The Endless Forest
Page 163
It wasn’t like Levi to depend on anybody but himself. She couldn’t ever remember him talking about God, or anything to do with religion. Callie wondered if it was Lorena’s influence, but she bit her tongue.
Levi scratched his jaw with a thumbnail and looked over her head to the orchard.
“I have got to ask you a question that maybe ain’t none of my business.”
“Go ahead.”
“Your husband don’t know yet about the Bleeding Heart?”
She had known this subject would come up sooner or later, but still she was at a loss. “I keep meaning to tell him,” Callie said. “But I can never get started. I know I am being superstitious.”
“You got reason to be touchy on the subject,” Levi said. “Maybe it’s best to wait until he can taste the fruit for hisself.”
“Have you—” She almost stopped herself, but then pushed on. “Have you told anybody?”
His level gaze gave away nothing, not surprise or hurt or anger. “No, I have not,” he said. “But then, I ain’t got a wife. I wouldn’t hold it against you if you told Ethan about it.”
Now Nicholas appeared out of the cider house door and came hopping and jumping down the hillside toward her, his face alight with pleasure. Callie found herself smiling at that, the simple sight of her brother running through the orchard in summer.
He never slowed down, launching himself into her arms so that she dropped the empty basket and laughed out loud.
“Nicholas,” she said. “Slow down.”
“Where are you going? Can I come along? Do you want me to carry the basket? What did you bring the workers for their dinner? It smells like beef-and-kidney pie. I like pie, but I like fritters better. Lorena made fritters for Levi’s dinner. And she let me have one too. Lorena makes the best fritters, Levi said so too, and so would you.”
“I don’t know that I can remember all those questions,” Callie said. “But let me try. I’m going to see Lily with a message from Simon; yes, you certainly can come along if you like; it was indeed steak-and-kidney pie; and if you fill yourself up with fritters, you won’t want a proper dinner,” Callie said.
That made Nicholas laugh out loud. “I could eat fritters until my stomach stuck out to here.” He touched fingers in front of himself as far as his rounded arms would reach. “And I’d still eat dinner. Wait and see. Oh, there’s Friend Abigail, do you see her? She’s got the longest plaits of all the girls at school and she smells of soap.”
Conversations with Nicholas were like this; he rattled on telling stories at a nonstop pace. Callie wondered if he had always been like this, so full of joy and open to the world, or if that was something new.
She said, “Nicholas, do you miss Boston?”
His brow wrinkled as if he wasn’t quite sure how he should answer. “I like it here,” he said.
“Good, I’m glad. But you must have friends there who you miss.”
“Are you going to send me back? Ma said you might not want to keep me. She said you might send me back. Are you going to send me back?”
“No,” Callie said firmly. “I’m not sending you anywhere. I was just worried you might be lonely for old friends. You make friends so easily, I’m sure you must have had a lot of them in Boston.”
His brow cleared. “Oh,” he said. “Now I understand. My old friends aren’t in Boston.”
Callie hesitated, and he stopped to look at her. “My old friends are in Banfield. I never lived in Boston.”
Her voice came out in a creak. “Banfield? You never told me about any place called Banfield.”
“I didn’t?” He seemed to be searching his memory. “I didn’t tell you about the church or Reverend TenHouten or the farm?”
“No. I thought you lived in Boston before you came here.”
“Huh,” said Nicholas. “I never lived in Boston. You are making a face. Are you mad at me?”
“No!” Callie said. “No, I’m not mad at you. I’m just confused. Can you tell me about Banfield? I’d like to hear.”
Lily and Jennet had got into the habit of napping after dinner in the shade of Elizabeth’s few fruit trees, and Elizabeth had got into the habit of sitting with them until the conversation gave way to sleep. They were still talking when Callie and Nicholas came into the clearing.
“Company,” Lily said, putting her hands on the swell of her stomach. Elizabeth understood that gesture; it meant that Lily was uneasy about something. It might be nothing other than the heat, or it might be the way Nicholas was running toward them. She got up to intercept him, holding his shoulders at arm’s length while Callie came up at a slower pace.
Jennet said, “We were hoping for some company this afternoon.”
“Oh, yes,” said Lily. “Come sit, both of you, and entertain us.”
Over the last month or so, it had seemed to Elizabeth that Callie was regaining some of her old spirit and quick wit. Whether that had to do with her marriage or with Nicholas or both, she could not be sure. Right now, though, Callie let Nicholas take the upper hand in the conversation and only answered when spoken to.
Elizabeth said, “Nicholas, if you haven’t had your dinner you may go ask Anje to make you up a plate. We pulled the first of the radishes today, and I think there are some left.”
