Lucinda surveyed the farm as they rode up, her face breaking into a smile. "It's wonderful."
"Thanks, it's nothing fancy but we've made it our home," Aurelian was quietly content with the way things had turned out here. His first place in Pennsylvania had not gone well but he had learned much since then.
After applying the hand brake, Aurelian clambered down then moved around to extend a gentlemanly hand to his dinner guest, she had nicely waited for him to do so. The two exchanged smiles. Before Aurelian could say anything further though, the front door flung open and out raced Wyatt.
"I can take care of the wagon, Pa!" the boy volunteered, it was something he liked doing for it allowed him to drive the wagon even if only for that short distance. It had only been recently when his father had let take the reins at all so it was yet another stepping stone to the boy eventually becoming a man. At just short of thirteen, he obviously still had quite a ways to go.
"Yes, son, but first be a gentleman and say hello to our guest," Aurelian pointed out, "You remember Mrs. Dietrich from church I'm sure."
"Yes, Pa. And hello, ma'am, sure is a beautiful day out ain't....I mean ..isn't it?" the boy straightened up to face the woman, he was a freshly ironed white shirt buttoned up at the collar with with his Sunday church trousers and shined shoes.
Lucinda grinned as Wyatt met them at the wagon. He was quite a bundle of energy. But he was a polite one, thanks to the influence of his father.
"Yes, Wyatt, it certainly is a beautiful day." She held out her hand to him. "My, you look about ready to get up and preach a sermon! What's the occasion?"
With a sideways glance at Aurelian, she continued, "Surely not my visit?"
Lucinda didn't know much about young boys, but even she knew that it was a pain to get them to dress up. If Aurelian had made Wyatt dress in his best clothes, it meant something. It mean Aurelian cared about what she thought. The realization made her cheeks heat.
"Yes, Wyatt, it certainly is a beautiful day." She held out her hand to him.
The boy pumped it with enthusiasm, like he might with one of his boy classmates.
"My, you look about ready to get up and preach a sermon! What's the occasion?"
Wyatt's eyes went wide, "A sermon? Ummm...no. Gosh!"
With a sideways glance at Aurelian, she continued, "Surely not my visit?"
Aurelian confirmed it, "It is not often we have a lady as guest at our table."
Wyatt nodded, "You mean 'never', Pa." Then he thought of something to add, "Actually I just about had him convinced maybe I didn't need to wear all this and then Clara comes and shows up. So much for that."
Aurelian smiled, "He never wins any argument with Clara."
Wyatt looked up at his father, "Neither do you!"
"Good point, son," Aurelian conceded with a shrug.
Lucinda was slightly taken aback by Wyatt's enthusiastic handshake - and so was her hat, which had slipped down over her forehead a little from the shaking. But the boy was clearly trying to be amiable, so she smiled and adjusted her hat as Aurelian confirmed that her visit was indeed the reason for Wyatt's dressing up.
The banter between father and son was so wholesome that it made her ache for what she could never have. But she at least got to be around Aurelian and his close-knit family for the afternoon.
"I don't think that anyone could win an argument with Clara," she said, putting her hands on her hips to survey the front of the house. "She's got a sound head on her shoulders and a quick tongue."
"And...she's also a good cook. Shall we head inside and see what she's cooking for us?" She looked to Aurelian for confirmation now, have just invited herself into his home. That would have been frowned on back east, but maybe he wouldn't mind.
"And...she's also a good cook. Shall we head inside and see what she's cooking for us?" Lucinda looked to Aurelian for confirmation.
Neither father nor little brother would disagree with the woman's assessment of Clara. Aurelian didn't take any offense whatsoever when the woman suggested they get into the house for the meal.
"Yes, a mighty fine idea. That's what you're here for, afterall," Aurelian now ushered Lucinda forward toward the house, Wyatt rushing ahead to open then hold the door.
Once all three were inside, the door closed. There wasn't a lot of light in the place but once one's eyes adjusted to the difference from daylight outside, Lucinda could see it was a rather simple home setting, given it was a cabin. There wasn't a lot of room but it was clean and well kept up, giving off a very homey vibe.
Clara turned from her activities at the stove and smiled, "Good day, Lucinda. Oh, and I like that dress."
She herself was wearing one of her plain work dresses with a big apron on, her hair in a bun behind her head. Since it was late summer the oven gave off quite a bit of heat and she then wiped her forehead brow of a trickle of perspiration.
Wyatt raced to the table and sat down in one of the four chairs, arranged 2 to a side. Dishes were set, they were nothing fancy, neither was the silverware. The wooden table has a bright red and white checkered tablecloth decorating it.
"Have a seat right here then," Aurelian walked her to one chair, pulled it out so she might be seated and then, "If you please."
Once she did that, he took the seat immediately next to her. Clara would sit beside her brother then.
The smells of the cooking wafted all about but just in case she could not tell, Wyatt spoiled any suspense.
"We're havin' roast chicken!" he sounded quite excited about it all.
"With stuffin' and gravy too," he just had to add.
Lucinda blinked as her eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight. She found a peg near the door to hang her hat on - it was almost like her hat belonged there - and turned to Clara.
"Why, thank you, Clara. It is one of my favorites." Ordinarily she would have returned the compliment, but Clara's dress was not fashionable by any means, and was, she guessed, meant to hide the young woman's growing belly. Not that Aurelian didn't know, but the fashions of the day did not flaunt pregnant bellies at all.
