Ha'penny Jenny

by Dani Haviland

  Jenny stopped running when she saw the creek. She slowed her pace, looked side to side, then behind her, and saw that she hadn’t been followed. Her ears stung, as if they’d just been boxed, but she knew they hadn’t. Just his voice, taunting her with that name, made them ring. She stepped carefully into the edge of the creek and splashed water on her face. “He’s a bad man, but he isn’t in your life anymore. Just walk away, just walk away…”

  Sudden terror hit her again. She turned back. Mr. Short was still there, lying on the ground, but now her daddy was there, too, looking over him. Her head shook back and forth, fear keeping any thoughts from forming. Back and forth, don’t let bad thoughts come in. Back and forth. Keep it empty. Back and forth.

  “Jenny! Jenny! Are you all right?” Wallace hollered as he ran, scared that the man on the ground—obviously suffering from a well-placed punch—had done something to hurt his Jenny. “Jenny! Jenny!”

  Jenny looked up, her head still moving back and forth. She mustn’t forget: words weren’t allowed. Only the devil’s words came out of young girls.

  “Did he hurt you?” Wallace asked, holding her at arm’s length, inspecting her for cuts and bruises. He turned her around and saw nothing amiss. “Look at me.” Jenny’s head stilled. She let him lift her face to his, her eyes not looking at him, but through him, stunned and emotionless. Wallace pulled out his silk handkerchief and wiped away the grime from around her mouth. He knew it had been spotless when they left.

  “He hurt you, didn’t he?”

  Jenny remained mute.

  “Well,” he said, and wiped her mouth again to remove the last smudge, “I think you hurt him a lot more than he hurt you. At least, on the outside. Now,” he locked eyes with hers, “remember, you have a mommy and a daddy now. No one is going to hurt you. And just to make sure that someone doesn’t hurt you when we aren’t there—which I hope won’t be often—I’ll teach you how to fight.”

  One corner of Jenny’s mouth turned up, and the sparkle came back to her eyes.

  “And I know that you know I know how to fight. It’s very important not to fight, but when someone tries to hurt you, and won’t listen to reason, then it’s all right to protect yourself. Understand?”

  Jenny sighed, the other side of her mouth turning up by its self. “I understand.”

  “Great! Now, let’s get back to the store. I think Mr. Gibson has removed Mr. Short from out front. I don’t know what this town’s going to do with that man. He seems to cause a lot of trouble with just his words.”

  “But words can hurt more than fists, huh?” Jenny asked.

  “Yes, dear, they can. And the scars they leave can last a lifetime. Please, don’t let anything mean people like Mr. Short say, bother you. I don’t think he’s right in the head. Even if he thinks he means what he says, I don’t think he knows what he says. Does that make sense to you, or should I explain it another way?”

  “It’s like he’s holding a rock and telling you it’s an apple. Just because he says it’s so, doesn’t mean he’s right, huh?”

  “That’s very right.”

  “So, will you tell me what a ha’penny is?”

  Wallace started to ask what that had to do with anything, but knew it probably did, at least in the long run of Jenny’s thinking. “A ha’penny is another way of saying half penny. That’s the lowest denomination of coin minted by the British government.” He realized as soon as he saw her face, that she probably didn’t understand half of his words. “It’s a low value coin, a piece of metal that isn’t worth much.”

  “Oh.”

  Jenny knew that her daddy knew that she hadn’t been to school and didn’t know much, but he wanted her to learn, so if she asked him questions, it was all right. He wouldn’t make her feel bad about not knowing something.

  “So, when Mr. Short called me Ha’penny Jenny, he was saying I wasn’t worth much?”

  Wallace choked back a cough. He had wanted to laugh at the humor of the little poetic piece, but also growl at the heartlessness of the man who would call a young orphan such a cruel name. “Jenny, you are priceless. And priceless means that you are worth more than all the money in the world. “

  “You mean like a whole pound sterling?” she asked, mouth and eyes wide.

  “At least a hundred pounds sterling,” he said. “But I wouldn’t take the whole state of North Carolina in trade for you, Jenny. Not even the whole North American continent.”

  Wallace hugged her close, making sure she couldn’t see the store. Yes, Mr. Gibson was leading Dick Short back to his house. He’d give him a few minutes to get him situated before they went back. “Come down here with me. Lets’ wash up a little and get a drink before we go see Mr. Gibson again. I want to get your mother a surprise.”

  Jenny’s eyes brightened. She knew what the surprise was. Sorta. She had heard about candy, but never had any.

