Waiting for Christmas

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30

Howard tiptoed into the bedroom and gazed down at his beautiful wife, sleeping peacefully. He still found it impossible to believe that Adelaide Stanhope was his wife—his wife! Often, at various times of the day, he would finger his golden wedding band to reassure himself that he wasn’t dreaming. He had vowed to take care of her, to love and cherish her, and he longed to wrap her in velvet, and drape her in jewels, and place her on a marble pedestal where no harm could ever come to her. Addy was a marvelous blend of the privileged rich girl she had been raised to be, and the modern, independent woman she was becoming. She was unlike any woman he’d ever met, which is why he loved her so much.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. Addy stirred and opened her eyes, then smiled at him. “You were up very early for a Saturday morning. I missed you.”

“I had a few errands to run, so I thought I’d let you sleep another hour or two.”

She rose up on her elbows, looking a little panicked as she glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. “I didn’t realize it was so late! Where’s Jack?”

“He was awake when I got up, so I took him with me. I think he’s starting to trust me.”

“Are we going to visit his former tenement today?”

“We are. I hired a carriage to take us there. It will be arriving in—” he consulted the alarm clock—“about an hour and a half. Shall I fix you some breakfast while you get dressed?”

“I thought we decided that making breakfast was my job.”

“We did. But aren’t I allowed to treat my beautiful bride occasionally?”

“Well, since you’re such an early bird today, I suppose I can make an exception.” She smiled, and Howard vowed in his heart to always make her smile.

By the time the carriage arrived, the three of them had eaten breakfast and were bundled up and ready to go. Jack bounced on the seat with excitement as if he longed to trot alongside the horses. When they reached the tenement, he leaped from the carriage before it came to a stop, shouting, “You found it! You found my house!”

“Jack, wait!” Howard tried to grab him, but the boy was too quick. He ran toward the ramshackle building, whooping and laughing as if they’d brought him to a king’s palace instead of a dilapidated building, crammed alongside a dozen just like it. The streets resembled a garbage dump with trash blowing across the crumbling road and piled in haphazard heaps. Gray banners of laundry hung from sagging clotheslines, blowing stiffly in the wintry wind. The air reeked of overflowing latrines and decay. Howard winced when Addy pulled out a handkerchief and held it over her nose and mouth. He should have thought this through better. Who knew what they might encounter inside? “Addy, I think you’d better wait out here with the driver. I’ll go find Jack.”

“Nothing doing. We’re in this together.” She offered her hand so he could help her down. The raggedy children who had been playing in the street and in the narrow caverns between buildings raced over to their carriage, quickly surrounding it. Addy took Howard’s arm as they plowed through the crowd, following Jack into the building.

The stuffy entryway and airless stairwell stank of mildew and filth. The cries of infants leaked from behind closed doors. Jack thundered up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor, expertly dodging a broken stair tread. “Watch your step,” Howard warned Addy as they followed him.

Jack tried to open one of the doors, then pounded on it when he found it locked. An elderly, stoop-backed woman wearing a kerchief and a shapeless black dress finally opened it. Two small children clung to her skirts. “You’re in my house!” Jack shouted at her. “You gotta get out! My papa is coming home soon.” She waved her fist and shouted back just as loudly in a language that Howard thought might be Russian. He grabbed Jack’s arm and gently drew him back.

“You need to calm down, Jack. You won’t accomplish anything by shouting. Besides, I don’t think she understands English.”

“But she’s in our house!”

Howard crouched down and held Jack’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, son. But after your mother died, and there was no one to pay the rent, they had to lease your apartment to new tenants.”

“Well, they gotta give it back when Papa comes home. It’s ours!”

How could the boy feel such affection for this place? The darkened room behind the old woman appeared to be a kitchen, bedroom, and living area all in one, crammed with dented pots, sagging beds, and rickety chairs. A string of laundry hung above a pot-bellied stove, and the single, grime-streaked window looked out at the wall of another tenement. Addy had been peering inside as well, but the old woman abruptly slammed the door in their faces. “What now?” Addy asked.

“Let’s try to talk to some of Jack’s neighbors. I want to ask them to keep an eye out for his father.” They knocked on all the other doors on the second floor, asking anyone who answered if they remembered Jack and his family who used to live here.

