Tender Love Page 16

  Alice answered Eddie, but she didn’t take her eyes from Mark’s face. “Yes, I love your daddy, but I don’t think he loves me.”

  Eddie ran to Mark’s side, tugged on his hand, and pulled him toward Alice. “Tell her you love her, Daddy—I don’t want Alice to go away.”

  A sob welled up from Alice’s throat, and she covered her face in her hands. Eddie threw his little arms around her, and Mark knelt beside her chair.

  “Son,” Mark said, and his voice was tender, “it’ll be better if Alice and I talk this over alone. Can you get ready for bed by yourself? I’ll look in on you when I come upstairs.”

  Eddie stood on tiptoes and kissed Alice’s cheek. “Sure, Daddy, just so you’ll make Alice happy again.”

  As soon as they heard Eddie’s steps on the stairs, Mark gathered Alice out of the rocking chair and carried her into the family room. He placed her on the couch, sat beside her, and held her close in his arms.

  “Even if Eddie hadn’t intervened, I can’t stand this rift between us, Alice. Do you forgive me for being so foolish?”

  Sniffing, she nodded against his shoulder, and moved closer in his embrace.

  “I love you, but it’s your money! You know that most ministers don’t make big salaries, and I’ve never expected to become rich in the ministry—I’ve only wanted my needs met. My folks have worked hard all their lives and have accumulated very little. And I fall in love with a woman who can dole out money like she was Santa Claus! I don’t see how we can ever have a happy marriage. I’ll feel inferior all the time.”

  Alice leaned back in his embrace and wiped the tears from her face. “Until I married John Larkin, I didn’t have any money, either. You’ve seen the farm where I lived until I went away to college. My folks didn’t have the money or inclination to pay my way in college—I worked, took out student loans, and just barely scraped by. I did manage to pay all of my debts before I married John, so he didn’t have to pay them.”

  Mark threaded his long tapered fingers through his hair, and he stood up and walked around the room. “Maybe I shouldn’t ask—but how much are you worth? I’m going to marry you if you’re as rich as Croceus, because I can’t live without you, but I suppose I might as well hear the worst.”

  “I really don’t know. Besides the farm, which isn’t worth a great deal, and the beach house, which is valuable, I own a home in Alexandria. My assets probably total a million dollars.”

  Mark expelled his breath and dropped into a chair and groaned.

  “That’s worse than I thought.”

  Alice went to him and perched on the arm of his chair. “If my money is standing between us, I’ll give it away. There are lots of worthwhile charities that will make good use of it. I’ll live on what you can provide. It won’t matter.” She kissed the top of his head. “Only one thing matters to me and that’s you and your family.”

  He shook his head. “No, that isn’t fair to you. I’ll just learn to live with it.” He lifted his head and put his arm around Alice. “But can’t you understand how I feel and why I’ve been so undecided about what to do? For the past few years, I’ve been living from hand to mouth, and soon I’m going to be living off the largesse of John Larkin, a man I didn’t even know. It doesn’t seem right somehow.”

  “That’s how I felt when I inherited the money, but my accountant set me straight on that. He said, ‘In the first place, you earned the money—when you married John you gave him a new interest in life after Martha’s death, and you took care of him during several years of illness. Besides, John wanted you to have the money, and he also wanted you to marry again.’”

  “I doubt he’d want you to spend his money on another man and his family.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” She told him then about the last day she and John had spent at the beach, and how he’d insisted that she marry someone her own age, whom she could love. “John was one of the most generous men I’ve ever known, and he was always interested in helping struggling pastors or seminary students. From what Betty has told me, you give yourself completely to your congregation. That’s the reason you haven’t succeeded financially—it isn’t a priority for you, and that’s how it should be. If you do return to the ministry, John would be overjoyed to know that his money is being used to support you and your family, so that you can do absolutely what God wants you to, and not have to worry about making a living.”

