The place needed a good cleaning. Everything was covered in a layer of dust. She was not sure what she could do to help. She didn’t know where things were and, if she was honest with herself, she was not sure how much she could actually help with! She did not know how to cook. To be truthful, she didn’t even know what was needed to get a meal started. She could set the table but for what?
She jumped when she heard Cole tell her to come on over towards him and watched as he opened a large doorway off to the side. She noted that it looked like another entryway to a room or maybe he was showing her the restroom in the house.
Elizabeth watched as he held up the oil lamp and set it on a shelf. “Oh! Is this the pantry?” she asked and placed her hands over her stomach as her body gave a loud growl.
“Sorry, please excuse me,” she smiled, embarrassed. She was relieved to see him grin in response. She let out her breath as he explained he was pretty hungry, too.
They glanced over the shelves, noting the lack of items and then Elizabeth watched as he yanked up the small braided rug on the floor to reveal a trap door in the floor. Cool air flew into the room with a rush from quick movement as he opened the small doorway into the floor. Elizabeth eyed Cole as he stepped down onto a ladder rung that was attached to the entrance. She moved to grab the oil lamp to help light the way and was pleased to see him glance up and nod in approval.
Cole held his breath as he moved down the ladder into the darkness. His parents had always kept smoked meats and other goods hidden down there. Mother always had cheeses, canned jellies and other items stocked away when she had been alive. As a boy, he used to be scared to go down into the dark cellar but as a man, he sincerely hoped the cellar had remained full of goods that stayed fresh in the cool darkness that had once frightened him.
His breath whooshed out in relief seeing some items hidden away and sealed. The canned jars still had strong seals on them and there was one round of cheese dipped in wax on the shelf. He spotted a large bin his mother used to store beans inside of and saw there were still some present. One lone netting hung from a beam in the ceiling that practically glowed in the lamplight. It might be a smoked ham or a shank of bacon. Cole hoped and prayed it was bacon – and that it was still edible. Bacon would give them grease along with flavoring if they had to eat beans for some time.
“Jackpot!” he exclaimed happily.
“Can you take these things as I hand them up?” he called up towards Elizabeth as he hung the lamp on a hook from the ceiling. He was relieved they would have a few things to try to scrounge together something to eat.
Elizabeth let out her breath in relief hearing him call up to her. She knelt down towards the opening as he handed up several jars to her. She placed them beside her as he rapidly handed several up. Elizabeth then carefully took the large cheese from him and a heavy net bag.
“Is there anything else?” she called down into the cellar. She watched as he moved up the ladder with a bin tucked under his arm. She smiled as she saw his grin.
“You look pretty happy,” she remarked.
“We’ll be eating something, at least, tonight. Not sure what all we have here but out of all of this, we should get something,” Cole announced happily.
“I was kinda worried when I saw the shelves empty. My mother always had the cellar stocked full of things and I guess my father never filled it as much as she did or used a lot of it after she died. Mother was always proud that we never had to worry if things went badly. I’m glad to see her planning and hidden doorway kept us some food down there,” he said as he put the bin down and headed back into the cellar, retrieving the oil lamp. He climbed up, put the doorway back down and placed the rug atop of it once again, hiding its location.
Elizabeth gathered up a few of the precious jars of food and followed him from the pantry into the living area that held a table and a few chairs. She put the jars down on the table, as she noticed he set down the bin. She watched as he excitedly opened the net bag and whooped in delight.
Cole stared for a moment at the meat inside, thankful it was smoked and salted heavily. “Bacon! Thank God,” he said relieved. “We’ll have beans tomorrow and they will taste so good, but tonight? We’ll fry up some bacon and open one of the jars. Pick one you want,” he offered to her, not really caring what she selected. He was just hungry and the thought of some bacon fried up made his mouth water in anticipation.
