A Fragile Design (40 page)
Taylor left her side momentarily and assisted Lilly down from the carriage. Bella held her breath as the three of them walked through the front door of the Trustees’ Building. Brother Justice was situated behind the curved wooden counter where business was conducted and visitors received.
He glanced up from his paper work. ‘‘Sister Bella? Is that really you, or do my eyes deceive me?’’ he inquired as he rose to his feet.
Returning his smile, Bella approached the counter. ‘‘It’s me, Brother Justice. It’s good to see you.’’ The tall, broad-shouldered Brother leaned on the counter, his shock of white hair neatly combed and his familiar smile a welcome sight. ‘‘I’m guessing Brother Jesse is not with you,’’ he said, his pale blue eyes gazing expectantly toward the door.
‘‘No,’’ she softly replied. ‘‘I’ve come with two friends, Brother Justice. Mr. Taylor Manning and Mrs. Matthew Cheever. Mrs. Cheever has reason to believe the little boy known as David is her brother’s child. She wishes to see him.’’
The smile on Brother Justice’s face was now erased. ‘‘I can’t assist you with that request, Sister Bella. You must talk to one of the elders. Eldress Phoebe is in the upstairs office. I’ll fetch her.’’
Bella’s heart dropped. Seeing Brother Justice had been one matter. But Eldress Phoebe was quite another. Bella quickly explained to Lilly and Taylor that a meeting with the Elders would be required. Neither appeared concerned or intimidated at such a proposal. She, on the other hand, was once again feeling light-headed at the prospect of such a confrontation.
The muted sound of voices could be heard from upstairs, and soon Brother Justice descended the staircase. ‘‘Eldress Phoebe will meet with you. I know I shouldn’t ask, but is Jesse well?’’
‘‘I haven’t seen him in some time, Brother Justice, but I’m sure he’s fine. He’s living in Concord, working for a cooper. The last I heard he was to be married to the granddaughter of his employer,’’ she told him.
Brother Justice nodded. ‘‘He was the most talented young man that ever apprenticed with me in the woodworking shop. It broke my heart when he left. We all thought the two of you . . .’’ He looked at her with a questioning look in his eyes.
‘‘Marriage was not my reason for leaving this place,’’ Bella replied.
‘‘And how is Sister Daughtie?’’
‘‘Daughtie is fine. She’s living in Lowell with me—at a boardinghouse. We work at one of the mills,’’ she hastily replied.
‘‘It’s good to know you are both well. I’m sure Brother Franklin is going to be pleased to see you.’’
‘‘I have no plans to see him, Brother Justice. We’d best go upstairs. I don’t want to keep Eldress Phoebe waiting.’’
‘‘Yes, of course. You remember where the office is?’’
She smiled and nodded. ‘‘I haven’t been gone so long that I would forget.’’
‘‘No, I suppose you haven’t. It just seems a long time since I’ve had Jesse working alongside me in the shop.’’
There was a pang of sorrow in his voice that saddened Bella, but she realized there was nothing she could say to ease his pain. Jesse’s absence created a void in the life of Brother Justice that only his return would fill. Regretfully, she doubted whether her own father missed her nearly so much.
She turned to Lilly and said, ‘‘This way,’’ and then led them up the wide staircase to Eldress Phoebe’s formidable office.
She hesitantly knocked on the closed door and waited until Eldress Phoebe’s familiar voice bid them come in. After casting a worried look in Taylor’s direction, she turned the knob and entered the room with Taylor and Lilly following close behind. The Eldress turned her attention away from the papers on the birch fall-front desk and peered over her spectacles. She gazed at them as though they were some form of foreign creature that had inadvertently entered her domain.
‘‘I believe my eyes must be playing tricks on me,’’ she said, her dark eyes riveted on Bella. ‘‘Could this girl in her shameful clothing and unadorned head be Shakeress Arabella Newberry? Surely she would not dress herself in the gaiety of Babylon and come back among her former people. Such blasphemy!’’ she proclaimed, rising from the low-backed birch chair.
Already things were going worse than even Bella had imagined. She silently censured herself for not wearing her Shaker gown but quickly changed her thoughts. To have done so would have been hypocrisy, she decided. Eldress Phoebe’s disapproving eyes seared her very soul, and now she was glaring at Lilly and Taylor, obviously prepared to vilify them, too.
‘‘And who are these invaders of my sanctuary?’’
Taylor stepped forward. ‘‘We’ve not invaded you nor your office. The gentleman downstairs announced our presence and informed us we were to come to this room.’’
‘‘Taylor, please,’’ Bella whispered. ‘‘Let me talk.’’
He gave her a feeble smile and stepped back. ‘‘Mr. Manning is our escort, and this,’’ she said, pulling Lilly forward, ‘‘is Mrs. Matthew Cheever.’’
