Orphan Train Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 4 Page 3

  Chapter Three

  S ophie felt her eyes widen. She didn’t care if she looked like an owl blinking in shock. She could hardly believe the sight before her.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded as Mr. Rexford turned and grinned. Sophie had to bite her lip not to grin at him in return. He was draped in an apron, which looked incongruous over his neatly pressed shirt and tie — along with his shiny black shoes peeking out from the bottom. But just seeing him in her own familiar place caused a flurry of emotions to ripple through her. A part of her was excited to have him there in her home and a frisson of attraction shivered up her spine. But another part of her needed to protect her home. The Foundling Hospital was the only place of security she had ever known, and she needed to make sure that didn’t change. That overrode everything. It didn’t matter that the man was deliciously handsome. She didn’t want him there.

  But how could she get him to leave? A delicate balance needed to be struck. It would not do to offend the deep-pocketed Rexfords. She would need to make him think it was his idea, she supposed. But how to accomplish that? she wondered.

  She started with a tentative smile to the room at large, since no one had bothered to reply to her demand as to what Mr. Rexford was doing in the orphanage’s kitchen. Since he was covered in an apron, it was obvious he wasn’t merely there to check on his family’s donations. Or maybe he was. Maybe that wasn’t so very obvious. Maybe he was just the hands on sort who wanted to see for himself how his contributions were being used. Not that she had ever heard of anyone doing that, but she supposed it was as reasonable an explanation as any as to why the handsome young man had suddenly turned up in the orphanage kitchen.

  In fact, perhaps she ought to apologize for her outburst. Otherwise he might be tempted to pull the family’s considerable funds. Sophie stifled a sigh. She didn’t actually know what would be the best thing to do at this moment.

  Sophie finally determined that the best thing, for the moment at least, would be to ignore all her uncertainties since it didn’t seem as though anyone was about to offer her any answers. With another vague smile to the room at large, when she realized everyone was still gazing at her, she stepped briskly into the room. Grabbing her own large apron, Sophie covered herself from neck to ankle and made her way toward the table. Without looking at Mr. Rexford again, she set to work chopping. After a moment’s hesitation, everyone else resumed their work as well, following her lead.

  The morning passed with remarkably little eventuality. Sophie kept glancing toward Renton and was surprised to see how well he was doing with each task Cook assigned him. Her ears perked up as he began whistling a jaunty tune as he chopped. It was no time at all before everyone had finished their assigned tasks.

  “That was much harder than I had expected.”

  Sophie nearly jumped out of her skin, she was so startled by the deep, low voice coming over her shoulder. She had been so aware of him all morning, she was shocked that she hadn’t notice him approach her as she checked on the last-minute touches as they finished making the children’s lunch.

  “Sorry to have startled you.”

  He didn’t look sorry as he grinned down at her. Sophie bit her lip in order to quell her emotions. She wasn’t sure if it was irritation or attraction that fluttered uppermost in her chest, but it wouldn’t do to be displaying either.

  After drawing a deep breath to quell her feelings, she offered him a small smile. “So, how did you come to be working in our kitchen this morning?”

  “Cassandra Morley’s mother is a friend of my mother. I remembered my mother mentioning to me that Cass was volunteering here, so I called on her and she made the arrangements.”

  Sophie had to exert effort to keep her smile in place as she felt herself turning green with envy over the comfortable way he discussed the other young woman. Cassie was lovely and Sophie would actually say they were friends, but in that moment it was a struggle to remember that fact.

  “How nice,” she managed to say. Sophie was hoping to be able to scurry away, now that their task had been concluded, but she needed to avoid being overtly rude to the generous man.

  Before she was able to make her escape, he prompted her with another question. “Do you always prepare so very much? Or was that for my benefit, since you had an extra pair of hands?”

  Sophie had to laugh. “Actually, you weren’t extra. Normally two other women are helping in the kitchen, but they were busy today, making preparations for the train ride next week.”

  At his quizzical look, Sophie explained. “Don’t you know about Mr. Brace’s new initiative to send some of the orphans on the train out to farming families in the west?”

  When Renton shook his head, Sophie elaborated. “I will try not to bore you with too many details, but it is a wonderfully exciting opportunity for the children he has selected. He has already sent out two groups of children, and they were all successfully placed with families to look after them. This time we’re going as far as the train tracks go. All the way to Missouri!”

  “What is the purpose of this?” Renton seemed puzzled, but genuinely interested.

  “Mr. Brace believes that farm families all have room for at least one more place at the table and could all use a hand with working their land. Since here in New York so many children have lost their parents to different things, he’s sending them out of the city to new lives, lives where they have a chance for a new family.”

  “You seem pretty excited about it. Do you wish you had been sent on the train when you lost your parents?”

  Sophie forced a laugh despite her discomfort. “The train didn’t go anywhere when I lost my parents. But every orphan dreams of having a family.”

  Renton’s face filled with sympathy, and Sophie had to fight so that her eyes didn’t fill with tears. But then he interrupted his own thoughts with a question. “Wait, you said we are going as far as Missouri. What did you mean? Are you moving away?”

