AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After fixing the damage the kitten had done, Cassandra stuck her head into the house. “I’m going to go pick berries again. Cameron was so happy to eat those pies yesterday.”
“Cameron will soon be begging for more pies, and the berries will be gone. We’ll have to can some pie filling and some jams. That might keep his sweet tooth happy for a little while.”
“I’ll go every day until the berries are gone.”
“By the time those berries are gone for the season, we’ll be able to pick choke cherries and huckleberries. He doesn’t care what I feed him as long as there’s sugar involved.”
Cassandra smiled. “Then I’m off to make my husband happy with sweets.”
As she started for the berry patch, the kitten followed along behind her. The poor baby was getting sleepy, so Cassandra picked her up and tucked her into her apron pocket. There was no better place for the kitten.
While she was picking berries, the kitten climbed out of her pocket and dropped to the ground, running in circles and chasing anything that moved, which seemed to be mainly crickets. Cassandra was highly entertained while she worked, loving the way the kitten played and played.
Once the basket was full, she put the kitten back in her pocket for the walk back to the house. The little critter had worn herself out and was sleeping on a patch of grass. She was certainly a handful.
Back at the house, she gave her mother-in-law the basket of berries, and got herself some water. “I should have had a full glass before I left for the berries. Now I’m really thirsty,” she said. Of course, she was also really happy. She had a kitten, she was working outdoors, and her husband made her body sing. What else could a woman want from life?
“Can I help you make the noon meal?” Cassandra asked.
“No, you may not. You are to sit at the table and tell me about the children you cared for before you came here.”
“Oh, that’s a sad story,” Cassandra said. “The mother believed that for a child to be truly intelligent, which is what she wanted for her boys, they must spend all their time in scholarly pursuits. I was to play games with them that made them think. They were to read, or I was to read to them. No out of doors were allowed. I have no idea why she was that way, but the boys were miserable.”
“Did you ever ask her why?”
“Of course, I did. She said she wanted her boys to grow up to be lawyers like their father, and she knew they would need to spend a great deal of time studying to be capable of such a profession. Their father begged her to let them play with other children, but the answer was always no. I even taught them. They weren’t allowed to go to a school with other children because then their mother wouldn’t be in complete control of every minute of their days. It was sad.”
Mrs. Royal shook her head. “So, the boys were never allowed to play outside at all?”
“No. I was their nursemaid but also their governess. I worked with both boys from the time they were born. They were both reading at three, which is amazing, but think of all the hours they weren’t making mudpies to make that happen. So hard.”
The kitten jumped up on the table and yelled in Cassandra’s face once again. “Are you hungry again?”
“How on earth do you know what that means?”
Cassandra shrugged. “I’m really not sure, but I know she’s hungry. Would you mind if I made her a couple of eggs? Or is there any bacon left from breakfast?”
“There’s a little bacon. I was going to use it for sandwiches for lunch, but you can take some of it. We’ll still have enough to feed the three of us.”
“Where is it?” Cassandra asked, getting to her feet.
“In the oven staying a little warm. I like to do a light meal for our midday meal, and then I fix something heavier at night. It works better for us. Cameron hates to spend a long time eating while he’s in the middle of his workday.”
“I understand. My father was the same way. He liked to have a big breakfast, a small noon meal, and then a large supper. He said it worked better for him.”
“It sounds like you’re close to your father.”
Cassandra nodded. “As the oldest, I’d follow him around helping him plant and harvest. I spent more time on my hands and knees pulling weeds than I did doing anything else in the summers. Then when my younger brother was old enough, I had to stay at home and help my mother. But she found me difficult, so she’d send me outside to work on her garden. It worked well for both of us.”
“Why did she find you difficult?”
Cassandra set the bacon into the same bowl the kitten had used for her eggs that morning. As soon as Minnie saw it, she hurried to the food and ate noisily, gobbling it quickly. “Because I wanted to be outside and not inside sewing or cooking. I never cared to learn those things. I mean, I can sew a straight seam, but I hate it. I can cook a meal, but I’d rather grow the food to make that meal.”
“And you made your feelings known, I suppose.”
“Always. So, she’d send me outside to get me to be quiet. It worked well for both of us.”
Mrs. Royal sliced the fresh bread she’d made while Cassandra was out working on the garden and picking berries. “Cameron will be home any minute for his noon meal. I hope you’re ready to watch food disappear quickly.”
