LITMIR.BIZ

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right.” Rebecca was happy trying again. Learning to master this machine had quickly become a goal and she wouldn’t settle until she had accomplished that.

      She began again, trying to keep from looking over at Ben sitting in one of the chairs flanking the fireplace. It wasn’t easy to do and her next set of letters showed she’d better get her mind off the man and on to concentrating on typing. This time she looked at the fire in the grate and not Ben. And she had only two mistakes.

      She smiled and tried again. And again. After about three more tries she looked over to see if Ben was still going over her math, only to find him looking at her with a smile on his face. When she thought to smile back, she realized she already was.

      “You must’ve done very well, you look quite pleased with yourself,” Ben said as he got up and came over to inspect her typing.

      Gretchen came in with a pot of tea for her and Ben and several cookies. “Your timing is great, Gretchen. Rebecca just finished her practice and I must say she deserves a treat. She’s had a great practice run.”

      Gretchen chuckled. “That’s good. Mrs. Heaton said you might be ready for some refreshment about now.” She set the tray down, poured two cups, handed them out and made her exit.

      Rebecca reached for a cookie, took her tea and went to sit in one of the chairs flanking the fireplace. Ben followed with a cookie and his cup and returned to the seat he’d vacated.

      “You really did great. What did you do? Memorize the keys?”

      “I worked at it today.” Rebecca sipped her tea.

      “Your memory must be excellent.”

      “What makes you think so?”

      “You remembered your high school math quite well, too. You’re a very intelligent woman, Rebecca. You’ll have no problems at all with your courses.”

      Rebecca flushed at his compliment. “Thank you. I always liked school—but I was impatient to graduate and be an adult.”

      “That’s the way a lot of us were.”

      “Yes, and I thought I was ready for what the world held. I had a lot of lessons to learn.” She caught her breath at her own words. What was she doing talking to him like this? She didn’t share those kinds of thoughts with anyone.

      “Some lessons are difficult for us.”

      She wanted to ask if he’d had to learn anything the hard way, but that would be much too nosy. She only nodded and changed the subject instead. “Do you have new assignments for me?”

      “I do.” He handed her a sheet of paper. “I’ll check this tomorrow and see what progress you’re making on your typing.” He gave her a booklet. “Work on your letters tomorrow and then when you think you’re ready, this will get you started on the first real typing lesson, sentences and all. I think you’ll be ready to start your math classes at the Y next week.”

      “So soon?” Rebecca asked. “Oh, I’m not sure, I—”

      “You’ll do fine, I’m sure of it. You can keep doing your typing here. You’ll get more practice in working from home. As for your math, maybe next term, you might consider taking a more advanced business accounting class at the Y.”

      “I—if you think I’ll be ready.”

      “I do.” Ben said.

      They both seemed to finish their tea and cookies at the same time. Ben stood and stretched. “I guess I’ll look in and see what’s going on in the front parlor. Are you coming in?”

      She shook her head and placed their cups on the tray. “No. I’m going to take these to the kitchen and call it a day. Good night, Ben, and thank you for all your help.”

      “You’re very welcome. Good night, Rebecca.”

      She put her lesson books under one arm and took the tray to the kitchen, where Gretchen was kneading dough for sweet rolls the next morning.

      Rebecca went down the hall to the foyer. In the front parlor, Julia was playing the piano while the others sang along. Rebecca headed up the stairs. For a moment she thought of going back and joining them. The few times she had, she’d enjoyed singing with everyone.

      But she was tired. Jenny had been active all day, talking of little else than how Ben had caught her from flying off the banister the day before. Rebecca had no doubt Benjamin Roth had become her daughter’s hero in that instant.

      Truth be told, he might have become Rebecca’s, too—if she didn’t know all too well how quickly a hero could turn into a villain. Sadness welled up inside. She prayed her daughter never had to learn that lesson.

       Chapter Three

      Over the next few days Rebecca’s typing improved greatly and by the weekend her papers showed few mistakes but little speed.

      “You will get faster, I promise,” Ben said as they waited to be called to dinner on Friday. “That’s what all the practice is about. You haven’t been at it even a week yet. Give yourself a break. You’re doing really well with your math assignments.”

      “Thank you. You’re right. I suppose I am being impatient. I’m taking a break tonight. I promised Jenny I’d take her over to Michael and Violet’s to see baby Marcus.”

      “That’s a good idea. It will do you both good to get out. I’ll be glad to escort you over and come and get you.”

      “Thank you. I’ll accept your offer.” She lowered her voice. “I’m not used to living under my mother’s rules again, but I understand why she put them in place and I certainly can’t go against them now I’m making my home here.”

      Mrs. Heaton had a hard-and-fast rule that young women living at Heaton House did not go out and about alone after dark. They had to be in a group or one of the male boarders had to escort them. “I’m sure she appreciates your attitude.”

      “It’s the least I can do. Besides, I wouldn’t put Mama through that kind of worry again.”

      Ben wanted to ask more, to know what exactly she’d done that she felt so bad about. Oh, he knew she’d left home and never gone back until Kathleen and Luke had found her last year. And he’d worked with many young women living on their own. Their stories were sad, most regretted whatever they had done that had brought them to the place they were—having to learn a skill to provide for themselves and their child, or in the case of some, their children.

      But they volunteered the information on their own, and Rebecca’s past wasn’t something he thought he should ask about no matter how badly he wanted to. It was none of his business and he didn’t want to bring her more pain by having to dredge up what she’d been through. In the meantime, he sensed she needed a friend and he could be that for her. “What time do you want to leave?”

      “Soon as we finish dinner. Violet said she wouldn’t put little Marcus down until about eight-thirty, so we won’t be there long. I hate for you to take us, come back, and then have to turn around and come get us, though. Why don’t you stay and visit, too?”

      “I will. I haven’t visited with them in a while.”

      * * *

      Mrs. Heaton called everyone to dinner and once they were all seated, she asked Ben to say the blessing.

      As always, dinner was very good and tonight the conversation centered on the building Matt was working on. It was one of the tallest in the city and his tales of working his way into the sky kept the interest of everyone at the table.

      “I can’t imagine working up so high.” Rebecca waved her hand toward the ceiling.

      Millicent dipped her spoon into her soup. “Neither

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