A Love So True Read online

  Her hand didn’t leave her pocket. “You do realize I saw you in the saloon.”

  “You mean the Hawk and Eagle Soda Fountain?”

  She snorted.

  All right, so that wasn’t the sound he would have expected from an angel.

  “Not a soul believes that’s a soda fountain.” She rolled her eyes, and yet her smile was more amused than anything. “You might think me less than bright for visiting this part of town, but I assure you, I’m not that stupid.”

  He pulled at his tie, feeling a little less than bright himself, since it had taken him a while to figure out this was indeed the bad part of town. “I only went in because you did. I was looking for something to eat.”

  He threw her the grin that made most women duck their heads and flutter their eyelashes—didn’t work on her, apparently. “Regardless, would you mind terribly if I escort you home? Considering where you are, I doubt many men will stop to ask you who you are before they make assumptions.”

  She straightened and threw back her shoulders. “Your escort is not necessary. I’m fine, thank you, and good day.” She turned and strode away.

  She was obviously not fine, but she sure was interesting.

  He waited until she was farther ahead this time before following.

  In just a few blocks, she turned onto a much busier street with plenty of well-dressed ladies strolling among the passersby before she disappeared behind a shiny new streetcar. The green monster of a contraption rumbled down its tracks, heedless of horse or human and the rare automobile.

  David’s stomach cramped, but thankfully the woman had led him into a section of town he wouldn’t have to worry about being seen in. At the hotel across the street, a couple—framed by a large picture window—ate what looked to be a gigantic slice of meringue pie.

  After one last glance toward where the mystery woman had vanished, he made his way across the street for lunch. Too bad Father’s glass factory would keep him busy until it was sold and he could return to Kansas City. Trying to figure out what the woman in blue was about would have been a great way to entertain himself during his banishment.

  But he couldn’t work every hour of the day. Maybe he could find a way to run into her again.

  2

  Swaying beside Caroline on the wagon bench, Evelyn Wisely could see a small group of the red-light district’s neglected children awaiting them under the scrawny tree they picnicked under each Saturday. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single redhead wandering among the industrial castoffs in the overgrown field.

  Where was Annette? Her little brother, Lawrence, had been moping about the orphanage for more than a month now. If she didn’t turn up soon, what hope was there that she ever would? Annette had been so diligent to check on her brother every week before disappearing without a word.

  Evelyn turned to Caroline O’Conner, the housekeeper for the orphanage they both worked at. “I don’t know what I’ll tell Lawrence if we find out Annette has succumbed to the pressure of the district. She was so adamant she’d never leave him the way their mother did.”

  “You tell him the truth. That regardless of his sister’s whereabouts, you and your parents will dote on him until a good family adopts him.” Caroline steered the horse toward the children. The housekeeper’s thicker figure, tight posture, and out-of-style auburn curls made her seem older, though her thirty-three years weren’t much more than Evelyn’s twenty-seven.

  “And if we never find her?” The knot in her throat from yesterday’s disappointing search came back in full force. The prostitute she’d visited at the Hawk and Eagle had promised she knew everything that went on in that part of town, and if she didn’t, she could find out. But it had been three weeks, and Miss Lily White had not one iota of information worth the ten dollars Evelyn had paid her.

  Caroline stared off into the distance. “Most people would probably encourage you to help him forget her. Many advise me to do so with my own sister, but I can’t, and likely neither will he. All you can do is let him know you still care.”

  Did Caroline feel as hopeless as Lawrence? At least she knew where Moira was. Though the ache of having her sister trapped in prostitution had to overwhelm Caroline from time to time.

  The team slowed, and the handful of children swarmed them, climbing onto the sides and into the back before the wagon stopped.

  “Good afternoon, children.” Evelyn hopped down and was immediately clobbered by ill-washed bodies and big, desperate hugs. Though her job and this ministry wrung her heart, she couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do with the years that stretched out before her.

