A Noble Groom (Michigan Brides #2)(73)
Annalisa wanted to chase after Idette and hug her. But she had the feeling she’d only be causing more trouble for her sister if she did so.
Carl approached Leonard with lightning flashing in his stormy eyes. “Your wife’s a very hard worker. In fact, she worked harder than any of the other women here today.”
Leonard’s fake smile disappeared. He crossed his arms and raised his brows, revealing cold eyes. “Are you telling me you were watching my wife today?”
“I found it very difficult to miss the fact that you had the young girl running everywhere and doing everything.” Carl’s eyes turned equally frigid.
“So you were watching her.”
Carl lifted his chin and peered down at Leonard. “You are the kind of man that doesn’t deserve a woman, especially one like Idette.”
Carl’s entire bearing, from his stiff posture to his clipped tone, reminded Annalisa of someone much wealthier and more powerful than a poor schoolteacher. It was at times like these that she felt as though she didn’t really know him.
Leonard’s jaw flexed again, and the muscles in his arm rippled, as if he was thinking about hitting Carl. “Get yourself your own wife,” he finally said, in almost a growl. “Then maybe you won’t have to lust after mine.”
Carl’s gaze flickered to Annalisa. “Even if I had a wife, I’d still be unwilling to tolerate the cruelty you’re bestowing upon yours.”
“Until you’re married and have experienced the frustrations of a wife, you have no right to give marriage counsel.”
“I have plenty of right. And if you’re not careful, I shall have to thrash you the way you do her.” And with that Carl spun away, dismissing Leonard like a lord would his servant.
It wasn’t until after Carl had walked her home later that Annalisa had the chance to thank him for his kindness to Idette.
“You were very heroic to defend Idette,” she said, stopping in front of the cabin door.
Carl lowered Gretchen to the ground, having given her the usual horsey ride during the short walk from Vater’s farm. He tugged one of Gretchen’s braids, and in return she gave him a smile before dropping to crush Snowdrop in a hug.
Admiration swelled in Annalisa, as it did every time she watched Carl interact with Gretchen. It caused a pang in her chest—a longing for Carl to be a permanent part of Gretchen’s life.
The dog’s excited barking turned into slobbery licks across Gretchen’s flushed face.
Even though Carl was covered in dust and bits of hay, his clothes stained with sweat and salt, he’d taken on a rugged, weathered look that only made him more handsome.
“Leonard’s a beast,” he said, watching Gretchen. “I don’t know why Idette puts up with him the way she does.”
“What can she do? He’s her husband. She has no choice but to do his bidding.”
“She’s created in the image of God and deserves his respect and consideration on that simple fact alone.”
Sophie wiggled within the sling and gave a tiny cry. Annalisa patted the baby’s back through the thin linen and simultaneously bounced her, wanting to linger with Carl but knowing she needed to nurse Sophie. She couldn’t keep from thinking about Idette’s advice to find a way to convince Carl to stay, about conceiving his child.
The overcast evening sky was heavy with rain that refused to fall, and the humidity had grown oppressive, sticking to every crevice of her body, making her wish she could shed her garments.
Such a tactic would definitely entice Carl.
She blushed at the brazenness of her wayward thoughts. How could she even consider such a thing? It was wrong and would displease Gott.
“Idette has a right to be treated with decency and kindness,” Carl said, peering at her.
She glanced to her small crop of hay waiting to be mowed, praying Carl couldn’t sense her wayward thoughts. “Of course I wish my sister could experience a happy life and be free of the unkindness of her husband, but that isn’t reality. She’s married to him and must make the best of the situation.”
“No one has to make the best of cruelty. Even a dog would run away from its master if he were beaten and intimidated the way she is.”
“Then you think Idette should leave Leonard?”
He shrugged. “I cannot advise her on whether she should stay or leave him. But I do think she deserves to have more choice in her life. She’s not his slave.”
Annalisa couldn’t formulate a response. She could only cock her head at Carl’s strange words. Since when did women have choices about anything?
“You aren’t at the mercy of the men in your life either,” Carl said, as if he could read the direction of her thoughts. “You must think about what you want too.”
She shook her head. His radical views were the makings of a good story. But they weren’t the reality of her life or any of the women she knew. She started to speak, but her rebuttal was drowned out by Sophie’s squall. Reluctantly she retreated inside the cabin to tend to the baby.
By the time she finished feeding Sophie and tucked both girls into bed, the rumble of thunder reverberated overhead. A few fat raindrops pattered against the roof, and the waft of cool air drifted through the open doorway and caressed her hot cheeks.
She unwound her hair from the braided coil she’d worn under her scarf, letting her hair fall in thick waves over her shoulders.