Katherine quickly jumped to her feet, trying not to look as if she were up to anything. “I needed a rag, and didn’t see any on the shelf,” she said, inwardly cringing at her half-truth.

“Oh, yes, I forgot to put the clean ones out. I’ll get one for you.” And with that, he disappeared into his office and returned with two rags, carefully folded. He handed them to Katherine, who put the extra one in its place on the shelf. “And next time you need something, you can ask me, instead of rummaging around in drawers.” The captain had a note of warning in his voice, and Katherine could tell he had seen through her excuse.

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry. I know I should have just asked.”

Captain Braddock seemed taken aback by such a prompt and open apology and, not knowing just what to do with it, turned back towards the stove with a confused, “Yes, well… about yer work, then.”

Katherine quickly began dusting the jars. Now and then she looked over at the Captain, still bent over the stove. Finally, she asked, “Captain, does that stove heat the whole building?”

“Nope. Just the old bit. The rest had radiators put in with the brick. They don’t work very well, but the rest of the building doesn’t need to be as closely looked after as the shop does.”

“Is that because it’s old?” asked Katherine, looking at the walls and trying to remember any facts she might have read about preserving old buildings.

The captain shut the door of the stove and stood up with a groan. He held his back and peered at an old thermometer on the wall before answering.

“Not really, although I guess it might be a good thing for the wood to be kept from extremes. It’s because of the tea. You see, if tea gets too hot or too cold, its flavor will be damaged, and then the tea’s no good. It has to be kept at a constant temperature.”

He looked to the thermometer again, then, as if something had just occurred to him, he turned and beckoned her over. Pointing at the thermometer, he said, “If you ever see the mercury above 77 or below 68, you just shout for me right away.”

Katherine nodded solemnly, feeling as if she had been given a grave responsibility.

“But what if you’re not here?” she asked, thinking of how Captain Braddock would often leave her to mind the shop while he went on errands.

Considering, he rubbed his chin and finally replied, “I suppose it would be good for you to learn how to tend the stove…but you’re not to go messin’ with it without permission, you hear?”

Katherine did hear—and what was more, she silently resolved to heed this order more faithfully than she had his earlier prohibition of “snooping”.

He opened the door and let her peek in so she could see what a proper fire looked like. Then, he laid out kindling on the floor and showed her the process of building the fire.

“How do you know how much wood it will take to keep it up to temperature?” Katherine asked.

The captain scratched his head. “Well, you kinda just know. It comes with doin’, I suppose. Tell you what, I’ll have you help me whenever the fire needs tending today, and tomorrow when you come for that woman’s order, you can peek in and tell me what you think it needs. Then I’ll know how much yer soakin’ in of what I’ve told you.”

Katherine liked that idea. Once the fire had been set in order, she went back to dusting. Her hands moved deftly, though carefully, as she picked up the jars and knick-knacks. She was just itching to get to the book Miss Harriet had loaned her, and that shabby little chair by the stove beckoned, being just the place to sit and read on a dark, blustery November day.

She wondered if the captain would let her read while she watched the door if her work was done.

I guess I’ll never know if I never ask.

She still felt awkward and nervous whenever she had to ask the captain anything. She told herself she felt that way because she had been enjoying her time at the Harborside so much, and didn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize her position there.

But whenever she dared to take an honest look into her heart, she saw (but did not yet have the courage to admit—even to herself) that she enjoyed her time at the Harborside largely because of the time she got to spend with the captain. He had begun to be more open with her, and above all, she feared offending him and causing him to close up again.

Unbeknownst to Captain Braddock, he had become an important part of Katherine’s life, just as Miss Harriet had. Somehow, with all his gruffness, he had found his way into Katherine’s heart, and she often found herself wondering if he was at all like the grandpa she had never known.

What the captain did know, was that he liked having this bright young girl around the shop. She did her work well, and that was a help, for sure, but he had to admit it was nice to have someone to teach things to, who would listen so attentively to his stories.

The captain’s experience with children had not been extensive, and he had never known the joy of having a youngster around the shop, since he and his sister had been the last of the Braddock children. Seeing Katherine there reminded him of his own childhood, and, if he had known what to call it, he would have admitted to feeling a fatherly sort of delight in being listened to and respected by such a smart, capable young girl. (For “young girl” she was to the captain, who thought of her as being yet a child, even though she was in her twenties.)

