Disclaimer: I'm not holding my breath…
Author's Note: So, here we are. It didn't take me that long to update, right? Well, it's less than five months. And perhaps my longest/wordiest chapter to date…
Chapter 16: Blueberry Muffins and Confessions
"Ti-Tim-Timothy Hale sa-sate, sat on a pail," stammered the young boy with messy brown hair and light brown eyes, slowly sounding out the syllables on the slate he held in his hands.
Kit smiled encouragingly. "Well done, Timothy. Very good, you have a difficult name to read."
A laugh burst out from the kitchen. "You should try learning to read Nathaniel. There's a reason I call myself Nat – three letters is simpler to understand at a glance."
Ignoring her giggling students, Kit glared at the man who was leaning against the doorframe between the kitchen and the company room, where dame school was held. "I told you to wait in the kitchen for me," she scolded, although her eyes were shining and she could not keep a hint of a grin from forming on her face.
She turned her back on him as he smirked, focusing her attention on her beginners. The six little students carefully read the alphabet from their readers, "Ay, bee, cee, dee, ee, eff…"
As they continued, Kit walked over to her other students who were attempting to write for the first time. She showed Nicole the proper way to form the first letter of her name. She felt somebody watching her and looked up. Nat had yet to move from his post by the door, a small smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.
As she gazed back at him, her memory returned to earlier when he had appeared….
As Kit finished her baking, she heard a loud knock on the door. Putting the food down on the table, she ran to the door while trying to untie her apron from behind her back, calling to the person who was still knocking, "I'm coming! One moment!" Finally managing to free herself, she quickly pulled open the door, gasping, "I'm sorry, I was in the…"
Kit's voice trailed off as she saw who had been knocking. Nat looked slightly surprised as he took in Kit's appearance. With a sparkle in his eyes and a smile on his face, now cleanly shaven, Nat greeted her, "Hello, Kit. You're looking as well as you did last night. I was hoping we could talk more?"
Kit blinked. Then, recovering, she replied, "Thank you. You, on the other hand, look better than you did last night; you're dry. I'd love to talk, Nat, but my students will be here in a few moments. Remember, I am still a school mistress."
"How could I forget?" Nat grinned. "But why are you holding an apron then?"
Chuckling slightly in embarrassment, Kit glanced at her hand which was still clutching the flour-covered apron. "Well, I promised that I would make them some blueberry muffins because, when Prudence came to visit, she told them all how Hannah used to feed her blueberry muffins while she read. She then read a passage from John's Bible and all my little children are convinced that they will be similarly proficient. And who am I to say it won't be so? So blueberry muffins have been made, not as tasty as Hannah's, of course, but decent, I think. After all, Hannah did teach me."
Nat had followed Kit into the kitchen as she spoke. "She gave you her recipe? For her blueberry muffins?" he asked, his eyes wide. "I asked her several times every year for that recipe and she never gave it to me."
Kit laughed. "She must like me better than you…or maybe she just forgot that she didn't want to share it with anyone," she quietly finished.
Nat looked at her sadly. "Kit, I'm sure you more than deserve that recipe and I know Hannah realized that and chose to give it to you. She probably wants you to pass the recipe down to your own daughters, make it a family heirloom of sorts," he tried to comfort her with a small smile.
Not looking at him concentrating instead on wiping the table clean, Kit gave a small chuckle, "Maybe." She then turned to the young man who was neatly stacking all the dirty dishes and announced it a firmer voice, "Come with me; I need your help to set up the benches and seats for school."
The two returned to the company room and put it in order. As they placed the second bench in the correct spot, there was a knock on the door. As Kit went to answer it, she pointed over her shoulder, "Nat, can you just place a stool there and there?"
Kit opened the door and saw a young girl and her mother. "Hello, Nicole. Why don't you come in? I'll see you in a little while, Mistress Stone," she said as Nicole's mother departed.
Nicole tugged on Kit's sleeve. "Mistress Tyler, why is there flour all over your face?" she asked curiously.
Kit's eyes widened. She treated Nat to an accusatory glare, although he only shrugged innocently, but he did have that mischievous gleam in his eye that she knew so well as he put the last stool in place.
Kit looked away from the sailor and bent down to Nicole's level. "Well, I have a surprise for you. I will tell you, only you mustn't tell anyone. Can you keep a secret?" she asked Nicole, whose green eyes shone as she nodded in excitement. "I made blueberry muffins as a treat and I'm going to give them to you at the end of class. Now, remember to keep this a secret between us. I'm going to clean myself up and then I'll be right back."
