Distant Dreams Page 15

  “Ah yes. How’s he doing?”

  Leland shrugged, wishing he knew the answer. “It’s been almost four weeks. The leg seems to be mending just fine, something the doctor wasn’t even sure was possible. He’s up a bit, on crutches, but has no real interest in much of anything. I suggested he come down to the bank, but he’s stuck his nose into a few of his old books and nothing else seems to attract his attention.”

  Joseph was quiet for a moment, then said, “You know, James might be able to help me out. In fact, the more I think of it, the more ideal I think he might be. Do you think he’d be interested in doing some tutoring?”

  “I thought you said York had given up on school.”

  “He has, but this would not be for him. You see, I’ve wanted to hire someone to privately tutor Carolina,” Joseph replied, then held up his hand as if to ward off the expected assault. “I know how inappropriate extensive schooling is for a woman, but Carolina, like your James, has an interest in the railroad and the book learning that goes along with it.”

  “James doesn’t hold much interest in the railroad now,” Leland stated honestly. “The accident took the life of a man he greatly admired.”

  “Yes, I read that Phineas Davis was killed. Strange how no one else but James was injured. Hand of God watching over them, if you ask me.”

  “I tried to tell James that, but he’s angry at the loss. Thinks God has set out to personally offend him, or some such nonsense. Who can tell? I can scarcely get two coherent words out of him at a time. He’s always talking nonsense about life and death and the inner fires of his soul.”

  Joseph nodded indulgently. “I think I can understand. Perhaps a change of scenery would do him good. What with his injuries, I think it would be most appropriate that he come live at Oakbridge. He could tutor Carolina in return for room and board, in addition to a generous salary.” Joseph nudged Leland with his elbow. “There would even be the added advantage to him of spending more time with Virginia.”

  “Is she still interested in him, even now after the accident?” Leland immediately began to think of the possibilities.

  “I am fairly certain she is. She’s wanted to visit him but felt it out of line to come alone. She’s tried to get her mother and me to come pay our respects, but this is the first time I’ve come anywhere near Washington since the accident, and Margaret has been under the weather with a spell of catarrh. Nothing serious, just a great deal of unladylike nose blowing, and you know how our very proper ladies can be about public displays of illness. Virginia’s nursed her mother faithfully, but I tease her that it’s more for the purpose of getting her on her feet and to Washington than for making her mother feel better. She would have come with me now except for the inclement weather.”

  Leland felt a flicker of hope. Virginia Adams was still interested in courtship with his son! Good thing, too. Things were getting no better financially. Deals he’d made in good faith only weeks ago were already showing problems. Then, too, he needed desperately to travel north to see his brother Samuel regarding their private ventures, but James’ accident had forced him to remain close to home.

  “I’d like to present the idea to James,” Leland finally answered. “I think it’s a good one, but it is hard to tell these days how my son will respond to anything.”

  “I am certain he would be welcomed with open arms—by everyone!” Joseph added that last with a wink.

  “Joseph, are you saying that an engagement could be expected soon?”

  “I’m sure with James staying at Oakbridge, the course of—how shall I put it?—true love would be greatly expedited.”

  “Perhaps,” said Leland with cocky confidence, “even by Christmas.”

  Joseph laughed. “Well, maybe not that soon, but certainly by spring, eh?”

  Leland forced a laugh and thought to himself that spring might well be too late. “Do you see him tutoring at Oakbridge all that long?”

  “Certainly as long as it takes for him to fully recover and desire to move on,” Joseph replied. “I’ve heard tell his full recovery will be slowed by the extensive damage done his leg. If that’s true, I can certainly extend my home to him for however long he might need. We can arrange rooms on the first floor for his own use, and, of course, I would personally see to the arrangements and the actual move to Oakbridge.”

  “I’ll speak to him later today. How long will you be in town?”

  “Two or three more days. We have a room at the Brown Hotel. Send word there and I’ll be happy to personally present the idea, in full, to James.”

  “I’ll do that. You’ll hear from me by nightfall.”

  Leland walked away with a new air of confidence and hope. If he could put James under the roof of Joseph Adams, then courtship with Virginia Adams would be assured. What sensitive young woman could resist nursing and pampering the man of her desires? Given Miss Adam’s obvious concerns and interest in James, Leland felt certain she would manage him quite well.

  “The answer is no!”

  “James, you need to listen to reason,” Leland said in complete and utter calm as he sat in the darkened bedroom in a chair adjacent to where James sat with his leg propped up on a footstool. “I’ve invited Joseph Adams to come to tea this afternoon and discuss the matter in full. You will listen and you will be interested.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do!” James snapped, then grabbed his crutches and struggled to his feet, as if he could easily escape his father’s will. He hobbled across the room to the door. The right leg dragged considerably, and pain shot through his body like a white-hot fire. Grimacing, James gave up and returned to his chair.

  “Why are you forcing this upon me?” James said, panting from the exertion of his effort. “Haven’t I endured enough?”

  Leland seemed to recant his former firmness. “I’m sorry, son. You know the reasons why I need you to marry. Miss Adams is a marvelous girl, and she holds great concern for you and your condition.”

