The pickling feeling could simply be attributed to her being paranoid. It didn't mean someone was following her. If someone did, however, it wasn't really a question as to who it might be and why. So, despite being tempted to look over her shoulder, she didn't look anywhere but straight a head as she made her way home. Until she reached the front door, that is. She frowned when it was locked. Running her hands over her forehead, she turned and looked left and right, trying to locate that familiar head of curly dark hair. Trying the door once more, only to find it tightly locked, she took a deep breath.
Sander always forgot to lock the door. Despite all the times she had scolded him for it, he never learned to do it. It was the reason why she always was the last person to leave and tried her best to be the first to return. He only had the key to the door that led to the staircase, so he could hide from the rain and cold while he waited for her to return. After another deep breath, she shook her head. Then rubbed her gloved hands harshly against her face.
He was only late. It was only two days ago he had been out late playing in the street. Of course, he would be out there, with a gaggle of boys she had seen once or twice, instead of waiting for her for who knows how long. A penny was enough to buy more than enough candy for the boys to enjoy together for a while. And she had given him more than enough to be sick despite sharing. Glancing over her shoulder at the street, she unlocked the door and decided to simply wait for him. Sander knew the streets of Edinburg better than she ever would. He was fine.
She was only worried.
Reaching for a wooden spoon over the fireplace, she stirred the contents of the pot. A little more water was poured into the pot before she removed her gloves and hat. Then unpinned her jacket and threw both it and her fichu on a chair. The pocket hoops followed. Lastly, she removed her skirt and shoes, opting for a plainer dark wool skirt and sturdy brown shoes instead. After putting on a simple blue jacket and a woollen shawl, she put what would be Sander's new shirt into her basket. A spool of thread, scissors and a small needle were also put into the basket before she made her way out of the apartment and sat down on the outside step.
She began to sew the pieces of the shirt together as she waited. It was only an hour or so left until sunset, but doing something while waiting always kept her mind occupied, at least to some degree. Glancing up every now and then, she could only sigh. Then smile at how much bigger this shirt was, compared to the previous ones were. Sander was growing like a weed. Pulling the right sleeve through the armscye, she first sewed the gusset, then sewed towards the shoulder.
Like all his previous shirts, she had used fabric from a smaller and older shirt to strengthen the shoulders. It was unusual, but Sander had since he was young a nasty habit of tearing the worn shoulder fabric and seams. Since she started using two layers at the shoulders, however, not a single shirt had been damaged in such a way. This accomplishment made her more proud than any gown or dress she had ever made.
Cupping a hand against her mouth, she breathed hot air on her fingers and looked around the street. No mop of curly dark hair anywhere to be seen. She nodded in greeting to a few people she knew or knew of. It had grown much darker than she had previously realized. Without the candlelight from several windows and a few streetlights that were being lit, it would have been pure black around her. Folding the shirt and securing the needle in the fabric, she placed it back into the basket. She stood up and stretched, moving to relieve her body of any stiffness and looked around her.
Finally, though it had been his shirt that had drawn her eyes, the way it moved made it clear it was him. Picking up her basket and letting it hang from her elbow, she crossed her arms. Just as she opened her mouth to ask where he had been, however, she noticed another boy at his side.
"Sorry I am late. Can he eat with us?"
His voice was smaller than usual, almost shaking in uncertainty though he had clearly decided on what to say even before he saw her. When the pair stopped in front of her, she looked at the two of them. Both were dirty, though she couldn't really tell if it was dust or mud. The other boy was smaller than Sander in all ways, thinner and shorter and surely in need of some real food. Though she sighed, she gave the two a smile.
"Of course. I'm Aleksander's mom, Marta.."
"It's nice to meet you Mistress Marta, my name's Daibhidh, but my mama called me Davie."
Opening the door, she smiled at Davie. His mother was most likely dead and had been for a while, seeing how he said it without much emotion. Walking up the stairs, she blocked the door, her arms on her waist as she smiled down at the two.
