A Place of Refuge

“That’s too bad,” another girl named Ruth said. “He’s very handsome.”

Kathleen was inclined to agree and yet she had no intention of giving her heart away to any man. Over the years, she’d seen Clancy change from the cocky young man her sister fell in love with to a hard-drinking, woman-beating, mean man. And no matter what her heart was doing at the thought of Luke being a beau, she was determined not to fall for any man. Not even the one who made her feel safe and cared for in a way she’d never experienced.

“I wouldn’t mind having a friend like him,” Cindy said. “If he’s in the market for a wife and you don’t want him, you can send him my way.”

That thought didn’t sit well with Kathleen at all.

She’d never had a man friend before. And deep down she knew that Luke was more than just a friend. He’d been there for her when she’d needed a defender the very most and he’d been there when she’d been brought to Heaton House. He made her feel protected and special. And she was not going to send him Cindy’s way—or anyone else’s for that matter.

As Kathleen stepped into the workroom, she put the thought of Luke paired with Cindy out of her mind.

“Kathleen, it’s good to have you back with us,” Mrs. Driscoll said. “I’ve got a new project all ready for you.”

The rest of her coworkers welcomed her back and all of them seemed glad to see her. Thankfully, no one asked many questions about why she’d been gone—probably because some of them lived in the same kind of conditions that Kathleen and her family did. And besides, they’d seen her bruised before. She didn’t feel the need to tell anyone she was no longer living in the tenement and she knew Mrs. Driscoll wouldn’t have said anything about it.

It was still hard for Kathleen to believe that she’d begun a new life, and now that she was back at work she found it even more difficult not to feel guilty that her sister was stuck in her old life. It hurt to think of Colleen and the boys putting up with Clancy. She would so love to be able to get them out of the tenements. Much as she loved her work, she did wish she were able to help others.

“Here you go, Kathleen,” Mrs. Driscoll said, bringing her the design and the cut-glass pieces she wanted Kathleen to start on. “It’s ready for the copper foil.”

“Oh, it’s lovely, Mrs. Driscoll.”

“Thank you. It’s one I’ve been working on awhile now. I’m eager to see it finished.” She patted Kathleen on the shoulder and lowered her voice. “Should you get tired, let me know. I can send you home early.”

“I think I’ll be fine. Mrs. Heaton has taken wonderful care of me.”

“I’m very relieved that you kept her card and that your sister sent you to her.”

“Thank you for coming to check on me.”

“You’re welcome.”

Mrs. Driscoll went to check on another piece of work, and Kathleen concentrated on getting back to her job. She imagined she’d be tired by the end of the day, but it was good to be back at work. She carefully painted the outline of the brass design on what would become a Tiffany lamp, and smiled thinking about the weekend. It’d been the nicest one she’d had in a very long time—maybe ever. And never had she gone on an outing in mixed company, except with family.

She’d thoroughly enjoyed going to the museum and then singing around the piano after dinner that night. Then, yesterday, she’d enjoyed getting to know Mrs. Heaton’s son and his wife.

After Sunday dinner, the men were talking about an upcoming sporting event at Madison Square Garden and the ladies had adjourned to the back parlor for afternoon tea. Well, she and Mrs. Heaton and her daughter-in-law had. Elizabeth was still at her aunt’s and Julia had gone to visit a friend.

They’d just settled down with their tea when Violet turned to Kathleen. “You know, at Butterick, I didn’t have to leave when Michael and I got married, but I know that it is that way with many businesses and it greatly disturbs me. I can’t help but wonder...what about the married women who need to help support their families? Or the ones who are widowed with families?”

“It’s very hard for them to find work, although many companies do hire married women,” Kathleen had answered. “Colleen takes in ironing and such from time to time, but it’s not anything she can really depend on. And if she worked outside, she’d have to count on a neighbor to watch the boys—at least until they are in school.”

“What this city needs is someplace women could drop off their children while they worked. Somewhere they’d be safe and well cared for until she got off work,” Violet said.

“Oh, that is a wonderful idea, Violet,” Mrs. Heaton said. “It really is.”

“Yes, but getting it implemented—”

“Might not be as hard as you think,” Mrs. Heaton had said. “Let me give it some thought and contact a few people.”

“If anyone could do it, you could, Mother Heaton,” Violet had said affectionately.

Kathleen could see the two women cared a great deal about each other, and she greatly missed her mother who’d passed away when she was only fifteen—and she missed her sister.

Now she shook her head and tried to concentrate on foiling the glass pieces. Pushing an errant strand of hair out of her eyes, she sighed. Maybe she’d have a letter from Colleen today. She hoped so.

By the end of her shift she was more than a little exhausted. Her back was hurting and she was almost convinced that she did have a fractured rib. Maybe tonight she’d sleep in the corset Elizabeth had given her. It had seemed to help the night she’d tried it.

She headed out with the others and her heart did a little flip when she saw Luke waiting for her just outside the doors. She smiled at him and hurried over.

“You look exhausted,” he said, lightly grasping her elbow. “Perhaps you should have waited a few days to return to work.”

His concern touched her heart but she didn’t want him worrying about her. “I’ll be fine. Just need to get used to being on my feet again.”

“Kathleen!” Cindy called as she and Ruth came running up to her and Luke. “It was good to have you back at work. We missed you!’

Then she turned to Luke. “I’m sorry. I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Cindy White and this is Ruth—”

“Moore,” Ruth said, batting her eyelashes at Luke.

My goodness, they were brazen. But it didn’t seem to affect Luke. “I’m Luke Patterson, a friend of Kathleen’s. It’s nice to meet you ladies, but as you can see, Kathleen’s first day at work was very tiring for her. If you’ll excuse us, I want to get her on the trolley so she can get off her feet.” He tipped his hat and propelled Kathleen away.

Kathleen looked over her shoulder to see the two girls standing there with their mouths wide open. She couldn’t help but smile as she turned back around. This man...she was blessed to have him as a friend.

Chapter Five

Luke didn’t like that Kathleen looked so tired. And the trolley, with all its stopping and starting, didn’t help, he could tell from the look on Kathleen’s face. He’d rent a hack tomorrow. It might not be any more comfortable, but it’d get them there faster. He wanted to put his arm around her and let her lean on him, but he didn’t have that right and he didn’t want to frighten her. Carrying her upstairs when she was beaten and bruised was one thing. Pulling her close in public was something all together different.

He saw her wince as the trolley came to a less than gentle stop. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“My side is hurting a bit,” she admitted. “But I’ll be fine. I guess I’ve gotten lazy this past week.”

Luke had a feeling there was nothing lazy about this woman. “I don’t believe that. You’re still healing. Can’t you sit down to work?”

“Actually, it’s easier to stand most of the time. But I might try it tomorrow.”

Elizabeth got on at the next trolley stop and even she could tell Kathleen was tired. “Long day?”

“A little.” Kathleen smiled. “It will get easier.”

Elizabeth gave Luke a questioning look. He shrugged. “That’s what she says. But I think maybe her rib is giving her trouble.”

“We’ll wrap it when we get home. That should help a bit.”

“I’m sure it will,” Kathleen said.

But Luke could tell she wasn’t feeling any better. He didn’t know who was more relieved to get to their stop—Kathleen or him.

Once they got to Heaton House, she and Elizabeth quickly disappeared upstairs and he wondered if she’d be back down for dinner. He quickly called the nearest livery and made arrangements for a hack to be delivered the next morning. Kathleen wasn’t going to ride the trolley again until she was much better.