Page 321 of Conveniently Wed
“I better get home,” Aundy said, gathering her things before slipping on her hat and gloves.
“Remember what I said,” J.B. cautioned, helping himself to another muffin. “No ladies Underground, especially not on a busy Friday night.”
“I remember.” Aundy walked into the parlor where Nora sat in a side chair cutting fabric into quilt pieces.
“Leaving so soon, honey?” Nora set down her scissors and rose to her feet to give Aundy a hug. Aundy would have thought it comical since she was so tall and Nora so petite, but she wouldn’t trade the motherly hugs for anything.
“I need to get home. I have some things I should take care of today.” Aundy brushed at her skirt. She loved to ride, but her clothes weren’t designed for straddling a horse. She planned to make a few riding skirts, but hadn’t found time to sew. She might stay up late and make one just to be able to ride more comfortably. With her sewing knowledge, she could make her own pattern, but it would save her time if Nora had one she could borrow. “You don’t happen to have any patterns for riding skirts, do you?”
“I don’t, but Erik’s mother had several. She loved to ride Bell, you know. Didn’t you say Erik never bothered to clean out their room? Her clothes might be a little short for you, but if they have a wide hem, you could let it out and they should work just fine.”
“I’ll have to see what I can find.” Aundy needed to clean out the two empty bedrooms in the house, at least go through Mrs. Erickson’s clothes. If Erik’s mother had dresses more suited to a farm wife than the city clothes she’d been wearing, she wouldalter them as well. She had already ruined one of her favorite skirts working outside. The fine fabric wasn’t made for farm work.
“Sure you don’t want to stay for lunch?” Nora asked, walking Aundy to the door.
“Not today, but thanks for asking.” Aundy kissed Nora’s cheek then hurried down the steps and out to the barn. Bell greeted her with a happy whinny and they soon raced down the road toward home.
After brushing the horse and returning to the house, Aundy sat at the kitchen table reviewing her notes from J.B. and reading through a few pages of Erik’s animal husbandry book.
With her mind made up of what she wanted to do, she decided to clean out the two vacant bedrooms after lunch.
She started with Mr. and Mrs. Erickson’s room. Slowly opening the door, she studied the colorful quilt on the bed. After stripping off all the linens, she set them in a pile by the washing machine on the back porch to take care of later.
Upon returning to the room, she discovered Erik left everything as his parents had, since the drawers in the dresser were full of personal belongings. Aundy looked around the room at the items that once belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Erickson and felt like a trespasser or thief. She wanted to shut the drawers, slam the door, and not ever enter the room again.
Instead, her practical nature ruled over her emotions as she went to the storage shed where Dent kept things they might need and found several old fruit crates. She carried them to the back porch and wiped them down with a rag before taking them inside the house to the bedroom.
One drawer at a time, she sorted the Erickson’s belongings into piles. Some things needed to be thrown away. Worn clothes would become rags. The packets of letters from Norway she would set aside to decide what to do with later. Books she placedon the bookshelf in the front room. Photographs went into the box with the letters.
A trunk in the closet revealed three heavy sweaters in Nordic patterns, a beautiful white shawl made of the finest wool, extra linens and another colorful quilt, along with pieces of Rosemaling painted china.
The detailed work and warm colors on the china drew her interest. Aundy decided the dishes should be displayed in the dining room instead of hidden away in the closet. After finding places for the pieces in the china cupboard, she finished digging in the trunk and discovered a few more books printed in Norwegian. She added those to the bookshelf in the front room.
A smaller trunk on a shelf featured a vibrant Rosemaling design of blue with green and gold accents. Aundy loved it and decided she’d like to have it in her room. The lid creaked when she opened it and a hint of lavender tickled her nose. She removed what must have been Mrs. Erickson’s wedding gown. Gently shaking out the folds, Aundy appreciated the skillful stitching and care that had gone into the garment. Carefully folding it, she set it in the trunk with the sweaters, linens and quilt, keeping out the white shawl to wear.
She took the small trunk to her room and set it on a chest of drawers. The trunk matched the blue and yellow colors in the quilt on her bed to perfection.
Again returning to the other bedroom, she sorted through Mrs. Erickson’s clothing, finding several calico dresses that would be much better suited to wearing on the farm than her current wardrobe. Although somewhat dated and out of style, Aundy didn’t think the chickens or the vegetable garden would care.
She found three riding skirts in good condition and tried them on, glancing in the mirror. The reflection showed the skirts were short, but otherwise fit her well. Relieved to discover widehems, she could lengthen the skirts enough to wear without causing any scandal over a short hemline.
More digging resulted in the discovery of a pair of cowboy boots and two pairs of shoes. Thrilled with her find, she removed her shoes and tried on Mrs. Erickson’s. The shoes fit her well, if not somewhat loose. A little padding in the toe would fix the problem.
Aundy fingered the soft leather of the boots, observing the scuffed toes and worn-down heels. Unlike any boots she’d seen a woman wear, they must have been made for Erik’s mother. They definitely looked like men’s western boots, only smaller. She tried them and wiggled her toes, concluding a pair of thicker socks would remedy the problem of the boots being slightly too big.
An idea began to blossom in her head when she stood and clomped around the room. As the blossom reached full bloom, Aundy upended the box of men’s clothes she’d just carefully packed onto the bed and searched through the items. Swiftly pulling out pants, a shirt, vest and tie, she reached into the closet to grab a coat. She tried on the clothes and decided to put her plan into action that very night.
Giddy with excitement, she dug around on the closet shelf, finding a broad-brimmed hat. She set it on her head and stared into the dresser mirror. Pleased at her appearance, she adjusted the strap beneath her chin to hold the hat in place and pulled down the brim until it shadowed her eyes. With some soot on her cheeks and jaw to look like a man’s stubbly whiskers, she might just get away with her little deception.
Changing back to her clothes, she took the men’s clothes to her room. She finished packing up the bedroom, leaving the boxes stacked by the door then went to Erik’s room, looking for some cologne or aftershave. She sniffed a bottle of Bay Rum then took it to the bathroom and left it sitting on a shelf by the mirror.
When Dent stopped by after supper to see if she needed anything, it was difficult for her not to share her plans. Instead, she told him she was fine, but thought she might like to go for a ride before it got dark. Dent said he’d have someone saddle Bell and leave her tied to the fence out front.
“Thanks so much, Dent,” Aundy said, giving him a handful of the butter cookies he seemed to enjoy as he made his way out the door.
When he’d disappeared from sight, she opened the stove door and gathered a cup of ashes, carrying it to the bathroom. After washing her hands, she returned to her room where her disguise, as she had decided to call it, awaited.
Although she recalled what J.B. said about the Underground not being a place for a lady, Aundy also remembered what he said about it being the best place to gather information.
