Shining Water 01 - The Icecutter's Daughter Read online

  “I still care about the both of you, but I do not love Svea as a husband should love a wife. Not only that, but Svea knows I’m not the father of her baby. Our marriage would be built on lies from the very start.”

  Nils seemed unconcerned. “You must know that people will make life very hard for her if she is not married soon. And now you are finally in the perfect place to take a wife.”

  Rurik let out an exasperated sigh. “If marriage to your sister is a requirement of you coming to work for us, then I need to find another employee.”

  “No,” Nils said quickly. “I didn’t say it was a condition. I simply expect you to do the right thing.”

  “The right thing would be for you to find out who the real father is. There is a man out there who has wronged your sister. He is the one who should make this right. If I were Svea’s brother, I wouldn’t rest until I knew the truth of it. You say she wouldn’t lie to you, but I’m telling you, as God is my witness, she has.” Rurik eyed his friend with great intensity. “You seem rather cavalier about the matter. If a man, even my best friend, had taken liberties with my sister, I wouldn’t be so calm about it. Are you sure this isn’t more about the money?”

  For several seconds neither man said another word. They stood in the cold quiet of the neighborhood and simply stared at each other for a moment. Rurik realized his statement was something of a challenge to Nils.

  The man finally said, “I do need the money. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I have debts, and they need to be repaid.” Nils stuffed his hands deep in his coat pockets. “But I also want my sister to have what she needs. It wouldn’t be right to pack her off and leave her to face the folks and the future alone.”

  Rurik could see he wasn’t going to convince Nils at this juncture. Maybe he could talk to Svea and somehow convince her to be truthful. If he could speak to her without Nils, maybe she wouldn’t be so reluctant to tell Rurik what had really happened.

  They began to walk again, and Rurik decided to change the subject. “Carl can do creative designs and answer some questions about the office, but otherwise he needs to take it easy. You would need to step in and handle the customers and orders. You would need to be responsible for keeping the books, making deposits, and paying the bills. These are all things you did for your father, but am I naïve in believing they would be similar in the furniture business?”

  “Similar, yes. There are always differences, however. I would need to familiarize myself with the details, but I’m sure that I can manage it without needing to involve your uncle overmuch.”

  “So you’ll do it? You can start right away. I can’t give you a salary figure until I work those details out with Uncle Carl. But we will do right by you—you know that much.”

  “I know you will, just as I know you will do right by Svea. You wouldn’t want your own reputation ruined.” The unspoken threat hung between them like a sword.

  Rurik narrowed his eyes. “I won’t be forced into righting a wrong that isn’t mine, Nils. We’ve been friends a long time, but you know nothing of me if you think you can threaten me like that.”

  Nils shrugged again. “A man’s reputation . . . his name . . . is really all he has. If you lose yours over a silly matter like this, you will take your uncle down with you. It’s something worth thinking about, Rurik.”

  To Rurik’s surprise, Nils started to walk away. “For a man who says he needs this job, it seems foolish to suggest my demise.”

  Nils turned and smiled. “Rurik, you’re just bearing the consequences of your actions. Bear it like a man and do the right thing. There’s no threat of demise in that. Just honor.”

  “Oh, I’m positively over the moon,” Corabeth professed after Sunday services, her hands clasped in front of her.

  Merrill, who knew the cause of such a lovesick expression, said, “I’m glad Zadoc finally asked you to the winter party. He waited long enough.”

  “That’s all right,” her friend replied, tucking her hands under her chin. She looked like an actress on stage striking a pose. “He asked, and that’s what’s important.”

  “I know.” Merrill reached out to pat her friend’s shoulder. She couldn’t help but be happy for Corabeth—and the notion her friend might one day marry into the family.

  “Granny said we’re going to come out and lend a hand this week since you’ll be busy feeding the ice-harvest crew. I’m so excited I can hardly speak. I’ll get to be close to Zadoc, and he can eat my cooking and see how congenial I am.”

