It had taken some time, and perhaps a bit more than Jonah could afford, but Mrs. Armentrout had been eager and helpful in renovating the upstairs rooms of the house that served as his clinic for the time being. While currently only having the basic furniture, the rooms were still useful, and the ladies, should they accept his offer, could add their own touches.
Downstairs was still serving as clinical exam rooms, as well as his office and bedroom, but it was worth it if it meant that Leah was safer.
Now, he just had to convince Leah and her mother...
Taking a breath, he knocked on Leah's door, hoping she didn't smack him...or worse, laugh.
The knock on the door jolted Leah from her reading of 'Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott, she quickly placed her kerchief inside to mark her place wondering who might be at the door, she had not expected anyone including room service. he mother and her ordered tea in the afternoons, and perhaps hit had been brought up without their ordering it.
"Just a moment." She called, which roused Elinor who quickly brought her derringer to bear on the door as her daughter set her book aside and moved to answer the door, standing to one side as she reached for the nob and turned it, pulling the door open.
"Oh my God! Jonah! You might have been shot and then where would I be?" She questioned, a bit surprised to see the doctor standing there. "Come in, come in. You really need to announce yourself. I seriously doubt anyone would have gotten by the boys, whoever is down there."
Elinor was upright and set the pistol on the nightstand, "Hello Jonah." She greeted, relieved she did not shoot first.
"Now, please have a seat and tell us what it is we can do for you." Leah wanted to know.
The door opened, and Jonah was startled to see how startled Leah was. He hadn't meant to give the ladies a fright!
"Oh my God! Jonah! You might have been shot and then where would I be?" She questioned, a bit surprised to see the doctor standing there. "Come in, come in. You really need to announce yourself. I seriously doubt anyone would have gotten by the boys, whoever is down there."
"I knocked," Jonah pointed out, a bit sheepishly. It wasn't as if he was going to stand outside their door and shout at them, announcing his arrival. And if he'd meant them harm, he certainly wouldn't have knocked!
Elinor was upright and set the pistol on the nightstand, "Hello Jonah." She greeted, relieved she did not shoot first.
"Mrs. Steelegrave." Smiling, he gave the older woman a nod.
"Now, please have a seat and tell us what it is we can do for you." Leah wanted to know.
"Of course." Well, this wasn't the best way to start, putting the women on edge, but then, maybe it was, if they felt a bit vulnerable here. "I would like you to come live at my house...the clinic." Boy, that didn't sound good! But may as well put it out there. "I've consulted with your guards, and we think it might be better for you to stay there," he explained, "it would be easier to defend, and there's plenty of room. Mrs. Armentrout has fixed up the upstairs rooms, and those would be exclusively yours. I'd stay downstairs, and the clinic rooms will serve as quarters for the men. At least consider it."
Leah smiled at the awkward presentation of his idea and the immediate explanation of what it was that he meant.
"You consulted with Bannister and the others about this arrangement?" She asked. "Very good. And you're saying that they will be in the house as well? They agreed to this?"
Elinor walked over to the pair, "And it would seem that there was good reason for their agreement to such an arrangement, I'd like to hear that, Jonah, but whatever that mighty be, that is a great idea, well from the standpoint of being out of the hotel."
"Yes, do tell us what the men had to say about your idea, and whatever that might be, I'm glad you all are getting along and that they were consulted and made a part of whatever plan we might come up with."
Well, that had been easier than he'd expected! While they hadn't actually agreed, they did seem open to the idea. "Yes, Bannister was there, and some others. They have been teaching me shooting skills among other things, and I suggested that the house might be better to defend, should the need arise. They agreed, and then had a chance to sample Mrs. Armentrout's Mandelhörnchen and coffee, and they were sold!"
He laughed. "I know we discussed Mrs. Armentrout helping at the hospital, but she agreed she'd rather be a cook and housekeeper. If you'd like, we can go over now and look it over, see if the accommodations are suitable."
"You know Jonah, an armed camp, so to say, is not a bad idea until that hospital is up and running." Elinor pointed out. "I have some reservations about what Elias might or might not do, After all, Leah is his daughter. Then again, perhaps he will surprise us all."
"That is what I am afraid of, Mother." Leah retorted. "I have no trust in anything about him other than he is liable to do anything on a whim."
He laughed. "I know we discussed Mrs. Armentrout helping at the hospital, but she agreed she'd rather be a cook and housekeeper. If you'd like, we can go over now and look it over, see if the accommodations are suitable."
"Oh, that would be splendid! One more box checked, and one more position filled. Oh, yes Jonah we can go and take a look at the accomdations as you call them. I do so love that house of yours. And the idea that the men are in favor of it, just adds to it, thank you!" Leah raved. "Mrs. Arrmentrout probably knows most if not all the women in Kalispell, so for cooks and housekeepers, I think we should allow her to select those we hire.
"Mrs. Armentrout certainly does know the locals," Jonah agreed, "and she has her opinions on them!" The woman wasn't necessarily a gossip, but there had been a few occasions when her ire had been up and she'd given him an earful! "I'll talk to her. In the mean time, my buggy is downstairs."
Putting on his hat, he opened the door for the ladies. "There's still work to be done," he explained, "you'll see when we get there, there's enough to get by on, but Mrs. Armentrout thought it would be best for you to pick out your own accessories. But the rooms are big, and you'll each have your own."
At the buggy, he moved to help the ladies in. It was going to be a tight squeeze in the single seat, but he didn't mind having to snuggle up to Leah!
"There's still work to be done," he explained, "you'll see when we get there, there's enough to get by on, but Mrs. Armentrout thought it would be best for you to pick out your own accessories. But the rooms are big, and you'll each have your own."
"Not something to worry over Jonah. We certainly understand what you are trying to do." Leah offered. "I mean, disrupting your whole life to take us as well as the men in for our protection, well, that would take a lot of elbow grease."
"Yes, that's for sure, Jonah. To go to these lengths, to involve the men in what you want to do for us, well, I have to say, this goes beyond being a gentleman." Elinor added with a knowing smile. "It may be for naught, and I hope so, but it will be good to get out of the hotel, and I can and will help out with everything. Food will be a large part of the expenses to have us there, so no worries about that."
"Mother, I am quite able to help out in that and any other respect," Leah stated. "Once we know how many of the men are planning to be there we'll know what the feed bill will be. We can't just let Jonah here pay for all that and house us as well!
"We'll figure that out," Jonah commented. It was something he really hadn't considered. Sure, food would have to be supplied, and other basics, as well as paying Mrs. Armentrout, and he didn't have the means to cover that. He actually wasn't quite sure what he'd been thinking as far as expenses, but that was secondary to safety.
"It's no inconvenience, really," Jonah insisted, "just good use of the house, and the men think it's better all around. We'll have to build a stable in the back, but that shouldn't be hard."
The trip to the house only took a few minutes, but even though it was on the edge of town, it was much quieter here. "And you don't need to worry about all the bustle of town." He chuckled. "It's so quiet here, you might find you have trouble sleeping!"
"Figure it out? Doctor Danforth! We may accept your hospitality, and, we may allow your Mrs. Armentrout to do what she is already doing, but not without our help. Both my mother and myself can cook and clean as well, and helping her would be the least we could do," Leah balked.
"And, food is far from cheap, therefor I will take care of the groceries, all of them. It would be the least I could do in light of your kindness, and you know, those men of my daughters, well, they can eat! I hope you're not planning on all of them living here." Elinor declared, there were six of them.
"I already give them a stipend for their food and necessities, so if they are not all staying here they'll be okay," Leah informed Jonah, thinking they could not all be in the house and guarding the hospital. That seemed rational enough.
