Hometown Cinderella: Hometown CinderellaThe Inn at Hope Springs

by Patricia Davids

  The man took a pair of spectacles out of his shirt pocket and examined the design more closely. “I may just have something…” He looked at them, removing his glasses. “If you’ll excuse me a moment.”

  “Certainly, sir.” Gideon felt a spurt of hope. As they waited while the clerk went into his back room, Gideon turned to his daughter. “Well?”

  “Oh, I hope he has something. Wouldn’t it be awful to have come all the way here and not be able to take anything back to Mrs. Keller?”

  He nodded, his spirits plummeting again.

  In a short while the clerk returned, this time with a cup and saucer in his hands. “Well, this might serve the trick.” He placed them on the countertop.

  Gideon looked at the set without touching it. It did look similar, with a deep pink rose and a yellow one beside and slightly behind it.

  Lizzie took up the cup and turned it around.

  “It’s English,” the man told her.

  “Oh, it looks just like it! It’s very pretty,” she added.

  “That is so,” the clerk agreed. “It’s the closest match I have.”

  “And it’s the closest we’ve been able to find,” added Gideon. “What do you think, Lizzie?”

  She took another moment looking at it and the saucer. Finally, she nodded. “I guess it’ll have to do. We’ve been to every shop.”

  “Have you tried Boston?”

  Gideon blinked. Boston was too far to consider going shopping there. “No, sir, I haven’t.”

  “I could give you a few addresses to write to, antique shops that specialize in fine porcelain.”

  Gideon rubbed his chin. “I don’t know. We’ve come from Down East, and Boston’s quite a journey.”

  “You shouldn’t have to go all the way there. If anyone had this specimen, they could ship it to you, I’m certain.”

  Gideon’s hope lifted. “That would fine then, I’d appreciate the addresses.”

  “Very well, sir. Do you still wish to purchase this cup and saucer?”

  “I’d better, just in case I can’t get anything from the Boston shops. But I only need the cup.”

  The clerk pursed his lips. “We only sell the set, sir.”

  “Well, all right then.” He reached for his wallet. “How much will it be?”

  The clerk quoted a price.

  It was a bit more than he’d expected to pay for a cup—and now saucer. He sighed, opening his billfold. His carelessness was proving expensive. “Very well.”

  “I shall wrap it up for you.”

  “I’d appreciate some good wrapping. We have a long journey home and I’d hate to have it break.”

  “Never fear, sir. We are experts in wrapping and shipping fragile objects.”

  When they left the shop with their parcel, Lizzie turned to him. “I’m glad we found that. I’m sure Mrs. Keller will like it. Do you think we could do a bit of Christmas shopping before we head home?”

  Christmas was only a couple of weeks away. They’d come this far and it would be a shame to waste the opportunity of all the shops. He didn’t look forward to traipsing through more stores, but he didn’t want to disappoint his daughter. “Sure. Why don’t we eat some dinner first and then go shopping?”

  “Yes, all that hunting for china has made me famished. Let’s go!”

  Mara was ironing in the kitchen when she heard a wagon come up the drive. She set down the iron and went to the window and drew back the lace curtain a fraction. Gideon and Lizzie were heading to the house.

  Her heart sped up a bit. She hadn’t seen Gideon since the tea party some days ago. Lizzie had told her that she and her father had to go to Bangor on some errands so she knew they’d been away.

  Dietrich had found the days long, not being able to go to Gideon’s, and not having Paul around as much, since he was also looking after Gideon’s livestock. The weather had been gray with a mixture of rain and snow, making everything too icy to go outside much. Mara had finally taken her son to visit a friend and spend the night, giving her a few hours of peace and quiet.

  As she watched Gideon stop the wagon and get down, she admitted how much she’d missed him, even when it was only to look outside and see him chopping wood or deliver some item to Mrs. Blackstone, like a side of ham or bacon from his butchering.

  Lizzie made her way to the woodshed door while her father saw to the horse.

