The Uncharted Beginnings Series Box Set

by Keely Brooke Keith

  “Not all of our efforts go into the orchard. We tend a vegetable patch, catch fish in the stream, and harvested a half-acre of wheat, corn, and potatoes this year. And of course, we have a milk cow, though she hasn’t given much milk these past few weeks.”

  “Neither has ours. Only at the evening milking.”

  “Ours too. She’s completely dry in the mornings.” A faint furrow marked his brow. “Odd.”

  “Do you think?”

  Mr. Vestal glanced at the road toward the village. “Maybe it’s nothing.” After a quiet moment, he shrugged then waved his hand for her to walk with him to the house. “Other than the unreliable cow, we have plenty to eat. Our root cellar is full for winter. We are truly blessed—all of us—to be in this land.”

  She gave the dog a final pat and followed Mr. Vestal to the back of the narrow two-story farmhouse. “You must work from dawn till dusk.”

  “And my wife and children too.” Creases in the skin from the outer corner of his eyes to his temples attested to his age. Wrinkles bespoke maturity on a handsome man but did little to improve the credentials of a middle-aged woman. He lifted his chin to the saplings. “And we must keep working if we want to see the fruit of this orchard. Not just for our family, but for the whole settlement. That is why I cannot allow David to stop for school lessons during the day. He must learn all that I can teach him in the fields. He will have to continue my work should something happen to me.”

  “I never thought of that,” she said as she walked beside him.

  “It’s the same for all of the men in Good Springs. We have an opportunity to build a fine village, but everyone must do his part, including our children, if we expect the settlement to thrive.”

  “I don’t want to put your family or any of the families to hardship by insisting their children attend school. I believe the children will benefit and help the settlement flourish if they can read and write and understand arithmetic.”

  Christopher Vestal nodded. “Reading and writing, yes. It is important that they know how to document, how to read, how to study the scripture, but this will be a bartering society with minimal government and, it appears, no contact with other nations. Right now, life skills are of greatest importance.”

  Olivia raised a finger. “True, but they will need a good understanding of commerce to know if their bartering is fair. If a woman spends a month sewing a quilt, should she trade it for one bushel of your apples?”

  He chuckled at her. “You make a convincing argument.”

  “It is my desire to pass along my knowledge to the next generation as much as it is yours.”

  “Then I shall allow you that much, Miss Owens.” He slowed their pace as they approached the back door of his farmhouse. “For the past two years, I have taught my sons as we went about our days in the fields, and Susanna has taught the girls. We all read together of an evening. We believe the Lord has entrusted their education to us, but there are only twenty-four hours in a day. My wife’s strength has waned since the twins came, and even more so recently. You’ll probably notice when you see her. Most of the housework is left to Hannah until Susanna’s condition improves. I wanted to tell you personally, so that you don’t think me ungrateful for your offer to teach the children. We can only spare the two children who aren’t old enough to work a full day. You understand?”

  “I do.”

  “Go on inside. Wade and Doris will be happy to learn whatever you wish to teach them. I have to get back to my trees.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Olivia hesitated at the door, hoping Susanna Vestal would receive her as kindly as Christopher had.

  She turned the knob and called out before she stepped inside. “Hello?”

  “Mind your footing,” a young voice cautioned from the kitchen. “It’s washday.”

  Olivia stepped through the mudroom, up two creaky steps, and into the kitchen. Two tubs, one with soapy water and one with clear water, were on the floor next to the range. A kettle whistled on the stovetop, and fourteen-year-old Hannah lifted it with a folded dishtowel. “Careful through the puddles.”

  Olivia skirted the tubs. “So sorry to bother your work.”

  “No bother. With twins washday comes twice a week.” Hannah blew a strand of light brown hair off her face as she poured the steaming water into a pot of pre-soaked diapers. “Mother is putting the twins down for their nap upstairs. Wade and Doris have a surprise for you. They saw you walking to the house with Father and are waiting in the parlor. Go in.”