  “She has no qualms about marrying a cripple?”

  “The doctor now assures us you will recover fully—”

  “Three weeks ago he thought I’d lose my leg! He knows nothing.”

  “I wish to hope for the best, and it appears Virginia Adams does the same.”

  “But tutoring her sister? What can be more demeaning?”

  “Any port in a storm, son.”

  “You are not the ship being forced to go where you do not wish to go. But then . . .” James paused and sighed heavily. “Who says I am fit for anything else, or that I care for anything else? I haven’t the courage to end my misery, so it makes perfect sense for me to spend my days in the company of girls.” He laughed dryly. “And now it seems that particular girl has far more gumption than I possess. She’ll get her education one way or another.”

  “Stop that kind of talk!” exploded Leland. “You have only yourself to blame if you have no ambition. The accident was a terrible thing, but it wasn’t the end of the world. But for now others will have to have gumption for you. We will have to force you to do what is right.”

  “And I suppose I must go along like a lamb led to the slaughter—”

  His father’s face grew taut and crimson with his angry retort. “If you care about this family you will do as I request. If not, I’ll cut you off without further consideration.”

  James laughed. “You wouldn’t do that to Mother.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. It would be your doing entirely!”

  Leland’s words stung as James knew they had been intended to do.

  James realized the battle was lost. To turn his back on his mother’s needs was something he could not bring himself to do. He had already put her through too much anguish. His father had made it very clear that without his cooperation and marriage to a rich young woman, there was only doom and destruction in the family’s future. James’ original purpose in agreeing to his father’s proposition—that he would marry Virginia in return for being allowed to pursue his railro
ad career—had now diminished. He no longer cared about the railroad. He couldn’t even think about the cursed business without breaking into a cold sweat! Yet he was not so selfish that he could turn his back completely on the needs of his family.

  At the sound of the front door bell, James looked up. “I suppose that is him now?”

  Leland nodded. “Will you help me or not?”

  “What choice do I have?”

  The mulatto, Nellie, finished serving beverages to Leland, James, and their guest, then offered tea cakes and tarts filled with all types of jellies and fruit. It was an effort for James to be sociable. He’d seen no one besides his family and the doctor since that fateful visit from Eddie and the others. He wondered if he could have so soon forgotten the social graces. Glancing toward the French doors he noted the steadily falling rain. A perfect accompaniment to sealing what he viewed as his dreary future.

  “That’ll be all, girl,” Leland barked. “Just leave the tray there on the table. We’ll serve ourselves.” She nodded and hurried from the room, sliding the double doors together to afford the men privacy.

  “I’m delighted to hear your recovery is progressing so well,” Joseph told James as he lifted his cup of black coffee.

  “James is frustrated that he must crawl before he can walk,” Leland remarked, watching James for some reaction.

  “Father forgets I already knew how to walk. It’s the relearning that causes me grief,” said James, purposely averting his eyes, pretending to concentrate on adding cream and sugar to his tea.

  “And I can well imagine the pain is such that you struggle to keep your focus elsewhere,” said Joseph.

  James sensed the compassion in Joseph’s words. But his response was dry, perhaps even harsh. “I get by.”

  “Certainly. The fact that you’re sitting here receiving me is proof of that. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’ve agreed to hear my proposal. I’ve been laboring over this for some time, in fact, since the opening of the Washington Branch of the B&O.” Joseph’s face registered instant regret for having made mention of the railroad, the cause of James’ accident.

  “Please go on,” James said kindly, taking pity on the older man.

  “It’s just that since then, Carolina has had her eyes opened to the railroad and locomotives. Though I must say she has always had a mind for things scientific.”

  “I remember,” said James, and his expression momentarily softened as he recalled happier days.

  “The railroad has only been a recent catalyst to open my eyes to the strength of her desire to learn. She desires to be educated beyond her grammar school. To her way of thinking, finishing school is out of the question because she has little interest in learning how to properly entertain, when she’s watched her mother do it all of her life. Carolina is well finished enough, but her mind seeks out things like science and mathematics.”

  “Can she ever hope to utilize those things, even if she has the ability to grasp them?” James questioned.

  “If anyone can find a way to do so, it will be Carolina. She has a quick mind and a stubborn nature. That nature serves her well when it comes to learning a new subject. It caused more grief when it came to doing things she had little desire for,” Joseph said with a smile. “She’s a good girl and I feel it can’t possibly hurt her to learn these things. So what if she later puts them aside to marry and bear children? She will at least have touched a bit of her dreams.”

  “Better some small portion than none at all, is that it?” James’ gruff tone momentarily returned.

  Joseph eyed James with perplexity for a moment. James wondered if he’d gone too far. He knew from his father’s worried expression that he was deathly afraid James would botch up the entire matter.

  After several uncomfortable moments of silence, Joseph finally spoke. “I put aside certain dreams when I took on the responsibility of becoming a plantation owner. Dreams that were important to me.” He breathed deeply and continued. “Carolina is special to me— I suppose, in part, because she is very much like me. I’d like to see her obtain her dream, but it seems unadvised to attempt a university education at this point. If you can find it in your heart to overlook her gender . . . forget that she’s a young woman . . .”