  “Father is glad for the extra help. We’ll have quite a few men to feed. Frankly, I won’t know what to do with myself keeping only to the kitchen and the livestock. Goodness, but I think I’ve been helping with ice harvest all of my life. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t out there with them.”

  “But you’re a young lady now, and of marriageable age. You know what Granny says—it’s important to find a husband before you’re an old maid.”

  “Some would say I’m already an old maid, Corabeth. After all, there are plenty of dainty young women coming of age in Waseca. I doubt seriously that any of the eligible men are struggling to make their pick.”

  “There you are,” Merrill’s father said, coming up from behind. “There’s someone here who has a question for you.”

  Merrill turned with a smile for her father and found Nils Olsson on his heel. “Mr. Olsson,” she said, nodding a greeting but feeling her heart sink.

  “Miss Krause,” Nils said eagerly, “I just asked your father if I might be your escort to the winter party next week. He said you hadn’t accepted any other invitations, so I am hoping that although this request comes quite late, you will make me the happiest man on earth and accept.”

  Corabeth gave a little squeal of delight. “Of course she will, won’t you, Merrill?”

  Merrill looked to her father, who seemed equally pleased. “You and Zadoc could drive in from the farm and go with Corabeth and Nils to the party. A nice foursome.”

  She could see her options were quickly being taken from her. Merrill didn’t want to create a scene so she nodded. “That would be . . . very nice, Mr. Olsson. Thank you.”

  “Wonderful. Where shall we plan to meet?”

  Corabeth took charge. “You must all come to my house a half hour prior to the party. We’ll have some cider and cookies. Granny will be so happy to see you all.”

  “That’s sounds perfect,” Nils replied.

  “What sounds perfect?” Rurik asked. Svea followed him like a faithful puppy. She quickly slipped her arm through his once he stopped in front of Merrill and Corabeth. Without a word, he gently pried her fingers from his arm.

  “Miss Krause just agreed to accompany me to the winter party,” Nils said, giving Rurik a wink. “Now I won’t be left without a beautiful woman at my side.”

  “Oh, and you and Miss Olsson must join us, too,” Corabeth said, her own excitement spilling over on them all. “I just invited Mr. Olsson and Merrill to come to my house before the party for refreshments.”

  Rurik looked perplexed. “I had no plans to attend the event. With Uncle Carl still recovering, I don’t think it wise. Svea, of course, is free to do whatever she wants.”

  Svea looked at Merrill and tilted her chin in the air. “I think we should change our plans, Rurik, and attend. We could have someone else look in on your uncle.”

  Merrill could see that Svea’s comment didn’t sit well with Rurik. There was a hardness that came over his expression and a tension to his shoulders that she longed to rub away. What was going on with this man and his intended? He certainly didn’t act like a man in love.

  “I think Svea is right,” Nils declared. “We will make it a sixsome. Thank you so much, Miss Lassiter, for the invitation, and thank you, Miss Krause, for accepting my request. I will be anticipating the night of the party.”

  After a restless night, Merrill was still wondering how she might get out of attending the party with Nils Olsson. He seemed a nice enough man, but she
had no interest in knowing him better. Surely there was some way she might let him know this without hurting his feelings.

  Fresh snow made the walk that morning a little more strenuous, and Merrill found herself missing her trousers and heavy work boots. The more feminine women’s boots she’d pulled on were not created for such mucking about. Nevertheless, she made her way to the Jorgenson house with food for Carl and Rurik. She hoped to leave the goods, say hello to Carl, and then go immediately to work on finishing the pie safes. With any luck, she could be home by two.

  She knocked on the front door, but when no one answered she tried the knob. The door opened and Merrill stepped inside. The men were probably already over at the workshop. She knew Rurik had mentioned Carl was taking a few minutes each day to walk over and observe Nils Olsson’s work in the office.

  “Hello?” she called, but no one answered.

