“So are you proficient at sewing too?” she asked the girl.
“I’m not, but I’m better than my sister.”
“Your sister is barely ten years old,” Sadie reminded her.
Honoria smirked at her mother. “You weren’t supposed to say that, Mama.”
Pleasant smiled. “I wish I had a little sister to compare my skills to. Maybe I’d feel better about them.”
“I get the impression you haven’t sewn much.” Sadie said.
“Not unless you count embroidery – that’s the extent of my experience. I can’t tell you how much it pains me to admit that.”
“My sister can’t admit she’s not as good a seamstress as I am,” Honoria volunteered. “She’s stubborn that way.”
“I’m afraid I have no excuse like your sister – I’m certainly not ten.” Pleasant sighed. “No, I’m just inexperienced. Where I came from there was no need to learn.”
“Where is that?” Honoria asked.
Pleasant hesitated. Should she tell them? What if her brothers came looking for her? But if they did, they wouldn’t be looking for a woman from Savannah per se, but a dark-haired Southern girl named Pleasant Comfort. Never mind her accent or anything else – the name was enough. “Savannah, Georgia,” she finally said.
“Savannah?” Sadie exclaimed with a smile. “Why, that’s the name of our youngest!”
Pleasant glanced between the two smiling women. “It is? Well, I feel flattered in a way.”
“I’ve always loved that name,” Sadie said. “She’s playing with her brothers at Colin and Belle’s place. They’ll be home soon.”
“I’d love to meet her. She’s the ten-year-old, I take it?”
“Yes, she is. She’s inquisitive, just as stubborn as her sister says, and very much a tomboy too. But with two older brothers and all those male cousins …”
Pleasant nodded. Maybe if her family had more cousins, they wouldn’t be in such dire straits. Perhaps some uncles could have helped her father before he got himself into trouble. But alas, there were no such. Her father was an only child – Aunt Phidelia was his only living relative besides his children.
Pleasant’s eyes darted around the homey kitchen and she felt a pinch of envy. She hoped she’d have a house such as Sadie’s one day. Then perhaps, surrounded by the nice people of Clear Creek and with a loving husband, she could be happy.
Chapter 5
B y the time supper rolled around, Pleasant had bathed, washed her hair and even gotten a brief rest in. Honoria helped her dress and marveled at her gown. “It’s so beautiful!”
“Thank you. It was a gift from my father for my eighteenth birthday.”
“When was that?”
“February. When’s yours?”
“I’ll be eighteen in June.”
Pleasant smiled. “Do you have a beau?”
Something in Honoria’s eyes flashed, but Pleasant wasn’t sure why. Was she angry at the question? “No. There aren’t many gentlemen around here to choose from. The only one closest to my age is …” She glanced at the ceiling with a small groan. “Eli Turner.”
“Eli? My Eli?” Good heavens, was there something wrong with the man? Honoria Cooke was a beauty to behold, just like her mother. What man wouldn’t want to marry her?
“Yes, but we would never suit.”
“Why ever not?” she asked, trying not to sound worried.
Honoria shrugged. “We don’t see eye to eye on things.”
“What do you mean? Is the man not agreeable?”
“Oh no, don’t get me wrong. I like Eli, very much. But … well, the best way to put it is that I’m rather opinionated. About pretty much everything.”
Pleasant stared at her a moment, then laughed. “You sound like one of my brothers.”
“Pray I never meet him. We’d probably kill each other.”
Pleasant’s smile faded. “I see no reason to worry. I doubt you’d ever have the pleasure.”
“Your family doesn’t plan on visiting you at some point?”
“No, I … don’t see that happening. I shall have to go to them.” Not that that was
“I’m not, but I’m better than my sister.”
“Your sister is barely ten years old,” Sadie reminded her.
Honoria smirked at her mother. “You weren’t supposed to say that, Mama.”
Pleasant smiled. “I wish I had a little sister to compare my skills to. Maybe I’d feel better about them.”
“I get the impression you haven’t sewn much.” Sadie said.
“Not unless you count embroidery – that’s the extent of my experience. I can’t tell you how much it pains me to admit that.”
“My sister can’t admit she’s not as good a seamstress as I am,” Honoria volunteered. “She’s stubborn that way.”
“I’m afraid I have no excuse like your sister – I’m certainly not ten.” Pleasant sighed. “No, I’m just inexperienced. Where I came from there was no need to learn.”
“Where is that?” Honoria asked.
Pleasant hesitated. Should she tell them? What if her brothers came looking for her? But if they did, they wouldn’t be looking for a woman from Savannah per se, but a dark-haired Southern girl named Pleasant Comfort. Never mind her accent or anything else – the name was enough. “Savannah, Georgia,” she finally said.
“Savannah?” Sadie exclaimed with a smile. “Why, that’s the name of our youngest!”
Pleasant glanced between the two smiling women. “It is? Well, I feel flattered in a way.”
“I’ve always loved that name,” Sadie said. “She’s playing with her brothers at Colin and Belle’s place. They’ll be home soon.”
“I’d love to meet her. She’s the ten-year-old, I take it?”
“Yes, she is. She’s inquisitive, just as stubborn as her sister says, and very much a tomboy too. But with two older brothers and all those male cousins …”
Pleasant nodded. Maybe if her family had more cousins, they wouldn’t be in such dire straits. Perhaps some uncles could have helped her father before he got himself into trouble. But alas, there were no such. Her father was an only child – Aunt Phidelia was his only living relative besides his children.
Pleasant’s eyes darted around the homey kitchen and she felt a pinch of envy. She hoped she’d have a house such as Sadie’s one day. Then perhaps, surrounded by the nice people of Clear Creek and with a loving husband, she could be happy.
Chapter 5
B y the time supper rolled around, Pleasant had bathed, washed her hair and even gotten a brief rest in. Honoria helped her dress and marveled at her gown. “It’s so beautiful!”
“Thank you. It was a gift from my father for my eighteenth birthday.”
“When was that?”
“February. When’s yours?”
“I’ll be eighteen in June.”
Pleasant smiled. “Do you have a beau?”
Something in Honoria’s eyes flashed, but Pleasant wasn’t sure why. Was she angry at the question? “No. There aren’t many gentlemen around here to choose from. The only one closest to my age is …” She glanced at the ceiling with a small groan. “Eli Turner.”
“Eli? My Eli?” Good heavens, was there something wrong with the man? Honoria Cooke was a beauty to behold, just like her mother. What man wouldn’t want to marry her?
“Yes, but we would never suit.”
“Why ever not?” she asked, trying not to sound worried.
Honoria shrugged. “We don’t see eye to eye on things.”
“What do you mean? Is the man not agreeable?”
“Oh no, don’t get me wrong. I like Eli, very much. But … well, the best way to put it is that I’m rather opinionated. About pretty much everything.”
Pleasant stared at her a moment, then laughed. “You sound like one of my brothers.”
“Pray I never meet him. We’d probably kill each other.”
Pleasant’s smile faded. “I see no reason to worry. I doubt you’d ever have the pleasure.”
“Your family doesn’t plan on visiting you at some point?”
“No, I … don’t see that happening. I shall have to go to them.” Not that that was
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