“Are you not content as my wife? You need more to do?”
She scooted across the seat until they were touching. “That’s not it at all, Max. I love being married to you. It’s better than I’d dreamed it could possibly be, but I’m used to running a business and staying occupied. Right now, I feel like there’s nothing for me to do but sew curtains and wait for you to come home from work.”
He frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you working. Is there a charity you’d like to be involved with? We have an orphanage. Or you could start your own charity to fund foreign missions. Or maybe you could make clothes for the less fortunate. I just hate the idea of you working, like you didn’t think I could support you.”
Harriett sighed heavily. All of his ideas would work, but none really appealed to her. She would enjoy working with orphans, but she was so soft-hearted, she’d want to bring every one of them home with her. Foreign missions had never been a passion of hers. She’d think of something, though.
Chapter Seven
Higgins paced the parlor waiting for Mrs. Farmer to get home from her visit with her sister-in-law’s family. He hated it when she was out of the house and he couldn’t protect her, but he realized that her new husband would do a good job taking care of her himself. He’d spent a lot of hours in front of Mildred Anderson’s house, and had seen a bad incident, but nothing life threatening as of yet. He needed her to know that his new project was going well for him.
He sat on the sofa looking down at the curtains she was sewing. He hated that she was reduced to being a wife when she was such an excellent businesswoman. Someone like her should be able to spread her wings and be involved in anything she wanted, not tied to some man’s parlor trying to think of things to keep herself busy. He knew he should just be happy for her, but he resented her husband for expecting her to give up her business to marry him.
He thought back to the first time he’d met her. She’d been just sixteen and there was a bruise on her cheek the size of a man’s hand. He’d known immediately what had happened, because his own daughter had gone through the same thing at the hands of Harriett’s first husband, Arthur.
After his wife’s death, Annabelle had been the only thing he’d had worth living for. She’d been a precocious young five year old and he couldn’t have been prouder of the young lady she was becoming. She’d trusted him with everything inside her, putting her little hand in his. “I love you, Papa. We’ll always be together, won’t we?”
He’d nodded gravely, and hugged her close to him. He’d done everything he could to send her to the best schools. When she was sixteen, she’d accepted a job as a maid in Mr. Long’s house so she could be close to her father. She only worked there a few hours a day after school, but she’d wanted to help with her tuition. He was doing everything he could to send her off to college, because she wanted to be a nurse.
One afternoon Mr. Long had sent him out to do some errands, which wasn’t a surprise. Mr. Long enjoyed bossing people around, and he always made the top level person he had do whatever job he dreamed up, rather than just asking a footman. He was too good to have the footmen run his errands, and instead always went straight to Higgins.
When he’d returned home, Annabelle had rushed to him, a bruise on her cheek and tears coursing down her face. She’d run into his arms like she had when she’d been a small child.
He’d held her close, crushing her to him. “What happened?”
She had just shrugged ,claiming she’d walked into a wall, but by the way she was shaking, he should have known better. He should have looked into it more, but he hadn’t. And it was the beginning of the biggest mistake of his life. He loved his little girl more than
She scooted across the seat until they were touching. “That’s not it at all, Max. I love being married to you. It’s better than I’d dreamed it could possibly be, but I’m used to running a business and staying occupied. Right now, I feel like there’s nothing for me to do but sew curtains and wait for you to come home from work.”
He frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you working. Is there a charity you’d like to be involved with? We have an orphanage. Or you could start your own charity to fund foreign missions. Or maybe you could make clothes for the less fortunate. I just hate the idea of you working, like you didn’t think I could support you.”
Harriett sighed heavily. All of his ideas would work, but none really appealed to her. She would enjoy working with orphans, but she was so soft-hearted, she’d want to bring every one of them home with her. Foreign missions had never been a passion of hers. She’d think of something, though.
Chapter Seven
Higgins paced the parlor waiting for Mrs. Farmer to get home from her visit with her sister-in-law’s family. He hated it when she was out of the house and he couldn’t protect her, but he realized that her new husband would do a good job taking care of her himself. He’d spent a lot of hours in front of Mildred Anderson’s house, and had seen a bad incident, but nothing life threatening as of yet. He needed her to know that his new project was going well for him.
He sat on the sofa looking down at the curtains she was sewing. He hated that she was reduced to being a wife when she was such an excellent businesswoman. Someone like her should be able to spread her wings and be involved in anything she wanted, not tied to some man’s parlor trying to think of things to keep herself busy. He knew he should just be happy for her, but he resented her husband for expecting her to give up her business to marry him.
He thought back to the first time he’d met her. She’d been just sixteen and there was a bruise on her cheek the size of a man’s hand. He’d known immediately what had happened, because his own daughter had gone through the same thing at the hands of Harriett’s first husband, Arthur.
After his wife’s death, Annabelle had been the only thing he’d had worth living for. She’d been a precocious young five year old and he couldn’t have been prouder of the young lady she was becoming. She’d trusted him with everything inside her, putting her little hand in his. “I love you, Papa. We’ll always be together, won’t we?”
He’d nodded gravely, and hugged her close to him. He’d done everything he could to send her to the best schools. When she was sixteen, she’d accepted a job as a maid in Mr. Long’s house so she could be close to her father. She only worked there a few hours a day after school, but she’d wanted to help with her tuition. He was doing everything he could to send her off to college, because she wanted to be a nurse.
One afternoon Mr. Long had sent him out to do some errands, which wasn’t a surprise. Mr. Long enjoyed bossing people around, and he always made the top level person he had do whatever job he dreamed up, rather than just asking a footman. He was too good to have the footmen run his errands, and instead always went straight to Higgins.
When he’d returned home, Annabelle had rushed to him, a bruise on her cheek and tears coursing down her face. She’d run into his arms like she had when she’d been a small child.
He’d held her close, crushing her to him. “What happened?”
She had just shrugged ,claiming she’d walked into a wall, but by the way she was shaking, he should have known better. He should have looked into it more, but he hadn’t. And it was the beginning of the biggest mistake of his life. He loved his little girl more than
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