“Ah, but I’m not working with Captain Braddock all day, now, am I?” she winked at Katherine as she closed the oven door and set the timer. “Now, I know you’re just off, but how about something to take along with you?”

Katherine’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes please!”

Miss Harriet cut a big slice of one of the brown cakes cooling on the counter and deftly wrapped it in a napkin. She handed it to Katherine. “It’s still piping hot, mind, so give it about half a block before you try to eat it.”

“Thank you, Miss Harriet! What is it?”

“Parkin. It’s a treacle cake we used to only have on Guy Fawkes Day.”

“It smells delicious.” Said Katherine, then looking around at all the sheet pans full of cake, remarked, “Looks like you’ll have enough for the whole town!”

Miss Harriet laughed. “Almost. I’ve one or two batches left to whip up, and I should finish just in time to get Mr. James his morning tea. He’s coming early to put up some fairy lights before we open.”

Just then there was a rap at the door.

“I’ll let him in on my way out. Thank you for the cake!” Katherine buttoned her jacket with one hand, while holding the slice of cake in her other as she hurried towards the door. Mr. James was waiting outside, a roll of lights under his arm and a hand on his hat to keep the wind from blowing it away. Katherine unlocked the door and let him in.

“Good morning, Katherine. Is your illustrious employer around?”

Katherine grinned. “Try the kitchen. She’s been in there baking for at least an hour already.”

Mr. James held the door open for Katherine and noticed the napkin-wrapped bundle in her hand. “I see she’s favored you with a sample! I might try my hand at procuring one of my own before I begin.”

Katherine waved goodbye and walked briskly through the whirling leaves that played around her ankles. Her long coat was instantly covered with tiny droplets of rain, and she pulled her scarf up around her head as she walked. She always thought this made her look like an old grandmother from a fairy tale, but it did keep her ears warm when she forgot to wear a hat.

About halfway down the block, she unwrapped a corner of the steaming cake and broke off a chunk. As the took her first bite of the moist, springy morsel, she reveled in the warm comfort of ginger and spices. It seemed like the perfect thing to eat in November. She was glad of the napkin, for it was a bit sticky to eat.

She broke off another bite and looked down at the last chunk of cake in her hand, contemplating whether to save it for the captain. Deciding that he probably wouldn’t eat it, she finished it off as she stepped onto the sidewalk at the beginning of the Harborside block.

“Good morning!” Katherine cheerily called out as she walked in the door. The fire in the stove had already been lit, and the room was cozy with the electric globes shining and both oil lamps lit.

Katherine traded her jacket and scarf for the stiff canvas apron and walked into the office. Grabbing the clipboard from the nail on the wall, she looked around the empty office and began to wonder where the captain could be.

She heard a noise in the shop, and walked in, expecting to see a customer at the door, but instead, she saw the captain coming down the last few steps of the spiral staircase in the corner. Her eyes alight with curiosity, she was about to ask the captain about the staircase when the bell over the door really did ring and in bounced little Tommy, in a balloon-like green jacket which was several sizes too big and obviously brand new.

Captain Braddock sent her a glance that said, don’t ask, and then turned to Tommy with the usual mock-gravity in his voice.

“Well, then. Who might you be?”

Tommy giggled and pulled down the zipper, releasing the collar which had been zipped up till it nearly reached his eyes. “It’s me, Cap’n!” he said with the best salute he could muster with so much fluff about his person.

The Captain chuckled in spite of himself and said, “I thought it must have been a grownup, in such a fine coat.”

“It’s new!” said Tommy proudly.

“I can see that.”

“Mom bought it for me yesterday at the store. It was on sale. She said it’ll fit me for two whole years!”

Katherine and the captain both stifled smiles and listened to the boy’s tale, told in all seriousness, of the shopping trip and his coat. After a while, Tommy’s mother came to fetch him, and the Captain slipped a candy into the little boy’s hand.

On his way out, Tommy turned and cried, “See ya tonight Cap’n!”

Katherine shot a glance at the captain’s face. She couldn’t tell whether he were amused or worried, but she was sure that he hadn’t actually told Tommy he would go to the party. Seizing the opportunity to capitalize on Tommy’s influence, Katherine turned to the Captain as the little boy’s happy face disappeared from the window.

“Are you coming to the party tonight?”

Captain Braddock shook his head fiercely and bent to check the fire.

Katherine tried again. “You know, Miss Harriet has been baking all week, and last night she made this special kind of cake that they only have on Guy Fawkes Day. She gave me some to try and—” Captain Braddock whirled around with thunder in his face and said in a restrained tone,

“I ain’t goin’ and that’s final. Now, get about yer work.”

Flinging the poker back onto its stand, he went into his office and began to agitatedly sort the papers on his desk. He didn’t even look up when Katherine walked quietly through to get to the storeroom door.

She was glad to have the excuse to be out of sight for awhile. The captain’s reaction had stung: Katherine hadn’t expected such a strong rejection.

Perhaps whatever he was doing in that room has put him out of sorts, she thought, remembering how sad his face had looked in that brief second before he saw her. I do wish I could have asked him what was up there. She knew it would not have been the right time, though.

Katherine unpacked slowly, dreading going back into the shop. She had begun the morning with such bright hopes for the day, and now she felt as if there were a heavy weight pulling her down. Finally, unable to find any more excuses to linger, and feeling chilled from spending such a long time in the only slightly heated brick storeroom, she walked towards the steps. Pausing with her hand on the knob, she listened for some clue of the captain’s mood, but hearing nothing, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

The captain looked up as she came in and, with a nod at a brown teapot on his desk, said, “I figured you’d be a bit cold after bein’ down there so long, so I made a pot of tea.”

“Thank you.” Katherine said shyly, pleasantly surprised by this softening of the captain’s earlier manner. As she returned the clipboard to the wall, the captain said,

“Why don’t you pick a couple tea bowls from the shelves and I’ll have a cup with you.”

Katherine looked puzzled, “Tea bowls? Is that what those are?” She had noticed the clay bowls interspersed with the ships and nautical artifacts and wondered about their significance.

“Yes. That’s how tea was originally served, in bowls. In fact, those are very old, so be careful carrying them.”

Katherine went into the shop, took two bowls down, and went back to the table. The captain poured the tea out and handed her a bowl. Then he motioned for her to sit in the chair by the stove.

“We have tea cups, of course,” he continued, “but the bowls warm yer hands better.”

“It was a bit cold down there. I’ll have to remember to bring some gloves next week.” Katherine sipped her tea, then asked, “How come the storage room can be colder than the shopfront, when there’s tea in both places?”

The captain leaned against the end of the counter. “The packing materials provide a bit of insulation.” He explained. “In the old days, of course, tea came in crates full of hay, which insulated very well. Now it’s packing foam and bubble wrap.” He looked down into his tea bowl thoughtfully before taking another sip.

“What kind of tea is this?” she asked, her hands curled around the warm tea bowl.

“Assam,” the captain replied, somewhat absentmindedly.

“From India,” Katherine murmured, taking a sip and staring dreamily into the fire.

Captain Braddock stared at her in surprise. She certainly was picking things up quickly. Perhaps he should begin teaching her more about the teas, teaching her what he had been taught at the Harborside in his youth. She did seem to have an aptitude for it.

She’s not a Braddock, he thought, but she’s willing to learn, and bright… Maybe I should.