and put aside his tools. “She says now she would like it to be that way. But I told her I had no intention of reinstating the engagement. I’m not of a mind to marry her. I’m more convinced than ever that we are not meant to be together, and I told her so.”

“I’m sorry, son. That couldn’t have been easy.”

“I just don’t understand why she would want to marry a man she knows doesn’t love her.” Though as Rurik remembered her condition, he realized she was probably scared out of her wits. No doubt someone had dallied with her, and she had yielded her innocence. Perhaps Rurik had been partly to blame, since he was the one to leave and upset her so.

He shook his head. Had his rejection sent her into the arms of a less honorable man? Rurik thought about telling his uncle about her strange declaration, but he didn’t get the chance.

Carl was leaning hard against the sideboard Rurik was
working on, his face pale. “I think I ate too much tonight.” He put his hand to his stomach and then to his chest. “I should probably lie down.”

“Are you all right?” Rurik asked, hurrying to put an arm around his uncle’s waist. “Is it your heart?”

“I think so, but it’s nothing new,” Carl admitted. “I’ll rest and be fine. Just help me to the house.”

Rurik all but carried the man from the workshop. “I’ll get you tucked in and go for the doctor.”

“No. Better to not waste his time. There’s nothing he can do,” Carl said, though he sounded as if he was in a great deal of pain.