She didn’t know herself, she had to admit, because she could have easily gone to the Reverend’s house. But if she hadn’t come Wilfred and his family could be dead. They would probably never have got out of the house without help and Seth couldn’t get through the little window.
Except that maybe he would have done something. She was convinced he would because he was a clever man. She tied her hair back loosely with the ribbon she had with her. Really she ought to put it up more formally but she hadn’t got anything to do that so this would have to do. She made for the house and the children were in the immediate garden playing a game which involved throwing stones into little squares they had drawn in the dust.
“We’re hungry,” Lucille said, following her into the house.
“Breakfast will be ready in no time,” she replied.
“What are we having?”
“Eggs and bread. I’m good at that.”
“We usually have oatmeal.”
“I’ll see what’s in the kitchen.”
“I could help,” Monica said, walking through.
“Thank you. If Seth has some oatmeal maybe you could do that and I can do eggs and bread in a pan.”
“That sounds nice. Did you sleep well?”
“Very well and very comfortably. How is Wilfred’s leg?”
“He says it doesn’t hurt but he feels a bit frustrated because he can’t do anything. He wants to get back to the farm and do something about the house.”
“We could help you rebuild,” Hannah said.
She bent her head to frown as she recalled. Not we because she and this Seth were not a we. But she could ask her Seth if he would help and, if he was as nice as he sounded in his letters which she was sure he would be, he would be pleased to do so. If only her father was nearer because he could get his workers to erect a new house in no time. He could help in Lone and Middle Pine to rebuild the people’s houses there and she was totally confident that he would give his services free.
“We can move back and stay in the barn,” Monica said. “There’s plenty of room and we could buy supplies in Independence.”
“We need to make sure it’s safe.” Hannah began to break eggs into a pan while Monica mixed the oatmeal. “There are still aftershocks every now and again which could cause damage.”
“We can check everything. It’s very kind of you both to have us here but you need to get on with your new married life and we need to carry on with whatever is in store for us. Neither Wilfred nor I will be happy doing nothing. We could get a bath chair. I’ve heard of them and knew someone who had one. It was invented in Bath in England.”
“Seth might be able to make one,” Hannah said.
“Make what?” Seth asked from the doorway.
“A bath chair.”
“What’s that? I’ve never heard of having a bath in a chair.”
Hannah giggled and the thought came through her mind how he brightened wherever he was. “A chair on wheels for Wilfred. Monica says she thinks they would be happier going back to their farm and living in the barn.”
“I would probably want to do that,” Seth said. “And yes, I can make a chair on wheels. I could use big wheels so he could push them round and get around himself.”
“Even better. Could you call the children in and get Wilfred into the living room so we can have breakfast? Monica has done oatmeal and I’ve done our famous egg on bread.”
“Delicious.” Seth walked over to bend to kiss Hannah. “Thank you, darling.”
She bent her head as her cheeks flamed. He was acting the part and doing it well and she had to remember that. It was of no consequence, anyway, because they weren’t really betrothed. Fiancé was the new word, her sister had told her, and it sounded nice. Seth went for Wilfred and the children and came back to help them carry through the plates of food.
“Not bad,” Lucille said when they started to eat the egg on bread. “I couldn’t have done better myself.”
“You couldn’t have done it at all,” Aaron added. He grinned as she stuck her tongue out at him.
“Lucille! That is not ladylike,” Monica said.
“That’s because she’s not a lady,” Aaron and Lucas chorused.
“Behave and eat,” Wilfred said.
“After breakfast you young people could help me make a bath chair for your father,” Seth said.
“Will he have a bath in a chair?” Lucille giggled.
“He could have a shower in one. It will have wheels and I thought we’d make them big enough for him to push round with his hands. What do you think?”
“I’m clever,” Aaron said. “I could do that.”
“Me too,” Lucas added.
“I’m most clever,” Lucille said. “I’ll oversee everything.”
“And we’ll just sit watching you,” Monica said.
“It’s man’s work,” Lucas said.
“Women are far more clever,” Lucille cut in. Hannah listened and watched with interest and felt she had never been happier in her life. Seth, what they were doing, the fact that she was being useful. All of which she could have been at home, she knew, and her parents had been very patient when she was a child. How she would love them to be here now and see everything.
Except that she wasn’t marrying this Seth because he was the wrong one. Soon he would have another lady and she was beginning to hate the woman. Hate? She mustn’t do that now she had Jesus in her life but surely God wanted her to be happy.
She resolutely pushed thoughts from her mind and tried to concentrate on the enjoyment she was finding at this moment. Reality would arrive all too soon and she was going to be part of making a bath chair. Maybe she could even spin out her time if she thought of a way to do it.
They would have to make a chair from scratch, Seth said when they went to the barn afterwards to find materials, and what did the ladies think would be best for the actual seat because wood would be a bit hard to sit on? Some kind of leather, Hannah replied, maybe the materials which were used for a saddle.