“I’m still full of fritters.” He plopped down next to Jennet and said, “Where is Adam?”
Levi scratched his jaw with a thumbnail and looked over her head to the orchard.
“I have got to ask you a question that maybe ain’t none of my business.”
“Go ahead.”
“Your husband don’t know yet about the Bleeding Heart?”
She had known this subject would come up sooner or later, but still she was at a loss. “I keep meaning to tell him,” Callie said. “But I can never get started. I know I am being superstitious.”
“You got reason to be touchy on the subject,” Levi said. “Maybe it’s best to wait until he can taste the fruit for hisself.”
“Have you—” She almost stopped herself, but then pushed on. “Have you told anybody?”
His level gaze gave away nothing, not surprise or hurt or anger. “No, I have not,” he said. “But then, I ain’t got a wife. I wouldn’t hold it against you if you told Ethan about it.”
Now Nicholas appeared out of the cider house door and came hopping and jumping down the hillside toward her, his face alight with pleasure. Callie found herself smiling at that, the simple sight of her brother running through the orchard in summer.
He never slowed down, launching himself into her arms so that she dropped the empty basket and laughed out loud.
“Nicholas,” she said. “Slow down.”
“Where are you going? Can I come along? Do you want me to carry the basket? What did you bring the workers for their dinner? It smells like beef-and-kidney pie. I like pie, but I like fritters better. Lorena made fritters for Levi’s dinner. And she let me have one too. Lorena makes the best fritters, Levi said so too, and so would you.”
“I don’t know that I can remember all those questions,” Callie said. “But let me try. I’m going to see Lily with a message from Simon; yes, you certainly can come along if you like; it was indeed steak-and-kidney pie; and if you fill yourself up with fritters, you won’t want a proper dinner,” Callie said.
That made Nicholas laugh out loud. “I could eat fritters until my stomach stuck out to here.” He touched fingers in front of himself as far as his rounded arms would reach. “And I’d still eat dinner. Wait and see. Oh, there’s Friend Abigail, do you see her? She’s got the longest plaits of all the girls at school and she smells of soap.”
Conversations with Nicholas were like this; he rattled on telling stories at a nonstop pace. Callie wondered if he had always been like this, so full of joy and open to the world, or if that was something new.
She said, “Nicholas, do you miss Boston?”
His brow wrinkled as if he wasn’t quite sure how he should answer. “I like it here,” he said.
“Good, I’m glad. But you must have friends there who you miss.”
“Are you going to send me back? Ma said you might not want to keep me. She said you might send me back. Are you going to send me back?”
“No,” Callie said firmly. “I’m not sending you anywhere. I was just worried you might be lonely for old friends. You make friends so easily, I’m sure you must have had a lot of them in Boston.”
His brow cleared. “Oh,” he said. “Now I understand. My old friends aren’t in Boston.”
Callie hesitated, and he stopped to look at her. “My old friends are in Banfield. I never lived in Boston.”
Her voice came out in a creak. “Banfield? You never told me about any place called Banfield.”
“I didn’t?” He seemed to be searching his memory. “I didn’t tell you about the church or Reverend TenHouten or the farm?”
“No. I thought you lived in Boston before you came here.”
“Huh,” said Nicholas. “I never lived in Boston. You are making a face. Are you mad at me?”
“No!” Callie said. “No, I’m not mad at you. I’m just confused. Can you tell me about Banfield? I’d like to hear.”
Lily and Jennet had got into the habit of napping after dinner in the shade of Elizabeth’s few fruit trees, and Elizabeth had got into the habit of sitting with them until the conversation gave way to sleep. They were still talking when Callie and Nicholas came into the clearing.
“Company,” Lily said, putting her hands on the swell of her stomach. Elizabeth understood that gesture; it meant that Lily was uneasy about something. It might be nothing other than the heat, or it might be the way Nicholas was running toward them. She got up to intercept him, holding his shoulders at arm’s length while Callie came up at a slower pace.
Jennet said, “We were hoping for some company this afternoon.”
“Oh, yes,” said Lily. “Come sit, both of you, and entertain us.”
Over the last month or so, it had seemed to Elizabeth that Callie was regaining some of her old spirit and quick wit. Whether that had to do with her marriage or with Nicholas or both, she could not be sure. Right now, though, Callie let Nicholas take the upper hand in the conversation and only answered when spoken to.
Elizabeth said, “Nicholas, if you haven’t had your dinner you may go ask Anje to make you up a plate. We pulled the first of the radishes today, and I think there are some left.”
“I’m still full of fritters.” He plopped down next to Jennet and said, “Where is Adam?”
