Chapter Nine
“There you are, Kate!” Mrs. Kerwyn exclaimed when Kate slipped through the back screen door. “What on earth took you that long? Did you stop and see Ray? I nearly sent Edmund out to find you. Oh, Henry! You’re here, too.”
Kate had hoped that Henry would merely drop her off, but, of course, that was hoping for too much.
“I stopped by the Muellers’ for a moment, but no one was in,” Kate fibbed. “Henry saw me and gave me a ride home.”
“Well, that was kind of you, Henry. But you’ve taken him away from his work, Kate,” Mrs. Kerwyn scolded.
“Not at all!” Henry interjected. “I was hoping to have a word with Edmund anyway. As it happens, I have a note for him.” Henry pulled a small envelope from his inner breast pocket. “From my sister.”
So, he had had an ulterior motive in giving her a ride. She should have known. Wearily, she tied on an apron and approached the pile of potatoes near the sink. Nettie, whose job it normally was to peel potatoes, was instead lifting hot cookies off of a pan and onto a platter.
“Here, Henry! Have a cookie!” she urged, carrying the platter to him. “I just made them.” Ever since Louisa had moved up the date of her wedding, Nettie seemed to presume Henry hers for the taking, but her attempts to snare him were not only obvious, but thus far ineffective.
“Why, thank you, Nettie!” Henry said, as if she were a child, which she some days seemed to be. He selected a cookie and took a bite. His face twisted in genuine surprise. “Delicious! You’re quite a baker.”
Nettie again smiled widely. “I’ve learned quite a bit working at Ben’s.”
“How are you at cakes?”
“Cakes? Oh, I can make all sorts of cakes. Would you like me to make you one?” she asked eagerly.
“Not for me. I was thinking one for Kate, since it’s her birthday Friday.”
Kate froze in the peeling of the potatoes.
“Her birthday?” Mrs. Kerwyn said. “Well, I suppose you’re right. It is Kate’s birthday on Friday.”
Mortified, Kate kept her back to them, hoping that if she didn’t face them, they would all just go away.
“We should have a party,” Henry suggested.
“A party?” Her mother’s voice was wary.
Kate turned, her face burning. “How do you know it’s my birthday?”
“Mary told me.” He grinned. “No secrets between us.”
“I don’t need a party, Mom.” She turned toward her mother and begged her with her eyes to say no. “I don’t want any fuss. Honestly.”
“What’s this about a party?” Louisa asked, hurrying down from upstairs. “Oh, hello, Henry! I didn’t realize you were here!” An obvious fib. And why wasn’t she down here helping get supper ready?
“I was just suggesting we have a party for Kate’s birthday, since she’s never had one.”
“Well, we weren’t ever sure when her birthday actually was,” Mrs. Kerwyn said defensively.
“I meant no offense, Mrs. Kerwyn!” Henry said hurriedly. “I just thought it would be nice.”
“Why does Kate get a birthday party?” Nettie whined. “I’ve never had one either!”
“Yes, you did,” Louisa corrected, picking up one of the cookies and taking a bite. “When you were ten. Don’t you remember?”
“That was at Grandma’s house, so it doesn’t count.”
“What a spoiled child you are, Nettie!” Louisa scolded.
Nettie glanced nervously at Henry. “I’m not spoiled, and I’m hardly a child!”
“What do you say, Mom? Oh, please say yes!” Louisa begged, clearly deciding that any excuse for a party was a good one.
Mrs. Kerwyn glanced at Kate, who shook her head, trying one last time to thwart the idea. “Well,” she said hesitantly, clearly not picking up the signal. “I suppose we should.”
“Oh, thank you, Mom!” Louisa gushed. “How fun! We need something to cheer us all up.”
Cheer us up? Not many brides-to-be need cheering, Kate thought ruefully.
“Now. Who should we invite?” Louisa asked, taking another bite of the cookie.
Mrs. Kerwyn’s eyes widened. “Invite? Well, it’s just going to be us, Louisa. Not some big party like Ray threw. Your dad would never go for that.”
“No, of course not. But surely you mean to ask Henry and Mary.” She glanced at Henry, who had taken to leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket as he listened to the conversation.
“Well, yes, of course,” Mrs. Kerwyn faltered, glancing at Henry. “We’d be happy for you to join us.” She paused, seeming unsure. “Though it won’t be anything fancy, like.”
“After fending for ourselves these past weeks, I can assure you, Mrs. Kerwyn, that my sister and I would be delighted with whatever you prepare.” He flashed Louisa a grateful smile.
“And don’t forget Vernon,” Nettie added with false sweetness.
