“Yes, I remember.”
She looked up at him and for a moment Luke felt he might drown in the deep ocean blue-green of her eyes.
“Thank you so much for coming to my aid that day in the park and again last night.”
“You’re more than welcome, Miss O’Bryan. You look... I...” Luke was at a loss for words. He couldn’t say she looked wonderful, for she still looked battered and bruised. “Ah, better.”
“It’s all right, Mr. Patterson. I know how I look. But rest assured, I’ll recover and be the stronger for it all.”
The lilting sound of her Irish accent made him smile. “I can see that by the glint in your eyes and I’m glad for your attitude. You were brought to the right place. Mrs. Heaton is going to take good care of you.”
“She already has been,” Miss O’Bryan said.
Luke nodded. “I can see that. I’m sure she’ll have you joining us for dinner in no time.”
“That’s what Mrs. Heaton keeps telling me.”
“You’ll find that she is rarely wrong. I look forward to seeing you downstairs soon.”
“Thank you.”
“She’ll be joining us soon,” Mrs. Heaton said with a smile. “But it’s time for you to go, Luke. The girls will be wanting to go down to dinner soon.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Luke smiled at Miss O’Bryan and gave a little nod. “Good night.”
“Good night. Thank you for checking on me.”
“You’re welcome. Hopefully, you’ll feel even better tomorrow.” He turned to Mrs. Heaton. “Thank you for letting me see for myself that she is on the mend.”
“You’re welcome, Luke. Please tell the other men dinner will be served soon.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He resisted the urge to look at Kathleen once more and headed out the door, releasing a sigh as he headed down the stairs. She was going to be all right. And he was going to see she stayed that way.
Chapter Two
Kathleen leaned a little closer to the mirror. After almost a week her bruises were fading, but not fast enough. Mrs. Heaton had assured her that she only looked as if she’d been sick recently, but was on the mend. Kathleen hoped she was right because she’d agreed to have dinner downstairs with the other boarders tonight. If she was going to stay here, she figured she might as well get to know them.
She picked up the letter from her sister that’d been delivered the day before. While it did give her comfort to have word from Colleen, her heart twisted at the realization that she didn’t know when she would be seeing her sister or her nephews again.
Kathleen sighed and reread the words once more.
Dear Kathleen,
Mrs. Driscoll has told me that you are healing and in the safest place you could be in this city. It relieves my heart to know that. I don’t want you to worry about the boys and me. We are all right. Clancy knows how upset I am about what he did to you and is trying to make it up to me. He’s found a job, but he is insistent that you not come back and I feel you are better off away from here. We can keep in touch through Mrs. Walsh. Just use her address next door and she’ll get your letter to me. I’ll send mine through her, too.
The boys and I miss you, but one day we’ll find a way to get together again, even if just for a short while. Until then, take care of yourself and know that I love you.
Your sister,
Colleen.
Kathleen willed herself not to cry. At least they could keep in touch with letters. That would have to suffice for now.
A light knock sounded on the door of the bathroom and she knew it was Elizabeth Anderson, the young woman with whom she shared the bathroom. Mrs. Heaton had introduced them the second night she was there and Kathleen really liked her.
“Come in.”
Elizabeth peeked around the door. “Do you need any help getting ready? It’s about time to go down.”
“I only need your assurance that I look all right.” Her fears diminished when Elizabeth came in wearing a brown skirt and tan shirtwaist, similar to what she had on, only her skirt was blue and her shirtwaist white.
“You look just fine. We don’t dress for dinner here except on the weekends. Mrs. Heaton says we work hard and are tired at the end of the day, and she’s not going to make us dress up just to eat dinner every night. And then, when we do dress on the weekends and holidays, dinner feels special.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have anything any dressier than what I have on now.”
“Don’t worry. I have a couple of outfits I think will fit you. We’re about the same size. Writing for The Delineator, I see all the newest styles and sometimes I buy on a whim. But the colors don’t always look good on me and I haven’t known what to do with them. I think they’ll look beautiful on you and I’ll be glad to let you have them.”
“Oh, Elizabeth—”
“Now, don’t try to say no. You’ll be doing me a favor. As long as they’re taking up room in my closet, I don’t feel I can go buy anything new.”
Kathleen knew Elizabeth would have made the offer even if the clothing fit her and she loved it all. She’d been so kind from the very beginning; Kathleen felt she had found a real friend in her. “All right. I’ll accept and I thank you for your offer.”
“I’m glad. I’ll get them to you later.”
“I’m nervous, Elizabeth. I’ve never even been in a home as nice as this, let alone had dinner in one. I’m not sure I’ll know which fork to use or—”
“Just watch me and do what I do. You’ll be fine.”
“I really don’t belong here.”
“You belong here as much as any of us do—perhaps more,” Elizabeth said. “Although there are some male boarders living on the first floor, Mrs. Heaton started her boardinghouse primarily for young women, after her daughter, Rebecca, went missing several years ago. And one of her priorities is to open her home to those who have a real need for a safe haven, sometimes for a short while, sometimes as a regular boarder.”
“She’s been wonderful to me. I’m so sorry to hear about her daughter.” Her heart hurt for Mrs. Heaton. She knew what it felt like to be separated from loved ones and not know how they were.
Oh, Mrs. Driscoll had been very good to let her know that she’d checked on Colleen and the boys and that they were all right. But that held true only for that moment and there was no way of knowing what might have happened since the last report.
“It’s been very difficult for her, but she carries on and takes care of all she can. I’m glad you kept the card she gave you that day in the park.”
“You were there? I don’t remember—”
“There’s no reason you should. You had your hands full that day. But yes, I was there and so were some of the others. So quit worrying about how they will react to you. They’ll be as glad as I am that you kept Mrs. Heaton’s card.”
She gave Kathleen a quick hug. “Come on, now. I could smell the roast chicken as soon as I came home from work today. You’re in for a treat.”
They headed out the door to the landing and were met there by another woman.
“Kathleen, this is Julia Olson. She works at Ellis Island and is a good friend.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Kathleen,” Julia said. “Mrs. Heaton