Chapter Six

May Lynn didn’t leave Arbor. Esther did. They hadn’t seen Michael for a week, but Esther needed to borrow some flour. In her hand, she carried a small letter that smelled of roses. She arrived at the house and told the kitchen maid that she needed to deliver a letter to someone in the house and asked for a small bag of flour.

As she was speaking, Michael came into the kitchen in order to ask for some tea.

“Hello, Esther.”

She turned to him. “I have a letter for you.”

“You do?” He took the letter and opened it,

Dear Michael,

I am sorry for my absence. My parents found out about the barn dance. For punishment, I have been confined to the house. I thought I would write you a letter, and thank you for entertaining me that night. I had the most joyous time. I did misbehave, though, and I apologize for putting ourselves in a compromising situation. Please send word to me and let me know you are not angry at my actions. I would not want to offend such a dear friend.

Sincerely,

May Lynn Whitley

Michael folded the letter and put it in his breast pocket. “Tell your mistress that it would be wise if she didn’t contact me anymore.”

“Yes sir.” Esther looked at the ground as she walked to the door.

He felt a sharp pain in his heart as he watched her. “Esther, wait.”

Esther looked at him.

“How is she?”

“She is sad, and longs to be out.”

“What does she do for entertainment?”

“Sir, she reads. She reads to me a lot. I spend so much time with her now that I don’t get my work done.”

“Esther, I want to know something.” He walked up to her and looked into her eyes.

“A few weeks ago, she had a bruise on her hand. How did she receive that?”

Esther looked down at the ground and took a little breath.

“Esther.”

“I think she fell, sir.”

“Are you lying?”

“Sir, I don’t know what happened to her.”

“Yes, you do.” He took a step closer, touched Esther’s chin and raised her face to his.

“Esther.”

Tears swelled in her eyes, “Richard hit her, I think. He grabs.” She started to cry and Michael wrapped his arms around her. He stared above her head out the window. “I will write her,” he whispered.

An hour later, Esther walked in the back door of Arbor, carrying a small bag of flour and a letter, which smelled like fresh ink. She set the flour down on a table in the kitchen, and went straight to May Lynn’s room. May Lynn sat on her bed reading. She smiled at May Lynn as she sat down on the bed.

“Yes?”

“Here.” Esther handed her the letter.

May Lynn opened it.

Dear May Lynn,

I am not angry over your actions. Remember, I knew you were not supposed to go, and yet I helped you. Therefore, I also must ask for your forgiveness. I will advise you not to anger your fiancé or parents anymore. However, I will add, if you desperately need me for important reasons, I will not close my door to you.

Your friend,

Michael F. Thompson

May Lynn lowered the letter from her face. “Is this all he has to say?”

“Yes.”

“Did he mention whether he missed me?”

“He was wondering why you haven’t visited the Jacobs.”

May Lynn folded the letter and placed it in her book.

“He did encourage you to write, if you have something important to say.”

“I guess I was expecting some kinder words.”

“He asked about Richard.”

“He did?” May Lynn’s sharp glance turned towards Esther. “What did he ask?”

“He asked what he was like.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I didn’t tell him anything.” May Lynn turned her gaze away and moved her knees to up under her chin.

“Maybe, you could tell him about Richard,” Esther whispered.

“And what would I tell Michael?”

“Maybe you could tell him, you don’t want to marry Richard — that your parents are pushing you into it because your father wants an heir. Tell him what you tell me when we whisper up here.”

“It is important. Isn’t it? Most of the girls at school say they have a decision in whom they marry. But I can’t. It would be too forward.”

“Then what will you do, May Lynn?”

“I don’t know, but I need to think about it.” May Lynn lay down on her back and Esther lay next to her. May Lynn turned to the girl.

“You love him, don’t you?” Esther asked.

“I don’t know, Esther, I just know I want to be with him more than Richard.”

