Petals on the River (16 page)

was hardly worth knowing, much less listening to.
 
'If you made all

these furnishings for your wife, then I, for one, can believe you loved

her very much."

A quickly vanishing smile was Gage's only response before he moved to

the hearth.
 
There he stirred up the glowing embers and laid several

pieces of wood on top.

As he fed the fire, Shemaine realized she had seen no one else in the

cabin.
 
"But where is your son?"

Gage swung a large kettle of water over the newly kindled flames and,

turning to face her, casually motioned in a westerly direction. "I left

him with a neighbor who lives up the river a piece.
 
If not for the fact

that Hannah Fields has a husband and seven children of her own to care

for, I might have hired her on to cook and clean for us.
 
But of course,

I wanted someone who could instruct my son beyond the limits of her

ability.
 
Hannah is a good woman and a hard worker, and Andrew is always

delighted when he has a chance to play with Malcolm and Duncan, her

youngest two.
 
I'm sure once you meet her, you'll find her very kindly

and not given to gossip and the like."

" Twould be nice to find someone willing to teach me the duties of a

servant, but I don't suppose Mrs.
 
Fields has much time to do that with

such a large family," Shemaine surmised with a tentative smile.

Although Gage tried to dismiss the girl's shortcomings as something that

could be easily dealt with, it was a simple fact that a man who worked

hard all day could get mighty hungry for palatable food even in the

presence of such a comely woman.
 
"As soon as the storm lets up, I'll be

leaving to fetch Andrew.
 
While I'm at the Fields's cottage, I'll ask

Hannah if she can come over one day soon and show you a few things about

cooking.
 
She'll probably be more than willing to visit with you. Except

for her younger two, her other sons are older and have to help their

father.
 
She has two daughters, between ten and two and a pair of years

more, but they're more concerned with neighbor boys than with matters

that interest women.
 
They prefer to stay at home just in case any

should happen by." A grin briefly flicked across Gage's lips as he

added, "Their father keeps as close a watch, and by the size of his gun,

I can understand how he might discourage the lads from visiting

unannounced."

Shemaine smiled.
 
"Is it permissible to have a look around the cabin

while you're gone?"

"Aye, but you'd better bathe and dress first so you can be assured of

some privacy.
 
There are clothes in a trunk in the bedroom that can be

altered to fit you.
 
I'll get them now."

Curious to see what he would have her don, Shemaine followed him into

the bedroom and found it spacious and comfortably furnished with a huge

four-poster, a chest of drawers, an armoire and other handsome pieces.

There was even a large bear rug on the floor beside the bed.

Part of the original room had been partitioned off to make a small

bedroom for his son.
 
No doors existed between the two rooms, only a

wide passageway where a piece of sailcloth had been hung, but apparently

it was rarely used, for the folds, which had settled into it over time,

had become quite distinct, almost crisp.
 
The child's room held a

rocking chair, a chest-on-chest, an infant's crib and a trundle bed, all

handsomely made pieces and all, no doubt, the handiwork of her master.

Gage lifted the curved lid of a trunk that stood at the foot of the

four-poster in the larger room and swept a hand to indicate the

contents.
 
"These things belonged to my wife.
 
She was tall and slender,

and her feet and hands were rather long and thin, so you'll probably

need to shorten the gowns and stuff a bit of cloth in the toes of the

shoes until I can afford to buy you another pair, but you're welcome to

use whatever you'd like."

Shemaine was overwhelmed by his generosity.
 
"You'd have me wear your

wife's clothes?"

Gage had no need to imagine the depth of her astonishment.
 
It was

blatant on her smudged face.
 
His answer was rather laconic.
 
"Better

these clothes than that rag you're wearing."

A deep flush of color crept into Shemaine's cheeks as she dragged the

torn sleeve over her shoulder again.
 
"Your charity astounds me, Mr.

Thornton.
 
I would think you'd be reluctant to let a stranger wear

something that once belonged to your wife."

"The clothes will serve your needs better than my memories," he answered

curtly.
 
"And right now I can ill afford to buy a bolt of cloth for you

to make yourself a gown.
 
I paid more for you than I had intended, and I

must recoup my funds ere I can buy supplies for the ship."

"I'm not ungrateful, Mr.
 
Thornton," Shemaine hastened to assure him.

