The Rambling Spy

by Mackenzie Morgan

  Ainsley laughed. “And I bet you can drink hers.”

  Blair heard the front door open and then muffled voices. She figured it was Fenway and his daughter, so she set two cups of coffee and a small plate of cinnamon buns on a tray. She had just picked up the tray to go find them when they walked through the kitchen door. “Good morning,” Blair said. “I was coming to find you.”

  “Is that for us?” Ainsley asked, eyeing the tray.

  Blair nodded. “Where would you like it?”

  Fenway took the tray from Blair and set it on the work table. “Right here works for me.” He picked up one of the cups and sipped. “Ahh, this is nice.”

  Ainsley picked up a cinnamon bun. “I’ve had one of your cinnamon buns before. They’re delicious. Did you make these at Doreen’s?”

  Again Blair nodded. “I usually make something for breakfast before I leave. I brought some down here in case you had someone staying at the inn.”

  “We’ve never had anything special for breakfast before,” Fenway said. “Callie used to toast some bread and serve it with a bit of jam to go with their coffee or tea. Toast is easy. Even I can do that, but these,” he picked up a cinnamon bun, “take time. Makes for a long day.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind. I’ll fix something at Doreen’s before I leave anyway. I’ll just make extra and bring some down here. It’s not a problem.”

  “We’ll see how it goes,” Fenway said. “For now, do what you want, and then in a couple of weeks, we’ll talk. I don’t want you doing so much you get sick or decide to quit.” Then he took a bite of the bun. “These are good. I won’t mind if you make some more of these.”

  Blair smiled and turned to check on the bread.

  “You’re baking bread?” Ainsley asked. “Are we going to have something to serve today? I thought you were checking out what’s here and making a list of what you need.”

  Blair shrugged. “I am, but Callie canned some fruits and vegetables last fall. They need to be used before time to start canning again. I’ve got a pot of soup ready to go on. If you like, you can serve it with bread today. If we get some meat, I can fix something else before dinner. That is, if you want to serve today. If not, we can save the soup and bread for tomorrow. Mainly I wanted to see how the stove cooks. They all heat differently.”

  Fenway’s eyebrows rose. “I like the idea of serving today, but since no one’s expecting it, we probably won’t have many orders.”

  “That’s all right. Anything we have left, I’ll find a way to use tomorrow. I imagine I’ll be doing a bit of that until I get used to how much food we’ll need.”

  “Set out a few of these at lunchtime and word will get around,” Ainsley said as she finished her cinnamon bun.

  Blair glanced at the half dozen buns left. “I’m sorry. I didn’t make many today. There’s only a few left.”

  Fenway shook his head and picked up another bun. “Don’t worry about it. There won’t be any left by lunchtime. Besides, anyone who walks in the door will know we have a new cook. Word will get around soon enough. It’s going to be fine.”

  Chapter 14

  News from Crinsor Run

  Wednesday afternoon when Rhianna got back from the castle Doreen handed her a letter. “This came today. The falcon’s on a perch in my office. I’ve already fed and watered him.”

  “Thank you.” Rhianna fingered the note, recognizing Duane’s writing. “It’s from my brother. We’ll send the falcon on its way after I read it.”

  Rhianna waited until she was in her room to open the letter. She sank into her chair as she read.

  Rhianna,

  Father thinks you’re enjoying the novelty of living with humans and will be back when the newness wears off. His words, not mine.

  Mother doesn’t agree. She thinks you’re staying because you’re in love with Myron, and she’s blaming me for it. She said if I hadn’t asked Myron to take Landis on as an apprentice, the two of you never would have met, much less have fallen in love. And yes, she thinks he’s in love with you, too.

  Shelandra thinks Mother’s main problem is all of her babies are grown and out of her house. She says Mother misses having you and Landis around but will be fine once she has a new grandchild to dote on. And she’ll have one next spring.

  We had planned to wait a while before announcing Shelandra’s pregnancy, but we’re going to tell them this weekend. Maybe this will give them something else to focus on besides you.

