by Kit Morgan
Arturo gave her a gentle shove and guided her and Mel to the kitchen’s backdoor. “My sister Bella will want you to come to dinner. You will tonight, won’t you?”
Ebba gave him a blank look. She could hardly think straight, let alone plan where she would eat later that day. “I’ll have to leave that up to Daniel, I’m afraid. For all I know I might be cooking supper here.”
“You won’t have to cook supper yet – you’re getting married,” Mel chimed. “Once you are, then you’ll have to do all the work.”
Ebba smiled nervously. “Well, I suppose that’s good to know.” She wasn’t sure if the child was joking or not.
Arturo grinned and, with Mel and Gabby in tow, left the house.
Okay, definitely joking. Ebba sighed in relief and closed her eyes a moment. The day had been a whirlwind, and she felt like a tumbleweed tossed around by it. She didn’t expect there to be so many people, all of which she was about to be related to. “Auntie Ebba,” she mused aloud. By her estimation, she was about to inherit six brothers and sisters-in-law and … fifteen nieces and nephews?
“Oh my Lord,” she whispered as the realization hit. “It’s like a small town out here.” In which she was the only newcomer – and everyone had the same surname …
She pushed the thought aside, got up from the table and poured herself a cup of coffee. It was near three-thirty and Charity would be starting supper soon. She wanted to help, but wasn’t sure what Charity would have her do. Then she heard footsteps descending the stairs and figured she’d soon find out.
But it was Rufina, not Charity, who entered the kitchen. Sixteen, oldest of Bella’s siblings, everyone calls her Rufi, Ebba quickly reviewed in her mind.
“Hello,” the girl greeted her.
“Good afternoon,” Ebba said. “Is Charity upstairs?”
“Yes, she’s feeding Truly. She asked me to come down and get things started.”
“For supper?” Ebba asked. “If so, I’d like to help.”
“Yes, grazie.” The girl went to the stove, grabbed a couple of pieces from the wood box in the corner and stuffed them into the stove’s firebox. That done, she started gathering what they’d need to prepare supper: pots, pans, a mixing bowl.
“How can I help you?” Ebba asked. She’d never seen anyone work so fast.
“We’re going to make chicken and dumplings,” Rufi announced. “There are potatoes in the root cellar outside. Why don’t you fetch a basketful?”
Ebba glanced around. “Where’s the basket?”
“In the root cellar, silly. After you fetch the potatoes, then you return it.”
Ebba nodded and left the kitchen. Samijo had pointed out the root cellar when they’d gone to her house earlier that morning. Once there, she found several baskets, took one and hoped the potatoes weren’t in some dark corner. She wasn’t fond of reaching into such places, especially if something with more than two legs had set up house there. The cellar was large and the only light was from the open door.
Thankfully, she spotted the potatoes and easily got the job done. She went back to the house, took the potatoes out of the basket, and was headed to the root cellar to return it when the sneezing started. “Oh no, not again!”
She hurried back to the house as fast as she could, grabbed the kettle, then ran outside to the pump to fill it. Returning to the kitchen, she set it on the stove and breathed a sigh of relief.
Rufi gave her a confused look. “Are you in a hurry to make some tea?”
“It helps with … with …” She sneezed again. “… with that.”
“Didn’t Nonna make you chamomile tea? That’s what helps me.”
“Chamomile tea?” Ebba said in surprise. “I’m not sure. We had tea earlier today, but I didn’t know what kind it was.”
“Did it help with the sneezing?” Rufi asked.
Ebba made to sneeze again but held a finger under her nose to stop it. “Yes, it did!”
“Well then, don’t just stand there, make yourself a cup,” Rufi said with a laugh.
Ebba went to do just that before she fell into a full sneezing fit. For Heaven’s sake, around here all she had to do was go outside to get one going. At least in the city it took a while. But here in the Weavers’ little valley, such was not the case. And if she was going to live here, she’d have to figure out what to do. “How much tea does Ma have in the house?” she mused aloud.
