Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Caleb lifted his arms over his head and stretched.
He liked the end of the day and the way things naturally quieted down.
There was the last-minute shuffle of papers, the sound of the filing cabinet being opened as things were put away.
And of course, the sisters murmurs about dinner, dishes, and Lord help us if we get another bride like Miss Hogspeth in here!
Caleb smiled as Margaret lamented that very thing to Josie, along with who was going to be mashing potatoes later. He tied a bundle of correspondence with string and placed it in a basket on Augusta’s desk. That done, he leaned back in his chair and drew in a quiet breath.
Today had been, in a word, enlightening.
His morning jaunt in the park with George the dog, Teddy, and Ivy had made him think about things. His aunt’s will, Chicago, what living here might be like. He’d be trading one life for another, but if he had someone like Ivy at his side, he could handle it.
Behind him, someone closed a drawer harder than necessary. He turned in his chair to see Teddy at one of the file cabinets. “What?” she said when she noticed him staring. “It was stuck.”
He smiled. “I’ll look at it tomorrow.”
Teddy sighed. “I need to take care of something before I head to Ivy’s.” She glanced at Ivy, who stood on the other side of the office talking with Margaret.
“Do you need an escort?” Caleb asked without thinking.
“Nope.” Teddy headed for the coat rack.
Caleb wanted to kick himself. What he really wanted was to escort Ivy home. Maybe visit with Grandma Evie for a few minutes. But escorting Teddy somewhere was far less suspicious as far as the sisters were concerned.
Ivy, who also headed for the coat rack, glanced his way. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”
Caleb’s gaze flicked to Ivy. “Are you sure?”
“Teddy told me she had an errand to run,” Ivy replied. “She needs to get something she loaned a friend. A scarf, I think.”
Teddy looked at her and nodded. “Yes, and I want it back. Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”
Caleb nodded, though something in his chest tightened anyway. He wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t walking Ivy home… or because part of him was worried about Teddy.
He cleared his throat and shuffled some papers on the desk as Teddy put on her coat and headed out the door. “I don’t know if I told you.” He left the desk and approached Ivy. “Miss Finch has completely redone her list. She promises to show it to me tomorrow.”
Ivy laughed. “Is that why young George delivered you a note from Miss Finch earlier?”
“It was.” He laughed. “I was surprised she didn’t bring it herself.” Caleb moved closer to her under the guise of stretching his legs… then his back. They gathered their coats, put them on, and said good night to Augusta, Margaret, and Josie.
Outside, the cold stung Caleb’s cheeks, and he hoped Ivy was warm enough. He fought the urge to put an arm around her and pull her against his side. Instead, he walked beside her, unable to help himself. What was wrong with escorting her home? It was the gentlemanly thing to do, after all.
Ivy didn’t say a word as their shoes crunched through the snow. He watched her out of the corner of his eye and noticed the way she held her hands, the tilt of her head, the occasional tiny smile that crossed her face.
What could she be thinking?
Before he knew it, they’d reached her building without a word spoken between them. Instead, there was something else. A quiet camaraderie, coupled with a warmth in his chest.
Ivy stopped. “Oh. Home already.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for escorting me.”
Caleb looked up at the brick facade. “Of course.”
An awkward pause settled between them.
“Um… well,” Ivy said. “Good night.”
Caleb tilted his head and studied her. She was so… innocent-looking. “Good night.”
Ivy hesitated for a moment, then turned and went inside.
He stood there longer than necessary before he finally turned away and headed home.
All right, so she hadn’t invited him in. That was okay. There would be other nights. He smiled at the thought and continued walking.
Caleb reached his gate, opened it, and went up the walk. As he hurried up the porch steps, he took in the intricately carved door and stained glass. The mansion was beautiful, and he really ought to think about keeping it. He inserted the key into the lock and turned it…
“Well, will ya look at this!”
Caleb about jumped out of his skin. “Teddy!” He spun around. “What are you doing here?”
She folded her arms. “That’s a good question. I think I’ll ask ya the same thing.” She looked around the wide porch, then at the door, and whistled. “Ain’t this somethin’. You stayin’ here? This ain’t a boardinghouse, is it?”
“No, it’s not,” he said as his heart settled. “It’s my aunt’s house.” He turned back to the door to unlock it, then realized something. He spun around. “Teddy… did you follow me?”
“So what if I did?” she said with a shrug. “I happened to see ya a few blocks back when I was crossin’ the street and decided to see where you were goin’.” She grinned. “On account of my curious nature.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
She glanced at the house again. “So ya live here? It’s an awful big house for just two people.”
“One, actually,” he said and opened the door.
“Just one? Where’s your aunt?”
“She died, remember?”
Teddy stared at him. “Oh, um, yeah.”
Caleb exhaled slowly. “What are you doing here?”
He followed her gaze as she looked up, then at the windows flanking the door. “Wow. This is huge!”
“It’s temporary,” he blurted.
Teddy raised an eyebrow. “Does Ivy know?”
“No.”
She scrunched up her face. “What? Why not?”
“Because…” He sighed. “Because it isn’t relevant.”
She faced him, both eyebrows raised. “Ya live in a mansion and ya don’t think it’s relevant?”
He winced. “I live in a house I don’t want.”
Teddy looked him up and down. “So what did your aunt do? Put somethin’ in her will that says ya gotta marry to get her money?”
He blew out a long breath. “Something like that.”
She scratched her head. “And ya work at the Sisters’ Mail-Order Bride Company. Why?”
Caleb made a face and shrugged. “To find a bride. What else?”
She scratched her head again. “So ya work there because ya want to, not because you have to. And you’re hopin’ to get a bride while you’re there.