Standing up, Kit gave Nicole a gentle push to the company room as she went to wipe her face free of flour.
After giving herself one last look in the mirror, Kit was certain she looked presentable. She returned to the company room to find Nicole sitting on one of the benches, listening raptly to Nat, who was telling her all about a kitten he had had when he was seven. The young girl was smiling and laughing and Nat seemed to be enjoying himself as well. Another knock interrupted them and Kit forced herself to enter the happy scene to open the door.
When she returned, another young girl, Risa, was by her side. Kit turned to Nat with an apologetic smile, saying, "Maybe you should wait in the kitchen until class is done, Nat. It shouldn't be more than an hour. We can talk after."
With a nod, Nat left the room, only glancing back once to see Kit talking to the two young girls with a big smile on her face…
"Risa Bennett saw a bucket with a dent in it," confidently read Risa Bennett, looking up at Kit with a proud look in her shining eyes.
Kit smiled. "Very good, Risa. You are all doing very well," said Kit, addressing the rest of the class. "I even have a reward for you. Do you want to tell everyone what my surprise is, Nicole?"
The young girl squirmed in her seat. "Blueberry muffins!" she squealed.
The class broke out into excited chatter. Kit tried to hide her smile as she left them and went to the kitchen. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Nat sitting at the table with a quarter of a muffin left in his hand.
"I was bored, Kit. I know you did not believe you could confine me to a room filled with the enticing aroma of freshly baked blueberry muffins and not sample one," he stated theatrically. After a slight pause during which Kit gazed at him unbelievingly, he added with a grin, "Or three. Truly, Kit, these are amazing; almost as good as Hannah's."
Kit gave him a skeptic look before instructing, "Take that plate and come with me." She added over her shoulder, while leaving with a plate of muffins, "You should have followed a profession on the stage rather than the sea."
Nat picked up the plate full of muffins and followed her back into the room with eager children.
"Everybody, this is my friend, Captain Nathaniel Eaton," Kit told her students, ignoring his glare, although she did feel a slight twinge in her heart. "He's eaten the same muffins as Prudence when he was younger, and he can read almost anything.
"Everybody line up in front of either me or Captain Eaton. Only one muffin each. If there are more left at the end, maybe we can ask Captain Eaton to divide them for us."
The students ran to line up. Two boys who had been in the front of Kit's line took their muffins and hid them in their pockets before joining the end of Nat's line, but Kit noticed and told them to go sit down or they would get nothing later.
Once everyone had received one muffin, Nat cut most of those remaining in half and all the children, even the two offenders, were given a little bit more to eat. While they ate and waited for their parents to return, Nat and Kit talked a little.
"Where's the rest of the family?" asked Nat. "I haven't seen anybody yet today."
"There out somewhere, talking, I'm sure. I told them I would join them in the fields later for lunch. It's to be a goodbye meal for Judith and William. Oh, no! Lunch! I completely forgot about it when I handed out those muffins!" Kit worried, glancing around the room at all the happy little faces, many covered in crumbs and blueberry bits.
Nat laughed. "Kit, I ate three of those muffins and I'm still ready to eat some more. I'm sure everybody here will be ready to eat again in less than half an hour. In fact, I do believe I see somebody who may be trying to sneak another into his pocket."
Kit turned around quickly. One of the boys from earlier was indeed reaching towards the plate with the few remaining muffins. "Anthony," she called out warningly. She sighed and turned back to Nat, who was grinning.
"So Judith and William are leaving? That's the reason for the trunks by the door, I suppose. I can't say I'm very sorry; I don't think William has forgiven me for those pumpkins in the windows yet. He kept glaring at me when he thought I was looking the other way."
Kit gave a surprised little laugh, saying, "I had forgotten about the jack-o-lanterns. I wondered why he refused to speak to you. But, yes, they are returning to Wethersfield tonight."
She glanced out the window. "The parents are coming now. Perhaps I should explain to them about the muffins," she muttered as she ran to open the door, leaving Nat standing by the window, thoroughly enjoying himself and the view he had of Kit attempting to apologize to an amused father.
Kit collapsed into a chair in the kitchen with a sigh after the last child left. Nat raised his eyebrows but remained silent. After another great sigh, Kit turned to Nat, who was sitting at the table with the remaining plate of muffins suspiciously close, and gave a tired smile before saying, "Go ahead. You may as well eat a half a dozen. You're lean enough, too lean maybe. Eat up."
