Chapter Six
“Why do I need to help?” whined Minnie.
“Because I said so.” Kate let out a tired sigh.
Mr. and Mrs. Kerwyn had left for a whole week for Des Moines to attend the wedding of Mrs. Kerwyn’s cousin Estelle.
Kate could count on one hand the number of times her parents had left the farm overnight; only the fact that Estelle was “like a sister” to Mrs. Kerwyn had induced them to attend.
Up until the minute they finally drove away, Mrs. Kerwyn had still been of two minds as to the prudence of such a trip.
After all, it was still winter, she fretted, and more than once declared that she had never heard of someone getting married in February.
Mr. Kerwyn, however, who would have gladly given their regrets when the invitation had first arrived—refused to abandon the journey, having already made all the arrangements.
Eventually, he had managed to get his wife into the car, but only after she had tearfully embraced each of the children and given the hundredth repetition of everything that had to be done while they were away.
The running of the farm was left to Edmund, while the inside duties, which included caring for Minnie, were distributed between Louisa and Nettie and Kate.
Of course Louisa did little besides lie on the sofa and read magazines, and Nettie, by virtue of having a job in town, promptly declared herself exempt despite the fact that working at Ben’s Bakery took only a few hours a day.
“Finish drying those and then you can go,” Kate said sternly.
“You’re not my mom!” Minnie whined.
“No, but I’m in charge of you.”
“No, you’re not! Louisa is!” Minnie stuck her tongue out at Kate and ran from the room.
Kate felt her pulse rising. Minnie could really be a pill sometimes.
Mrs. Kerwyn had had her late in life—maybe a little too late, as the last of Mrs. Kerwyn’s energy seemed to have gone into the growing of the baby, so much so that when Minnie was finally born, there was little left over to actually mother her.
Indeed, Minnie was being raised in a haphazard sort of way and, consequently, was spoiled rotten.
She was much too much under the influence of Louisa and Nettie, who thought it amusing to goad Minnie into precociousness.
Kate picked up the flour sackcloth Minnie had tossed and began drying the dishes, gritting her teeth at the memory of what she herself had been expected to do at eleven—weeding the garden, plucking chickens, canning corn, ironing clothes, and any number of chores Minnie had never been made to do.
Kate carefully lifted a stack of plates back into the cupboard, her mind again straying to the Espos.
Her real family. Or her supposed family, anyway.
There was no proof she was connected to this Espo family, but it did make her wonder.
Had her father really been a miner? Well, what was wrong with that?
She picked up a mug and began wiping it.
But if they were in Shullsburg, why would they not have come back to look for her?
And why had the Kerwyns not tried harder to find them?
After all, they had plenty of children of their own.
Had they just kept her to be their servant?
Kate knew that was unfair, though Louisa and Nettie were horribly lazy.
The front door banged, which was odd, as they all used the back door, even Edmund. Surely he wasn’t tromping through the front room with muddy boots? She turned to scold him but then abruptly stopped—
It was not Edmund in the kitchen doorway, it was Ray, his muscular body filling the space. Kate’s first instinct was to flee out the back door, but she stood her ground, as she had painstakingly schooled herself over the years not to cower in front of him.
“What are you doing here?” Kate wiped her hands on her apron.
“Is that any way to greet your big brother?” His face held his usual sly grin. She hated his sly grin. She imagined he reserved it only for her to remind her of her shame.
“Hey, Ray!” It was a male voice. “Where should I put this stuff?”
Ray turned. “Just throw it there. We can take it upstairs later.”
Kate heard the thump of something being dropped and then a young man with greasy blond hair entered the kitchen.
“Who we got here?” he asked with a smirk as he looked Kate up and down. Several of his teeth were missing.
“This is my sister, Kate.”
The young man gave a look of surprise. “Your sister?” His eyes darted between them. “Don’t look anything like each other.”
“She’s adopted.”
“Ah!” He turned his gaze back at her appreciatively. “Not blood then?”
“Nope.”
“Who are you?” Kate forced her hands to her hips.
“Name is Lee.”
“Lee’s going to be stayin’ with us for a while. Least until Mom and Dad get back.”
Kate was about to protest when she heard feet pound down the stairs.
