“Well” the woman replied “I can assure that the feeling is mutual. Clara is clearly such a very pretty girl, but it seems to be more than that. My brother never ceases to talk of your daughter’s good sense, wide reading and… sense of humor.”
Of course Aurelian basked in hearing compliments about his beloved daughter and smiled, "Well, it's sort of a dry sense of humor - I believe they call it."
He had for some years now gently prodded her to be less serious even grim at times about things and develop a sense of humor. Apparently she was beginning to do so. Excellent!
“Jacob has had … dalliances… with a couple of young ladies before. But nothing like this. I…” she realised that her cheeks were blazing red now and she had to force herself to look up and meet his gaze. “… I can’t help wondering if the two of them might have reached... an understanding. And, you must know Mr Redmond, that once a boy and a girl have reached an understanding, then further consequences are … unfortunately… a possibility!”
Aurelian tried not to frown. Dalliances? That could mean a lot of things, most of them not good. Well not good when it came to his daughter anyhow. He wasn't a hypocrite though his memories went back to when he was a young man and interested in girls. Also he caught on right off to what Lenora was going on about. Still this was Clara, his Clara, not other young ladies.
"Well, I get your point but I am quite confident that Clara has too much common sense to do ....well, such a thing. I doubt she has ever even kissed a boy yet," he interjected.
“Would it not be a sensible of us to encourage the two of them to meet together as often as possible under our supervision, lest, left to their own devices, secret and ungoverned… trysts might arise.”
He now cleared his throat, then answered, "I do think you are worrying a bit too much about these two. They've only been to a dance together where they met and seen each other in the diner or at Sunday church services after all. Still, I do have to say there's merit in your idea. And if we set the rules, I'm confident they'll abide by them."
Well, at least his Clara would, she'd never had any............dalliances.
He now cleared his throat, then answered, "I do think you are worrying a bit too much about these two. They've only been to a dance together where they met and seen each other in the diner or at Sunday church services after all. Still, I do have to say there's merit in your idea. And if we set the rules, I'm confident they'll abide by them."
Leonora was pleased beyond measure, not only that her plan to protect her brother from the possible consequences of his boyish ardour for the Redmond girl had been accepted but, though she would never admit it, that the handsome Mr. Redmond had listened to her, and taken her ideas on the matter seriously. This was an especial relief after he had rejected her more agricultural proposals.
Her happiness spread to her face, and she beamed widely. “Oh, I am so glad. Clara must come and visit us at the earliest possible convenience!” she said enthusiastically.
“Did you attend the dance, Mr. Redmond?” she enquired. She wasn’t just making polite conversation, she would so dearly have loved to have gone, had her health permitted. "I imagine that many, many ladies would have asked you to mark their card."
His agreement lit up Miss Lutz's face.
“Oh, I am so glad. Clara must come and visit us at the earliest possible convenience!” she said enthusiastically.
"I'm sure she will be delighted," Aurelian lied. He knew his daughter and spending time with the likes of Granny Miggins was not something she would desire. But the girl would get to see the boy and that was the point of all this.
"And I would like to meet Jacob too. I actually haven't yet," he quickly added, that part was true.
“Did you attend the dance, Mr. Redmond?” she inquired.
"I did with both my children, Clara worked the bakery booth for some of the time," he answered.
"I imagine that many, many ladies would have asked you to mark their card."
That got a chuckle, "Then you would be wrong. I did dance... once... but mostly I talked farming and such with other farmers. Or recalled the war with fellow veterans. Oh, and the food was excellent. Had a few plates of that I will confess."
I imagine that many, many ladies would have asked you to mark their card."
That got a chuckle, "Then you would be wrong. I did dance... once... but mostly I talked farming and such with other farmers.
So, he was interested in talking about agriculture, but just not belonging to any sort of formal organisation. She tipped her head with interest.
“Or recalled the war with fellow veterans. Oh, and the food was excellent. Had a few plates of that I will confess."
“You were in the war.” She said softly. “I somehow knew that you must have been. You do not seem like the type to shirk at home when what is right has to be fought for.” She cooed admiringly. She could just imagine him in uniform, probably a dashing cavalryman, cutting down ugly and traitorous secessionist rebels left and right, adoring darkies raising their hands in praise, lifting up a little pickaninny baby to kiss him their thanks. She didn’t believe the tales that Ned, that self-styled ‘old piece o’ contraband’ told them about the approach of Sherman’s army at the end of the war, about how no-one, white, black or mulatto; man woman or child, was quite safe from the raiding parties that burnt a scorched path, 40 miles wide as they waded through the Southland.
Shame on him, ungrateful wretch.
Even if there was any truth in his wild stories of misconduct by some Union troops, Mr Redmond, she was sure, had been a perfect gentleman in his conduct.
"You were in the war.” She said softly. “I somehow knew that you must have been. You do not seem like the type to shirk at home when what is right has to be fought for.”
"Well, in the beginning there was a wave of patriotic emotion and thousands volunteered for the great adventure, sacred cause, whatever," he shrugged but also smiled.
"I was one of those. I volunteered for the cavalry though not actually all that good a horseman. I learned soon enough though," he added.