  Three-year-old Jesse pulled at her skirts, so she picked him up. “Guess what, Jesse? We’ve brought your favorites today: roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and split pea soup!”

  The little boy’s wrinkled nose and pout were adorable. Every time they brought his least favorite soup, she purposely tried to coax that expression out of him. Though only three, he roamed the red-light district and the surrounding area seemingly at will, but unlike the other children, he wasn’t skin and bones. His father must feel some burden toward him, since he gave Jesse’s mother money each month. And somehow she heroically resisted using those funds to feed her opiate addiction. The sacrifice these two wayward parents made for Jesse kept Evelyn from begging the woman to let her take him to the orphanage.

  “Then I guess Jesse won’t mind if I ladle out his portion to the others?” Caroline pulled the kettle closer to the back of the wagon and gave him a mischievous look. “Unless you want to taste it again to make sure you still don’t like it?”

  Jesse shook his head vehemently.

  None of the others would refuse, even if they agreed about the taste. They were usually so hungry they’d eat slug soup without complaint.

  Evelyn put Jesse down and passed out the food she wished she could distribute every day. But thankfully she could come once a week when Nicholas Lowe, her boss, and his wife, Lydia, her good friend, took over the orphanage on Saturday afternoons to give her and her parents a break.

  She handed one of the older boys a loaf of bread to pass around while a few girls took the blankets off the wagon. The brightly colored quilts the Teaville Ladies Moral Society donated to the poor always made their sunshiny picnic spot feel a little homier.

  While grabbing the stack of plates, Evelyn caught a glimpse of vivid purple off to her left.

  Scott, a lanky youth of near twelve, was walking straight and tall beside a slightly taller woman. Her voluminous purple dress was trimmed with black lace at every imaginable seam and hem. Her free hand tightly gripped a delicate black fringed shawl around her neck. Her chin was tilted to the side and her eyes downcast, as if expecting a blow. However, Scott’s bright face almost overpowered the sunlight. Evelyn couldn’t help but respond with a matching smile.

  How many weeks had Scott prayed for his mother to come and hear the Bible stories they discussed after lunch? Evelyn left the plates and walked forward to meet them. “Mrs. Jones, I’m pleased—”

  “I’ve never been a Mrs. anything.”

  Evelyn winced at her mistake. “Miss . . . ?”

  “I don’t go by my old name either.” Scott’s mother’s knuckles tightened on the shawl she held closed at her throat.

  “What do you wish to be called?”

  Her shrug was noncommittal. “Amy works.”

  “All right. May I have the children call you Miss Amy?”

  “Don’t know why you’d bother since they’ve heard me called worse.” The woman’s eyes practically dripped with defensiveness, as if she believed being turned away was inevitable and figured she might as well do her worst to deserve being so.

  Evelyn held out her hand, as if a wounded animal cowered in front of her. “Won’t you join us for lunch?”

  Scott’s smile widened, and he squeezed his mother’s arm.

  The woman’s stiffness disappeared, and then she looked at her son. “I suppose, since Scott wants me to. But
I got nothing to give you for it.”

  “That’s all right, we’re not asking for anything.”

  Amy lifted her chin a little higher as she let Scott escort her closer to the wagon.

  Evelyn exchanged glances with Caroline, who wordlessly handed the woman a plate. Caroline wouldn’t be as excited as she was about this turn of events, since the housekeeper seemed uninterested in the Bible lessons, always busying herself with cleaning and repacking after everyone finished eating, but Evelyn couldn’t help the tingle of excitement.

  Lord, please let today’s story help Amy. No wonder I didn’t feel right about skipping the story of Rahab even though I thought it might hit too close to home. You knew Amy was going to be here!

  With a bounce in her step, Evelyn distributed the last of the food, then finally got a plate of her own. She was pleased to see the children had left the spot beside Amy empty.