"The pleasure is all mine Davie, but please call me Marta."
She opened the door as she looked at them, then pointed at Sander and Davie's shoes. If they were dirty with mud she wouldn't want that around the floors of her home, no matter how humble it was. Placing her basket down, she looked down at the almost porridge-like contents of the pot. She heard Sander get bread and the jar of jam, then went to gather three plates and three knives. Rushing to get some light in the room, she lit several candles and placed one on the table. Motioning for the boys to sit down at the small table, she got an apron and pulled the large pot with her over to the table.
"Could you close the window Sa-Aleks?"
He smiled at her as she corrected herself and hurried towards the window as she pulled a stool over to the table. Davie tried to offer one of the two chairs to her, but she waved him off with a smile and poured some food onto his plate. Sander returned to accept a plate of his own and she sat down once her plate was full. Then used another spoon to shovel a sizable amount of jam onto their plates. At Davie's slight frown, she smiled.
"It's cabbage and lamb with lingonberry jam. It's mine and Aleks's favourite. I hope it's to your liking as well."
The boys talked among themselves as they ate. She tried not to listen too much in on their conversation, yet she still learned how Sander had helped him escape a man after he had taken a bannock. It was whispered so silently even she was surprised she heard it.
Yet it explained a great deal. Especially the poor boy's appearance. He was short and thin, his cheeks almost hollow, with clothes that were both too small yet large on him. The sleeves were short and the shoulder seams were placed where his shoulders started, clearly meant for someone younger than him. Yet it was still large and billowy on his frame. Though the collar was open, the open length hung limply down his chest. It was the same for his breeches and west, meant for someone smaller, yet large on his thin body.
"The two of you are in need of washing. Wash your faces and hands in the basin while I prepare some water to scrub you down."
She stood from the stool and filled a pot with water and hung it over the fire to warm. Marta then pulled the bath basin from the corner of the room. Though heavier than it had any right to be, it didn't leak and allowed her to wash clothes inside. While small, it was large enough for both her and Sander, so the boys would fit together no doubt.
Feeling the water, it was still cool. Yet she got a cup and filled it with water and found Sander's comb. Dipping the comb in the water, she walked over to Davie who had washed first and motioned for him to pull the stool over to the fireplace. Once he was seated, she combed through his hair, careful not to be too harsh on the knotted short locks. When the comb was dirty, she dipped it in the cup to clean it and continued. Luckily he didn't have lice.
"Once you're done, get over here and I'll comb your hair too. You clearly forgot to do it this morning."
Sander almost dried his face on the sleeve of his shirt, before a glance at her face seemingly made him reevaluate the idea. Laughing down at Davie's hair, she finished combing it and ruffled it as if to dry it. Smiling at the boy, she then motioned for Sander to sit down.
"Throw your waistcoat and breeches in that tall basket over there. I planned to wash clothes the day after tomorrow, so I'll just wash yours at the same time."
While he did as she had told him to, she started combing Sander's hair. It was less knotted than Davie's, but who knew when the poor boy had had the opportunity to comb his hair last. She was quickly done with Sander's hair, yet continued to comb it until it was just as wet as Davie's. Ruffling his hair to announce she was done, she emptied the cup into the chamber pot.
Looking over at the pot over the fire, she smiled at the faint steam emanating from it.
"Take off your shirts and get into the bath, the water is coming up!"
She put a finger into the water, checking the temperature. It was enough to not make them shiver but it could hardly be called warm. Using her apron to hold the pot, she made her way over to the bath basin and poured it between the two boys. She placed two logs in the fire and got four clean rags from her drawer. Sander lifted his arms high above his head and she curled two of them tightly and threw them straight into his hands.
Davie laughed at the exchange, then accepted one of the rags. Dipping it in water, he started scrubbing himself and Marta couldn't help but smile. She walked over to them and hunched down by the bath, dipping her one of the two rags. With all the excess water dripping from it, she twisted it over Davie's head and laughed at his surprised face. Though it was not a surprise to Sander, she did the same thing to him. Then hung the two rags on the side of the bath.
