He scratched his head, and then lowered his arms. “You’re so creative. I keep wondering why I didn’t think of the activities you do to teach her. I feel I’m a failure as a father.”
“Learning is a lifelong venture,” she reassured him.
“So speaks the teacher.”
Ivy raised her nose in the air. “Jewel’s learning now,” she said with mock primness. “And she will continue to do so.”
Neither voiced the unspoken thought that Jewel’s life wouldn’t be long.
Torin scooped up the bags of jacks and marbles and extended them toward her. “Jewel should be done drying the dishes by now.” He placed them in her hands and stepped toward the door.
“Oh, and, Torin….”
He turned.
“You know how I know what kind of father you are?”
He braced himself, as if for a blow.Ivy’s barely been around us, so how could she know?
“Jewel’s a happy and secure child,” she simply said.
He nodded and escaped before she could see on his face how desperately he needed to hear her confirmation. All too often, he doubted himself.
As he moved about the house dusting and sweeping, from habit, he kept a sharp ear out for any sign he’d need to rush to protect his daughter. But he only heard their voices—Ivy’s calm, instructive tone and soft laughter. Jewel’s answers and giggles.
So far, Ivy had been even better—kinder, warmer, and an excellent teacher—than he’d dared hope. If he’d followed hisinstinctsrather than hisfears, he’d probably have somewhat relaxed his vigilance on her very first day here.
Although Ivy had offered her help with household tasks, he’d refused. The thought of them both in the kitchen cooking together or cleaning up after a meal, felt too intimate. The governess had given him a look that suggested she bided her time. But she’d soon find a way to help him, regardless of his decree.
Maybe we can take turns cooking. That way, neither of us is in the kitchen at the same time.
Once he’d finished the daily chores, he stood in the hallway, listening to the tiny taps of marbles bumping against each other and his daughter’s enthusiastic counting.
What should I do now?
I could read.While the idea had appeal, he’d just finished a book. Starting another seemed slothful. Torin realized he’d now have free time on his hands. The idea so discombobulated him, he didn’t quite know what to do with himself.Discombobulated. He almost snorted a laugh, amused by his word usage. But in an entirely new and almost refreshing fashion. For, truth be told, in a very different way, he’d been discombobulated since the birth of his daughter.
What do I want to do?Not a question he’d asked himself in years.
He glanced out the window, noting by the sway of the tree branches that the wind had dropped off considerably.I could go tramp around.But he wasn’t yet ready to leave the vicinity of Ivy and Jewel.Maybe, later, we’ll all go out for a walk.
What else?Once the ground thawed, he could expand the garden plot. Depending on the weather, he probably had another month before he could attempt that digging.
I could do laundry.But he recalled Ivy’s need to wash her travel clothes and figured he should wait until they could discuss how to handle their laundry—together or separately.
Maybe I can craft something.
But what? His home didn’t lack for furniture.
Hearing Jewel’s “cuh” for C sounds from the dining room gave Torin an idea. He could make a long, narrow shelf for her room to hold her letters. He had no doubt that in a month, she’d possess the entire alphabet.A simple enough project.
Then, remembering her need for girls’ toys, he thought of building a dollhouse. He vaguely remembered one his cousins played with. A fancy Victorian was beyond his woodworking skills. Before, he would have dismissed the idea or settled for building a structure like a box, with a roof and four rooms.
Now, though, he decided to challenge himself. If his daughter could learn her letters and numbers, he could build a Victorian dollhouse.Maybe in time for Christmas.If Ivy were still here next Christmas, she would probably make the holiday a more elaborate one than Jewel had ever experienced. He found he liked the idea.
Like a breath of fresh air, Ivy had whooshed into his life and blown him out of his rut.
And she’s only been here two nights and three days.He had a feeling this might just be the beginning of the storm.
