Shining Water 01 - The Icecutter's Daughter (14 page)

“Some would say I’m already an old maid, Corabeth. After all, there are plenty of dainty young women coming of age in Waseca. I doubt seriously that any of the eligible men are struggling to make their pick.”

“There you are,” Merrill’s father said, coming up from behind. “There’s someone here who has a question for you.”

Merrill turned with a smile for her father and found Nils Olsson on his heel. “Mr. Olsson,” she said, nodding a greeting but feeling her heart sink.

“Miss Krause,” Nils said eagerly, “I just asked your father if I might be your escort to the winter party next week. He said you hadn’t accepted any other invitations, so I am hoping that although this request comes quite late, you will make me the happiest man on earth and accept.”

Corabeth gave a little squeal of delight. “Of course she will, won’t you, Merrill?”

Merrill looked to her father, who seemed equally pleased.
“You and Zadoc could drive in from the farm and go with Corabeth and Nils to the party. A nice foursome.”

She could see her options were quickly being taken from her. Merrill didn’t want to create a scene so she nodded. “That would be . . . very nice, Mr. Olsson. Thank you.”

“Wonderful. Where shall we plan to meet?”

Corabeth took charge. “You must all come to my house a half hour prior to the party. We’ll have some cider and cookies. Granny will be so happy to see you all.”

“That’s sounds perfect,” Nils replied.

“What sounds perfect?” Rurik asked. Svea followed him like a faithful puppy. She quickly slipped her arm through his once he stopped in front of Merrill and Corabeth. Without a word, he gently pried her fingers from his arm.

“Miss Krause just agreed to accompany me to the winter party,” Nils said, giving Rurik a wink. “Now I won’t be left without a beautiful woman at my side.”

“Oh, and you and Miss Olsson must join us, too,” Corabeth said, her own excitement spilling over on them all. “I just invited Mr. Olsson and Merrill to come to my house before the party for refreshments.”

Rurik looked perplexed. “I had no plans to attend the event. With Uncle Carl still recovering, I don’t think it wise. Svea, of course, is free to do whatever she wants.”

Svea looked at Merrill and tilted her chin in the air. “I think we should change our plans, Rurik, and attend. We could have someone else look in on your uncle.”

Merrill could see that Svea’s comment didn’t sit well with Rurik. There was a hardness that came over his expression and
a tension to his shoulders that she longed to rub away. What was going on with this man and his intended? He certainly didn’t act like a man in love.

“I think Svea is right,” Nils declared. “We will make it a sixsome. Thank you so much, Miss Lassiter, for the invitation, and thank you, Miss Krause, for accepting my request. I will be anticipating the night of the party.”

After a restless night, Merrill was still wondering how she might get out of attending the party with Nils Olsson. He seemed a nice enough man, but she had no interest in knowing him better. Surely there was some way she might let him know this without hurting his feelings.

Fresh snow made the walk that morning a little more strenuous, and Merrill found herself missing her trousers and heavy work boots. The more feminine women’s boots she’d pulled on were not created for such mucking about. Nevertheless, she made her way to the Jorgenson house with food for Carl and Rurik. She hoped to leave the goods, say hello to Carl, and then go immediately to work on finishing the pie safes. With any luck, she could be home by two.

She knocked on the front door, but when no one answered she tried the knob. The door opened and Merrill stepped inside. The men were probably already over at the workshop. She knew Rurik had mentioned Carl was taking a few minutes each day to walk over and observe Nils Olsson’s work in the office.

“Hello?” she called, but no one answered.

Making her way through the house, Merrill went into the kitchen and unloaded the things she’d brought. She was nearly finished and ready to leave when she heard the front door open. She started to call out but heard Rurik’s voice, already in an intense discussion with his uncle.

“I don’t know what to do about any of it, Uncle Carl. I didn’t want to worry you and burden your recovery.”

“You aren’t a burden, nor are your problems, Rurik. It appears this is not an issue that will go away. If Svea is to have a baby, it won’t be long before the entire town knows the truth of it.”

“But I do not intend to be the one responsible for her problems. It isn’t fair.”

Merrill felt a wave of nausea. She took up her basket and moved quickly to the back porch. She’d never liked to eavesdrop, and this time was certainly no exception. With as much stealth as she could manage, she slipped out the back door and hurried to the workshop.

