Tenacious Trents 02 - A Perfect Gentleman (4 page)

“Miss Cooper much goes into making a sermon
perfect.”

“Isn’t the Lord’s word already perfect?”He
blew out an exasperated sigh and looked up to the sky. “This from a
woman who made the walls of Jericho out of a bunch of twigs.” He
turned to her, his face rigid and Grace feared she had gone too
far. “Man, however is not.”

She had a hard time believing it took an
entire week to write a sermon. Then again, he did ask a lot of
repetitive questions today. Perhaps his memory truly was faulty and
it did take him that long to remember his words.

She returned to the children who were waiting
further instructions now that the wood had been neatly stacked and
ready for use this winter. .

James ran up to them. “Is our lesson
done?”

Grace smiled down at the three dozen eager
faces. She loved each and every one of them. “That is all for the
day. Why don’t you gather on the blankets? I’ll be over in a
moment.”

They ran to the shaded area set up for their
lessons. Tommy jumped up in the middle of the group. “But what
happens after they gain access to the city?” He wielded a stick as
a sword. “Did they kill the enemy?”

The children laughed at his antics.

“The Word of God is nothing to laugh about,”
Vicar Trent said only loud enough for her ears. “What you are
learning is not fiction.” Vicar Trent turned to stomp back toward
the house.

Grace raced after him. “There is nothing
wrong with laughter. I am sure even Jesus laughed on occasion.”

Vicar Trent stopped and straightened and
turned to her. “Where did you ever get such a ludicrous idea?”

Oh dear, now she had really made him angry.
“I assumed…”

“Assuming is what gets everyone in trouble.
It is hard enough to avoid sin when we know what the law is. It is
impossible when we start making up parts about our Savior’s
life.”

Grace took a step back and crossed her arms
over her chest. How dare he chastise her? “And you know for a fact
that Jesus
never
laughed.”

“It is not in the Bible.” He stepped forward
and towered over her.

They stood toe to toe, both with arms
crossed, challenging the other. “Not everything is in the
Bible.”

“Are you calling the Word of God inaccurate
or incomplete?”

“Of course not.” She threw up her hands but
refused to back down. “We know when Jesus was born.” She held up
her thumb. “We know as a child he disappeared from his parents to
go to his Father’s House.” She stuck up her index finger. “And, we
know that at the age of thirty he began his mission to save
us.”

“And nowhere does it say Jesus laughed.”

“There are a lot of years missing, Vicar
Trent.” Honestly, she’d never met a more aggravating man.

“So you have decided to make up stories about
what he did during this time?” He threw his hands up as if
disgusted and walked away. He turned and pointed at her. “Danger
lies in making such suppositions, Miss Cooper.”

“How? By believing Jesus may have laughed.
How is that sinful?”

“He was the Son of God, sent to this world to
save us. He had a very serious role.”

“And, he was a child for a good portion of
it. You can’t believe he never once ran and played with
friends.”

“He was a serious boy, which scripture has
shown.”

“Yes, it does provide that evidence,” Grace
admitted with some reluctance. “But I find it hard to believe he
didn’t have some happiness. His first miracle occurred at a
celebration.”

“True.” Vicar Trent nodded his head, and then
took a step forward. “However, it was for the benefit of
others.”

It saddened her to think that Jesus never
laughed and she could not accept the possibility. “How could a man,
so full of compassion and love, so much so that he gave up his
life, not have known the feeling of joy? I am sorry. I cannot
accept that God would not have allowed his own son to find
happiness while on this earth, no matter how fleeting.”

Vicar Trent stared at her. A few times he
opened his mouth as if he were going to speak, but closed it again.
After a moment, he turned and stalked away.

Goodness that had not gone well.

Matthew paced in his study, grumbled and
paced some more. He couldn’t believe the audacity of that woman.
How dare she question him on something as simple as laughter? It
further aggravated him that she may be correct. He had always
envisioned Jesus as a serious child, going about his Father’s work
and helping his earthly father before he went out into the world.
Was it farfetched to believe he may have laughed and played? Just
because he hadn’t been allowed to laugh and play as a child didn’t
mean Jesus hadn’t.

He shook the thoughts from his mind. He
didn’t want to question what he always believed to be true. Such
questions lead to further questions and soon one’s faith was in
question. He would not sink into that sin. It had been a constant
battle for as long as he could remember to not question and wonder
and he couldn’t let it happen now. This was the first church he had
been assigned to and he could not be the perfect vicar for his
parishioners if he started wondering about things, even as minor as
if Jesus laughed. Besides, Miss Cooper and the children may have
the freedom to laugh but he did not. His work was for a serious
gentleman. If one was to preach the word of God, he had to be above
reproach and respected. One did not gain respect by playing with
sticks. He stopped by the window and glanced out. Just because he
hadn’t been allowed the same freedom as a child did not make it
wrong. He could see how her teaching methods would be beneficial
and perhaps it was a better way to learn for the younger
children.