"Use these two to clean your faces, necks, then hands and finally hair. And Aleks, please don't forget to wash your ears before you wash your neck, alright?"
"Jada, mamma."
After ruffling his hair, she stood up and gathered their plates. The few bones left on the plates were thrown back into the pot. It would be the fourth day with the same dinner. Davie had made an impressive effort in deciding it to the last day as well however and for that she was more grateful than she dared to admit. Such fatty food didn't agree with her after more than four days anyway. Maybe she should ask around the market if anyone had any sour milk so she could make some milk soup. Nodding her head at the idea, she rubbed the plates with a clean rag and placed them on top of the cupboard. She needed the wash the dinner dishes and cutlery soon as well.
A series of new noises made her look out the window. It started to rain. Not a soft drizzle or light rain. It poured down as if someone in heaven had emptied a barrel's worth of water over them. Turning towards the boys as she rubbed the knives with the rag, she shook her head.
"You'll sleep here tonight Davie. I won't have you muddied just after a bath."
He only looked down at the water and nodded. Sander smiled back at her, before tapping Davie's arm and motioning for him to clean his back. Once Sander's back was spotless, he returned the favour. She couldn't help but smile and wonder how Sander hadn't mentioned Davie before. Though she was mostly too tired for them to actually speak most evenings.
Sighing to herself, she threw the rag into the large basket of dirty laundry and made her way towards the chest with linens. Taking out two of Sander's sleeping shirts, she laid them out on the bed and took her basket over to the dinner table. While she still kept several articles of clothing Sander had outgrown, most of them would need to be altered to fit Davie. She paused as she threaded the needle. Without really giving it a thought, she had already decided to take the boy under her wing.
Sander was a better judge of character than she was, so she trusted the boy the moment she laid eyes on him. Shaking her head with a smile at the thought of her seven-year-old having such an influence over her, she started to sew. Determined to finish the shirt before the morning.
Who needs sleep anyway.
By the time the boys woke up, she was disconcertingly proud of the slightly altered shirt, waistcoat, breeches and coat she laid out for Davie. She had also laid out the same sort of articles of clothing for Sander. There were also some tightly knitted stockings for the two. Looking out at the street and the sky, she decided to lay out knitted gloves, scarves and bonnets for the two to wear. The clouds hung low over the roofs and the few trees she could see were moving in a strong wind.
She sliced eight slices of bread and used a knife to lather four of them in some of the fat from their dinner. It was cool and thick, having been put over the low flames too late to really liquify. But it did come with the perk of having some meat and cabbage in it, so the boys would surely remain full for a long time. The other four slices were wrapped in a fabric with two boiled eggs and some dried meat.
As a little treat for all of them, she had warmed some milk with a few spoons of blueberry jam from the year before. It had been the last of the batch, but it was too little to be used for anything but flavoring. Pouring it into three cups with a ladle, she turned and placed them on the table. Then turned towards the waking boys as she wrapped herself tightly in a woollen shawl.
"Eat some slices of bread before you two go anywhere. I've made a- packed some food for later in the day as well."
Shaking her head at herself, she sat down and took one cup in her hands. Despite keeping the fire roaring all night, her fingers were still stiff and almost numb from all the sewing. The comforting warmth of the cup did at least make her feel better. Sander gave Davie a blanket before he wrapped himself in another one and made his way over to the table. He looked like he was still asleep as he slid into the chair. All she got for her trouble was a sleepy smile, but it still made it worth it.
Davie's reaction was another all together. Despite being just as sleepy as Sander, his face lit up at the slices of bread and cup of pink milk. He nodded his head in gratitude before taking a sip. The smile on his face broadened and she responded with a smile of her own as she drank her milk. While the taste of blueberry was faint, it was there and made the milk somewhat sweeter.
"Do you attend school yet, Davie? Do you have a place to live nearby?"