  Alice saw hope dawning in Mark’s eyes. “He sounds like a wonderful man.”

  “He was. You see, his daughter had expected to go into full-time Christian service, but her untimely death prevented that. I tell you he’d be happy I’m marrying you and making it easier for you to fulfil your vows to God.”

  “You’ve eased my mind considerably, Alice, and I’ll try to get over my qualms about your riches.” He stood up and hugged her tightly. “I’m an ungrateful guy. Here I have you and a secure future for the taking, and I’ve made you and the family miserable for weeks.”

  When he kissed her, time stood still for Alice. She whispered, “When can we get married?”

  “Give me a little more time. I’ve written to the state board, asking for an appointment to discuss where and how I should continue. I’d really like to have that settled before we marry.”

  “I’ll wait, but I don’t want to.” She took a newspaper off the table. “In the meantime, would you be interested in buying another house? You’ve talked about selling this one, and if we use what you get for this one, and what I’ll get from the beach house, we could find a bigger home.” She held out the paper. “I’ve been looking at the listings by the Tatum Real Estate Agency, and there’s one that sounds good to me.”

  “Tatum Agency? Oh, that’s Grover Tatum—he’s a member of the Tyler Memorial Church, and the father of Don Tatum who goes to kindergarten with Eddie—you’ve heard Eddie talking about him.” Alice nodded. “He was a difficult church member—always rather testy, but I guess he knows the real estate business.”

  Mark looked through the property listings.

  “Which house did you like?”

  “This one,” Alice said, pointing to a small ad, without a picture. “Antebellum home, twenty-five miles north of Richmond. An excellent location for a growing family.”

  “Antebellum? That’s pre-Civil War vintage. Actually, I don’t think we should consider buying a home now. If I’m called to another church, there might be a parsonage available.”

  “Most churches don’t provide parsonages anymore, and we’ll need a big house for our family. Will you go with me to see the property?”

  Mark’s face paled, and his hand tightened on Alice’s shoulder. “My pride is still bothering me, but I won’t object if you want to buy another house. You haven’t made any decisions yet that haven’t been good for the Tanner family.”

  “It has to be a joint decision. If we buy it now, perhaps it will be ready by the time we get married. I don’t know how much renovation it will require.”

  “I’ll telephone Tatum and make arrangements to see the property, and I’ll take off one afternoon next week to go with you to look it over.” He frowned and shook his head, “But I’m so busy trying to get my work finished at the bank, if we should decide to buy, I couldn’t help you with other details.”

  “I’ll soon be sharing your life, Mark, which means work and decisions, too—I can take care of the renovation details. Besides, I may not even like this house, but I would like to take a look at it.”

  Chapter Ten

  A week later as they drove out of Richmond on I-95 to keep an appointment with Grover Tatum, Alice said, “One of the things I learned from John was that in buying a piece of property, the buyer shouldn’t seem overly eager. So act disinterested when he shows us what he has.”

  “Whatever you say,” he said, a wide smile on his face. Alice knew he was humoring her, seeing a new side to her personality, and finding it amusing.

  They left the interstate on the Carmel Church exit and me
t Mr. Tatum at a nearby service area. Mark introduced Alice to Tatum as “my fiancée,” the first time he’d done so, and Alice gave him a “thumbs-up.”

  Tatum had a toothy grin, and he shook hands with both of them. “So that’s why you’re looking for another house—gonna start a bigger family.” Laughing loudly, Tatum continued, “Well, the old Ferguson property should be big enough to suit you, but it’s mighty expensive for a preacher who’s down on his luck to buy and maintain. It might be best if I show you some of the other listings I have in this area.”

  “Let’s take a look at the Ferguson house, anyway,” Alice said. “I find old houses interesting.” Tatum sighed, as if he knew he were wasting time showing them that piece of real estate.