“I have leather,” Seth said. “I bought some recently to start making another sofa but never got round to it. Lucille, maybe you could design the chair. There’s paper and pencils in the bureau in the living room. Aaron and Lucas, come and help me find the right size wheels. I’ve got a few I’ve acquired over time. How big do you think they should be?”
“Big enough for papa to push round,” Lucas said.
“They’re over there behind the straw. Go and see what you think. Monica, how are you at sewing?”
She smiled as she looked at him and Hannah felt she would burst with pride. He was bringing everyone into it, which included the children who could be quite a handful, she was sure. “I can sew,” Monica said.
“Beautifully,” Wilfred added from where he sat with his legs stretched out in front of him. He had swung over to the barn with the aid of his sticks at Seth’s suggestion which meant he was part of everything. Only Seth would think of that, Hannah thought, and he was the kindest man out.
“So can I,” Wilfred continued. “We’ll do whatever needs doing together.”
Together. What a wonderful word. “What do I do?” Hannah asked.
“You just being here inspires me.” Seth reached out to briefly touch her hair. “What you can do is get scissors and help Lucille with the designing and cutting the leather. You can discuss it together. I have quite a few pairs of scissors in the house in various places.”
“Come on,” Lucille said, taking Hannah’s hand. “We’ve got the most important work.”
“We have,” Aaron and Lucas chorused. Seth winked at Hannah, she turned with a smile to go to the house and the morning was a busy one as they cut leather, sewed it round a steel frame which Seth made and put together the body and back of the chair.
At midday Hannah went to cook a meal. She would do it, she said, because Monica and Wilfred were better at sewing, and by this time the children had lost interest and were kicking around a ball S
eth had found for them in a game which seemed to have no name but which occupied them.
Seth ran after Hannah as she made her way to the kitchen. “I could do it,” he said.
“Could you?”
He grinned. “Probably not.”
“You do something you’re good at and I’ll bungle my way through something I have no idea about. How about that?”
“You are so....” He paused and turned. “Call us when the banquet is ready.”
“I will.” So, he said. So what, she thought. Was it going to be a compliment or an insult? She went into the kitchen and looked speculatively at the ingredients in the pantry.
There was a large fish, something that had not been there earlier so Seth must have brought it in. She looked in the scullery and a fishing rod was leaning against the wall. He must have caught it before breakfast because they had all been busy since.
But what did you do with a fish because the bones could be dangerous? Fillet it. She recalled how she watched their chef do it one day though she had only stayed a couple of minutes. But she saw him slice it from top to bottom and there was a spine or something. She wasn’t sure of the anatomy of a fish. Going for a sharp knife she ran it down the back of the fish and removed every bone she could see.
So far, so good, but how did you cook a fish? Put it in the oven, she decided, and she would cook the vegetables that were in the larder. Corn on the cob again because she liked that and they didn’t have it much at home. Potatoes, and should she peel them?
Too time consuming, she decided, and threw as many as she felt she needed in the huge pot. She added vegetables and looked at the carrots. They were clean, she noticed, but should she peel them? She was sure the chef did in her childhood home.
Never. She might be improving in her cooking but there was a point where a person drew the line. She took off the greenery, threw it down the garden then went out to collect it again. Maybe the horses would like it because horses liked different food to just their hay. She put the pot on the stove and filled it with water.
So now the sweet. She could do custard and fruit again but was there something else she could make? She recalled how when she was a child her mother would make pastry in order for them to be able to cut out animals or whatever shapes they wanted. Flour, water and a bit of salt. She frowned in concentration. Wasn’t there something else?
She could ask Monica, of course, but perversely she didn’t want to do that, so what was the missing ingredient? Butter, she suddenly recalled, and would the children like to make animals? She went to the door, called them and they ran towards her.
“I’m making pastry,” she said. “Do you want to do some animals to cook?”
They did, they replied, and also wanted to knead the mixture once she began doing so. She had no idea on quantity of the ingredients but it seemed alright and the children spent a while cutting out their shapes before going outside again to play. Horses, cats, dogs, rabbits, sheep and cows. Some were unrecognisable but the young people were proud of them. After they left she cut out a house and also made a couple of pies, one with conserve in it and one with apple which she cooked. She would spread some conserve on the animals after they cooked, she decided, and she could also make little squares to do the same. She put everything in the oven and felt rather proud of herself.
Now she would lay the table in the third room Seth had downstairs and put a pretty cloth on it in the way they did at home. That was, if he had any. She opened a few drawers in the huge dresser he had near one of the kitchen walls and there were two. They were just the right size, she found, and did he use them when he was on his own? But he wasn’t on his own now, he had ..... She paused in her thinking. Not her and she must stop thinking about it.
She spread the cloth carefully on the table and smoothed it down. At home she had taken such things for granted but now it was nice making things look neat. She fetched cutlery and was relieved that he had enough. She knew that from the previous day but had not thought about it.