His chest tightened. He should not have
chastised her. Miss Cooper had done nothing wrong. Matthew just
wondered why he was so irritable of late. He knew his duty and what
was expected of him, but why was it so hard, almost as if he were
forcing himself to read and write the sermon. It did not need to be
completed and memorized until the end of the week but he knew from
experience that if he put it off even one day he would find an
excuse to put it off for another until Friday arrived and he had no
choice and usually prepared a poor excuse of a sermon. That had
been his experience the times he substituted for an absent vicar or
when it was his turn in larger churches. Those sermons were
important, but not as the ones he now needed to deliver in his own
church so why was it so difficult to get on with the necessary
work?

He poured tea into his cup and settled back
into this chair. Instead of continuing with his work he watched out
the window. Miss Cooper had settled on a blanket beneath the tree.
The children surrounded her and she handed an apple to each of
them. He didn’t know what to make of her. Tardy this morning,
playing with the children this afternoon. Though she acted young,
he could tell she was of an age to marry and wondered why she
hadn’t. She certainly was pleasant to look upon. With such deep
green eyes, and shimmering dark hair, no doubt she turned many a
head. There was something about that young woman that rattled his
brain. No woman had ever flummoxed him before, nor had he ever been
reduced to incoherency because of a lovely face, and kissable
lips.

Matthew stood suddenly, spilling the lukewarm
tea onto his coat. Where had those thoughts come from? She was a
parishioner in his church and not only that, she’d mocked him. He
should not have even noticed she was pretty, or had lips, and Miss
Cooper was the last person he should be thinking such thoughts
about. He couldn’t remember noticing a woman’s eyes and lips
before. Why did he remember hers?

The children squealed with laughter and he
looked back out the window. Miss Cooper shushed them. Why had he
been so hard on the children, and her? They were just having a bit
of fun. Perhaps it was jealousy, as it was behavior he would not
have exhibited. He never had, nor been allowed to have fun. Not
even as a child, and he never would.

Matthew blew out a breath. Thinking about the
children and Miss Cooper was not how one prepared a sermon so he
must put them from his mind. He picked up his notes and began to
read what had already been written. More laughter intruded on his
solitude. He tossed the parchment onto the desk. He would get
nothing done while they were about. Was there nowhere else they
could go? Then again, he really shouldn’t kick anyone off of the
church property. It just seemed wrong to do such a thing.

Since he would be unable to concentrate on
the sermon, Matthew put the notes away and picked up the list of
families in the parish. He needed to visit each of them this week.
It was important that he get to know each and every one of them.
And though he loathed gossip, he knew he would hear about other
families during his visit. He hoped this parish was different from
his encounters in London, but did not hold out any hope.

What was the best way to schedule his visits
so nobody felt slighted? Perhaps alphabetically. Nobody could argue
with that. He read through the list and dismissed the idea. Such a
plan would put him at Miss Cooper’s house on the second day. The
last person he needed to encounter so soon was Miss Cooper with her
deep green eyes.

Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose. He
must stop thinking about those big, expressive eyes with the thick,
dark lashes. He stared across the room and attempted to erase her
face from his mind and then turned back to the list. A smile pulled
at his lips. He knew exactly how to plan his visits so she would be
one of the last and would put him at the Cooper household on
Friday, at the earliest. That was plenty of time to forget the
young woman.

Grace placed the plate holding a piece of
apple tart before her father, then took a seat beside him. “Here
you go, Papa. It’s still warm.”

He did not say thank you, but he looked up
and offered a half smile. She missed hearing his voice. He picked
up his spoon and began to eat. She sighed and poured tea into her
cup. A breeze blew a loose curl across her face, and she tucked it
behind her ear before she sipped her tea and looked out at the
land. She loved this time of day. The terrace was shaded, and she
and her father could enjoy the outdoors in the afternoon.

If only he could speak. She had been waiting
for two years

“Miss Cooper?”

She turned the find Mrs. Thomas, the maid,
cook and caregiver for her father, standing at the door. “Mr.
Richards has come to call.”

She should have expected Mr. Richards. He
always called on Friday. She placed her cup into the saucer and
stood. “I’ll be right in.”

“Mr. Draker and Mr. Thorn are here as
well.”

Grace stopped short. All three of them? This
was unusual indeed. Mr. Draker came by on Saturday and Mr. Thorn,
Monday. Why were they all here at once?

“Mrs. Thomas, could you please sit in the
chair by the window?” It was the same seat she always took. From
that place Mrs. Thomas could keep an eye on her father and also act
as chaperone by being in the same room with Grace when a gentleman
came to call.

“Of course.” The woman smiled. “As soon as I
prepare another pot of tea and plate of biscuits.

This gave Grace a few moments to gather her
thoughts. She would not go in until Mrs. Thomas returned with the
tea. She sipped from her cup again and studied her father. He
placed his spoon on the now empty plate and settled back in his
chair and looked at her, eyebrows raised in speculation.

“I don’t know why they are all here at once.
I wish they would leave me be.”

He frowned.

She fell back in her chair and heaved a heavy
sigh. “Oh, I wish I knew what you were really thinking instead of
having to guess.”

One eyebrow rose and with his left hand,
grabbed the ring finger on his limp right hand.