  It was supposed to be better than a honeycomb. Her brothers—her other brothers, who were up in heaven—once had given her part of one they had found while hunting. She smiled as she remembered how much fun they all had, sucking on the little holes, chewing the wax to get the last little bits of sweetness out, licking the sticky mess off their fingers when they were done. She was sure glad she didn’t have a beard like her brothers did, although they used to joke that they could still taste the sweetness days later. It was one of the best times she ever had with them. But they were with God now. He had wanted them with Him. And now they could have all the food and honey they wanted, and be warm all the time…

  “Jenny, are you ready to go back to the store, or do you want to wait a little longer? Mr. Short is gone, if that makes you feel better.”

  Jenny sighed. Everyone was where he was supposed to be. “Okay. Let’s go. Hey, how come mommy talks funny? Like the word okay. She says it means all right, but why doesn’t she just say all right? Do you know what country she really comes from? I don’t want to ask her, but I think its America. Do we live in America? I thought we lived in North Carolina. At least, that’s what Grannie told me, and I know she wouldn’t lie to me. So how can I live in America and North Carolina at the same time?”

  “Greetings again, Mr. Gibson. Now, as far as settling for the modification of your cabinets…” Wallace didn’t want to be rude and ignore Jenny’s questions, but he wanted to get the business transaction finished and get back to the rest of his family. He could explain geography later, possibly even on the ride back. It would be easier to do with a map or a pen and paper, but she was sharp and would probably follow a verbal description of states within countries. Of course, he wasn’t going to explain why Mommy spoke differently. He barely understood time travel—it would be easier to explain gravity to the precocious girl, and he didn’t understand that, either.

  “I’ve got salt, sugar, flour, coffee, some newer yard goods, and even a bit of that other commodity you were asking about.” Mr. Gibson ended his stock list with a big grin and a glance at Jenny.

  Jenny smiled back. She wanted to tell him she knew what he was talking about, even if she didn’t know what the word commodity was. Maybe that was a fancy word for candy. Sometimes, it was better to say nothing, even if she didn’t have to be quiet.

  “I’ll tell you what, I’d like to keep it on account, if it’s all right with you.”

  Jenny’s smile evaporated, actually turned upside down like grandpa said. Did she do something wrong?

  Wallace continued, “Except I’ll be taking a bit of that commodity back with me.” He had been watching her face, and was glad to see she was positively radiant now. She was such a great guesser. She knew he was getting something for her.

  Mr. Gibson reached under the counter and brought out the big apothecary jar. “Go ahead and point to which one you want,” he said. “How about that big one there?”

  Jenny’s eyes shifted back and forth, undecided. She wanted the big piece—it would probably last her a whole year, maybe even a month. She looked up and asked her daddy, “
Can we get that big one for Mommy? I know she’d like a piece of candy, and because she has to eat more so she can feed my brothers and sister—that is my new brothers, and I never had a sister, but I always wanted one, so she’s my only sister ever—I’ll take a smaller piece and can she have the biggest piece?”

  “How about if Mr. Gibson pokes around in that jar and sees if there are two big pieces—one for you and one for Mommy?”

  Jenny bounced up and down on her toes. “Ooh, ooh, really? I mean, thanks! I’d like that. And I’m sure Mommy would, too. You’re the best daddy in the world. Well, I haven’t met all of them, but still, I know you’re the best daddy in the whole world! And thank you, too, Mr. Gibson. You’re the best storekeeper in the whole world, too!”

  Ӂ

  The trip home was much different than the one in. Besides the fact that there was no weight in the back end of the wagon so the ride was bumpier, it was also noisier, but in a different way. The creaks, rattles, and squeaks of metal on wood, wood on wood, and wheels on rocks and packed dirt were audible now. Jenny was quiet, but in a good way. Mr. Gibson had given her a small length of new cloth to wrap around her peppermint stick.

  “That’s to keep your hands from getting sticky,” he said. “And when you’re done licking on it, you can wrap it around it to keep off dust, flies, and ants. But make sure you stop licking a few minutes before you wrap it up. Otherwise, it will be like glue and the cloth will stick to it. You don’t want to have to rip it apart the next time your daddy says you can have your treat, now do you?” Jenny shook her head, her mouth wrapped around the top of her white peppermint stick. “Now, your daddy told me you’re a good helper, that’s why I gave you that pretty cloth. That and it matches your eyes. Get along now. I’m sure your mommy misses you. And don’t forget to help her, every chance you get.”

  10 Please don’t go

  “Don’t go. Please, Grandpa Jody, please don’t go,” Jenny said, her eyes red and brimming, her tears almost—but not quite—spilling over.

  “I’m not goin’ anywhere, lass.” Jody reached down, picked her up, and swung her in a tight circle. “I have to stay here and teach ye how to dance.”

