by Jen Turano
“But Daisy likes you,” Primrose argued as Daisy nodded her head in clear agreement. “And you don’t have to worry that me, Henry, or Violet will be much trouble.”
Henry grinned. “We’ll be good because we like you and want you to stay on at the farm.”
“You didn’t like me so much an hour ago.”
Henry stuck his head over the seat. “That was before we got to know you. You’re a nice housekeeper, and you don’t talk to us like other grown-ups do. You just act like we’re people.”
“You are people,” Isadora said. “But perhaps I’m not supposed to talk to you like I talk to grown-ups, which could very well be exactly why I’m not qualified to watch over you.” She smiled. “I could do irreparable harm and not even realize I’m doing it.”
“I imagine you talk to us like you do because you weren’t treated like a baby when you was young,” Primrose said, the crooked braids Isadora had attempted bouncing as she nodded her head.
Isadora considered Primrose’s words. The truth of the matter was that she’d not been treated like a child by her many governesses and nannies because she’d been raised to believe she was superior to anyone working for her family. Frankly, she had to imagine all her governesses had found her to be incredibly willful, spoiled, and a somewhat unlikeable child.
Most of the children she’d grown up with, except for Beatrix, of course, were possessed of the same willful natures, but now, when faced with children who seemed genuinely delighted with the slight bit of attention and notice she’d given them, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed of her younger self and the self-importance she’d worn like a cloak of honor.
Looking up at the blue sky, she questioned whether Aunt Birdie had the right of things and that she might have, possibly, landed at Glory Manor because she needed to find her purpose in life. Or, at the very least, discover some painful truths about herself, which could, hopefully, lead her to live a more meaningful life, not that she had the slightest idea what that might entail, but it was an interesting . . .
“That man’s trying to get your attention.”
Blinking out of her thoughts, Isadora looked to where Henry was now pointing and found a man hurrying down the steps of a building that had Feed Store painted on a sign. He was waving his hands and shouting something to her, but all she could think of was that she was a woman alone, responsible for four children, and didn’t have so much as a stick to defend them against anyone interested in . . .
“Ma’am, slow down. Your—”
Giving the reins a determined flick because her father had warned her time and time again that kidnapping was a real threat to someone of their station, Isadora kept a firm grip on those reins as well as a firm grip on Daisy.
“Sit down, children,” she called as Clyde picked up his pace, leaving the man who was still yelling behind her in a cloud of dust.
“Stop, you’re about to lose—”
With a thud, the wagon tilted to the left, and a second later, a wagon wheel rolled by.
Before Isadora could do more than gape at the wheel, the wagon lurched forward, and then she was flying through the air.
Grabbing hold of Daisy, she held the little girl tightly as the ground rose up to greet her.
Chapter 20
Little hands touching her face sent a wave of relief through Isadora as she opened her eyes, finding Daisy peering back at her.
“We fly!” were the first words out of Daisy’s mouth. “Like card-nal.”
Drawing in a painful breath since she’d evidently knocked the wind out of herself as she hit the ground, Isadora smiled. “We did fly, but thank goodness you’re all right.” She looked around for the rest of the children. “Is anyone hurt?”
“We’re fine,” Primrose called. “Bit dusty, but not dirty enough to take another bath today.”
Isadora’s lips began to curve. “Duly noted, although do know that baths are going to be a recurring occasion from this point forward, at least two times a week.”
As the three older children immediately took to grumbling, Isadora shifted Daisy from where she’d been sitting on top of her to the ground, discovering that a large crowd had gathered around them. Pushing herself to a sitting position, she found a hand held out to her a second later.
“You all right, ma’am?” the owner of that hand asked as she accepted the help up.
Brushing dirt from her skirt, Isadora raised her head and found the same man who’d been yelling at her standing beside her.
“I’m fine. Shaken, of course, but I don’t believe I injured anything when I fell.”
“I tried to warn you that your wheel was wobbling, but you must not have heard me.”
“I apologize for that, sir,” Isadora began. “I originally thought you meant to harm us.”
“Who would try to harm a woman and four children when they were just riding down the road?”
“When you put it that way, it does sound rather ridiculous, but . . .”
“You ain’t from around here, are you?” the man pressed.
“She’s clearly that new housekeeper who recently took on the position out at Glory Manor. And of course she’s not from around here, Stanley. Talk has it she’s from one of the big cities, which would explain why she felt she was about to be accosted.”
Looking to the right, Isadora frowned at the woman who’d just spoken. “How is there any talk about me?”
The woman smiled and stepped closer. “That’s the beauty of small towns—nothing goes unremarked upon. But I’m forgetting my manners. I’m Mrs. John Gillespie, but you can call me Anna. And you . . .” She smiled. “You must be Izzie.”
“You know my name?”
Anna nodded. “Hank has kept everyone apprised of what’s been happening lately at Glory Manor whenever he’s stopped by town.” She smiled at the children. “You’re the Duffy children. I’ve been hoping to meet you.”
When Primrose, Violet, Daisy, and Henry simply stared back at Anna with wide eyes, Isadora moved to stand beside them, taking a moment to perform introductions.
