Read Online Secret of Richmond Manor by Gilbert L. Morris - Free Book Online

What’s wrong with you, Leah?” he finally asked. “Are you feeling bad? You look kind of flustered.”
    â€œOh, I don’t know. I’m all right,” Leah said.
    She lifted a hand and pushed a strand of hair back off her forehead so nervously that Jeff said, “Why are you so nervous, Leah?”
    â€œI’m not!” she protested. “I’m not nervous at all.”
    Jeff leaned over and put his elbows on the table and stared at her. “Well, you’re sure giving a good imitation of somebody who’s nervous.”
    Leah forced herself to smile at him. “Let’s play another game.” She managed to beat him thoroughly this time and then said, “I expect we’d better get to bed. I have to get up early in the morning and make that pie for your father.”
    She waited until almost midnight. Then she got up, pulled on her robe and shoes, and carefully opened her door. In the kitchen she took out the pot of beans that was in the warmer of the oven, thengathered up several slices of bread and a big slice of the pie that she had made for Jeff.
    She made her way out of the kitchen, across the moonlit yard, and noticed that Peanuts was coming with her, purring and pushing against her ankles. She pushed him away with her foot, then made for the barn.
    Opening the door, she whispered, “Ezra!”
    â€œYes, I’m right here.”
    She stepped inside, leaving the door open. She saw that he had come down the stairs and was standing in the shadows. She handed him the food, saying, “How do you feel?”
    â€œFeel some better. Fever broke sometime this afternoon. I got all sweaty, but I feel a lot better now.”
    â€œAre you hungry?”
    â€œI sure am. I could eat anything.”
    â€œWell, come on and sit down. I can’t stay long.”
    Ezra sat down near the open door and took the cover off the food. “Can’t see too well, but, my, that smells good.” He began to eat ravenously, cramming the food into his mouth and swallowing it as if he were starving. He looked up once and said, “My manners aren’t very good, but I sure am hungry!”
    â€œThat’s a good sign.” Leah smiled at him. “That means you’re getting better.”
    He finished the beans and the bread, licked his fingers, then picked up the piece of pie.
    â€œI didn’t have time to get a plate or a fork,” she apologized.
    â€œPies are made to be et by hand,” Ezra said. He took a bite. “That’s the best pie I ever had in my whole life. You sure are a good cook, Leah.”
    â€œWhat part of the country do you come from? You haven’t told me much about yourself, Ezra.”
    â€œWell—” he chewed thoughtfully on a bite of pie “—never had any folks,” he said simply.
    â€œNever had any folks! What do you mean?”
    â€œWell—” he looked embarrassed “—I never knew who my father was—and my ma, she died when I was born.”
    â€œOh, that’s too bad,” Leah said. “I’m so sorry. Who raised you?”
    â€œI grew up in an orphanage until I was ten, then I got farmed out to a family. They lived on a farm. This was in Michigan, and I stayed there for about a year.”
    â€œWere they nice to you?”
    â€œWell, not too nice,” he said. He took another bite of pie. “I guess they mostly needed a boy to help, so they worked me pretty hard.”
    â€œBut you only stayed a year?”
    â€œYeah, I run off,” he said. “They caught me, of course, and brought me back. But they were so mad they took me back to the orphanage.”
    â€œWhat did you do then?”
    â€œOh, the next few years I kinda swapped around from one place to another, mostly on farms. Then when the war started, I’d had about all I could take of the last place. Old man Hiller, he was too handy with his strap, so I took off and I