  A short drive brought them to property bordered by a stone fence along a stretch of rural highway. The agent stopped before a padlocked iron gate, bearing two No Trespassing signs. He unlocked the gate and left it ajar as he continued along a narrow lane bordered by ancient, gnarled oak trees. The driveway was a half-mile long, and it opened out to a wide expanse of unkempt lawn, surrounding a three-story brown brick antebellum home with massive brick chimneys at each end. To one side was a two-story wing that appeared to have been added sometime after the original house was built. A narrow portico supported by four round columns protected the white paneled door accessed by stone fan steps.

  Tatum brought the car to a sudden stop, and said humorously, “There! That oughta be big enough for you.”

  Alice’s eyes brightened, and she winked at Mark.

  “What do you think of it?” Tatum said.

  “We need a lot of room, but surely not that much,” Mark said, and Alice knew he wasn’t putting on an act. He didn’t see anything enticing about the Ferguson estate.

  Alice looked around. “It’s rather run-down. How long has it been vacant?”

  “The property has been in the Ferguson family for over two hundred years, and the last Ferguson died over a year ago. She was in her nineties then, and you’re right, the house is run-down, as are the grounds. I’ll be frank with you—there isn’t much market for a place like this, because it isn’t easy to find a buyer interested in this kind of house, who would have the money to buy and maintain it.”

  As Tatum continued, Alice envisioned what a majestic home this must have been in its heyday, and her mind whirled with the possibilities of renovation.

  “None of the heirs are interested in the place, and they’re willing to sell for a good price, but it will take more to make the house livable than to buy it.” Tatum surveyed the old brick dwelling. “It’s an interesting home. I’d like to see someone buy it and turn it into the showplace it was at one time.”

  Alice winked at Mark again and gave his arm a little pinch, but his eyes met hers without comprehension.

  “How much land goes with the house?” he asked.

  “Fifty acres.”

  As they stepped out of the car, Alice noted a stone above the front door with the date, 1834. Considering the destruction by marauders during the Civil War, she marveled that this house remained intact, although she did see a few holes in the brick, that could have been caused by artillery.

  Mark stepped on the wide fan steps, and one of the stones tilted. “Careful,” he said, taking Alice’s arm.

  The interior of the house was clammy and cool, and it smelled musty, but sunlight streaked through the dirty windows and added a hint of warmth. They stepped into a broad entrance hall, and along one side of the hall was a wide, paneled stairway that led to a landing on the second floor. Alice imagined a large grandfather clock on the second-floor landing and Kristin coming down the stairs in a voluminous wedding gown. The first and second floors of the central house each had four large rooms with ten-foot ceilings, containing some very fine dusty and cobwebby furniture.

  “The furnishings are included in the price of the house,” Tatum said.

  When they would have gone to the third floor, he discouraged them. “I wouldn’t go up there,” he said. “Those steps are unstable.”

  “But how do you know about the structure of the house if you haven’t seen that upper floor?” Mark asked.

  “Oh, I’ve looked it over,” Tatum said, “and if we get an interested buyer, I’ll have a contractor repair the steps, but the heirs don’t want to spend any money on the place until they have to.”

  When they entered the two-story wing, the agent said, “The last ten years or so, Miss Ferguson lived out here and seldom went into the main part of the house. She converted this wing into a little apartment.”

  The living area and a small kitchen were still furnished as it must have been in Miss Ferguson’s day. The only bathroom in the house was located in the wing.

  “Strange the heirs don’t want any of these belongings,” Alice said.

  “Miss Ferguson’s niece, the beneficiary in her will, is in her eighties, and as I understand, her family is financially well-off. There’s nothing here that they need or want. Let’s take a look in the backyard. The gardens were beautiful at one time.”

  A ramshackle picket fence enclosed a large garden area, filled with weeds and untended flowers. Honeysuckle vines covered a few untrimmed boxwood. Dried hollyhock stalks rustled noisily in the light breeze. Alice shook her head at the neglect.

