Page 11 of Choices of the Heart

Into the gathering came Dr. Jones. He dipped his head to the musicians as he passed but didn’t pause to enjoy the music.

Sophie watched him as he crossed the room. She’d not taken much time to study the man when they’d first arrived that afternoon. Too much had been happening, and she’d been far too worried. Now, with the immediate crisis passed, she could do so.

He was handsome; there was no denying that. He was also quite somber and focused, to the point she wasn’t certain if he ever smiled. She’d known men like that in Baltimore. They’d always made her feel very gauche and graceless.

Dr. Jones stopped directly in front of her; she, apparently, being the person he’d come to talk with. “The Archers will be returning to their home. Emma wishes to remain and look after her grandmother but isn’t certain what needs to be done. I could only offer medical insights, nothing pertaining to Mrs. Archer’s preferences or comforts.”

“Emma doesn’t need to remain,” Sophie insisted. “I’m happy to look after Mrs. Archer.”

“She worries when people are ill,” Dr. Jones said. “Helping her grandmother will ease her mind.”

Sophie could appreciate that. And she wouldn’t argue.

Eoin was handed over to his mother, and Sophie followed the doctor back to his side of the combined inn and infirmary.

“Is Mrs. Archer doing better this evening?”

He dipped his head. “She is.”

“Seeing her family has helped, I’m certain. She missed them.”

“Loneliness takes a toll on a person,” he said.

There was a great deal of truth in that.

“I suspect that is the reason Mrs. Archer was so adamant about making this journey,” Sophie said. “Family means a lot to her.”

They climbed the stairs.

“Do you have family here in Hope Springs?” she asked him.

He motioned her into the room where Mrs. Archer was staying. “I don’t have family anywhere.”

It was not a declaration made in bitterness or anger. It was almost emotionless.Almost.Underneath his indifferent façade, he seemed a little sad. There wasn’t time for pressing further; he walked away without another word or comment. Perhaps she had upset him, after all.

The last thing she wanted was to create discomfort between Mrs. Archer and her current doctor. Back in Baltimore, Dr. Norwood had spent decades building a rapport with her. Until they were back in his care, trust between Mrs. Archer and Dr. Jones was crucial. Sophie would need to do better in future interactions.

“Sophie, have you noticed how very mature my granddaughter is?” Mrs. Archer asked from her bed.

“I have.” She gave Emma a smile. “You really have grown up quite a lot in the last eighteen months.”

Sophie had already been living with Mrs. Archer the last time her son and his family had visited. Emma was fifteen years old now and was growing into a decidedly pretty young woman. Her hair had darkened and thickened. Her brown eyes were soft and lovely. She carried herself with more maturity than most girls her age, but she’d also passed through more struggles than most.

“I’ve finished school since the last time I saw you,” Emma said. “Our preacher’s wife is the schoolteacher, and she said I’ve learned all she can teach me.”

“What have you been doing with your days?”

“I help Cecily O’Connor create her Braille books. And I work sometimes at the mercantile. And the elder Mrs. O’Connor has been teaching me to make Irish food.”

“And now,” Sophie added, “you get to spend time with your grandmother.”

Emma smiled broadly, looking to Mrs. Archer with very real fondness. “I was sad not to be able to come see you in Baltimore this past winter.”

“I was so sad not to see you that I came all the way here.” Mrs. Archer held her hand out to the girl, who took it gently. “As soon as the doctor says I am strong enough to do so, I mean to spend weeks at your house with your family. We have as much time together as we would have in Baltimore.”

“Mama will like that,” Emma said. “If only because you might keep Ivy occupied enough to give her a bit of peace.”

Mrs. Archer laughed. “Your sister always was very spirited.”

---