Esther looked around the room until she noticed the book. “May Lynn, Michael will be a preacher. He must be the man who lives by a book.”

“Esther, is Richard a sailor?”

“No, but…”

“Esther, I am not going to believe that foolish woman.”

“But what if she is right. All you have to do is choose Michael.”

“Esther!”

Esther shook her head. She looked up at the clock, which was hung against the wall. “May Lynn, I must be getting back to the kitchen.”

May Lynn didn’t respond, so Esther got up from the bed and walked to her. She stared at her for a couple seconds before she left.

Chapter Seven

Esther carried another letter to the Jacob’s place, under the pretence of returning the flour bag borrowed the preceding day. After a short walk she arrived once again at the door and asked for Michael. A tall slender servant woman told Esther “he is in the parlor reading. You may bring him the tea he asked for.”

Esther picked up the tray and walked to the parlor. The door was opened a crack and Esther saw him reading a book. She pushed the door opened and walked in.

“Hello, Michael.”

He looked up at her. “It’s a surprise to see you so soon.”

She placed the tray on a table next to him and sat by his side.

“May Lynn wanted me to bring you this note.” She took the note from her pocket, and handed it to him. Ester looked over his shoulder as he read and prayed that he wouldn’t notice the difference in hers and May Lynn’s handwriting.

My Dear Michael,

Thank you for your offer of friendship.

His eyes lowered to the bottom of the page.

This is from me Esther.

Michael looked up at her. “Johnny helped me to write it.”

May Lynn does not love Richard. She does not want to marry him. He is not kind to her. Please help her.

Esther

“Does May Lynn know you wrote this?”

“No, she’d probably be mad at me, but my beaux said that sometimes people need to be helped. She wouldn’t do it, so I thought I’d help her.”

He smiled at her. “Thank you. Do me a favor and come to me when she needs me.” He took her hands and stared at her eyes. “Please, I implore you.”

Esther subtly pulled her hands from his. “I promise.”

She stood up and looked at the paleness of his face and the deep concentration in his eyes. Tell me you love her, tell me how much you want her. She waited a second, but he didn’t say what she wanted to hear. She shook her head and left, heading towards home. Different thoughts entered her head. She pulled her hands out of her pockets and placed them in front of her chest as she rubbed them over one another. “I’ll tell her a lie,” she whispered to herself. “Like in the penny books she reads to me.”

Esther walked into the kitchen and saw one of the maids kneading some dough. She watched her hands move in out of the flour even though she didn’t see what was right in front of her. Her mind was thinking about what she should tell May Lynn. She tried to think of a plan before she returned, but her thoughts had been unable to settle on something.

“What is it child?” the elder servant said.

Esther blinked and turned her gaze to the older servant.

“Nothing, ma’am.”

“Dreaming of your man again, aren’t you?”

Esther laughed. “I guess I was.” She left and ran to where she thought she might find May Lynn. She looked in the library and didn’t find her there. She stood there for a second and tried to think of where she could be as she grabbed her apron and twisted her fingers in it.

“I bet she is in her room.” She went to May Lynn’s room. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She walked in and looked around, but May Lynn wasn’t there.

Esther sat on May Lynn’s bed, and tried to think of where May Lynn could be. She knew she couldn’t be out of the house because Richard or her father wouldn’t let her leave. Esther couldn’t figure out where she could be, so she decided to leave May Lynn’s room and continue with her chores. She stood up from her bed and was about to leave when May Lynn walked in. May Lynn walked half way to her before she noticed her shoes and looked up at her.

“Esther, what are you doing?”

“I was looking for you. Where were you?”

“I was walking about.” May Lynn looked at the ground and then back up at Esther. “Did you…” She took a deep breath. “See Michael?”

“Yes, he loves you,” Esther gasped and put her hand over her mouth as she told herself that she was a silly girl.

