Eva and the Irishman Read online

  Neither the gray sky, nor her irritation with Eino affected Eva’s mood right then when she thought of who would be waiting for her up ahead. Victor had started to meet her every morning, something Eino never did. Rounding a curve in the road, she saw him at the turn-off to the farm. She wanted to run to him, but she held herself back. Victor was the eldest of the three Mattson sons; two years her senior. He was tall and brown-haired with brown eyes, unusual among all the blue-eyed, blond Finns. He had the lean body of a working farmer. They made eye contact. Both smiled sweetly.

  “Good morning, Eva,” Victor greeted her warmly.

  “Good morning.” Eva returned the warmth, looking deep into his eyes as she walked up to him.

  Victor intently scanned the farm road. He put his hands around her back in an embrace, kissing her briefly but warmly. Then he looked around again.

  “What happens if someone sees you kiss me?” Eva asked. “Will you get whipped, or lose your dessert at supper?”

  “I just don’t want Eino to watch us. He’s always watching us. He’s begun to drink; did you know that? You should be careful around him. I don’t want him to turn on you. He’s been horrid toward Mother.”

  Eva shook her head no. “I didn’t know about the drinking. It’s something new.”

  “Will you stay away from him?”

  “I don’t care about Eino," Eva said, trying to convince herself. “I told him that I considered him a brother to me. That, I believe, should have ended it.” She reached up and put her arms around Victor’s neck and kissed him passionately. She wanted to replace her attraction to Eino and let her feelings for this older boy dominate. Especially now, with this news of Eino’s drinking, she told herself that she should put an end to her feelings for him. Perhaps Victor is the wiser choice. But her lingering feelings for Eino confused her, and she couldn’t stop thinking about him as she kissed Victor.

  He pulled away from her kiss, breathless, with a puzzled look. “Eva Maki, you surprise me every day. You can be so unpredictable.”

  “You didn’t like that kiss?” she said playfully.

  “Of course, I did, my Villi Ruusu.” He called her his Wild Rose often. “Yesterday you told me I couldn’t kiss you like that, or touch you, and especially—”

  “Especially no lovemaking. Not yet.” She changed the subject. “How else did I surprise you?” They started down the dirt road towards the farm, walking slowly.

  “There was the time a week ago you butchered that cow all by yourself,” Victor said. “How the hell did you tie and hang it when it was dead?”

  Eva laughed. “I used the rope and pulleys in the barn. I will agree, it was very heavy, but I did it,” she said with a tinge of pride.

  “I wished you would have asked me to help.” He grasped her hand as they walked into the farm proper.

  “You had gone somewhere. No one knew where you were.” She gave him a look of affection mixed with lighthearted brattiness, let go of his hand, and walked ahead of him.

  “I’m having a hard time watching you, Eva. You’re growing into such a beautiful woman.”

  She laughed. “Remember how I slapped you when you touched me when we were on the wagon a few days ago?” She surreptitiously pointed to her breasts.

  “Yes, and you laughed at my surprise.” Victor grinned. “And then I laughed at you when you fell off the wagon, laughing so hard.”

  “You got back at me, didn’t you?”

  Victor caught up with her in a couple long strides and grasped her hand again. Eva did not object.

  As they reached a turning-off point to where they were each going for morning chores, Victor asked, “What are you and Mother doing this morning?”

  As she headed for the kitchen door of the Mattson farmhouse, she turned back to look at him. “If the ground is not too wet, your mother and I will continue, perhaps finish the root vegetable planting. It’s our third day on it. The rest of the potato seeds need to go in, and the onion sets as well.” She gave him a promising look. “Maybe we can finish by the end of the morning. Then after dinner, I can come work with you.” She smiled, letting him know she was looking forward to that.

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked. “I’ll be working on fence mending all day with Father and Hannes.

  “Do you think I can’t do the work? Then I won’t come.” Eva looked at him in mock indignance.

  He smiled at her and said, “You’re going to make a good farmer’s wife. I’ll see you at dinner.” With a big grin on his face, he turned away from the house and headed across the pasture to where she could see his father was waiting for him.