  Sophie’s laugh was much more genuine this time. “Not at all. I still love New York despite everything. No, I’m not moving, but the children cannot just be loaded on the train and left to themselves. It will take almost two weeks to get all the way to the end of the line. A few of us who work or volunteer here will be accompanying the children to their new lives.”

  “So how long will you be gone?” To Sophie’s ears he actually sounded angry at the thought of her being away. Her heart wanted to soar with that knowledge, but she frowned to quell the impulse.

  “About a month. Our return tickets haven’t been arranged. It will depend on how long we remain with the children when we reach our destination. And of course, with any type of travel, despite all the wonderful innovations, you can never be completely sure if things won’t go wrong.” She paused when she noticed his scowl.

  “Are you all right, Mr. Rexford?”

  His face cleared at her question. “Yes, of course, I’m fine. I just worry a little bit about you going off on this train ride.”

  Sophie could feel her eyebrows reaching toward her hairline.

  He quickly added, “I’m not questioning your competence, Miss Brooks, I assure you. It is just, as you said, things can go wrong and you never know who else might be traveling in the same direction.”

  Sophie laughed. “Well, I never said that last bit. But I am fully confident that Katie, Melanie, Mrs. Parker, and I shall be just fine.”

  “Only women?”

  Sophie laughed again, although this time it was a bit more forced. “Very competent women.”

  He had the grace to flush. “Of course. I’m sure you are all highly competent. But are you not nervous about it? What if something goes wrong?”

  “Things go wrong every day of the week, Mr. Rexford. I am well aware of that. And well experienced in the matter of dealing with all those misfortunes that come our way. Mrs. Parker and I have already had this experience a couple times already. This will be Katie and Melanie’s first time. And in fact, they won’t
be returning to New York. That is why they aren’t here today. They have to tie up any loose ends of their lives here before heading west.”

  He was quiet for a moment while he gazed at her as though he were assessing her. “Are you absolutely certain you are coming back?”

  “Absolutely,” Sophie repeated. Part of her wanted to demand what business it was of his, but she couldn’t bear to hear the answer, whatever it might be. He is not for you, she reminded herself with as much fervor as she could muster, remember what is at stake. That finally brought her to her senses. She could feel the color draining from her face. With a tight smile, she tried to make her escape.

  “Your help was certainly appreciated this morning, sir. I must be going to complete the rest of my chores.”

  He tried to stop her. “Can I help you?”