“He said that!” May Lynn eyes got brighter and a smile crossed her face. Esther watched the change in her mistress’s appearance. With her hand still over her mouth, Esther nodded. May Lynn grabbed her hands and kissed her on the cheek.

“Esther this is wonderful.”

“Yes, but what are we going to do?”

“Do?”

“Yes.”

May Lynn let go of Esther’s hands and sat on the bed.

“I don’t know.”

“You could keep writing him.”

“They will wonder why you keep going to the place Michael lives.”

“But, I could drop it off on my way to see Johnny every night.”

“You see Johnny every night!”

“Yes,” Esther’s face turned a slight pink. “We meet down by the little pond.”

“Esther!”

“A girl does what she can to see the man she loves.”

May Lynn took her hands and kissed them. “Esther, then that is what I will do.”

That night May Lynn wrote a letter to Michael, in which she expressed her gratitude for his feelings towards her and acknowledged hers for him. As she wrote this letter, she thought about how a lady never wrote such a letter to man that she wasn’t married to. She had to fight every inclination, every manner that had been inculcated into her being in order to write it and express what she felt. She kept telling herself that a lady must sometimes take steps, especially when a man has already expressed feelings for her. Besides she told herself, she didn’t love Richard, and this might be her only chance to be free from him and to be with Michael. She kept repeating this last line to herself. The more she repeated it the faster her pen wrote.

When she had finished, she went down to the kitchen, and slipped it to Esther when no one was looking. Esther took the letter and reached down to her ankle, itched it, and placed the letter in her boot. She looked around the kitchen, but no one glanced at her.

The next morning Esther made her way to the Jacob’s place carrying the letter and again a bag for flour. When she entered the house; she slipped to Michael and gave him May Lynn’s letter. Michael was sitting on a chair in the library when she found him. Esther stood a bit away from him as he opened it.

He read a couple lines before he removed it from his sight. “Esther what mischief have you done?”

“Nothing, sir.”

“I have expressed no such feelings to you and you have told your mistress such!”

Esther took a step back from him. “But, sir…”

“Esther!” Michael took several deep breaths; he looked at the floor, closed his eyes and moved his lips.

“Sir, I’m sorry if I have done something wrong. I was just trying to help.”

“Why would you do this?”

Esther chose her words carefully. “Because I saw you two almost kiss, twice.”

The anger in his eyes fell away and a look of longing entered. “Esther these steps are foolish, nothing can become of May Lynn and me.”

Her voice was low when she said, “Will you not try sir; will you leave her to be Richard’s wife, and not your own?” With her head still low, she raised her eyes to him and said, “Man who lives by the Bible.”

Michael stood up. “What did you say?”

“Nothing, sir.” She turned to leave.

Michael shook his head. “Stop.”

Esther looked at Michael as he walked to a table, grabbed a piece of paper, a pen, dipped it in the ink and started writing. It only took him a few seconds until he handed the letter to Esther.

Esther slipped it in her shoe and walked out. Once outside the library door, she reached for her shoe and grabbed the letter. She opened it, and saw that some of the ink had smeared on the page, but she was able to read it as she blew on the ink.

Dear May Lynn,

I do care for you and have grown attached to you. But May Lynn, we must pray and let the Lord handle such matters. For at this moment, I don’t see how two from such different worlds can be together.

Michael F. Thompson

A smiled crossed Esther’s face as she said, “this boy isn’t romantic.” She placed the note back in her shoe and left.

This one act started something, a correspondence. Every day May Lynn wrote letters of affection to Michael, and every night Esther brought Michael’s to May Lynn. Michael’s letters uttered caution, care and his feelings. He expressed her need to trust in God and pray for his guidance. She thought about this, but she didn’t understand how to trust in his God. God had always been a story to her; just a story and nothing else. She ignored this advice. In another letter he told her of his dreams for his future, and how he wished for her to be apart of it. The two began to get to know each other, and between trips Esther walked with her beau and told him of the exciting developments.

