Davenport House 7: Hard Times Page 2

  Abigail looked at the dress again. “I can take the material out here so the front hangs down loosely like the clothes you have been wearing. Do you think it could work if I did so?”

  “Yes, as long as it’s not pressing me along the front.”

  “It will be no trouble at all to change the dress—but Mary, I really think you should be resting more so you can recover properly. I will do everything I can to help with Violet during my visit.”

  “You’re an angel,” Mary said in relief. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 2

  Phillip Valenti returned to his farmhouse after a hard day’s work. His sister Serena arrived about the same time as he. “Are you just now getting home?” she asked him.

  “I picked up an extra job, but it was further than my usual ones,” he answered, opening the front door for her. Phillip became alarmed by the smell of smoke when they entered the farmhouse. He rushed to the kitchen where the rug in front of the stove was just beginning to erupt into flames. A burning ember had fallen through the open firebox door of the cook stove. Phillip quickly threw the rug into the kitchen sink. “Gabriella!” he shouted angrily to summon his ten year old daughter. “Gabriella Maria!”

  “Thank goodness we got here when we did!” Serena exclaimed. She went to the bedrooms to find the children, but they were not there. Gabriella was in charge of her younger brother Donnie and her cousin Angelina while the adults were away. Serena found all three children playing outside. “Gabriella, go to your papa in the kitchen,” she said sternly, then swooped Angelina into her arms and kissed her. “Thank goodness everyone is all right.”

  Gabriella skipped inside the house at first, but her face fell when she smelled the smoke and saw her father’s face red with anger.

  Phillip pointed to the firebox on the cook stove. “How many times do I have to tell you to never leave the kitchen with that door open?”

  “I forgot,” she whimpered.

  “Because you weren’t paying attention!” he yelled. “You could have burned the whole house down! Then where would we live?”

  Gabriella thought for a moment. “We could live with grandma and grandpa,” she answered innocently.

  Phillip grew angrier at the thought of it. “We have to take care of our own house or we’ll sleep on the street. Would you like that?”

  Gabriella hung her head. “No. I’m sorry, Papa.”

  “ ‘Sorry’ doesn’t mend the rug or keep the house from burning down,” he grumbled as he removed the rug from the sink, which had become covered in soot. “Now clean up this mess.”

  Gabriella nodded mournfully and rolled up her sleeves to wash out the sink. Serena returned into the house and shook her head at Phillip. “She is only a child,” she scolded him quietly. “You expect too much of her.”

  Phillip shrugged. “It’s for her own good. I’m already worried sick all day that something like this will happen when neither you nor I are home. Gabriella needs to grow up and be responsible if we’re to have any chance of making it!”

  “But you looked upset even before you walked into the house,” Serena remarked. “What happened in town?”

  “I have to pay taxes on the farmhouse by the end of summer. They won’t give me any more time past that, but I can barely afford to feed us each week. I may have to sell the farmhouse and move us back to the city.”

  “I didn’t realize it was so dire,” Serena said with a frown. “How much do you need for the tax? You can have all the money I’ve saved.”

  “It’s not enough,” he told her. “I’m behind a few years’ worth on the taxes. I thought things would be better by now, but they’re only getting worse.”

  “I’m sorry, brother,” she said helplessly. “Where will we go?”

  “I’m still trying to figure that out,” he mumbled, then retired to his bedroom for the night.

  The next afternoon at Davenport House, Clara, Mary, and Abigail were having tea in the sitting room. Abigail cringed while Clara read the gossip column aloud to them. That day’s article suggested that the mayor’s wife, who prided herself on her exquisitely styled hair, actually wore a wig the whole time.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if the mayor shuts down the paper after that article,” Mary stated, shaking her head.

  “It’s why the journalist remains anonymous,” Clara said, folding the paper and placing it on the table. “No one in their right mind could put their name to such a piece. Oh, I suppose I shouldn’t be reading this now anyway. I have too much to do today!”

  “What are your plans, Clara?” Abigail asked her. “Anything that Mary and I can help with?”