  Mara removed her apron and glanced at her hair in a small square mirror hanging near the door. She tucked a few stray locks into her chignon right before she heard the knock on the door.

  She opened it at once, greeting Lizzie with a wide smile, feeling a genuine burst of gladness at the sight of the girl. The sentiment was returned if the girl’s smile was any indication.

  The next moment the two embraced. “It’s so good to see you!”

  “Oh, Mrs. Keller, I wanted to come right over, but we didn’t arrive till late yesterday.”

  Mara ushered her farther into the kitchen. “Come in. Can you stay a while? I’m sure you have a lot to do at home.”

  Lizzie closed the door behind her and unwound her woolen scarf. “Oh, not so much. I left everything neat and tidy, and Paul and his father took good care of our animals. Dietrich must come over. The kittens are quite big now. It’s a shame he can’t have one. They’ve grown enough to be given away.” She glanced around her. “Where is he, anyway? I didn’t see him outside.”

  “I let him go visit young Tommy this afternoon. He’s been cooped up for a few days.”

  Lizzie nodded.

  Mara took her things. “Is your father coming in, or just dropping you off?” She tried to keep her tone casual as she hung Lizzie’s cloak on a hook.

  “Oh, he’s coming in, but he’s probably chatting with Paul. He’s very impressed with all he did. I know he wants to make up for it somehow.” Lizzie’s cheeks dimpled. “We bought him a little something for Christmas, though. I know he’ll like it.”

  “Christmas shopping?” Mara had hardly given Christmas a thought although she knew it was around the corner. “Is that why you went to Bangor?”

  “Oh, we had an errand, a very important errand to do, but we thought we might as well do a little shopping while we were there. Mrs. Keller, they have so many shops and an emporium and a dry goods store, where you can find ever so many things, so much larger than in town. Have you ever been to Bangor?”

  “Once, passing through, but usually I’ve traveled direct by steamer from Boston.”

  “Boston must be vast,” she said somewhat wistfully.

  “Perhaps you’ll visit some day.”

  “I don’t know. It’s pretty far from Eagle’s Bay.”

  “Oh, nowadays it’s not so far by steamer. Well, come in and have a cup of tea or coffee.”

  “Thank you.” She sobered, looking around. “Is Mrs. Blackstone home?”

  “No. She has gone to the harbor to visit the Allendales.”

  The girl seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Can I help you with the tea? Papa may want coffee.”

  “I have some in the pot here on the side of the stove, and the water’s hot for tea, so you just sit down.”

  As she brewed the tea, there was another knock on the kitchen door and Lizzie rose to answer it. “There you are, Papa. I told Mrs. Keller you’d have a cup of coffee. Would you rather have a cup of tea?”

  “Anything’s fine,” he said as he entered, his glance going at once to Mara. Mara nodded, smiling shyly before turning back to the teapot. “As long as you don’t go to any trouble.”

  “No trouble at all,” she said as Lizzie added, “The coffee’s all ready.”

  Mara watched out of the corner of her eye as Lizzie took her father’s overcoat, gloves, sca
rf and sealskin cap. When he sat at the foot of the kitchen table, Mara brought him a mug of coffee and set the pitcher of cream beside it. “Sugar?”

  He shook his head with a brief smile. “This’ll be fine. Thank you.” He wrapped his large hands around the mug. “Nice to have something hot. It sure is raw outdoors.”

  “How was your trip?” she asked when she took her seat at the other end of the table, making an effort to keep her hands still. Lizzie sat between them with her own teacup and saucer and was busy serving herself a spoonful of sugar. “Aren’t you having any, Mrs. Keller?”

  “In a bit.”

  “I hope we’re not interrupting your work,” Mr. Jakeman said with a nod toward the ironing board.

  “Oh, I have the whole afternoon to work on my pile. I was looking forward to hearing about your trip to Bangor.” It was amazing how good it was to see him. Just looking at his face was like nectar to her parched soul. How could she feel so needy of someone in such a short time?

