Maggie's Beau

“What you got in this oven, girl?” Sophie’s query rang out even as Maggie heard the big roasting pan slide from place and clatter against the stovetop. The lid was lifted with a rattle and all was silent.

“Pork,” Maggie said, peeling long strips of skin from the potato she held.

“Where’s the onions?”

Maggie’s eyes closed and she leaned her head back against the swing. “I’ll get a couple, right away,” she answered, lifting the kettle from the floor and carrying it through the kitchen door.

She deposited it on the sinkboard and turned to face Sophie. “I’m not a very good cook, I’m afraid. And Beau’s got me fixin’ meals for all five of them, while they’re bringin’ in the hay.”

Sophie stuck a wooden-handled fork into the pork, which Maggie noticed had browned nicely. She’d remembered the salt and pepper, and was thankful for that small favor.

“This is pret’near done, I think. Let’s get the onions in right off and let them cook awhile,” Sophie said. “You got some in the house?”

Maggie nodded, hurrying to the pantry. Sophie took them from her hands and whipped out a paring knife, Maggie watching in awe as the slices fell beneath the agile blade. In moments, the roaster was back in the oven and Sophie was donning a huge apron. She lifted the coffeepot from the back of the stove and gauged its weight.

“Feels like we need a fresh supply for supper. Myself, I like a cup of tea in the afternoon. You want one, Maggie?”

“Yes, oh, yes,” Maggie answered, hurrying to finish the lone potato she’d abandoned minutes past. The full kettle was on the stove in moments, over the hottest area, and Maggie slapped a lid in place, then quickly lifted it to add a scant handful of salt. She’d learned that much, at least, during this long week.

Sophie arranged the flowered teapot from the kitchen buffet in the middle of the table, brought a pitcher of cream from the pantry and stuck a spoon in the sugar bowl. “Come sit down, girl. I think we need to talk,” she said, choosing two cups from the half dozen that graced the top shelf of the hutch. Matching saucers held the china cups she’d admired from afar during her stay, and Maggie sat as instructed, her eyes taking in the tea party Sophie assembled with such ease.

Her mother had spoken of such a thing, recalling the years of her youth, before Edgar O’Neill stole the roses from her cheeks and the dreams from her heart. Without thinking, Maggie spoke the thoughts in her mind. “My mama told me about a tea party once.”

Sophie settled herself across the table, chose a spoon from the jar and placed it on her saucer. “Did she fix tea for you?”

Maggie shook her head. “My pa said tea was foolishness.” Her lips compressed as she considered her words. Sophie would think her an ungrateful daughter. “He let us drink milk, though,” she said quickly.

Sophie nodded. “Where’d you come from, girl? How long you been here?”

“A week, and better,” Maggie said. “Beau—I mean, Mr. Jackson said I could stay for a while.” Remembering the fading bruising of her cheek and eye, Maggie looked down, and then realized her foolishness. Sophie would have long since spotted the telltale signs of a beating. And as if her thoughts had wings to the woman’s mind, Maggie heard the question voiced aloud.

“Who hit you, Maggie? You got other bruises besides those I can see?” Sophie leaned across the table, pouring a stream of tea into Maggie’s cup, and then her own. A spoonful of sugar was added, then a dash of cream before she offered the pitcher to Maggie. “Do you like cream?” she asked quietly.

Inviting the woman’s scrutiny, Maggie lifted her head and met a kindly gaze. “I never had tea before,” she admitted. “I reckon I’d like cream in it. It tastes good in coffee.” Pouring a reckless amount into the delicately scented beverage seemed wasteful, but following Sophie’s lead, Maggie added sugar to the brew and, choosing a spoon, stirred it with care.

Somehow there seemed to be a ritual about this occasion, and she sipped at the hot tea carefully, replacing the cup as she savored the new flavor. And then she folded her hands in her lap and prepared for what was to come. “My pa gets mean sometimes,” she began.

“Your mother didn’t stop him?” Sophie asked softly, even as her eyes flashed and her tone sharpened.

Maggie shook her head. “Nah. I’m the last one home and Ma knew not to put in a word or Pa would lash out at her, too. My sisters took all they could before they high-tailed it last spring.”

“Where’d they go?” Sophie asked, lifting her tea cup to her mouth.

“Two men from town, brothers they were, asked Emily and Roberta to marry up with them. They’d seen them on the sly, I think.”

Sophie nodded. “And they were more adventuresome than you, I guess.”

Maggie chanced a grin. “Yes, ma’am, they were. Pa didn’t have a glimmer, till he found their empty bed one morning.” Her grin became a wide smile. “He was hoppin’ mad. Pret’near punched a hole in the wall, and then remembered himself and hit me and Mama instead. Said we were to blame for not tellin’ him, so he could stop them from leavin’.” She recalled that day and a profound satisfaction filled her heart. “I’m glad they got away. I’m just sorry Mama took a whippin’. Laid her up for a couple of days.”

Sophie stood abruptly, moving across the kitchen. Reaching the window, she turned and faced Maggie. “Land sakes, girl. You’re lucky to be alive. Why did you stay so long?”

