Chapter 3 #2
At one end of the main room was a dining table and four chairs. At the other end were several overstuffed chairs and a small sofa. The row of windows on either side of the car had heavy green velvet draperies and shades for complete privacy.
“This is quite lovely,” Judith said, observing every nook and cranny.
“Mr. Ashton hates traveling and figured if he had to go back and forth to Boston to attend his business affairs, he might as well do so in comfort. This particular car is only a year old. He had read that Queen Victoria was getting a new railcar and paid to learn the details. Her car has lighting and a bathroom of its own. He demanded no less.”
“I do hope he finds some pleasures in life. It would be a shame to know nothing but work and distrust of others.”
Mr. Black surprised her by laughing. “You so amply describe him. It’s as if you have known him your entire life. He is definitely not a man of pleasures. He allows himself luxuries; however, I cannot say he finds any joy in such things. If he does, he certainly never says as much.”
“How very sad. Again, I find great pity in my heart for such a man.”
A knock sounded at the door, and the conductor came in. “We’re ready to leave the station. Your lunch will be served once we’re on our way. The porter will check on you regularly to see if there is anything else you need. Mr. Black, your sleeping quarters are directly ahead in the next car.”
“Thank you.” Mr. Black smiled. “See? All prim and proper. Your reputation will suffer no loss.”
The conductor gave Judith a nod before leaving the room.
It wasn’t long before the train gave a series of jerks and groans as it pulled slowly from the station.
Judith took a seat by the window to watch Philadelphia pass from view.
She had traveled plenty in her adult years.
Raising money for her charities had taken her to numerous places to offer encouraging speeches and solicit monies.
She was well-known in the East for her passionate pleas to the wealthy on behalf of the poor. How very different this trip would be.
“I hope you’re comfortable,” Mr. Black said, joining her in the chair opposite. “I’ve traveled several times with Mr. Ashton, and this car allows for the best comforts.”
“So it would seem. I’ve never known anything quite like it.”
“Yes, well, Mr. Ashton wanted to make certain you were able to travel in style.”
“Why?”
He looked at her oddly for a moment. “I beg your pardon?”
“Why should he care? He doesn’t even know me.”
“He knows you well enough. He had me learn what I could about you.”
Judith didn’t like the idea of being studied by strangers, but she supposed there was nothing to be done about it.
“A person can learn a lot about the day-to-day activities of someone and still not know them. I am doubtful that either of you have a true understanding of my nature.”
“Well, it is obvious that you’re generous and compassionate,” Black countered.
“I suppose anyone involved with charities could be considered such, Mr. Black.”
“Please call me Bert. Even your grandfather does on most occasions. Mr. Black is far too formal.”
“Very well. And you may call me Judith.” She studied the handsome man for a moment.
His black hair and mustache were carefully coiffed, and his clothes were obviously tailored for his tall, slender frame.
There was truly no fault in his appearance.
However, there was something about his attitude that gave her pause.
“Thank you, Judith. I will enjoy that very much. I find your company to be . . . well, delightful.”
“How did you meet my grandfather, Bert?” She hoped to keep him from focusing too much attention on her.
“My father was his solicitor in Boston. Before that, I believe he worked with my grandfather. They had a legal firm that handled all your grandfather’s business dealings.
When Mr. Ashton came to Minnesota in 1857, he encouraged my father to extend his services.
I moved to Minnesota to become Mr. Ashton’s private attorney.
He even managed to keep me out of the war. ”
“But the war was brought on by many concerns and injustices. Were you not of a mind to see an end to slavery and the country unified?”
“It mattered little to me one way or another. I did not own slaves but could certainly not fault those who did.”
“I could and did. Slavery is an abominable thing.”
“Even the Bible made provision for slaves,” he argued.
“Perhaps provision, but not approval.”
“Either way, it wasn’t for me to impose my desires on another.”
Judith had much less respect for him with that statement. “Sometimes we must take a stand in order to help our fellow man.” She could see that she wasn’t going to change his mind easily. “Well then, you are my grandfather’s lawyer. Do you also have other clients?”
“No. I handle all of his legal affairs and only his. It commands all my time.”
“I’m sure it does.”
“Your grandfather is not one to sit idle and allow others to arrange his affairs. He’s very active in his business.”
“And what is his business?”
“Making money.” Bert gave a laugh and crossed his legs.