” She stuck her hands in her coat pockets and nodded to herself.
“Well… why not? Makes sense to me.” She glanced at the house again. “Ain’t ya gonna invite me in?”
He sighed and shook his head. “Why not? It’s cold out here.” He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then stepped inside.
Teddy followed him into the large front hall, then the drawing room. “So if I got this figured right, ya want a bride who doesn’t think ya have all this.”
“You are correct, Teddy.” He removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “Can you keep that to yourself?”
“Sure.”
Silence stretched between them as Teddy took in her surroundings. When she turned back to him, she made a face. “So how come ya think ya can’t court Ivy?”
He barked a laugh. “Because the Merriweather sisters forbid it. It’s against the rules.” He crossed his arms. “There shall be no fraternizing between employees.”
Teddy stared at him for a long moment, dead-eyed with exasperation. “Caleb Hartwell, you’re an idiot.”
He blinked. “Excuse me?”
She tossed an arm in the air. “You’re gonna inherit this big fancy house and what I’m guessin’ is a fortune, once ya marry.
And if ya love Ivy, which from what I’ve seen ya do…
” She narrowed her eyes at him. “And ya marry her, you don’t gotta worry about losin’ your job at the Sisters’ Mail-Order Bride Company, do ya? ”
Caleb opened his mouth. Closed it.
“And in fact,” Teddy went on. “Ya could keep workin’ there if ya wanted. No one could stop ya.”
Caleb’s heart stopped. It was as if the world tilted as her words sank in. He stared at her like a flummoxed steer. “I… hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“Yeah,” Teddy said incredulously. “And that’s why you’re an idiot.”
Ivy pulled off her shoes as the realization that Caleb walked her home sank in. It had been silent, maybe not even deliberate, but he’d done it all the same.
She hung her coat on the hook by the door and stood there a moment. Walking with him had felt natural. A little too natural.
She replayed their brief conversation in her mind, and that, too, had felt easy. As if they’d walked home together for ages. And she’d liked it. Especially the quiet awareness of his presence beside her.
She remembered the look on his face when they’d stopped in front of her building. Maybe he’d been surprised by it, too, only he’d realized it sooner.
Ivy let out a breath. She was on dangerous ground. She knew the sisters’ rules, and she’d promised herself she wouldn’t complicate her life by wanting something she couldn’t have.
She had to be professional. Careful.
Yeah. Right.
Ivy crossed the room and lit the lamp on the kitchen table. Grandma Evie was probably out delivering her mending. Ivy went to King Alfred’s cage and let him out. He hopped over, and she scratched the bunny between his ears. “I hope you had a nice day.”
Alfred sniffed at her hand and hopped away.
Ivy noticed Grandma Evie had left the kettle on the stove. She made herself a cup of tea and sat at the table without drinking it.
She liked Caleb. She liked him a lot. And she shouldn’t.
“I like him in ways that go beyond admiration or gratitude… or proximity in the office,” she admitted aloud. Worse, she liked him in the way that made her think of a future she had no business imagining.
She set her teacup back in its saucer, groaned, and put her face in her hands. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Indeed not. But somehow, it had. The question was… what was she going to do about it?
A knock sounded at the door.
Without thinking, she got up and answered. If she’d been paying attention, she would have recognized that knock.
“Good evening, Miss Goodhart,” Mr. Grimsby drawled. He looked past her into the apartment. “What—all alone, are you?”
She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorjamb. “Grandma Evie is out.”
He smiled. “Then let me take this opportunity to offer you an invitation to dinner. I know a quiet little place not far from here.” He leaned toward her. “What do you say, hmm?”
A shiver ran up her spine. “No.”
His eyebrows shot up. “No?” He peered into the apartment again. “Don’t tell me your friend has left already.”
“She hasn’t come home yet.”
Mr. Grimsby rubbed his hands together. “Working, is she?”
“No. She’ll be leaving town soon. She’s to become a mail-order bride.”
“Oh, do tell?” His smile widened. “So no one to help you with the rent. My offer still stands.”
Ivy took a step back and placed one hand on the door. She had to fight the urge to slam it in his face. “I’ve said it once, Mr. Grimsby, and I’ll say it again. No, thank you.”
“Hm.” His smile thinned. “I’ll wear you down eventually, my dear.”
Before she could get rid of him, King Alfred hopped their way. Quick as a flash, Mr. Grimsby grabbed the rabbit by the scruff of his neck and lifted him off the floor.
“Put him down this instant!” Ivy cried.
King Alfred struggled, but Mr. Grimsby held him fast. “Oooh,” he crooned. “Nice and plump, he is.”
Ivy’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Give me back my rabbit.”
Mr. Grimsby held Alfred out as he wiggled and squirmed. “What a lovely stew he’d make.” He leaned toward her again. “You really shouldn’t let this little beast run loose. Should he escape your apartment…” He smiled. “He’d be a goner.” He shoved the rabbit at her, released him, and turned away.
Ivy barely managed to catch Alfred before he hit the floor. She pushed the door closed with her foot and let the rabbit go. “See the trouble you’ve caused?” she whispered shakily. “You’re lucky he didn’t take you to his place and put you in a pot.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “That was a close one.” Ivy returned to the table, sat, and ignored her tea.
She wrapped her arms around herself instead.
She wasn’t sure how much more of Mr. Grimsby’s attentions she could endure.
And if something happened, if she lost her job at the Sisters’ Mail-Order Bride Company and couldn’t find other work…
She and Grandma Evie would face a terrible choice. Life on the streets or worse. Her having to become Mrs. Edward Grimsby.