Nat grinned and promptly followed her orders. While he ate, Kit closed her eyes. When she didn't open them for a while, he asked, "Kit? Are you all right?"
She waved away his concern, although her eyes remained shut. "Fine, just tired. I couldn't sleep last night; my brain would not rest. And then I had to get up early to make the muffins and those children, love them I do, but they are exhausting. So did you have anything special you wanted to talk about?"
Nat shook his head, and then realized she couldn't see him. "No," he said. "Yesterday we recalled old stories but did not truly discuss what we are doing now. So, do you like Saybrook or do you miss Wethersfield, or even Barbados?"
Kit smiled a little. "Do you know, I don't really miss Barbados…I miss the freedom and I miss the warmth, since I still detest snow and winter." She rolled her head to give him a quick look and grin before closing her eyes again. "But, other than Grandfather, I never really had any family or people to love me. And Grandfather was as fierce as Mercy is gentle," she chuckled. "I love having people to depend upon like I do here. I may like it here better than Wethersfield, no witch hunts or you in stocks to tar my memories. But there's also no Uncle Matthew or Aunt Rachel to surround and support me. And Wethersfield is probably always going to be home for me here in America; it's where I grew up."
Nat had watched her as she talked. His eyes were burning and intense, although, of course, Kit missed that fact. The carefree, slightly obnoxious girl he had first met on The Dolphin was gone. In her place, a confident, still passionate young woman sat, willing to help others and think of them before herself.
"And what of you, Nat? Is The WITCH still as enticing as ever?" Kit asked lazily.
He chuckled. "Yes, the witch is still as enticing as ever she was. The ketch and I are getting along perfectly. She can handle storms beautifully and she is steady and reliable. I couldn't ask for a better partner on the seas. And James will be rejoining me soon. When I reach Hartford, he is coming onboard as my first mate."
"That's wonderful, Nat."
Nat plucked up his courage. "How long will you stay with Mercy and John, Kit?"
"Hmm? Oh, probably not too much longer. Until I'm married – " Nat's heart clenched " – or until I find a job for myself, I still haven't given up the idea of being a governess. Whichever comes first I suppose."
Nat visibly lost tension in his shoulders and his eyes shone brighter than ever. Kit did not see either, but she heard his sigh of relief. She opened her eyes for the first time in a while and turned to look at him questioningly. However, when he made no move to answer her unspoken query, she decided not to press the matter. Instead she asked, "So you now know I have no plans that will be changing anytime in the near future. And you? Do you plan on having a home of your own soon?" She smirked ever so slightly, showing she wasn't completely serious.
However, Nat chose to answer seriously. "Actually, I've been thinking about that quite a bit lately. I do wish to marry soon and have a home of my own soon. I'm not as young as I once was," he chuckled, "and I think my grandmother expects a wedding in the foreseeable future; she hinted that much last night when we went home."
Kit's eyes widened slightly. She forced herself to stay calm. "And do you have the lucky lady you plan to ask in mind already, Captain?"
Nat grinned at the use of his title. "Indeed I do, schoolmistress. I think you would truly like her. She's…a force of nature. And unique. She is constantly making me smile. I love her beyond a doubt."
His grin softened to a gentle, tender smile. He looked so happy. Kit told her mouth to smile in response. She succeeded in making the corners of her lips turn up, although her smile quavered quite a bit. "She sounds lovely. And I'm so happy for you, Nat," congratulated Kit, almost sincerely. It was rather difficult to ignore the pain in her chest and stomach. She felt as she had always imagined Julius Caesar must have felt after being stabbed so many times, especially by someone held very dear.
"Thank you, Kit. I'm certain my entire family would adore her," he smiled again. His blue eyes were not sharp or fierce. They were not jumping with mirth. Kit didn't think she had ever seen this particular look in those eyes before. Those expressive eyes that she often dreamed about were now light with raw emotion, yet somehow calm. They made Nat look wise, despite the crumbs on his homemade shirt and his disheveled hair. She felt her heart throb painfully and decided instantly she had to leave. She could try to be or, at least, pretend to be happy for him and his mystery girl, but it was too much to ask her to stay silent as he praised her many admirable qualities.
She gave a quick smile. "I'm sure they would. Listen, Nat, I'm really sorry but I need to go meet up with everybody for the picnic. No, no, you stay here," she said hastily as he made to stand up. "Feel free to finish up those muffins. I look forward to hearing your suggestions on how to improve them. Just shut the door when you leave. We will talk again soon."