Eldress Phoebe leveled a look of disdain in Lilly’s direction. ‘‘Brother Justice tells me you’ve come asking questions on Mrs. Cheever’s behalf—about David.’’
‘‘Yes. Mrs. Cheever believes David may be her nephew. The son of her deceased brother,’’ Bella explained.
‘‘Lewis Armbruster,’’ Lilly added.
Eldress Phoebe ignored Lilly and kept her eyes focused on Bella. ‘‘And what did you expect? That I was going to summon David here and permit you to take him off to the world, where he will be condemned to hell?’’
‘‘We came because Mrs. Cheever wanted to examine the ledgers to see if the child’s mother or father were listed.’’
Without a word, Eldress Phoebe returned to the desk, pulled open the upper drawer, and removed a ledger. She opened the book and began tracing her bony finger down the pages. ‘‘Here it is,’’ she said, tapping her finger on the page. ‘‘Cullan O’Hanrahan—an obviously unacceptable name for the child,’’ she mused before turning her attention to Lilly. ‘‘You don’t look or sound Irish, and your name certainly is not O’Hanrahan,’’ she accused.
‘‘No. I believe the mother was Irish, but my brother—the father—was not. My brother is now deceased,’’ she replied. Lilly was obviously no longer able to remain silent. She moved a few steps closer, eyed a chair, and asked, ‘‘May I sit down?’’
‘‘Yes, sit down,’’ Eldress Phoebe replied. ‘‘All of you,’’ she begrudgingly offered.
Lilly seated herself and immediately besieged Eldress Phoebe with the story of Lewis’s untimely death and his dying declaration regarding the little boy. ‘‘The combination of facts—the birthmark, the Irish heritage, and the age of the child—makes me believe this boy is my nephew.’’
‘‘The father is listed as unknown, the mother is listed as deceased, and I have a signed contract waiving all rights to the child,’’ Eldress Phoebe proudly announced.
‘‘Who signed the contract?’’ Lilly inquired. ‘‘May I see the paper?’’
Eldress Phoebe appeared either offended or angry—Bella wasn’t sure which. But she pulled the contract from a wooden file drawer and handed it to Lilly.
‘‘Noreen Gallagher. She lists her address as Lowell, Massachusetts. This is the child’s aunt?’’
‘‘That’s what she told me. There was no reason to doubt her word, and we will not consider releasing the child to your custody,’’ Eldress Phoebe responded forcefully. She placed the paper back in the drawer, pulled a set of keys from her pocket, and locked both the file drawer and her desk. ‘‘If there’s nothing else, our meeting is concluded,’’ she announced.
‘‘May I at least see the boy?’’
‘‘Absolutely not!’’
‘‘But Eldress Phoebe, if she sees the child and there’s no resemblance to her family, it could mean the end of this matter. Otherwise, I’m sure Mrs. Cheever will return with a lawyer or papers from a judge to support her request to inspect the child.’’
‘‘It’s obvious you’ve quickly become one of them—quick to use threats and the law to win your way,’’ Eldress Phoebe charged. She pointed a bony finger at Taylor. ‘‘Go downstairs and tell Brother Justice I wish to see him.’’
A short time later, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Brother Justice had been ordered off to retrieve the child while the three of them sat waiting in the office.
‘‘What’s become of Daughtie and Jesse?’’ Eldress Phoebe asked, breaking the silence.
‘‘Daughtie is in Lowell. We work at the mills and live in a boardinghouse. Jesse is living in Concord, and I believe he has now married the granddaughter of the cooper he works for.’’
Her lips curled in disdain and she shook her finger at Bella. ‘‘You were always a willful girl. I told your father years ago you’d come to no good end.’’
‘‘Don’t you talk to her like that,’’ Taylor warned.
Bella turned and gave him a feeble smile. ‘‘Don’t bother, Taylor. This is her world, and she is speaking her opinion. How- ever, it counts for nothing anymore.’’
‘‘Well, I never! Brother Franklin is going to be devastated to see what a turn you’ve taken.’’
‘‘Brother Franklin? My father? Why would he be devastated? He didn’t care about me when I lived among you. Why would he care now that I’m gone? Talk of my father will not cause me to turn back to the Shaker ways, Eldress Phoebe, nor will your caustic words.’’
‘‘Sister Bella!’’ David cried as he raced across the room and flung himself into her arms.
‘‘Hello, David. You’ve grown,’’ she said, giving him a bright smile. ‘‘I’ve brought some people to meet you. This is Mr. Manning and this is Mrs. Cheever,’’ she said, turning him to face Lilly.
‘‘Hello, David,’’ Lilly said. ‘‘You’re quite a fine young man.’’
David nodded his head in agreement.
