A Time to Bloom (Leah's Garden #2)(73)

“Is there anything you want to tell me, John?”

Something flickered in his gray eyes. Then he lowered his head and shook it once.

Frustration tightened Del’s shoulders. What was she to do if the children wouldn’t speak?

“Miss Nielsen,” piped up a small voice, “we finished reading our lessons. Now what do we do?”

Del sighed and went to help the little ones.

She had intended to try again to speak with the Kinsley children at the end of the day, but Elsie Weber had a history question just after school, and by the time Del looked around for Bethany and John, they were gone.

Nor did they appear the next morning, or the next. By Wednesday afternoon, a growing lump of dread weighed in her chest. Come what may, she was going to visit the Kinsleys today. Even if she had to cut short her session with Timothy to do it.

Timothy, though, came up to her as soon as she set down the dismissal bell.

“I’m sorry, Miss Nielsen, but my da wants me to come straight home after school today. And the same till we finish the threshing. He says I got to earn my keep same as the rest of ’em.”

“Very well.” Her heart sank a bit. Timothy had started to bloom in these after-school sessions, especially when he worked with RJ on mathematics. Would Mr. O’Rourke really let him resume after this? But that wasn’t up to her. And today, it would help. “Thank you for letting me know. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes’m.” And he was out the door, dinner pail swinging.

Del walked between the rows of benches and desks, gathering slates and slate pencils—she kept them at school to guard against the children losing or breaking them. She thought of John Kinsley’s clumsily spelled words on the slate the other morning when she had finally returned to quiz him. Lord, perhaps I’m magnifying this out of proportion in my head, but I don’t think so. Please go with me this afternoon, show me what to do.

Her sisters would say she shouldn’t go alone, but whom could she ask? One of them? They were still pressed to finish harvesting the gardens and missing her help as it was. Rev. Pritchard was in his other circuit town this week. Maybe Adam. Mr. Kinsley might not hold with doctors, but surely he wouldn’t throw one out of his house. At least she hoped not.

Del wet her rag and rubbed at the sums on her makeshift blackboard, trying to rub the nerves from her middle at the same time.

“Where’s our young Irish scholar?”

She jumped and turned to see RJ standing in the aisle, felt hat in hand and a quizzical lift to the brow over his good eye.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” She crumpled the rag in her hand. How could she have forgotten? “I should have sent word. Timothy didn’t stay today. He won’t until their threshing is complete. I hope you didn’t cut your workday short.”

“Oh.” RJ’s face sobered. “That’s a shame. When will that be done, next week?”

“It depends on how much they have to harvest. I know the O’Rourkes were hit harder by the grasshoppers than some.”

“Liam mentioned that.” RJ nodded. “And he’s had to be absent from the building himself lately for the same reason. Well, I already sent the men home for the day, so I might as well head home myself. Here are the sketches for the school I told you about.” He laid a few sheets of paper on her desk.

“Thanks. But could I go with you?” Del grabbed her coat and satchel. “I want to ask Adam if he might go with me to visit a family I’m worried about.”

“Sure, but I doubt you’ll find him. Jesse went home for dinner, and when he came back, he said Adam had been called out to a farm where someone got injured with a scythe. It sounded pretty serious. I think he’ll be gone awhile.”

Del’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.”

“What’s wrong with this family?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” She hesitated, then pushed forward. RJ would have found out anyway if she’d gone for Adam. He was part of their family circle now. “I’ve never met the parents, but I’m concerned the children are being mistreated. Both have come to school with strange injuries. And now they have been absent since Monday. Which has happened before, with no explanation.”

RJ eyed her. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“I know.” His validation tightened her resolve. “I should have gone before this, but I’m going now.”

“Whoa.” He raised his hand, palm out. “Not alone?”

“As I said, I hoped to take Adam. But I’m not going to wait.” Now that she’d determined to go, the urgency pressed on Del’s shoulders until she could hardly keep her feet still.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“You?”

“You need someone, and I’m available. And I can’t stand a kid getting beaten.” A hardness shone in the dark brown of his eye, but then one side of his mouth tipped up. “Besides, I’m rather a teacher’s assistant now, aren’t I?”

Del smiled despite herself. “I suppose you are, at that. Well, if you’re sure.” The pressure in her chest lifted a bit at the thought of his presence. And she’d avoid a tongue-lashing from Lark for going alone.

RJ gave a quick nod. “Shall we get the Brownsvilles’ wagon?”