Free The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y' Barbo Page B

possibly catch her.
    She sighed. Any governess who would contemplate such audacious behavior was not fit to tame a child.
    Gennie looked up at the second floor, where an oddly shaped white curtain blew through an open window. On second glance, she realized the object was not a curtain at all.
    “Sir?” She diverted her eyes and gestured toward the home. “Might that be someone’s unmentionables?”
    Elias Howe turned in time to see what was likely, from the size of it, his own union suit go flying from the window and land in a pine tree. Rather than chase after the garment or the child now laughing with great vigor, he turned his back on the scene to address Gennie.
    “Miss, there are more good reasons than I can count for you to demand a return trip to Union Station without ever stepping through the door of Mr. Beck’s house. Chief among them being the child herself.” He paused to remove his hat, revealing a wild mass of curls that darted in all directions. “I can offer only one reason for you staying put and sticking it out with her. With us.”
    Gennie watched the girl disappear inside the window, her giggles a soft song carried by the brisk north wind. With difficulty, she removed her attention from the pine tree and its unusual decoration.
    “And what would that be, Mr. Howe?”
    “We need you.”
    Somehow that simple three-word phrase silenced every objection but one.
    “Time is short,” Gennie said, though she knew Elias Howe had no idea how very short her visit would be.
    “It is,” he said, nodding toward the house. “Perhaps you’d like to get settled before meeting the staff. Not that there’s many of us.”
    In a home this size? What might her duties be, then? She caught him staring and elected not to ask.
    “Just Tova and me in the house.” He gestured to the fair-haired driver. “And Tova’s boy, Isak, who drove us. He also takes care of the handiwork and the gardening.”
    “I see.” She paused, unsure of the protocol in situations such as this. “Might I inquire as to my accommodations? I need to freshen up, though I fear I’m a bit meagerly prepared. Until I can purchase suitable attire, I’ve only what I’m wearing.”
    Elias looked her over and shrugged. “You’re no bigger than a minute. We can fetch something that’ll make do until Tova can wash that getup of yours. She’s the day help. Cleans and such.”
    “I see.” Gennie followed Elias to the rear entrance, where a tall, sturdy, and stern-looking woman of obvious Scandinavian descent stood, arms crossed.
    “Tova, this is the new girl. She needs a tub of hot water and something to put on,” Elias said as he skittered past the fair-haired woman with the agility of a much younger man.
    Tova stepped between Gennie and the door. For a moment, nothing happened.
    “Pleased to meet you,” Gennie said as she stared into blue eyes that seemed unable to blink. “Thank you for your kindness in helping me settle in.”
    Again, nothing.
    “Tova?” Mr. Howe called from somewhere inside. “I’d be obliged ifyou’d go on over to the Fisher’s Dry Goods Store and fetch the lady a new dress and whatever she needs to go along with it.” He appeared beside Tova and looked Gennie over. “Appears she’ll need everything, head to toe.”
    At the housekeeper’s raised eyebrows, Mr. Howe scrambled to explain. “What I mean to say is, likely she’s got road dust on every layer.” A brisk red climbed into his cheeks. “That didn’t come out right. See—oh, never mind.”
    Elias mumbled something about womenfolk and the Confederacy and disappeared inside. With him gone, Gennie was left in Tova’s sights. It was, to say the least, an uncomfortable feeling.
    But she was not unaccustomed to dealing with the help. She needed to diffuse the situation with a gesture. A grand gesture.
    Gennie fumbled with the strings of her reticule. “Here,” she said as her fingers wrapped around the wad of cash she’d nearly lost. “I can