Svea is going to have a baby.

Any lingering wisps of hope for Rurik dissolving his betrothal with the young woman faded from Merrill’s heart. Rurik wasn’t an honorable man if he had taken advantage of Svea in such a way. Even if she didn’t like the young woman, she could hardly fault her for coming to Waseca in order to get Rurik to do the right thing.

“Ready for another day of painting?” Nils asked as she entered the workshop finishing room. With his office just off to the side, he seemed to know when she came or went.

Merrill glanced at him and nodded. “I have a great deal
to accomplish today.” She wondered if now might be a good time to back out of the party.

“You look quite lovely. I feel that I must surely be the luckiest man in the world.”

“Uh . . . thank you.” She wasn’t sure why he felt lucky or what else to say. Her mind was still whirling with the terrible revelation she’d just heard.

“You look a little pale,” he said, taking a few steps toward her. He offered his hand. “Why don’t you sit in the warm office for a minute?”

Merrill shook her head. “You just said I looked lovely, and now you think I’m pale. Really, I’m fine. Goodness, look at the hour.” She had no clock to reference, but stated it as if there was. “I simply must get to work.” She put her empty basket on the workbench and started to unbutton her coat. Without giving him a chance to comment, she added, “I would imagine you have a lot to do, as well.”

She shed her coat and bonnet and placed them on a peg near her workbench. Nils, unfortunately, followed her. He lifted her basket and frowned. After he checked the contents, his frown deepened.

“Your basket is empty.”

“Yes.” The simple word sounded defensive, even to her own ears. “I have some shopping to do before I head home.” It hadn’t been her original plan, but Merrill would see to it that it happened.

“Oh, well, that makes perfect sense. I thought perhaps you’d grown forgetful. Since you brought nothing to eat, why don’t we have our noon meal together?”

She shook her head. “I’m expected at Granny’s. Sorry.” She picked up a bottle of paint and placed it on the bench.

Just then the door opened, and Rurik came in from the cold. He first looked troubled, but then he gave Merrill and Nils a smile. “Good morning, Miss Krause. Nils, I have Carl back to bed and can go over those orders with you now.”

Nils sighed and moved back to the office. “Another time, Miss Krause.”

She shook her head and focused on mixing her paints. She was afraid to so much as offer Rurik a glance—afraid she might well blurt out the questions that demanded answers regarding Svea and the baby . . . and what Rurik planned to do.

Merrill found herself sitting alone at the dinner table long after she’d cleared away the meal and cleaned the kitchen. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so overwhelmed with grief and, yes, with anger. These weren’t like the emotions she’d experienced when her mother passed away; this was like learning something you believed in was only a fairy tale.

She had thought Rurik to be an honorable man—and she’d lost her heart to him without ever meaning to. Sighing, Merrill tried to think through what she should do next. She’d never imagined that he’d mistreat Svea in such a manner.

The thought of seeing Rurik face-to-face, actually having to speak to him, was almost more than she could bear. But to complicate matters further, he had hired her and was her boss.
I thought him to be a godly person. But I suppose even godly men make mistakes
. Still, even if Rurik had made a mistake and given in to temptation, why wouldn’t he now make things right?

“You’ve been so quiet this evening,” her father said, taking a seat across from her. He folded his hands on the table. “I suppose this time of year is always hardest on you.”

Merrill looked up, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

He gave a sad smile. “Well, it’s near the anniversary of your mother’s passing. I know you think about her all the time.”

“I do think of her, though to be honest I wasn’t at this moment. Still, now that you mention it, I suppose it was in the back of my mind.”

He nodded. “It’s always in the back of mine. I miss her a great deal. The boys do, too, but I figure you probably suffer more than all of us. I wasn’t always the best of husbands. I was busy so much of the time, and I didn’t give your mama the attention she deserved.”

“You were working hard to keep your family fed and clothed. Mama never complained about that to me. In fact, I don’t remember her ever complaining at all.”

He chuckled. “Oh, she could complain all right. Edeline was a bear to deal with when she was fired up. She was the only woman besides you who could hold her own with me.”

Merrill smiled. “Thanks for the reminder, Father. I do remember her standing with her hands on her hips, telling you quite firmly that purchasing a piece of land ten miles away was not a good idea.” They both laughed.