“I have no idea, but with all your sneezing she won’t have it for long.” Rufi seemed far too amused by her suffering.
“Oh my heavens,” Ebba said, alarmed. “That means we’ll have to make another trip to town to get more. What an endeavor that will be!” Endeavor, indeed. Would Daniel make the trip just because she was sneezing her head off? Would she even be up to going with him? This ailment of hers was more trouble than it was worth. Could a man divorce a woman on grounds of allergies?
“I hear ginger tea works well too. At least that’s what my nonna in New York told me,” said Rufi.
Ebba already had a cup and saucer out. She grabbed the tea canister she’d seen Ma use earlier and opened it – half-full! “Oh good, there’s enough.” But how long would it take her to use it all up?
“I’ll get the chicken ready,” Rufi told her. “After you have your tea you can peel the potatoes. Is that all right?”
Ebba nodded, a finger still under her nose as she did her best not to start sneezing again. Soon the kettle began to boil and with a sigh of relief she fixed herself a cup of tea. That done, she found a knife she could use to peel the potatoes and got to work.
“Aren’t you going to drink your tea first?” Rufi asked.
“I’ll drink it as I peel. Don’t worry, I’ll try not to sneeze on the potatoes.”
It was meant as a joke, but Rufi grimaced anyway before returning to her own work. Neither of them talked for a while until Rufi broke the silence. “Are you excited to get married?”
Ebba stopped peeling. “I will be if I can stop sneezing long enough.”
“You must be miserable.” Rufi continued to work.
“Not all the time,” Ebba said. “But out here is definitely ... difficult. I can’t imagine feeling like this day in and day out.”
Rufi turned to face her. “I’m sorry that you suffer. I get like that sometimes, but nothing like you. I hope one day when I am married that I don’t …” She snapped her mouth shut and covered it with a hand, then just as quickly removed it. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to make it sound like …”
“Like the end of the world?” Ebba asked.
“I did not mean it that way.”
Ebba sighed and nodded. “I understand.” She looked the girl over. As all the other Weavers said, she really was beautiful and would have no problem finding herself a husband when she was old enough. But even as pretty as she was, what if Rufi suffered the same thing Ebba did? She laughed at the thought.
“What’s so funny?”
Ebba waved a hand at her, then pointed to her nose. “This. How long do you think Daniel will last before he decides he doesn’t want a sneezing wife?”
Rufi looked shocked. “Don’t say such a thing! Daniel and his brothers are good men! They would never think of backing out of a marriage because of a silly thing as sneezing!”
Ebba stared at her moment. She noticed her Italian accent got thicker when she was angry. And the girl was angry – her stance had become defiant, feet apart, hands balled into fists. “I’m sorry if that offended you. I didn’t mean to insult the Weaver men, especially not when I’m about to marry one. It’s just that I feel so helpless when I get like this.”
“You’re not sneezing now,” Rufi pointed out. “It seems to have stopped.”
Ebba took another sip of tea. “That’s because I’m not outside. It gets better when I’m in the house. The tea helps too.”
Rufi went to the table and sat. “Don’t worry, Ebba. We’ll figure out what helps and what doesn’t. Besides, come harvest time we all have to work outside. You can�
��t stay in the house forever.”
“No,” Ebba said in dismay. “I can’t.”
* * *
Ebba spent the rest of the evening in despair, and not even Daniel’s happy countenance was enough to pull her out of the pit. He smiled at her from across the kitchen table at suppertime, made jokes with Benjamin and chuckled every time Sebastian tossed the spoon off his high chair.
But nothing seemed to help. All Ebba could think about was a life spent locked indoors for her health’s sake. Rufi was right – she couldn’t just hide inside the farmhouse. She’d have to go outside at some point. And what about summer? The days would be growing hotter, and that meant open windows. What was she going to do then? She couldn’t expect everyone else to suffer the summer heat because of her.
She knew marrying a farmer wasn’t a good idea. She should’ve waited for another prospect to come along. So what if it meant months and months of extra work and verbal abuse from Mrs. Feldnick? Maybe she could have found a husband that lived by the seashore. Or maybe Oregon – she’d heard parts of Oregon were nice and rainy …
“What’s the matter, sweetie?”