“Ask if they remember Jack’s sister, too,” Addy whispered. But the few neighbors who answered their doors seemed frightened and wary of these strangers in fine clothes. Howard couldn’t make them understand what he wanted, much less agree to watch for Jack’s father. He gave each of them his calling card, just in case, then headed to the basement to talk with the building superintendent. Addy grabbed his hand as they descended the narrow steps, as if expecting rats to scuttle across their path in the gloom. “How can anyone live down here?” she asked.

“It’s certainly a different world than we’re used to.”

The superintendent opened the door a mere crack, eyeing them suspiciously. “What do ya want?” With his unkempt hair and missing teeth, he reminded Howard of a storybook troll.

“My name’s Howard Forsythe—and you are?”

“Pawloski. I’m the super.”

Howard positioned Jack to stand in front of him. “This is Jack Thomas. He used to live on the second floor with his family. Do you remember him and his family by any chance?”

“Yeah. He’s the kid who kicked up an almighty fuss when the authorities came for him. Fought like a wildcat.”

Jack’s shoulders tensed as if he was preparing for another fight. “That’s because I ain’t an orphan!”

“What about his sister?” Addy asked. “Do you remember her?”

“Do you see how many kids we got running around here? How do you expect me to keep track of them all?” Pawloski lifted his hands, then let them fall to his sides.

“Any idea about Mr. Thomas, his father? Jack says he found work on a ship and is expected to return later this month.”

“Who knows with these people? They come, they go, they speak every language under the sun. They pay their rent; they stay. They get behind; they’re gone. That’s all I know. The kid’s mother died—and she wasn’t the only one who died last fall. That means the rent don’t get paid, and I gotta call the cops.”

“What about the family’s belongings? What happened to them?”

Pawloski’s face darkened in anger. “Hey, I can’t be responsible for things that get left behind. People go through here like vultures. Take whatever they want. What can I do?”

Howard guessed that whatever money Jack’s mother had been living on and using to pay the rent had been pocketed, too. He pushed down his own anger and said, “I understand. But what about any personal items, letters, and things that might tell us more about Jack’s family, or any relatives he might have?”

“Look, it’s been how long? A month? Anything like that’s long gone.”

Howard knew a dead end when he saw it. He reached into his pocket and gave Mr. Pawloski his card, along with some folded dollar bills. “Please contact me if Mr. Thomas does return for his family. I will make it worth your while.”

The man’s eyes lit up. “Sure. I’ll do that.”

“How can you be so calm?” Addy asked as they climbed the steps to the front hall again. “I wanted to punch him.”

“You know what they say about catching more flies with honey—Jack, wait! Where are you going?” The boy had raced up the steps ahead of them and flung open the front door.

“I gotta find my sister,” he shouted before racing outside.

“Where’s he going?” Addy asked.

“Maybe he wants to check their usual hiding places.”

“But it’s been a month. A three-year-old couldn’t have survived all alone for that long.”

The look of horror on Addy’s face made Howard once again regret bringing her here. Nothing in her sheltered life had prepared her for this. “Let’s hope she’s imaginary, then.” He released her again and steered her through the door.

Outside in the street, the raggedy gang of children had surrounded their carriage, and the driver was patiently letting them pet his horse. When the children saw Addy approaching, they swarmed around her, reaching to stroke her fine cashmere overcoat and gazing up at her as if she was the most beautiful creature in the world. Howard agreed she was.

“Do any of you remember Jack Thomas, the boy who arrived with us?” she asked. Several children responded that they had. “What about his little sister, Polly? Did you see her sometimes?”

“She never played much.”

“My ma says she’s not right in the head.”

“She’ll give you the evil eye.”

“Naw, she’s just feebleminded.”

Suddenly, Jack was there, pushing past Howard and barreling into the last boy who had spoken. “You take that back!” The two boys began to brawl.

“Hey! Hey! Stop it! You can’t go around punching people, Jack.” Howard braved the flailing fists to pull them apart.

“It isn’t true! Polly isn’t feebleminded!”

“Get in the carriage, son. It’s time to go.” He pointed Jack toward the carriage, and watched him elbow his way through the crowd, growling and muttering. Howard gave the driver instructions, then helped Addy inside. Jack sat fuming as the carriage lurched and began to move. He appeared to be fighting back tears. At least they knew that Polly wasn’t imaginary, but was there any truth behind what the other children said?