  Olivia tiptoed across the wet kitchen floor and into the slim front room the Vestals were calling a parlor. The two children had arranged footstools for seats and a trunk as a desk. Wade held an open palm to a ledger-sized blackboard on an easel made of sticks.

  Little Doris clapped her fingertips excitedly. “It’s for you, Miss Owens! This is our classroom.”

  “How lovely! And I have something for each of you.” Olivia opened her satchel and produced a reader for each of the children and a copy of The New England Primer for them to share.

  They sat on their footstools, attentive and eager, while Olivia read to them. As she taught, the monster never once threatened to blind her from the page. Letters clearly formed words and the words formed sentences. And as quickly as her vision passed over the words, her mouth formed their sounds.

  Mid-afternoon, as the children read silently, Mrs. Vestal descended the stairs. She stepped with such careful incremental movements that Olivia first thought the twins must have still been napping. But when Susanna reached the bottom of the narrow staircase she stopped and steadied herself with both hands on the wall. She breathed heavily with an open mouth.

  Olivia rushed to her. “Mrs. Vestal, are you all right?”

  Susanna gazed up with bloodshot eyes. “Don’t alarm the children.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered as she took in Susanna’s willowy form and ashen skin. “I will run and get Doctor Ashton.”

  “No.” Susanna grabbed her arm with a weak grip. “There isn’t anything he can do.”

  Olivia glanced back into the parlor at Wade and Doris. They were absorbed in their reading. She lowered her voice. “Would you like me to call Mr. Vestal inside?”

  “No.”

  “Do you have any medicine for your illness?”

  “There is no remedy for my condition.” Susanna peeled her hands from the wall. “There is nothing that can be done for me.”

  Olivia swallowed hard. “Mrs. Vestal, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were ill.”

  “No one knows, except Christopher and Doctor Ashton,” she pressed a palm to her middle, “and I want to keep it that way. Christopher and I are trusting God to heal me.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  Susanna looked at her with pain-filled eyes. “Pray for my comfort. And for the children should the Lord choose to heal me through death.”

  Chapter Five

  Olivia rubbed her throbbing temples and checked the time on the Ashtons’ mantel clock again. The rhythmic banging of Gabe’s hammer resounded through the timber wall of the Ashtons’ kitchen as he helped the doctor and his four sons finish the addition to the house.

  The pounding didn’t distract little Sarah Ashton. She’d either grown used to the construction noise or had nerves of iron. The latter seemed unlikely for an eight-year-old, even an Ashton.

  This was Olivia’s last home to teach in for the week, and she hoped to finish Sarah’s lessons before the men began cutting the hole in the wall for the doorway into the new rooms.

  Sitting beside Sarah at the rectangular kitchen table, Olivia flipped the Bible’s page as her pupil continued copying The Ten Commandments. Sarah’s pencil slowly stroked her tablet for several minutes unabated.

  The hammering stopped. Sarah paused her writing, mid-commandment. She smiled an adorable missing-tooth grin. “They must be done!”

  Olivia tapped the page. “Finish your copy work. I’ll go check.”

  “Our house i
s going to be twice as big as it is now.”

  “That will be very nice for you and your family.”

  Before Olivia reached the front door, it opened. The Ashton men filed into the kitchen, laughing about some construction mishap they had barely avoided. Doctor Ashton wore flannel and suspenders and walked with a slight limp. His trimmed gray beard framed his contented grin as he and Jonah carried saws and hatchets into the house.

  Gabe followed them with his hammer in his hand. When his eyes met Olivia’s, he gave her a sly quarter smile.

  Something stirred inside her and left her feeling vulnerable. She inwardly rebuked the unwelcome sensation and returned her attention to Sarah’s copy work. “Thou shalt not steal… you may stop at the word steal for now. Begin with verse sixteen on your own tomorrow. We will ask your father if you can use the family Bible this week. I must take mine home with me.”