Pushing aside her nerves, Katherine finished dusting the last shelf, blew the dust off the sails of one more model ship, and laid the dust cloth in its place. She walked up to the captain’s desk, where he was poring over an inventory sheet.

Clearing her throat so she wouldn’t surprise him, she began tentatively, “I’ve finished the dusting, and there are no packages to sort today. All the jars seem to be topped up as well, so I wondered… while I watch the shop, can I read?”

As she spoke, she searched the captain’s face for an answer. Unable to tell what he was thinking, she rattled on. “Of course, I’ll be careful to pay attention, and I’ll put the book down the instant anyone comes in—”

The captain smiled, and Katherine breathed a sigh of relief as he answered, “Of course. In fact, I often read while watching the shop. So long as yer work’s caught up, and there’s nothing more important to do. Why don’t you sit by the stove? There’s a chair there that’s pretty comfy, and there’s a light right overhead, so you won’t hurt yer eyes.”

Katherine took a deep breath feeling she had confronted a dragon in its lair, and found it instead to be a lamb.

“Oh, thank you!” she said delightedly, “I had been hoping you would let me sit there. It does seem like just the right place to read, and I have a book I brought today that I’m just dying to get to!” The captain chuckled as she hurried out into the shop and fetched the old volume of Dickens out of her bag. Then, he turned back to his work.

Silence reigned over the little shop while the wind blew outside, rattling the windows in the captain’s office and whirling the fallen leaves down the street. Katherine finished the passage about the Gunpowder Plot, and, remembering her newly-bestowed responsibility, she checked the thermometer before curling up in the chair again and turning back to the beginning of the book.

A little while later, the captain came in to check the fire. Katherine laid her book on the little table with a contented sigh and leaned forward to watch what the captain was doing. He poked at the fire, expertly gathering the coals together and adding another small log on top. He looked up at Katherine.

“Well, is it as good as you expected?” he asked, nodding towards the book.

“Oh, yes. It’s very interesting. It’s a history book by Charles Dickens.”

“Oh, and what part of history are you reading about?”

Katherine began to explain to him about Guy Fawkes and his plan to blow up the parliament building with the government and the king inside. He listened with interest, then gave the fire one last prod before closing the stove door and standing up.

“That does sound like an interesting plan. It’s probably good he didn’t get away with it,” he said, moving towards his office again. Stopping in the doorway, he turned and said thoughtfully, “I can see why they celebrate. It’s not quite like our Independence Day, but I can see why they made it a holiday.” He went back to his desk, leaving Katherine to pick up her book, secretly feeling she had made some progress with the captain.

15 Guy Fawkes Day at the Harborside

November 5^th dawned as grey and drizzly as ever, but Katherine woke with sunshine in her heart. She had been looking forward to this day ever since Miss Harriet had mentioned her idea of throwing the town a Guy Fawkes Day celebration.

When she had gone to bed the night before, Miss Harriet still bustled energetically about in the kitchen, trying to work quietly. Sitting up and stretching, Katherine wondered if Miss Harriet had gotten any rest.

By the time Katherine was dressed, she had already begun to hear the comforting sounds of someone working in the kitchen. As she pulled her sweater off a hanger and grabbed her shoes, she noticed a delicious aroma beginning to waft through the front door of the little apartment.

A little thrill ran through her heart when she thought about the evening and helping to host a whole town—but there was no time for daydreaming, she reminded herself, because today was Thursday, and she needed to get off to the Harborside. She picked up her coat and scarf from the chair she had dropped them on the night before and opened the door.

The dark drizzle of the outside world made the cozily lit interior of the shop seem to glow with color. Miss Harriet had brought in fresh bunches of leafy branches to add to the orange and yellow chrysanthemums on the tables, and air was filled with such a delicious mixture of baking smells, Katherine couldn’t resist popping into the kitchen on her way by, secretly hoping for something to snack on as she walked.

“Good morning, Dearie!” Miss Harriet said, cheerful as ever, though, from the looks of all the baked goods cooling on racks around the kitchen, Katherine was sure her employer had not slept much, if at all.

“Good morning!” Katherine replied. “You’ve sure been busy! I should have stayed up longer to help you.”

Miss Harriet shook her head with a smile and bustled over to the oven to put in another tray of what looked like some sort of brown cake. “Nonsense. I knew you would need your rest, especially since you’re working all day and then helping with the party in the evening. You’re bound to be exhausted by the end. I’m glad you got your rest.”

“But you’re working all day and then running the party, and I’m sure you hardly rested at all!”