  Oh, my. Is he thinking of me as his wife? Eva’s heart soared at the thought, watching him head across the pasture.

  She felt giddy as she headed to the house to find Mamma Mattson. As she reached for the door latch of the kitchen, the door suddenly flew open, startling her. Her yelp frightened Hannes, Victor’s “baby” brother, as he flew out the door.

  “Eva, you scared me.”

  “Well, you scared me.”

  Hannes yelled some sort of apology and raced to the field to join Victor and his father. Eva laughed and thought that if Hannes were a chicken, feathers would be flying right now. Eva often noticed how Hannes closely resembled Victor, a lanky version with curly blond hair instead of brown. Eino was slightly different than the other two and had more of Mamma Mattson in him, giving him a “prettier” face. Eva headed into the kitchen, took off her shoes, tied her scarf at the back of her head, and hung up her shawl. She breathed in the warmth and fragrance. Victor’s mother, the lady of the farm, had a breakfast waiting for Eva.

  Maria Mattson was a small sturdy woman in her mid-forties with graying brown hair, rosy cheeks, and a big smile when she wasn’t anxious about something, most often, Eva knew, about her second son Eino, who had always had bouts of irascibility growing up but never toward Eva. Mamma Mattson was Eva’s favorite woman, second to her own mother. Eva and Mamma Mattson were good friends. They both were fond of Victor. It was a nice connection. Mamma Mattson had told Eva that she was like the daughter she never had, and treated her as such, doing mother-daughter things such as making clothing, knitting, baking, and chatting about family life.

  “Good morning, Mamma Mattson,” Eva said.

  “Good morning, Eva,” she answered cheerily. “Come in. Have some pancakes while they are still warm.”

  She saw in Mamma Mattson’s eyes that something troubling belied her perky disposition.

  “Thank you. That one piece of nisu I had before I came was not enough,” she said and sat down while Mamma Mattson filled her plate for her.

  “Have some milk with that, too, Eva.” Mamma Mattson poured a glass for her.

  Eva took a few bites, and then said, “Are you all right this morning? Is something the matter?”

  Mamma Mattson sighed. “Eino was brought home by the Constable last night from Rauma. He was in a fight in the bad section of town, by the docks. He had been drinking.”

  Eva knew Eino, who had had bouts of irascibility all his childhood, had started to treat Mamma Mattson badly again, but his mother still deeply loved him. She seemed to think that Eino’s difficulties were her fault, even though Victor and Pappa Mattson constantly reminded her that Eino created trouble on his own.

  “He’s not up yet?”

  “No. He’s going to have to get up soon, though. He’s supposed to go over to the Niemi farm to help with roofing the barn.”

  “I’ve never understood what made him act like that,” Eva said in empathy. “Can Pappa Mattson do something?”

  “Other than wanting to kill him, nothing seems to work. Eino has it in his head all of a sudden that we all hate him. I think there is something very wrong …” Mamma Mattson’s voice trailed off.

  At least she has two good sons, Eva thought, wanting to protect her. Then it occurred to her that she had told Eino yesterday she didn’t love him. What if I pushed him into this? Please don’t let it b
e me. She had a moment of guilt surge through her mind.

  Finished with her pancakes, she stood up and took her empty plate and glass to the sink and washed them. “Thank you so much for the wonderful breakfast.”

  Mamma Mattson smiled and seemed to visibly shake off her worry. “Shall we get to that garden and finish planting this morning?”

  “Let’s go, I’m ready,” Eva said. “If you had nothing else for me to do after dinner, I’d like to help Victor and Pappa Mattson with the fencing.”

  They headed outdoors with their shawls on.

  “Eva, you are the only girl I have known who wanted to do men’s work when she didn’t have to,” Mamma Mattson said with a smile. “Your father treated you and your sisters like sons. It probably has worked out for the better, now that your poor parents are ill. How are Sinnikka and Olli this morning?”

  “They’re as well as can be expected. Both were in good spirits this morning.” She had a tendency to put a rosy sheen on things when it came to her parents, but she knew Mamma Mattson read through it.