  “I have my own Bible…” Sarah said something else too, but Olivia couldn’t hear her over the men’s voices. The air filled with the smell of sweat and sawdust as the Ashton men moved about the cramped room, discussing their plan for cutting the doorway.

  Olivia closed her Bible and slid it into her satchel. She squatted to be eye-level with Sarah. “I enjoyed my time with you today. You are an excellent student. I look forward to teaching you again next week. Remember to do your copy work and practice your multiplication facts on your slate each day until our next lesson.”

  “I will, Olivia, er, Miss Owens.”

  She stood and smiled down at Sarah. Lifting the strap of her satchel to her shoulder, she got Doctor Ashton’s attention. He met her at the open door. “Not staying to watch the demolition?”

  “Demolition? I thought you were cutting a doorway into the new addition.”

  He winked. “That is my plan, but you never know what might happen with this crew!” He put a hand to her back as he walked outside with her. “How did Sarah do today?”

  “Quite well. My mother always spoke of the Ashton intelligence, and I believe Sarah is continuing the tradition.” She squinted from the bright noon sunlight. “I had hoped James would join us today.”

  Doctor Ashton nodded. “He has worked with Gabriel on the house addition from the beginning and was eager to help finish it. I will make sure he is at the table and ready for you next week.”

  “Thank you.” Olivia took a step away then halted. “Doctor Ashton, may I ask you something?”

  “Of course.” He tilted his head. “What is it?”

  She glanced behind him into the house. Gabe had hung a plumb line and was marking the wall. The others were gathered around him, ready with their chisels and mallets. Sarah was standing on a kitchen chair to watch. Still, Olivia kept her volume down. “It’s about Mrs. Vestal.”

  “What about Susanna?”

  “She isn’t well. When I was at their house on Monday, she could barely walk down the stairs. Her skin was a sickly color and she looked very thin. She didn’t tell me her exact condition, but I fear it is serious. She said you have seen her about it. Is there nothing to be done for her?”

  “I cannot discuss a patient’s condition with you.” Doctor Ashton crossed his arms. “Do you believe she is in immediate danger?”

  “I don’t know, but you should go see her soon.”

  “Did Susanna ask you to tell me this?”

  “No, but—”

  “Did Christopher?”

  “No.”

  Doctor Ashton drew a long breath. “Olivia, I understand you are concerned, and it’s out of compassion that you want Susanna to have more medical attention, but her utmost concern at this stage is privacy. She and Christopher are hoping for a full recovery, and she doesn’t want to be thought of as sickly.”

  “Can you at least tell me what is wrong with her?”

  “I cannot.”

  “She said no one knows except for Mr. Vestal and you. If her situation is terminal, the community should know.”

  “I must abide by my patient’s wishes. That is part of being a professional.” Doctor Ashton scratched his bearded cheek. “At every turn in this school debate, I have voted in your favor. I have kept the matter of your reading difficulties private so they wouldn’t deny you the chance to teach. Take care that you don’t use your profession to spread private matters throughout the village. As people let you into their homes, you must understand they are not only trusting you with their children’s education but also with their privacy. You must behave accordingly.”

  “If Susanna is dying, the church should be informed so they can pray for her. The ladies in the village should be given a chance to help her family, to take over what work they could, to comfort the Vestal children. The children should know if their mother is dying.”

  “Dear girl, we are all dying,” he patted her arm to calm her, “but rarely do we live like it.”

  Olivia’s shoulders slumped unable to bear the weight of a secret so heavy. Hot tears blurred her vision and she looked away.

  He lifted her chin in the tender fatherly way he did when she was little and she went to him afraid the disappearing words meant something was wrong with her vision. Assurance filled his gentle voice now just as it had back then. “God will give you the strength you need for this. You might be the only woman Susanna Vestal trusts during this time. If she makes any requests of you, do your best to help her.”

  “I will.”

  Doctor Ashton nodded sympathetically. As he turned to walk back into his house, Gabe stepped outside. His gaze fell on Olivia, and his expression changed. He held up an ax and looked at Doctor Ashton. “I’m going to the workshop to sharpen this. Don’t let your sons start hacking into that wall while I’m gone.”