  “The dress for my flower girl will be delivered shortly so I’ll be visiting the Valentis to be sure it fits Gabriella. I also must speak with Joe about the place settings for the wedding guests. Oh dear, I nearly forgot about putting an ad in the newspaper for a new housekeeper. We’re already short on staff with only Jane and Fiona, and I’m afraid Jane is too timid and doesn’t have the experience to manage the whole house. Could Fiona have picked a more busy time to get pregnant?”

  Abigail stifled a giggle. “Mary and I will help with the search for a housekeeper while you attend to the wedding details, Clara.”

  “Oh thank you,” Clara said in relief.

  Just then, Fiona entered the room. “A parcel has arrived for you, Miss Clara.”

  “Thank you, Fiona. Stay with me please while I see which parcel it is,” replied Clara. She turned to Mary and Abigail. “That is probably Gabriella’s dress. I had better go. I’ll see you two at dinner.”

  Clara went down the grand staircase and saw a rectangular box wrapped with ribbon on the entry table. “Yes, this is the flower girl dress,” she mentioned to Fiona, who followed her down the stairs. “I will be back in a little while.”

  “Very good, Miss Clara,” Fiona replied. She brought Clara her hat and shawl and Clara left with the box for the Valentis’ farmhouse.

  “Hello Clara,” Phillip greeted her at the door. “Serena isn’t here just now.”

  “I have come to see your daughter. Her dress is here and I want to be sure it fits properly,” Clara said, holding up the box. “Thank you for letting Gabriella be part of the wedding.”

  “I think she is looking forward to getting out of the house for once,” he said with a chuckle. “Gabriella is in her room down the hall if you’d like to surprise her with it.”

  Clara nodded and took the box with her down the hallway. She peered through the open door and saw Gabriella sitting on the bed. “Good afternoon, dear,” Clara said gently.

  Gabriella looked up. “Miss Clara?”

  Clara could see her tear stained cheeks. “Whatever is the matter?”

  Gabriella hung her head. “Papa is angry with me because I almost burned down the house.”

  “Oh dear,” Clara replied. She did not know how to respond, so she changed the subject. “What do you suppose I have in this box?”

  Gabriella shrugged, but her eyes grew wide with wonder.

  “It’s your flower girl dress,” Clara announced proudly. She untied the ribbon and opened the box while Gabriella watched intently. Clara pulled the dress out and held it up for her to see. “What do you think?”

  “But it doesn’t look like a flower at all! It’s a party dress!”

  Clara laughed. “Why did you think it would look like a flower?”

  “You said I was going to wear a dress that would make me a flower girl,” Gabriella answered. “But this is much better.”

  “Now let’s be sure it fits. You will be wearing it on Saturday for the wedding.”

  Gabriella nodded and let Clara help her into the dress. “I hope Saturday comes soon,” she said with a grin, running her hands down the pink ruffles.

  Clara smiled and stroked the little girl’s cheek. “I hope so too. I can’t wait! But for now, we’ll need to put the party dress in your Aunt Serena’s room for safekeeping until the wedding.”

  “All right
,” Gabriella agreed. She removed the dress and gave it back to Clara.

  Clara left Gabriella’s room and placed the box on Serena’s bed. She saw Phillip again in the kitchen on her way out. “I have good news. The dress fits perfectly,” she said with a smile. “What did Gabriella mean by almost burning down the house?”

  Phillip groaned “She left the firebox to the cook stove open.”

  “Oh dear, that will do it,” Clara said. She looked past him at the cook stove. “But Phillip, this stove is ancient. Is it truly what you’ve been cooking on all this while?”

  “I’m afraid so,” he replied. “Can’t afford a new one anytime soon.”

  “But it’s a fire hazard in itself. When was the last time you cleaned the chimney?”

  Phillip looked sheepish. “I don’t remember.”

  “Then you must do so right away. My mother used to make me clean the kitchen chimney at Davenport House when I was younger. The buildup inside can be dreadful.”

  “Sometimes I forget you used to work as a maid at the grand house,” Phillip said. “It must be very different now.”

  “There are some days it feels like a lifetime ago, but others that it feels like only yesterday,” Clara reminisced. “I miss my mother most of all. I wish she could see me now and attend my dream wedding.”