Ebba looked at Daniel across the table, her eyes itchy and red. The sneezing had stopped, but her eyes hadn’t. “Nothing,” she said.
“I don’t believe ya.”
She didn’t feel like debating. “It’s nothing, really.”
“Seems a shame to waste a nice evening like this.” Ma said. “Why don’t the two of you go sit on front porch for a while and get better acquainted?”
Ebba’s eyes widened in horror. “Ma, I can’t …”
Ma’s own eyes narrowed in determination. “You can and you will. I’ll put the kettle on.”
“But Ma, you know what will happen the moment I step outside …”
“I do. How else will we figure out how to help you if we don’t have something to fix? I’m going to try a different remedy – and to do that I need you sneezing.”
Ebba’s entire face twisted up in consternation. “You must be joking.” Was she about to become a science experiment?!
Apparent, yes, she was. “I most certainly am not joking,” Ma replied. “Daniel, take your bride out to the front porch and do some sparking or something.”
Daniel’s eyes lit up. “Yes, ma’am!” He sprang up from his chair and came around the table to where Ebba sat. “Ya heard the woman – let’s go!”
“Are you out of your mind?” Ebba gasped, gripping the table with both hands. “This will never work.”
“How will you know unless you try?” Ma asked.
Ebba shook her head. “I can’t subject Daniel to this, let alone all of you.”
“Oh, stop fussing, get on out there and kiss the man!” Ma insisted.
Ebba’s eyes went round as platters. “Mrs. Weaver!”
“Ma, if you please. Now get!”
“Best do as she says, sweetie. Otherwise, she’ll bust a gut – and then bust one of us.” Daniel took her by the arm, pulled her to her feet, took her hand and headed for the hall.
“Let go of me,” Ebba said, trying to pull away.
“Stop it, Ebba. You heard Ma – let’s go outside and see what happens.”
“I know exactly what’s going to happen. The same thing that happened when you found me in the orchard.”
By now they were at the front door. “So?”
She stared at him in shock. “Do you really want to put up with that the rest of your life?”
“The rest of my life?” he said as he opened the door. He gave her a gentle tug and pulled her onto the front porch. “What sort of talk is that?”
Ebba tried to pull her hand out of his and failed. “Please, let me go back inside …”
But Daniel took her other hand with his free one and pulled her flush against him. His arms snaked around her, making her his prisoner. “Don’t ya know it’s like Ma said? She cain’t tell if somethin’s workin’ if’n yer not sneezin’.”
He led her to a porch swing and sat them both down, never once letting her go. “Now I’m sorry ya suffer so, sweetie, but yer gonna be my wife. That means for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health and all that other stuff the preacher’s gonna say to us come our weddin’ day.” He pulled away enough to look at her. “We got one more day ‘til we get hitched, Ebba. Ya need to stop thinkin’ ya can’t marry me just ‘cause ya got a runny nose. That’s kinda ridiculous, if ya don’t mind me sayin’.”
Ebba blushed. “It’s just that … oh, I know it’s silly, but then again, it’s not. What if Ma can’t fix it?”
“She fixed it once already, didn’t she?”
“Yes, but that was only because she used … well … whiskey.”
“Whiskey?” Daniel said in surprise.” So that’s why ya couldn’t remember where ya were the next mornin’!”
“That is not the reason!”
“Ain’t it?” he teased. “I bet ya slept real good that night too.”
“Ohhhh, why am I even trying to explain this to you?” she asked in exasperation “You’re not listening to me!”
“Sure I am, darlin’. Yer afraid all this sneezin’ and coughin’ is gonna be a bother to me once we’re married, is that right?”
Ebba stared at him in shock. “Yes,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I am.”
“Well, I’ll tell ya right now, I ain’t worried ‘bout it. I know sure as the sun sets that Ma’ll figure somethin’ out for ya. She always does.”