  She lowered herself next to Scott’s mother, trying to avoid crushing the wads of purple fabric ballooned around her. “I’m glad to have you, Amy.”

  The woman continued chewing whatever she’d taken a bite of and gave Evelyn a quick nod.

  Sitting on his mother’s other side, Scott leaned forward. “I told her Jesus would want her here, though she thought you wouldn’t.”

  Amy stopped chewing and turned to glare at her son.

  “We welcome anybody’s parents to join us.” Hopefully that would entice Amy to return and the other children to bring a parent who needed the food just as much as the Bible lesson. She gave Scott a little wink in response to his ear-to-ear grin.

  Amy stared at her lap. “That’s kind of you. More than kind.”

  “Yes, and if you have any other—”

  “Boy, something smells good!” A man’s voice boomed from behind them, startling Amy.

  Evelyn looked over her shoulder to find the man who had followed her from the Hawk and Eagle earlier that week approaching. Her hand reached for her pocket pistol but stopped short since she never brought it with her on Saturdays. She’d never had men pester her amid a gaggle of children.

  Amy began to stand and got tangled in her skirts. Evelyn struggled to rise as well, making it onto her feet about the same time as Amy did.

  She reached out for Amy’s arm. “Please stay.”

  “I have to get to work.” Despite her food being mostly untouched and Scott frowning bigger than a catfish, Amy picked up her skirts and rushed off.

  Evelyn closed her eyes and blew out her disappointment. Why hadn’t God kept this man away?

  3

  Evelyn turned from the picnicking children to face the man who’d stalked her in the red-light district the day before yesterday. Funny how her heart wasn’t palpitating with trepidation, but rather annoyance.

  Her father often lamented she hadn’t a healthy amount of fear, considering how often she visited the district with only Caroline as an occasional companion. But she understood the danger, especially after one incident where a man had followed her all the way home. If Daddy ever found out she now carried a pocket pistol, he’d forbid her to return to the district again.

  But when women and children were in need, how could she not go?

  Besides, most people knew who she and Caroline were and gave them a wide berth, and the man in front of her would have already had an opportunity to do something to her if he’d wanted to. “What do you want?”

  The man took a step back and held out his hands. “I heard you say if anyone was looking for food—”

  “Poor people! I meant poor people looking for food.” What man in a three-piece business suit wandered around the factory section of town looking for food?

  He winced, yet his eyes glistened with merriment.

  The exasperation in her voice had sounded a mite funny. She relaxed her shoulders and forced herself not to shake her head at her outburst. Did this man really want something to eat? “Why would you be looking for food in this part of town?”

  “I’m staying at a boardinghouse that doesn’t provide lunch, and I smelled chicken.” He threw a thumb over his shoulder toward the industrial building looming over them. “My office window is up there.”

  So he’d be perched right above them every Saturday?

  But the factory looming over them was normally quiet on the weekend. “You’re working today?”

  “Yes.” He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets, but instead of looking displeased with his situation, he threw her a most attractive smile. And coupled with those intense blue eyes under that mop of dark blond hair—well, he was too good-looking by half.

  “And your name is?” Not that she needed to know. What she really needed to know was how to keep him from returning, especially since his presence had driven Scott’s mother away.

  Did Amy know him? What if this man hadn’t been worried for her safety in the district two days ago as he’d claimed? What if his smile had been meant to disarm her? But surely, with children here, he wouldn’t be so bold as to—

  “I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m David Kingsman.” He put the side of his index finger against the brim of his dark gray homburg hat. “Might I ask who you are?”

  “Miss Wisely.” She gestured toward Caroline on the blanket with little Jesse in her lap. “And this is Miss O’Conner.”

  “Pleased to meet you both.” His eyes glanced at Caroline for only a second before returning to her. “Now that we’re acquainted, may I join you?”

  He probably expected his smile—which likely melted many a woman—to gain him a seat on her blanket.

  “I’m afraid—”

  “I’m willing to pay.” He took out a money clip.