The smile faded as he shook his head at both questions. Though it wasn't the correct reaction to receiving such news, as her son's sudden frown told her, she smiled. Taking a hold of Davie's hand, she smiled once he looked back up at her.
"Wonderful. Before you start school I'll have some much needed help running errands then. I'll give you two a note to hand Father Lorne, so after you sit in on Aleks's class today, you join me in the shop and market afterwards. If that is alright with you?"
He nodded, his brows furrowed as his mind was processing her words.
She rose from her seat, placing the wrapped lunch in Sander's leather satchel, with his chalkboard and chalk, as well as an English bible. Then got out a small piece of paper and wrote a small note for Father Lorne. Asking for him to allow Davie to attend class that day and that she herself would pay for his tuition and school material. She also asked him for a reply and stated she was willing to meet with him personally to discuss the details. Once finished, she pointedly placed it in the satchel and closed it securely.
"On second thought, could both of you come to the shop after class? I'll give you a coin purse and note of what I want from the market, since it would be too late to get sour milk after closing up."
"Surmelksuppe?"
Sander had finally joined the world of the living it seemed. He looked at her with wide eyes and a growing smile, though his mouth was still full with bread and fat. She gave him a nod and a look. In return he quickly drank some milk and nodded his head furiously.
"Ja, the pot will be empty today by the looks of it, so it's time to prepare a new meal. Only the sourest of milks are good enough for soup, you know. And for lefser."
She walked over to where she had laid out their clothes and placed the satchel by the chest. Then turned to look at the shoes by the door. While they got dressed she would have to clean them. Surprisingly, a happy one at that, Davie's shoes were not in as terrible a state as his clothing. Though even those would be good for strengthening a shirt and repairing other clothes. Even after being cut to pieces, they would make good rags or trims.
As the boys got dressed, both Davie and Sander sending her discrete looks of silent thanks, she used a rag wetted with spit to clean the shoes. All water was either too clean or dirty to be used for the task so she did what she had to do to clean them. The process was much quicker than she had previously thought it would.
While the boys were still buttoning their breeches, she got out a skirt and dress to wear for the day. A pale blue dress that showed the front of a grey striped skirt. She combed and pinned her hair in her usual semi-fashionable updo, then chose a fichu with red flowers and green stems to tuck into her neckline. They boys finished dressing, showing off for each other as she lightly dabbed rouge on her lips. To annoy them, though especially Sander, she held up two ribbons for them to see. One of a blue matching her dress and the other a red that matched the flowers on her fichu.
"Which one should I choose?"
Sander groaned, looking away from her as if to avoid the whole thing. Davie looked at the two ribbons seriously, his brows knitting together in a frown before he pointed towards the red one. She held it up higher and he nodded. The serious frown remained on his face all the while. Marta couldn't help but smile as she started pinning it to her hat and looked back at him once she was finished.
He already looked much better than the day before. Though his face was still gaunt, it was clean and the small smile on his face made it light up. Despite taking an educated guess by comparing the length of his previous garments to the ones she altered, they fit him much more. She hadn't cut into any of them, so as he gained some weight, they could be let out until he needed some new clothes. Before that time however, she needed to alter some more of Sander's old clothes. It wouldn't do for him to only have one pair of garments to wear.
"I might steal you so you can help me at the shop. You have an eye for it, Davie."
Her son simply shook his head, probably not quite sure whether she was joking or not. She placed the hat on her head and tied it at the neck. Turning to the little mirror, she adjusted both the hat and the cap underneath until she was pleased with how it sat. Then found a pair of red knitted gloves with sewn ribbon bows at the elbows.
"Be careful not to dirty yourselves today. Unless the two of you want to wash clothes with me that is."
Sander quickly made his escape, Davie barely giving her a nod before he ran after her son. It warmed her heart immensely as she watched the door close behind them. Shaking her head to rid herself of the always lingering guilt towards her son, she further tucked the fichu into her bodice. Then got the key chain, put on a pair of leather shoes and locked her way out.