Page 40 of A Joyful Ring
“I won’t put you to work, but you’re welcome to do whatever you feel comfortable helping with around here.”
“Where do we start?” Risa asked, finishing her cookie and picking up her teacup for a sip of the brew that was no longer hot, but still delicious.
“If you like, you can help me with dinner. Right now, I have four regular boarders, and then your father and Gunder alternating every other day. Arianna Langley is a young widow. She is up on the third floor. Her husband had his own mine that was just starting to produce when he was killed in an explosion. She sold the mine and her home for a tidy profit and moved in here. She opened a store that sells books, stationery, and pretty things. We’ll have to go visit her shop while you’re in town. The other boarders are men. All the men are on the second floor. One is a banker. One works for the railroad, and the third is a bit eccentric. I’m not exactly sure about his pursuits, but the general idea is that his father is rich and he’s hiding out here, hoping to write a novel.”
“They all sound quite interesting.”
Gloria laughed. “That’s a fine way to put it.”
“I know it is a lot to ask, Gloria, but I would prefer that Gunder not know I’m here. As far ashe’s concerned, I’m visiting a friend and I’d like to leave it at that.”
“I won’t lie to him, but I also won’t volunteer the information. How do you propose remaining unseen on the days he’s staying here?”
“I could eat supper in my room, if you don’t care. He leaves early in the morning, so that wouldn’t be much of an issue.”
“Suit yourself. I have a room for a cook here on the main floor, but I’ve never gotten around to hiring one. I like doing the cooking myself, and it isn’t that much work to prepare breakfast and the evening meal, although I don’t serve hot meals on Sunday. We make do with whatever is left from previous meals. I do have two housekeepers. They are both are married and live here in town. They come every morning at eight to clean and tidy the rooms. They are usually finished before noon. There’s also a woman who comes twice a week to do the laundry. Her husband lives up at one of the mines, and she only sees him once a month when he comes into town to bring his pay. She has a baby girl, Lola, who comes along with her.”
“I look forward to meeting them.”
Gloria stood and gathered their things. “Grab your bag, and I’ll show you to your room. It’s just off the kitchen, which will be good if you need to disappear quickly when Gunder is here. I should warn you, he spends quite a bit of time in the kitchen with me before supper, and he’ll likely be here soon.”
“In that case, I’d better do whatever work I can tohelp before he arrives.”
Risa picked up her bag, retrieved her coat and scarf, then hurried to the kitchen.
“It’s right through here,” Gloria said, leading Risa through a large butler’s pantry that was open on both ends. When they came out on the other side of it, there were two doors down a short hallway that opened up near the back door. The first door opened into a storage room that held everything from vases and table linens to shelves stocked with a colorful array of canned fruits and vegetables. With no windows in the room, it made a wonderful place to keep the jars of food close to the kitchen.
“You did a lot of canning this year,” Risa said, admiring the rows and rows of preserved food.
“I did do quite a bit.” Gloria nudged her with her elbow. “Your father and Gunder helped me with some of it on the afternoons they were here.”
“I’m glad they did.” Risa was proud of both of her men, then gave herself a mental shake. Gunder wasn’t hers. Not yet. Maybe never.
“Here’s your room, Risa. I hope you’ll be comfortable here.” Gloria pushed open a door to a beautiful room with lace curtains covering the windows and pale-yellow drapes that could be drawn for privacy. A yellow-and-white quilt covered the bed that had a white iron headboard. The wallpaper blooming with yellow roses made Risa feel as though she’d just stepped into a summer garden full of sunshine. She walked over to the table by the bed and gingerly touched a white hurricane lamp with yellow roses painted on the shade.
A dresser, rocking chair with a dark-green footstool, and a small desk with a ladderback chair, all painted white, added to the room’s appeal.
“There is a small closet here,” Gloria said, opening a narrow door and revealing a space that had several pegs for hanging clothes on the back wall, as well as a shelf on each side.
Risa set her bag on the floor in the closet, then turned and slowly walked around the room before facing the woman who was offering her shelter and friendship. “This is perfect, Gloria. I’ve never been in such a pretty room, let alone been allowed to stay in one.”
Gloria hugged her, and Risa enjoyed the motherly embrace. “Then I hope you’ll enjoy every moment you are here.” When Gloria pulled back, she wore a smile. “I’ll give you a brief tour of the rest of the house, then we’ll need to get started on preparations for the evening meal. I have chickens roasting, and I baked rolls earlier, but there’s still much to do.”
Risa followed as Gloria gave her a quick tour, although Risa found it hard not to linger in the bathing room with indoor plumbing. It was a wondrous thing to behold, and Gloria had three of them in her home. Risa could hardly imagine such a thing.
They finished the tour of the beautiful home and then returned to the kitchen. Risa slipped on the apron Gloria gave her and set to work making crusts for the pudding pies Gloria wanted to serve for dessert.
She’d just slid the crusts into the oven whenthey heard the sound of loud stamping at the back door before it opened.
“I thought I’d bring in wood, Mrs. Franklin,” a familiar voice called as footsteps sounded in the hall.
“Shoo!” Gloria said, motioning for Risa to hide in the pantry.
Risa raced into the pantry and listened, lingering behind the door as Gunder filled the wood box in the kitchen. He greeted Gloria cheerfully and asked if any of the other boxes in the house needed to be filled.
“It would be such a help if you’d check them and fill them, Gunder. Thank you. Do you need to warm up first?” Gloria asked.
“No. I’ll finish this first, then I can warm up.”