  Duane

  Rhianna read through the note a couple of times, trying to decide whether or not to share it with Myron. She’d definitely tell him Shelandra was pregnant, but she wasn’t sure how he’d react to her mother thinking they were in love.

  The worst part was Rhianna wasn’t sure her mother was wrong, at least as far as she was concerned. She thought she might be in love, but what about him? She knew he liked having her around and spending time with her. And he obviously enjoyed kissing her or he wouldn’t try to find a way to do it so often, but was he in love? He’d never said. Maybe it would be best to keep that part to herself, at least for now.

  With a sigh, Rhianna slipped the letter in her pocket and went downstairs. When she got to the kitchen, a kettle was on the stove but the kitchen was empty. While no one was around she quietly opened the door to the fire box and tossed the letter on the flames. Once she was sure it had been reduced to ashes, she shut the door and went to Doreen’s office to let the falcon go.

  ~~~~

  Rhianna was working in the garden when the light shimmered and Kevin stepped out of the energy field. “You’re early,” she said as she stood up.

  “I can’t stay. Chris doesn’t know I’m gone. I’m supposed to be answering messages.”

  Rhianna laughed. “Then what are you doing here?”

  “I promised I’d take you to Fenway’s for dinner if Blair started working there. Want to go this evening?”

  “We could. When do you want to go?”

  “In a couple of hours?”

  “Good. That’ll give me time to finish out here and get cleaned up. What about Nikki?”

  “We’ll take her for a walk afterwards if you want to.” When Rhianna nodded, Kevin said, “Guess I’d better get back to work. See you in a little while.”

  Rhianna had finished in the garden, changed clothes, and was outside playing with Shelley by the time Kevin got back.

  As soon as Shelley spotted him, she ran over, grabbed his hand, and pulled him towards Rhianna. “Are you here to take Rhianna to dinner?”

  “If she still wants to go.”

  “She does. She told me we could play until you got here.” When they reached Rhianna, Shelley looked from Kevin to Rhianna. “Are you going now?”

  Rhianna nodded.

  “Do I have to go back inside?”

  Again, Rhianna nodded.

  Kevin caught Rhianna’s eye, tilted his head towards Shelley, motioned towards Rhianna and himself, and raised his eyebrows in question. When Rhianna smiled and nodded, Kevin knelt down beside Shelley. “Would you like to go with us?”

  Shelley’s eyes lit up as she bounced her head up and down. “Oh yes, please. Can I?”

  “Let’s ask your mother,” Rhianna said as she took the child’s hand and led her towards the house.

  Fifteen minutes later, a cleaned up and freshly dressed Shelley joined Kevin and Rhianna on the front porch. “Can we go now?” she asked as she took Rhianna’s hand.

  When they got to Fenway’s, Kevin asked Ainsley if they could sit outside. As she led them through the crowded tavern, conversations paused as everyone watched the threesome follow Ainsley outdoors. Once the door closed behind them, previous conversations were forgotten as new conversations about Kevin, Rhianna, and their future began.

  After they were seated, Ainsley said, “We’ve got potato soup, onion and bean soup, and fish pie. What would you like to eat?”

  “What’s good?” Kevin asked.

  “According to our customers, they
’re all good.”

  Rhianna smiled. “I’ll have the onion and bean soup. What about you, Shelley?”

  “Can I have potato soup?”

  Rhianna nodded to Ainsley.

  “And you?” Ainsley asked Kevin.

  “I’ll try the fish pie.”

  Ainsley nodded and went back inside. A few minutes later, she was back with two mugs of scog and a big glass of milk. As she set the milk in front of Shelley, she said, “Blair said you like milk with your meals.”