  Beyond the garden were a barn and two smaller structures all made of hewn logs. The barn would provide a good place to stable horses for the children, and they’d have plenty of acreage for riding. Beyond the outbuildings, the landscape stretched upward toward low foothills. The place definitely had possibilities in Alice’s opinion, but she had no idea what Mark thought of it.

  “Thank you for showing us the place,” Alice said, as they took leave of Tatum at the service station where’d they met him, “but it is rather large, and we’ll have to think about it. It must have been a beautiful home at one time.”

  “We’ll be in touch,” Mark said.

  They drove in silence a few miles, for Alice’s mind was whirling, wondering whether it was a good idea to buy the property. “You want it, don’t you?” Mark said at last. So he could read her mind better than she thought he did!

  “It has terrific possibilities—plenty of room, an outdoor atmosphere for the children, a retreat for you at the end of a long day, and plenty of room for entertaining. If you accept another pastorate, you’ll need to host many church functions. What did you think of it?”

  “The place frightened me when I considered all the work needed to make it livable. I can’t find time to take care of the property in Richmond, and when I thought of fifty acres to mow, I wanted to bolt. I’ll admit the house did appeal to me for I’ve always liked old homes. It’s out of the question anyway—it will cost too much money.”

  “But, Mark, we can hire someone to mow the lawn. We’ll have enough money for extras. When you marry me, you’re marrying my money. You’ll be taking me ‘for better or worse,’ so you get the better along with the worst.”

  He grinned at her, reached out a hand and pulled her closer to him. “All, I’ve had so far is ‘better,’ I haven’t discovered the ‘worse,’ yet.”

  “You will,” she assured him, tugging on his ear-lobe and leaning over to kiss his hand resting on the steering wheel.

  A serious expression crossed his face. “I can’t get your money off my mind. I think about it all the time. The Bible speaks so forcefully on the danger of riches. ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ I don’t know how I can handle having all the money I want at my disposal. I’m yearning to be restored to a right relationship with God, and your money is a detriment. How can a rich pastor set a good example for his parishioners?”

  “Mark, I told you—we’ll give the money away.”

  “But I’m not sure that’s right, either. Since you’re so generous with the money, perhaps God is giving us an opportunity to use Larkin’
s money for His glory. It’s a tough decision.”

  “I personally think we can do as much good with the money as various charities would. But I repeat, rather than have this money come between us, or in any way stand between you and your relationship to God, we’re better off without it.”

  Alice leaned her head on Mark’s shoulder, and he dropped a quick kiss on her hair. “Why should we be discussing money? This is the longest I’ve ever had you to myself. Let’s talk about how much I love you.”

  But Alice couldn’t stop thinking about the Ferguson property, and finally Mark said, “You know a minister’s life is transient. If I’m called to a church in the Richmond area, it might be for a few years only, and I hate to see you get attached to the house and have to move off and leave it.”

  “Mark, when I marry you, I’ll marry your profession. If God calls you to be a missionary in the far reaches of the world, I’m going with you, and I’ll instill that thought in the children’s minds. If we put that house in the condition I’d like to, we’d be able to sell it at a profit. I’m sure it’s a good investment. I don’t want to do anything foolish, but I believe with the sale of the beach house and the home in Richmond, we’d have enough money to buy that property and restore it to its original splendor and not have to use any capital at all.”

  “Sweetheart, I don’t have any objections. You have more business experience than I do, so go ahead and check out your options. I’m just sorry I won’t have time to help you.”

  “We’ll hire a contractor to do the work, for I wouldn’t have time either. I’ll be at home taking care of Gran and the children. But will you go with me to Alexandria on Saturday to talk to my accountant and let him check out the Ferguson land? John assured me that I could depend on any advice Mr. Haycraft gave me. I also want you to see my home.”

  “About this home in Alexandria—I suppose it’s a mansion.” His tone was light, and Alice knew he was slowly coming to terms with her money.