Maggie’s mind filled with the image of Verna O’Neill, the woman who’d borne her. “I knew he’d take after Mama real bad once I left. But I couldn’t hang on any longer, once he killed my critters.”

“Your critters?”

“I had a couple of cages in the woods where I kept wild things that were hurt, and I fixed them and then let them go again. Pa found them and killed them.” She shivered, recalling that day, remembering the anger that had driven her to flee. “I left that night, walked a few miles and slept in the woods. Then the second night I hid in the hayloft here in the barn, and Beau found me in the morning.”

“And took you in, bless his heart,” Sophie finished, nodding as if such a development was not surprising. “Does your pa know where you are?”

Maggie felt a leap of fear. “No, if he did, I’d not still be here. He’d have dragged me home already.”

“Huh! I doubt Beau Jackson would allow that.”

“I don’t know that he could stop him, ma’am. Pa says the laws give him leave to do whatever he wants to his womenfolk. He says we’re just the same as his cow and horse. We’re part of his property.”

“I was all set to rake you over the coals, you know.” Sophie eyed Beau from her perch on the back porch. He stood on the step below, his eyes calculating her degree of aggravation. It was hard to tell. Her mouth was pursed, yet her eyes held a trace of amusement.

“Well, hello to you, too, Sophie. When’d you arrive?”

“About an hour ago,” she answered. “I’ve been waitin’ for a chance to talk to you.”

“What did I do this time?” he asked after a moment, although his better judgment had already clued him in on the problem. Maggie was nowhere to be seen, and unless he missed his guess, she was due to be the subject of this conversation. If there was to be one. From where he stood it looked like Sophie’d already met and judged the girl.

“I took one look at your guest…” Sophie began.

“She looked that way, and a hell of a lot worse, in fact, when she got here,” Beau cut in. “And she’s staying, Sophie. There’s no argument where that’s concerned.”

She nodded. “By the time she told me where she got the bruises, I’d decided you were right to give her a place to stay.”

“Then what’s all the fuss about?” He looked past his housekeeper toward the kitchen door. “Where is she?”

“I told her to take a bath before supper, and helped her fix the tub. She didn’t have any other clothes to wear, so I found her a dress of mine. She’ll swim in it, but it’ll do till tomorrow, and then you’re goin’ to town to find her something to wear from the general store. You ought to know without me telling you that it’s not fitting for a young woman to be wearin’ men’s clothes.”

Beau grinned. “You got her to agree to that?”

“Well, she didn’t argue a bit about the bath part, except to worry about using up your soap, but wearin’ my dress caused a bit of a problem. I cut off the bottom and made a sash for the waist. It’s not fancy, but it’ll do for today.”

He nodded, willing to be amiable. “I need to make a trip to town, anyway, Sophie. I’ll see what I can find. But I’m warning you, she’ll make a fuss. She’s used to wearing pants, and if she’s going to be working in the barn, it’s probably for the best.” The thought of Maggie sashaying around the horses in a dress didn’t set well with Beau. Long skirts would hamper her movements, and she’d be tripping all over herself.

“Well, we’ll see,” she answered. “You’d best come on in. Supper’s about ready.”

Beau snatched his hat off and followed Sophie inside, his gaze cutting to the storeroom door. It was closed tight and he thought of the woman inside, probably still sloshing around in the galvanized tub. She’d probably not had two baths in the same week in all of her life, up till now. And he hadn’t even thought of it, hadn’t even considered that she needed another change of clothing. The days of bringing in the hay had kept him going from early to late, and he’d barely kept his eyes open after supper each night. Washing up in a basin was about as good as it got when his day started at dawn and ended after dark.

“Thanks, Sophie,” he murmured. He followed her to the cookstove, watching as she stirred the gravy, then lifted the lid on a kettle of succotash. The scent rose temptingly and his stomach growled accordingly. “I’m glad you’re home. Maggie did her best, but we missed you.”

“Don’t be buttering me up, Beau Jackson. You don’t look to me like you’ve lost any weight while I was gone.” She opened the oven and slid the roasting pan out, transferring it to the stovetop. Steam rose as she lifted the cover and the scent of pork roast made his mouth water. “I’m about to make gravy,” Sophie said, reaching for a platter for the meat. “Are those men ready to come in and eat?”

“They’re almost done. Pony was unharnessing the team when I came up to the house. They’ve been spoiled the past three days, not having to do their own cooking, with Maggie fixing supper every night.”

“Well, ring the bell. You got time to wash up.”

Beau hung his hat by the door and stepped onto the porch, reaching for the bell rope. He tugged at it sharply and the brass bell swayed twice, the sound loud and clear. From the barn an answering call assured him it had been heard and he went back in the kitchen. The storeroom door opened, and he looked across the room to where Maggie poked her head into view. Her smile was wide as she spied him near the stove, and she stepped into the kitchen. An ill-fitting garment covered her from neck to ankles, a dress that would never be in fashion again, if Beau was any judge.

“I thought I heard you,” she said quietly, glancing from Beau to Sophie, and then back. “I’m gonna empty the tub real quick, and then maybe you could help me take it outside, Beau.”

