"I thought you had your own work to be getting along with."
"I do. I'm supervisin' you."
It didn't look to Derek like that day was going to go much differently than the last two had.
"You look awful," Beth said when Derek finally walked into the kitchen, sitting down at the table to have his breakfast. "Did you sleep?"
"For a little while. Then Devon went and woke me up so I could get an early start at cleaning. I did the loft and piled the hay. After I eat I get to clean the two unused stalls, which aren't really even dirty in the first place, then sweep out the walkway." Derek sighed. "I think Devon likes having me around."
Beth smiled. "You shouldn't have given him such a hard time when you were younger."
"How was I suppose to know nailing the barn door shut on him would come back to haunt me? And besides, it was Gabriel's idea."
Chuckling, Beth put something wrapped in white butcher's paper in a basket on the counter.
Derek chewed his eggs thoughtfully, studying a knot in the table. As much as he hated being followed around and corrected every five minutes, keeping Devon happy was going to be a major part of his plan of escape. He had to convince the man he deserved to do more than clean and sort junk. Thinking back on the tone he'd used that morning, Derek didn't think he was doing a very good job of convincing Devon of anything other than the fact that he was a snotty kid who just needed more mindless work to keep him occupied.
Turning back around, Beth eyed his torn pants. "You should put those in with your washing and I'll patch them tomorrow."
"Mmm," he said around a mouthful of bacon before swallowing. "How's Catherine doing?"
"Not very well. I was up all last night with her." She spoke softly as if she was talking about someone who was dead. "Master Worthington isn't himself. He's so worried over her." Pausing for a moment, she continued even more quietly, "The doctor's coming in from town to see her today."
"They didn't have doctors in Charlestown?"
"Yes, but I guess they couldn't do anything for her. They thought maybe it was the city air that was getting to her so they suggested she come out here."
Soaking his biscuit in a small bowl of lumpy gravy, Derek's thoughts deepened. If the doctors thought anything about Shady Meadows was healthy for anyone they must have been either stupid or desperate. This hole in the middle of nothingness is his wife's last hope? No wonder the poor fool couldn't sleep , he thought with a slight amount of sympathy.
"Mr. Worthington is getting himself sick, too. Which isn't helping Miss Catherine. They could both use an extra prayer or two."
Ignoring the hint, Derek spooned a chunk of soggy biscuit out of the bowl. He hadn't really prayed in years and he didn't think Jonathan Worthington was a good enough reason to start now. "Are there any strawberries left?"
"No. I have to go out and pick some more. It's so hot they're rotting before I can get to them. Half the rows are no good."
"I might be able to get away from Devon long enough to do some rows for you. It'll give me a reason to leave the heat box."
"That'd be a help."
"I don't understand why Mrs. Worthington doesn't just get some people to work through the season. It's more work than you and Devon can keep up with."
"I'm surprised she hasn't had you doing any of the planting."
He laughed a little. "She probably thinks I'll contaminate her food."
"It easier with Atty here, though."
"She's Miss Catherine's slave, right?"
Beth nodded. "When she isn't tending Miss Catherine, she takes care of things here in the kitchen for me. She does the cleaning upstairs, too."
Nodding, Derek shoveled the last of his eggs into his mouth and stood up. "That was great. Thanks, Beth."
"Are you going back down now?"
"Yeah. The sooner I tell Devon I said I'd help you, the better. Catch him before he has time to think of something else for me to do."
Holding out the basket, which she covered with a towel, she said, "Take this
"I do. I'm supervisin' you."
It didn't look to Derek like that day was going to go much differently than the last two had.
"You look awful," Beth said when Derek finally walked into the kitchen, sitting down at the table to have his breakfast. "Did you sleep?"
"For a little while. Then Devon went and woke me up so I could get an early start at cleaning. I did the loft and piled the hay. After I eat I get to clean the two unused stalls, which aren't really even dirty in the first place, then sweep out the walkway." Derek sighed. "I think Devon likes having me around."
Beth smiled. "You shouldn't have given him such a hard time when you were younger."
"How was I suppose to know nailing the barn door shut on him would come back to haunt me? And besides, it was Gabriel's idea."
Chuckling, Beth put something wrapped in white butcher's paper in a basket on the counter.
Derek chewed his eggs thoughtfully, studying a knot in the table. As much as he hated being followed around and corrected every five minutes, keeping Devon happy was going to be a major part of his plan of escape. He had to convince the man he deserved to do more than clean and sort junk. Thinking back on the tone he'd used that morning, Derek didn't think he was doing a very good job of convincing Devon of anything other than the fact that he was a snotty kid who just needed more mindless work to keep him occupied.
Turning back around, Beth eyed his torn pants. "You should put those in with your washing and I'll patch them tomorrow."
"Mmm," he said around a mouthful of bacon before swallowing. "How's Catherine doing?"
"Not very well. I was up all last night with her." She spoke softly as if she was talking about someone who was dead. "Master Worthington isn't himself. He's so worried over her." Pausing for a moment, she continued even more quietly, "The doctor's coming in from town to see her today."
"They didn't have doctors in Charlestown?"
"Yes, but I guess they couldn't do anything for her. They thought maybe it was the city air that was getting to her so they suggested she come out here."
Soaking his biscuit in a small bowl of lumpy gravy, Derek's thoughts deepened. If the doctors thought anything about Shady Meadows was healthy for anyone they must have been either stupid or desperate. This hole in the middle of nothingness is his wife's last hope? No wonder the poor fool couldn't sleep , he thought with a slight amount of sympathy.
"Mr. Worthington is getting himself sick, too. Which isn't helping Miss Catherine. They could both use an extra prayer or two."
Ignoring the hint, Derek spooned a chunk of soggy biscuit out of the bowl. He hadn't really prayed in years and he didn't think Jonathan Worthington was a good enough reason to start now. "Are there any strawberries left?"
"No. I have to go out and pick some more. It's so hot they're rotting before I can get to them. Half the rows are no good."
"I might be able to get away from Devon long enough to do some rows for you. It'll give me a reason to leave the heat box."
"That'd be a help."
"I don't understand why Mrs. Worthington doesn't just get some people to work through the season. It's more work than you and Devon can keep up with."
"I'm surprised she hasn't had you doing any of the planting."
He laughed a little. "She probably thinks I'll contaminate her food."
"It easier with Atty here, though."
"She's Miss Catherine's slave, right?"
Beth nodded. "When she isn't tending Miss Catherine, she takes care of things here in the kitchen for me. She does the cleaning upstairs, too."
Nodding, Derek shoveled the last of his eggs into his mouth and stood up. "That was great. Thanks, Beth."
"Are you going back down now?"
"Yeah. The sooner I tell Devon I said I'd help you, the better. Catch him before he has time to think of something else for me to do."
Holding out the basket, which she covered with a towel, she said, "Take this
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