It had to have been a warm and pleasant day that Esther last walked from the Jacob’s backdoor to Arbor. It was late and she had left Johnny at the pond. She carried a bucket this time, and the letter sat under a bushel of lettuce, which she brought from the Jacob’s house. By now the Jacob’s cook was well aware of Esther’s schemes and for some reason ignored the constant requests for kitchen items or food, and thus, provided help for Esther. Esther must have known, but she never got a chance to thank her. She was humming a love ballad, when she walked in the back door of the house. She didn’t see him at first, but Richard was sitting on a chair at the table. The cook stood behind him with wet stains down her face. Esther turned around and took a step back. Her body grew stiff, and she had to use all her energy not to run. She sat the bucket down.

He tapped his fingers on the table as he said, “Esther where do you go everyday?”

“I get things, sir, when we need them.”

“That isn’t what Mr. Whitley over heard some of the maids say as they were dusting the library. He asked me to speak to you.”

“That is what I do, sir.” She stepped away from the bucket.

He got up from his chair and walked to her. “Esther you lie, you foolish girl.” He stared down her face. “I heard your bring messages to May Lynn’s beau.”

“Sir, I do no such thing.”

“You lie,” he shouted as he slapped her across the face — sending her to the floor. Esther curled up in a ball and covered her face.

“You are dismissed from our service; you are to leave and never speak to May Lynn again. You understand.” Esther didn’t respond. Richard left for May Lynn’s room.

May Lynn was lying on her bed with a journal, reading the first chapter of Bleak House. Richard opened the door and walked right up to May Lynn.

“Richard.” She closed the journal, slipping an old letter in between the pages. She sat up from the bed and smiled at him.

“You might as well stop your lady’s charm. I know what is going on.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your messages to the preacher are over! Your father knows!”

“Richard, I…”

“Where are the letters?”

“There are no letters!”

He grabbed the journal from her hands. He shook it and she watched as the letter fell from the pages. Richard picked it up.

“Where are the rest of the letters?”

She stood up from the bed. “You can’t have them!”

“What,” he shouted and raised his hand, but she ran to the other side of the bed and grabbed the post.

“Give me those letters, or I will destroy this room.”

She started crying; shaking her head no.

Richard walked over to her dresser. He grabbed the drawers, threw them to the ground and searched through her linens.

“Where are they?” He kicked a slip out of his way. “Tell me, or I’ll go get the preacher’s.” She turned her glance to her armoire. Richard followed her eyes and went to it. He threw the doors opened and slid her dresses out of the way. On the floor he saw a small brown wooded box. He picked it up and walked over to May Lynn, throwing the box in front of her. It bounced on the bed and the lid opened. A few letters fell out. Richard grabbed them and shoved them in her face. “Burn them.”

She squeezed the post tighter as she shook her head.

“You have lessons to learn,” he said as he picked up the box and all the letters. He walked out the door.

May Lynn let go of the post and sat on her bed, motionless. Her eyes turned to the journal. She stared at it for several minutes until Esther walked into the room. Esther’s face hadn’t retained any color except for the blackish spot on her cheek. She wrapped her arms around May Lynn.

“I guess it’s over.”

“No, it can’t be because then he’s won.”

“Esther, I can’t…”

“Yes you can, or you’ll be Richard’s wife, and die someday.”

May Lynn took a deep breath, and brushed a curl out of her face. She looked at Esther, and saw the spot. “What did he do to you?”

“He didn’t get the last letter.” Esther pulled the letter from her shoe and placed it in May Lynn’s lap. May Lynn didn’t even look at it. “That is good, I wonder if we can keep sending them.”

Esther’s eyes filled with more tears.

May Lynn looked at her eyes. “You’re leaving?”

Esther nodded.

“You must go soon, I imagine.”

“I can’t stay here, there is more for me.”

“Will you go with your beau?”

Esther was silent.

“Esther, if I only had your courage.”

