Love Her Softly

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

The next week passed in a blur. After Emma had spent a night crying over Liam, she had decided that she needed to focus on herself. Her mother had told her to build a life—a happy life—and that's what she was going to do.

Liam had admitted, without so many words, that Emma had indeed only been a charity case. That uppity Mrs. Ryan had been correct about that at least.

Emma knew that a part of her heart would always be Liam's. He'd been the first to show her true kindness and caring. She would forever be thankful to him for all he had done. But she had to move on to the life she'd promised her mother she would find.

"Emma, how's the dress coming?" Anita asked, settling herself down on the floral sofa beside her.

Emma held up the monstrosity of a dress to reveal a lopsided neckline and a sleeve growing out of the waist. Anita sighed. "Well that settles it. You're hopeless."

Emma laughed lightly, hiding her embarrassment. "I truly am." What kind of woman couldn't sew?

"It's time for your lessons, sweetheart. They're waiting in the kitchen," Anita told her. "I'll see if there's any hope for this dress," she added, taking the blue chambray horror.

Emma quickly left the room, eager to meet with the tutor. In the week she'd been here, Emma had been taking reading and writing lessons with Lauren.

Their teacher, a middle aged woman with the softest voice Emma had ever heard, reminded Emma of her mother. At first it had hurt to even look at Ms. Evan's, but her kind and gentle spirit had soon overcome Emma's pain and Emma had quickly begun learning.

She could now recite the entire alphabet and was even learning to write most her letters. She even knew each different sound they made. She was quite proud of herself. At seventeen, she was far too old to only now be learning those things, but reading and writing were considered unimportant in the mountains. No one there ever received an education.

"Good morning, Emma!" Ms. Evan's greeted brightly.

"Good morning," Emma replied with a smile. Smiling was something she was doing more and more often.

With every day that passed without seeing or hearing from her father, Emma was healing.

"Do you see this book she wants us to read?" Lauren demanded, holding up a book that had to contain over two-hundred pages. "She's off her rocker!"

Ms. Evans' response was to simply smile. "You'll thank me one day, Lauren."

Lauren mumbled under her breath and slouched in the chair. Ms. Evan's motioned for Emma to sit. "Let's get started."

***

"Liam, are you okay?"

Liam growled in response to the hesitantly asked question. He glared at his two best friends. They'd known one another since they'd been little more than babes.

"I'm fine, Kyle. Chase, would you please tell Kyle that I'm fine."

Chase grinned a crooked grin. "He's fine, Kyle."

Kyle glared at the man but Chase erased that glare with a quick peck to Kyle's lips. Liam knew the truth about his friends—had always known it. It was a truth that they had to keep hidden from nearly everyone else they knew in order to be accepted.