“Your grandfather has his hand in just about anything that turns a profit. He has vast forests that are being logged and sawmills to turn those logs into lumber. He’s invested in the brickyards, railroads, steel and flour mills, and a bevy of smaller businesses, as well as shipping out of Boston and textile mills. ”
“And what does he do with that fortune of his?”
“Invests it wisely and makes even more money.”
“But to what purpose?”
“I don’t follow you.” Bert truly looked confused.
“For what purpose does he continue growing his fortune? He doesn’t help anyone with it, nor does it sound as if there has been any great benefit to himself or his family.”
“He lives in luxury. That’s a great benefit, given so many others live in poverty and have little.”
“My point exactly. How can one live happily knowing that they have the means to make life better for others, but then do nothing? It seems to me that though my grandfather has accumulated vast earthly treasures, he now finds himself at the end of his life. He cannot take such treasure with him, and yet he has no one to share it with. He could give it to charities and bless thousands, but that is not his heart either.”
“Which is why he’s considering you.”
Judith glanced back outside as the train picked up speed.
Had she made the right decision? Perhaps she should just get off at the next station and make her way home.
This entire affair troubled her in ways she couldn’t begin to explain, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that her entire life was about to be turned upside down.
“You look a great deal like your grandmother,” Bert said, turning the conversation back to Judith. “She was a great beauty. I didn’t know her personally, but there’s a portrait of her in your grandfather’s house. You could be her twin.”
“My father told me as much.” She had always liked that she resembled her grandmother.
Her father held deep affection for the woman, and not just because she continued to sneak correspondences and money to him after Grandfather had removed them from his life.
She was a woman of faith who offered sage counsel and godly encouragement.
Father had always maintained that his mother was a prized jewel among women.
“She had the same wavy, dark brown hair and even arranged it in a similar fashion like you with the part in the middle and the two sides swept back. But not tight. Some women pull their hair back so tightly that it appears unnatural. Yours is fashioned in such a manner that seems refined and yet almost casual.”
Judith laughed and touched her hand to the back of her neck. “Yes, well it’s hardly casual. There’s so much of it that it takes a little bit of time to see it all put in place. But enough of that. Tell me more about my grandfather’s home in Minneapolis, please.”
“His estate is actually on the St. Anthony side of the river.”
“And what river is that?”
“The Mississippi, of course. It is a vital part of our city. Congress is even considering all manner of projects for bettering that waterway. I’ve heard it said that one day, everyone will use the river for travel.”
“I would love to see that. I grew up on riverboats.”
The conversation continued until lunch was served, and after that the porter suggested perhaps Judith would like to rest. He opened a door beyond the dining area to reveal a lovely bedroom that had a private washroom.
On a stand not far from the door, someone had deposited a few pieces of her luggage.
After the porter left, Judith closed the door and locked it.
She had no desire for anyone to just walk in on her while she rested.
Despite what Bert claimed to know about her, Judith was an extremely private person.
People might well know about her charitable work, but few knew much about Judith Ashton the woman.
And frankly, she intended to keep it that way.
Life had dealt her some heavy blows. Death had come too early and often in her life. Her heart was quite scarred from those visits, and she was determined to refrain from close relationships.
While she cherished many of her riverboat memories, her first encounter with death had been on one when she was seven and her little brother Franklin was four.
At the time, her father owned and piloted a paddle-wheeler.
Despite their parents’ warnings to stay away from the railing and never go near the water without one of them at their side, Franklin fell from the paddle-wheeler and drowned in the river.
Her youngest brother, Jonathan, was just a year old at the time.
Death came for him seventeen years later during the War Between the States, shortly after she had lost her husband and just before she lost her parents.
Death was more than a casual acquaintance, and Judith wasn’t at all certain she could bear to lose even one more person she loved.
Perhaps that had been the reason she’d never ventured to Minneapolis to inquire about Dr. Turner. She had definitely been attracted to him, but thoughts of losing her heart to him, and the price that might have to be paid, prevented her from taking any action.
But seeing Grandfather Ashton wasn’t something she felt would cause her pain. She supposed that was the only reason she had finally agreed to go see her dying grandfather. That and his generous donation to her charities.
She’d like to say that indifference was all she could offer James Ashton Sr., but there was unfortunate regret when she thought of him. The grandfather she’d never known. The man who rejected his own son all for the sake of pride and social standing. What was she to do with such a man?
Was this all a mistake?