Chapter 12 #2
Dawn attempted to mask her disappointment, but her shoulders sagged without her consent.
“Mrs. Abbott plans to teach me how to bake bread over the open fire.” Her mouth pressed into a line as she removed the bacon skillet from the flame and moved the plate to a towel on the table.
While it was satisfying to learn a new skill to help her provide for her family, it was bittersweet.
It seemed that she spent as much time with Mrs. Abbott as she did her new husband.
And despite the small, loving gestures Dawn and Jacob shared, it seemed they were both still holding back, not yet giving of themselves fully.
“Try not to be out too long?” Dawn moved to Jacob and leaned into him, giving him a coy smile.
Jacob let out a hearty chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her. “You know I will not be too long.”
Dawn laughed and nestled her head into his chest, grounding herself in the strong, steady heartbeat that echoed in her ear.
Thank You, God, for my husband. Please help me to be grateful for his presence in my life and for the many blessings You have provided for us here at Bryan’s Station.
But please help us find a way to bridge this gap between us.
At length, she pulled herself from his embrace and retrieved the pan of biscuits from the fireplace. “Here. Have a bite to eat before you head out.”
Dawn prepared a plate for Jacob and herself before she wrapped a biscuit and bacon in a piece of cloth and set it aside for Mary.
She took a moment to eat with Jacob prior to his departure, then hurried through cleaning up the dishes.
Finally, she was able to collect the food for Mary and head toward Mr. Fairfax’s cabin.
She hurriedly crunched across the dry summer grass between the two cabins. Then she knocked on the door.
When the door swung open, Mary’s face broke into a giant grin. “Dawn!” She wrapped her arms around Dawn’s legs. Her excitement at seeing Dawn never seemed to waver, no matter how often she came by.
“I am sure you have already eaten, but I brought you bacon and a biscuit. Ready to go to Mrs. Abbott’s?”
Mary nodded and silently accepted the cloth with that sweet look of contentment she so often carried.
The cloth fell open around her little hand, and she ate as they walked.
Together, they made their way across the fort to the second building on the right.
Outside, Sarah and Abraham, the two youngest, played marbles on the porch.
The twins were a year older than Mary, and both bore the same raven-black hair and chocolate-brown eyes Mrs. Abbott said was inherited from their father.
A cacophony of noise drifted through the open door.
“Me play?”
“Of course, dear.” Dawn accepted Mary’s half-eaten food and dropped a kiss on top of her head.
Then she chuckled as Mary scampered around behind Abraham and knelt down, eye level with the glass marbles.
Dawn lingered for a moment to watch the joy on her face before she stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the doorframe.
“Come on in, honey,” Mrs. Abbott called.
When Dawn walked into the cabin, she was met by a flurry of activity.
“Stand still, or I am going to stick you with the pin,” Rachel, the eldest, admonished Ruth, who stood in a chair with a new blouse pieced together across her top.
The eleven-year old who carried her mother’s sandy-brown hair and hazel eyes seemed to suddenly tame the ants in her pants.
“Come, come.” Mrs. Abbott motioned Dawn past the two girls to where she stood at the table beside the fireplace. “Perfect timing. This one is ready to go in. I need you to move a scoop of coals over to the hearth there.” She pointed.
Dawn went to the hearth and picked up the metal scoop.
Digging into the bright orange coals, she scooped up a portion of them and moved them over to a clear section on the stone hearth.
“Next, we set this on top.” Mrs. Abbott carried the baking kettle over to the hearth and settled it on top of the coals.
“The legs will keep it from burning, and now, we need another scoop of coals on top of the lid.”
Mrs. Abbot never seemed to think twice about Dawn’s deformity, assuming she could complete any task she handed to her.
And for that, Dawn was grateful. She scooped another portion of the hot coals and carefully scattered them atop the lid.
“Perfect.” Mrs. Abbott beamed. “And last but not least, add a scoop of ashes on top.”
The woman did not wait and watch for the task to be completed, but simply moved on to the next item that needed her attention.
Dawn added the scoop of ashes on top while the matron saw that the construction of the blouse was being handled appropriately by her eldest daughter.
“Good. Good work,” she praised the fourteen-year-old as she looked it over.
Rachel released a small smile, her own chocolate-brown eyes warming as she continued working, her black hair curled into a neat bun at the back of her head.
“Now, Dawn, let us prepare the next loaf while that one is baking.” She moved back over to the table. “You did bring Mary with you?”
“Yes. She is out playing with Sarah and Abraham.”
“Wonderful.” Mrs. Abbott stopped and gave her a genuine grin, the skin around her eyes and lips crinkling as she did so. “I do so love to see the children getting on with one another so well.”
“Me too.” Dawn pushed a smile onto her face.
Life did seem easier when she was working alongside Mrs. Abbot and Mary was happily playing.
But without her marriage having been consummated, she felt as though she was building a foundation on shifting sand.
What was causing Jacob to hold back? Despite their declaration of a shared desire for a life together, she could not seem to bring herself to broach the subject.
And though Mary was still in their lives, it was not enough. No matter how Dawn pretended during the day, her heart was torn each and every time she had to leave Mary with Edmund.