  “I heard that your mother was a great lady,” Phillip said. “You certainly take after her. Joe is a fortunate man.”

  “I will tell him you said so,” Clara said with a grin as she headed for the door. “I want to be sure he knows it!”

  In the city of Yorktown, Abigail and Mary were on their way to visit the office of the local newspaper. They had written an ad in search of a new housekeeper for Clara. “I hope we can find the perfect candidate for the house. Fiona did a lovely job, but I’m not sure Clara thought anyone could live up to the standards her mother set out,” Abigail remarked.

  “Mrs. Price is sorely missed at the house,” Mary said quietly. “How did you choose your housekeeper for the manor house?”

  “It wasn’t very difficult. She was the head nurse while the house was used as a hospital for the Red Cross. She already knew the house inside and out—it only made sense to hire her when the time came for us to move back in. It still feels strange for Ethan and I to employ a servant at all. But I don’t think I could keep up after the whole house, especially now that I have Patrick. Ethan tends to all of the horses, of course, but we’ll often hire soldiers to help around the estate. They are terribly in need of employment now that the War is over.”

  The ladies stopped walking when they saw the line of men standing outside the employment office. “Mary, what is happening? The line is worse today than I’ve ever seen it,” Abigail mentioned sadly.

  “I never realized it was this bad,” Mary whispered. “Oh look, it’s Mrs. Spencer from the mercantile. It seems she is giving out pastries to the men in line. Poor Mrs. Spencer. Her husband died in the War and she recently had to close up their store altogether. She said that people just stopped buying. I suppose everyone is running out of money.”

  “It is kind of her to feed the soldiers today,” Abigail said. “Let’s see if she needs any help.”

  Mrs. Spencer was grateful to have the help. She directed the ladies to her carriage where several boxes of items were left. Abigail and Mary handed out baked goods and soup tins until the boxes were empty. Phillip Valenti stood toward the back of the line and accepted the gifts gratefully from Abigail. “Be sure to tell Mrs. Spencer I said ‘thank you’. The children will enjoy these,” he said.

  “Of course I will tell her,” Abigail promised. “How are the children?”

  “They’re all right.” Phillip looked at the line ahead of him in discouragement. “I guess I should start walking home now. I don’t imagine the employment office will still be open by the time they get to me.”

  “I’m sorry, Phillip. Mary and I will give you a ride home. We drove here in the car.”

  Phillip looked relieved. “I sure would appreciate that. Thank you.”

  Meanwhile, Mrs. Spencer spoke with Mary near the carriage. “I’m afraid this is the last of my inventory,” Mrs. Spencer told her. “When I saw all the men waiting here for hours outside, I thought they could use something sweet to keep ‘em going. I’m only sorry I won’t have anything more to give after today.”

  “What will you do now that the mercantile is closed?” asked Mary.

  Mrs. Spencer sighed. “I suppose I’ll keep praying for the Lord to provide. The mercantile wasn’t only my job, it was my home too. Once I paid the bank after the sale, there wasn’t much left over for me to live on. But I do feel guilty looking for a job now when all these soldiers are looking too.”

  Mary paused while she considered what to say. “Abigail and I came to town today to place an ad in the paper for a new housekeeper. I wonder, how might you feel about keeping up with a forty room mansion? I will put in a good word for you with the Mistress, of course, if you would consider it.”

  “Would you really? Thank you, Mrs. Hamilton! I’ve never run a large house before, but I know how to work long hours and manage a business. A house can’t be too much different, can it? I will certainly do my best!” Mrs. Spencer answered with newfound hope in her eyes.

  Mary smiled with excitement. “Then I will put this advertisement back in my purse for now and speak to Clara about it tonight.”

  Later that evening, Clara, Abigail, Mary, William, and Ethan were dressed for dinner and waiting in the drawing room. Mary told Clara about the encounter with Mrs. Spencer.

  Clara perked up. “Oh, I do hope Mrs. Spencer will take the job. It would take all the stress out of searching. She has a calming presence, doesn’t she?”