  His expression was open. She felt with him that the person he presented to the world was the same he was in private. There were no hidden flaws or sins. But she had been fooled before. Her glance went to Lizzie. But this man’s daughter attested to his upright character. She adored her father.

  “It was good. I don’t go in much for shopping and such, but Lizzie had a good time.”

  Mara smiled. “We women usually do. I didn’t realize Christmas will soon be upon us.”

  “Will you be doing anything special for the holidays?” he asked before taking a sip of coffee, continuing to watch her over the rim.

  She looked down at the table. “No. I don’t believe Carina does much but, you know, with Dietrich, I’d like to make the holiday special.”

  “Of course. Children tend to get all worked up at the notion of presents.” His eyes crinkled at the corners.

  She nodded, warmed by the understanding in his eyes.

  “I love Christmas,” Lizzie said. “I usually make all my gifts, and start weeks, sometimes months, in advance, to make sure I have enough time, especially if it means knitting or embroidering something.”

  “Yes, indeed. I really must think about things like that. Not that I have that many people to give gifts to. I haven’t been here that long.”

  “We don’t put much stock in gifts,” Gideon said right away. Was he trying to allay any worry she might have that she had to give them gifts? “Reverend Grayson has a nice service Christmas morning and then Lizzie makes a good dinner. Sarah or one of my brothers always invites us over, but I kind of like to eat Christmas dinner at home. Sometimes, if the weather’s clear, we’ll go and visit afterward.”

  Mara nodded and smiled. Whether he expected a gift or not, she certainly hoped she could give him and Lizzie some little token of her appreciation for all they’d done for her and Dietrich since she’d arrived.

  Gideon drained the last of his coffee. Before Mara could offer him more, or a slice of cake or some of the oatmeal cookies she’d baked, he pushed back from his chair. “Well, I’d better tell you the reason we came by.”

  A reason? She watched, her curiosity growing as he went to his overcoat and drew out a parcel from its capacious pocket. He set the brown-wrapped box in front of her and cleared his throat. “This is for you.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “For me?”

  “Yes.”

  “But it’s not even Christmas,” she attempted to joke to dispel the sense of panic welling up inside of her.

  Gideon didn’t smile. Instead, he averted his gaze, motioning to the parcel. “Why don’t you open it?”

  She looked at it, her heart thumping, then glanced at Lizzie, whose color was high and who was biting her lip as if to keep from smiling. She gestured with her chin, a gesture reminiscent of her father. “Go ahead, it’s not going to bite you.”

  Mara gave a nervous laugh, feeling as if the description were accurate. “Very well.” Gingerly, she reached out and began to untie the string at its top. Her fingers fumbled, with Gideon standing so close to her, observing every move.

  “Here, let me.” He reached out with a jackknife. In a second, he had sliced through the string and slid the package back to her.

  “Th-thank you.” The string fell away as she picked up the box and unfolded the paper from it. She saw the logo of a store name on the top of the box before slowly lifting it. Newspaper filled it within.

  She dug about for the object and lifted it, the newspaper falling away. She saw immediately that it was a teacup. Her heartbeat increased. Could it be—?

  Her breath caught. It was her pattern! But no—

  Gideon saw the moment she realized the cup was not an exact match to her own only because he was watching her so closely. There was a split second where her fine eyebrows drew together a fraction. The next instant her brow cleared and a smile lifted the corners of her lips as she glanced first at him then at Lizzie. “You shouldn’t have. How very thoughtful of you.”

  He cleared his throat. “I know it’s not the same pattern but it was the closest we could find.” A heavy weight settled in the pit of his stomach, a sense of failure filling him.

  She turned her blue eyes to him, her smile bright. “It looks so similar I can hardly tell them apart. Besides, it’s the thought that counts.” Her smile disappeared. “Please tell me you didn’t go all the way to Bangor to replace the cup?”

