Somewhere to Call Home

“To what do we owe this honor, Michael?” Lila asked. “You’ve barely been on time for meals the last few weeks.”

He’d like to tell her that it was her company he’d been trying to avoid lately, but that was out of the question, of course. Michael didn’t want to offend her. He just didn’t like the way she fawned over him.

“I thought I’d greet our new boarder when she comes down.”

“Oh?” Lila raised a narrow brown eyebrow. “She’s here then?”

“She arrived this afternoon.”

“And she’s here now.” Elizabeth Anderson, one of his mother’s favorite boarders, entered the room just ahead of Violet. “Everyone, meet Violet Burton. I met her at the landing. She seemed a bit hesitant to come down, but I promised her that we’d all be on our best behavior. At least until we get to know her better.”

The young woman who’d followed Elizabeth into the room smiled at everyone and said, “I took her at her word.”

That brought chuckles from the boarders gathering around her, and Michael quickly crossed the room to her side. “Violet, I hope you’ve been able to get some rest?”

His mother was right. This was not the Violet he remembered. That one had been a young girl and, while pretty and sweet, this Violet was a fully grown woman and a lovely one at that. Her black hair was swept up on top of her head, and when her gaze settled on him, he was struck by how brilliantly blue her eyes were.

“I did, thank you, Mr. Heaton.”

She hadn’t called him Mr. Heaton back home. It’d only been Michael...and that in an exasperated tone when he’d been teasing her and Becca. He chuckled at the memory. Perhaps she was only doing it now because of the boarders, but he didn’t like it. “Oh, come now, Violet. Surely as long as we’ve known each other, we can dispense with the formalities, can’t we?”

She looked up at him and her smiled deepened. “I suppose we can...Michael.”

But her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and the wary expression in them reminded him of all she’d been through so recently. Suddenly his protective instincts rose up full force, shocking him with their intensity. In that moment, Michael knew he’d do all he could to keep Violet Burton safe and to help her adjust to her new surroundings.

Chapter Two

“Dinner is served,” Mrs. Heaton announced from the dining room. “Come along, everyone, we’ll make the remaining introductions while we dine.”

Michael held out his arm and Violet hesitated for a moment before taking it. This was Michael Heaton, after all, not a complete stranger. He’d been her neighbor for years and he was only escorting her across the hall to the dining room. Although he was several years older than Violet, she’d known him all of her life. And his teasing manner was just the same as it had been when she was growing up.

But Violet hadn’t been prepared for the effect of his smile on her. The sheer force of it, with those twin dimples that hadn’t been in evidence earlier that day, left her a little stunned and bewildered that she felt so drawn to him. She told herself it was because it was so good to see another familiar face in this strange city so far away from home, but she wasn’t sure she was telling herself the truth. Her heartbeat hadn’t slowed down since her gaze met his.

He led her across the foyer and into the dining room. Pulling out a chair, he seated Violet while another of the boarders seated his mother at the opposite end of the table. Then Michael took his own place at the head of the table; his chair was adjacent to the one Violet was sitting in.

The brown-haired, brown-eyed woman who’d been standing with her hand on Michael’s forearm when Violet came into the parlor had slipped into the chair opposite Violet, but her attention was solely on Michael.

Others who were in the parlor took their seats at the table, and Violet was relieved to see that, just as Mrs. Heaton had said, most of the ladies were dressed in skirts and nice shirtwaists. Mrs. Heaton had changed into a dark brown skirt and beige shirtwaist as well, and Violet felt as if she fit in with the navy skirt and crisp white shirt she’d chosen. It had a lace insert at the top of the bodice and she’d worn her mother’s cameo, which made her feel a little dressed up, but not so much that she felt out of place. She let out a small sigh of relief.

Once everyone was settled, they all looked to Mrs. Heaton for direction.

“Michael, will you please say grace?”

“Certainly.”

Violet bowed her head while he said a simple prayer of thanksgiving. She was touched that he thanked the Lord for her safe travel as well as for the food. Once he’d finished the prayer, he began passing dishes family-style with some help from Gretchen and Maida. The other boarders began to talk amongst themselves as the dishes were passed around, and Violet felt herself begin to relax.

