The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,293

helping her situation, she couldn’t find a reason to care.

“Letty! Letty! Mama Alice said for you to come down quick!”

Letty turned toward the door.

“Why?”

“Our furniture! It’s here! It’s here!”

Two things struck Letty. The first was that little Katie, who’d suffered a loss much worse than Letty’s, was already willing to give her allegiance to another woman, and the second was that she’d claimed this house as her own.

Letty had needed a purpose to face the day. It seemed that purpose had arrived. She got up from the stool and smoothed her hands down the front of her dress.

“Is that so?” Letty asked.

“Yes! Come see! There are five wagons full of crates. Mama Alice said we’ll be living in a palace tonight.”

Letty grinned, and then the moment she did it, felt guilt for allowing joy, no matter how small, into her heart. She followed the little girl down the stairs and then out onto the front porch. The freighters had already tied down their teams and were prying the crates apart.

The first piece they unpacked was a wardrobe. Letty recognized it as one of the pieces Eulis had picked out. The elaborate carvings of oak leaves and acorns, as well as the red and gold stenciling on the doors looked like something out of a dream. They’d had no idea when they’d ordered the furnishings months ago that he would not be here to see their arrival.

“Oh Eulis… you were right,” Letty whispered. “The things are truly grand.”

“Where do you want this, ma’am?” one of the men asked.

“Upstairs. First room on the right.”

Up they went, and down they came until, one by one, all the crates were unpacked and the furniture was in place. The china Letty had ordered was still packed and in a crate in the kitchen. It would be up to her and Alice to put it in the cupboard.

There was also a large stack of linens, including bedding, tablecloths, and napkins to be put away and the large chest of silverware sitting on the sideboard begged to be used. Letty had looked in it twice, still struggling with the reality that this opulence belonged to her.

Alice’s favorite piece, the wood cookstove, had been set up in the kitchen. The stove and stovepipe were shiny black, and the stove had a warming shelf and a large cooking surface. There was a small, ornate box beside the stove that was meant to hold kindling, and Alice immediately sent Katie outside to bring some in. She had not cooked on anything this fine since she’d left Boston three years earlier, and couldn’t wait to start a fire and cook a meal.

When they began unpacking the crate with the cooking pots and china, Letty’s enthusiasm ended. The more homey the house became, the more she resented the fact that Eulis would never share it with her. Without explaining herself, she left the room and headed for the back yard. She needed to talk to Eulis.

T-Bone fell into step beside her. He was growing so fast that Letty could touch the top of his head without bending over anymore. When they reached the grave site, Letty paused, bracing herself for this confrontation. It had been bearing on her mind ever since she’d watched him take his last breath.

There was a small stump beside the wooden marker bearing Eulis’ name. She didn’t know that Robert Lee had put it there for her, and if she had, would have been puzzled by his continuing concern. Still, she was grateful for its presence.

T-Bone plopped down beside the stump. Letty sat on it, then leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Just looking at his name on the marker brought tears to her eyes. She cleared her throat, smoothed down the bits of hair that had come out of her braid, and licked her lips.

“It’s me,” she said. “I reckon you’re doing fine. Wish I could say the same.”

A large, fat robin sailed out of a nearby tree and then perched on the handmade cross. Letty frowned.

“Is that supposed to be some sign that you’re hearing me now?”

The bird tilted its head sideways, peering at her with a tiny black eye.

Letty sighed. “Listen to me… I must sound like some crazy woman… talking to a bird and all. Anyway, that’s not why I came. I wanted to tell you that the furniture finally came.” Her voice broke, but she kept on going. “Those pieces you picked out are real pretty. I hate to admit it,