“It’s likely. They see most everyone in and outside of town. I’ll just . . .” He nodded awkwardly toward the well.
“I’ll put together a quick meal, then.” Eleanor picked up the bucket she’d used, along with the washboard, and went inside.
She spent a moment thawing her hands in front of the fireplace. There was no worse chore in the cold weather than washing, she’d always thought. But it had to be done. The moment she had feeling in her fingers again, she realized exactly how hungry she’d grown.
There was just enough of last night’s soup to provide a filling meal, and after they finished, Merrick led the way outside.
Eleanor followed him around the front of the shop, where he’d come to a halt. A gentleman around their age, along with a woman Eleanor assumed must be his wife, stood waiting on the board sidewalk.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Benton,” the fellow said in a friendly voice as his wife gave Eleanor a timid smile. “I don’t suppose I could get that horseshoe from you?”
“Indeed.” Merrick stepped aside to open the shop. “I expected you earlier this morning.”
“Yes, I’m sorry for the delay.” The fellow followed Merrick inside. Eleanor was about to take a step after them when the other lady spoke up.
“Hello, I’m Mrs. Felicity Inman,” she said in a voice as soft as Eleanor expected. Everything about the woman spoke of a shyness, from her pale skin and hair to the inflection in her voice.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Eleanor said as warmly as possible. Some part of her—the part that was about to become a mother, perhaps—wanted Mrs. Inman to know she was safe and welcome. “I’m Mr. Benton’s wife. Please call me Eleanor.”
How odd it felt to be someone’s wife again, she thought as Mrs. Inman nodded. It somehow made her feel both wanted andyet guilty at the same time. She thought she’d be married to David for the rest of her life. It wasn’t something she wished to think about now, and thankfully, Mrs. Inman spoke up.
“Of course, and you must call me Felicity. I’m so happy to meet you. I don’t know a soul in this town yet, save for Miss Darby at the boardinghouse. She’s awfully kind, but very busy.” Felicity turned her reticule over in her hands as she spoke. Perhaps she wasn’t shy after all, but simply nervous around new people.
“In that, we’re just alike,” Eleanor said. “I only arrived yesterday. I’ve had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of two other ladies, but that’s all so far.”
Felicity smiled. “It’s awfully quaint here, isn’t it?”
Quaint wouldn’t be how Eleanor would have described Crest Stone at all. It was quite a large town compared to West Fork, but then again, West Fork was home only to the mine’s employees and their families. Perhaps Felicity came from a large city. “I suppose so,” Eleanor said. “Particularly when compared to a place such as St. Louis.”
“Oh!” Felicity’s face brightened. “Is that where you come from? I’m from Chicago myself, but we traveled through St. Louis to arrive here and I thought it a rather fine city.”
“No, not at all. I’ve only traveled through it myself. I come from a small town in Kentucky.”
“Well, then one day you must journey to Chicago. It’s quite wonderful, with plenty of shops and more people then you could ever meet.” Felicity tilted her head. “Don’t you fear having your child in such a wild place?”
Eleanor blinked at her. “How did you know?” Her clothing was somewhat tight, but it was hardly obvious yet that she was expecting.
Felicity smiled. “Women expecting a baby always place their hands on their stomachs.”
Eleanor glanced down, suddenly self-conscious. Felicity was right. Eleanor had often found herself resting one or both of her hands on her stomach, often without realizing it, ever since she’d been certain of her condition.
“Please don’t be embarrassed. It’s very endearing,” Felicity said.
The men emerged from the shop at that moment with Felicity’s husband telling Merrick he would have the shoe put on the horse at the livery.
Eleanor said her goodbyes to Felicity and joined Merrick. “They are quite an interesting couple,” she said as the Inmans made their way toward the livery. “Apparently they hail from Chicago. Why do you suppose they’ve come to Crest Stone?”
“I don’t know,” Merrick said. “I wonder what that fellow does for work myself.”
“Well, Felicity was nice enough. If I see her again, I’ll ask.” She walked quietly alongside Merrick toward the center of town. He made no move to take her arm, and while she told herself it was because he was uncertain, it still created a pang in her heart, particularly when other couples passed by arm-in-arm.
Presently, they arrived at the hardware store. Eleanor pretended to occupy herself with examining the bins containing nails of varying sizes while Merrick spoke with the proprietor.
To her surprise, their conversation wasn’t about anything Merrick wished to purchase. Instead, it involved a list of items customers had ordered that the store owner was asking Merrick to make.
“I don’t suppose you could have all of this finished by Friday?” the shop owner asked.
“Of course I can.” Merrick had already folded the list and shoved it into his pocket. “Thursday, more likely.”
