Page 300 of Conveniently Wed
She sat at the table while Nora slid a plate with two muffins in front of her. A jar of jam and a bowl of butter appeared from the basket on the table and Nora cut open the muffins, slathering them with both.
After placing a cup of hot tea beside Aundy’s plate, Nora waited while the girl bowed her head over her meal and gave thanks then quietly sipped a cup of tea.
Aundy ate both muffins, appreciative of the good food as it filled the empty hollows in her stomach.
“You’ll no doubt have a lot of people trooping through here today. How about I iron a dress for you and we see about pinning your hair up?” Nora asked, rinsing the few dishes and putting them away.
“People?” Aundy rose to her feet. Her head felt fuzzy and she had trouble paying attention to what Nora said. Blinking her eyes, she regained control of her focus and looked at the older woman. “What people?”
“Doc and Pastor Whitting for starters,” Nora said, setting an iron on the stove to heat. “The hands will all want to come meet you and see Erik. Pay their respects.”
Aundy didn’t feel up to dealing with anyone, but she would put on a fresh dress, ask for Nora’s help with her hair, and accept whatever the day would bring.
She walked into the bedroom where Garrett and Jim left her things, chose a dress and left it on the bed, then gathered a few necessities and went to the bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom, the dress was gone, so she hurried to the kitchen. Nora pressed the last wrinkles from the gown.
“Your sister does such beautiful work,” Nora said as she ironed the hem then held it out to admire.
“She is good at what she does.” Aundy missed her sister and wished she could talk to her about what happened since she got off the train yesterday afternoon.
“Let’s get this lovely thing on you and see what I can do with your hair.” Nora walked toward the room Aundy thought of as hers. With her dress on and hair combed, she felt more like herself.
Critically studying her reflection in a big cheval mirror, Aundy decided she looked presentable and respectable. Her pale blue and cream gown was one of her best dresses. Nora managed to roll her hair on top of her head in the popular poufy style, leaving some soft tendrils to fall around her face and neck. Although they had to leave her sleeve unbuttoned to fit over her broken arm, Aundy hoped it wouldn’t draw too much attention.
She truly didn’t care about her appearance, but for Erik’s sake, she would stand straight and tall, speak softly and pleasantly, and honor him in every way she could.
“Goodness, honey, you certainly look lovely. Blue is most definitely your color.” Nora smiled at the vision Aundy made, even with her broken arm. The girl was modest when it came to her appearance. Whether she liked it or not, her height combined with her figure and the confident way she carried herself would turn a few heads. The crown of golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and creamy skin would definitely cause people to take notice of her.
Aundy turned a tear-filled gaze to Nora and offered her a small smile. If the woman kept being so nice, she knew she’d soon be in tears.
Timidly reaching out, she squeezed Nora’s hand. “I don’t know what to do or where to start today,” she admitted as they returned to the kitchen.
Nora set a big pot of water on to boil and made more coffee. “Why don’t you…” A sharp knock at the kitchen door interrupted their conversation. Nora opened it and welcomed Erik’s foreman. “Dent, this is Erik’s bride, Aundy.” Nora motioned toward the tall girl standing by the table. “Aundy, this is Dent. He’s worked here for years and years, back when Erik’s folks were still with us.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Dent,” Aundy said, mustering a smile for the foreman. The man was shorter than she was, but had kind brown eyes. Whiskers covered his weathered face, but he approached her respectfully. Aundy appreciated the way he took off his hat and tipped his head her direction.
“It’s just Dent, ma’am. No mister is necessary. I’m right pleased to meet you. Erik has been so excited about you coming, he could hardly stand the wait until you got here.” Dent ran awork-roughened hand through thick brown hair, sprinkled with liberal doses of gray. “We’re all happy to have you here.”
“Thank you.” Aundy felt tears burn the backs of her eyes again.
“Garrett told us about the accident yesterday and what the doc said. I’m mighty sorry to hear about it. Mighty sorry.” Dent nervously twirled his hat around in his hands. “If there’s anything we can do to help you settle in, you let me know.”
“I will.” Aundy swallowed down the lump in her throat. She was not someone given to emotional displays and usually managed to keep her feelings on a tight rein, but today was going to be a challenge.
“May I see him?” Dent asked, looking from the kitchen in the direction of the front room.
“Certainly,” Aundy said, smiling at Dent before he walked out of the room.
“He’s a good man, honey. If you need anything, you just let Dent know. He’ll take care of you,” Nora said, adding pieces of stew meat and vegetables to the pot of boiling water. “I thought I’d make up a big batch of stew. No telling how many might be here to eat today and this will feed a good crowd.”
The arrival of Doc and Pastor Whitting prevented Aundy from dwelling on the thought of the house filling with company.
After checking on Erik, the doctor brought his bag to the kitchen and set out the supplies for casting Aundy’s arm. Nora volunteered to help while the pastor returned to sit with Dent in Erik’s room, taking along a tray Nora prepared with coffee and muffins.
Once the cast was in place, Aundy sat with it resting on the table, waiting for the plaster to harden. She asked the doctor what she could and couldn’t do with her arm. He was providing detailed instructions when Garrett walked inside the kitchenfollowed by a man he introduced as Erik’s attorney, Mitchell Lawry.
“I asked Mitch to stop by and give you some papers,” Doc said, leaning back in his chair and eating his second muffin.
The papers he referred to turned out to be Erik’s will, leaving everything he owned to Aundy.
