“That’s what Andrew said, too,” Ella replied. “But I’m not sure how to buy them. I have no money.”
Myrtle fixed herself a cup of water and sat at the table so that she was catty-cornered to Ella. She shook her head. “You don’t worry about that. I will take you to the dressmaker in town, and you can put it on credit. Andrew and I have always had a line of credit there. He will go back and pay it at the end of the week. I’m certain he would not want you wandering around in all those clothes, but you can’t run around in your petticoat! So we will get you better boots and some dresses that will let your body air out and not overheat.”
Ella nodded. “Thank you. That sounds wonderful. You know you can have some coffee, don’t you?”
Myrtle scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “Can’t stand the stuff. I prefer tea all day long.”
“I can make you some tea.” She stood up, but Myrtle held up her hand and placed it on Ella’s arm.
“Now don’t you bother with that, dear. I don’t want you thinking you have to be my host. I want to help you get used to being here and helping these boys because…” She pulled in a sigh and looked at her sympathetically. “…my brother hasn’t been able to find anyone who would stay to help with them. He’s had several women come from town to be housekeepers…not his wife, mind you, and he didn’t take any of them to his bed…but they wouldn’t stay. I think it’s because…well, the boys can be unruly. And I felt you should be warned.”
Ella felt a little uncomfortable with the thought that she needed to be warned. She wondered anxiously what was in store for her. “Surely they can’t be that bad.”
“You just need to watch and be careful. They won’t hurt you, but they will probably pull a few pranks on you that will have you wondering if you made the wrong decision coming here. I don’t want you to think that. I want you to stay. I already like you.” She gave Ella a warm smile.
“I have three younger brothers that I’ve been raising since I was ten years old.”
Myrtles dark eyebrows shot up, and she shook her head, making her black curls shake like dark leaves on a tree. “What? That’s something else. Did you lose your mother at that age?”
“Yes, she died in childbirth. I raised my brothers from that point on. Dave is 21, he’s five years younger than me. Oscar is 19 and Al, he’s the baby. He is 16. My mother died giving birth to him. She had a bleeding problem.”
“I am so sorry to hear that, Ella.” Myrtle placed a hand on hers and gave her a sympathetic look. Ella just shook her head.
“It’s been a very long time now, Myrtle. I feel very little pain at the loss now. I took this position and decided to be Andrew’s bride because I have a lot of experience with boys.”
“Did your brothers ever put frogs in your bed or spike your coffee with lemon?”
Ella laughed softly. “No, they didn’t. But I’m not afraid of frogs and a bit of lemon might pucker my lips but won’t kill me. I’m sure I will be fine.”
Myrtle’s smile made her brown eyes sparkle. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that, my dear. I have been praying for a long time that someone would come along to help my brother out. He has been very stressed since Liz passed away five years ago. He hasn’t been doing well on his own at all. He took Raymie and Freddie out of school, which I objected to but he wouldn’t listen to me. And he never sent them back. I don’t know why because all they do is run around her like wildmen.”
“I will see that they return to school,” Ella said. “An education is very important. Those boys need it to succeed in life.”
“Try convincing my brother of that. I would like to see it.”
Chapter Four
Myrtle had been correct when she told Ella that the boys were unruly. She was actually a little surprised by how little discipline Andrew had given them in the last five years. She was somewhat surprised they didn’t all have hair down to their waists and no bathtime each week. She had quickly discovered during the first week that bathing and rubbing their teeth clean were two things Andrew insisted on. He regularly emptied the chamber pots and kept the house as aired out as possible. He was a stickler for trying to make things as clean as possible, which pleased her. But the dust had always gotten away from him. Opening the windows invited in more dust from the air and their clothes and shoes did the rest.