  Shelley nodded and took a big swallow. As she wiped the milk mustache off her mouth, Ainsley added, “Blair fixed cake and berries for dessert. She says you like that.”

  Shelley’s eyes sparkled. “Can we have that first? Please?”

  Rhianna shook her head. “Soup first, cake later.”

  Shelley’s face fell as she sighed and mumbled, “Just like Momma.”

  Kevin took a swallow of scog to cover his grin as Ainsley laughed and went back to get their food.

  Half an hour later, they were ready for dessert. Kevin’s eyes widened as Ainsley set his bowl in front of him. Blair had fixed strawberry short cake, complete with a dollop of whipped cream on top. After the first bite, no one spoke until the bowls were empty.

  When they were done, Ainsley came back to pick up the dessert bowls. “You two out for a trial run tonight?”

  “Huh?” Kevin asked.

  Ainsley nodded towards Shelley. “Seeing what it’s like before having one of your own?”

  Ainsley laughed as Kevin did a double take and a blush crept up Rhianna’s face. Then she turned to Shelley. “Did you enjoy your cake and strawberries?”

  Shelley nodded.

  “Blair’s taking some home tonight, so if your mother says it’s all right, you can have some more later.”

  “Does she have enough for me to get a bowl to go?” Kevin asked.

  “To go?”

  “To take with me. Chris would love it.”

  Ainsley nodded. “I’ll get it for you.”

  A few minutes later, Ainsley was back with another bowl of dessert. As she set it down, Kevin asked, “How’s business now that you have a cook again?”

  Ainsley put her hands on her hips. “She hasn’t even been here a week and we’re busier than ever. Word has definitely gotten around about her cooking.”

  “Good. I’m glad things worked out.” Kevin picked up his mug and drank the last of his scog. “I’ll send your bowl back tomorrow.” Then he looked at Rhianna. “Ready to go?”

  When they got back to Doreen’s, Rhianna took Shelley inside while Kevin used his key to go back to his office. Nikki jumped up when he got there and danced around, eager to go.

  Kevin set the bowl of strawberry shortcake on Chris’s desk and said, “Brought you something.”

  Chris’s jaw dropped as he looked at the cake topped with plump, juicy strawberries and thick cream. “Where did you get this?”

  “Fenway’s.”

  “Blair made this?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “I need to find a reason to be in town at dinnertime before long,” Chris said, still gazing at his treat.

  “Enjoy.” Kevin turned towards Nikki. “Ready to go, girl?” As Nikki’s tail wagged even harder, Kevin pointed towards the floor. After Nikki plopped down, he surrounded her with a ball of energy and glanced back at Chris. “We may be late getting back. We’ll need a long walk after the dinner we had.”

  By the time Kevin and Nikki made it back to Doreen’s, Shelley had told everyone about her dinner and the wonderful cake Blair was bringing home. She had just started winding down when she spotted Nikki. She ran over to Nikki with her arms spread wide and wrapped them around the dog. As Nikki licked her face, Shelley giggled and buried her face in Nikki’s fur. After they broke apart, Shelley sat down on the floor beside Nikki and told her all about her evening at Fenway’s.

  Fifteen minutes later, Kevin and Rhianna finally made it out the door with Nikki. While they walked, they chatted about Shelley, Blair, and how the day had gone.

  After a pause in conversation, Rhianna said, “I got a letter from Duane today.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  “He wanted to tell me Shelandra’s pregnant. They’re telling my parents this weekend.”

  “When’s she due?”

  “All he said was next spring.”

  “Your mother will be so excited.”

  Rhianna grinned. “And once she hears about the baby, her focus will be on Shelandra, not me.”

  Kevin laughed. “Another good reason to celebrate.”

