When the afternoon was waning down, and supper was being prepared, Charlie heard the men coming to the door leading
into the kitchen. She put down the silverware in her hand, and went to open the door to greet them.
"Hi!" she said, brightly.
"Hi, yourself," Johnny said, giving her a poke in the ribs.
"Hey there, kiddo," Scott said.
Charlie closed the door behind them, as they came into the kitchen. Johnny had immediately gone over to snitch a bit of the
frosting that Maria was stirring in a bowl.
Maria gave Johnny an affectionate smile.
"How are things here?" Murdoch asked. "Day go alright?"
It was obvious that he meant how Burl had done.
Teresa, who was sitting at the table, chopping up some carrots, was silent at first, and then, at a look from Maria, said,
"He did fine. He's working on his sewing again. Upstairs."
"What's he sewin' up, anyhow?" Johnny asked, dipping his finger into the frosting bowl a second time.
"Suficiente," Maria scolded lightly. Enough.
"I'm not certain what he's making," Teresa said, in response to Johnny's question.
"So-no problems then?" Murdoch asked, continuing his questioning.
Before Teresa could speak again, Maria spoke. "Teresa esta herida." Teresa is hurt.
Immediately all three Lancer men turned their attention towards Teresa.
"Hurt?" Murdoch asked, his forehead lined in concern.
"What's wrong?" Johnny asked her.
"I'm not. I'm fine," Teresa said, firmly, giving Maria a discouraging look.
Murdoch looked from Teresa to the older woman, who was eyeing them all, with a look of disapproval.
"What is it, Teresa?" Murdoch asked, his manner insistent.
"Murdoch-really-" Teresa began.
"Teresa," Murdoch said. There was no denying the authority in his tone.
Teresa sighed a bit, and laid down her paring knife. "I bumped into the dresser upstairs. It jarred my ribs a bit. That's all."
Murdoch looked again from Teresa to Maria, and then back again, obviously putting two and two together in his mind.
"And this happened how, exactly?" Murdoch asked. His tone was quiet. But, again, intent.
"I startled Burl when I was waking him up," Teresa said.
"He shoved ya?" Johnny demanded.
"No, he did not shove me," Teresa said, standing up abruptly, and scooping the cut-up carrots into a bowl. "I startled him, and he
sat up suddenly, and thrashed around."
"And your ribs are hurt?" Murdoch clarified, stepping closer to Teresa, and speaking more softly.
"Not so much," Teresa told him, with a small smile.
"Should the doctor take a look at them?" Murdoch asked, looking towards Maria.
"There is no need for that," Teresa said. "Maria's already tended to me just fine-"
"Maria?" Murdoch asked.
"Creo que ellas estan bien," Maria said. I think they are fine. "Ella deberia descansar." She should rest.
Murdoch again gave Teresa such an intent going-over that Teresa flushed. But, no more was said at that moment
about it all.
As Charlie began to set the table, and food was brought in, the family sat down to their dinner.
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During supper, it was mostly Scott and Murdoch who did the talking, bringing Burl into it at times. Teresa was quiet, and
Johnny, too, was sparing with his words. He kept his gaze on Teresa, and Burl, and said little. Charlie felt the undercurrents at
the table, and kept still, as well, fearful of saying the wrong thing. It was obvious to Charlie that Johnny was brooding about
something, and that Murdoch, though talking, was also containing some sort of emotion. Anger, perhaps. Or something else. Charlie
wasn't certain about that part of it.
When it was time to clear the table, Johnny took Burl off. "Let's you and me take a walk 'round outside, old timer," he told Burl.
Murdoch sat where he was for a long few moments, his fingers gently moving his coffee cup to and fro. Teresa was watching him,
looking somewhat apprehensive. Scott got to his feet, and said, "Let's you and I clear the table, kiddo," to Charlie.
Charlie stood up, as well, and obediently began to gather up plates.
"Let's go and have a talk, Teresa," Murdoch said, pushing back his cup, and standing.
Charlie took a look at Teresa and saw that Teresa wanted to protest, since she obviously knew what was coming from Murdoch. But,
Teresa said nothing, and only stood, following Murdoch to the library.
Scott and Charlie worked together to clear the table, taking the dishes to the kitchen. Here, Maria washed the dishes and
Charlie and Scott both took a dish cloth and dried them.
Charlie tried not to worry about what was being discussed in Murdoch's library. Would Murdoch blame Burl? Of course, not
being entirely certain herself just what had happened-
Maria finished her chores, and said her goodbyes for the evening, chucking Charlie under the chin lightly. Scott hung the dish towel
he'd been using and laid it on the counter.
"Have you finished your school work?" he asked Charlie.
"All but some of the arithmetic," Charlie said. "I was wondering if you would help me with it."
Scott looked faintly amused. "Do you really need help with it?"
"Well," Charlie considered. "It always seems to go easier if you do help."
Scott smiled. "Well, go upstairs and get it, and I imagine I can help a bit."
"It's not upstairs. It's in the library," Charlie told him.