  The rain held off and the skies began to clear as she and Mamma Mattson worked companionably, planting the rest of the potato seeds and dozens of onion sets, along with carrot and rutabaga seeds. It seemed to be warming up a bit.

  Just before it was time to break to get ready for dinner, Mamma Mattson said, “I think we are done.” She straightened up stiffly and wiped her brow with the back of her soil-encrusted hand.

  Eva stood, too, and surveyed the large garden of mostly root vegetables that the two of them had planted over the last days.

  “We’ll have full larders this winter,” Mamma Mattson said. “Even if there is another frost or two, all these seedlings are under the soil for a while and won’t be harmed. Our hard work these last few days will pay off.”

  “I’m glad you’re satisfied.” Eva wiped the black, moist loam from her hands. “Liisa and Aili are doing the same at our place right now. I’m glad the weather turned out all right for us to finish.”

  “What do you think, shall we go in, wash up, and prepare dinner?” Mamma Mattson asked. “It’s close to that time.”

  She brushed herself off as she and Eva walked toward the house. They were just about to open the kitchen door to go in, when it flew open. Eino came stumbling out, almost knocking his mother over. Eva grabbed her arm before she toppled.

  The otherwise handsome blond was horribly disheveled, hung over, and sported several facial bruises. He grunted a half apology with a hoarse, “I’m late.” Both women moved out of the way. Eino, his eyes icy blue and bloodshot, gave Eva a prolonged glare, which unnerved her. It also aroused her as his gaze always did, but she kept this hidden. The bruises on his face and abraded knuckles stirred her. It always stirred her to see boys fight. She knew very well her sudden refusal of him the day before was the reason for the black look. Guilt surged through her again. She nearly ran after him to try to apologize, but she thought twice and let him go.

  Eva, with Mamma Mattson, watched Eino stagger down the road and out of sight. Both tried to regain their composure as they went into the house. Once inside, they removed their muddy boots and coats at the door. Eva’s belly was churning from the encounter.

  “Are you all right, Mamma Mattson?” She herself had barely handled the wrath of Eino just then, but poor Mamma Mattson had a tendency to fall apart.

  “Don’t worry about me. It wasn’t me he was glaring at. It was you.”

  “I can handle his glares,” Eva said. “Victor said he’s been so vicious toward you. It bothers me terribly, and I worry for you.”

  “Thank you, my dear,” Mamma Mattson said. “Let’s not talk about Eino anymore.”

  As Eva washed her soiled hands and arms at the kitchen sink, she looked out the window across the field to see if she could spot Victor. It relieved her mind of Eino. It looks as though it’s going to be Victor for me. She could see the three of them, Pappa Mattson, Victor, and Hannes at the fences. She loved the Mattson farm with its wide-open fields surrounded by the forest. Victor would be the fourth generation to run it. Victor’s great-grandfather and grandfather had begun to clear and farm the land, grew grains, cut timber, and sold goods to the merchant sailors and residents in Rauma, supplying them with food and fuel. They also had goods sent to Petersburg and nearby cities in the Baltic region as the farm expanded.

  As Eva and Mamma Mattson prepared dinner they chatted about their favorite subject, Victor. “You know, Eva, my Victor seems very fond of you quite suddenly. I’m hoping there comes a day when we welcome you into the Mattson family. He told me he’s beginning to look for a good wife, someone who knows farm life, and can handle the rigors of it. He loves this farm.” Mamma Mattson seemed to be enjoying planning ahead with happier things, instead of the dark subject of her middle son.

  Eva smiled. “Don’t you think we should include Victor in the decision making?” She chuckled along with Mamma Mattson. “I’ve felt very much a part of the Mattsons anyway, for as long as I can remember.”

  “I include your mother and father in the plan as well,” Mamma Mattson said.

  “Yes,” Eva said. “They feel the same way about Victor as you do about me. Victor is the son my father never had.” There must be something to my feelings about Victor. Even Mamma Mattson sees it, she thought, feeling that soaring in her heart again.

