a chair and sat down heavily. “The work will have to wait,” he said. “It is best that we clear this matter now. How did you get on the ship all alone?”
“There was a ship in the harbor and they said it was from Connecticut. I should have sent a letter, I know, but it might have been months before another ship came. So instead of writing I decided to come myself.”
“You mean that, just on an impulse, you left your home and sailed almost across the world?”
“No, it was not an impulse. I really had no home to leave.”
“And what about your grandfather’s estate? As I know he was a wealthy man.”
“He was wealthy, once. But then he was ill for a long time and couldn’t manage the plantation. He left everything to an overseer who sold the whole crop and then disappeared. So after Grandfather died, there were just debts everywhere. I paid all of them. The land had to be sold, and the house and the slaves, and all the furniture from England. There wasn’t anything left.”
“Humph!” said Uncle Matthew.
There was an awkward silence. Then her aunt put an arm on Kit’s shoulder. “Poor Katherine! It must have been terrible for you! You were absolutely right to come to us. Wasn’t she, Mathew?” said Aunt Rachel.
“Yes,” her husband agreed. “She was right, I suppose, since we are her only relatives.”
At the door he turned again. “Your grandfather was a King’s man, I believe?”
“He was a Royalist, sir. Here in America aren’t you the subjects of King James?”
Without answering, Matthew Wood left the room.
Chapter Four
As the door shut behind him, the atmosphere in the room became friendly again. Rachel began to wrap the bread in a clean napkin. “I must take this to Widow Brown,” she said, “She’s still too weak to cook for herself. I’ll be back very soon.”
“Soon!” exclaimed Judith when her mother was gone. “She’ll have to make the fire, cook porridge and tidy the whole cabin for that lady.”
“Judith,” Mercy said gently. “You know what the Bible tells us about caring for the poor and the widows. And anyway, we should start the work that is waiting right here.”
But Judith did not move. She was looking at Kit’s trunks. “Did you say that every trunk is full of beautiful dresses? When are you going to open them?” she asked.
“Well, I can open them now, if you like. You have the same things too, don’t you?” said Kit.
Mercy laughed. “We don’t! We can’t even imagine! But I don’t know if we should open them now,” she said doubtfully. “There is so much work that we need to do. Father says the Lord doesn’t like laziness. But then, the Lord doesn’t send us a new cousin every day. Perhaps He would forgive us for a little joy…”
Kit opened the first trunk. “Here are the gloves,” she said. “Please, you must take them.”
“What a beautiful dress with ribbons and bows!” cried Judith excitedly. “Our minister preached against such things, and Father won’t let us make one.”
“Try it on,” suggested Kit. Judith quickly put the silk dress on and looked at herself in a small mirror. Truly, in this dress Judith was gorgeous. “If only William could see me in this!” she sighed. “Just wait till I walk into Church in this on Sunday morning. They won’t hear a word of the sermon!”
Kit laughed. “Well, it is yours, Judith. You can take it. Now, which one will be best for Mercy?”
“Please, I do not need such things,” Mercy laughed. “I don’t even go to Church very often.”
But Judith saw a light blue woolen shawl. “This would be perfect for Mercy,” she cried.
Kit put the shawl on Mercy’s shoulders.
“Oh, Kit, how lovely! I never felt anything so soft!” Joy and protest struggled in Mercy’s face.
“Girls! What is going on here?” Rachel Wood had come back and stood now looking at her daughters. “Judith, you look gorgeous!”
“You, Aunt Rachel,” Kit said, “looked just like that yourself. I know because Grandfather told me how beautiful you were.”
The two girls stared at their mother. Kit took something else out of the trunk. “Put this bonnet on, Aunt Rachel,” she said. Rachel did and looked at herself in the mirror. Her two daughters stared at her in disbelief. “Oh, Mother! You look so beautiful! Wear that on Sunday!”
But Rachel’s face suddenly turned white. The door opened and there stood Matthew Wood. “What is this?” he demanded.
“The girls were helping Katherine to unpack,” Rachel explained. “Why are you back so soon, Matthew?”
“Look, Father!” Judith said. “Kit has given me this fine dress.”
“Can a man not come back when he wants to his own house? And you, give it back to her at once! Do as I say!” Matthew shouted. “No one in my family needs any of such things.”
“But they are gifts,” cried Kit, hurt.
“Be quiet, girl! It is time you understood one thing. This will be your home because you have no other, but you will live our ways and not spoil my daughters with your vanity. Now close your trunks and do the work you have to do. Rachel, take off that stupid thing! No member of my family will appear in public like this.”
Mercy had said no word, but quietly folded the blue shawl and put it on top of the trunk.
“Will you let Mercy keep the shawl?” Kit asked quietly.
Matthew looked at the shawl and into his older daughter’s eyes. “All right, Mercy may keep the shawl. I thank you for it.”
So there was one weakness in this hard man!
“Well,” said Rachel when her husband had left the house again, “it’s my fault. And the table has not even been cleared from breakfast.”
Kit looked at the table. “Don’t the servants do that?”
“We have no servants,” said her aunt quietly.
Kit was surprised and disappointed. “I can help with the work,” she said finally.
“In that dress?” Judith protested.
“It is the simplest I have,” answered Kit. “Give me something of yours then.”
Judith turned red, “Oh, wear that one. You can help Mercy with the carding. You won’t make yourself dirty at that.”
For four long hours Kit sat on a wooden bench and struggled with wool. Mercy showed her how to do it. Carding looked so easy, but the moment Kit took the wool into her hands she admired Mercy’s skill. “Do you have to do all that by yourself?”
“Oh, the others help sometimes. But of course, there are so many things