He shook his head. “Leave it be till after supper and I’ll dump it then. I’m going to take a bath in the kitchen later on. I’ve about reached my limit on scrubbing up in a pan.” He rolled up his sleeves and splashed water into the sink pan.

Maggie nodded and scurried to the back door, comb in one hand. “I’ll help in just a few minutes, Sophie,” she said. “First I have to braid up my hair.”

“You got five minutes, girl. It’ll take about that long for me to make the gravy and for those men out back to high-tail it up here.”

Maggie hurried to the porch and bent low from the waist, allowing her long hair to cascade forward. She combed its length, working at the snarls and tugging the teeth through from her scalp to the trailing ends of her dark locks. Beau, as clean as a quick wash could make him, stood behind her, watching through the screen, his eyes drinking in the graceful lines of her arms and hands as she groomed herself. Her dress fell in voluminous folds from the strip of fabric she’d circled around her waist, and he mourned the loss of the snug-fitting trousers he’d become accustomed to seeing.

After a moment she stood erect, holding her hair in one hand at the back of her head, then clenching the comb between her teeth, began twisting the long tresses into a braid. Her fingers worked rapidly and he watched in fascination, wondering at her ability to perform such a task. Stepping out onto the porch, he caught her attention, and she spun to face him, her eyes startled, her nostrils flaring.

The comb fell from her mouth and he snatched it midair. “I can’t figure out how you can braid your hair behind your head. You can’t see what you’re doing.”

Her lids were both open, the swelling so far gone that only a bit of puffiness remained beneath the damaged eye, and for the first time he gazed fully into the blue depths. He cringed at the bloodshot look of her, ached for the bruising that had faded over the past days to hues of yellow and pale green…yet at the same time admired the delicate lines of brow and cheek as she tilted her head to look at him.

“I’ve been doin’ it for years. My fingers just know what to do, I guess.” She pulled the long braid over her shoulder and continued forming the three strands until there was only a short tail undone. “Tear me off a strip from this belt, will you?” she asked, lifting the makeshift sash she wore, extending it in his direction with two fingers.

He took it from her hand and did as she asked, then handed her the piece of material. She wound it rapidly around the pigtail and tied it with a flourish, then bent in his direction. “I had a talk with your Sophie,” she whispered.

He grinned in reply. “I know. She told me.”

“Is it all right with her if I stay on here?” Her look toward the kitchen door was anxious. “She was real nice to me, Beau, but I don’t want to be in her way.”

“You won’t.” He handed her the comb, recognizing it as his own. “Where’s the comb you used before?” he asked.

“It wasn’t very good. It only had a few teeth in it, and Sophie threw it out,” she admitted. “She told me I could use yours. She didn’t think you’d mind.”

“No, I don’t, but you need your own. I’ll get you a new one, and a brush, too, when I go to town tomorrow.” Something more feminine, he decided, than the plain black specimen he used. Perhaps a hand mirror, too, and some talcum powder in a tin. It gave him a jolt of pleasure to think of buying her such intimate items, envisioning the delight in her eyes when he presented his gifts.

“I’ll earn them out,” she said quickly. “I need to be figuring up what all I owe you already.”

Unwilling to injure her pride, he nodded agreement, then reached to tug teasingly at the end of her pigtail. Her wince did not escape him and he hesitated. “I won’t ever hurt you, Maggie. I’ve told you that before. When you gonna start believing it?”

Her face was downcast and he fit his palm under her chin, lifting it to his view. She bit at her lip and he shook his head at the movement. “Don’t do that. You’ll make that lip sore again, and it’s just starting to heal up good.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Old habits die hard. My mama always used to say that and I guess I know now what she meant. I know you’re a good man, but whenever I see a hand come at me or someone movin’ quicklike, my heart pounds real funny and I want to run.”

His own heart twinged with pain at her words and he nodded his understanding. “Let’s go in to supper, Maggie. The men are coming up from the barn, and Sophie’s got supper on the table.” His hand touched her shoulder and rested there. “I fed your dog in the barn when we brought the last load of hay in. Those pups look pretty healthy. They’re moving around real well.”

She shifted and moved beneath his fingers and they tightened a bit, holding her in place. His voice was low, his words gentle. “I’m not going to stop touching you, honey. It’s like handling a skittish colt. They just have to get used to it, and I suspect it’s going to be the same way with you.”

“Maybe,” she said quietly, turning from him and opening the screened door. “I thank you kindly for tending to Maisie,” she murmured.

He bowed his head. “My pleasure, ma’am.”

“How would you like to look at a couple of my books, Maggie?” Beau stood in the doorway and Maggie dried her hands on a towel, turning to face him. “Take them into the parlor,” he told her. “I’ll be out here in the bathtub and you’d best have something to do for a while.”

“Do they have pictures in them?” she asked, laying the towel aside and eyeing his offering. Her heart beat rapidly as she considered his suggestion. No one had ever given her the chance to sit and spend time with a book. The thought of having nothing else to do but look at the pages of words she could not read, trying to decipher the letters she could not name was more than she could fathom.

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