Somewhere to Call Home (Love Inspired Historical) by Janet Lee Barton Page B

Butterick.”
    “And I’m so glad you and Michael celebrated your good news by going to lunch and Macy’s, since I didn’t get to go with you,” Mrs. Heaton said.
    “Oh? Michael took you around?” Lila raised a thin eyebrow and looked at Violet. “That must have been a real treat.”
    Michael had a feeling Lila wasn’t very happy about the time he and Violet had spent together. And in spite of the fact that she seemed to be trying to befriend Violet, he didn’t feel any of it was genuine. But at least he wouldn’t have to worry about Violet finding her way to work and home alone, and for that he was thankful.
    “Oh, it was—at least after Violet had an unexpected tour of the tenements,” Michael said.
    “How did that come about?” his mother asked.
    “There was an awful accident and our hack driver was trying to avoid the worst of the traffic, but I think he went entirely the wrong way about it. Needless to say, Violet saw that mansions and wealth are not all this city is made up of. It is something one needs to know. I just hadn’t planned on her seeing it all up close yet.”
    “But after that we saw the other side of life,” Violet said. “I couldn’t believe the size of Macy’s. I’ve never seen so much merchandise in one place. Do society women really need all of that finery?”
    All the men at the table chuckled, including Michael.
    “They seem to think they do,” John Talbot said with a laugh.
    “Well, you would know, covering all the society
goings-on as you do,” Elizabeth said, cocking her head to the side.
    John only smiled at her. As always, there seemed to be an undercurrent between those two, and numerous times in the past few months Michael had caught them stealing glances at each other when they didn’t think the other was looking. He couldn’t help but wonder if Elizabeth was sweet on John or if it was the other way around, but they’d certainly make a nice-looking couple if they ever became one. At least John wasn’t hanging on to every word that came out of Violet’s mouth as Luke and Ben were.
    Michael didn’t like the attention the two men were giving Violet tonight any more than he had the first night she arrived. Not one bit. He told himself that it was because he felt responsible for her...as he always had his sister, Rebecca. But that didn’t ring true either and, deep down, he knew it. There was something about Violet, something—
    “Michael, what are you so deep in thought about down there?” his mother asked.
    “I’m sorry. I was just woolgathering, I suppose.” He laughed and hoped he’d thrown his mother off track. She was very good at reading him, and he wasn’t ready for a barrage of questions he didn’t have the answers to.
    * * *
    Being on time the next morning was not a problem for Violet. She woke just after dawn and was in and out of the bathroom before she heard anyone else stirring. She took time dressing with care, at last feeling confident she was dressed in the same manner as the women she’d seen at Butterick the day before. She’d chosen a gray-and-black-striped skirt and a crisp white shirtwaist with a black ribbon trim. She tied her mother’s cameo with a black ribbon and wore it around her neck.
    Violet made her bed and took one last look at the room she’d come to feel was almost like home before hurrying downstairs to join the others for breakfast. She was pleased to find she’d made it down before Lila this morning in particular, and that Michael was still at the table when she entered the dining room.
    “Good morning, everyone. Now I really feel as if I belong, seeing you all here this morning.”
    “Good morning, Violet,” Michael said, adding his voice to the others around the table.
    He smiled, flashing those dimples, and Violet tried to ignore the way her pulse raced as she hurried to the sideboard and began to fill her plate with bacon, scrambled eggs and a muffin.
    Michael stood to pull out her chair and once he took