you have any more of those old remedies from Granny?”
“ Yes, sir, lots of them.”
“ I told you my name is William.” He looked at her intently. “I’m sorry to have awakened you, but I was very troubled. Tell me, Kathy, what do you do when you’re troubled?
His calling her Kathy instead of Katherine sent a shiver through her. No one had ever called her that.
“ Well, sometimes I go and sit by the river and watch the water, or I look at the stars to find Ursa Minor, or Major, or the Pleiades.”
“ That’s wonderful. I used to do that when I was a boy…” He seemed to be far away, remembering.
Abruptly he rose, went to the French doors, opened them and stepped out on to the porch. “Show me,” he said loudly.
Afraid of waking anyone she hurriedly went out to the porch after him. The cold night was brilliant with stars.
“ There,” he said, “the Big Dipper. It makes the world seem constant.” She nodded, agreeing with him. “And look, the little guy is up there, too.”
She smiled at his silly reference to the Little Dipper.
“ Now the rings of Saturn, or Halley’s comet – that would be something to see,” he said, feeling a new excitement. Those were the sort of things that had thrilled him as a boy.
He looked toward her. Her upturned face, bathed in starlight, glowed.
“ Orion,” she said softly, and he looked in the direction of her gaze.
“ You like astronomy!”
“ Yes,” she agreed.
“ You seem to know a lot about it.”
“ No, not really, just the things my mother and grandmother showed me. I don’t know about the comet or the other circles – the –” She stopped, not remembering what he had called it.
“ Rings of Saturn,” he said.
They both looked back up to the night sky. She shivered in her thin cotton gown. Just then a falling star fell, leaving a trail through the velvet sky.
“ Did you make a wish?” he teased; it was the sort of thing he would have said to a child.
“ No,” she lied.
In their silence he felt the old numbness begin. His eyes misted and he mourned for the other William, the one he had lost, the one who would have wished on a star. This one, the one who was left, had no idea what to wish for.
An unfamiliar anger rose within him. He felt stupid – he had allowed the mask to slip. What was he doing standing out here in the middle of the night with an ignorant hotel maid discussing the heavens?
“ That’s all. I don’t require anything else,” he said sharply.
Katherine started. His abruptness made her stumble as she re-entered the room.
“ Goodnight, sir,” she managed to mumble.
“ Wait,” he said. He came into the room, avoided looking at her, fumbled in the pocket of his coat, and held out the silver dollar to her.
She shrank back from him, and he saw her face. Where it had been eager and open, it was now closed with hurt. He was not a cruel man; he felt he had hurt enough people in his life, and a small kindness would cost him nothing.
On impulse, he reached for the strong brown hand, and he bent forward, kissed her palm, which smelled of fresh lemon, and placed the silver dollar there, the gesture an apology.
Seeing the hurt look on her face an idea came to him; he wanted to please her. “Would you like a book on astronomy? I think you should have one, since you enjoy the stars so much. I’ll bring you one next week. Goodnight, Kathy. Thank you.”
Kat hy . She kept the name in her mind; she felt it suited her well.
When she awoke on Saturday, he had already gone; his key hung in the kitchen. Frieda prepared the sacks. Today they were going out to gather wild fruits for herbs or teas. The mason jars were lined up on the sideboard, indicating how sure they were of finding ample things to preserve.
“ Mr. Taylor’s real partial to maypops. There’s a spot where I used to find a whole hedgerow of ‘em…and this morning there was a frost right before sun-up. I’m sure we’ll find plenty.”
Frieda brought
“ Yes, sir, lots of them.”
“ I told you my name is William.” He looked at her intently. “I’m sorry to have awakened you, but I was very troubled. Tell me, Kathy, what do you do when you’re troubled?
His calling her Kathy instead of Katherine sent a shiver through her. No one had ever called her that.
“ Well, sometimes I go and sit by the river and watch the water, or I look at the stars to find Ursa Minor, or Major, or the Pleiades.”
“ That’s wonderful. I used to do that when I was a boy…” He seemed to be far away, remembering.
Abruptly he rose, went to the French doors, opened them and stepped out on to the porch. “Show me,” he said loudly.
Afraid of waking anyone she hurriedly went out to the porch after him. The cold night was brilliant with stars.
“ There,” he said, “the Big Dipper. It makes the world seem constant.” She nodded, agreeing with him. “And look, the little guy is up there, too.”
She smiled at his silly reference to the Little Dipper.
“ Now the rings of Saturn, or Halley’s comet – that would be something to see,” he said, feeling a new excitement. Those were the sort of things that had thrilled him as a boy.
He looked toward her. Her upturned face, bathed in starlight, glowed.
“ Orion,” she said softly, and he looked in the direction of her gaze.
“ You like astronomy!”
“ Yes,” she agreed.
“ You seem to know a lot about it.”
“ No, not really, just the things my mother and grandmother showed me. I don’t know about the comet or the other circles – the –” She stopped, not remembering what he had called it.
“ Rings of Saturn,” he said.
They both looked back up to the night sky. She shivered in her thin cotton gown. Just then a falling star fell, leaving a trail through the velvet sky.
“ Did you make a wish?” he teased; it was the sort of thing he would have said to a child.
“ No,” she lied.
In their silence he felt the old numbness begin. His eyes misted and he mourned for the other William, the one he had lost, the one who would have wished on a star. This one, the one who was left, had no idea what to wish for.
An unfamiliar anger rose within him. He felt stupid – he had allowed the mask to slip. What was he doing standing out here in the middle of the night with an ignorant hotel maid discussing the heavens?
“ That’s all. I don’t require anything else,” he said sharply.
Katherine started. His abruptness made her stumble as she re-entered the room.
“ Goodnight, sir,” she managed to mumble.
“ Wait,” he said. He came into the room, avoided looking at her, fumbled in the pocket of his coat, and held out the silver dollar to her.
She shrank back from him, and he saw her face. Where it had been eager and open, it was now closed with hurt. He was not a cruel man; he felt he had hurt enough people in his life, and a small kindness would cost him nothing.
On impulse, he reached for the strong brown hand, and he bent forward, kissed her palm, which smelled of fresh lemon, and placed the silver dollar there, the gesture an apology.
Seeing the hurt look on her face an idea came to him; he wanted to please her. “Would you like a book on astronomy? I think you should have one, since you enjoy the stars so much. I’ll bring you one next week. Goodnight, Kathy. Thank you.”
Kat hy . She kept the name in her mind; she felt it suited her well.
When she awoke on Saturday, he had already gone; his key hung in the kitchen. Frieda prepared the sacks. Today they were going out to gather wild fruits for herbs or teas. The mason jars were lined up on the sideboard, indicating how sure they were of finding ample things to preserve.
“ Mr. Taylor’s real partial to maypops. There’s a spot where I used to find a whole hedgerow of ‘em…and this morning there was a frost right before sun-up. I’m sure we’ll find plenty.”
Frieda brought
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