“Obviously Vernon.” Louisa threw her sister a little dart. “And I suppose if we’re asking the Crawfords, we should probably ask Frank and Julius. And what about your friend Harriet, Kate? She was here every day when you were sick.”
“Oh, Louisa, not all them,” Mrs. Kerwyn complained. “This is getting out of hand, now. I agreed to a simple family supper, not a big reception.”
“But, Mother! It will be awkward to invite the Crawfords and not their hosts!”
“Oh, alright.” Mrs. Kerwyn wearily rubbed her brow. “But where are we all going to sit?”
***
As it turned out, extra seats were not needed, as Frank and Julius politely declined with the excuse of having already procured tickets for a performance of The Pirates of Penzance at the Merriweather Opera House.
Everyone else, though, accepted, including Harriet and John, and of course Edmund, who also thought the idea of a party for Kate a splendid one.
Kate spent the afternoon of the big day up in her room.
Mrs. Kerwyn had insisted that Kate be absolved from helping to prepare her own birthday dinner and banished her from the kitchen for the day.
It was an extremely generous gesture, whether her mother was completely aware of it or not, as it meant more work for her, seeing as how little Louisa, Nettie, and Minnie actually contributed.
Indeed, Kate easily accomplished more each day than the three of her sisters put together.
Being stuck in her room was proving worse to Kate, however, than sweating over the stove.
She considered venturing outdoors to inspect her old badger hole, but the day was unfortunately rainy, and having washed her hair last night, she didn’t want to spoil it for the party.
So, instead, she spent the afternoon trying to work on a basket, which did not come out well, and a sketch, which did.
Finally, about an hour before the party was supposed to begin, she decided she should probably change into one of her Sunday dresses, neither of which she really liked.
While living in the badger hole, she had taken to wearing trousers and shirts, as it suited living in the wild better, and had found it very freeing, almost exhilarating.
But Mrs. Kerwyn did not approve, nor did her father.
She might get away with wearing trousers on her birthday, but she didn’t want to risk a scene.
Instead, she slipped on a pale green dress, which accented her dark hair and dark eyes.
She was just buttoning the last button at the nape of her neck when there was a knock. Before she could even say, “Come in,” Mary Crawford poked her head around the door.
“May I come in? Oh, don’t you look divine!
” Mary gushed, opening the door wide and revealing yet another splendid ensemble.
Tonight she had arrayed herself in a wool tartan skirt in reds and greens paired with a crisp white silk blouse that featured a small lace collar and puffed sleeves that tapered at the cuffs.
To complete the look, she wore a short black velvet vest upon which was pinned a silver Celtic brooch, and her curls were tied up with a plaid bow cut from the same material as her skirt.
Again, she looked as though she had just stepped out of Vogue, albeit the country edition, if there was such a thing.
Kate wondered where she procured such outfits. Certainly not in Merriweather!
“Happy birthday!” Mary gushed.
“Thank you.”
“Here, I brought you this!” Mary held out a tiny box. “It’s my birthday gift to you, but I thought maybe you’d want to open it now.”
“You shouldn’t have gotten me a gift,” Kate murmured. This was exactly why she hadn’t wanted a party! She hated receiving gifts and being the center of attention. And now, because of the Crawfords, she would have to endure a whole night of all eyes focused on her.
“Nonsense! Of course I should have. Here, take it.”
Kate reluctantly took the box and pried it open. Inside was a delicate gold chain. In spite of herself, Kate let out a tiny gasp. “Oh, it’s too much!”
“Do you like it?” Mary asked eagerly.
“Like it? Of course I do. It’s beautiful!”
“Try it on!”
“Now?”
Mary let out a little laugh. “Yes, why not? That’s why I came up early. I thought you might want to wear it to the party. Here,” she took the box from Kate, “I’ll help you.”
Before Kate could protest, Mary had draped the chain around Kate’s neck.
Once she had fastened it, Mary moved to assess her handiwork.
“Oh, it’s beautiful. It really suits you, Kate.
” She glanced around for a mirror and spotted one on the dresser top, its brass edges gilded and worn. She held it up for Kate.
Kate was not accustomed to looking at herself, but she forced herself to do so now.
She had pulled her long black hair up for the evening, and, she admitted, she did look pretty tonight, especially with the gold chain glistening at her throat.
“Thank you, Mary,” she said, turning to her. “It must have cost a fortune.”
“Not really. It was a gift from Henry last Christmas. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh no!” Kate’s fingers flew to her neck. “I can’t possibly accept this, then.”
“I insist! I already had a gold chain, which, if Henry was observant in any way, he would have known. And, to put your mind at ease, I asked him if he cared, and he said he didn’t. Not at all. In fact, he said it gave him an idea of what to get you.”