  “We’re not selling anything.”

  He stopped pulling out a dollar bill, and his expression turned hesitant. “But your food smells better than what I had at the hotel yesterday, and the company—I’m willing to bet—will be much more interesting.” He gave the children that same lopsided smile he’d given her.

  Men were usually scared away after seeing her embrace “dirty scamps,” as one want-to-be suitor had called them. “I’m afraid—”

  “That there are no green beans left.” Caroline had somehow eased Jesse off her lap and stood. “But we have enough of everything else for a paying customer.” She gave Evelyn a sharp look, likely signaling for her not to argue.

  Whatever did Caroline want his money for? The richest man in Teaville was their patron; they didn’t need this man’s coin. Though she shouldn’t be rude to him in front of the children. “I suppose twenty cents would do.”

  He didn’t move, his eyes searching hers. “Unless you are truly opposed to my joining you.”

  Evelyn gave a slight shake of her head. Now that Amy was gone, why should she fight Caroline over having him stay? “It’s all right.”

  “Thank you.” He walked over to take the plate Caroline had filled for him and put two dollars into the housekeeper’s hand.

  Two dollars! They weren’t serving steak with all the trimmings.

  And Caroline took it.

  Evelyn narrowed her eyes at her friend, who didn’t even look at her as she stepped around the silent children to return to her spot.

  With plate in hand, Mr. Kingsman glanced about the two blankets, his lips scrunched to the side as if he couldn’t decide where to sit. There wasn’t enough room for them to sit together near Scott without looking cozy, so she pointed toward the opening on the other blanket. “I believe there’s room for you over there.”

  The two girls sitting where she pointed squished closer, but more from wariness than trying to create space for him.

  He smiled at the two girls, but they didn’t smile back. “I think I’ll sit here if you don’t mind.” He settled into Amy’s empty spot, then tapped Scott’s knee. “If that’s all right with you, that is.”

  The boy shrugged and plopped another piece of bread into his mouth.

  Theodore, a skinny boy she’d only met last week, ogled Mr. Kingsman
’s shiny pocket watch as the man took a bite of chicken and closed his eyes as if he too were underfed. Did this man not realize he oozed wealth? Not that he was a dandy by any means, just very nicely dressed. His gray three-piece wool suit, fine blue silk tie, and minutely patterned vest were a far cry from the ill-fitting clothes the children wore, Caroline’s black dress and white apron, and Evelyn’s work dress. Hopefully none of the children were considering helping their mothers gain a little extra money by lifting something off him.

  Mr. Kingsman took off his hat and settled it on his bent right knee. He lifted his spoon and then glanced around at the silent crew. “Don’t let my presence spoil your conversation.” He tried the soup and smiled. “No wonder you come to Miss Wisely and Miss O’Conner to get lunch. This is delicious.”

  Jesse’s face screwed up so comically at someone enjoying split peas that Evelyn couldn’t stop the little snort of laughter that escaped.

  Mr. Kingsman looked at her, eyebrows raised in question.

  Evelyn turned back to the wagon to add another dollop of potatoes to her plate. Why had his look made her squirm? A snort wasn’t anything to blush over.

  She didn’t bother to even look at the vacant spot next to him and crossed over to sit with the two girls on the other blanket.

  The children weren’t normally talkative while they filled their shriveled stomachs, but silence now reigned deafeningly. Mr. Kingsman tried to make small talk with the children—though hardly any of them responded.

  He turned to Theodore, who’d finished his entire meal before Evelyn had even sat. “What’s your name, young man?”

  “Theo.”

  “What do you have there?” He pointed to the tarnished watch hanging from his belt on a bit of twine.

  The boy clasped his hand around it, hiding it from view. “Just my grandfather’s pocket watch. Nothing fancy like yours.”

  “May I see it?” David took a monogrammed handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his fingers, and held out his hand for the watch.