The next morning, Grace woke early. She bathed and then she made breakfast for them both. Elmer rose soon after and sat with her to eat.
“Good morning, my love,” he said, reaching for her hand.
“Good morning, dear.” She squeezed his hand. “I must get the garden started.” She got up and headed outside.
Elmer went to tend to the chickens and then came inside to do some work on the cottage.
Grace was planting in the garden when he heard a loud noise come from inside the cottage. She went running inside and just inside the door, she saw Elmer lying on the ground. She rushed to his side.
“Elmer, Elmer!”
Elmer didn’t move. Grace leaned in close to his face. No breath. Then she collapsed on the floor and began wailing. How could she live now? How could this happen? She could barely breathe. She didn’t know what to do.
____
Grace sat on the porch with her sister, Martha. She felt numb, but it was good to be around her family. Even Keith was here and, despite everything, Grace hoped that Martha and Keith did eventually marry.
The women all sat around the table after dinner, doing needlepoint and chatting. Everyone tried to console Grace. To be honest, everyone was in a little bit of shock, but they did their best to support Grace.
Cecilia left the girls to go to bed. As she climbed the stairs, devastated by Elmer’s death herself, she also knew that Grace would need to marry. Sadly, Grace’s new partner might not be the soulmate that Elmer was, but it was the only way to survive as a woman in this world. She heard the quiet voices of her daughters drifting upstairs. She was glad that Grace had Martha and Annabelle to lean on. In time, Grace would likely need to see them through their own troubles. Life was full of challenges, she knew. She had been incredibly lucky to have lived through very few . . . the loss of her father and then later, her mother, the loss of an unborn baby, marital strife . . . not much when considered in the light of Grace’s loss. Cecilia knew this would affect her forever. And she worried about her.
“Cecilia, my love, you look worried.”
“I am worried for Grace.”
“I know. We’ll take care of her.”
“When the mourning period passes, we must speak to her about marriage again. She will need to find a husband. And then there’s Martha to consider.”
“We do have some time with Martha, but you’re right, she is almost of age. And Keith, of course, is going through his own period of mourning.”
“Oh, it’s just so awful, for everyone.” She sat on the edge of the bed.
Roland sat next to her. “It is. I’m grateful for what we have.”