  Making her way through the house, Merrill went into the kitchen and unloaded the things she’d brought. She was nearly finished and ready to leave when she heard the front door open. She started to call out but heard Rurik’s voice, already in an intense discussion with his uncle.

  “I don’t know what to do about any of it, Uncle Carl. I didn’t want to worry you and burden your recovery.”

  “You aren’t a burden, nor are your problems, Rurik. It appears this is not an issue that will go away. If Svea is to have a baby, it won’t be long before the entire town knows the truth of it.”

  “But I do not intend to be the one responsible for her problems. It isn’t fair.”

  Merrill felt a wave of nausea. She took up her basket and moved quickly to the back porch. She’d never liked to eavesdrop, and this time was certainly no exception. With as much stealth as she could manage, she slipped out the back door and hurried to the workshop.

  Svea is going to have a baby.

  Any lingering wisps of hope for Rurik dissolving his betrothal with the young woman faded from Merrill’s heart. Rurik wasn’t an honorable man if he had taken advantage of Svea in such a way. Even if she didn’t like the young woman, she could hardly fault her for coming to Waseca in order to get Rurik to do the right thing.

  “Ready for another day of painting?” Nils asked as she entered the workshop finishing room. With his office just off to the side, he seemed to know when she came or went.

  Merrill glanced at him and nodded. “I have a great deal to accomplish today.” She wondered if now might be a good time to back out of the party.

  “You look quite lovely. I feel that I must surely be the luckiest man in the world.”

  “Uh . . . thank you.” She wasn’t sure why he felt lucky or what else to say. Her mind was still whirling with the terrible revelation she’d just heard.

  “You look a little pale,” he said, taking a few steps toward her. He offered his hand. “Why don’t you sit in the warm office for a minute?”

  Merrill shook her head. “You just said I looked lovely, and now you think I’m pale. Really, I’m fine. Goodness, look at the hour.” She had no clock to reference, but stated it as if there was. “I simply must get to work.” She put her empty basket on the workbench and started to unbutton her coat. Without giving him a chance to comment, she added, “I would imagine you have a lot to do, as well.”

  She shed her coat and bonnet and placed them on a peg near her workbench. Nils, unfortunately, followed her. He lifted her basket and frowned. After he checked the contents, his frown deepened.

  “Your basket is empty.”

  “Yes.” The simple word sounded defensive, even to her own ears. “I have some shopping to do before I head home.” It hadn’t been her original plan, but Merrill would see to it that it happened.

  “Oh, well, that makes perfect sense. I thought perhaps you’d grown forgetful. Since you brought nothing to eat, why don’t we have our noon meal together?”

  She shook her head. “I’m expected at Granny’s. Sorry.” She picked up a bottle of paint and placed it on the bench.

  Just then the door opened, and Rurik came in from the cold. He first looked troubled, but then he gave Merrill and Nils a smile. “Good morning, Miss Krause. Nils, I have Carl back to bed and can go over those orders with you now.”

  Nils sighed and moved back to the office. “Another time, Miss Krause.”

  She shook her head and focused on mixing her paints. She was afraid to so much as offer Rurik a glance—afraid she might well blurt out the questions that demanded answers regarding Svea and the baby . . . and what Rurik planned to do.

  Chapter 14

  Merrill found herself sitting alone at the dinner table long after she’d cleared away the meal and cleaned the kitchen. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so overwhelmed with grief and, yes, with anger. These weren’t like the emotions she’d experienced when her mother passed away; this was like learning something you believed in was only a fairy tale.

  She had thought Rurik to be an honorable man—and she’d lost her heart to him without ever meaning to. Sighing, Merrill tried to think through what she should do next. She’d never imagined that he’d mistreat Svea in such a manner.

  The thought of seeing Rurik face-to-face, actually having to speak to him, was almost more than she could bear. But to complicate matters further, he had hired her and was her boss. I thought him to be a godly person. But I suppose even godly men make mistakes. Still, even if Rurik had made a mistake and given in to temptation, why wouldn’t he now make things right?