"Hmm," Scott said. "Well, we'll wait and take a look at it after a bit, then. We'll let Murdoch and Teresa have their talk, first."
Charlie folded her own cloth and laid it near the one Scott had used.
"Burl wouldn't mean to hurt Teresa," Charlie said, tentatively.
"I'm sure in his right frame of mind that he wouldn't," Scott said.
Charlie studied him out of her huge brown eyes. "Does that mean you agree or disagree?" she asked.
"It means-just what I said. If Burl was in the mind-set where he was himself, and not upset or agitated by something, then I agree
that he wouldn't intentionally hurt Teresa. Or you, or anybody else," Scott said. "If-on the other hand, he isn't in that frame of mind, then
I think he's capable of harm."
Charlie studied him, biting at her lower lip, as Johnny ushered Burl back into the kitchen from outside.
"He says he wants to sew some more before sleep," Johnny announced. "Want somethin' to drink, old timer?" he asked Burl.
"I wouldn't turn down a bit of whiskey," Burl said.
Johnny exchanged a look with Scott, and then said, "How about a cup of somethin' hot, instead?" he offered to Burl.
"Hot tea?" Scott suggested.
"A child's drink," Burl complained mildly, with no real heat. He tapped Charlie on the tip of her nose. "I'll see you on the morrow,
little one," he told her.
He turned to shuffle out of the kitchen, as Charlie said, "Goodnight, Burl."
Johnny began puttering around, preparing the cup of tea for Burl. "Where's Murdoch?" he asked.
"Talking with Teresa," Scott said, and Johnny nodded, as if he knew what was about with that.
"What happened, exactly?" Johnny asked, as he set the tea kettle on the stove.
Scott shook his head slightly, and when Johnny looked at Charlie, he asked, "Pequeno? You know?"
"I don't know what happened exactly," Charlie specified. "But, Burl's not cruel. He likes Teresa."
"We know that, little one," Johnny said, running his hand over Charlie's hair.
They joined Murdoch and Teresa in the library shortly afterwards, and the talk was on other things. Scott oversaw Charlie's arithmetic,
and then, sitting together in compatibility, the talk turned to Burl.
Murdoch said, appearing slightly grim, that one of them, either he, or Scott or Johnny, would be getting Burl up in the mornings
from now on. It wouldn't be left to Teresa, or Maria, or Charlie. Teresa had apparently been able to convince Murdoch that Burl
hadn't meant any true harm, that he'd been startled and had reacted so swiftly that Teresa had fallen into the corner of the
dresser.
"Speakin' of tendin' to him, I'll head up and see that he's set for beddin' down," Johnny said, standing.
"The sleeping powders are in my room," Murdoch told him.
Johnny nodded, and said he would take up a glass.
When Johnny had gone, there was quiet in the room for a few moments.
"I think I'll head up to bed, now, too," Teresa said. She stood up, and bent to kiss Murdoch's cheek.
She said her goodnights, and left to go upstairs.
When it was past eight o'clock, and Charlie was sent up, she went to Teresa's door, and tapped gently.
"It's Charlie," she identified herself.
"Come in," Teresa said, and when Charlie walked in, she found Teresa sitting on the edge of her bed,
clutching a hand around her ribs.
"What is it, Charlie?" Teresa asked.
"I just wanted to say goodnight, and see if you were really alright," Charlie said.
"Close the door," Teresa said.
Charlie turned to obey, and sat on the edge of the bed beside Teresa.
Teresa stood, and went behind her dressing screen. She made a few moaning sounds, and then reappeared, wearing
only her shift and petticoat.
"I'm fine," she said. "Don't worry, Charlie."
She sat down at her dressing table, and began to brush her hair, and Charlie saw her wince.
"But your ribs really do hurt you, don't they?" Charlie asked, worriedly.
"They're sore," Teresa admitted.
"You didn't tell Murdoch how sore they were, did you?"
"I didn't lie to him," Teresa said, looking at Charlie in the reflection of the mirror.
Charlie watched, soberly, as Teresa went back to trying to brush her hair.
"I'm fine," Teresa said. "It was just an accident. I explained that to Murdoch. He understands." She put down her hairbrush,
and turned to face Charlie. "Try not to worry. He's not going to throw Burl out over it, Charlie."
"I'm glad about that," Charlie said. "But-I feel badly that you got hurt, Teresa."
Teresa scooted over slightly and gestured to Charlie. "Come here," she urged.
Charlie came over to sit beside Teresa on the small bench, and Teresa took Charlie's hand in hers.
"Burl just reacted," Teresa said. "Instinctively. He was frightened when I shook him awake like I did."
The two girls sat together until there was a light tap on the door, and Scott spoke. "Charlie?"
"Just a moment," Teresa called back. She reached for her wrap and Charlie helped her put it on, and then
went to open the door to Scott.
"We were just talking," she said, in explanation to him.
"Well, it's past your bedtime," Scott said.
Charlie said goodnight to Teresa and went to her own bedroom. Scott read to her out of the 'Eight Cousins' book, and
then tucked her in.
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