The Loyal Heart Read Online Free PDF

loved her from the minute Winnie had invited her in to have a bowl of soup at the end of the war.
    Within an hour of Belle’s stepping into the kitchen, Winnie had procured her a job in the expansive mansion, known to everyone near and far as the Iron Rail. At first she worked for room and board, but once Mrs. Markham opened for business as a boardinghouse and business was good enough, Belle received a small salary. It was enough to save and fuel her dreams of one day working in a dress shop. To do that she was going to need money to pay for her own room. Until that time came Belle planned to stay in the confines of the Iron Rail and help out as much as she could.
    After all, Mrs. Markham needed them.
    Brought back to the present by Winnie’s bright expression and even brighter tone of voice, Belle put down her wooden spoon. “How did Mrs. Markham receive him?”
    “About the way you’d expect. She looked like she could hardly do anything but summon the energy to walk down the stairs to greet him in person.” Winnie’s warm expression fled just as quickly as it had come. “She’s in a bad way today, Belle. If she doesn’t improve soon, why, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
    “There’s not much we can do. There’s only four of us—you, me, Cook, and Emerson.” She didn’t add that Cook and Emerson were recently married, and while they did a fine job with their duties—Cook in the kitchen and Emerson filling every job from handyman to coachman when needed—they spent any moments to themselves wrapped up in each other.
    Winnie said, “We can start by trying to convince everyone who has been so unkind to her to let the past lie buried in Ohio like it should.”
    “That would be a hard thing to do given the fact that Mrs. Markham owns this here house and any number of people want it out from under her,” Cook said.
    “Not everyone,” Emerson pointed out. “Only Mr. Markham’s mother and sister.”
    “And every third ship captain who sails through and sees the dock,” Cook added. “Why, a man could sail here from any part of the world and walk right into the house without anyone knowing the difference.”
    “I wonder why she doesn’t simply give in,” Belle said. “It would make things a bit easier.”
    “Maybe, maybe not. She likes this house and everything it reminds her of,” Winnie said. “If she left here, it would be like she left Mr. Markham too.”
    Emerson grunted. “You women are far too sentimental. It’s not just the memories keeping her here. We all know she needs the money. Plus, running a boardinghouse keeps her occupied.”
    Cook guffawed. “I can think of any number of things to keep a woman occupied besides opening up her home to strangers.”
    Pulling out a fresh rag, Emerson continued to polish silver. After carefully holding up a tray and looking for signs of tarnish, he placed it in one of the many cabinets underneath the counter. “Winnie, have you seen any more of those letters lately?”
    “I found one she received yesterday in the trash this morning.”
    “I don’t understand how Sheriff Kern can’t do anything to stop them,” Belle mused. “They are terrible.”
    “It ain’t like they’re signed, Belle,” Cook said. “All we know is that they are local.”
    “Well, that eliminates no one. Whoever started those tales about Mr. Markham did a good job. Nobody hardly speaks to her anymore.”
    Winnie poured herself a fresh cup of hot tea. “You should say something to someone.”
    “Me? I don’t think so.”
    “Why? Everyone seems to like you.”
    Belle knew the men who liked her were secretly hoping she was a sporting girl. The good men, the churchgoing men, didn’t give her the time of day.
    The women who were of Mrs. Markham’s class didn’t even see her. To them, she was yet another young woman of questionable means cleaning rooms and peeling potatoes.
    “I don’t know who you think I’m friendly with, but I surely don’t carry that