Kit gave him another little smile as she hurried out of the kitchen and the house. Nat remained seated, watching her make her hasty escape.
Once she was a respectable distance from the house, Kit broke out into a run. Although the tears had yet to fall, her vision was blurry as she quickly made her way to the forest. Thankfully, she saw very few people on the path she took to reach her destination. Those who did see her were kind enough to pretend they could not see her red-rimmed eyes and let continue on her way without attempting to stop or talk with her.
As soon as Kit was in the forest, she gave in to her tears. For the next few minutes, she sobbed, tears flowing down her cheeks. She honestly felt as if her heart were breaking – no, shattering – into hundreds of miniscule pieces.
Once she had calmed down enough and caught her breath, she decided a stroll in the relative darkness of the woods would be just the thing for her. Taking care to mind her step as she placed her kid slippers on flat stretches of land around the great tree roots, Kit wandered through the trees and listened to the call of the animals and the sounds of the breeze weaving its way through the leaves above her.
After spending some time alone with her thoughts, Kit was interrupted by the cry of a crow. Deciding she had spent enough time wallowing and had finally reached a decision, she turned around and headed in the direction of the fields. Once again, just like the Meadows at home, she could feel them calling her.
Reaching the fields, she saw Mercy and John playing with Maddie while Judith and William sat nearby on a blanket talking. The food was laid out and had even been picked at slightly. Taking a deep breath, Kit walked towards her family.
Mercy spotted her first. "Kit! Where were you? I was starting to get worried," she called. Kit did not open her mouth to reply. Mercy then noticed the peculiar glassy look in her cousin's eyes, eyes that had not yet lost the red, bloodshot look that particularly painful, heartfelt crying gives a person. "Kit, are you well?" she asked when they were closer together.
Kit nodded silently and looked back towards the trees from which she had come. She then turned back and directed all her attention on her eldest cousin, ignoring the gazes of the three other adults and the giggles of Maddie, who was fascinated by a leaf. "Mercy, do you need me for the next couple of weeks?" she asked.
Mercy's eyes looked surprised, but she only said, "Not particularly. The Eatons had already asked if we would all join them this week to talk and cook. I told them Judith and William were leaving tonight, but that I was sure the rest of us would be happy to join. They are so happy that Nat has come to visit."
Kit tried to ignore the thump her heart gave at the name 'Eaton,' but she could not control the tears that rushed to her eyes at the mention of his name. She forced them back down and, after a few seconds, gave a small nod. She then turned to Judith, who was watching with blatant interest, and William, who was politely gazing at Maddie instead. However, as soon as she turned to face them, the husband and wife gave the slightly broken girl in front of them their full attention.
Kit opened her mouth determinedly. "Would you two mind some extra company back to Wethersfield tonight?"
Thanks to: ffgirlmoonie, Kurai Oujou, Miss Tabaldi (Thanks for the review! I would just write out the two chapters, but I hate sitting still for long periods of time. But I did think about these two chapters every free moment I had, which did make writing so much easier. Thanks for the advice and I hope you liked this chapter!), Nicnak, CrimsonScarz, and friend of CrimsonScarz.
Author's Note: Seven pages long! Yes! Haha, and it's only been about a month. I have a few things I need to say. Thank you all for your reviews – I can't emphasize enough how much they mean to me. As I said last chapter, the next installment will be the last; I don't do epilogues. And I'm sorry about this, but I will definitely not be updating until the end of August the earliest. It takes me (at least) a few weeks to write each chapter, as I'm sure you've noticed. And I am on summer break, which means I will be able to write, both for this story and my other Gilmore Girls related one, plus an L.M. Montgomery story I've been thinking about for a long time. However, it is summer, which mean I'm going on vacation. I'm going to France with my brother in early July and, while he goes off to soccer camp, I'm heading to Germany. I'm terrified, but so excited! Wish me luck on my adventure!
So that's exciting, but I will have very limited computer access and I don't think any of you would want me to spend my time in an Internet café when I could be exploring two beautiful countries, right? But I will be back by the end of August, just in time to get my butt back to college (speaking of college, is anybody as obsessed with Facebook as I am? I'm seriously addicted to that site!) Do you guys have any fun plans for the summer?
Anyway, I updated earlier than usual. It's my birthday next week, so consider this my birthday present to all of you, since I don't actually know when you guys were born. Haha, does that make any sense? Please give me a birthday present by reviewing, it'd mean the world to me! Have a good summer and I'll see you in August!