“Nothing,” she replied. She knew from his patient smile that he understood, but it offered little consolation. She drew a deep breath. “Thank you for coming by. It means a lot.” She didn’t really mean the words, but she saw their effect and knew saying them had been the right thing to do. Pastor Sedgwick felt reaffirmed, and that was all that mattered.

“Then I’ll bid you both good-bye for now. We hope to see all of you in church on Sunday.”

“Hopefully my new carriage will come on the next ship,” Luke declared. “I have a nice team of horses but no carriage to put them with.”

“And no decent road to drive them on,” Pastor replied.

“Yes, but I must protect my little family from the elements,” Luke replied.

Gloriana had never heard him refer to them as his little family. Of course, maybe he only meant Sally. It was impossible to tell.

“Well, I hope to see you all in church no matter how you get there. We miss you.” The pastor fixed his gaze on Gloriana. “Greta wanted me to make sure I expressed that.”

Gloriana was glad Luke took the initiative to show Pastor Sedgwick out. When he finally closed the door, Gloriana was already at the fireside with the baby.

“Is she dry and safe for handling?” Luke asked, joining them.

Gloriana laughed. “Well, for the moment. As you know, that can change at any time.” She handed him the baby, who immediately reached for his face. It would seem Sally knew her Uncle Luke very well. “I have a little coffee left. Would you like me to heat it up?”

“No, come and sit with me. I have some things we should discuss.”

Gloriana decided the time had come to tell him of her situation. “I’m happy to do that but must beg to be allowed to go first.”

His eyes narrowed. “Of course.” He looked momentarily troubled. “Is something wrong?”

“Well, yes and no.” She sighed. “It’s simply something that must be resolved.”

She took the rocking chair while Luke sat with Sally in Gloriana’s mother’s old chair. “Please tell me everything.”

She nodded. “I need to find work. The truth of the matter is that Papa didn’t leave us fixed all that well. We have the rental property, of course.” She paused, hoping Luke would think about the fact that he was living there rent-free. “And he had a little savings, but that’s mostly gone now from buying food and shoes for JT. I’m going to have to find a way to earn wages so I can continue to support my brother. That, of course, means I won’t be available to take care of Sally.”

Luke seemed confused, and then it was as if he suddenly found a secret stash of gold. “Oh, my goodness! I never thought. I’ve been so blind.”

Gloriana was taken aback. “What do you mean?”