Grabbing a few jars, she watched him cut several slices off the large side of meat and put it in a skillet. Elizabeth studied the glass jars to see what they contained in the lamplight. One looked like beets, one looked like tomatoes and one she could not identify. It was strange looking but vaguely resembled asparagus or some other green vegetable. The idea of beets just did not sound good, nor did the tomatoes. Elizabeth decided to live life on the wild side and opened jar number three with a hiss and a pop as the seal gave way.
“I hope this one is all right with you,” she said as she pried back the lid.
Elizabeth eyed it warily and gave the contents a sniff as Cole fried the bacon in the skillet on the fire.
“Cole? This one may have gone bad. It smells sour,” she said dejected. She wasn’t sure what to expect when she opened it but vinegar was not the scent she imagined.
Elizabeth heard laughing and looked up to see Cole pulling the skillet off the fire pit and placing it on a small braided mat onto the table. He told her to grab two plates from the shelf and they wiped them off with a small towel she found hanging on the end of the table.
Cole put a few slices on her plate and a few on his. He then picked up the jar and pried several green tubes out of the vinegar.
“What are those? Do you think they are still good? They smell sour.” She scrunched up her nose as he set them on her plate with a smile. Surprised at her selection, he guessed that she liked okra pickles. At all of her statements, if he was a betting man, he would say that this was going to get really funny, really fast. Either you liked okra pickles or you didn’t. He had grown up on them, the spicier the better. But for others? Okra pickles were shunned. It had a taste and texture that was different and took some getting used to.
“Elizabeth, they are fine. The sour smell is vinegar. You opened some okra pickles. It’s a regional thing. Try one,” he invited and took a bite. “They are fine and crisp,” he said, satisfied as he sat down and began to eat.
Eying her plate, she stared at the proclaimed pickles that lay in front of her. She decided to try the bacon first. The salted meat certainly smelled appetizing and she picked one up a slice of the sizzling delicacy, taking a bite and savoring the salty, smoky flavor.
“Oh my gosh, that is good,” she said with a small moan, closing her eyes. Elizabeth took a few more bites, enjoying each more than the last before finally daring to try the pickles. She picked up one and dropped it back onto her plate, hearing him smother a laugh.
“They are prickly!” she squeaked in disbelief.
Cole laughed heartily now at her description. “Elizabeth, they are fine. Try one, you might like it,” he said holding a pod and pointing it at her. He watched as she picked up the okra once again, eying it strangely and took a bite. Her eyes shot open wide as she jerked back.
“Oh, they are spicy! And they are filled with little seeds. That is the weirdest pickle I have ever eaten!” she exclaimed, but then took another bite.
“It’s definitely different,” she said, seeing him grin and salute her with the pickle he still held. She fanned herself as her mouth got hotter and hotter from the spices.
“It’s good but they are terribly hot, aren’t they?” she gasped indelicately.
Grinning from ear to ear, Cole moved his chair back and walked over to the counter. His mother had insisted on a pump inside of the house as well as outside near the barn and his father had spared no expense in putting it in for her. He was glad of it now as he pumped the handle. Even if the house sat empty, there was water as long as the well was full. He gave a few pumps and water began to flow. He rinsed and filled two glasses. He handed one to Elizabeth and took the other for himself. He watched as she drank heavily of the water and he then filled her glass again. The pickles must have been much spicier than what she was ever used to.
They finished their meal, making a bit of small talk and cleared the table. Cole put a large pot of water above the fire for Elizabeth and left the house to check on his horse before settling in, leaving Elizabeth to take a moment to clean up the plates. She did the best she could and looked around a bit.
Elizabeth noticed that there were two chairs in the corner near the fireplace and a sideboard that held some dishes and other items. There was a delicate tatted lace runner along the top that looked out of place in the small farmhouse. She wanted to dig around and look at everything but felt that would be in poor taste. This was his home. He had been so good to her in offering her shelter, she wanted to be a help not a hindrance.
She would attempt to clean up the house for him and maybe help around the farm until she could get things settled and maybe find a position. She could still be a nanny… just not
that
kind of nanny. She would look for a position as a governess or a chaperone. She would not refer to a nanny the same way again.
