Bouquet for Iris by Diane T. Ashley Read Free Book Online Page B

course.” Camie clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “What kind of hostess must you think I am?”
    Iris put her candle on a tall dressing table that was angled in a corner to one side of the fireplace. “How could you know that I would arrive with only the clothes I am standing in?”
    As Camie disappeared into the dark hallway, Iris could hear her still bemoaning the failure to anticipate her guest’s needs.
    While she waited, Iris pulled off her hat and let her hair cascade down with a sense of relief. She could hear pins plinking on the wooden floor where it was not protected by Camie’s rug. She pulled off her gloves and placed them next to her candle. The air in the bedroom was quite nippy, but she had no doubt that she would warm up quickly once she buried herself under those inviting quilts.
    While she waited for her friend to return, Iris rinsed her face and hands with water from a washbowl. It was a relief to rid herself of some of the grit from her travels even though the cold water stole her breath away for a moment.
    “Here we go.” Camie reentered with a thick cotton nightdress over her arm. “Oh my! I had forgotten how curly your hair is. Would you like me to plait it for you?”
    Iris shook her head, sending the brown tendrils flying in several directions. “I have lots of practice. Go on back to bed. You need your sleep. I’ll be fine.” To prove her point, she scraped her hair back with nimble fingers and twisted it into submission.
    “Well, if you need anything else, just call out. We’re right down the hall.” Camie laid the nightdress across her bed and left her.
    It wasn’t long before Iris was in bed, the weight of the heavy quilts pushing her into the softness of the mattress. After thanking God for bringing her safely to her destination and asking for His protection over her loved ones, Iris let her thoughts drift to Camie’s statement about her little girls. Did God take the same pleasure in the birth of each of His children? What a wonderful thought.
    She burrowed down into the bed, her mind filled with praise for the loving God who provided a way for showing her how wide and deep His love ran.

    An insistent tapping sound roused Iris. For a moment she didn’t recognize her surroundings, but then she remembered. Her life was really beginning. She had made it to Daisy and to the Sherers’ home. The sound was someone knocking at her door. “Come in.”
    “Well, Sleeping Beauty.” Camie entered the room with a large wooden tray balanced in her hands. She had pulled her hair back and twisted it into a bun. Several strands had worked free already and framed her face. Her gray dress was accented with a darker gray collar and cuffs, and a starched white apron protected her skirt. She was the very picture of a matron. “I finally decided I’d have to come up here and rouse you if I was ever going to find out about all the people back in Nashville. I hope you still have a prodigious memory.”
    Iris sniffed the air appreciatively. “Is that breakfast?”
    With a nod, Camie placed the tray on the edge of the bed.
    Iris could see a stack of fluffy batter cakes, fried eggs, a small mountain of bacon strips, potatoes, and biscuits. “I’m hungry, but I couldn’t eat half of all the food you brought up here.”
    “I’m going to help, silly.” Camie divided the food between two plates and handed one to Iris. “Lance is watching the girls while you and I eat breakfast. They woke up around daybreak, but since you were sleeping so peacefully, I took them downstairs.”
    “It’s so good to be here.” Iris dug into her breakfast with gusto.
    “What was your trip like?”
    “Crowded and dusty. I don’t know why they have to put so many people in one coach. There was always an elbow in my side and some stranger’s knee pressed against my leg.” She rolled her eyes. “And the driver was the surliest man you can imagine. Not only did he toss my trunk in the middle of the