Ebba sighed heavily … and felt her nose start to tickle. Here it comes …
“Look at me, sweetie,” Daniel instructed.
Ebba looked into his eyes, gasped at the tenderness in them … and sneezed. All over him.
After a second of stunned silence, he laughed, took out his handkerchief and wiped his face. Then he pulled her close. “Ya know what?” he asked gently.
She sneezed again, though thankfully she had time to turn her head first. “What?” she asked miserably.
“I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”
She pushed them apart to look at him. “What makes you say that?”
“Shucks, darlin’, if’n I can survive being tossed down a well half my life by my brothers, then I can survive a little sneezin’.”
She blinked. “Tossed down a well?!”
Daniel laughed again, pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “Yep, I figger I can survive just about anythin’. I’ll survive ya too.”
Chapter 11
The next day the guests began to arrive, and Ebba grew more nervous by the minute. As predicted, stepping out (well, forced out) onto the front porch with Daniel had sent her into a sneezing fit within minutes. But another dose of chamomile tea, this time with a bit of honey added, helped calm her throat before it got out of hand.
Come bedtime Ebba finally conceded. Ma was right – they would just have to experiment and find out what worked and what didn’t. “Fine, you win,” she’d told Daniel as he’d led her upstairs to her room.
“It’s like I told ya, sweetie – ya just hafta trust Ma knows what she’s doing. I knew she’d help. She’ll do whatever it takes to find what works for ya.”
“I guess I owe you an apology,” Ebba said, her eyes downcast.
Daniel tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. “Ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of, Ebba. You need to learn to give folks a chance, is all.”
“If you say so, Daniel. I’ll try to be better about that in the future.”
“I’m sure ya will.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead again. “G’night, sweetie. I’ll see ya in the mornin’.” He turned on his heel and disappeared down the stairs. And Ebba had dreamt about that gentle kiss all night.
But today was a new day – not to mention the day before her wedding – and there was a lot of work to be done.
“Mary,” Leona Riley called out. “Did you think about a veil for the bride?”
“Land sakes, no!” Ma cal
led as she came out of the sewing room. “I was so concerned about getting the dress ready, I forgot all about a veil.”
“Then it’s a good thing I thought of it.” Leona pulled a veil out of a box. “Let’s see how this looks on her.”
“I’m just glad I had one in the store,” added Aunt Betsy. “Of course, it’s not like my sister to not have what she needs to make one, but there isn’t time.”
“For once, sister dear, I agree with you.” Ma turned toward the hall. “Ebba!”
Ebba came out of the kitchen and into the parlor, her hands and apron spotted with flour. “What is it, Ma?”
“For Heaven’s sake, child, stop fussing in the kitchen!” Ma chastised. “We need to get you ready for your wedding.”
“The wedding isn’t until tomorrow, Ma,” Ebba protested, then saw the veil in Mrs. Riley’s hands. “What’s that?”
“Something beautiful for a beautiful bride,” Aunt Betsy explained. “I can’t wait to see you in your wedding dress.”
“Yes, let’s have a look,” Leona said. “Then we can see how the veil goes with it.”
Ebba glanced at the three matrons, all with eager looks on their faces. “Shouldn’t I finish the biscuits first?”
“Is Rufi in the kitchen with you?” Ma asked.
“Yes, she is.”
“Then she can take over the biscuits. She knows you have to get ready for tomorrow.”
Ebba fought against a sigh. It wasn’t even noon and she was already exhausted. The thought of trying on her wedding dress who knew how many times made her want to hide in the barn. “Very well. I’ll let Rufi know.”
“I’ll let her know.” Leona marched toward the kitchen. “You put on that dress.”
Aunt Betsy clapped her hands together in glee. “I do love a good wedding!” She hurried toward the sewing room.
Ma watched her go and rolled her eyes. “I hope they don’t get too frenzied over this.”
“Frenzied?” Ebba asked, worried.
“I’m afraid so, child. You see, Leona and your Aunt Betsy can get very excited when it comes to weddings. In fact, if there aren’t any weddings going on, they tend to make them happen.”