They couldn’t get Jack to say another word on the way home. He ran downstairs to the kitchen as soon as they arrived. “What should we do?” Addy asked. “It must have been hard for him to see another family living in his home.”

“I’ll try to talk to him.” They followed Jack downstairs, but he wasn’t in the kitchen or the little servant’s bedroom.

“He’s hiding again,” Addy said with a groan. “I don’t know where he goes, so it’s impossible to find him.”

“But he can probably hear me. Jack?” Howard called out, “Jack, listen. I know you’re hiding because you’re afraid that we’ll take you back to the orphanage. But I promise you, we won’t do that until we’ve finished searching for Polly and your father.” There was no reply. “Please come out, Jack. You can trust us.” Silence. Howard turned to Addy, and she looked so sad that he drew her into his arms and held her for a few moments. When they separated again, Jack was standing beside the stove.

“How does he do that?” Addy murmured.

“He should be a magician.”

The boy stood stiffly, rocking slightly, jaw clenched, like he was about to explode. “That lady needs to get out of our house! Papa is coming home soon, and he won’t know where I am!”

“I made sure the building superintendent knows you’re living with us. He’ll be watching for your father.”

“We gotta find Polly! She wasn’t in any of her hiding places.”

“Someone must have found her by now and brought her to a different orphanage. We’ll look for her, Jack. We won’t give up.”

“She isn’t feebleminded!”

“Why do you suppose that boy said such an unkind thing?” Addy asked.

“I told you. Polly only talks to me. Nobody else.”

Howard looked down at this sad, mutinous child and thought he understood what he needed most, right now. He dropped to his knee and pulled him into his arms. Jack clung tightly, wetting Howard’s shirt with his tears. His scrawny body shook with sobs. “I don’t blame you for crying. It’s hard going through so many changes, isn’t it, son? But I promise we’ll do our best to help you.” When Jack’s tears were finally spent, Howard rose to his feet. “Come on, let’s rummage through the pantry and icebox and see what Mrs. Gleason left us for lunch.” The three of them sat at the kitchen table to eat, but unlike Howard, Jack didn’t seem to have much of an appetite.

“Don’t eat too much, Howard,” Addy warned as he piled thick pieces of roasted chicken on Mrs. Gleason’s homemade bread to make a sandwich. “Remember, we have an engagement dinner to attend tonight and—” She halted, looking stricken. “Oh, no! We can’t leave Jack here all alone!”

“I have it all taken care of, darling. Jack and I went to see my parents this morning. That was one of my errands. They agreed to let him stay with them overnight while we’re at the party. We can pick him up tomorrow when we go to church.”

She looked relieved. “Thank you for arranging it. I couldn’t imagine what we would do.”

“No problem. The carriage will be coming back later to take us to the dinner and deliver Jack to the parsonage.”

“Two carriage rentals in one day? But the expense—” She stopped as if not wishing to remind him of their budget. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You didn’t think I would let my beautiful wife take a trolley to the ball tonight, did you? I negotiated a deal with the driver. Negotiations are what I do best, remember? We’ll be taken to the ball in style and picked up again at the stroke of midnight. Then, I believe, the coach will turn into a pumpkin.”

“A pumpkin?” Jack asked, wide-eyed. “Can I watch?” They laughed at his earnest expression, and Howard tousled his hair. “It was a joke, Jack. Haven’t you ever heard the story of Cinderella?” He shook his head. “Well, I’ll have to remedy that. Let’s see if I can find my old copy of Grimms’ fairy tales after lunch and I’ll read it to you.”

The dream-come-true story seemed as real as Howard’s life when he saw his wife dressed in a magnificent gown for the engagement dinner that evening. Howard’s story was a male version of Cinderella. How had an ordinary man like him ever managed to win such a stunning, intelligent princess? “You look beautiful, Adelaide.”

“Thank you. And look at handsome you in your tuxedo! I’ll be the envy of every woman there.” Howard doubted that would be true, especially if they knew his yearly income.