She let Aurelian guide her to the chair and seated herself, taking in the neatly-set table and then grinning as Wyatt announced the menu. "Fantastic," she said, giving him a nod. "Do you like the stuffing or gravy better?"
She wasn't here just to spend time with Aurelian, after all. She needed to get to know Wyatt better, and Clara, too, although working at the diner had brought the two women closer together. Wyatt seemed much more outgoing than his older sister, which would make him easier to talk to.
Aurelian escorted her to her seat , waited til she sat down then gently pushed the chair in. Wyatt was already announcing the menu to their guest.
"Fantastic," she said, giving him a nod. "Do you like the stuffing or gravy better?"
Wyatt seemed almost shocked by the question, "Oh you can't have one without the other. Ma always made both, right Pa?"
"That she did, son," Aurelian smiled as he now sat himself.
He turned to Lucinda, "Katherine was a fine cook and it rubbed off on Clara. Sadly I, on the other hand, am best when far from the stove."
"Like when you almost burnt the house down, Pa?" Wyatt was grinning away.
"Now that is an exaggeration," Aurelian begged to differ.
"We called it a fire, Father," Clara now chimed in, deadpan though her little brother was giggling.
"Really?" Lucinda raised an eyebrow at Wyatt's revelation and filed it away in her brain. Aurelian and his son liked both gravy and stuffing, and were used to good cooking, something she was lacking in. Not complete deficient, but certainly not on Clara's level.
"Well, I'm partial to gravy, myself," she managed to say before Wyatt began ragging his father about an incident with the stove. She leaned forward, enjoying the banter that even Clara joined in on. A fire? Oh, dear, that didn't sound good. But it sounded funny.
"You have to tell me about it now! Now I'm curious." In her eagerness, she reached out and touched Aurelian's arm, but jerked it back quickly once she realized what she'd done. There was no reason for her to be touching him, was there? No. But just that one touch couldn't hurt anything.
"Really?" Lucinda raised an eyebrow.
"Yup!" Wyatt couldn't be more certain.
Aurelian now found himself having to recall a rather embarrassing moment in the not too recent past regarding his ...well, discomfort of being in a kitchen. Both children of course remembered every little detail and were quite amused to bring it up in front of company.
"You have to tell me about it now! Now I'm curious." In her eagerness, Lucinda reached out and touched Aurelian's arm, but jerked it back quickly once she realized what she'd done.
Needless to say Aurelian noted it without reaction, he didn't mind in the slightest. Katherine used to do that and more all the time during conversations. Sharp eyed Clara noticed it too and filed it away with just a hint of amusement. Wyatt was oblivious.
"Is there no one with some regard for a man's dignity in his own castle?" Aurelian declared but he was smiling as he said it. He wasn't one of those pompous men who not admit to any flaw.
"Tell us again, Father," Clara gave him a verbal prod.
"Well, if you must know then and only because you are my guest here..........I was enlisted by a certain insistent brunette whose first name starts with a C..." Aurelian began.
"No idea, go on," Clara said with a straight face.
"I am ...I am. Anyhow she requested...no, make that 'ordered' me to put the casserole into the oven at such and such a time and then check it periodically. She was working at the time as a tutor at the Lost Lake ranch and this way supper would be ready when she arrived home. Well, I was busy around the farm and lost track of the time. I really should get one of those pocket watches sometime...."
"Frivolous expense," Clara commented.
Aurelian pressed on, "So when I finally remembered I was late in putting the thing in the oven...well, I figured I would just add more wood to the fire, make the oven hotter of course. That should work. Then I was out on the corral fenceline with Wyatt, postholing when Wyatt asked me what we were having to eat that night. That reminded me to go check the oven so...."
"That's when we saw the smoke," grinned Wyatt, "coming out of the window."
"Yes, and I was just arriving back home looking forward to a nice proper repast," Clara added.
"Who's telling this story anyhow?" Aurelian looked at his children.
"So we rush inside and ....there was smoke ..." he tried to plow on.
"Like from a forest fire," chuckled Wyatt.
"Nonsense, son," Aurelian frowned.
"And of course the casserole looked like a huge lump of charcoal and so much for supper," Clara pointed out.
Aurelian nodded and sighed, "OK, I think Lucinda probably had figured out that part already. Anyhow I was then told in no uncertain terms to stay out of the kitchen from there on in."
Poor Aurelian. Lucinda already knew the story would be funny from the way Clara and Wyatt were reacting, so she attempted to keep a straight face so as not to make the tale more undignifying for Aurelian than it had to be. She succeeded for the most part and managed to keep her lips from twitching, although her eyes sparkled with suppressed mirth.
But at the part where he put more wood in the stove, she couldn't hold back anymore. She clapped her hands to her mouth, but was unable to stifle the laugh that bubbled out. "You thought that would help it cook faster?!"
Quickly she quelled the laugh and cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry. Please continue." But she needn't have worried about her interruption, as Aurelian's story had been filled with asides from his children, and they weren't going to let him skip anything.
So the whole tale came out, and fortunately nothing was hurt except for the castle and Aurelian's dignity. Swallowing down the rest of her laughter, Lucinda reached out to touch Aurelian's arm again. "Well, I'm so glad that you went back to check on the casserole. Otherwise a fire could have started inside the house."