wearing his own clothes again since Stella had finished mending them that morning.
“ He’s over at the lighthouse cleaning the windows. No point having such a powerful lens if the windows are dirty.” Mrs. Mayhew sat down next to Stella and took a piece of fish for herself. “How’s your arm feeling, boy?”
“ Much better, thank you.” Christopher smiled across the table at Stella. “Although I’d hate to think how it would feel without Mrs. Winslow’s laudanum.”
Stella blushed and focused her attention on the food in front of her. “You’ll have to thank my husband for that.”
“ Thank your husband for what?”
Stella jumped at the sound of Josiah’s voice and looked up to see him standing in the doorway of the Mayhew kitchen. She got up from her chair and quickly walked towards him.
“ Josiah! We didn’t hear you come in.”
Mrs. Mayhew also got up from the table. “I didn’t know if you’d be able to make it up yet, Josiah.”
“ Of course I could. The snow stopped a good 24 hours ago.”
Christopher stood up next to his chair.
“ It’s good to see you, Dr. Winslow.”
“ You look a grand sight better than the last time I saw you, boy.”
“ Yes sir. Your wife is a very good nurse.”
Josiah nodded. “That she is. What’s your name then?”
“ Christopher Casey, sir.”
Christopher thought he saw a sneer on Josiah’s face as he said his Irish surname. But surely he would have noticed his brogue beforehand. His nationality couldn’t be a surprise.
“ An immigrant, then.”
“ Yes sir.”
Christopher was certain now of the sneer.
“ Josiah, you must be hungry after coming all that way in the cold,” Mrs. Mayhew said. “Sit yourself down and I’ll get you a plate.”
“ That’s kind of you, Mrs. Mayhew.”
Christopher watched as Josiah sat down in the seat recently vacated by their host. Stella did not return to her chair beside him. Instead, she walked to the stove and poured a cup of coffee, which she then set down in front of Josiah. He drank the hot beverage without looking at her.
“ I’ll want to take a look at that arm and hand of yours once we’ve finished eating, Casey,” Josiah said. “Make sure my wife really has been a good nurse.”
“ Sit down, Christopher,” Mrs. Mayhew said. “You only just got out of bed, and we don’t want to send you back to it. You need to eat to get your strength back.”
Christopher returned to his seat and felt Josiah’s eyes watching him as he sat down. It was hard to believe he was still in the same kitchen he had been in before Josiah's entrance. What had been a warm and comfortable atmosphere just minutes ago was now filled with a tension so thick it was suffocating.
“ What about you, Mrs. Winslow?” Christopher said. “Don’t you want to finish your lunch?”
“ Don’t you worry about my wife,” Josiah said. “She’ll eat when she’s finished fixing my plate.”
Stella had returned to the stove, where she was filling a plate with the fish and bread Mrs. Mayhew had removed from the oven. She took the utensils Mrs. Mayhew offered her and walked back to the table, where she set the food down in front of her husband.
“ Here you are, Josiah,” she said.
Stella took her husband’s now empty coffee cup and returned to the stove, where she poured him a fresh cup. She gave him the coffee and sat back down in her chair. Christopher watched as she pushed the now cold food around her plate and kept her eyes downcast.
Noises from the entrance to the home interrupted the tension of the kitchen. Mrs. Mayhew wiped her hands on her apron and looked towards the doorway.
“ Sounds like William is back,” she said. “But I wasn’t expecting him to bring company.”
Before she could leave the room, her husband appeared with a young man in tow.
“ Abigail, do we have lunch for one more?”
“ I’m afraid not just now, William. But I’ll get something prepared.”
The newcomer held up his hand.
“ He’s over at the lighthouse cleaning the windows. No point having such a powerful lens if the windows are dirty.” Mrs. Mayhew sat down next to Stella and took a piece of fish for herself. “How’s your arm feeling, boy?”
“ Much better, thank you.” Christopher smiled across the table at Stella. “Although I’d hate to think how it would feel without Mrs. Winslow’s laudanum.”
Stella blushed and focused her attention on the food in front of her. “You’ll have to thank my husband for that.”
“ Thank your husband for what?”
Stella jumped at the sound of Josiah’s voice and looked up to see him standing in the doorway of the Mayhew kitchen. She got up from her chair and quickly walked towards him.
“ Josiah! We didn’t hear you come in.”
Mrs. Mayhew also got up from the table. “I didn’t know if you’d be able to make it up yet, Josiah.”
“ Of course I could. The snow stopped a good 24 hours ago.”
Christopher stood up next to his chair.
“ It’s good to see you, Dr. Winslow.”
“ You look a grand sight better than the last time I saw you, boy.”
“ Yes sir. Your wife is a very good nurse.”
Josiah nodded. “That she is. What’s your name then?”
“ Christopher Casey, sir.”
Christopher thought he saw a sneer on Josiah’s face as he said his Irish surname. But surely he would have noticed his brogue beforehand. His nationality couldn’t be a surprise.
“ An immigrant, then.”
“ Yes sir.”
Christopher was certain now of the sneer.
“ Josiah, you must be hungry after coming all that way in the cold,” Mrs. Mayhew said. “Sit yourself down and I’ll get you a plate.”
“ That’s kind of you, Mrs. Mayhew.”
Christopher watched as Josiah sat down in the seat recently vacated by their host. Stella did not return to her chair beside him. Instead, she walked to the stove and poured a cup of coffee, which she then set down in front of Josiah. He drank the hot beverage without looking at her.
“ I’ll want to take a look at that arm and hand of yours once we’ve finished eating, Casey,” Josiah said. “Make sure my wife really has been a good nurse.”
“ Sit down, Christopher,” Mrs. Mayhew said. “You only just got out of bed, and we don’t want to send you back to it. You need to eat to get your strength back.”
Christopher returned to his seat and felt Josiah’s eyes watching him as he sat down. It was hard to believe he was still in the same kitchen he had been in before Josiah's entrance. What had been a warm and comfortable atmosphere just minutes ago was now filled with a tension so thick it was suffocating.
“ What about you, Mrs. Winslow?” Christopher said. “Don’t you want to finish your lunch?”
“ Don’t you worry about my wife,” Josiah said. “She’ll eat when she’s finished fixing my plate.”
Stella had returned to the stove, where she was filling a plate with the fish and bread Mrs. Mayhew had removed from the oven. She took the utensils Mrs. Mayhew offered her and walked back to the table, where she set the food down in front of her husband.
“ Here you are, Josiah,” she said.
Stella took her husband’s now empty coffee cup and returned to the stove, where she poured him a fresh cup. She gave him the coffee and sat back down in her chair. Christopher watched as she pushed the now cold food around her plate and kept her eyes downcast.
Noises from the entrance to the home interrupted the tension of the kitchen. Mrs. Mayhew wiped her hands on her apron and looked towards the doorway.
“ Sounds like William is back,” she said. “But I wasn’t expecting him to bring company.”
Before she could leave the room, her husband appeared with a young man in tow.
“ Abigail, do we have lunch for one more?”
“ I’m afraid not just now, William. But I’ll get something prepared.”
The newcomer held up his hand.
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