Leave it for the Rain by Wendy Lindstrom

Author:Wendy Lindstrom
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2014-09-24T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Mary Crane arrived at the house a full forty minutes before the start of Sunday service. She came in style aboard a sleek Phaeton Basket, and she managed the reins of her saddlebred mare, Josie, on her own.

Rebecca, who had stepped outside to cut a few stalks of snapdragons to place on the picnic tables after church, put the pruning scissors and basket of flowers aside and headed down the shelled walk to greet her. When she saw Mary’s magnificent horse and sporty carriage it made her think of the livery back home and her own beautiful mare she’d left behind. She missed Star and also her parents and siblings, but she knew it was impossible to go back yet.

Greeting her newfound friend, Rebecca watched as Mary climbed out of the phaeton with ease. Tall and resplendent in a small-bustled silk day gown patterned with tiny roses and complimented by a rose-colored belt cinched around her slender waist, Mary appeared every inch the daughter of the town’s most beloved patron. Her dark hair was swept up into a pleasing style and crowned with a fashionable feathered hat that matched her gown.

The more Rebecca learned about Mary, the better she liked her. She harbored a wildly independent spirit that Rebecca aspired to while at the same time she carried the pain of loss that resonated with Rebecca. Mary Crane had been married only a year when her husband, Peter, an older man and captain of one of the Crane’s merchant vessels, had died unexpectedly while picking up cargo in the Cayman Islands.

“Rebecca, is your grandmother not joining us this morning?” Mary asked.

“She received a more pleasing proposition from your uncle Dawson,” Rebecca said, unable to hold back a smile.

Mary arched her shapely eyebrow. “Uncle Dawson is calling on your grandmother?”

“They seem to have become fast friends. He has become a frequent visitor.”

“Why... that’s wonderful. I can hardly wait to see my father’s face when I tell him that Uncle Dawson is courting your grandmother.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t carry their friendship that far, Mary. Not yet anyhow.” Rebecca motioned to the basket of flowers she’d left at the doorstep. “If you give me just a moment, I’ll get my parasol as well as the snapdragons I gathered to place on the tables.”

“Oh, no need to hurry. May I walk in with you? I should love to see your kitten.”

“Of course,” Rebecca said, leading the way up the shelled walk. “Jojo is sleeping in her bed. It’s just an old crate on the kitchen floor, but she seems to like it.”

The scent of summer and ocean wrapped about them, and once again Rebecca found herself amazed by her surroundings. The morning sun sparkled bright against the white house with its bevy of windows that faced the wide flowing river—four on the first floor, five on the second floor, and three smaller windows at the attic level. She loved the house and was deeply contented with lazy evenings on the back porch talking with her grandmother and Adam and playing with Jojo.

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