"I really hadn't expected to be given anything but a bit of food and

perhaps a place to rest."

"The boy and I sleep here in these two rooms," Gage announced bluntly.

"You may have the loft for your bedroom." Bidding her to follow, he led

the way back across the great room and, passing through the doorway

nearest the kitchen, entered the corridor that led to the back porch. On

the wall to the right a large drafting desk resided beneath a tall,

shallow cupboard.
 
On the left, a stairway provided access to the loft.

Gage raised a hand toward the stairs, inviting her to precede him.

He couldn't help but watch the way she moved as she climbed, for she had

a graceful elegance about her that even the tattered garments could not

disguise.
 
Upon reaching the upper level, he stood aside as she strolled

about the room.
 
Silently she paused beside the narrow bed, glanced

around at the other sparse furnishings and the small fireplace opening

in the chimney, and then moved to the rail to look down upon the parlor

below.
 
Returning to the cot, she brushed her fingers thoughtfully

across the top of a rough-hewn table that stood beside it.

"It's rather cramped up here, I know," Gage conceded after a moment,

"but it's the best I can offer in the way of a separate room for you.

Later this afternoon I'll stretch a rope above the balustrade and hang

some sailing sheets across it for privacy."

" Tis far more than I ever expected, Mr.
 
Thornton." Moved by his

kindness, Shemaine tried to curb any outward display of emotion, but

against her will it crept into her voice as she continued.
 
'Compared to

the cell I shared with the other women on the ship, it seems like a

grand, lavish chamber.
 
Tis comforting to know that I'll be able to

enjoy privacy in something better than the cable her."

Amazed by her trembling voice, Gage looked at her closely and noticed

the teary brightness in the translucent eyes, but she stepped away in

awkward silence.
 
Not wishing to embarrass her, he went to the stairs

and descended to the lower corridor.

"This is where I started making furniture," he explained after she had

joined him there.
 
"The first piece was a curio cabinet for a wealthy

matron who assured me that if she liked the piece well enough when I

finished it, she'd buy it from me.
 
Since then, I've made quite a few

items of furniture for her.
 
Presently I'm working on this breakfront

which she ordered a few weeks ago."

He swept a hand toward the tilted top of the drafting desk, where

several drawings of the piece in various stages of construction lay

strewn.
 
His talent for creating furniture apparently extended to his

drawings as well, for they were as fine and precisely detailed as any

finished piece of furniture would be.

Shemaine's eyes roamed upward to the shallow cabinet that hung on the

wall above the desk.
 
A diverse collection of ledgers, rolled parchments

and sketches, perhaps similar to those which lay on the desktop, were

stashed into the small drawers, cubbyholes and shelves of the piece,

filling it near to overflowing and attesting to the extent of work her

master did at the small desk.

"With all of the orders I've been getting the last few years, I've had

to move the cabinet shop outside.
 
It's now located in a large shed at

the far end of the path that leads from the back porch.
 
Two of my men

have worked for me almost from the very beginning.
 
They were complete

novices when they first started, unable to tell the difference between a

plank of maple and one of oak.
 
Even using a saw correctly seemed beyond

their comprehension.
 
I dared not trust them with major tasks.
 
But

throughout the years both Ramsey Tate and Sly Tucker have progressed far

beyond my expectations.
 
I now consider them two of the finest

cabinetmakers in the area.
 
Recently I began schooling two new

apprentices, a young German and another fellow from Yorktown, but they

haven't advanced much further than the saw yet.
 
Normally, at this time

of day, I'm working in the shop with them or else helping the old

shipwright and his son, but I gave the lot of them the afternoon off so

they could tend to some pressing matters of their own while I went to

see what the London Pride had brought into Newportes Newes."

"'Tis plain to see you're a very talented man, Mr.
 
Thornton," Shemaine

said with sincerity.
 
"I know naught of building ships or the like, but

I can recognize a handsome piece of furniture when I see it. If what you

have here in this cabin is a fair indication of the quality of furniture

you make for people in this area, then your customers will surely miss

your craft if you decide to give up the trade entirely."

A brief twitch at the corner of his lips substituted for a smile before

Gage raised his head to listen.
 
The gentle pitter-patter of raindrops

on the roof indicated the easing of the turbulent downpour and buffeting