Finding a small washcloth, Elizabeth washed and wrung it out. She wiped down the table and had a seat near the fireplace in one of the chairs she assumed was his mother’s. It had a delicate feel to it and she adored that it was a rocking chair. The cushion on the seat was a needlepoint that gave her sore bottom the padding it needed after being in the coach and then horseback. Elizabeth started when the front door opened and Cole walked in.
“Sorry, guess I’m a bit jumpy,” she explained.
Cole nodded and walked over to the fireplace, removing the large pot of water off the hook. He carried it to her room, filling the wash basin there and then carried it to his. Both of them could use a bit of cleaning up after their travels. It was just a shame he was so exhausted or he would fill the small tub for her. Maybe tomorrow he would do so, he thought. “I put hot water in your room if you want to wash up,” he explained briefly.
He didn’t feel like he was very good company for his guest, but exhaustion was setting in and all he could think about was shutting his eyes for a good night’s sleep. He set the lock on the front door and put a board across the hinges to make sure no one jimmied the lock. Not that there was ever anyone out this way, but with the house sitting empty for a month or longer and now that there were signs of occupancy, he did not want any surprises in the middle of the night or to be caught unawares. He wasn’t sure why the house seemed to be abandoned. His father had been gone a month but by all indications he had seen-the lack of food, lack of supplies, no garden, no livestock- it seemed that it had been abandoned much longer. Or neglected? He made sure the latches were set on the windows, banked the fire and excused himself quickly before his knees buckled with exhaustion. Riding all night with the coach and then the long ride out from the town had taken its toll on him.
Elizabeth was surprised by his abrupt departure. She had watched him move about the room, expecting and hoping to sit for a while together. She wanted someone to tell her it was all right and that things would work out as needed. She felt out of place and wanted to feel important or needed – two things that were lacking from her previous home life. She wanted to be married but only if it was to the right person and the idea of being married off to someone she didn’t know made her feel trapped. Having it arranged made her feel like chattel being passed off.
Sighing, she got up and took the remaining oil lamp to her room to retire for the night. There was absolutely no point in sitting alone in the strange house when she felt fatigued as well. Locking the door to her room, she gave in to her urge to snoop around for a moment. She casually searched her surroundings, noticing the small feminine touches that must be from Cole’s mother. Another tatted runner topped the small chest of drawers that had held the linens Cole had retrieved earlier. Small knickknacks had been tucked on a tiny shelf in the corner near the wash basin. On the shelf she found a small ceramic thimble with tiny roses on it. Very dainty, very effeminate.
There was a lovely wash basin in the corner of the room that waited for her and she could see the steam off the water. Double checking the lock on the door, Elizabeth gave in and stripped completely down. She had been in the same wretched clothes for days on end due to her travels. Sore, exhausted, raw in spots from her corset, she peeled each layer from her body with great pleasure. Shaking out her skirt and blouse, she cringed at the amount of dust it kicked off in the room. Elizabeth unlaced her corset and gave a loud “whoosh” as her body relaxed, suddenly. She ran a hot soapy cloth over her arms, neck, legs and face, feeling completely refreshed and grimaced at the dingy water now in the basin. Having the dirt and grime from her travels off of her made her feel much better. She hated to put on anything and finally drew a light chemise from her worn bag, donning it. Climbing into the bed, she gave in to the exhaustion that had been pulling at her all afternoon and she slept.
No Consuela, no workers, no chaperone.
The thought kept churning in Cole’s brain as he set off to inspect the rest of the property. He had awoken early and left the house quickly to keep from waking his guest. He had no problems helping a person in need, but now that he had slept, he had time to think about the repercussions of having a single, lone woman in his house. He was breaking out in a sweat at just the thought. Oh, she was pretty all right, that was never the issue. He had thought she was stunning from the very beginning of the trip. It was the idea that he may be being played by a woman into being forced into making her into an honest woman.