"I stayed in for the duration too. I don't know, maybe I've always just been stubborn. My darling wife would definitely say I was the stubborn sort," there was this look in his eyes every time he mentioned her.
"Well, in the beginning there was a wave of patriotic emotion and thousands volunteered for the great adventure, sacred cause, whatever," he shrugged but also smiled.
“Sacred cause.” She confirmed, softly, with a nod.
"I was one of those. I volunteered for the cavalry though not actually all that good a horseman. I learned soon enough though," he added.
“I imagine you looked magnificent upon your steed.” Lee smiled, picturing a magnificently uniformed Aurelian, smile gleaming, atop a Bucephalian grey stallion.
"I stayed in for the duration too. I don't know, maybe I've always just been stubborn. My darling wife would definitely say I was the stubborn sort," there was this look in his eyes every time he mentioned her.
“Oh, Mr. Redmond. Your poor wife. I … I am sorry if this conversation has made you sad.” She went to reach out a hand to his but realised that this was too bold and quickly pulled it back. Her eyes glimmered a little with sympathetic tears. “They say it is better to have loved and lost that to have never loved at all, Mr. Redmond, but when I witness how much you miss your dear wife, how you look when you talk of her… I think that I am lucky never to have known such love.” She sighed.
“I imagine you looked magnificent upon your steed.” Lee smiled.
Aurelian chuckled, "Three days on campaign and we looked bedraggled and my magnificent steed was never nothing more than a smallish mare who had the annoying habit of sometimes not wanting to stay in march column. She had a mind of her own, that one."
He happened to mention his wife and of course he well remembered the love of his life but he was used to dealing with it by now. That elicited, unintentionally actually, quite some sympathy from the woman.
“Oh, Mr. Redmond. Your poor wife. I … I am sorry if this conversation has made you sad.” She went to reach out a hand to his but realised that this was too bold and quickly pulled it back.
Aurelian of course noticed the quickly withdrawn gesture but gave no reaction and certainly did not take any offense.
Her eyes glimmered a little with sympathetic tears. “They say it is better to have loved and lost that to have never loved at all, Mr. Redmond, but when I witness how much you miss your dear wife, how you look when you talk of her… I think that I am lucky never to have known such love.” She sighed.
"They do, huh? Well, don't worry about me. She will live forever in my memory but one has to keep living, keep moving forward. And I have my children. Clara actually looks quite a bit like her. She had the same dark hair and hazel eyes. She was a striking woman," he revealed.
"As for yourself, Miss Lutz, there is another saying. Never say never. You may some day find someone or that someone finds you," he opined.
Leonora laughed at Aurelian’s description of his not-so-magnificent steed and his bedraggled state during the war, and then chided him that “You must let us ladies cherish our illusions, Mr. Redmond.” But when talk turned to Mrs Redmond, that victim of a vicious Indian murder, the smiles faded away.
Her eyes glimmered a little with sympathetic tears. “They say it is better to have loved and lost that to have never loved at all, Mr. Redmond, but when I witness how much you miss your dear wife, how you look when you talk of her… I think that I am lucky never to have known such love.” She sighed.
"They do, huh? Well, don't worry about me. She will live forever in my memory but one has to keep living, keep moving forward. And I have my children. Clara actually looks quite a bit like her. She had the same dark hair and hazel eyes. She was a striking woman," he revealed.
“She must have been lovely indeed if it is her looks that Clara has inherited.” Lee agreed.
"As for yourself, Miss Lutz, there is another saying. Never say never. You may some day find someone or that someone finds you," he opined.
The young woman with the pretty face and the light brown hair smiled philosophically and shrugged a little shrug. Then came beef and biscuit stew which Leonora ate delicately enough, but managed to demolish at a similar rate of knots to Aurelian. Not for nothing did Granny, Jacob and the rest of the family call her ‘The Glutton’. It helped that the stew was delicious, with no lumps of fat or gristle.
“Very filling.” Said the young woman once they were finished, for eating hadn’t left much time for talking.
“So, we are agreed.” Concluded Leonora, dabbing her lips with a napkin “We shall arrange carefully chaperoned visits for our young friends.” She described them mawkishly, hoping that a stronger word would not be needed if they were carefully watched.
"Far from me to ruin your cherished illusions then," Aurelian was quite amused, war was nothing like the woman imagined but why change the subject to such a grim topic.
Lenora pleased him greatly when she complimented Clara for her looks and of course included his dearly missed Katherine in that too. He nodded, "Someone had to get the looks in the family."
Their stew showed up then and both of them tucked right into it. Lenora was a fast eater but Aurelian really had more on his mind than such things as he too enjoyed his bowl. He also agreed with her assessment of the meal, "Yes, indeed."
“So, we are agreed.” Concluded Leonora, dabbing her lips with a napkin “We shall arrange carefully chaperoned visits for our young friends.”
"Yes, it's a good idea. Though I would not call them our friends as much as our family. They might not be happy about this but we have their best interests in mind. I shall inform Clara. I have faith she will cooperate, she has always been a most obedient child," he declared.