  “Promise me you won’t leave, please. Pretty please with honey and candy and flowers and sugar and please, please…”

  “What’s the matter, lass? I’ll always be here fer ye. Yer my family—my granddaughter.”

  Jenny shook her head, trying to get the bloody image to go away, but it wouldn’t leave. She sniffed. She couldn’t tell grandpa that sometimes she ‘saw’ things before they happened. She’d never tell anyone that again. She shivered with the memory.

  “Now, dinna be afeart of somethin’ bad happenin’ to me.” Jody gave her an extra hug of reassurance. “Ye canna go through life afeart of what’s on the other side of a door, or down the road, or…”

  Jenny nodded rapidly, but even as he spoke the words, telling her not to worry, she saw him lying in the road, covered in blood. She squeezed him around the neck, almost choking him. “Well, if you have to go somewhere, be verra careful and don’t go anywhere alone, okay?”

  “All right, I promise. Now, loosen yer grip about my neck so I can show ye the proper way to dance. That is, with yer feet on the ground and yer hand on my shoulder—if it’ll reach that high.”

  Jenny slid down his body until she was on tip toes, then reached up as high as she could with her fingertips. “I’m not tall enough yet, but I will be. Mommy said I’ll grow tall and pretty if I eat my greens every day. But I can’t eat too many, or I’ll get a bellyache, huh?”

  “Aye, lass. Too much of anythin’, save lovin’ yer family, is seldom a good idea. And I’ll be verra careful whenever I leave yer presence. Oof! I need to stay around long enough to give ye a few more dancin’ lessons, at least. Yer next partner’s feet may nae be as tough as mine.”

  Jenny looked up at him again, squinting hard. Maybe he’d be okay now that he promised not to be alone.

  But maybe not.

  The sadness was still there.

  But now there was hope. And help.

  Someone else was coming to their home, maybe next month, maybe next week.

  And maybe he’d bring a big sister for her, too.

  ӁӁӁ

  The End

  Ha’penny Jenny

  Book One and a half (novella)

  The Fairies Saga

  More adventures follow in

  Aye, I am a Fairy

  Book Two in the series

  The Fairies Saga

  To find out how Jenny became a member of the family, read

  Naked in the Winter Wind

  Book One in the series

  The Fairies Saga

  Thanks, in no particular order

  Thank you, Elaine Boyle, editor and historian, for your gentle guidance and suggestions. I know I’m frustrating, insisting on sourdough products and calling 18th century parents Mommy and Daddy, but Evie’s 21st century leanings are tough—as tough as her determination.

  Thanks, Marty Haviland, the world’s greatest husband, for your support and patience…and for taking me out to dinner when I’m too tired to cook.

  Thanks, Diana Gabaldon, for your words of encouragement to write and for creating the Outlander series, the inspiration for the Lost series that my Sarah and Jody are ‘from.’

  Thanks, Kim Killion and Hot Damn Designs, for the brilliant cover (and Jenny’s cute dress) you created.

  Thanks, Amazon and CreateSpace, for all the tools you provide free of charge to help authors and artists bring their work to others. Publishing made easy. Double thanks.

  Thanks, Leatherman Tool Company, for having such great multitools that they’re mentioned by brand name by my former Alaskans.

  Cast of Characters

  Captain Atholl MacLeod ~ evil Redcoat officer who had previously attacked Jenny

  Clayton ~ Jenny’s deceased brother—was crude and crass

  Clyde ~ Jenny’s deceased brother—was crude and crass

  Evie ~ 20th century born older woman, transported back to 18th century, has amnesia, now in young body due to an overdose of Fountain of Youth Water. Jenny’s mother

  Ian Kincaid ~ 18th century backwoodsman, aka Starwalker

  Jenny ~ once orphaned preadolescent girl

  Jody Pomeroy ~ family patriarch, Jenny’s adopted grandfather

  Jose’ ~ Spanish emigrant, Julian’s partner

  Julian Hart ~ Wallace’s stepfather, Jenny’s other grandfather

  Leah ~ 21st century daughter of Evie

  Mr. Gibson ~ 18th century storekeeper

  Mrs. Short ~ Jenny’s former ‘caretaker’

  Richard ‘Dick’ Short ~ local troublemaker, 18th century

  Sarah Pomeroy ~ Jody’s wife, 20th century-born time traveler, healer, living in 18th century, Jenny’s grannie

  Wallace ~ 18th century British soldier, Julian’s stepson, Jenny’s father

  Wren, Leo, Judah ~ Evie’s six-week-old infants

  Ha’penny Jenny and The Fairies Saga are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously for the reader’s entertainment. Any resemblance to persons living, dead, or fictional, events, business establishments, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright 2014 by Dani Haviland

  Published by Chill Out!

  All rights reserved