‘‘I’ll wager you have big muscles. Could you roll up your sleeve and show me?’’ Taylor asked.
David nodded in agreement as Bella helped him roll up his shirtsleeves. Lilly gave a small gasp as the birthmark came into view. David turned and smiled at her. ‘‘You’re surprised my muscles are so big, aren’t you?’’
‘‘Exactly,’’ Lilly replied. ‘‘I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such fine muscles on a little boy. You must work very hard.’’
‘‘I do, don’t I, Brother Justice?’’
‘‘Indeed you do. Will that be all, Eldress Phoebe?’’ Brother Justice inquired.
‘‘Yes, you may take him back.’’
‘‘But I want to stay with Sister Bella,’’ David whined.
‘‘David!’’
Eldress Phoebe’s one-word command said all that was necessary. The child bid them good-day, grasped Brother Justice’s extended hand, and quietly walked out of the room.
‘‘Well?’’ Eldress Phoebe said, her gaze fixed upon Lilly.
‘‘He doesn’t look anything like my brother—or any other member of our family as far as I could tell. But the birthmark and his age together with the fact that an Irishwoman brought him here from Lowell all lead me to believe David must be Lewis’s child.’’
‘‘So you’ll not let the matter rest?’’
Lilly stood. ‘‘I’ll discuss the boy with my husband and seek his counsel.’’
‘‘If you plan to return here, I suggest you send a letter prior to your arrival. Otherwise, we’ll not meet with you.’’ Eldress Phoebe’s words held an unmistakable note of finality.
‘‘And you, Arabella, should not heap difficulties upon us. Unless you should decide to repent of your ways and return to the Society, please don’t return.’’
Bella nodded. ‘‘As you wish, but I’ll be stopping at my mother’s grave before we leave the grounds.’’
Eldress Phoebe wagged her head back and forth. ‘‘You still insist on grieving over Sister Polly when she’s gone to a better place. You never did successfully break your ties from her.’’
‘‘I never believed it was a part of God’s plan to split families or for children to look upon their parents with no higher degree of love and concern than for the other members of this sect. You’ll have to count me as one of your failures, Eldress Phoebe. I always loved my mother much more than anyone else in this community.’’ She paused. ‘‘Some of you I didn’t love at all. Farewell,’’ she added, feeling as though a terrible burden had suddenly been lifted.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Bella turned to face Taylor. Something about his defense of her had endeared him a bit. ‘‘Thank you for attempting to come to my rescue with Eldress Phoebe. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anybody willing to fight for my cause.’’
‘‘You’re welcome, Bella. I only wish I could have done more,’’ Taylor replied softly.
There was something surprising in the way he made that pronouncement—his words weren’t filled with the old cockiness she’d come to expect from him in the past. Instead, she heard a new sincerity. It pleased her.
Brother Justice met them at the bottom of the stairs. ‘‘I told Brother Franklin you were here,’’ he whispered to Bella. ‘‘He asked that I tell you he is praying that you will return and keep your covenant with the Believers.’’
‘‘I think not,’’ Bella replied. ‘‘This world is his choice, not mine.’’
The sound of the front door opening caused Matthew to jump to his feet. ‘‘Lilly, I’m so glad you’re home safe and sound. How are you feeling?’’ he questioned, pulling her into a warm embrace.
‘‘I feel fine, just tired.’’
Matthew released her, studying her face momentarily. ‘‘Are you certain? I’ve been very worried about you.’’ He spied Taylor bringing up Lilly’s bag. ‘‘Here, I’ll take that,’’ he said, reaching for Lilly’s satchel. ‘‘Did you have a good journey?’’
‘‘I’m afraid not. We must talk immediately,’’ Lilly said, moving toward the parlor.
Taylor stood in the hallway, anxiously moving toward the door. ‘‘I’m going to take Bella back to the boardinghouse, and then I’ll deliver your horse and carriage to the livery, Mr. Cheever.’’
Matthew grasped Taylor’s hand in a firm handshake. ‘‘Yes, that would be of great assistance, and thank you for making the journey in my stead, Taylor.’’
‘‘My pleasure. Good day, Mrs. Cheever.’’
‘‘Good-bye, Taylor, and thank you again,’’ Lilly called out from the parlor.
Matthew hastened back to his wife’s side and took her hand in his own. ‘‘Now, then, what is it that requires immediate attention?’’
Lilly sat down, wiggling a bit in an obvious effort to make herself more comfortable, her brow furrowed in a look of concern. ‘‘Before I begin recounting the problems in Canterbury, there is another matter we must discuss,’’ she said. Cutting straight to the heart of the matter, Lilly related the information Bella had shared at the inn. ‘‘Thaddeus Arnold must be dismissed from the Corporation, Matthew. He was given his opportunity to change. He’ll end up either killing or permanently injuring his wife or their child.’’