“Ray? Is that you?” Louisa called and burst into the room. She embraced him tightly. “What are you doing home?”
Ray gave a little shrug. “I quit.”
Lee guffawed. “No, he didn’t. He got fired!”
Ray elbowed him. “Shut up, Lee.” He looked back at Louisa. “Doesn’t matter whether I quit or got fired. The point is, I’m back! Got anything to eat around here?” He peered around the kitchen. “We’re starving.”
Louisa looked at Kate expectantly. “You heard him, Kate! Get them something to eat.”
“Why don’t you?” Kate retorted.
“I have a terrible headache! You know that. Or were you not listening to me before?” She pulled out a chair and sat down. “Sit down, Ray. And Lee, is it? Tell us all the news from town!”
Kate, bristling with fury, retreated to the icebox.
It would be better, she guessed, to appease them than to fight them.
She removed the meatloaf she had made last night and cut some slices.
Not very carefully, she placed them between slices of white bread, topped each with ketchup, and carried them to the table.
“Thanks!” Lee said eagerly and took a huge bite. Ray, however, didn’t even look at her, as if she were a nameless servant. He was constantly doing that, turning his attention on and off so that she never knew what to expect, which succeeded in keeping her always on edge.
“Not much goin’ on in town that I know of.” Ray took a bite. “Not much goes on down at Ruby’s. Not with all the dregs that shack up there.”
“Hey!” Lee said, his mouth full, “I live there! I’m not a dreg.”
“Well, everyone ‘cept you and me, then.” He winked at Louisa and took another bite. “You know what I was thinking? I was thinking we should have a little party.”
“A party!” Louisa exclaimed. “Oh, what a good idea!”
Kate’s stomach lurched. A party was the last thing her parents would want, nor did she think she could endure another crowd of people so soon after the potluck.
“Who should we invite?” Louisa asked eagerly.
“Couple of boys from the mill.” He shrugged. “It don’t have to be big.”
“How about the Crawfords?” Louisa suggested. “They’re new in town, so maybe this would be a good way for them to meet people.”
“The Crawfords? You mean the ones that have been staying with those two pansies above the Merc? I don’t know. They seem full of themselves. They wouldn’t want to come to a farmhouse party. All we got is hooch, basically.”
“You’re wrong!” Louisa insisted. “They’re not like that at all! I talked to them for an age at the potluck. You’d like Henry. He’s a good laugh.”
“Well, alright.” Ray shrugged again. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“Are you two crazy?” Kate finally spoke up. “Mom and Dad would not want us to have a party. Louisa, think. You know this.”
“Don’t be such a stick-in-the-mud, Kate! It’s not like we’re doing any harm. Are you worried about the extra work? All you ever think about is yourself.”
Kate ignored the jab, but her stomach continued to roil.
It wasn’t just that her parents would be mad if they had a party, Mr. Kerwyn would be furious that Ray was here at all.
And even though Ray claimed the party would be small, she had a feeling it would quickly get out of hand.
And to invite the likes of Henry and Mary Crawford, with their elegant clothes and fine manners?
It was bad enough that they had been invited to the Potluck in the church basement, but to have them here?
Kate glanced around the kitchen, trying to see it through their eyes. It would be too awful!
Kate undid her apron and tossed it on the counter. “Well, you do what you want, but I’m not going to be a part of it.”
“Don’t then!” Louisa called as she banged up the stairs. “No one wants you, anyway!”
***
By the very next day, everyone except Kate was excitedly preparing. For once, Louisa and Nettie were in the kitchen preparing food.
Kate cringed at what her mother would say when she found out they were taking things from the last of their winter stock in the cellar.
Kate was trying her best to remain in her room, only venturing out to make lunch for herself and Minnie, who was determined to disobey her as well.
Despite having been told to stay in her bedroom, the girl was laughing and running around downstairs.
Trapped as she was, albeit by her own hand, Kate decided to attempt work on her baskets.
She had done little with them since she had returned from the badger hole.
First it had been her illness that had prevented her, and, then, when she had recovered sufficiently enough to turn her mind to them again, there was no good place to lay out her supplies without them getting in the way.
That, and the fact that Minnie was always messing with them.
Honestly, sometimes that girl was little better than a toddler!