“Do you know if John was involved?” Mortimer finally asked. He was nervous that his son had been part of the knife fight and the drinking that had preceded it. Even though John had said no, he needed confirmation, and he needed it badly.
“He wasn’t. I went out there and saw him backing away from the boys. His breath has no scent of alcohol on it. The boys asked him to drink with them, but he refused.” She was so thankful she could tell her husband the truth about what she’d seen.
“What made you go out there to begin with?”
Toria took a deep breath, deciding it was finally time to tell him. If he thought she was crazy, then so be it. “I’ve been receiving visits from a guardian angel. She told me that she arranged for me to be the one to respond to your letter.”
He took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her, and then he stared straight ahead again. “Tell me about her.”
“This is the part that’s going to seem crazy,” she said softly. “My guardian angel is Grace.”
He nodded. “I wondered if she was appearing to you as well. She’s made me crazy for the past five years, appearing every time I felt like I was finally getting over her and moving on with my life. I’ll always love her, but the constant reminders have been hard.”
“You mean she appears to you as well? Really?” Toria wasn’t sure if she thought he was crazy too, or if she was simply relieved she wasn’t the only one.
He nodded. “The first time was right after I got home from her funeral. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s happened so often over the years that I just wait for her to come to me again.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy at all. I felt like I was crazy, and I was afraid to tell you about her coming to see me. The first time I saw her was on the train on the way here, while I was making your socks. She told me I was doing the right thing—not by making the socks, but by going west to marry you.”
“Did you know she was my late wife then?” He’d always known, of course, but she wouldn’t have had any way of knowing what his first wife had looked like.
“No. I didn’t discover that until Sunday, I think? That’s when she told me she was my guardian angel. I thought I was just seeing this ghost. It was strange.”
“So did she tell you to go outside tonight?” He was very interested in her seeing Grace, but he was still trying to figure out how she’d gotten outside during the fight.
“She was there during the dance. I could see her behind you while we were on the floor, and then the next time I was facing her, she was doing everything she could to get me to follow her outside. I did, and I saw John standing apart from the others, looking very upset. And then I saw something that I didn’t recognize. Grace told me it was the Angel of Death. I didn’t want to see anything happen, so I went inside. For a moment, I thought about trying to stop it, but she told me it was already too late.” She sighed heavily. “I wanted to have John beside me indoors so no one would think he’d been part of it.”
“I see.” Mortimer thought long and hard about her words. “Thank you for looking out for my son when he needed it.”
“I feel like he’s my responsibility too, now that we’re married. I like John. I think he and I will continue to grow closer as we get to know one another better.”
He stopped in front of the house. “Go ahead and go up. I’m going to return the buggy to the livery. I hope Otto and Sophia are back from the dance so he can help me put them up.”
He looked over and saw John drive past him with the store wagon, heading straight for the livery. He needed to catch up with him and tell him how proud he was that John had stood up to the pressure his friends had put on him to drink.
When he got to the livery, Otto was helping John unhitch his horses. Mortimer parked the buggy and walked over to his son, patting him on the back.
John looked at him, and though his eyes were haunted, they were perfectly clear. “I think I’ve been scared straight, Dad.”
“You were already doing what you should have been doing before the dance tonight. You might have been scared this evening, but it didn’t change you. You were already changed, or you wouldn’t have refused their alcohol. I’m proud of you.”
John seemed to grow three inches while Mortimer watched. “Thank you.”
“I only tell the truth. Just like I always have.” Mortimer looked to Otto. “Do you need help?”
Otto shook his head. “I’ll do it.” He’d always been a man of few words, so with a nod of thanks, Mortimer and John began the short walk back to the store.
“It was a good night before the fight,” Mortimer said. “I gave Toria a ring tonight.”
“Good. I felt bad for her, never having an engagement ring or a wedding ring. I’m glad you finally gave her one.”
Mortimer smiled. “You really don’t mind her, do you?”
John shrugged. “She’s not my mom, but she doesn’t even expect me to call her Mom. She’s just Toria, and she’s your wife, and she feeds me and watches out for me. How can I complain about that?”
“Thanks, John. I appreciate that.”
“You don’t need my approval anyway, Dad. You waited five years after Mom died before you even thought about marrying again. I can’t complain about that. Well, I could if I didn’t like the woman you married, but I really like Toria, so I won’t.”
Mortimer laughed, walking into the house. John looked over at Toria. “I’m going to go to bed. I think you two need some time alone together.”
Toria looked at John and smiled, nodding. “Goodnight, John. I hope you sleep well.”
“I will, because I wasn’t part of the nonsense tonight. I’m so glad I wasn’t part of it.”
“Me too.” Toria sat at the table, drinking some warm milk. “I wasn’t sure I’d sleep after everything that happened tonight if I didn’t have something to help me.”
“Is there enough for two?” Mortimer asked, walking to the stove to peer in the pot she’d used.
“Of course. Do you want me to pour it?”
He shook his head. “No, I can pour my own milk. I don’t think it will break me.”
“I’m so glad to hear it.” When he’d sat down beside her, she covered his hand with hers. “I’m so glad you understand about Grace. I really thought I was losing my mind, but I feel so much better now that I’ve talked to you about it.”
“I feel better too, believe it or not. I like the idea that she chose you for me, because you are truly the wife she never was.” He took a sip of his milk. “I hope this doesn’t sound like I didn’t love her, because I did. With everything inside me. But Grace was not anything like you. She wanted to stay home and sew or work on whatever project she felt like doing. She liked to spend time with other ladies, talking and gossiping. She didn’t look for ways to fill her time. She did what she had to do, but she didn’t do more, if that makes sense.”
“It does. Does the way I always look for more to do bother you?”
He shook his head adamantly. “I love it. I think it’s great that you’re willing to work so hard to make my life easier.”
“You really do?”