  Olivia walked to the road while the doctor’s chuckle rang out. She covertly wiped a tear from her cheek, hoping Gabe hadn’t noticed.

  Footsteps approached rapidly as he caught up to her. “Are you in a hurry to get to your next lesson?”

  “No.” The knot in her throat had yet to loosen. All she could think of was Mrs. Vestal’s condition and the children. “I have to go home.” Her voice cracked, betraying her sadness, but she barreled ahead.

  Gabe kept up. “What’s wrong, Liv?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t say.”

  “You can tell me.”

  “No, I can’t. I’m not allowed.”

  He breathed deeply as if he were about to speak. She almost faced him but didn’t want him to see her red eyes. She shifted the weight of her book-filled satchel and immediately felt a hand under the strap.

  Gabe lifted it from her shoulder.

  “That’s a first.” His voice warmed.

  The inviting tone made her angle her chin toward him. “What is?”

  “Letting me carry your books.”

  “I don’t recall you ever trying before.”

  “I’m sure I tried when we were in school.”

  “No. I would remember that.”

  “Hm.” Gabe drew his head back a degree. “I didn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I should have. I know I wanted to.”

  “No need to apologize. As I recall you were too busy teasing us girls to bother with chivalry.”

  He laughed easily. “Yes, when we were very young, that was true, but not once we were older. In fact, I remember wanting to carry your books and walk you home during my last year of school, but you were usually too pensive and prickly to get near.”

  She grinned at his accurate description. Years of hiding her word blindness and listening to Peggy Cotter tell her the boys mocked her probably had made her prickly. Now as a teacher, it was even more important that she hide her impairment. And she wasn’t so sure she could believe Peggy’s commentary anymore, but she could try to ignore it for the sake of friendship.

  Those things might never change, yet Gabe had the ability to make her feel better in a few minutes after she had endured a week of difficulty. She glanced up at him. “I am sorry. My prickles were not
intended to hurt you.”

  “Nor was my teasing.” He caught her eye. “Whatever happened today at the Ashtons’, I want to help.”

  As they walked along the road, the thick foliage of the tall and sturdy gray leaf trees blocked the sun. “That is kind of you, but nothing happened today. The Ashtons are wonderful.”

  Gabe’s brow knit in concentration. “Then perhaps you are dreading wherever you must go to teach next. Are you off to the Colburns’ or the Fosters’ this afternoon?”

  “Neither. I’m keeping Thursday afternoons open for the Colburns, but for now they want to teach their children themselves. And Benjamin wants to be in the pasture with his father, so I’m not going to the Fosters’ house either.”

  “Then was it something your family did yesterday?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “My siblings’ lessons were the easiest so far, probably because I know what to expect with them. Except Richie kept playing with our mother’s freshly sharpened sewing scissors.”

  Gabe chortled. “Yes, what is Richie’s fascination with cutting things?”

  Olivia shrugged. “Maybe it’s a case of boys will be boys?”

  “Fair enough,” Gabe said, returning to his investigation in the lighthearted way that drew her in. “Did something happen at the Roberts’ house Tuesday morning or with my family that afternoon? Did my naughty siblings hurt your feelings?”

  “No, no. Although, it sounds as if you have been tracking my movement through the village.”

  “I have committed your teaching schedule to memory.” He hooked his thumb in the strap of the satchel and smiled. “I thought if I caught you between lessons, you would let me carry your books. It is my contribution to the furtherance of formal education in the settlement of Good Springs.”

  She laughed at his goofy grin. “You are ridiculous.”

  “And now you are teasing me.”

  “I’m sorry. I suppose I still have my prickles. It’s been a trying week. And not just in one way. There are many… problems.”

  “I care about you, Liv. I don’t want to see you upset.” Gabe stopped walking. “If you can’t tell me what that was about with Doctor Ashton, can you tell me about the other difficulties?”