“Yes, she was good to talk sense into my head when I wanted to start some fool venture,” he admitted. “But she was supportive when she knew the project to be sound.” He looked across the table at Merrill. “You do know she was never happier than when Doc placed you in her arms. After six boys, all she wanted was a daughter. You were, she told me, her gift from heaven.”

Her father’s expression turned mischievous. “I told her,”
he continued, “that you were most likely a reward for having endured all us males. She thought I was probably right. She was so pleased, though. I’ll never forget the look on her face.”

Merrill tried to imagine it, but most of her memories of Mama had faded over the years. The images weren’t nearly as crisp now, and the memory of her voice was all but silenced.

“I’m glad she was pleased.”

“She had so much fun getting you gussied up for church. She loved to show you off.” He frowned. “I know she’d not be pleased with the way I’ve done things, though. She didn’t want you to work like your brothers. Edeline always told me she wanted you to be pampered but not spoiled.”

Merrill thought for a moment, then said, “But I wouldn’t allow for much pampering. I wanted to be off with my brothers. I liked being one of the boys. They had much more fun and didn’t have to worry about keeping their clothes clean. I don’t think Mama would be disappointed in you, Father. You’ve done fine by all of us. Many a man would have had to farm his children off, but you kept us together as a family. You brought us to church every Sunday, you prayed with us, and most of all you were an example of a Christian father.”

Her father nodded and looked down at his hands for a moment. He rarely ever got emotional, and when he spoke, Merrill was unprepared for the tears in his eyes. “She was the best woman in the world, Merrill Jean. I promised her that I would take good care of you all. But I especially promised to do right by you, and I don’t feel I’ve done that. All these years you’ve worked just as hard, if not harder, than any of us. You’re nigh on to twenty-one years of age. Your mama
was married with three young ones by then—of course Berwyn had passed on. Poor boy. Broke our hearts to lose him to pneumonia.” He fell silent for a moment.

Merrill knew the loss of her oldest brother and later another brother, Harlow, had been her mother’s greatest grief. She had once said that as long as she lived, she would never know a greater pain than that of losing a child.

“Like we’ve talked about, you should be married and have children of your own, Merrill Jean. You shouldn’t be here looking after me. I’m mighty glad that Olsson fella has asked you to the party. He seems a nice enough sort.”

Merrill knew then and there that no matter what, she wouldn’t attempt to get out of going with Nils. It would be a small sacrifice for her in order to make her father happy. He didn’t need to know that the matter would go no further. At least not yet.

“You know,” she said, “I made Mama a promise, too. I told her that I would take care of you and the boys. So, you see, you haven’t disappointed her at all. Instead, you’ve let me fulfill my promise, too.”

Her father looked at her and shook his head. “I still feel like I failed at mine. I told her I’d keep you safe, and in doing that I trained your brothers to keep an eye out for you. Unfortunately, they became rather possessive of you and have warded off would-be suitors. No one’s ever good enough for you. I suppose that’s the trouble when your brothers are good friends with those who might come courting. They know all about how ornery a fella could be.” Her father finally smiled again. “I know it, too.”

“Most of the time they were right,” Merrill said with a chuckle. “But, you know, you did keep me safe, and you raised me to be a young woman who sought God’s heart. Really, Father, Mama would be most pleased.”

“I hope she’ll look down from heaven and see what a beauty you’ve turned out to be. You look just like her, you know.”

“Only bigger? Granny once said that, you know. She said I was like a stretched-out version of my mother.”

“You did inherit my height rather than hers. Your mother always commented on how quickly the boys shot up. They were all taller than her by the time they were twelve.”

“I remember coming home from church one Sunday, and it had been raining so hard the wheels got stuck in the mud. Leo jumped down, and when he helped Mama from the wagon he simply hoisted her into his arms and carried her home. She kept telling him to put her down, but he wouldn’t listen. Instead he let Tobe have a go at the carrying. You brought me in right behind them. I felt like my papa could do anything.”

“I remember that. We all had a good laugh, as I recall.”

“We did,” Merrill said, remembering it fondly.

Her father reached out to take hold of her hands and grew serious again. “I can’t help but pray I haven’t interfered with God’s will for you. If I’d been less concerned about letting you go, losing you . . . well, things would be different.”

“Papa, you could never lose me.”

