knob on the footboard. She studied Marjorie, her pretty blue eyes filled with a bit of uncertainty. “Do you have any work dresses?”
Marjorie examined her trunk and put her hand on her chin. She had led a charmed life in Chicago and had very few serviceable dresses to begin with. She hadn’t thought to put any of them in her luggage when she packed so hastily. “I’m afraid not. I suppose I’ll have to make do with what I have.”
Lilly shrugged. “I don’t mind if you wear these pretty dresses.”
Marjorie walked the dress across the room and hung it in the large wardrobe against the wall. She put it in the back, since she would have no use for it until she reached California.
Just thinking about the movies caused a trill of excitement to race up Marjorie’s spine, and she paused for a moment. Nothing else had brought her as much joy during the past few years as the movie theater, and she wanted to bring the same happiness into other people’s lives. If she could help them forget about their troubles, even for a little while, it would be worth all the hard work to get there.
Lilly lifted her finger to her mouth and nibbled on her nail. “Papa might not like you in those dresses, though. I don’t think I ever saw Mama wear anything like them.”
Marjorie’s attention returned to her task, and she took another gown out of the trunk, this one a soft muslin morning dress. She paused. “What was your mother like?”
Lilly’s face filled with sadness and she dropped her gaze. “She was wonderful.”
Marjorie lowered the gown and sat next to the girl. “You must miss her very much.”
Lilly nodded but didn’t speak.
“I’m sure she would be very proud of how you’re helping take care of Laura and Petey.”
“Mama was very gentle and kind. She was never angry.”
“And what of your father?”
Lilly lifted her shoulder and toyed with a loose thread on the quilt. “Papa wasn’t home much before Mama died. He was usually gone by the time we came down for breakfast, and he often came home after Mama put us to bed.”
“But he’s home more now?”
Lilly nodded.
“Do you like having him home?”
Again, the girl nodded. “I like it very much—but I’m afraid that since you’ve come, he might go back to working as much as before.”
“Did your mother ever ask him to stay home more?”
“Mama always said we must never complain about how much he worked. She said he was a doctor, and doctors needed to make people well. Her father was a doctor, too, and she said it was our job to sacrifice so they could do their work.”
Marjorie wanted to deny what the girl said. Yes, Dr. Orton had a demanding job, but his family should not have to suffer because of it.
More than anything, Marjorie had wanted her own father present in her life when she was a child. He had always used his work as his excuse—and Mother had never pushed him to be present.
Indignation rose in Marjorie’s gut. If Dr. Orton could make time to be home with his family now, surely he could have made time before his wife died.
Marjorie looked off toward the window where the November landscape looked bleak against a pale blue sky. What kind of woman would Dr. Orton choose for his second wife? Would she be as compliant as the first Mrs. Orton? Would she keep quiet as he sacrificed his family? In the few minutes Marjorie had spent with him, she could tell he was authoritative and probably ruled with a stubborn set of principles—just like Marjorie’s father. He needed a woman who wouldn’t be afraid to stand up to him and tell him when he was being too rigid.
Someone she wished her mother had been.
But was Dr. Orton capable of finding someone like that?
An excited bubble fluttered through Marjorie’s midsection—the same feeling she had every time she was about to undertake a new project. But this time, she wouldn’t leave the task half-completed. She would finally finish something she started. She would find a new wife for Dr. Orton—and she would make sure the woman he married was exactly who the doctor and his children needed.
Marjorie could almost picture the lady in her mind now. She would be bold, vivacious and charming. She would stand up to the doctor when she needed to, and be an excellent mother to the children. Hopefully she was pretty and would look nice standing next to the handsome Dr. Orton—but that was a secondary concern for Marjorie.
As soon as she had a moment, she would make a list of all the attributes Dr. Orton’s second wife should possess—and the first item on her list would be whimsical. He didn’t need a practical woman. Practical women forced their daughters into practical marriages and didn’t leave room for things like love and romance. He needed someone who would be his opposite, to balance his personality.
Clearly Dr. Orton needed help with this important endeavor, and Marjorie was in a position to help him.
“Don’t worry, Lilly.” Marjorie stood and lifted the muslin gown in her hands once again. She walked to the wardrobe and hung the dress inside. “I have a feeling your father will be around the house much more now that I’m here.” She would make sure of it...somehow.
“Really?”
“Why don’t you run along and play? I have some work to do this afternoon.”
Lilly stood obediently and crossed the room to the door. “I like you, Miss Maren.”
Marjorie paused and smiled. “I like you, too, Lilly.”
A bit of Lilly’s sadness seemed to disappear. She slipped out of the room and left the door open.
A new face peeked around the door and then disappeared just as quickly.
Marjorie walked across the room. “Charlie?”
After a moment, Charlie appeared in her doorway, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes lowered to the floor. “Hello, Miss Maren.”
She hadn’t seen him since he took her bag. “It’s nice to see you again.”
He dug his toe into the plush carpet and wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I brought you something.”
“A gift?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Something like that.”
“I love gifts—how did you know?”
Again, he shrugged. “Most girls like gifts—at least my mama and Lilly do. Or did—my mama, I mean.”
The corners of Marjorie’s mouth tipped down. She couldn’t imagine losing her mother as a child. What a horrible experience for these children to endure. Maybe, along with finding a new wife for Dr. Orton, God had brought Marjorie to this home to bring some life and enjoyment into these children’s lives. “Have you ever been to a movie theater?”
That
