“Oh no! I will be right there.” Abbie hastily checked her clothes and decided they were in relatively good shape, then began to dig around for the ribbon she had had tied in her hair.
“Here,” Matthew said, and waved the ribbon in front of her face. “And may I suggest ye cease to act so guilty if ye dinnae want anyone asking questions.”
“I was not acting guilty.” She quickly tied her hair back and reached for her coat.
“Oh, aye, ye were.” He stood up when she did and yanked her into his arms to give her a hard kiss. “I will speak with ye later so think on some compliments.” He grinned at the sound of annoyance she made before hurrying off with Mabel.
As he picked up things and put the wineglasses away, he decided to check and see if the family had left any children’s books behind. Walking up the stairs he looked around and approved of the woodwork even as he looked for a child’s room. Finding one at last he searched it and found three little books; in another he found a big book that had a collection of tales. Satisfied, he carried them back downstairs and put them in his bag before continuing to clean up.
They would not come back to this place, he decided. Being found here twice was enough. If he got another chance to get Abbie alone he did not want to fear an interruption. He hoped all went well for Julia. Robert had been a good man. He deserved to have his child grow up straight and proud.
He stepped outside and scowled up at the sky. A raindrop hit him in the face and he started to run. He hoped Abbie got home before this, and a quick glance at the Beaton house as he rushed by reassured him. If Abbie was still out the light would be on. All he had to do was get himself inside. When the skies opened and the rain began to pour down he ducked into the infirmary. Maybe he would visit with Boyd again.
Chapter Nine
“Julia has gone somewhere.”
Abigail looked up at Maude and frowned. “Where? I thought she had started her labor and that was why I was fetched.”
“None of us knows and she spoke to no one so we have no idea.”
For a moment, Abbie thought about where Julia would go. The woman had been so sunk in her grief for the last three days it was hard to think she had anyone she wanted to visit or even that she may have gone for a walk. All Julia wanted to do at the moment was lie in bed and cry and her labor beginning had not lessened that at all. It was an effort to get her up and move or to eat for the sake of the child she carried. Then Abigail suddenly knew exactly where Julia had gone, despite the cold rain pouring from the sky.
“I have an idea of where she is,” Abbie said as she tossed her needlework aside and jumped up. “I thought I was having a nice break from her labor. Should have known better. Foolish girl has gone to Robert’s grave.”
“In this?” asked Mrs. Beaton as she stared out at the rain pouring down.
“I fear so.” Abbie put on her coat and looked around. “Does anyone have a hat or an umbrella?”
“I have a hat,” said Maude as she ran off.
“You cannot go out in this. You will catch your death,” said Mrs. Beaton.
“I will be fine but Julia has more than her own health and well-being to worry about, and she needs to start doing that.”
When Maude brought the hat, Abbie put it on and strode out to go find Julia. She trudged through the rain, cursing as her feet got soaking wet, and prayed she was right. The moment she walked toward Robert’s grave she saw her. The foolish woman was draped over his grave soaking herself in the muddy water that covered it. Abbie told herself to have patience but suspected it was going to be a hard thing to grasp.
“Julia!” she cried as she ran up to the woman. “What are you doing?”
“I came to see Robert. To tell him the baby is coming.”
“I can see that but it is raining and you are now covered in mud.”
“I just needed to be with Robert for a moment.”
“Then do it on a sunny, warm day. Julia,” she said in a softer tone as she pulled the woman to her feet, “you carry his child. If you were not lying . . .”
“I just wanted them to go away so I could come here.”
“If you keep doing foolish things like this, you will not only hurt yourself, you will harm the baby.”
“I will?” Julia asked in a dazed voice.
“Yes, most assuredly. Now come with me and we will get you inside, dried off, and warm again.”
Abbie fought to control her temper as she walked the woman back to the house. To her relief, all the other women took over Julia’s care and not one mentioned the absence of the labor Julia had claimed to be suffering. Taking off her coat and Maude’s hat and hanging them in the kitchen to dry, Abbie went and sat down in the front room and closed her eyes.
“Are you ill?” asked Mrs. Beaton from across the room.
“No, I am tired. I understand her sorrow but she was out there in this weather lying in the mud on Robert’s grave. I just need some time to make sure I have my temper under control as angry words will do no good right now.”
Mrs. Beaton sat down in the chair opposite her and said, “I do not think the girl would even notice. She does not appear to be in her right mind at the moment.”
“No, I do wonder at times if Robert’s death and the pregnancy have been enough to break her, in her mind. No sensible, rational person who is with child would go out in this with nothing extra on and hurl themselves on top of a muddy grave, especially one who thought she was in labor.”
“I think not.”
Abbie took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “I am calmer now so I will go and tend to her.”
“You need sleep, Abigail.”
“I know. This cannot go on for much longer. If nothing else she will soon have a child to care for and perhaps that will pull her out of this nonsense. And my temper is still lurking or I would not call it nonsense. It is a deep grief. I will wrestle it down though and try to get her to see clearly.”
“I hope you are successful.”
So did Abigail if only so she could sleep through the night. Julia also needed to sleep. She was looking very worn down and Abbie worried about the child she carried.
When she stepped into her room Julia was already tucked up in bed and almost asleep. Maude sat with her so Abbie took the time to wipe herself dry, dress for bed, and crawl under the covers. It was rude but she just wanted someone else to watch over Julia for a little while.
“Sleep, Abbie,” Maude said. “I’ll keep a watch on her for a while.”
“Thank you, Maude,” Abbie muttered even as she fell asleep.
*
When Abbie next opened her eyes, she was startled to find the sun shining through her window. She sat up and looked over at Julia’s bed only to find it empty. Hopping out of bed, she cleaned up, dressed, and then hurried down the stairs. In the big front room she found all the women and Julia talking merrily and just stared. It was as if the rain had washed Julia’s madness away, but Abbie did not fully trust that. She was just having a moment of calm.
“Ah, there you are, Abbie,” said Maude and walked over to her to say softly, “She is having a good morning.”