LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter Four

      Rose cradled Matthew against her as she helped Milly finish dressing.

      “Won’t it be nice to see your grandparents again?” Motioning for the little girl to turn around, she tied the sash at the back of Milly’s new pink dress into a pretty bow.

      No one could fault Rose for having a poorly dressed child in her charge, but as Rose gave Milly a final once-over, she made sure that every detail was as it should be. Most days, Milly’s appearance wasn’t so tidy, not after playing in the yard and spending time with the children from the church. But tonight, with the Garretts coming to dinner, she wanted Milly to look her best.

      “There now, aren’t you as pretty as a princess?” Rose smiled at Milly, who scowled.

      “I pway wif da kids.”

      Rose stood and held out her hand for Milly. “Tomorrow. Emma Jane has promised to bring over Moses and baby David, and if Mary is feeling up to it, she’s coming over with Nugget.”

      “I yike Nugget.” Milly’s eyes shone. “And Moses. Him’s baby yike Ma-few, but him’s more fun. I teach him to walk.”

      Rose couldn’t help the warmth that filled her as Milly continued chattering about the many attributes of Moses Jackson. Barely a year old, Moses was still very much a baby, but he could keep a two-year-old better entertained than little Matthew. Emma Jane had privately teased Rose that perhaps Moses and Milly would end up married. Wouldn’t that be something to tell the Garretts? The supposed impossibility of finding Milly a decent husband under Rose’s care had already been solved.

      Rose smiled again. But of course, both women had agreed that the children should be free to choose their own spouses. Emma Jane had been forced to marry Jasper, her husband, to prevent scandal, and though the couple was now deeply in love, the Jacksons had already promised that their children could marry whomever they wanted.

      Which was why, as Rose looked down at the little boy sleeping in her arms, she felt no unhappiness at her unmarried state. Several men had offered, with there being so few unmarried women in Leadville who weren’t occupied in the world’s oldest profession, but Rose couldn’t see herself saddled to a man who merely wanted a wife. Men up here were lonely and desperate, and she wasn’t lonely or desperate enough to take advantage of that fact.

      Even Silas’s proposal hadn’t been tempting. Not when she’d seen the deep love shared by the couples among her close friends and family. Perhaps it was wishful thinking to hope that Rose could someday have it for herself, especially with all the mistakes she’d made. But having made those mistakes, Rose was no longer willing to settle for anything less than an honorable man who loved her with his whole heart and would love and court her the proper way.

      “Come, now,” Rose said, holding out her hand to Milly. “Let’s go downstairs to wait for your grandparents.”

      Milly took her hand, and they made their way downstairs, Milly skipping as best a two-year-old could. She’d seen the older children at the mission and had begun mimicking their actions. The somber little girl who’d come into their household now seemed to radiate joy.

      As they reached the bottom step, Milly caught sight of Silas and ran toward him. “Papa!”

      He picked her up and swung her in his arms, then held her tight as he kissed the top of her head. Though she’d watched this scene play out between them at least once a day, it still never failed to melt Rose’s heart.

      How could anyone think that not having Milly with her father was the best thing?

      A noise came from the parlor, and Rose turned to see the Garretts standing there, with matching sour expressions covering their faces.

      “Such a ruckus,” Mrs. Garrett said. “Surely you don’t let her run so wild all the time.”

      “Ah, but what is a home without laughter?” Uncle Frank gave a pleasant smile as Silas stiffened.

      Rose hated seeing the expression on Silas’s face. He’d said that they constantly criticized them, but until now, she’d wondered if he’d been exaggerating. Their comments about Milly running wild made it clear that, if anything, Silas had been generous in his descriptions of life with the Garretts.

      He set Milly down. “Say hello to your grandparents, Milly.”

      The smile disappeared from Milly’s face, then she turned and ran to Rose, burying herself in Rose’s skirts.

      “I’m sorry,” Rose said, patting Milly’s head. “She’s usually not so shy. I can’t imagine what’s gotten into her.”

      “He’s already poisoned her against us.” Rose recoiled at Mrs. Garrett’s harsh tone.

      “I’m sure that’s not it at all,” Rose said as she knelt in front of Milly.

      Focusing her attention on Milly, she said softly, “What’s wrong, my sweet? Your grandparents are here. You want to have a nice visit, don’t you?”

      Tears filled Milly’s eyes. “I want to pway.”

      Rose hugged Milly close, careful not to disturb Matthew in her arms. So far, he’d been quietly watching everything around him, but she wasn’t going to risk making him fuss. “Tomorrow.”

      Then she smiled at the Garretts. “She’s sad because the Jacksons invited us to stay for supper, and we obviously couldn’t. She adores little Moses Jackson, so it’s disappointing for her not to get to stay and play.”

      “Do you dine with the Jacksons regularly?” Mrs. Garrett’s question reflected her snobbery, as though she didn’t believe the close friendship Rose had mentioned.

      Uncle Frank laughed. “Sometimes I don’t know who is eating where. Our families have become so close that it seems like either one of us is at the Jackson mansion, or one of them is over here.”

      Then he turned to Silas. “Which reminds me. Henry gave me some papers for you to look over for Joseph. Don’t let me forget.”

      With another chuckle, he brought his attention back to the Garretts. “My apologies for bringing up work during a social call. With Joseph out of town, Silas is handling a good deal of the mining business on his behalf. We’ve been very impressed with Silas’s skills. I’m sure you’re pleased with how well he’ll be able to provide for Milly.”

      Rose was fairly certain Silas already knew about the papers Emma Jane’s father-in-law had asked Uncle Frank to deliver, but it gave him the opening to subtly let the Garretts know that one of their main arguments against Silas raising Milly had been defeated. However, the scowls they wore said they wouldn’t be giving up so easily.

      “Yes, but at what cost?” Mrs. Garrett said, her voice sounding deceptively pleasant. “Millicent, come, let me take a look at you.”

      Carefully balancing Matthew, Rose gave Milly a tiny push in her grandmother’s direction. “Go on now, give her a nice big hug.”

      Milly obediently walked forward, holding out her arms, but Mrs. Garrett turned aside. “You may kiss me on the cheek.”

      Rose’s heart hurt as Milly did as she was bidden. All the joy that she’d gotten used to seeing in the little girl’s eyes seemed to have disappeared. Rose would admit that her dislike of Annie Garrett had largely been because of Silas, but even before that, she’d always thought Annie cold and unfeeling. Now, though, watching Milly methodically kiss her grandparents on the cheek with no warmth and no hugs, Rose felt a little more sympathy toward the other woman. Perhaps the unfriendliness Rose had always sensed was more about Annie’s discomfort than about her disdain for others.

      For all the things Rose could find fault with in how she was raised, the one thing she was most grateful for was how, at

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