Sally nodded “Yes, sir.”
Katherine scooted closer to Captain Braddock’s chair and watched as he tended the fire. She loved the Harborside on these dark, cozy days when the biting cold and driving rain kept all but the most dedicated customers away. This was the season for spinning yarns in front of a fire, of just enjoying the company of her Harborside family—and now, Sally too. Somehow, she wanted Sally to experience the warmth and companionship for herself, to give her a glimpse of family as it should be.
Giggles and the soft thud of cupboard doors floated in through the office doorway, and Captain Braddock smiled. “Sounds like those two are getting along just fine.”
Katherine nodded and stared at the flickering flames, leaning her head on the arm of the overstuffed chair with a happy sigh. She wanted to tell Captain Braddock about her conversation with Sally the day before, but knew it was Sally’s news, not her own. Instead, she would try to be patient, and she would soak in every moment of this peaceful, joyous afternoon.
They sat in companionable silence until the kettle sang in the other room. Captain Braddock suddenly leaned toward her, his bushy white eyebrows raised and drawn together into an almost comical look of uncertainty. “She does know how to make tea, doesn’t she?”
Katherine laughed. “Of course. I taught her myself.”
A look of relief crossed his face. “Good. I wouldn’t want to get caught between polite appreciation and a poorly brewed cup of tea.”
“Here we are!” Sally’s voice rang out as she marched triumphantly through the door with an old wooden tray loaded with cups, saucers, and a steaming pot of tea.
“You even found the tray. Well done, my boy!” Captain Braddock reached over to tussle the boy’s hair. “Now, bring over that little footstep by the shelves and that’ll be yer table.”
Sally poured out the tea, and handed a cup to Katherine and the Captain, then held one out to Tommy, who sat cross-legged behind the small wooden step. Captain Braddock took the cup from Sally’s hand and placed it in front of the boy. “There y’are, young fella. Now try not to joggle the step or drop the cup, and you’ll be just fine.”
Tommy nodded, and stared down at his cup, fascinated by the steam rising off the surface of the deep golden liquid.
“What kind of tea is this? The leaves looked funny when I measured it out.” Sally asked, blowing across the top of her sturdy white teacup.
“Gunpowder Green.” Captain Braddock said, taking a sip. “And brewed just right. I see Katherine has taught you well.”
Sally blushed, making no effort to hide the grin spreading over her face.
“The leaves of this particular tea are rolled up tight into little pellets. It’s done by hand, which is quite time-consuming.”
Tommy took a sip and wrinkled his nose. “It tastes fishy.”
The captain’s hearty laugh rang through the room. “At least you’re honest, my boy. Go get the honeypot from off the counter and bring a small spoon from the drawer.”
Tommy jumped up, only bumping the step a little in his haste.
As he disappeared into the kitchen, Katherine raised her eyebrows. “Honey?”
“I know. It isn’t ideal. But young’uns need to be eased into it sometimes. That’s how Great-grandma Braddock started Serena and me off. I had forgotten until Tommy came around.”
“Here, Cap’n!” Tommy appeared with what appeared to Katherine a small urn with a wooden lid fitted into the top of it.
Katherine smiled at the boy’s awestruck expression as he intently watched Captain Braddock twirl the wooden dipper to catch the golden glob of honey. She really couldn’t blame him. There was something fascinating about the way the firelight from the wooden stove reflected off the fragrant honey, as if little bursts of flame had gotten stuck within the sticky liquid.
Sally raised her cup, and Katherine caught the faintest grimace cross her face as she tasted the tea. A glance at the captain told her he had noticed also.
“Here, hold yer cup out, there.”
Sally did, and another luminous drop of honey was caught up and deposited, this time in Sally’s cup. Sally smiled. “Thank you. It did taste a bit…I mean, I’m sure I’ll learn to like it eventually."
“Gunpowder green is somewhat of an acquired taste. My sister Serena never quite learned to like it, and she ended up married to a Chinese tea planter!”
“Really?” Sally’s eyes grew wide.
“Yes, indeed.” Captain Braddock glanced over at Tommy, and said, “But that’s a story for another day. I promised this young’n I’d finish telling about the first Captain Jeremiah Braddock and the maiden voyage of the Anne.”
A flood of anticipation welled up inside Katherine, and she shifted her legs to a more comfortable position, settling in for what she knew would be a good story.
“So there he was, the first Captain Jeremiah Braddock, with ship and crew all ready to set sail. This was no ordinary ship, however. The Anne was modeled off the Rainbow, one of the earliest of the true clipper ships.
"Captain Jeremiah had no experience, of course, but he did have one major advantage with the crew. Since he designed the ship, he knew much more about the ship than they did. And it was no ordinary ship, either. The sailors soon found that he really did know what he was about.
“When the departure day arrived and the crew prepared to launch, Anne Braddock stood at the edge of the crowd, as near as she could safely go to her husband’s ship. She waved farewell with one arm, holding their newborn son in the other.
"She was a mighty brave woman, Anne Braddock was. When the boy was born, Captain Jeremiah had offered to cancel the voyage altogether, but Anne was adamant that he should go. ‘You’ve given your word, and that’s that. I’ll make do till you return. Just you come back to me, and I’ll be content.”
Captain Braddock glanced up at the thermometer on the wall and then reached over to open the door of the woodstove a little further.
“Well, he did go, and spent the first week of the voyage walking up and down the ship, talking to the sailors and helping them figure out the oddities of such a different sort of craft.” He paused and nudged Tommy’s shoulder. “Go get the Anne off her shelf, will ye? And mind yer teacup.”
Tommy’s tea splashed into the saucer as he hurried across the room to the shelves, stepping up on a small ladder to reach the top shelf.
“Ah, thank you, my boy.” Taking the ship, Captain Braddock held it up for them to see. “The sails had to be carefully managed, see, because the hull was so sharp and shallow. Older ships had a rounder hull, but these clippers were streamlined to make them faster. That meant the ship rode differently in the waters than other ships, so the Anne’s first voyage was a tricky thing.”
“Where were they sailing to?” Sally asked, leaning forward, eyes sparkling with interest.
“To China, to pick up a cargo of tea. They would have sailed round the Cape of Good Hope, then up past Australia and the Philippines before heading into port. Foochow was the port they sailed the Anne into, I believe.
“Once into clear seas, the Anne made good time, and sailed into Foochow without incident. The journey back, however, was not so uneventful.