“Don’t say such things.”

“No, I must.” She took a deep breath. “I owe you so much.” May Lynn got up and walked over to a small table. On it was her silver jewelry box, which had once been her grandmother’s. She opened it, pulled out two small diamonds earrings, and held them in her hand. She looked back at Esther. May Lynn walked to her, and took her hand. “For your wedding, Esther, and please remember me.” She then gently placed the jewels in her hand, and closed them. Esther stood up, kissed May Lynn on the cheek, and moved back a spaced, she let one tear fall and then left. She slipped out the back door of the house and was gone.

Michael sat in the parlor reading his Bible. He was alone besides the servants because the Jacob had gone to visit a sick friend. His eyes read over the story of Jacob and Rachel, and he wondered what he was going to do. In his other hand rested a letter. He put it to his face and took a deep breath of the perfume; he slouched back in the chair, as he covered his face with the letter, and thought of nothing but her smile. His body jumped when he heard a knock at the front door. His ears perked when he heard a man’s voice asking where he was. He didn’t remember the voice and wondered who it was. He lifted the letter from his face, and placed it in his Bible.

The door to the parlor opened, and Michael watched as a maid emerged from behind it.

“Sir, there is a gentleman here to you see.”

“Who is it?”

“The man says he is Miss Whitley’s fiancé. He is demanding to speak to you.”

Michael nodded and placed the Bible down on a small wood table next to him as he watched the maid leave. He stood up and closed his eyes as he silently prayed, “Lord, keep my anger under control.”

He opened his eyes when he heard the door open and slam shut. Richard walked in and stood right in front of him.

“I have come for the letters May Lynn sent you.”

Michael crossed his hands in front of him.

“I know you have letters from May Lynn, and I demand them as her future husband.”

Michael spoke calmly. “I will not deny that I have letters from May Lynn. But I will not give them to you.”

“You dare talk to me like this! You scoundrel!”

“Sir, you’re not gentleman.”

“You will not speak to me like that!”

Michael took a step closer. “I know what you’ve done to her.”

“Give me those letters, or I’ll bring the law upon you.”

Michael bent his head a little, so he could stare straight into his eyes. “Hurt her again, and I’ll hunt you down.”

Richard immediately pulled out a black pistol and held it to Michael’s head. “Give me those letters, or I’ll shoot you.”

Michael didn’t flinch. “And you’ll swing for it.”

They stared at each other’s eyes, neither flinching, neither moving, until Richard lowered the gun. Small beads of sweat dripped down his face.

“You will bend to my will someday.” Richard walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Michael closed his eyes, and fell back into the chair. He placed his hands into his hair, and squeezed his head with them. “What am I going to do,” he whispered. He looked up at the wall in front of him, and his eyes rested on the clock. He watched the longer hand click to another spot every second. “I have to get her out of there.”

The next day a little boy about the age of seven with dirty blond hair and dirty breeches arrived at the back door of Arbor. The little boy told the cook that May Lynn should meet Michael at the pond at night.

That afternoon another kitchen maid brought May Lynn her tea. May Lynn tried to send it away, but the girl sat the tray down and poured May Lynn a cup. May Lynn was sitting on her bed staring at her mirror. She was trying not to cry, but her tears kept falling. She was wrapped in a blanket and cross-legged. “Yes, Eva,” she said.

“The cook said you should drink tea, to get rid of your cold.”

“I don’t have a cold.”

“I’ll leave it here for you.” The maid sat the cup of tea down in front of her, and walked out of the room.

May Lynn stared at the cup before she saw some writing on a napkin under the cup. May Lynn slowly moved the cup and read. Pond at night. Every night till you come. Michael.

May Lynn’s eyes opened wide. “Who must know?” she asked.

She picked up the napkin and stared at it trying to remember every detail. When she realized she couldn’t forget it, she crumpled it, burned it with a candle and dropped the ashes out her window.