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“That won’t be a problem, Miss Leah. She’s already secured the furnace with coal and has laid in a large supply of firewood. We’ll be just fine. Oh, and the other nurse arrived to cover Nurse Foster’s day off.”

Leah was glad to hear this. “I don’t know if Dr. Sjolander is planning to pay a visit today, but otherwise we aren’t expecting any visitors. Should my mother call, feel free to let her know where I’ve gone.”

“Very good.” Mrs. Astor adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll see to it that Vera has warm blankets for the car.”

“Thank you.”

Within fifteen minutes they were headed out of the drive and on their way to Uncle Evan’s. Most of the snow had been cleared enough to make a decent path through the city. Leah found herself warm enough but worried about Vera. “Would you like one of the blankets up there? We could stop and get you wrapped up,” she offered.

“No, Miss Leah. It would confine my driving. Besides, I’m warm enough. Don’t you worry. I learned to layer myself pretty well when I worked at the lumber camp. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m wearing long johns under warm wool pants and a long skirt over that.”

Leah chuckled. “I’ll have to check into such things for myself. For now, I’ll just pray it warms up.”

“Don’t want it to warm up too much or we’ll have flooding on the roads,” Vera replied. “All this snow will have to go somewhere if it melts.”

She was right, of course, but Leah didn’t usually have to worry about such things. She didn’t drive all that often except for short excursions to her folks’ house.

As they neared Randolph’s neighborhood, Leah made a quick decision. “Vera, turn right at the next corner. I’d like to drive past Mr. Vanhoutte’s house, but don’t stop.”

“Which house is his?”

“It’s about halfway down on the right. The three-story brick. I’ll let you know when to slow.”

Vera didn’t question her on it and turned when they reached the intersection. Leah had only been to Randolph’s house a couple of times, but it was an imposing home with large columns that couldn’t be missed. Someone had told her the styling was Neoclassical, but she’d never really bothered to learn what made it so. Still, it looked nothing like the other palatial estates.

“Slow down a bit as you approach and pass.” Leah rubbed her glove against the frosted window. There was some kind of movement at the side of Randolph’s house. Straining to see, Leah made out three men, one of them Randolph. He was leading them behind the carriage house. Each disappeared beyond the building. Leah had no idea what might be back there or what they were up to.

“The road ends at the lake,” Vera announced.

Leah remembered at the north end of the block was one of the many small lakes Minneapolis boasted. It was part of the neighborhood’s charm.

“Turn around and head back. We’ll go on to Uncle Evan’s.” She scooted across to the other side of the back seat and watched as they approached Randolph’s place once again. This time there was no sign of anyone.

Leah sighed and pulled the covers around her. She supposed the men might have been working for Randolph and he was showing them something they needed to tend to. On the other hand, it was hardly a good time of year to start new projects. Perhaps it was a repair, but what in the world would be outside behind the carriage house that needed attention in the dead of winter?

By the time Vera pulled into Uncle Evan’s long drive, Leah had dreamed up all sorts of scenarios, none of them good. She got out as soon as Vera stopped the car. “Go ahead around back. They’ll tell you where to park and direct you into the house for refreshment and warmth. I’ll be a while, so you might as well be comfortable.”

Leah hurried up the half dozen steps to the portico and reached the front door as it opened. Three young men in winter coats, hats, and gloves came rushing out. Leah barely had time to step to the side.

“Sorry, Leah,” the tallest said, stopping abruptly. The other two couldn’t seem to halt before reaching the bottom of the steps.

“Roman,” she said, looking at her uncle’s oldest son. “Where in the world are you three off to?”

“Meeting some friends. We’re hiking over to their place across the lake. Water is frozen to about twenty inches, maybe more. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“Be careful. Make certain you don’t hit a thin spot.”

“We’ve already done it a few times,” one of her younger cousins called out.

“Well, still be careful. It would break my heart if something happened to you.”

Roman bounded down the stairs. “We’ll be careful. Come on, I’ll race you.” He punched the arm of his nearest brother, and off they ran.

Leah turned and saw the butler roll his eyes. “Such energy,” Leah declared and quickly entered the house.

She relished the warmth once the door was closed behind her. She handed her things to the butler, then followed his directions to join her uncle in his office.

“Leah, it’s good to see you.” Uncle Evan came forward and offered her a big hug.