  James heard little past that point. Forget she was a woman, indeed! He’d thought several times of the dark-haired woman-child, with her eyes all afire. Carolina had spirit and a streak of tenacity that said to everyone around her, “I am capable of daring great things!” Her sister might be the beauty of the family, but Carolina was unique in her own way, and while he had never seen the sense in giving a woman too much education, he admired Carolina’s perseverance.

  Joseph was saying, “ . . . and so, you see, I believe it will be beneficial to both of us.”

  James stared blankly at Joseph Adams, realizing he’d missed part of his statement. But even without having heard the man’s words, he could well imagine what had transpired in the speech. No doubt, between his father and Adams, plans were already being laid for the joining of the two families.

  James acted as though he’d not missed a single word, and at the same time steered the conversation from where he knew it would eventually lead. “Do you have in mind the subjects that you’d like taught to your daughter?”

  “Besides her interest in locomotives, I would say that might be best left up to you and Carolina to decide. She’s mentioned the desire to learn Latin and Greek, mathematics, and astronomy. Are you comfortable with those subjects?”

  James nodded. “Very much so. However, I must say I am not qualified to teach about the railroad and would prefer to forego that subject.”

  “That might disappoint Carolina, but I am certain she would be grateful for whatever you feel qualified to offer her.”

  “What have you in mind with regard to arrangements?” James sounded very much like his banker father, ironing out the issue of contractual terms. James knew what was expected of him, and the more they discussed, the more acceptable the idea became.

  “Since you are unable to get about easily,” Joseph offered, “I thought it only fitting to have you stay with us. Your room and board would be provided, with a salary in addition. However much time you feel you could give us, you would be welcome to stay on at Oakbridge. Whether that lasts out the year or until you make a decision about your future, it would be most acceptable to me, so long as Carolina is satisfied with the arrangement.”

  “What does she say on the matter?” James questioned.

  “Yes, Joseph, have you told her or the elder Miss Adams of this plan?” Leland asked.

  “No, certainly not. I wouldn’t want to get their hopes up. I know my daughters well enough to know they would both be pleased for entirely different reasons.”

  James smiled to himself, remembering his encounter with Carolina the night of his mother’s party. He wondered if she would find it all that amusing or appealing to have him as her tutor. At first consideration, he had thought the idea of tutoring a girl rather demeaning. Yet, thinking of Carolina and the feisty ambition her father alluded to, James began to be intrigued at having a part in something so radical. The rebel in him rather liked the idea.

  “I suppose we could give it a try,” James said, amazed that he was actually feeling an interest in something for the first time since the accident. “When would you like to get started?”

  Joseph’s face fairly radiated his delight. “Immediately! The sooner the better! I have an appointment this evening for dinner and several appointments tomorrow, but I’ll be returning to Oakbridge the following day. I’ll make arrangements then and inform the family of my delightful news. I believe I could return to Washington City in a week to escort you to Oakbridge.”

  “You need not make another trip here,” Leland jumped in. “I can have the boy brought out to you.”

  James said nothing of the fact that his father hadn’t offered to see to the chore himself. Perhaps he would be glad to have him gone from th
e house. James hadn’t considered this before. He knew his mother was severely depressed, and perhaps his father saw this as the perfect opportunity to remove part of her despair.

  “I’ll send you word then as soon as all preparations are made,” Joseph replied. He drained his cup and stood to leave. Extending his hand, he offered James a smile. “I think you’ll find Oakbridge and the quiet of the countryside very conducive to healing.”

  “I suppose I just might, at that,” James answered, shaking the older man’s hand.

  20

  York’s Good Fortune

  At exactly half past six that evening, dinner was served in the White House dining room. York stared in complete amazement, feeling rather like a country bumpkin in contrast to the French diplomat at his right. The man appeared in a heavily embellished frock coat of purple velvet and gold trim and stared at York’s plain black coat as though he thought the young man had somehow wandered to the table by mistake.

  Joseph Adams sat several chairs closer to the head of the table, where Andrew Jackson was offering a choice of drinks to be served with the huge tureen of turtle soup. Dinner at the White House was not what he had expected when his father announced they were to dine out this evening.

  An elderly Negro man poured York’s drink and moved on to the next patron without so much as a word. Behind him came another servant who ladled soup into a fine china bowl. No sooner was one course finished than another appeared at the table—wild turkey, fish, and other dishes York wasn’t in the least bit familiar with. Each dish was presented and placed upon the table for all to see, and after the oohs and aahs went up in chorus, the servant would remove it to the sideboard for carving. The process went on and on, and when finally dessert was offered upon a tray, York couldn’t believe himself capable of taking even one more bite.

  York took in the brilliantly lighted room and counted over thirty candles burning in the chandelier overhead, with even more in candlestick holders and candelabrums on the sideboards and table. Gilt-rimmed paintings, accompanied by gold and silver bric-a-brac, reflected what seemed to be a thousand dancing flames in their luxurious wares. York had grown up knowing wealth and finery, but this was by far and away the most impressive setting he’d been privileged to experience.