  The two women worked together preparing cold sliced ham, pickled beets, homemade bread and butter, and left-over smoked salmon and beet salad. Eva ran out to the springhouse to fetch a pitcher of buttermilk all the while gazing across the field at Victor. She headed to the back door to ring the giant bell, signaling to the men that dinner was ready, but the men were already walking across the pasture towards the house.

  She waited. As the men neared, Eva yelled, “You must be terribly hungry not to wait to hear the bell.”

  “I just couldn’t wait any longer to be near you,” Victor quipped.

  Eva felt her cheeks heat up with a blush.

  Hannes feigned repugnance by groaning and rolling his eyes, while Pappa Mattson laughed, which only served to make Victor more animated. He started to reach for Eva to give her a hug. She, playing along, ran from him trying not to spill the jug of buttermilk. Chuckling, Hannes and Pappa Mattson turned to go into the entryway while Victor and Eva remained outdoors. They walked up to each other and stood intimately close. Eva smiled up at him, gazing into his eyes. She liked the feelings of arousal she was beginning to let come to her whenever he was near.

  “Did you get the garden finished?” Victor asked.

  “Yes, which means I can come with you after dinner,” Eva said. “Your mother has no work for me. Well, that’s what she said for this afternoon. Tomorrow may be different.”

  “Good,” Victor responded. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving.” He took Eva’s hand in his and smiled at her, taking her full pitcher in the other.

  “You’re a good person, you know,” Eva said suddenly.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I tease you so, and you only laugh. You never get angry.”

  “Hmmm.”

  She smiled at him.

  “I tease you, too, and you don’t get angry either. Is that a good sign?”

  “For what?” Eva asked, feigning ignorance.

  “Oh, I don’t know, for someday.”

  She smiled at the “someday.” She hoped she didn’t show the thrill he gave her. He would tease her, albeit with a light heart.

  Before they opened the inner door to the kitchen from the entryway, they kissed each other, just a buss on the lips that made Eva’s heart skip, feeling the attraction to Victor’s maleness. She was beginning to like that feeling very much. She thought Victor saw something different in her just then, because of his prolonged study of her after the kiss, then a smile as though he knew what she was thinking. They walked in to pleasant family chatter.

  Pappa Mattson, the original mold for his eldest and youngest sons, asked Eva everyda
y about her parents, even though he visited them often to check on their well-being. He and her father had been best friends ever since her father came to work at the farm. Pappa Mattson was heartsick over the incurable tuberculosis, and also over her mother’s failing eyesight.

  “You let me know if you need anything, Eva,” Pappa Mattson told her again.

  “Thank you. I will.”

  “Jacob is willing to do anything for your parents, Eva,” Mamma Mattson reminded her.

  “I’m here, too,” Victor put in.

  “Thank you all.” She liked that Victor wanted to be of service.

  ~~~

  With dinner over and cleanup finished, Eva, Victor, Pappa Mattson, and Hannes started to walk back to the fences. As they did so, a little boy came running up to Pappa Mattson. It was little Emil Niemi, who was out of breath.

  “Mr. Mattson,” Emil said between gasps. “Eino has fallen off the ladder at our farm. He sent me to have you come to get him. He can’t walk.”

  “Damn him to Satan,” Pappa Mattson muttered. “Hannes, will you hitch up the horse and buckboard? You and I will have to go get Eino. We’ll finish the fencing tomorrow.” Pappa Mattson was irate. “Just one more incident to ruin a day of work … I don’t know why Eino doesn’t just go if he’s so unhappy here. I’m going to give him that ultimatum as we’re coming home, damn it all!”

  Once again Eva felt the guilt, that her refusal of Eino yesterday precipitated not only Eino’s anger, but now everyone’s bad feelings.

  “Father,” said Victor, “Eva and I can finish the fencing. We’ll have it done by the time you get back.”

  “Good, Victor. Thanks. I can always count on you.”

  Eva and Victor stood by while Pappa Mattson and Hannes prepare to fetch Eino. Little Emil got on the back of the wagon. Mamma Mattson came outside.