Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles) (5 page)

still giggling when a maid knocked at the door and entered

She had hot water and clean towels for Smokey, who had just

barely had time to school her features.

Tate placed a soft kiss on the back of his wife's neck when

she asked him to button the back of her dinner gown. She and

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Tate were in the habit of dressing for dinner and sharing the

day's events as they did so. All Jenny's talk on this evening was

of Smokey. They had shared a lovely afternoon together, and

Jenny told Tate that although Smokey was still a bit hesitant

with her, they were making progress.

"She seems so young and lost at times, and she looks at the

house and furniture as though she's never seen anything like

them before."

"So you feel sorry for her," Tate murmured softly. To his

surprise, Jenny chuckled

"No, I don't. I feel sorry for me. Something tells me that I

haven't even scratched the surface of the real Smokey. And

that if she ever opens up, I might just find myself in over my

head If only I can make her see..."

"See what?" Tate questioned when Jenny hesitated.

"That I really want to be her friend, a friend she can trust. I

want her to like me so much that I hurt. I don't want to

smother her, but I want her to see my friendship as genuine,

and I--" Jenny stopped and shrugged helplessly. "Did that

make any sense?"

"Yes. In your brief time together, you've come to care

deeply for her, and you want her to care in return."

Jenny's sigh was one of relief over his understanding as

they made their way to the door. They were in the dining room hen

Smokey came to the door. She paused on the threshold,

her face a mask of dismay.

"What is it, Smokey?"

"I should have changed my dress." Smokey's cheeks had

turned red with humiliation upon spotting her hostess' lovely

frock. Jenny, horrified that she had been so thoughtless, found

herself helplessly tongue-tied. Smokey stood stiffly on the

I threshold, wishing she could vanish, but Tate rescued them fctarh

se don't mind us, Smokey," he said. "Jenny's family is

K>re relaxed, but my family is used to dressing for

jgd we've fallen into the habit. We're really not snobs."

&

i&s.

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The cross-eyed look on Tate's face was so comical that

Smokey immediately relaxed They took their seats, and dinner

was served It was a sumptuous feast of beef, sage dressing,

fresh turnip greens, and mince pie. Smokey ate her fill.

Jenny and Tate had decided they would not press Smokey

in any way to share about herself, but as they ate and the

conversation flowed, they learned little things.

"You don't have to leave right away, do you, Smokey? I

mean, we were hoping you could stay for a few weeks," Jenny

commented after the soup.

"I don't really have anything pressing right now. I didn't

tell Darsey when I would need to be picked up because I

wasn't sure."

Smokey realized that they weren't going to give her the

third degree and she was thankful, but she could also see that

she needed to explain about Darsey.

"Darsey was my father's first mate, and he still works for

me. He's always been like a second father to me, and especially

now that my father is gone. Willa, the woman I told you

about, is his sister. We live with her when we're home." Not

until after Smokey uttered the words did she realize that

statement would need yet another explanation, but just then

they were interrupted. Amaid arrived and told them Buck was

there to see them.

"Oh, thank you, Polly," Jenny told her before turning to

Smokey. "Buck is my brother, and you're going to love him.

Let's go into the parlor. I'll ask Polly to serve our coffee there."

Before Smokey could draw another breath, Tate had

gently taken her arm and was leading her out of the room. She

took a moment to conjure up what a person named Buck

would look like, but as soon as she followed Jenny into the

room, she could see that she couldn't be more wrong.

Engaging was the only word that would come to Smokey's

mind, and that was before Buck had uttered a word. He was a

small man, slightly taller than Smokey but shorter than his

sister, and petite in build. His small frame and exact manner

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caused several names to jump to mind, but Buck certainly

wasn't one of them.

"Hello, Buck/'Jenny greeted him warmly. After kissing his

sister, Buck dropped somewhat dramatically onto the sofa.

"I've decided to propose to her, Jen, but if she says no, then

I'll wish that I had given her more time. On the other hand, if

she says yes, I'll wish that I'd asked sooner."

Smokey, who sat on the small settee Tate had led her

toward, stared at Jenny's brother. He had thrown his head

back and said all of this with his eyes on the ceiling. Smokey

looked to Tate then, who winked audaciously before turning

to speak to his brother-in-law.

"Come now, Buck, I'm sure she'll have you. How could she

resist?" Not realizing how serious Buck was, Tate wanted to

tease him from his somber mood.

"I don't know. She was very quiet tonight."

"We have company, Buck," Jen said softly when it seemed

he would lie there for some time. Jen could see that her

brother was serious, and she wanted to listen, but she realized

he must not have seen Smokey, for he would not want to share

all of this in front of a stranger.