  “Indeed she does,” agreed Abigail. “I am glad we ran into her today. It must have been meant to be.”

  “I’ll ask Fiona to begin training her as soon as possible,” Clara decided. “I’m sure Joe will be agreeable to Mrs. Spencer as our new housekeeper.” She looked up at the clock as she had many times that evening, then turned her gaze to the vacant seat beside her where Joe usually sat before dinner. The others waited patiently and continued to converse, but Clara noticed them stealing glances at the clock too. She sighed reluctantly. “Let us go in to dinner. It appears that Joe will be a little late today. Fiona can show him in when he arrives.”

  The others gratefully rose from their seats and went into the dining room. While they dined that night, Clara could not help but stare in disappointment at her fiance’s empty place setting at the table. The place setting remained empty for the rest of the night.

  The next day, Clara rose early and put her shawl around her shoulders for a walk in the cool morning air. She went to Joe’s cottage on the neighboring estate and knocked on the door. “Joe?” she called. There was no answer. Joe never locked his door, so Clara knocked one more time before turning the doorknob and peering into the house. Everything was quiet inside the cottage. The fireplace was cold and there was no sign of Joe. Feeling discouraged, Clara walked out of the house and closed the door. She was startled by a voice behind her.

  “Miss Clara?”

  Clara turned to see Sam, her own groundskeeper. “Sam? What are you doing here?”

  “Mr. Blake asked if I could look after the livestock while he went to Harrisburg. He said it would just be for a day, but the cows got out this morning so I came to see if he got back. Do you know if he’ll be gone much longer?”

  Clara shrugged helplessly. “I expected Joe to return two nights ago but he must have been delayed. Do you mind tending to the livestock just a little longer?”

  “It’s no trouble, Miss Clara,” Sam answered.

  “Thank you, Sam. And congratulations on the little one you and Fiona are expecting. I think we may have found a new housekeeper, so it shouldn’t be much longer that Fiona has to work at the house. Here, why don’t you take this. I was going to give Joe the leftovers from last night’s dinner.” She handed him
the knapsack she carried.

  Sam gladly accepted it. “Thank you, Miss Clara. I hope the new housekeeper works out good for you.”

  Clara returned to the house where Mary and Abigail were already seated at the breakfast table. “Oh, did you go out this morning?” Mary asked her.

  “I went to see Joe and take him the leftovers from last night’s dinner. Apparently he has still not returned from his visit to Harrisburg. Have either of you heard the telephone ring? He surely would have called if he was going to be delayed this long.”

  “I’m sorry, Clara. I haven’t heard the phone ring, but Mary and I were in town for most of yesterday,” said Abigail.

  “Oh that’s right,” Clara answered. “I’m beginning to feel worried. The wedding rehearsal is the day after tomorrow. Joe’s suit is still at the tailor’s.”

  “Perhaps you can telephone Joe’s hotel in Harrisburg,” Mary suggested.

  “He didn’t give me the name of the hotel he was staying at,” Clara said, her look of concern growing worse. “Perhaps he did tell me the name and I was so caught up with everything else that I forgot.”

  Abigail smiled at Clara. “Mary and I will be sure to hear if the phone rings today. More than likely, Joe is on his way right now and will be home any moment.”

  Clara nodded and tried to smile too. “Thank you, Abigail. I’m sure he will be.”

  Chapter 3

  “Brother! You will never believe who sent us a parcel!” Serena Valenti exclaimed when she walked through the door of the farmhouse. “Can you guess?”

  Phillip was cooking soup on the kitchen stove and turned to look at her. “I give up.”

  “Oh, you are no fun. It’s from our parents!” she squealed. “I wonder what’s inside!”

  Phillip stared at her in disbelief. “How would our parents know this address?”

  Serena opened the parcel while she explained. “I sent our mother a letter to tell her of the terrible ordeal I had in finding Angelina. I never expected to hear back, but—oh how lovely! Look, it’s a quilt for the children.” When Serena lifted the quilt from the parcel, an envelope fell onto the floor near Phillip’s feet. Serena looked at Phillip expectantly and waited for him to pick it up, but he turned around and stirred the soup instead.