The Baby Bequest by Lyn Cote

Author:Lyn Cote
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2013-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The Sunday worship had finished and outside people were chatting, or climbing into wagons and carts to head home. Kurt had brought Mrs. Steward and little Nathan with him, and now he waited for them alone beside his wagon. After the closing prayer, Mrs. Steward had been surrounded by people who wanted a firsthand and detailed report on her husband’s recovery.

Johann mingled with the other children. Since today was the Sabbath, none of them could run or play or swing but they could talk and tease quietly. Kurt couldn’t see Gunther, which of course made him think that Gunther was with Amanda.

“I wonder why Miss Thurston doesn’t put that Dutchman in his place.” A woman’s sharp voice from the other side of his wagon hit Kurt like an arrow through his heart.

“Maybe she doesn’t realize that he’s making up to her,” said another woman.

“Humph. No woman is that naive. You heard him speak up about that baby she’d taken in. I think she encouraged him. Why else would he have done that?”

Kurt cringed. What he had most feared was happening. His association with Miss Thurston was harming her reputation.

“I wonder if that’s why she chose his nephew to head up one of the spelling teams at school.”

“Maybe that’s just for practice, not the competition. I’m sure she wouldn’t put a foreigner forward at the big spelling bee in the spring, would she?”

The other woman sighed. “Who knows what she would do.”

For a moment, Kurt hoped they wouldn’t see him as they came around the side of his wagon. But as they came abreast of him, they glanced his way and shock registered on their faces. In return, anger boiled up inside him. Covering this, he nodded slowly at the women, touching the brim of his hat as their faces reddened. They flashed him false smiles and gathered their skirts to hurry toward their husbands and their wagons.

His body radiated heat like a torch. People are talking about me and the schoolteacher. Hadn’t he been flogged enough by gossip and whispering in Germany? Must he also endure it here?

He’d been right to be concerned that people would gossip about Johann being chosen as captain. And he was right to fear that Gunther’s infatuation with Amanda would soon be noticed and spark more gossip. But never in his worst nightmares had he thought people would link him with Miss Thurston in a romantic way. Being coupled with him would surely do her no favors.

As Miss Thurston approached him with William in her arms, Kurt suddenly felt as if every eye around the clearing was on him.

“I’m going home with Ophelia,” she said.

He knew Miss Thurston was waiting for him to help her up onto the bench yet he found he couldn’t touch her.

“Let me get Johann,” he said sharply, stepping away from her. He hated himself for such a display of poor manners, but he had no idea how else to save her reputation.

“Johann,” he said as he approached the boy, “it is time we leave.

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