the
kitchen with a picnic basket in hand, waiting for Ellen and Isaac to
return. When they came around the
corner, Emma was stunned to see Ellen grinning with her arm wrapped around
Isaac’s arm, while he looked distort and confused.
“How was your
morning.”
Emma smiled as she
spoke, hoping to seem less worried and more happy for the two of them.
“Emma. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be doing chores?”
“I had to get lunch
ready for Mr. Dhelhare.”
“That was thoughtful
of you, but that’s a future wife’s job.”
Isaac was glancing
back and forth between the girls, wondering if they were speaking in code or
something.
“Madame had said I
was to spend the afternoon with him.”
Ellen looked shocked
as her sister’s words echoed through her ear.
“Yes, she was the
other woman I had spoken to the head of the house about.”
“Oh.”
Ellen suddenly felt
absolutely guilty about what she had done, but then she looked at the man whose
arm she was hanging on and all her guilt faded away. She knew that she had won him over in the
library, and Emma would just have to accept that it was time for her sister to
leave their awful home.
“Well you two have
fun on your…picnic.”
Ellen was eyeing the
basket as she finished her sentence. She
pulled her arm away from Isaac and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.
“I will see you
later Emma. Isaac, was a lovely
morning.”
Ellen winked as she
sauntered off down the hallway, leaving Emma and Isaac to stand awkwardly in
the hall while they waited for her to leave.
“You packed a
picnic?”
Isaac decided he needed
to break the ice, he didn’t want Emma to feel strange after seeing how
comfortable Ellen had grown with him in such a short time.
“Yes, I thought
since it was a lovely day, we’d eat outside.”
“Sounds excellent.”
Isaac spun on his
spurred heel and held out his arm for Emma. She cautiously slid her arm around his, and let go of the picnic basket
as Isaac reached to carry it for her.
“Where shall we
dine?”
“There is a special
spot; I like to go there when it’s a nice day out.”
“Lead the way.”
Isaac smiled down at
Emma, and she smiled sweetly back at him as they walked out the door and headed
to Emma’s special spot. It was a ways
away from the house, hidden by the Madame’s greenhouse.
“This is a nice
spot.”
“I usually spend the
choosing day here after chores are done.”
“The choosing day?”
Emma nodded.
“The day a man
chooses a wife. I don’t have much to do
on those days, so I spend it in the sun when I can.”
“You don’t see any
of the men?”
Emma shook her head
and sighed. Isaac could tell the
conversation was upsetting her so he decided to change the subject.
“Let’s get this
blanket out and eat some grub huh?”
Emma’s sad
expression turned into a smile as she nodded and opened up the basket Isaac was
holding. She pulled out the rainbow knit
blanket she had tucked on top of the food and stretched it out across the
ground.
“That’s an
incredibly blanket. How did it get to be
so many colors?”
“That’s easy. The wool was soaked in pales of water with
powdered vegetables.”
“Vegetables? I don’t believe that.”
“It’s true. The first time was an accident, but I liked
the colors so much I continued to do it.”
“You made this
blanket?”
Emma nodded and
smiled, taking the basket away from Isaac and placing it in the middle of the
blanket. She pulled out a loaf of bread,
a knife and several bits of meat and cheese to put with the bread. She pulled out a couple of apples and plums
next.
“This is a mighty
fine picnic.”
“Thank you. I wasn’t sure what you’d like…but everything
is fresh.”
“Fresh?”
“Yes. We only eat what we make here at the
house. Part of our training I suppose.”
“Wow, that Madame
certainly knows how to run a school.”
Emma nodded and
served up a
kitchen with a picnic basket in hand, waiting for Ellen and Isaac to
return. When they came around the
corner, Emma was stunned to see Ellen grinning with her arm wrapped around
Isaac’s arm, while he looked distort and confused.
“How was your
morning.”
Emma smiled as she
spoke, hoping to seem less worried and more happy for the two of them.
“Emma. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be doing chores?”
“I had to get lunch
ready for Mr. Dhelhare.”
“That was thoughtful
of you, but that’s a future wife’s job.”
Isaac was glancing
back and forth between the girls, wondering if they were speaking in code or
something.
“Madame had said I
was to spend the afternoon with him.”
Ellen looked shocked
as her sister’s words echoed through her ear.
“Yes, she was the
other woman I had spoken to the head of the house about.”
“Oh.”
Ellen suddenly felt
absolutely guilty about what she had done, but then she looked at the man whose
arm she was hanging on and all her guilt faded away. She knew that she had won him over in the
library, and Emma would just have to accept that it was time for her sister to
leave their awful home.
“Well you two have
fun on your…picnic.”
Ellen was eyeing the
basket as she finished her sentence. She
pulled her arm away from Isaac and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.
“I will see you
later Emma. Isaac, was a lovely
morning.”
Ellen winked as she
sauntered off down the hallway, leaving Emma and Isaac to stand awkwardly in
the hall while they waited for her to leave.
“You packed a
picnic?”
Isaac decided he needed
to break the ice, he didn’t want Emma to feel strange after seeing how
comfortable Ellen had grown with him in such a short time.
“Yes, I thought
since it was a lovely day, we’d eat outside.”
“Sounds excellent.”
Isaac spun on his
spurred heel and held out his arm for Emma. She cautiously slid her arm around his, and let go of the picnic basket
as Isaac reached to carry it for her.
“Where shall we
dine?”
“There is a special
spot; I like to go there when it’s a nice day out.”
“Lead the way.”
Isaac smiled down at
Emma, and she smiled sweetly back at him as they walked out the door and headed
to Emma’s special spot. It was a ways
away from the house, hidden by the Madame’s greenhouse.
“This is a nice
spot.”
“I usually spend the
choosing day here after chores are done.”
“The choosing day?”
Emma nodded.
“The day a man
chooses a wife. I don’t have much to do
on those days, so I spend it in the sun when I can.”
“You don’t see any
of the men?”
Emma shook her head
and sighed. Isaac could tell the
conversation was upsetting her so he decided to change the subject.
“Let’s get this
blanket out and eat some grub huh?”
Emma’s sad
expression turned into a smile as she nodded and opened up the basket Isaac was
holding. She pulled out the rainbow knit
blanket she had tucked on top of the food and stretched it out across the
ground.
“That’s an
incredibly blanket. How did it get to be
so many colors?”
“That’s easy. The wool was soaked in pales of water with
powdered vegetables.”
“Vegetables? I don’t believe that.”
“It’s true. The first time was an accident, but I liked
the colors so much I continued to do it.”
“You made this
blanket?”
Emma nodded and
smiled, taking the basket away from Isaac and placing it in the middle of the
blanket. She pulled out a loaf of bread,
a knife and several bits of meat and cheese to put with the bread. She pulled out a couple of apples and plums
next.
“This is a mighty
fine picnic.”
“Thank you. I wasn’t sure what you’d like…but everything
is fresh.”
“Fresh?”
“Yes. We only eat what we make here at the
house. Part of our training I suppose.”
“Wow, that Madame
certainly knows how to run a school.”
Emma nodded and
served up a
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