  Sophie wanted to be elsewhere. “It would probably be best if you speak to Mrs. Parker,” she said, desperate to be away, and finally turned on her heel and fled, uncaring if he thought her rude.

  ~~~

  Renton watched as Sophie rushed away. He was more confused than ever. He knew girls could be contrary creatures, but she was worse than any he had ever met. He had thought they were attracted to one another. At the very least, he had thought they were friends. Even today, there were moments when he had been certain she was enjoying his company, and then she turned around and ran off on him. He frowned as he looked in the direction in which she had departed. Should he chase after her? It would hardly be appropriate since he rather suspected the bedrooms were located up the stairs she had climbed. It would also hardly be seemly. He could just hear his mother now. ‘Rexfords do not need to pursue relationships, Renton, dear, surely you know that.’

  But he wanted to pursue a relationship with Sophie. Despite their being from different stations in life, he found her company far more engaging than that of any other female of his acquaintance. She was well read and articulate despite not having attended finishing school or moving about within his usual social circle. Besides, he thought, this is America. His mother was always going on about how their name means Son of a King, but he rather doubted they were of legitimate birth. And very few of their friends were of noble birth. Of course, many were the sons of younger sons of the nobility back in England, but what did that matter? To his mind, being clever enough to make your own way was what mattered. Just like his father had managed to do, making his fortune from small beginnings. Even he, himself, didn’t have anything to boast about. Being his father’s son meant that, while he prided himself on working hard, he had a position ready made for him by his father. Sophie, on the other hand, had so many things working against her in her young life, but look at her. She managed to keep a joyful disposition and worked hard for the benefit of others. He was proud to call her his friend. Or so he had thought. He sighed and went in search of Mrs. Parker as Sophie had admonished him.

  “Oh, Mr. Rexford, how has your morning been so far? I must say, I could hardly believe it when Cassie told me you wanted to help out here in a literal way. We are always open to extra hands, but today it was particularly helpful.”

  Renton cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable with the woman’s effusive praise. “Yes, Miss Brooks mentioned that a couple women who would normally be here were tied up today.”

  “Yes, such dear girls. Katie and Melanie had some things to take care of today.” Mrs. Parker looked disinclined to elaborate.

  “I suppose you will be particularly short-staffed when you are away escorting the children on the train.” Renton was well aware that he was prying, but it didn’t strike him as being rude. As a donor to the orphanage, he was interested in its smooth operation. And he did actually care about the welfare of the orphans. Really, what was going to happen when four of the usual caretakers were absent?

  Now Mrs. Parker had begun to look harried. “Yes, of course, but there will be far fewer children to care for as well. Mr. Brace has it well in hand.” There was a pause while she appeared to struggle with how to handle him.

  Renton wanted to laugh but controlled the impulse. It was obvious the poor woman wasn’t used to dealing with donors on a personal level. It struck Renton as odd that his mother and her cronies had never actually stepped in to help in a literal way.

  Mrs. Parker surprised him with her next inquiry. “Are you offering to make yourself available, Mr. Rexford? It would be a beneficial experience for the children, especially the boys. We appreciate any offer of assistance from whatever quarter it comes from, but it is pretty much only females who volunteer here. And even our employed staff is almost only female. In fact, I was going to suggest, if you intend to remain any longer, that you might wish to look in on some of the boys. Have you any experience with children, sir? If you knew of some games you could play with them, or if you thought you could help them with their lessons, it would be so very beneficial for them.”

  Renton hesitated. He had made arrangements to volunteer that day in order to gain access to Sophie, but that hadn’t yet worked out the way he had hoped. And now, seeing how much help was truly needed, he wanted to do what he could, but he suddenly felt inadequate.

  “I have several young cousins I’ve spent time with, but I’m not absolutely certain how I could be of assistance.” He could hear the uncertainty in his voice and just barely managed not to cringe. He was not used to feeling incompetent. He was quickly questioning the wisdom of his visit.

  “Anything you could manage would be just fine,” Mrs. Parker soothed.

  Again Renton had to suppress the urge to laugh. It was obvious the older woman was used to managing people. She was already coming around her desk and taking his arm, obviously enthused with the idea of his providing company to the children.

  “There is still some time before lunch. Has anyone shown you around?” Without waiting for his response, she steered him out of the room and carried on talking. “Oh, the boys will be so happy to see you. Surely you must know some games they’ll enjoy. It hasn’t been so very long since you were a boy yourself, isn’t that right, Mr. Rexford?”

  Renton felt as though he were choking on his desire to laugh, but he was also torn between that and a gut-wrenching fear of facing the children all of a sudden. Before he could formulate a coherent objection, they had stepped into a large classroom. It wasn’t like any classroom Renton had been in though. All the children were currently standing beside their desks, marching in place. The intruders hadn’t made much, if any noise, especially not to be heard over the sound of many footsteps, but still, all heads turned in their direction, leaving Renton feeling awkward and out of place.

  “Good morning, children, we have the pleasure of Mr. Rexford’s company today. Who wants to tell him why you are all standing right now?”

  Several hands began waving eagerly in the air.

  “Tony, what can you tell us?”

  “Teacher says we can learn better if we ain’t, I mean, aren’t having so many fidgets.”

  “Very good, Tony. Do you think it works?”

  The child shrugged but grinned as he kept right on marching.

  “Who would like to tell Mr. Rexford what you were learning this morning?”

  Many more hands were now waving, much to Renton’s surprise. When he had been in school, it had always seemed like no one wanted to participate. Renton was impressed. Obviously the strange methods were working.

  “Ross?” Renton was now also impressed with Mrs. Parker’s knowledge of the children and their names. He was certain there were at least 200 children in residence at the orphanage. The fact that Mrs. Parker knew the names of all the children, who looked like just a sea of faces to Renton’s mind, told him that she either had a remarkable mind or truly cared about the children. From the scattered appearance of her office, he would be willing to bet money on it being the latter. That thought made him grin until the child stepped forward and started to explain their lessons.

  “We’re learning about villeinage and feudalism in the fourt
eenth and fifteen centuries,” came the explanation from a small lad in the front of the room. To Renton’s untrained eye he looked like he couldn’t be much more than seven or eight years old.

  “Good heavens, why?” he blurted without thinking. He didn’t expect an answer but to his surprise, the small boy provided one.

  “Teacher says to understand the past leads to a better future.”

  Renton cleared his throat. “Sounds to me like your teacher is a wise man.”

  The children were obviously growing restless with their curiosity but his statement resulted in grins and quiet cheers. Mrs. Parker’s gaze was shrewd.

  “Perhaps Mr. Rexford could stay with the class until you break for lunch,” she stated to the teacher rather than asking either of them before she swept from the room.

  Renton was at a momentary loss. He felt as though she had just thrown him to the wolves. Of course, they were only children, but he hadn’t expected to be left with the full focus of what felt like hundreds of children. In actuality, it was probably only thirty, but it certainly felt overwhelming as he returned their steady gazes.

  Thankfully, the teacher came to his rescue.

  “Very good, boys. Now, take your seats and we’ll try for a little more instruction before the bell rings for lunch.”

  Renton watched, fascinated, as the teacher managed to regain the full attention of the classroom and he really did lead them in learning something more. Before he knew it, there was a loud ringing. It was time for lunch. He could hardly believe how quickly the morning had flown. Despite feeling exhausted, he was sure it had been the most enjoyable morning he had experienced in ages. And it wasn’t just the opportunity to see Sophie that had made him so happy, he realized as he spotted her across the large room when he accompanied the boys down to lunch. Their eyes met and he was surprised to feel a flutter of excitement. Of course, he knew he was attracted to her, but he hadn’t felt this type of awareness since he was a lad first discovering that girls were pretty. It made him nervous. He was torn between running toward her and running away like a coward. He was saved from ignominy by the urchin at his side.