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And the Heart is Brave
Chapter 17
Elizabeth Thornton could already smell smoke as she ascended the stairs of Nathan Grant's rowhouse that Monday night. The bitter, acrid smell of something burning. She rapped lightly on the door, only to draw back startled when it was quickly opened and Nathan appeared on the other side, seeming a tad frazzled.
"Elizabeth, you're here," he said inanely. Of course she was, this was the day and time she'd been invited to dinner. Nathan seemed embarrassed. "It's just...just things didn't go quite according to plan," he apologized, tilting his back towards his kitchen.
Elizabeth peered around him into his house. Was that...was that a haze of smoke she saw? she looked back to him, her brow arched and a question in her eyes. "Yeah," Nathan confirmed. "I kinda burned our dinner," he told her apologetically.
"Well, are you going to let me in?" Elizabeth asked, she'd been standing at his door longer than necessary she thought.
"Oh, yes, of course!" Nathan corrected his oversight, standing back to allow her to pass.
As Elizabeth entered the room, she was immediately drawn towards the kitchen. There on the counter lay remnants of burnt biscuits, in the sink a pot of burnt potatoes. She arched a brow and turned to meet Nathan's eyes, a question in hers.
Understanding her question, Nathan sighed. "Burnt too," he answered. "In the oven."
Elizabeth shook her head is disbelief then proceeded to the oven to pull open the door, bending down to peer into it. Inside lay the remains of a charred roast, or at least she thought that's what it was. "Nathan!" she exclaimed with a teasing scold, tilting her head to look over at him. "What have you done?" she asked. Was it really so hard to cook a dinner? Was it really possible to mess it up so badly? Wait, Elizabeth stopped herself, remembering her own early attempts at cooking. Yes, she corrected herself, it really was possible. She closed the oven door and straightened.
Just then Allie came in from the rear yard, a jar of flowers in her hand. She'd been out picking them for Mrs. Thornton's arrival, leaving her uncle to attend the dinner. Allie took in the scene, the smell, and the decidedly black colour of the various food items in the kitchen. "Oh no! Not again!" she threw her head back in mock frustration. "I told you he can't cook!" she opined to Elizabeth, rolling her eyes and shaking her head for emphasis.
"Listen Elizabeth, maybe we can do this another night?" Nathan asked, thinking, no, knowing, that nothing was salvageable from what he'd cooked and maybe it was better they did this another time.
Immediately, Allie groaned in disappointment, then glared at her uncle. She'd told everyone at school Mrs. Thornton was coming tonight for supper and now she'd have to recant her words tomorrow.
Nathan tilted his head at Allie and arched his shoulders. He raised his hands, palms up as if to say 'but what can I do?'
Elizabeth glanced from one to the other, reading their silent conversation, then chimed in to say, "We can have dinner at my house," she offered, as two pair of eyes turned simultaneously in her direction. "I mean, if you don't mind leftovers," she said.
Suddenly Allie's eyes lit with delight. Dinner at Mrs. Thornton's! This was even better. Wait till she told the kids at school. Allie fixed her delighted eyes on her uncle. "Can we, Uncle Nathan? Can we?"
Nathan let out a sigh of hesitation. "We don't want to impose," he told Elizabeth. This wasn't supposed to be the way of it. They were supposed to host her, not she them.
"It's no imposition," Elizabeth was saying. "And for my own health, I think it'd be safer," she teased with a smile, referencing the charred offerings of Nathan's kitchen.
Nathan laughed. "I can't argue with that," he agreed with a smile. He turned to look at Allie. "Looks like we're eating at Mrs. Thornton's," he told her as Allie let out a squeal of glee.
"Oh, Mrs. Thornton," Allie said brightly remembering. "I picked these for you," she said, holding out her jar of flowers. "I hope you like them," she said.
Elizabeth looked at the offering, drawing in her breath, first in surprise, then in pleasure. "Allie, they're perfect," she told her, reaching out take the offered jar, overflowing with bright yellow flowers with red centers.
Coreopsis.
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Inside her rowhouse, Elizabeth moved to take Little Jack from Laura's arms. "You don't need to stay late tonight, Laura, we're going to eat here," Elizabeth informed her nanny. She had asked Laura to stay late to watch Little Jack while she had dinner at Nathan's but now that was no longer necessary. "Thank you, though, and I'll see you tomorrow," she added.
"It's no problem, Mrs. Thornton. See you tomorrow," the young woman called over her shoulder as she headed out the door. Elizabeth turned, her child in her arms, to beckon Nathan and Allie further into the room. "Please come in. Make yourself at home. It won't take me long to heat up the leftovers," she said, looking around for a spot to set Little Jack down. He didn't like his playpen much anymore, he was really getting too big for it and she didn't quite know what to do with him while she prepared the dinner.
Seeing her dilemma, Nathan immediately reached out. "Here, I can take him," he said.
Elizabeth's eyed widened in surprise. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Of course!" Nathan said, already reaching for and lifting Little Jack into his arms. "We're old friends, aren't we?" he asked the child with a smile.
Elizabeth watched a moment, watched him take the child over near the settee before she brushed her hands down her dress, then turned to find her apron.
