The Endless Forest
Page 53

“But Birdie belongs in school,” Ben said. “She wants to be in school too, but not until she can be in the upper class and away from the little ones. What she’s looking for is a way to make that happen before she has to go back to school, and so she was hoping her ma and da would keep her out of the classroom to help look after Lily. Ain’t that so, little sister?”
Birdie crossed her arms and gave a curt nod.
“That’s answer enough for me,” Ben said and to his credit he didn’t even smile.
“So then there’s the fact that the new teacher won’t be here till the fall. There’s two months left in the school year and things are about to get more crowded still.
“Now have a look at Miss Martha Kirby standing there. She’s got an education—Ethan ain’t one to praise without cause—and nothing to do all day long except darn socks and settle arguments between little people. Seems to me that if Martha were to take over the school for the rest of the session, Luke could take the older ones into the second classroom and they can move along at their own pace. Birdie would get that much of what she wants, anyway.
“Now here’s the last piece, something nobody has brought up. Think it through. Once Lily and Simon move up here, ain’t their house empty? Ethan built it and it still belongs to him. I doubt he’d have any objection to Martha living there until she can build a place of her own. You can work out the question of rent between you. Mrs. Thicke would stay on to keep house and quiet the gossip. So there you are. If there’s some problem I’m overlooking, I think that would solve most of what’s got everybody tied in knots.”
“But Martha said she won’t—” Birdie began, and Elizabeth cut her off.
“We’ll not get into that discussion again. Ben has given us a great deal to think about, and we need to do that before we talk about this any further. The truth is that we could spend the whole night arguing about the teaching situation, but it’s not our decision. Those are questions for Martha and Daniel to decide.”
Nathaniel rubbed his jawline with the flat of his hand. “Daniel? You got nothing to say to Ben’s idea?”
Daniel cleared his throat. “In all of this I think the most important thing is that Lily move back home so Ma can look after her and get some sleep at night. If Martha is agreeable to taking over Ethan’s house.” His tone was gentle and friendly and still it was insincere; he understood, as they all did, that if nothing else came out of this conversation, Martha would be leaving the household. She would not stay, and the thought made Elizabeth sick at heart. It was not the way she had wanted to resolve the problem.
“You don’t have to teach,” Daniel said, looking directly at Martha. “Unless you want to. I’d be glad of the help.”
In her surprise, Elizabeth did not know where to look. She wanted to see how Martha was reacting, but more important was her son.
Daniel had his father’s ability to hide what he was feeling, the deepest emotions—anger, fear, hate, love—behind a personal dignity. He was doing that now, but for once she could see what it cost him, the tension in his back and jaw. And if Martha should reject his—what was it exactly he had offered her?
Nathaniel said, “Well, there you are then, Martha. Daniel’s made you a proposal, and you’ll have to make some decisions about what you want to do. Now will you sit down and finish your supper? You could use some meat on your bones, girl.”
There was a tone Nathaniel used when he wanted to put an end to a discussion, and it was in his voice now. All around the table his children picked up spoons and applied themselves to soup that had gone cold.
Slowly, awkwardly, interrupted conversations came back to life. Jennet and Hannah were talking about the children, and the fact that Adam was in need of new clothes as he had already outgrown those handed down to him by his brother a few months before. Ben was talking to Luke about the quality of the winter’s furs and the market in Manhattan, whether the call for beaver pelts had let up any and if so, what other fur would bring the best price. Ethan asked Nathaniel about the hardware for the bridge, and whether they should send to Johnstown.
But there were islands of silence around the table. Birdie focused on her food, sniffing once in a while until Elizabeth handed her a fresh handkerchief. Martha ate, lost in her thoughts, and at the other end of the table, Daniel did the same.
Ethan said, “Aunt Bonner, you are very quiet.”
“I was just thinking,” Elizabeth said. “I hope you and Martha will come down to the village with me when we are done here. I’d like to present Ben’s plan to Lily and Simon.”
Birdie looked up, all eagerness restored to her face. “But how will Lily get here?” she asked. “Simon will break his back carrying her up again.”
“Hardly,” Hannah said. “But we’ll find a way.”
Nathaniel leaned into Elizabeth so their shoulders touched, and put one hand on her knee. A companionable gesture, a reminder that he was beside her, as he always was and would always be.
He said, “I guess there are enough of us to carry her on our shoulders, like a queen on a throne.”
An image flashed through Elizabeth’s mind’s eye: six men carrying a box on their shoulders. She shuddered so that Nathaniel looked at her, concerned.
“Oooh.” Birdie was saying. “Like one of the Roman ladies who never put a foot on the ground.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said, her voice hoarse. “Exactly like that.”