Janet Barton - A Place of Refuge

“Mrs. Heaton told me you write dime novels.”

He was relieved that she’d changed the subject. “I do. Do you like to read?”

“Yes, although I haven’t done much of it in a while. Where do you usually set your stories?”

“Oh, all over. Out West at first, but lately, I’ve been setting them closer to home.”

“Does Mrs. Heaton have any copies in her library?”

“I believe I gave her some.”

“Then I’ll have to borrow one.”

He wanted to tell her he could give her copies of her own, but he didn’t want to upset her again. “Let me know what you think. Not everyone likes dime novels.”

“I look forward to reading your work.”

“I hope you enjoy it.” Luke felt nervous—would she like his writing? He hoped so.

They’d arrived at the stop right outside the museum and he stepped into the aisle to let Kathleen out. Once out of the trolley, the group gathered to go inside. He hoped Kathleen liked the museum as much as he did.

As they toured the museum, Luke saw again why the Metropolitan was one of his favorite places. Though it was full of all kinds of art, the paintings interested him the most. With the special Michelangelo collection on exhibit, they spent most of their time looking at these works.

From the look on Kathleen’s face, he was sure she was as enthralled with the paintings as he was.

He knew she was when she whispered, “I’ve never seen anything like this. The Lord certainly gave him a talent, didn’t He?”

“He did. I think I could spend several days straight, right here, looking at his work.”

“I’m so sorry we aren’t going to see everything in the museum today. Now I know why Ben wanted to get an earlier start.”

“Oh, we’d never be able to see it all in a day, Kathleen,” Elizabeth said from behind them.

“And I might not have been able to come if I hadn’t had a chance to get some writing in. Besides, it gives us a reason to keep coming back.”

“Oh, I would love to come back.”

“You will.” Luke smiled down at Kathleen. He’d certainly like to bring her again.

Hours later when they decided to call it a day, they went outside to find the weather had turned much cooler.

“Why don’t we go to the nearest drugstore soda fountain and get some hot cocoa?” Ben asked. “It’ll warm us up for the ride home.”

Everyone agreed and before long they were all sitting at a round table sipping the sweet chocolaty drink. He watched as Kathleen interacted with the others. She seemed to be enjoying herself and so was Luke. He couldn’t remember when he’d had such a good time on one of their outings.

* * *

Kathleen had never had an outing quite like the one that day, with men and women going together as a group. Everyone she knew was too tired to do much more on a weekend than get ready for the next workweek.

Which was what she proceeded to do when they got back to Heaton House. But she’d been surprised to find that her laundry had been done for her. She’d hurried downstairs in search of Mrs. Heaton. They hadn’t discussed her rent yet, but Kathleen knew she couldn’t afford to have someone do her laundry and she needed to let Mrs. Heaton know.

Kathleen found her in her study, sitting in front of the fireplace. “May I speak to you, Mrs. Heaton?”

“Of course you may. Come in, dear.” She motioned for her to take the empty chair next to hers. “Did you have a nice time at the museum?”

Kathleen sat down. “Yes, ma’am, I did, thank you. But, Mrs. Heaton, I must speak to you about my laundry. I’m not sure I can afford to—”

“Kathleen, dear, don’t worry. It’s included in the rent.”

“Yes, well, that’s something we haven’t talked about. I need to know what it is, please.”

Mrs. Heaton quoted her a figure that seemed much too low. “Oh, Mrs. Heaton, that can’t be right. I was paying my sister more than that for living with her and Clancy. I insist on paying you the regular amount.”

“That is what I’m charging you, Kathleen, dear. I didn’t start this boardinghouse to make money, but to help young women have a safe place to call home. And I set the rent accordingly.” With that Mrs. Heaton put up a hand as if to end the conversation.

Kathleen didn’t know what to say next.

Mrs. Heaton reached out and patted her on the hand. “If it makes you feel any better, there are those in need who spend a night or two here occasionally, just as you did that one time. I call them my temporaries and I don’t charge them at all for the time they spend with me.”

“But, Mrs. Heaton, I’m not a temporary now and I don’t feel right paying so little, and then to have you feed me and do my laundry on top of it?” She shook her head.

“Kathleen, food and laundry are part of the board you pay.”

“But you’re barely charging enough for the room, Mrs. Heaton.”

“Kathleen, this is my boardinghouse and I charge what I want. I want to help you, not make life harder for you. I know you worry about your sister and her boys. If you have enough left at the end of a week, send a bit to them.”

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Oh, child, it gives me comfort to know that I’m providing a safe home for you and the others. That is all the thanks I want.”

Remembering what Elizabeth had told her about Mrs. Heaton’s daughter brought tears to her eyes and all Kathleen could do was hug the woman and hurry out of the room before she saw them.

She’d no more than made it to the hallway before she ran into Luke. Or she would have if he hadn’t put out his hands to keep the near disaster from happening.

“Whoa there—are you all right, Miss O’Bryan?”

His hands were gentle on her arms but the moment she gasped, he immediately dropped them. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to—”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She brushed back the tears and looked up at him.

“Are you hurting? What’s happened to make you cry?”

She’d never met anyone who seemed to notice so much about her. “I’m not hurting. It’s just— Mrs. Heaton has been through so much heartache, and still she reaches out to others and—” She swallowed around the knot of tears and shook her head.

“She does do that. And I’m very glad she reached out to you.” He pulled out a crisp white handkerchief and, knowing that the man intended no harm, Kathleen allowed him to dab at a lone tear that’d escaped and ran down her cheek.

“So am I.” She was very thankful that she was here, thankful for Mrs. Heaton’s support and for this man who stood there trying to help now.

He tucked his handkerchief in her hand. “You may keep it. If there is anything I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you. I’ll wash it and get it back to you soon.”

“There’s no hurry. I have a lot of them.”

Kathleen wasn’t sure what to say next and was relieved when Luke spoke again.

“Are you going to join the others in the parlor before dinner?”

“Yes, but first I’m going to go up and freshen up.”

“All right. I’ll see you later, then.”

“Yes. I’d better hurry before Mrs. Heaton calls us down.” She hurried upstairs, aware of Luke’s gaze on her as she did. He seemed too good to be true. She’d never met a man like Luke Patterson. And she liked him a lot.

But could she trust her instincts where he was concerned? That she didn’t know. She’d seen too many men, abusive men like her brother-in-law, who treated their women badly. She thought it almost impossible to trust any of them. Still, believing it impossible didn’t keep her from wishing it could be different.

Chapter Four