Laura's Second Chance (Widows of Virginia Book #2)(9)

Chapter Five


The next couple of weeks flew by quickly. Robert apologized for his erratic behavior. He explained he had sleep walked from time to time since he was a child and that it was nothing to worry about. Those words again. Laura struggled to hold on to her secret. She tried to think how she could help Robert, even with kind words or moral support. But to say something she’d have to admit she had been through his documents. So she did what she could – she smiled, she shared her meals with him, posed for portraits, listened to his poetry and tried to help around the house and in the garden.

Laura tried to get more information from Arthur, but the boy and his mother were tight lipped about Robert’s financial difficulties. Even if they knew something, they would not say. And Robert himself never mentioned any troubles. Some days she thought, that maybe she had misunderstood what she saw, and she should just enjoy her stay. But then she saw the empty look in Robert’s eyes when he thought she wasn’t looking. There were also days when he left the house very early, only to return late in the evening.

Finally she decided, she couldn’t hide her knowledge any longer. She prayed before going to bed for courage and strength. She prayed for forgiveness too, for intruding in his business affairs.

*

A loud noise woke Laura from her sleep. She sat bolt upright.

Laura gasped as she noticed thick black smoke curling into the sky. The sound of screams and crashing barrels came through her window. What on earth was going on? She dressed as fast as she could and ran towards the farm. Half way there it was clear – the barn was on fire!

She passed several people frantically rushing to the barn bringing big buckets of water. Where is Robert? She wandered around searching through the faces in the gathered crowd.

“What happened?” she asked the nearest farmhand dragging a huge barrel of water.

“The fire’s spreading into the field, Missus,” he shouted back without stopping.

By the time she reached the barn it had been consumed by the flames. She noticed a young boy near the barn door, trying in vain to put out the flames with his pail.

“Arthur!” Laura cried, tugging the boy back to a safe distance. “Where’s Robert?”

“I dunno, Ma’am!” Arthur turned to Laura, his face sweaty and blackened by the smoke. “I saw him a while ago tryin’ to save the animals from the barn.”

Laura gasped and chills ran up her arms. Dear Lord, please let this not be true! The dread and terror crushed her chest as the fire towered up into the sky in front of her. What if he never made it out? No, she wouldn’t be able to take another loss. Not again.

“Robert!” She reached for the barn door. “Robert! Rob -!”

“Laura?” A voice came from behind.

She spun around, gasped and stumbled backwards.

“Robert!” Laura faced her host, who looked as if he had just left the burning barn – soot covered his skin, his clothes tattered and singed at the edges, his wide open eyes a stark contrast to the dirt on his face.

“Mr. Smith!” Arthur exclaimed almost at the same time.

“I thought you were still inside the barn,” she whispered against his warm face.

“I’m fine,” he murmured, holding her close.

But his tight embrace reminded her where she was and who he was. She loosened her hold and when he did too she stepped back. Laura cleared her throat. “Are you all right?”

Robert nodded and looked at Arthur. “What’ve we lost?”

Arthur wiped the soot from his face with the sleeves of his shirt, his eyes cast down.

“Everything, sir. Everything.”

Robert gazed at the burning flames, and Laura saw the hope in his eyes burn away like the crops behind the barn.

*

Laura insisted she would help carry the buckets and stay around to help with what she could until the situation was under control again, which took most of the day. Utterly exhausted she returned to her cottage for a short rest. She had just changed her clothes and was already half asleep when a soft knock on her door stopped her as she was climbing into bed. Despite her limbs feeling like lead she rushed to see who it was.

“Mrs. Bennet, good evening,” Arthur said. He still wore the dirt and dust stained clothes.

She fastened the robe she had hastily changed in to. The events of early morning came rushing back. She had to hold on to the door knob to steady herself.

“Is everything alright? Any good news?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said and for a moment she wasn’t sure which question he had replied to. “The barn and most of the corn field behind it is gone, but the animals were spared.”

“But you have other crops, other fields, right?”

The boy sighed and shook his head. “No, that was everything. I don’t know what we can do for the farm without the crops.”

“Everything?” Laura prodded, remembering pages and pages of debts, loans, and notices. “No more crops?”

“Only what we’d harvested a few days ago.” He sniffed and wiped his nose. “But that’s not why I’m here, Mrs. Bennet. Mr. Smith wanted to know how you are doing.”

“Where is he?”

“In his office.”

“I’ll talk to him.” She paused for a minute while giving the boy a quick look-over. The dark circles under his eyes gave away the burden placed on his young shoulders. “Thank you for everything you’ve done, Arthur. Why don’t you take a rest while I go speak with Mr. Smith?”