"Miss Victoria Simmons from Kennebunk is staying with

us." Tate said this, having finally seen that Buck was truly

feeling low.

His words did the trick. Without rising, Buck's head came

up. His eyes narrowed and then widened upon spotting

Smokey. An instant later he came off the sofa as though on

strings and bowed low to his sister's guest.

"Excuse my lack of manners, my dear." The tone of Buck's

voice was refined "I am Rowland Knight, 'Buck' to friends and

family alike."

Smokey watched in fascination as he came forward with

all the manners of a gentleman at court, took her hand, and

carefully kissed the back of it. Knowing her skin and nails

were rough, Smokey squirmed with embarrassment, but the

warm eyes Buck raised to hers made her relax in a moment.

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Smokey found herself smiling hugely as Buck took a seat

beside her.

"You know," he spoke to the room but never took his eyes

off Smokey's perfect complexion and huge gray eyes. "If I

wasn't in love with the widow Rittenhouse, I might fall in love

with Victoria."

Smokey chuckled low in her throat, and because she

sincerely liked him at first meeting, she teased him with a

warm glimmer in her eye. "If you could change your affections

that swiftly, Mr. Knight, I'm not sure I would have you."

Buck threw back his head and laughed in delight. Smokey

glanced at her host and hostess and found them grinning also.

"I like you, Victoria," Buck told her bluntly.

"My friends call me Smokey," she told him.

"Smokey," Buck tried the name out loud. "It fits you."

"Thank you. I rather like it myself."

"Do you play cards?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes."

Tate and Jenny, who had sat quietly through the exchange,

went into action. Within minutes the four of them were seated

around a table. Jen was the first to deal, and then the cards

went to Tate. By the time the deal got around to Smokey, she

found herself more relaxed than she had been all evening.

China cups and fine flatware were new to her, but cards, well,

she'd been playing since she was a child. The lighthearted

game, along with Buck's outrageous wit and easy smile,

caused her to wish she lived much closer to Buck and the

Pembertons.

Smokey missed the glances of her game partners as she

allowed her gaze to roam the room. They noticed that she

didn't even need to concentrate on the deck in her hands. She

shuffled and dealt cards to them like a cardsharp. Everyone's

eyes were dutifully back on their own cards by the lime

Smokey glanced back at them, but they all knew that they'd

been given a glimmer of yet one more aspect that made up the

person of Victoria "Smokey" Simmons.

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smokey was utterly spellbound with Jenny and Tate's

small church--in particular, their pastor and his preaching.

Smokey had spent so little time in church over the years that

she had no idea a sermon could hold such meaning.

Clancy had spent many hours teaching his small daughter

about God's Word, but he had also admitted to her many times

that there were a great many things he didn't know about the

Bible.

Smokey grew up on the stories of David and Goliath, Noah

and the ark, and of course the birth, death, and resurrection of

Jesus Christ. But Smokey didn't try to fool herself; she knew

little about the Old or New Testament. She shared this with

Jenny as they made their way home in the Pemberton buggy.

Tate had business with one of the elders and would come

later.

"I basically grew up on my father's ship. I don't remember

being in port on Sundays, at least no more than a few times a

year. There's so much I don't know."

"I'm glad you liked Pastor Chase, Smokey. He's a wonder-I

pastor; we feel so blessed to have him. Both Tate and I have

inaed a great deal from him in the last few years. You know," r Spoke excitedly now, "you don't live that far. Even when

oJjome, you could come over here for Sundays and plan

lading the day with us."

M^

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"Thank you, Jen." Smokey was so moved she fell silent.

She also realized she was going to have to tell Jenny at some

point that she was not usually in Maine on Sundays, that in fact

she was usually not in Maine at all. As Smokey thought on this,

the ride continued in silence.

After lunch Smokey went to her room for a while and

found herself poring over her Bible. Pastor Chase had preached

from the book of James, and Smokey wanted to read every

chapter. She never got beyond the first, where she read verses

that spoke to her of how often she needed to turn to God, and

how He provides in ways she hadn't thought possible.

No one had ever told Smokey that she could ask God for

wisdom, nor had she ever taken the time to search out God's

truths for herself. In her job she had so many responsibilities.

Too often she found herself going on her own and simply hoping for the best. It was like a gift to learn that she could

turn to God, knowing that in His love, He was waiting to give

her aid.

Life at the Pembertons' on Sundays was lazy and relaxed,

and after Smokey had read the first chapter, she fell asleep on

her bed as she prayed

"My parents moved to South Carolina three years ago for