“What beautiful names you have, girls,” Anna exclaimed. “I imagine your mother must have loved flowers.”
A ghost of a smile flickered over Primrose’s face. “She did, ma’am, and even wanted Henry to be named Hawthorne, but Pa was having none of that.”
Henry muttered something about telling tales under his breath as he kept his head lowered.
“Henry is a fine name and suits you admirably, young man,” Anna said.
“And Henry has been very helpful around the farm,” Isadora added, sending Henry a wink when he lifted his head. “As have all the children, even Daisy, who seems to have a great affinity for the ducks.”
“Ducks!” Daisy yelled with a grin.
Returning the grin, Isadora took a moment to look the children over, brushing dirt from their clothing. “Are you sure none of you were hurt when you got tossed out of the wagon?”
“Me and Primrose landed on our feet,” Henry said.
“But I felled and hurt my elbow,” Violet said, speaking up in a voice that was no louder than a whisper right as her little lip started trembling.
As a single tear trailed down Violet’s cheek, Isadora knelt beside the child. “I’m sorry.” She leaned forward and kissed the elbow, taken by complete surprise when Violet suddenly threw her thin arms around Isadora’s neck and clung to her. Gathering the child into her arms, she rose to her feet, blinking away tears that took her by surprise.
“The children certainly do seem to have taken to you,” Anna said. “Which explains why Ian hired you on.” She shook her head. “None of us in town thought there was even a remote chance he’d replace that Mrs. Gladstone with you, but here you are, which I say is a step in the right direction for Ian.”
Isadora shifted Violet on her hip. “I’m not certain what you mean by that, and how does everyone know I went to Glory Manor to apply for the housekeeping position?”
Waving that asi
de, Anna smiled. “The station master mentioned at the church supper the other evening that he’d told you he knew the housekeeping position had become available again after Mrs. Gladstone showed up in town, anxious to get on the first train out of here. And then Mr. Mummel remarked at that same supper that he’d offered you a ride to Glory Manor.” She gave Isadora’s arm a pat. “And before you ask me how I knew you were from a big city, folks around these parts don’t have fancy steamer trunks like the one Mr. Mummel said you brought with you.”
“I suppose my trunk is fancy,” Isadora said before she turned and looked at the wagon, wincing at the sight of the missing wheel. “I can’t imagine how that wheel came off.” She drew in a sharp breath. “Goodness, is Clyde unharmed?”
“He’s fine,” the man named Stanley said, moving from where he’d been standing beside Clyde. He walked to the rear of the wagon, shaking his head. “I’m surprised the wheel broke right off like that, though.” He leaned closer, fiddled with the axle, then pulled out what looked to be some type of metal rod. “Looks like the pin broke straight in two.” He handed the pin to another man who’d joined him, who then handed it to another man, and the pin soon passed down a long line of men, all of them considering it closely.
“I’m afraid Glory Manor has suffered a few unfortunate events lately,” Isadora said, her heart melting when Violet laid her head against her shoulder. “I was told the plow broke as Aunt Birdie was using it, an accident responsible for her not being able to get around easily over the past few weeks.”
Anna exchanged a look with Stanley, returning her attention to Isadora a second later. “There’s been a rash of accidents on quite a few local farms lately. I recently learned that all the chickens on Black Brothers Farm took ill, many of them dying, and then Brody Fine over at Harvest House found something had attacked one of his raspberry fields, wiping out a good deal of his profits in the process.” She shook her head. “His wife puts up the most incredible raspberry jam, but I suppose she won’t be worrying about that anymore, not when talk has it the Fines are thinking about selling the farm.” She leveled an eye on Isadora. “Do be sure to tell Birdie that. She’s friends with Opal Fine, and I imagine she’ll want to say a proper good-bye if the Fines go ahead and sell.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her,” Isadora said.
“I appreciate that.” Anna took a step closer. “How are those new hired hands adjusting to life at Glory Manor?”
Since Isadora wasn’t comfortable sharing what Hank had whispered to her about those hires before she’d left for town—that they didn’t seem to be taking very well to the animals—she settled for a shrug. “I’ve not really had an opportunity to speak with those men yet.”
Anna smiled. “I imagine your new position is keeping you busy, but speaking of that, how are you adjusting to life at Glory Manor?”
“It’s been a little hectic of late.”
“We had a fire in the kitchen this morning,” Primrose said, speaking up. “It burnt the biscuits to a crisp.”
“And don’t forget about the goats eating our clothes,” Henry added. “That sure was unexpected.”
“And Izzie got sucked right into the wringer,” Violet said, lifting her head from Isadora’s shoulder, her eyes wide. “Good thing the wringer didn’t suck her all the way in ’cuz we like Izzie, even if she made us take a bath.”
Anna raised a hand to her throat. “Goodness, it does seem as if you’re having a time of it out there.” She looked at Henry. “Did goats really eat your clothes?”
Henry nodded. “That’s why we’re here. We was goin’ to get us some new ones at the general store.”
