The Act of Convenience

Chapter One

Harrington Illinois,  March  1872

"You will not like it," Luke Willows protested against his older sister's inquires.

"I have been waiting nearly three days."

"We have not even been home for a hour."

"I am aware of that, it is just that father sent word of some news and it has been keeping me wondering."

"You might be better off not knowing, maybe you should just keep wondering." He warned.

Rachel Willows knew not to demand, she knew not to go beyond her position and what was acceptable for her to discuss. Considering that this one small ounce of news involved business, her mother would not be happy with her prowling around her father's study hoping that Luke would say something after they returned from Chicago.

"It is not what a young lady like you should be involved with or interested in." She could hear her mother's voice in the back of her mind.

Luke continued sorting through papers and making sure everything was in order, whatever that everything might be, Rachel did not bother to know.

But there had to be something among all that everything that had some sort of great importance.
 Or else people would not be acting so strange around her recently. It all seemed to have started two weeks prior to her father and Luke's trip to Chicago. It was when she turned eighteen, all of her usual suitors stopped coming around, her mother talked more about "when you have your own home" and their conversations revolved only around running a household. Their conversation always had revolved around that subject, but something changed. And that something made Rachel suspicious.

Her suspicions were confirmed when just three days ago her father wrote and mentioned something about Rachel. She had all the pieces to figure out what it could be, but she refused to allow herself to think about it. She refused to worry over nothing and assume anything over this one something.

There had often been a lot of somethings in Rachel's days that had added up together and made her life.  She had been born and raised in the town of Harrington, Illinois.

Her family was well established there, they seemed to be a the center of that place.

The town wasn't exactly new, but it wasn't old either. It wasn't big or small, but it fell somewhere in-between where everyone seemed to be content with the size. Rachel assumed everyone was content with its size because small town meant small gossip circles where news could travel fast, and a large-small town meant that they had some a very good selection of things to talk about. Or perhaps, they had a good selection of people to talk about. Especially if you were a Willows. And that's where all the usual somethings began for Rachel, Luke, Jenny, and Elizabeth Willows.

When you are the children of the richest man in town, people assume a great deal about you. But, they often forget that being the richest family in town does not mean you are the richest people in the world, a common misconception in small towns and their thinking.

As of late, Rachel had been the center of attention, the first and last thing everyone talked about when they had the chance. Turning eighteen had apparently made her a perfect candidate to be the epitome of gossip. Everything was questioned, everything was discussed. There was no mercy, and there was certainly no hiding her secrets from the ladies of Harrington. They were notorious busybodies that had a talent for talking. Mainly Mrs. Bradshaw, a certain shop owner's wife. She was deductive and figured out people's motives no matter how innocence, simply from their shopping list.

As the hours passed Rachel became less concerned with what the news might be from her father and more worried about how the gossip might go. She wondered how they might spin the tale of what was to happen.