Chapter 14: Part 13

Anne ran the whole way home, the cheese in its wrapping clutched tightly in one hand. It was nearly dark now, the last rays of the sun glowing red over the gentle hills.

She slowed down to a walk before entering the house. Closing the door behind her, she went to work. Giggles from Lizzie, Jane, and Maria came from the loft, but she paid them no mind.

Anne hummed to herself as she sliced bread onto a plate and put the cheese in a pewter bowl. She set the bowl on the rack in the fireplace that served a oven to melt it just as the door opened and everybody came in- that is, everyone older than twelve. The Jones girls were missing.

More laughter came from the loft as Katherine came towards Anne while Iain and Mary chatted rapid fire with Emma.

"What can I do to help?" she asked, her voice soft and kind. She smiled softly. "Their talk ... well, it intimidates me a bit."

"I'm nearly done," replied Anne quietly with a small, worried smile. "But thank you."  Katherine nodded and looked out the window with her pretty dark eyes taking it all in. Anne removed the bubbling cheese from the fireplace with a towel wrapped around her hands, but even so, the scorching heat from the pewter nearly burnt her hand. She recovered quickly, but waited a moment before pouring the contents onto the bread slices and putting the bread into the fire.

The bread and the cheese toasted together in just a few minutes, and Katherine stepped towards the shelf that held the plates before Anne could. Smiling, Katherine handed Anne the dishes.

Gratefully, Anne took them. "Thank you," she said again, setting them down and going to the box of cutlery that lay by the stove. She picked out enough forks for each of them- eight in all. There was just enough for everyone. Enough forks, thought Anne, but not enough time for work and school.

She stopped laying the table for a moment. "Where on earth did that come from?" she mumbled to herself.

"Pardon?"

Blushing, Anne turned towards Katherine. "I'm sorry. I just- I suppose I didn't mean to say it loudly."

The dark- haired young woman smiled. "Oh, I do it all the time," she said. "When you think it's in your mind, but it's not? You say it out loud?" She gave a slight chuckle as Anne took dinner out of the 'oven'. "I was at school once,"-There it was. School. Anne's heart lurched. "- when I was maybe seven years old. The schoolmistress was lecturing us about our geography examinations, and I was incredibly bored. In my head I thought, 'Isn't this so dull? Who cares where California is?'" Katherine's brown eyes were lost in nine years past. "But I hadn't thought it- I had said it out loud! And not quietly, either." She laughed again, a light sound that seemed infectious. Anne's lips formed a smile as she tried to imagine Katherine saying that, but she couldn't. "It was the only time I've ever been given a punishment in school. Poor Miss Durham- the whole class was in stitches."

Anne laughed, but it didn't reach her eyes.What is wrong with you? she asked herself. Katherine noticed immediately. "Have I said something?" she asked. Anne shook her head. Emma butted in.

"You've been... well, I'm not sure how to describe it." She paused, searching for the right word. "Odd. Worried." She looked Anne in the face. "What's wrong? And it's something, too. Don't deny it, Anne."

Anne sighed and the drew a deep breath. Two little brown heads appeared over the edge of the loft. "Lizzie- Jane- I don't want you to fall and hit your head," she told them. "If you'd like to see, come here." The faces disappeared, then Lizzie and Jane came happily down the loft ladder.

Mary started tapping an impatient foot. "You're sta-lling," she sang.

It all came out at once- how she had gone into the shop alone and how nosy the storekeeper had been. "...And then she told me I had to be at school t'morrow." finished Anne.

Iain shrugged. "Well, go, then," he said nonchalantly. "And how about you take Lizzie and Jane with you? We can do the chores here alone, can't we?" Everyone nodded, Lizzie and Jane included. The two girls looked at one another happily.

Feeling as though an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders, Anne motioned for everyone to sit at the table. "Supper's ready," she said, a little breathlessly, but smiling.

She sat for prayer when everyone else did, and Iain offered the prayer. When it was over and the 'amen' had echoed throughout the cottage, Anne put a piece of rarebit on a plate and handed it to Lizzie. "Take this to your sister," she whispered. Lizzie jumped up to do so.

"When was the last time we had a rarebit?" said Mary, taking an enormous bite out of hers.

"Mary," groaned Anne. Mary shot her a death glare and continued to stuff her face.

"I've never had this before," Katherine said, "but it's very good- what did you call it?"

"It's a Welsh Rarebit," replied Emma before Anne could open her mouth. Normally it's Sunday fare, but here we are eatin' it on a weekday..." Everyone laughed at Emma's mock displeased tone.

When dinner was over and the dishes washed, Iain and Katherine gathered their coats.

"Where are you going?" asked Emma, confused.

"We're staying in town t'night- but we'll be back in thr morning," replied Iain. Mary snorted.