  ~~~~

  Later that evening, Kevin was brushing Nikki’s coat when Chris walked into his room with two mugs of scog and a plate of cookies. As Chris set the plate on the coffee table, Kevin asked, “How can you eat cookies after that big bowl of strawberry shortcake?”

  “That was hours ago.”

  “Maybe two.”

  “Like I said, hours.”

  Kevin shook his head. “Rhianna got a letter from Duane today. Guess who’s going to be a father.”

  “Shelandra’s pregnant?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “When?”

  “Sometime next spring.”

  “Have you told Duane that folks around here want to see her?”

  Again, Kevin nodded. “But I think I need to follow it up with a letter. Otherwise, he’ll forget about it.”

  “Why don’t you give them a specific date?”

  Kevin hesitated. “Might be better to give him several and let them choose.”

  “So when?”

  “Mid to late September?”

  “That would probably be a good time,” Chris said. “Not much going on then.”

  “Except the Federation Meeting.”

  “That only takes a couple of hours. Want me to write him? Or do you want to do it yourself?”

  “I’ll do it. Tomorrow.”

  “I’ll remind you,” Chris said, “Do we have much going on this weekend?

  “Not as far as I know. Why?”

  “The guy Cameryn’s been seeing invited her to lunch at his parents’ house Sunday, and she wants to go. She says she’ll only be gone a couple of hours. Elin’s agreed to cover for her, but I don’t think that’s necessary, do you?”

  Kevin shook his head. “We’re not expecting anyone so we should be fine. Tell her to go and have a good time.”

  “That’s pretty much what I said when she asked me.” Chris yawned. “Now, unless there’s something else, I’m going to bed.”

  Chapter 15

  Trouble at Marcus's House

  Hayley and Sherri spent their first week getting things organized. Sherri knew next to nothing about herbs, so as they unpacked the packets of herbs, Hayley gave her a crash course on their preparations and uses. Sherri took notes, made labels, and stored them in the chest of drawers Hayley had asked Marcus to bring downstairs. After the basic herbs were taken care of, Hayley showed Sherri the herbs locked away in the strongbox, herbs that could be deadly if not used correctly. Every time they left the room, Hayley locked the box and slipped the key under the bodice of her dress. They finished going over everything Saturday afternoon.

  “Is there only one key to that box?” Sherri asked as Hayley shoved the strongbox into the far corner, out of the way.

  Hayley nodded. “With any luck at all, we’ll never have to open it, but if we do, I need to be the one to do it. I don’t want you to have to deal with life and death situations yet. One day you’ll be ready to use them, but for now, be glad that’s one responsibility you don’t have.”

  “Then why did I have to make notes on them?”

  “If I’d locked them away and said nothing, you’d have wondered what I was hiding.” When Sherri started to object, Hayley shook her head. “I’m not criticizing you. It’s human nature. The unknown is intriguing. This way you know what’s in there.”

  Sherri paused and then nodded.

  “Now, let�
�s get out of here for a while. I haven’t had a chance to show you around the settlement and fill you in on who lives here yet. We’ll make rounds here tomorrow, and then on Monday, we’ll get the horse and buggy and see people in Bridgeport and the surrounding farms. You need to meet everyone and they need to meet you. And I need to let them know we’re here.”

  ~~~~

  Monday morning, Hayley got the horse and buggy from Marcie and loaded bandages and herbs in the back. Then she and Sherri left to visit the families Hayley usually saw whenever she was in the area. Everywhere they went they were given refreshments and treated to the latest gossip. Then while Hayley examined everyone, Sherri made detailed notes.

  Lisal was waiting tables in the tavern when she overheard two men complaining that their wives had made them let Hayley check them out. Then one of the men asked, “Do you know where she’s staying? My wife wants me to take her some stuff from our garden, but she forgot to find out who she’s staying with.”

  The other man said, “Probably Marcie and Lance.”

  The first man frowned. “Don’t they have a couple of children? Have they got room for a sister and all her stuff?”

  The second man shrugged. “I don’t know, but Sister Hayley’s always stayed with them in the past.”

  Lisal had a horrible feeling she knew where Hayley was. When she took the dishes into the kitchen, she told her mother she needed to leave for a while, that she had something she needed to check on.

  “Be sure the tavern’s clean before you go. And be back in time to set up for dinner.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Lisal said. “I’ll take care of it before I leave.”

  Half an hour later Lisal saddled her horse and set out for Marcus’s house. As far as she was concerned, that house was hers. Once she and Marcus were married, she’d be mistress there, and since he was out of town, it was up to her to keep an eye on it. She wouldn’t put it past Marcie to let the sister stay there. It was bad enough they let soldiers stay there last winter, but there was no way she’d stand for any woman living there but her.

  Lisal didn’t want anyone to see her so she turned into the woods as soon as she was out of town. Years ago she’d found an animal trail that led to the creek behind Marcus’s house. She’d have to tether her horse and cross the creek on rocks, but once she did, she’d be able to reach the back porch without anyone seeing her.