Allie was studying the books on Elizabeth's bookcase. My, Mrs. Thornton had a lot of books. She'd never seen so many in one place, outside of the library. Elizabeth spotted Allie eyeing her bookcase and smiled. "Help yourself to a book, Allie," she encouraged the child.
Allie selected one, a very large one with coloured pictures and she went over to where her uncle was. Nathan had set Little Jack before a pile of wooden toys on the floor, blocks and wagons and horses and more, all made of wood, one of two of them were ones Nathan had carved himself. As Little Jack began to play with his toys, Nathan sat down on the floor near him, hooking an arm off the seat of the settee, the other across a knee, as he reclined comfortably. Now Allie joined them, as she sat cross-legged on the floor, her book open and flat before her as she perused its pages.
From her spot in the kitchen, Elizabeth's eye was drawn to the companionable trio not far away. She watched Nathan roll a small toy wagon around in front of Little Jack, eliciting giggles of laughter. Then she watched him help Allie with a long word from her book, as Allie turned it towards him looking for help and he leaned forward to read it and recite it to her. Allie held up the book in front of Little Jack. "Look at this, Little Jack," she said of the colourful image, as Little Jack's eyes moved from the page up to Allie's face and back.
Elizabeth watched the scene and something smiled in her heart. How easy and companionable they were. The three of them. Together. How comfortable Nathan was with the children, directing his attention first from one then to the other, dividing his attention equally between them. Elizabeth drew a long deep breath, then turned back towards the stove.
It was a short time later, when Elizabeth began to lay the dinnerware on the table that Allie looked questioningly at her uncle. At his nod of approval, Allie turned to ask, "Can I set the table for you, Mrs. Thornton?"
"Allie, yes, thank you, that would be lovely," Elizabeth said, looking up, appreciating the offer of help. As Allie scrambled from the floor, Elizabeth piled plates and cutlery on the table for Allie to lay out for each place setting.
"Can I do anything to help?" Nathan offered from his place on the floor, wondering if he could help with the dinner.
"No, Nathan," Elizabeth said in mock seriousness, a note of teasing creeping into her voice. "I think the best way you can help is to stay out of my kitchen," she informed him.
Nathan laughed at her implied meaning, shaking his head. She was not going to let him live this down, that burned dinner tonight. He shook his head some more, then realized something. Her teasing, her lightness, made him feel light and easy too and if he had a burned dinner to thank for it, it was a small price to pay.
It was a short time later than Elizabeth called everyone to dinner. It was just stew, but there were fresh biscuits that hadn't taken long to make and there'd be pie for dessert, an apple one she'd made yesterday.
As Nathan approached the table, Little Jack face forward in his arms, Elizabeth went to take the child, to put him in his chair, but Nathan waved her off. "No, no, I got it," he informed her, expertly placing Little Jack into his chair, one that had a large wooden block affixed to it to raise the child to table height. Nathan expertly tightened a cloth belt that hung there around Little Jack's chest, tying it around him and the back of the chair, meant to keep him from falling out. Elizabeth watched him with surprise before Nathan looked over to meet her eyes. "I've done this before," he said with a smile, should she wonder where he'd acquired such a skill, as he finished tightening the belt then tucked Little Jack and his chair up close to the table.
Elizabeth nodded. Of course. He'd done this with Allie, she reminded herself. Elizabeth reached behind herself to untie her apron, raising it over her head then placing it on the side board. "Nathan," she gestured to his spot. "Allie," she indicated the spot next to Little Jack, as they sat down in their assigned spots and Elizabeth took her own place opposite Nathan.
"Well, dig in everybody," Elizabeth invited with a smile, before Allie looked from Elizabeth to her uncle in surprise. Surprise that it seemed they were to eat straight away.
"Aren't we going to say grace?" she asked. They always did at home.
Nathan cleared his throat. "This is Mrs. Thornton's house, Allie. We'll abide by her customs," he corrected.
"No, no, please do," Elizabeth said. "I confess with just Little Jack and me here, I've gotten a little lax in saying grace. I'd be pleased if you said it now," she told Nathan, as she looked at him with the request.
Nathan nodded and Allie, pleased that it was her doing, reached for her uncle's hand. She turned to her right and caught one of Little Jack's hands in hers. Surprised, Elizabeth remarked, "Oh. Okay," she said, seeing the process, she reached for Little Jack's other hand, smiling at the little boy as she did so. Suddenly she looked up to catch Nathan's eyes as he stretched a long arm toward her across the far edge of the table, his palm up. Elizabeth's gaze traveled to his hand and she reached out to lay her own hand gently and lightly in his. Nathan lowered his head, and Allie and Elizabeth followed likewise. Only Little Jack remained upright, looking around him at the others with curiosity.
"Dear Lord," Nathan began. "Please bless this food and the hands that prepared it. We thank Mrs. Thornton for sharing her meal with us. We thank Allie for setting the table and we thank Little Jack for the smiles he has brought us today. We ask your safekeeping over us and your guidance to follow your path. In Jesus name. Amen."
"Amen," Elizabeth and Allie echoed after him, before all of them released hands. Elizabeth looked up to meet Nathan's eyes, touched by his simple prayer. It was of some note to her that he hadn't stumbled on the words. No, in prayer his words had been smooth and sure. She didn't wonder long on it though, before she turned, scooping some stew onto her son's plate, then reached for a knife and fork to cut the morsels into tiny pieces.