A Clean Slate by Amelia C. Adams

Author:Amelia C. Adams [Adams, Amelia C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-06-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

After everyone had finished eating and the women packed up the leftovers, Robert had walked around the grassy picnic area, chatting with this family and that, making sure they’d all had a good time and encouraging them to come to church the next day. He loved this part of his profession—this was where he felt he did the most good. When he spoke with the people one-on-one, shook their hands, and listened to their concerns, he could be there for them in a very real way. In the back of his mind, however, had been the unrelenting urgency to get over to the hotel and talk with Miss Markham before the hour grew any later. Who knew how much worse things could get if allowed to fester?

He had gone directly to the hotel from the picnic grounds, hoping it wasn’t too late to make amends, but Mr. Brody himself informed him that Miss Markham refused to be seen. Robert wasn’t surprised at all. He had treated her abominably, and he could well understand her feelings.

As he dressed for church Sunday morning, he couldn’t stop thinking about the night before and his ugly behavior. He had scarcely slept, wishing he’d been able to ask for forgiveness and kicking himself over and over again. This morning, he must face his congregation, realizing that some of them might have heard the story by now. The wheels of gossip certainly turned fast.

He paused in the middle of buttoning his shirt. That was it. He might not have been able to apologize to Miss Markham, but he would do the next best thing, and that would be to speak out against the root of these problems. This would probably be a very unpopular sermon, but it was one he must deliver, and he was as sure of that as he’d ever been about a sermon in his life.

He arrived at the church a little early and set about making sure everything was in place. The hymnbooks were arranged neatly on the benches, there were no scraps of paper littering the floor—everything was tidy and peaceful, just as it should be. The ladies who volunteered to keep the chapel clean were doing a very nice job. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come, and when the doors opened and the parishioners began to stream in, he was able to greet them as usual.

When Miss Markham entered, he tried to reach her, but there were so many people, he was pinned where he stood. He watched as she walked up the aisle and took a seat next to the organ, looking very pretty in a pink dress. It might have been the same dress she wore the previous Sunday—he was terrible at remembering things like that, but he was going to make an effort because he’d promised Mrs. Clasby that he would be mindful of anything inappropriate in Miss Markham’s appearance or behavior. He shook his head—he certainly was in no position to judge someone else’s inappropriate behavior when he couldn’t even control his own.

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