"Good- there's not enough room in this cottage for any more people," she scoffed. Iain laughed, and Mary looked like she had been scalded. "What's funny?" she demanded. The whole room was giggling now. "What's so amusing to you? What did I say?"

Refusing to answer her question, Iain opened the door, taking Katherine by the arm, and walking out. "Goodnight," he called, still laughing.

As Anne closed the door, Mary was furious. Jane was confused. "What was funny?" she asked, her head cocked like a puppy's.

"Nothing," said Emma, brushing her hair. "But when Iain laughs, doesn't it just make you want to laugh along with him?"

*          *          *

Anne woke up when the rooster crowed, as per usual, and immediately set about doing her chores. First, after dressing and plaiting her hair, she had three dinners to prepare- one for Jane, one for Lizzie, and one for herself. She put bread and butter in the pails, and a slice of cheese for each of them. Breakfast was easy- she set oatmeal to cooking and then went out to feed the chickens, because, oddly enough, Emma was still asleep.

When she came back in, both of her sisters, Jane, and Lizzie, were awake. Immediately, she went up to the loft to see Maria. Sitting by the bed, she could see that the brown eyes were closed, but the cheeks were no longer flushed and hot. Anne smiled, knowing that Maria was perfectly healthy now, just tired, and she softly brushed a dark curl off the girl's face.

"Anne?" The small voice seemed to come from nowhere. Anne turned to see Lizzie standing on the ladder, holding a white ribbon in her hand. "Can you braid my hair? Emma's doing Jane's."

"Of course," replied Anne. "Come here, lassie." Lizzie scrambled up the ladder. Quickly, Anne twisted the girl's brown waves into a tight braid down her back, surprised to see that the plait reached Lizzie's tiny girlish waist. She tied it with the ribbon. "There," she said, satisfied.

"Not even Mama ever braided that fast," gaped the girl, her dark eyes starting to tear up, creating silver rims along the bottom of her eyes. She blinked, and they were gone. "Let's go now- please?"

Anne laughed lightly. "It's not even seven o'clock yet, Lizzie," she whispered so as not to wake Maria, starting down the ladder. As she descended, she heard humming- but  it wasn't Emma, it was Mary, terribly off-key, but Anne saw a chance and took it."Thomas on your mind, Mary?"

The humming abruptly stopped, and Mary's eyes looked accusingly towards Anne. "No," she said hotly. "Those ditch-diggers haven't even asked to use the outhouse as of late, let alone had a conversation with me."

Anne chuckled as she spooned out oatmeal. Mary just glowered.

As Emma sat tightly braiding little Jane's hair, a knock came at the door, and Anne set down the pot and ran to open it. It was Iain and Katherine. Mary immediately went to talking with her brother, though they had talked a long while just the night before.

"I get to go to school today," Jane said in all her seven- year old- glory. Katherine smiled and came to sit by the little girl, wrapping her arms around her knees like a child.

"Aren't you excited?" she asked. Jane nodded emphatically with an enormous grin on her face. "What's it like?" asked the little girl. Emma tied off the second braid and got up, but Jane stayed on the floor with Katherine.

"Well- you go, and you learn, all about everything!- You learn to read, and write, and do sums, and, oh, so many things!" Katherine acted like schoolgirl herself.

Anne pushed bowls of oatmeal towards everyone. "Eat," she said a little breathlessly. "Jane- Lizzie- we'll have to go soon." The girls nodded, already eating.

When she and the two girls had finished, although everyone else was still eating, Anne put her bowl in the sink. Jane and Lizzie followed suit. "We've got to leave," she said. We'll see you later."She picked up the pail that held their dinners, and her hat, and held the door open. The two girls marched outside after grabbing their sunbonnets.

"Goodbye!" they called in unison, waving. A chorus of farewells came from inside.

They walked through the spring day happily. There wasn't a single cloud to be seen, and though it was a bit chilly, the sun shone on the thin layer of snow that dusted the ground, making it sparkle. Galway had its charms, but it was nothing compared to this.

It did not take them long to reach the town of Running creek, and the schoolhouse was in the center of the tiny settlement. Children played outside- boys climbing trees and running about, girls playing ring-around-the-rosy or with dolls. The children stood there, on the road, unnoticed, before Anne took a deep breath and walked into the schoolyard.

Hello, lovely readers! I hope you're all still liking this. If you are, please recommend it! I love you all. Thank you so much for your comments and votes!!!

A few notes- The town of Running Creek is fictional, but it is based off of the adorable little town of Elizabeth that I've visited a few times. Running Creek is in the same spot Elizabeth is, although Elizabeth wasn't settled until the 1880s. The MacEilan farm is by where the high school in Elizabeth is, and on the edge of their imagined property is a little creek called- surprise- Running Creek.

Also, don't you guys just ADORE Katherine? I love her a ton.

Remember to vote and comment!

~Megan