  “You’ve been so quiet this evening,” her father said, taking a seat across from her. He folded his hands on the table. “I suppose this time of year is always hardest on you.”

  Merrill looked up, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  He gave a sad smile. “Well, it’s near the anniversary of your mother’s passing. I know you think about her all the time.”

  “I do think of her, though to be honest I wasn’t at this moment. Still, now that you mention it, I suppose it was in the back of my mind.”

  He nodded. “It’s always in the back of mine. I miss her a great deal. The boys do, too, but I figure you probably suffer more than all of us. I wasn’t always the best of husbands. I was busy so much of the time, and I didn’t give your mama the attention she deserved.”

  “You were working hard to keep your family fed and clothed. Mama never complained about that to me. In fact, I don’t remember her ever complaining at all.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, she could complain all right. Edeline was a bear to deal with when she was fired up. She was the only woman besides you who could hold her own with me.”

  Merrill smiled. “Thanks for the reminder, Father. I do remember her standing with her hands on her hips, telling you quite firmly that purchasing a piece of land ten miles away was not a good idea.” They both laughed.

  “Yes, she was good to talk sense into my head when I wanted to start some fool venture,” he admitted. “But she was supportive when she knew the project to be sound.” He looked across the table at Merrill. “You do know she was never happier than when Doc placed you in her arms. After six boys, all she wanted was a daughter. You were, she told me, her gift from heaven.”

  Her father’s expression turned mischievous. “I told her,” he continued, “that you were most likely a reward for having endured all us males. She thought I was probably right. She was so pleased, though. I’ll never forget the look on her face.”

  Merrill tried to imagine it, but most of her memories of Mama had faded over the years. The images weren’t nearly as crisp now, and the memory of her voice was all but silenced.

  “I’m glad she was pleased.”

  “She had so much fun getting you gussied up for church. She loved to show you off.” He frowned. “I know she’d not be pleased with the way I’ve done things, though. She didn’t want you to work like your brothers. Edeline always told me she wanted you to be pampered but not spoiled.”

  Merrill thought for a moment, then said, “But I wouldn’t al
low for much pampering. I wanted to be off with my brothers. I liked being one of the boys. They had much more fun and didn’t have to worry about keeping their clothes clean. I don’t think Mama would be disappointed in you, Father. You’ve done fine by all of us. Many a man would have had to farm his children off, but you kept us together as a family. You brought us to church every Sunday, you prayed with us, and most of all you were an example of a Christian father.”

  Her father nodded and looked down at his hands for a moment. He rarely ever got emotional, and when he spoke, Merrill was unprepared for the tears in his eyes. “She was the best woman in the world, Merrill Jean. I promised her that I would take good care of you all. But I especially promised to do right by you, and I don’t feel I’ve done that. All these years you’ve worked just as hard, if not harder, than any of us. You’re nigh on to twenty-one years of age. Your mama was married with three young ones by then—of course Berwyn had passed on. Poor boy. Broke our hearts to lose him to pneumonia.” He fell silent for a moment.

  Merrill knew the loss of her oldest brother and later another brother, Harlow, had been her mother’s greatest grief. She had once said that as long as she lived, she would never know a greater pain than that of losing a child.

  “Like we’ve talked about, you should be married and have children of your own, Merrill Jean. You shouldn’t be here looking after me. I’m mighty glad that Olsson fella has asked you to the party. He seems a nice enough sort.”

  Merrill knew then and there that no matter what, she wouldn’t attempt to get out of going with Nils. It would be a small sacrifice for her in order to make her father happy. He didn’t need to know that the matter would go no further. At least not yet.

  “You know,” she said, “I made Mama a promise, too. I told her that I would take care of you and the boys. So, you see, you haven’t disappointed her at all. Instead, you’ve let me fulfill my promise, too.”