Page 77 of The Formation of Us

Dahlia and Anna had become fast friends, and Faith was glad her aunt was settling in to their new life. They all were in small ways, and it pleased Faith, but she was worried about their in-come. If the customers stopped coming in, so would their money. She couldn’t expect Duke to provide for all of them.

“I can’t imagine our hot bath has much appeal in mid-July” she said, hoping it was just the weather keeping the women away. “Maybe we should offer a cold bath instead.”

“That would have seriously shrunk the doctor’s arrogance,” Aster said, setting everyone off again.

When the door opened, their laughter ceased, and they turned to see a boy Adam’s age carrying a large package in his arms. “I’m looking for Mrs. Wilkins,” he said.

Faith identified herself, and the boy brought the package to the counter. She gave him a nickel she had in her skirt pocket, and he scooted outside with it clutched in his fist.

“What is it?” Tansy whispered.

“I don’t know. I didn’t order anything.”

Iris, who had behaved herself all week, poked at the package. “I’ll bet it’s from the sheriff.”

It was. He’d sent a dress in sky-blue silk patterned with tiny white dewdrop flowers and decorated with blue satin ribbons. He’d included matching shoes and a shawl as he had for her other dress. Faith had planned to wear that dress again to the theater performance tomorrow evening, but he clearly had a better idea.

Iris heaved a dramatic sigh. “Now I regret not trying to steal him away from you.”

“You couldn’t have,” Tansy said. “The sheriff wanted Faith the minute he set eyes on her. But I think Mr. Lyons will buy you lots of dresses if you marry him.”

“What I want from that man doesn’t involve wearing a dress.”

Tansy whacked Iris’s arm. “You are utterly crude.”

“Don’t play innocent with me. I’m sure Mr. Dahlin’ has found his way under your petticoats by now.”

Tansy lifted her chin. “That man can barely find his way to my mouth without a map.”

“So he’s kissed you!” Iris clapped her hands together. “With you and Faith getting married soon, we won’t have to worry about our income. He’ll ask soon, Tansy”

“Won’t matter. I can’t marry a Yankee.”

“Why the hell not?” Aster asked, her voice booming across the greenhouse.

Tansy pulled back as if Aster had slapped her. “Because Yankees killed my husband.”

Faith dropped her dress onto the counter and gaped with the rest of them.

“You were married?” Iris asked softly. “You never told us.”

Tansy released a trembly sigh. “I married Leroy when I was nineteen. I was two months pregnant when he went to war in ‘sixty-one. I lost the baby shortly afterward, and Leroy was killed three years later.”

“Oh, honey . . .” Iris stroked Tansy’s narrow back. “That’s heartbreaking.”

“It destroyed me,” she agreed, the sadness in her voice making Faith’s eyes tear. “When they gave me the news about Leroy, I thought of Mama and Daddy and all the people I loved and would someday lose, and I wanted to die right there. Everything in the South was destroyed by then, and I walked out the door hoping to find my own death, but I wasn’t that lucky. I became a prostitute, and ya’ll know the rest.”

Aster patted Tansy’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you ever share this with us?”

“Because it hurt too much to remember. And it never mattered until now” She hung her head. “Cyrus sings like an angel.”

Dahlia released a sad laugh and hugged Tansy. “No wonder we love you.”

“We surely do.” Iris hooked her arms around Dahlia and Tansy. “Maybe Cyrus wasn’t even in the war, hon. You should ask him.

Aster looked on like a mother hen, and Faith felt a deep sadness for all of them, for their lost innocence, for their lost dreams, for the love they were worthy of but didn’t have.

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