Read Online Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer - Free Book Online

“What?”
    “Never you mind. The Bible advises against spoutin’ gossip. I might listen in when others’re talkin’, but I won’t be guilty of spreading falsehoods.” Mrs. Kinsley sighed. “Joel’s alone, raisin’ his deceased brother’s sons. I got great admiration for him. To my way of thinkin’, anybody who’d take care of somebody else’s young’uns deserves a big crown when they reach Heaven.”
    Edythe’s nose stung fiercely. Then, much to her chagrin, she burst into tears.

Chapter
SEVEN
    Edythe stumbled in the direction of the staircase, but Mrs. Kinsley caught her upper arms and held her in place.
    “Miss Amsel, what in the ever-lovin’ blazes is the matter?” Bewilderment puckered the woman’s face. “Sit down here.” Mrs. Kinsley pressed her onto the settee and sat beside her, slipping her arm around Edythe’s shoulders. “What’s this cryin’ about?”
    Edythe could never remember behaving so childishly, not even when she was young, before Mama died. Dissolving into tears as an adult of twenty-eight years brought a rush of embarrassment. Yet the comfort of Mrs. Kinsley’s warm, motherly arm was strangely welcome, and she didn’t want to leave the soothing touch.
    “I’m so sorry.” She swiped viciously at her cheeks, erasing the moisture. “I’m fine – truly I am. We’d better eat before the food grows cold.” She started to rise.
    Mrs. Kinsley pulled her back down. “That roast’ll keep. Stay put ’til we sort this out.” Cupping her hand over Edythe’s knee, she gave a gentle squeeze. “I been livin’ almost sixty years now, an’ I’ve learned a thing or two about tears. Most of the time, they’re for a reason. But tears in and of themselves don’t solve a problem. Takes a little more – usually talkin’ things out. I know we’re newly acquainted an’ you got no good reason to confide in me, but I’m willing to listen.”
    More tears gathered in Edythe’s eyes at the woman’s firm yet warm tone. For the past fourteen years, she’d carried every burden alone. A part of her longed to share her concerns, but it had been so long since she’d opened herself to anyone, she wasn’t sure how to begin.
    Mrs. Kinsley folded her arms over her chest. “This have somethin’ to do with that letter you toted here yesterday?”
    Edythe stared at her landlady. “How did you know?”
    The lines around Mrs. Kinsley’s eyes deepened. “I seen how you kept fingerin’ the envelope durin’ supper last night. You hardly ate a thing. Then durin’ the night you was cryin’.”
    Edythe drew in a sharp breath. “You heard me?”
    Mrs. Kinsley shrugged. “Sound carries through the grate under your bed.” She gave Edythe’s knee another pat. “I think you’ll feel better if you talk about it, but if you’d rather not, I’ll understand.”
    A few seconds of silence ticked by while Edythe nibbled her lower lip, contemplating what to do. Finally, Mrs. Kinsley sighed and braced her hands on her knees. “All right, missy, I can take a hint. Let’s – ”
    The title missy pierced Edythe straight through the heart. She grasped her landlady’s bony wrist. “Mrs. Kinsley, what you said about Mr. Townsend earning a crown in Heaven for caring for someone else’s children . . .” Tears threatened once more. She blinked several times, sending them away. “Did you mean that?”
    The woman pulled back, surprise on her wrinkled face. “Sure I did.”
    “So . . . if you had the chance . . . you’d take in someone in need of a home?”
    Mrs. Kinsley chuckled. “Seems to me I already did.” She assumed a conspiratorial air. “Town’s never had a lady teacher – always been a man. Nobody thinks twice if a man lives on his own, but havin’ a young lady livin’ all alone just didn’t set right with the town council. So they asked if I’d be willin’ to provide you with room an’ board. Bedroom at the top of the stairs not bein’ used for more’n takin’ up space,