He seemed surprised but proceeded to get his sons ready to go. Their loud protests let her know going to church was not a common occurrence.
Once again, she was shocked by their behavior in public, not that they were rowdy but that they were not. They stayed quiet and still all through the service, with the exception of Carl, who had taken to leaning over and whispering loudly in her ear anything that came to his mind. She had a quick, strong affection for Carl, who seemed to be the sweetest little boy she’d ever met.
After the service, Andrew introduced her to everyone he knew in a proud tone that made her feel special. Carl held on to her hand or her skirt the whole time, forgoing his tag game with his brothers for the first time.
Before they reached the wagon, Ella felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Myrtle Leamon, Andrew’s sister, giving her a wide smile. “Hello, Ella,” She said, warmly, pulling the young woman into an abrupt hug. “I’m so glad you are here to help Andrew with his boys. He needs help, as I’m sure you’ve seen.”
“Myrtle, don’t you start now,” Andrew said, good-naturedly, lifting Carl up into the wagon. He smiled at her, and she returned it with one of her own. She looked back at Ella.
“That’s my brother. He’s such a card.”
“Which one?” Andrew asked.
“Oh you.” Myrtle shook her head. “Now, Ella, I’m going to come by in the morning and help you settle in. Is that all right with you?”
Ella nodded. “I would love that, Myrtle, thank you!”
“It’s my pleasure, believe me. Andrew needs someone, as I said. And you look absolutely lovely, honey.”
“Thank you again.” Ella’s cheeks flushed, making her look even prettier.
“If you need anything, such as cleaning supplies or groceries, we will gather them from the garden or come to town to the market. Does that sound good?”
“It sounds very good, Myrtle. Thank you.”
Myrtle just laughed and nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning about seven.”
“All right, see you then!”
The next morning, Ella woke up just as Andrew was leaving for work. She heard him in the kitchen moving around. The boys were all still asleep in their beds upstairs. They each had their own room, which they were very proud of. Carl had made a point to show her every inch of his room, all of his wooden horse figurines and soldiers. Peter had also allowed her to look in his room, which he kept immaculate. Neither Freddie nor Raymond invited her to their rooms, and she didn’t push.
She wondered what time they usually got up. Before she could talk to him to ask, Andrew was gone.
She smelled the scent of rich coffee floating down the hallway to her and smiled. At least, he had done that for her. He had been quiet during dinner, letting the boys chatter with each other. She hadn’t spoken much, just listened to what they had to say. They had stories to tell, and she felt like most of them were wild tales of adventure that these four boys had never experienced. She refused to think of them as “lies” because the boys were so young and it was fruitful to encourage their imagination. If the stories had been about damaging another person’s property or well-being, she would have stepped in or talked to Andrew about it. But they were tales of boyhood dreams and competition between the four of them in racing, playing ball, racing their safety bikes around the farm. If they had as many of the adventures as they claimed, Ella was sure they had been left on their own for quite some time.
She made herself a cup of coffee and sat at the table to think for a moment. The house, though dusty, was easy to clean. With the children asleep and the sun just coming over the mountains in the distance, Ella felt comfortable and quiet for the very first time in a long time. She sighed and breathed in the scent of the coffee and enjoyed the steam rising from it on her cool face.
She thought about her brothers and was just beginning to miss them when she heard a knock at the door and someone coming through it. She assumed it was Myrtle and called out, “I’m in the kitchen, Myrtle.”
It was her sister-in-law who came through into the kitchen, smiling at her. “Good morning, Ella. You look very relaxed!”
Ella smiled. “I am. The boys are still asleep. Don’t they go to the schoolhouse?”
Myrtle snorted in a very unladylike fashion, making Ella chuckle. “No. Andrew doesn’t believe in that.” Her tone was very sarcastic, and she rolled her eyes. She set her umbrella down by the door and came to the table, stripping light gloves from her hands. She untied and pulled off her bonnet, as well. “One of the first things you will need to do, my girl,” she said. “Is get yourself some lighter clothing. You’ve got all that Eastern cloth going on, and you are going to overheat quickly. By noon, it will be much too warm to be wearing any kind of layers.”