“We’re still going to get you clothes,” Isadora said. “I just have to figure out how to get the wheel fixed first so we can get back to Glory Manor after we’re done with our shopping.”
“There’s no need for you to worry about that,” Stanley said, nodding to the other men who’d joined them. “We’ll get the wheel fixed for you, and then we’ll bring the wagon to the general store when we’re finished.”
“I wouldn’t want to put you out.”
“It’s no bother at all.” Stanley waved toward a building up the street. “You go on to the store and do that shopping. The wagon won’t take us long, and we’ll look after Clyde, give him some oats and water.”
“This is very kind of all of you,” Isadora began, earning nods from the men. “And do know that I’ll be happy to compensate you for your troubles if you’ll provide me with a bill after you’re done.”
Stanley shook his head. “There’s no need for that, and we’ll hear no arguing from you.”
“Amen to that,” Anna said, stepping closer to Isadora. “And now that that’s settled, how about I show you to the general store?”
Realizing the matter was settled whether she wanted it to be or not, while also feeling rather bemused by the idea that complete strangers were evidently perfectly content to step in and assist her, Isadora thanked the men again, and then followed Anna down the street. Settling Violet more comfortably against her, she reached out and took hold of Daisy’s hand, smiling at Henry and Primrose, who’d stepped directly behind her.
“You’ll find Canonsburg to be a most welcoming town,” Anna said before she began pointing out different shops, slowing to a stop as she gestured to a building in the distance.
“That’s our church where Reverend Davis gives a most uplifting sermon on any given Sunday.” Anna caught Isadora’s eye. “Can I assume that you’ll be bringing the children to the service this Sunday?”
Isadora lowered Violet to her feet, taking hold of the little girl’s hand. “Ian didn’t put taking the children to church on the list he left for me before he went off to Pittsburgh.”
“Attending church isn’t something normally found on a list, dear,” Anna said, tilting her head. “Did you not attend church regularly where you used to live?”
“My family and I attended church every Sunday when we were in the city, but I fear I haven’t even considered attending church since I reached Canonsburg.”
Anna nodded. “I’m sure it’s been quite the adjustment getting settled. But you’ll feel much more at home once you begin to meet all the good folk in Canonsburg. There’s nothing like the sense of community you’ll experience after you become introduced to everyone, something I know Reverend Davis will make certain happens come Sunday after the service.”
Isadora leaned closer to Anna and lowered her voice. “I should tell you that I’ve only been hired on a temporary basis, which means I might very well find myself leaving Canonsburg in the not-too-distant future.”
Anna’s eyes narrowed. “Ian hired you on a temporary basis?”
Isadora smiled. “I’m afraid so, but in his defense, I’m not exactly qualified for the position because my experience with running a household is rather limited, and I’ve never even been on a farm before.” Her smile turned into a grin. “In all honesty, Ian only hired me because he needed to attend to some pressing business in Pittsburgh and I was his only option.”
Anna pursed her lips. “Everyone lacks experience when they first start out in life, my dear. I would think it’ll take no time at all for you to adjust to your new position. Once you do that, Ian will be more than happy to offer you a permanent role at Glory Manor.”
“I’m not sure how competent I’ll be, especially not after I almost burned the house down this morning and then allowed the goats to eat the laundry.”
“Hmm . . .” was all Anna had to say about that before she began walking again, stopping in front of a large building a moment later. Gesturing to the building that had a large sign with the words General Store painted on it, she smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be able to find the children some clothing here. Although . . .” Her smile faded. “You won’t find as much variety as you would in a store such as Joseph Horne Company in downtown Pittsburgh, but one can’t really expect to find that level of shopping in a small town like Canonsburg.”
“I’ve never heard of Joseph Horne Company.”
“It’s a marvelous store—seven stories high, mind you—and they have fashions that a person would only expect to find in New York City.” Anna beamed. “I bought a lovely shawl there last year, and me and the husband always go down to Pittsburgh around Christmas to shop, although the prices are rather dear, so we don’t come home with much.”
“Perhaps I’ll need to speak with Ian and convince him a trip to Pittsburgh might be in order to add to the children’s wardrobes before they go off to school.”
“That would be a treat for the children,” Anna said, walking to the door of the general store and holding it open. “For now, though, we can hope you’ll find a few items here that will suffice.” She turned to the children. “Ready for an adventure, children?”
As the children immediately began nodding, Anna ushered them into the store, Isadora following a second later, finding herself beyond curious to see what a general store actually looked like inside and if it could, in any way, compare to the sophisticated stores she’d shopped in around the world.
Chapter 21
Stopping directly inside the store, Isadora found herself in a most charming space, taken aback by the extent of the inventory surrounding her.
Shelves running from the floor to the ceiling were stocked with tins and small boxes carrying a range of products from soap to cakes of yeast, while jars that were filled with a variety of candies sat on the glass cases. Pots and baskets were hanging from hooks on the ceiling, and large bags of what appeared to be flour were stacked on the floor.
Turning, Isadora discovered all four children staring with wide eyes at the jars of candy.
“I believe we should start our shopping adventure with candy before we begin looking at the clothing,” she said.