A silence fell over them both for a long while. “Time goes by so fast, and yet it seems like she’s been gone forever,” he finally murmured.

Memories of her mother were bittersweet to Merrill, and sharing them now with her father was a precious experience. She had no idea where her brothers were, but she was grateful for this time alone with her beloved papa.

Merrill finally spoke. “You mentioned God’s will for me. How will I know what that is, Father?”

He let go of her hands and leaned back in the chair. “I’ve always believed it to start with prayer. The Good Book says that if a man wants wisdom, he just has to ask. I would imagine it works the same way for womenfolk. If you want to know what God’s plan is—then I would ask Him. Couldn’t hurt to search the Scriptures, too. And listen to what He is telling you inside. Even when you don’t think you’re hearing anything, keep listening. And know I’ll be praying, as well.”

The winter party at the church was everything the community had come to expect. The local matrons provided tables full of refreshments in a blend of German, Swedish, Norwegian, and even Scottish recipes. Games and activities—everything from ice-skating to cakewalks—had been set up to amuse the participants. Winter could be a dreary time in the north with its heavy snows, cold temperatures, and limited daylight, and a party was just what was needed to boost spirits and bring the community together.

Even Merrill had to admit that she was glad to be there. The dress Granny and Corabeth created for her was far above her expectations. They had purchased a beautiful blue and green plaid and created a stylish gown with large puffed sleeves and
a high lacy collar. The bodice flaunted rows of fluted ruffles, as did the sleeves. Granny had purchased a fluting machine just the summer before, and it was one of her fondest tools. How she had managed to create such a gown in so little time, however, was a mystery to Merrill.

“You will outshine all the other women tonight,” Nils had told her when she arrived with Zadoc at the Lassiters for Corabeth’s pre-party gathering.

“You are kind to say so.” Merrill tried hard not to sound bored with his attentions, but she felt like the evening was going to turn out to be awfully long.
And Father doesn’t even know I’m doing this for him. . . .

Across the room she couldn’t help but notice another couple. She wasn’t sure without staring, but Rurik seemed annoyed with Svea’s company. He all but ignored her, and the idea of him scorning the young woman after taking liberties with her angered Merrill.

“I see you have spotted Rurik and my sister,” Nils said at her elbow, where he had planted himself.

“They didn’t join us at Granny’s,” Merrill said. “I’m glad they could at least make it to the party. Have they set a wedding date yet?”

Nils gave a chuckle. “No, but I expect it will be soon. Now, why don’t we forget about them? I know there’s a lively game of Similes going on across the room. I’m quite good, and I believe we should join them for the next round. Unless, of course, you’d like to go outside and skate?”

“No, I spend enough time on the ice.” Merrill allowed him to lead her through several groups of attendees toward
the far side of the room. As they reached the refreshment table, however, she halted. “I think I’d like some punch first. If you don’t mind.”

“Let me fetch it.” He hurried over to where an older woman was filling cups.

“That fella treating you right?”

Merrill’s youngest brother, Flynn, had taken a moment to check in with her. She couldn’t help but smile at his care for her. “He’s doing well enough. How in the world did you manage to slip away from your . . . well . . . that flock of young women over there?”

Flynn grinned. “I sent them on ahead to get their skates on. We’re headed out to the lake.”

“And you’re going to skate with all of them?”

“Sure am. Why just take one gal, when you can enjoy ’em all?” He laughed and strode off through the crowd.

Merrill scanned the room to locate Rurik and Svea. He was still looking stern, and Svea seemed to be in a pout. She was trying to say something to him, but Rurik gave no indication he heard. Just then Tobe went up to him. Rurik smiled and nodded, talking in what appeared to be a most amiable manner with Merrill’s brother.

Why should he be so cold and callous with his betrothed? The mother of his child?

“Ahem. Here you are.” Nils stood with a cup of punch in each hand.

Merrill turned to him and reached for her cup. “I . . . I’m sorry. I was caught up people watching. I enjoy doing that when I can. . . .” Flustered, she couldn’t think why she was
feeling so defensive—and with Nils, of all people. She wondered if he knew where her gaze was fastened.

“I suppose I should be jealous that I cannot hold your attention in full,” he said wryly as he took a sip of his punch.

“I do apologize. I have more on my mind than the party. I will try to put my other thoughts aside.”