Before she could corral her thoughts and formulate an answer, the front door opened and the hushed air filled with the sound of many voices. She and Pauline shot simultaneously to their feet.
In seconds, Doc, Mrs. Christiansen, Olivia, and the twins all appeared in the doorway.
The Twins! Mary moaned internally, fighting off nausea almost as bad as she experienced each morning, and pressed a hand to her stomach. How can we expect them to keep the secret? And what kind of example are we setting by this? Lies and untruths! Oh, it just keeps getting worse and worse, she fretted as she stood back and silently viewed the interactions.
“Hey everyone,” Pauline stepped forward. “I was so focused on talking to DJ, I absolutely forgot to greet you all at the station,” she said as one by one she hugged her mother, her sister, Livvy, and finally, Grace and Faith.
Mrs. Christiansen embraced her daughter before standing back and fondly looked on as the others hugged their sister. “We’ve had a change in plans,” she addressed Pauline. “We had intended to stay at the boarding house with you and Tobias, but it seems they don’t have room for us, so—Doc Reeves has generously invited us to stay here—” her head tilted gracefully toward Mary, who suddenly realized Dwight was still holding onto her hand and standing at her elbow. “With you,” Pearl added.
Mary wasn’t sure what to feel as she disengaged her fingers from his and then unconsciously clasped and unclasped her hands. Just two weeks ago, she was a single working girl, footloose and fancy free. Now, she was married, and about to begin living with the bulk of her husband’s family! Everything was happening so fast; her head was spinning once again!
Before she could answer, Doc gestured toward the steps.
“Mrs. Christiansen—”
“Call me Pearl, please, Doctor Reeves,” she interrupted.
He stopped and smiled down at her, then inclined his head with a nod of consent. “Pearl it is. You may call me Cornelius, if you like. Or Doc, as everyone else does. Just don’t call me Corny, as my brother used to,” he added with a good-natured shake of his head.
“Cornelius…it’s a nice name. I had a great uncle named Cornelius,” she smiled back.
“I hope he was a gentleman and not a scoundrel!” Doc chuckled and Pearl joined in.
Giving a decisive nod, she answered, “He was a pure southern gentleman, indeed.”
Although caught up in her own thoughts, Mary abstractly noticed that Doc and Mrs. Christiansen were regarding one another warmly, their eyes twinkling, before Doc seemed to remember his duties as host, shook his head slightly, and mumbled, with a sweep of his hand, “If you’ll come with me.”
Tagging along as everyone began making their way into the foyer and up the steps with Doc leading the way, Mary glanced around for Dwight, surprised to find he was nowhere in sight.
Pauline paused on the step above and reached to grasp her hand as she gave her an encouraging smile, whispering, “Relax. Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll see.” Her friend’s confidence bolstered her spirits some.
“My room is at the end of the hall, there,” Doc was pointing toward their left. “Mary has taken this room,” he indicated the closed door they were standing near at the head of the second set of steps. “I think the room at the other end of the hall would suit your needs well. See what you think, Pearl.”
Once inside the aforementioned bedroom, Mary and the others could see a large, full size, four-poster bed with plenty of other furniture. A good-sized wood stove occupied one corner. There were two windows with lace curtains that let in plenty of natural light. Mary had considered this room when she’d first come, but had decided it was too large for her needs. Now, she was glad she’d made the right choice.
The bed was made up with a beautiful, star-patterned quilt in bright reds, greens, and yellows, while a colorful rug in similar hues adorned the floor. The walls were festooned with wallpaper in a soft green color.
Turning to the twins, Doc gestured toward the foot of the bed. “Girls, see if you can pull the trundle out.”
Immediately, the two giggling girls in their matching light blue dresses and blue ribbons in their brown curls, sprang into action. Each one grasped a handle on the end of the low bed that was hidden underneath. Equipped with wooden wheels, it rolled out easily, allowing all to see it was also made up with a lovely handmade quilt and two pillows.
Mary and Pauline looked on in surprise as Pearl turned to Doc. “A full-size bed with a full-size trundle? And on wheels? I’ve never seen such a thing!”
He smiled indulgently. “My late wife’s idea. She had a carpenter fashion it for us. We had dreams of filling this house one day with the pitter-patter of little feet, and Florence wanted to make sure we were ready for them,” he added softly, gazing wistfully down at the trundle and the twins frolicking on it. “We just…weren’t blessed in that way,” he finished with a tiny shrug of one shoulder, and Mary could see that deep down the loss still hurt.
Pearl was perusing Doc’s expression and suddenly reached to lay a hand on his arm. When he turned toward her, she gave him a reassuring smile. “Thank you, this room will be perfect for the four of us. We’ll make sure to take good care of everything. I appreciate your letting us stay here during our time in Brownville.”
Doc quickly recovered from