Michael held the tray while she selected a piece of chicken, and then he handed it off to the man beside her while Gretchen and Maida helped keep the rest of the dishes moving around the table. The side dishes were creamed potatoes, peas, carrots and baby onions. The rolls were crisp and hot, and Violet was glad there were so many small conversations going on that hopefully no one could hear her stomach growl.

When all the dishes had made the round of the table, and Gretchen and her sister had slipped into their chairs, Mrs. Heaton introduced Violet to the other boarders.

“This is Violet Burton, our new boarder. She’s a dear friend of the family and we’re very happy that she’s come to live here.” She then motioned to the young woman on her right. “Violet, this is Julia Olsen, who works at Ellis Island. It’s a busy job she has.”

The auburn-haired girl smiled down the table at Violet. Her green eyes sparkled. “It’s certainly an interesting one, too. I’ve many stories to tell.”

“I look forward to hearing them.” Violet took some potatoes and passed them down.

“The gentleman next to her is Benjamin Roth, who is a teacher,” Mrs. Heaton continued with the introductions. “And across from you is Lila Miller, who works at Butterick.”

Benjamin had blond hair and blue eyes. “Good to have you with us, Miss Burton.”

“Thank you, Mr. Roth.” Violet then smiled at Lila. “Butterick! Oh, wonderful! Their patterns certainly have made it easier for the home seamstress to make garments that fit,” Violet said.

Lila gave a half smile and slight nod while Mrs. Heaton continued, “On your right is Luke Patterson. Luke writes dime novels.”

“Dime novels?” Violet asked. She’d never met a real writer before. “How interesting.”

Luke’s blue eyes seemed to twinkle as he brushed his brown hair off his brow and smiled. “I think so.”

Mrs. Heaton continued, “And next to him is Elizabeth Anderson, who works for The Delineator. She’s also the young woman you’ll be sharing a bathroom with.”

“We met at the landing, Mrs. Heaton,” Elizabeth said with a smile. She had blond hair and hazel eyes.

“And Elizabeth was kind enough to accompany me down to the parlor,” Violet added. “I love The Delineator. Mother subscribed to it and we pored over it, looking at all the newest styles.” She looked from Elizabeth to Lila and back again. “Isn’t The Delineator owned by Butterick? Do you two work together?”

Lila gave a brief shake of her head, but Elizabeth explained. “Butterick does own the magazine. And we joke about being coworkers, but The Delineator has its own offices at Butterick Publishing Company on Thirteenth Street.”

“I see.” Violet liked Elizabeth. She was quite friendly and helpful. She wished she could say the same about Lila, who only seemed to smile for Michael’s benefit.

Mrs. Heaton continued with her introductions. “Of course you’ve met Gretchen and Maida. We have another boarder, but he’s out for the evening. You’ll meet him tomorrow.”

“It’s probably better this way. The whole bunch of us at one time might intimidate Miss Burton,” Luke Patterson said.

“I’m sure she can handle being around us all, Luke.” Julia took a roll from the basket Mrs. Heaton passed her and handed it to Benjamin. “She’s got to be a brave woman to move to New York City on her own.”

Violet almost laughed out loud. If Julia could have seen her at the train station today, she might not think she was so brave.

“Violet will be able to handle this household with ease. I’m certain of it.” Mrs. Heaton smiled at Violet and then looked around the table. “What we need to do for her now, though, is try to come up with places that she can apply for employment. Do any of you know of any openings?”

“What is it you are trained to do, Miss Burton?” Julia asked from down the table.

“Well, I can’t say I’m trained to do anything. I can cook and clean. And I can sew, but I’m not sure I could call myself a seamstress. I’ve only sewn for my mother or myself.” Suddenly, Violet realized she wasn’t really trained for any kind of employment. She’d been groomed to be a wife, but that wasn’t anything she wanted any part of at the moment—if ever. “I really don’t know what kind of work I’d be best suited for....”

“Don’t worry,” Elizabeth said with a chuckle. “I most certainly wasn’t trained to work for a magazine. Most of us have positions where we’ve been trained to do the job. I don’t think The Delineator has any openings at present, but I’ll check. I’m sure you’ll find something, though.”

“Lila, didn’t you say recently that Butterick was needing help?” Michael asked.

Lila glanced over at Violet and chewed her bottom lip for a moment before looking back at Michael. Her smile brightened as she fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I believe they were needing help with folding and packaging the patterns or possibly with cutting them out. I know they hired one girl, but I can ask tomorrow if they still need help.”