She mustn’t let anything burn, she thought as she went back to the kitchen, so she must keep an eye on the clock. Just over thirty minutes seemed to do the previous day but maybe the fish would need a bit longer. She could test everything by pushing a fork in to see if each thing was soft.
She went out into the garden and looked around at the various flowers and shrubs. At home their garden was maintained by a gardener and she took it for granted. She would often pick some of the flowers to put in vases and had enjoyed doing so. Should she pick some now and put them on the table? She took a few white poppies, went inside and looked everywhere for a vase.
But there wasn’t any and she knew that the receptacle Seth had used for his flowers was a shaving mug because her father and brother had one. She smiled and the feeling in her was one of tenderness, a feeling she immediately repressed. Going into the kitchen she looked everywhere for a vase.
But there wasn’t one so what could she use? A mug, she decided, and she would drape a bit of greenery over the handle, maybe even over its whole circumference. She worked carefully, took the flowers through to put on the table and stood back to survey her handiwork.
Napkins. They needed napkins but did Seth have any? She hadn’t thought of it the day before. She looked in the drawer where the tablecloth had been and there were six. Six and she would do without one. She lay them beside each place and went back into the kitchen.
If her Seth had servants she wouldn’t need to cook, she thought, but she was enjoying herself and she would be happy to cook for a man she loved. She would be happy to cook for this Seth. Except, of course, that she didn’t love him but he was the man here at the moment. She sat on the edge of the table and looked bleakly around.
Why had life become so complicated? Why had there been an earthquake? There was still some shaking of the earth periodically and occasionally it had been a bit violent. During the morning there had been one particular vibration which sent the children running to their parents.
And twenty seven people had died in Lone Pine. People were made homeless. People were injured. So how could she complain in view of all that and she was the most fortunate person out. She had somewhere to stay. She had food. She wasn’t injured and she had narrowly escaped death the previous day. She opened the oven door, poked a fork in the fish and it seemed to be soft. She checked the food in the pot and that was ready too, she felt.
“How are things?” She turned at the sound of Seth’s voice and wanted to run to him and feel his arms round her. He was so beautiful. He was so generous. He was so kind. Instead she smiled at him.
“It’s ready. I’ve set the table but we’re one serviette short. Do you have a handkerchief we could use?”
“I’ll get one.” He ran upstairs and was down in a couple of minutes. He went into the room where she had laid the table and folded it the way she had done hers.
“I could make shapes for us,” he said. “The children might like that.”
“What shapes?” she asked.
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
“My father makes rabbit shapes.”
“Rabbit shapes?”
“Rabbit shapes.”
“How do you do that?” Seth asked, picking up a napkin and looking at it with exaggerated interest, his eyes half on Hannah while he did so.
Hannah lay a napkin straight out on the table and smoothed it carefully. “That’s the first step. Try it.” He grinned and did the same. “Fold it in half from top to bottom.” He folded carefully. “Repeat the fold again from top to bottom.” He looked at her blankly. “Like this. Now bring each side to the middle and fold again.” They did it simultaneously. “Fold the bottom right edges to the middle then bring the right side to the centre to form an ear.”
“Like that?” he asked, doing it.
“Just like that, then do the same on the left. Now fold the pointed triangle at the top down and put the right top point into the pocket formed on the left.”
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br /> “Like this?” he asked.
She smiled widely. “Just like that, sir. Turn the napkin right side up and ....”
“You’ve got ears.”
“A rabbit,” she said.
Seth placed the rabbit carefully beside a plate and started on another one. “You’re clever,” he said.
“My father is.” Her expression was a bit sad as she looked at him. “I shouldn’t have just gone, should I?”
“I should have told my mother,” Seth replied.
“Why are we both so stupid? Well, I’m stupid. You’re not.”
“I am.” Seth continued with his work, his eyes repeatedly on Hannah’s face. They set down the last one and he made for the door.
“I’ll just get everyone.”
“I’ll start putting the food on plates.”
“I can help you with that.”
“I’ll wait for you then,” she said.
“Thank you.”
He ran. She walked through to the kitchen, her eyes on everything in the lounge as she walked through it. He had put a lot of thought into the design of his house, she thought, and had made it large enough to house quite a few people. Did he do that in case he had lots of children? He would be good with children because he was good with Lucille, Aaron and Lucas. He was patient and he thought of ways to keep them amused, which was shown when doing the chair.
She heard his running footsteps outside then listened to him stride through the living room to the kitchen. Only a few steps because he had long legs. He walked over to stand beside her at the stove.
“What shall I do?” he asked.
“I need the water to be drained from the pot. Yesterday I had to just fish everything out.”
“I can do that,” he said. He flexed his muscles. “Feel that.”
She stroked him, blushed and turned away to lay out plates on the worktop. A long one and it was very useful. As with the other rooms, he had designed the kitchen well. He drained the vegetables and walked back to her.
Lone Pine Bride (The Brides Of Lone Pine Book 1) Page 13