The engagement dinner was for Felicity Rhodes, one of Addy’s oldest friends, and stepping into the Rhodes’s palatial mansion was like stepping into another world, one in which Howard knew he didn’t belong any more than little Jack did. He worried that Adelaide missed this luxurious life she had been born into. He could well imagine everyone whispering that Addy had “married down,” the daughter of a multimillionaire becoming the wife of a clergyman’s son who was trying to make his own way as a lawyer. Still, he vowed to ignore their stares and whispers and be a charming and attentive guest for Addy’s sake.

The mansion had been lavishly decorated for Christmas, with ribbons and greenery and ornament-bedecked trees in the foyer, ballroom, and dining room. He and Addy had experienced both extremes today, from ramshackle tenement to rambling mansion, and he marveled that both were in the same city, on the same 23-square-mile island. In between the extremes were his parents’ modest home and the simple town house he shared with Addy. The entire main floor of their town house could fit inside this echoing foyer, yet Howard felt blessed.

“What are you smiling at?’ Addy whispered as they waited in the receiving line to greet the happy couple.

“I’m thinking that my grandparents were as poor as Jack’s family, and yours as wealthy as this family. How blessed we are to have met in the middle.” She smiled up at him, and he longed to kiss her, right here, in front of all of high society. “I’m also thinking we need a Christmas tree, although probably not one as tall as that one. I would have to cut a hole in the parlor ceiling to make it fit.” He made her laugh, something he hoped to do every day of his life.

Howard greeted Felicity and her fiancé when it was his turn, and thought the prospective groom looked more like a sportsman displaying his trophy than a man in love. There was no hand-holding or tender caresses or dreamy gazes between them. Even after a month of marriage, sparks still seemed to shower between him and Addy like a Roman candle. “I get the sense they aren’t madly in love,” he whispered to Addy after they’d completed their greetings and moved on.

“Of course not,” she said, laughing. “No one in their social circle marries for love. It’s all arranged for them. My future would have been the same if I hadn’t managed to escape.”

“Adelaide!” A voice behind them boomed. “I was hoping I would see you here.” Howard turned to see an elegantly dressed gentleman hurrying toward Addy. The man took her gloved hands in his and bent to kiss her cheek. “You look ravishing, my dear!”

“Hello, Alfred. I haven’t seen you in ages. And I don’t believe you’ve ever met my husband, Howard Forsythe. Howard, this is Felicity’s brother, Alfred Rhodes.” Howard’s smile wavered. Alfred Rhodes was one of the wealthy suitors who had courted Adelaide. She managed to free her hands and step closer to Howard while they said their how-do-you-dos.

“I heard you had gotten married, Addy, and I must say I was surprised. You promised to wait for me while I was off on my adventures, remember? We’d planned to go to Steeplechase Park on Coney Island, and to the Polo Grounds to see a Giants ball game, remember?”

“I promised no such thing. But how were your travels into the wild? Weren’t you hoping to shoot a moose or a buffalo or something?”

“I shot both. And an elk. I would love to tell you all about it, but Mother is signaling to me, so I’d better go see which eligible maiden I’m supposed to be charming tonight. I only wish it was you.” He nodded at Howard and sauntered off through the crowd, leaving Howard to wonder if Addy wished the same.

The food was delicious but there was too much of it. By the fifth course, Howard longed to unbutton his waistcoat and loosen his belt. Trained by his mother to clear his plate, he felt obliged not to waste food, but it proved impossible. He did his best to be an interesting dinner companion as he stuffed himself, engaging the people around him in chatter. He was amazed by how much of it was either boisterous bragging or inane foolishness. Addy couldn’t possibly miss this excessive nonsense, could she?

As Felicity’s longtime friend and bridal attendant, Adelaide was asked to offer one of the many toasts to the happy couple during the meal. “I wish you happiness, always,” she said, lifting her glass. “And a long life of meaning and purpose together.” Howard smiled to himself. It wasn’t a typical toast, but it was typically Adelaide.

They moved into the ballroom after dinner, and Howard led Adelaide onto the dance floor. He would have much preferred to take her into his arms at home, but she was enjoying herself, and therefore he would, too. He kept an eye on the time, knowing the carriage would return for them at midnight. Again, he was reminded of Cinderella.

“Was it terribly boring for you tonight?” Addy asked when the evening ended and they walked outside to their carriage.

“Not at all. I wish we could attend parties like this more often.”