  Lizzie answered before he had the chance to make some offhand remark about having to do a lot of errands. “That we did. It was Papa’s idea. Oh, but we had so much fun looking in all the stores that sold china. My, I never imagined there could be so many patterns.”

  “Yes, I know.” Mara kept the cup cradled in her hands. “But this one is so pretty. I shall always treasure it, the more knowing it came from you.”

  Lizzie blushed. “The clerk said he didn’t carry that French pattern, but he brought this one out. He said it’s English.”

  She didn’t turn it over to read the bottom. “The English are well-known for their porcelain. It’s probably of finer quality than my set.”

  Lizzie nodded toward the box. “We also got the saucer. The clerk told us they always sell them together.”

  “I’m so sorry to have made you go to the expense.” As she spoke, Mara set down the cup and dug around in the remaining newspaper, carefully bringing out the saucer and unwrapping it. She then placed it on the table with the cup atop it. “It’s truly beautiful. I wish I could repay you somehow.”

  Gideon released a slow breath, afraid for a moment she’d insist on paying for it. He realized she would never be so crass. “You’ve done a lot for us—for Lizzie—already. So, don’t go fretting about repayment.”

  She glanced briefly at him with a small nod then stood from the table. “I’ll pour myself that cup of tea now in celebration.”

  “May we see one of the original cups? It was hard to remember the exact shape with only the small piece we had.” Lizzie looked expectantly at Mara.

  “Oh, I’m sure it looks very similar.”

  Gideon removed the shard he had kept from his pocket. “Here’s the piece I took with me. I wanted to return it to you.”

  She reached out for it, her fingers touching his palm briefly. “I wondered where it had got to.”

  So, she must have tried to glue it back together. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken it without permission. But I knew you were upset that day and I wanted to be able to have something to help me find a replacement.”

  “It was so thoughtful of you,” she murmured, looking downward.

  “Oh, please, Mrs. Keller, may I see one of your cups?”

  Gideon could see Mara was reluctant but at Lizzie’s insistence, she merely gave a nod and left the kitchen with a quiet “Excuse me.”
>
  She returned a moment later with one of the cups from the tea party and set it on the table. Lizzie immediately reached for it and held up both cups side by side. Her expectant face turned into a frown. “It doesn’t have the gold rim around it, and the handle is shaped slightly differently.”

  “But it does look amazingly similar,” Mara countered.

  He knew she was only trying to ease Lizzie’s disappointment. His daughter’s shoulders slumped. “I thought for sure it was the same.”

  Mara put a hand on her shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. What matters to me is that you took so much time and trouble over a simple teacup. It’s just an object, but your thoughtfulness means more than I can say.”

  Gideon hid his own feelings. He didn’t want to prolong the interview any longer, knowing it must be a strain for her to continue reassuring them that the cup was adequate. “Well, we’d better be off. Give our regards to Mrs. Blackstone. Tell Dietrich I missed seeing him. Maybe you could send him over tomorrow.”

  “I certainly shall. I know he’s missed you.”

  Their eyes met briefly at her last words and the question crossed his mind. Had she missed him over the past few days?

  He grabbed his hat and coat from the door, shoving the hat on his head as if it would help displace such a ridiculous question. Why should a fine lady like Mara have missed him? He was as clumsy as an ox and hadn’t even been able to replace her treasured teacup.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Dietrich entered the kitchen and shut the door behind him with a click. Mara smiled at him. He’d finally learned not to slam it behind him. “Hello, there. You look good and healthy.” His cheeks were rosy, his dark hair tousled as he drew off his woolen cap.

  “I was outside with Mr. Jakeman. He took me in his sleigh up into one of the woodlots to show me where he’ll be cutting trees soon with Paul.”

  Mara set down the potato and the paring knife she was holding. “I hope you didn’t ask him to let you accompany him then.”

  Dietrich hung up his coat on the lower hook Mara had placed for him. “I did but he said not this year.”