Word Count: 60,052
Summary of Events:
Samuel was grateful when he woke up to find Verbena hadn't wet the bed, he then left her to keep sleeping and went downstairs to make the only breakfast he knew, oatmeal porridge; the girls were reticent, but ate as much as their stomachs could take, while Kelly got furious that Samuel had neglected to make coffee and threw his porridge in Samuel's face. Charlotte ran some errands for her mother, which included a stop at the post office, where she was delighted to find a letter had come from Violet. Samuel, having confiscated most of Kelly's money for safekeeping, sat with Kelly at the saloon until the little money he'd left Kelly ran out, Kelly then headed home of his own volition — to look for more money — and Samuel followed him casually . . .
Excerpt of the Day:
As Kelly continued on homeward, Samuel turned off to the Annesley home and knocked at the door.
The door was opened after a moment, but not by Mrs. Annesley — or Ella; instead it was opened by a beautiful young woman with alluring blue eyes, golden blonde hair held back neatly, and an appealing figure.
“May I help you sir?” she asked.
“I’ve come to get Ella and Verbena,” Samuel replied uncertainly.
“Oh, then I guess you should come in,” she said. “They’re helping Theodora and I make some cinnamon rolls.”
Samuel nodded, the tantalising smell of the sweet confection already prompting his tongue to start swimming in saliva.
He followed the lovely young woman inside and all the way back to the kitchen where he found Ella in a small apron with flour dusted all over her standing on a chair along the kitchen worktable while Verbena sat quietly on the table itself, watching as Mrs. Annesley expertly sliced the long roll of dough into approximately uniform lengths, which the young woman took and stood on end on the waiting pan.
“We’re making cinnamon rolls Uncle SJ!” Ella cried delightedly.
“I know, I was told,” Samuel replied.
“Mrs. Violet told you?” Ella asked.
Samuel nodded, looking over at the young woman with a twinge of disappointment on the heels of his niece’s comment. Mrs. Violet? She was married?
As he watched her hands move he saw that Ella’s statement was true: a slim gold wedding band wrapped around the young woman’s left ring finger. She was taken already.
“Hello,” Mrs. Annesley said. “Would you like to stay to dinner?”
“We wouldn’t want to impose,” Samuel said.
“It wouldn’t be imposition at all,” Mrs. Annesley replied. “There will easily be enough for everyone.”
“Can’t we please Uncle SJ?” Ella asked.
“Well, Kelly’s already at home so, no,” Samuel replied.
Ella looked downcast, and Verbena’s big blue eyes looked ready to shed some tears.
“Maybe–”
Loud, heavy knocking at the door cut Samuel off. Mrs. Annesley dusted her hands on her apron and headed out of the kitchen. Samuel followed her out of the room and watched as she advanced to the door and opened it.
Dishevelled and honestly weary-looking, Kelly stood in the doorway.
“Do you have a couple dollars I could borrow Mrs. Annesley?” Kelly asked, his voice slightly slurred.
“No,” Mrs. Annesley replied. “But I do have a large beef roast in the oven and I’ll be boiling up the potatoes right away. Your girls and I are presently making cinnamon rolls.”
Kelly made salivary sounds, suggesting the offer of food tantalised him.
“If you’d like you can stay to dinner,” Mrs. Annesley offered.
“I think I will,” Kelly said, nodding.
“Well then come in,” Mrs. Annesley said. “It will be some time yet, Watson’s not yet closed the store, but I’m sure you can enjoy the company of your brother-in-law.”
Samuel sighed, disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to get to know this Mrs. Violet any more.
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