coil with ringlets, she settled for brushing out the tangles and pulling it back into a simple knot.
When she finally felt attired sufficiently to leave her room, she made her way downstairs, which was unusually quiet. She peeked into the room at the back of the house and discovered a tidy kitchen with a cast iron stove in one corner, a work table at the center, and a wash basin against another wall. But the housekeeper wasn’t in sight, and neither was any food.
Across the hallway from the kitchen was a dining room with a long table that looked like it could seat two families. A vase at the center of the table was filled with a strange collection of dried flowers and grass. A sideboard sat along the far wall decorated with an assortment of tableware, including a white pitcher, oval platter, and a coffee creamer and sugar bowl.
Her mouth watered at the prospect of freshly brewed coffee. Although she hadn’t seen a coffee pot in the kitchen, surely the housekeeper wouldn’t mind making her a cup.
If she could locate the housekeeper.
She headed down the hallway toward the front of the house and the entryway. When she reached the sitting room, she poked her head in hesitantly.
“Good morning,” came a motherly voice. Zelma sat in the same spot at the pedestal table where Victoria had seen her yesterday. Again, her Bible was open on the table in front of her. She smiled up at Victoria and motioned to the chair across from hers. “Come in. I’ve been waiting to see you this morning. You were sure tired when you got here last night. I hope you slept well.”
“I didn’t wake up once,” Victoria replied, returning the smile and lowering herself across from Zelma. “I didn’t sleep at all the night before, and so I guess I really needed the rest.”
Zelma’s smile widened. “Ah, the life of newlyweds.”
At Zelma’s conclusion for the cause of her sleepless night, Victoria felt herself flush from her neck to her cheeks. She was too utterly embarrassed to make a sound, much less speak.
Zelma laughed, and the sound was like the tinkling of silver bells. Victoria couldn’t help noticing, as she had last night, that Zelma was lovely. She had very few wrinkles in her creamy complexion. Her eyes were especially pretty and had a youthfulness about them that made Zelma seem too young to have a son Tom’s age.
“I’m sorry, dear,” Zelma said, reaching across the Bible and capturing Victoria’s hand. “I shouldn’t tease. Not everyone is quite as open as we are in our appreciation of married life.”
Victoria looked at the hand holding hers, the delicate fingers that had veins showing through the thin layers of skin. “I’m still adjusting to being married,” Victoria said shyly.
“Did you have time for a wedding trip?” Zelma asked.
Victoria shook her head. “No. Tom was anxious to get here.” If she’d married Nathaniel, she already would have been sailing to Europe, likely relaxing in one of the luxury suites on the Independence. She’d been looking forward to returning to Europe, had planned what she’d wear and what she’d see down to the last detail. Even if she and Nathaniel ended up getting married later in the summer, she doubted they would be able to make the trip that late in the year.
“Don’t worry.” Zelma patted Victoria’s hand. “I can see that you’re disappointed, but I’m sure I can persuade James to give Tom a few days off so the two of you can have some time alone right here.”
Oh, my. Once again Victoria flushed. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how she and Tom would handle that type of situation under his parents’ noses.
“I’ve embarrassed you again.” Zelma gave another light laugh. “Forgive me, dear. I’ll try to be more tactful.”
Victoria was thankful when Zelma changed the conversation to her daughter Ruth, son-in-law Greg, and their two children. She spoke about how much she missed them and was praying fervently for Greg’s health. Then she talked for a little while about the grandchildren, and it was clear that Zelma loved her family dearly.
Finally Victoria’s aching stomach prodded her up from the table. “Where might I find your housekeeper?”
Zelma peered up at her with uncomprehending eyes. “Housekeeper?”
“Your hired help?”
“We don’t have any hired help, dear. Ruth took care of everything, and my grandchildren worked hard too.”
No housekeeper or hired help? Victoria stood unmoving, and her mind spun as she tried to grasp the situation. Without help, how were