She cocked her head to the side. “You’re teasing me.”

“No, I’m serious. I could see how much you were enjoying yourself tonight, and making you happy is the most important thing in the world to me. I know you must miss all of this—”

“I don’t!”

“Not even a little bit?”

“Listen, for most of the women there, this life of parties and gowns and looking beautiful is all they have. Their lives have very little purpose. But you and I have so much more.”

“Well, tonight served as a good reminder to me of how much you’ve sacrificed in order to marry me, how many changes you’ve endured. I suppose I worry that in time you’ll regret all the losses that a life with me has brought.”

She looked up at him, eyes narrowed. “You listen to me, Howard Forsythe. There isn’t a single thing in that mansion that I would trade for my life with you.” Her face was lovely in the dim light, her breath frozen in the air. Did she have any idea how much he loved her?

“You look cold, beautiful lady. Snuggle a little closer and let me keep you warm.”

Howard tried to sneak out of bed the next morning without waking Adelaide. It had been a short night, so he thought he would let her sleep in. But the bed creaked as he rose from it and Addy opened her eyes. “Is it morning already?”

“Yes, but go back to sleep, darling. I’ll retrieve Jack from my parents’ house and—”

“Not on your life!” She threw the covers aside and scrambled from the bed with surprising speed. “I won’t have your mother believing you’ve married a heathen who skips Sunday church services.”

Howard laughed. “As you wish, Mrs. Forsythe.”

The December morning was sunny and mild, so they spared the expense of a hired carriage and took a trolley to the parsonage. Jack looked as shiny and well-turned-out as a soldier on dress parade, thanks to Howard’s mother. He ran to Howard as soon as he walked through the door and hugged his legs, making him smile.

“Good morning, Jack. Ready to go?” He started to ruffle the boy’s hair, but it was as stiff as straw from hair pomade.

“Don’t go messing him all up, now,” Howard’s mother warned.

“Sorry.” Howard tried to pat the stiff locks back into place.

“Jack and I have just had a talk about proper behavior in church,” Mother said.

“I’m sure you did!” Howard said, laughing. “I think I have that little speech of yours memorized.”

“For all the good it did,” she replied with a smile.

Jack sat between Howard and Addy in the sanctuary, fidgeting like any eight-year-old would. Today was the first Sunday in Advent, and as a church elder stepped forward to light the first candle in the wreath, Jack started struggling to get past Howard and out of the pew. “Jack, wait! Where are you going?” he whispered as he held him back.

“I need to light one of those candles for Papa and Polly.”

“You can’t. That’s a special candle to mark the weeks until Christmas.”

“But Mama used to light a candle whenever we went to church, and we’d say a prayer for Papa to come home, soon. I gotta light a hundred candles for him and Polly!” He seemed frantic.

Howard held him tightly, whispering to try to calm him as people around them began to look their way and frown. “Shh. You can light one and say a prayer after the service, Jack. Can you wait until then?” The boy finally stopped struggling and agreed. But the moment the service ended and the organ postlude began to play, Jack broke free and hurried toward the altar, pushing past everyone.

“Where’s he going?” Howard’s mother asked as she hurried over.

“He wants to light a candle and say a prayer for his father, as he would do in his own church.”

“Then let’s help him do it, poor child.” She found matches, and Howard boosted Jack up to relight the Advent candle, which had already been extinguished. He thought it was appropriate that this first one was called the candle of hope. Afterwards, Jack knelt in front of the wreath, closed his eyes, and folded his hands to pray. “Jack told me that his mama taught him all about Jesus,” Howard’s mother whispered as they waited for him. “He said she went to heaven to be with Him. When I tucked him into bed, he asked me to pray that you’ll be able to find his father and sister.”

“And did you?”

“Of course.”

Howard winced. “I’m not sure we should raise Jack’s hopes too high. I have no idea if his father is really coming home for Christmas or not. And how will we ever find his sister in such a huge city?”

“I know, son. But this is the season of miracles. Your father and I will be praying that whatever happens, it will be God’s best plan for Jack. We can leave everything in the Lord’s hands.”

Howard looked at the boy, still kneeling in front of the candle of hope, then he glanced at his wife. Addy was watching him, smiling at him, counting on him to do the impossible and find Jack’s family. He shuddered at the thought of disappointing her.