Edge of the Wilderness - By Stephanie Grace Whitson Page 0,10
dark eye-brows together in a little frown. Then she blurted out, “I’m very fond of Simon. We could have a good marriage. A very good friendship. But—” Her face grew red with embarrassment.
“Go on, dear,” Miss Jane said gently. “Get it out.”
Gen sighed. “I want more than just a good relationship with my husband. I want what my parents had. They were—” She dropped her hand away from her collar and reached up to tuck a strand of dark hair behind one ear. “One night when I was little I heard an odd noise. When I realized Papa wasn’t getting up to check on it, I crept down the ladder to get him. But when I got to the doorway to Papa and Mother’s room—” She grinned sheepishly at Miss Jane, then shrugged. “The next day, I began to see things I had never noticed before—Papa winking at Mama in the morning; the way his hand lingered on her waist; the way she smiled at him after supper some evenings.” She shook her head and brushed her hand across her forehead as if to erase the thoughts. “Tell me what to do, Miss Jane. Tell me what you think.”
Miss Jane gestured toward a kitchen chair. “Sit down, dear,” she said, taking Gen’s hand as soon as the girl obeyed. She waited a moment before speaking. “You have been through a great deal in the past two years of your young life. First your father virtually forced you to leave home and go to school, and then he died before you ever got to see him again. Then you traveled back to New York with the Danes, and Mrs. Dane died. You arrived back in Minnesota only to be taken captive by your own people. And then you lost your first love when they mistakenly hanged Daniel Two Stars. As if that weren’t enough, everything in all our lives is a muddle right now. Our missions are destroyed. We are living in temporary quarters with Samuel and Nina Whitney and we have three orphaned children to care for.” She patted Gen’s hand. “It’s no wonder you can’t decide what to do. Give it time, dear.” She asked, “Is Reverend Dane pressuring you?”
Gen shook her head, clutching her hands in her lap. “No. He’s just”—she took a deep breath—“he’s just there.” She shivered slightly. “I feel him watching me.”
“Like your papa watched your mother?” Miss Jane asked with a smile. Without waiting for Gen, to answer, Miss Jane said, “You can’t expect him not to look at you, Gen. You didn’t refuse his proposal. And you are a beautiful young woman—all that dark hair, and those eyes.” She continued, “And as if it weren’t enough for you to be so attractive physically, you are by far the best person to satisfy his fatherly concern for his children.” Miss Jane smiled. “You must remember that he’s caught up in the same uncertainties as the rest of us. No congregation to preach to. No students to teach. No real schedule to keep. About the only thing the poor man can see clearly is that you love Meg and Aaron and they love you. You can’t blame him for wanting to settle his personal life.”
“But—” Gen protested quietly.
Miss Jane held up her hand. “Let me finish. I’m certain Reverend Dane’s love for you will make him want what is best for you. He’ll wait while you sort things out.” When Gen didn’t budge, Miss Jane added, “I’m sorry I don’t have anything more earth-shattering to advise, Genevieve. God has placed you here, for this moment, among children who need loving in a house that needs keeping—” At the sound of children’s voices just outside, Miss Jane finished, “—and peas that need picking.” She picked up the empty pot and handed it to Gen. “Very often I’ve found that in simply doing the next thing God has given me to do, His will is revealed.” Miss Jane patted Gen’s shoulder. “Give it time, Gen. While you wait, just do the next thing. Harvest the peas. God will eventually show you what must be done about Reverend Dane. If He can turn the heart of kings, He can turn the heart of one slightly defiant Dakota–French nanny.” She winked as four children clattered up the back stairs and into the kitchen.
Dark-haired Timothy Sutton threw his arms around Miss Jane. “I can write my name, Auntie Jane. My whole entire name, first and last and everything!”