The shop’s usual brightness was enhanced as much by the darkness of the weather outside the tall windows as it was by the cozy glow of the fairy lights Mr. James had installed that morning.
Katherine had offered to let Miss Harriet freshen up in her apartment before the guests came, though it was all she and Mr. James could do to persuade Miss Harriet to stop trying to fine-tune everything and take a few moments for herself.
Finally, Katherine had taken her friend gently by the shoulders and turned her towards the immaculate and well-decorated shop, now cleared of most of its furniture.
Quietly, Katherine said, “Look how lovely the shop looks!”
Miss Harriet relaxed a little. “Yes, it does look lovely.”
Turning Miss Harriet around to face her, Katherine reasoned, “Now, you don’t want all your guests coming in and seeing how lovely it is, then being startled at you looking like you’ve been up baking half the night, now would you?”
Miss Harriet looked shocked for a moment at the bluntness of her friend’s argument, then smiled. Reaching up to smooth her hair, she began to laugh.
“Yes, you have a point there, Katherine. Let’s go see what can be done.”
Mr. James, who had been watching the scene with interest, piped up. “I’ll greet any guests that might arrive before your return. And I promise not to spoil the intricate way you’ve arranged the refreshments by eating anything prematurely.”
“Thank you. I’m sure we won’t be long.”
The two ladies rushed up the stairs and began to get ready. Both changed into fresh dresses and tidied their hair. Katherine looked over at the older woman, admiring how tall and graceful she looked in her deep burgundy dress. It was probably the plainest thing Katherine had ever seen her wear, so different from her usual floral skirts and dresses with frilly pastel blouses and cardigans.
She usually had her sleeves rolled up, but somehow had an elegance about her, even when wearing a flour-covered apron. She looked even more elegant now, with the long sleeves fitted to her wrists and the soft folds of fabric falling from the beaded waistline almost to the floor.
Katherine had donned the simple navy dress she had bought to wear to church. It was the dressiest thing she owned, and she had put on a string of glass pearls to give the outfit a more formal look, but comparing herself to the tall, graceful woman before her, she wondered if she looked nice enough for the party.
Miss Harriet looked up just then, caught sight of the look on Katherine’s face in the mirror, and turned to say, “Oh, Katherine, I’m so glad you wore that dress. It suits you wonderfully, and it’s just right for this occasion. Now, what will you do with your hair?”
The two absorbed themselves in the delightful details of getting ready, and Katherine ceased to worry about her attire. Just before they went down, Miss Harriet took a chiffon scarf from her bag and, with a practiced air, flung it around her neck and tied it so it draped gracefully.
Katherine couldn’t help but smile when she saw that the scarf had roses on it. Even with such an elegant dress, Miss Harriet couldn’t keep from wearing something floral.
“Now,” said Miss Harriet, her hand poised on the doorknob. “Shall we make our grand entrance?”
Katherine stood up as straight as she could, her nose slightly in the air, and her hands folded primly in front of her. “Certainly,” she said in her politest tone, and the two burst into giggles.
Only a few guests stood in the cozy shop when the two ladies made their appearance at the top of the stairs, but they all turned to watch them come down. Katherine was suddenly nervous, but Miss Harriet seemed in her element. She greeted the guests each by name as she and Katherine descended the stairs together.
Katherine looked around for Mr. James and noticed him by the front door, where he had been greeting the guests as promised. She left Miss Harriet’s side and escaped to the kitchen door, where it would be less obvious that she wasn’t interacting with the guests. She would do her part when the time came for her to help, but for now, she just wanted to stand by herself and watch for a while.
Mostly, she watched Mr. James. No matter who he was talking to, his eyes inevitably ended up fastened on Miss Harriet. Katherine smiled to herself and decided that Miss Harriet should be encouraged to ask Mr. James to help more often. He was obviously taken with her, although she appeared not to have noticed.
Seeing that the room was full of guests, and the main event was about to begin, Katherine went into the kitchen and worked on filling extra trays so she would be ready when the food on the counter began to dwindle. As good as Miss Harriet’s parkin cake was, the trays were certain to be emptied soon after the guests began eating.
As she finished filling the last tray, the din of voices in the other room grew suddenly quiet, and she heard Mr. James welcoming everyone to the party. Ducking out from behind the kitchen curtain to listen, she found to her dismay that she had ended up next to Rosie.
Mr. James was just finishing up his opening remarks. “This is sure to be a fantastic evening, and before we begin the festivities, I would like you all to welcome Miss Harriet, who will tell us all about the delicious treats she has prepared for us tonight.”
Miss Harriet stepped carefully up onto the sturdy wooden crate they were using as a platform and addressed her guests.
“Oh! Such an exciting evening, isn’t it, dear?” Rosie said to Katherine.
Katherine nodded, and pointedly turned her attention back to Miss Harriet, who had already begun to speak.
“Thank you all for coming! Before I tell you about the food of which Mr. James is so eager for you all to partake…”
Laughter rippled through the room, and Mr. James chuckled as well, shouting, “Hear, hear!” and looking as hungry as he could manage.
Miss Harriet held up a hand and quieted the crowd. “As I said, before I tell you about that, I would like first to tell you why I have invited you all tonight. In England when I was a child, Guy Fawkes, or Bonfire Night, as we sometimes called it, was one of my favorite nights of the year. It was a welcome change from the cold, dreary days of November, which I assure you were just as rainy there as they are here.
"It gave us something to look forward to, something to celebrate, and an excuse to gather with family and friends. That is why I wanted to share this celebration with all of you tonight: to give you each a bit of joy and warmth and an excuse to gather with family and friends.”
A round of applause (led enthusiastically by Mr. James) interrupted Miss Harriet’s speech, and she smiled and nodded until it began to die down, and then silenced the room again by saying loud enough to be heard over the din, “Now, about that food!”
She described the parkin and treacle candy, then invited the crowd to form a line near the counter to fill their plates. Happy to get away before Rosie could corner her for one of her shocking tales, Katherine hurried off to her post behind the counter, where she presided over the food.
While Katherine kept busy going to and from the kitchen with platters, Miss Harriet presided over the large tea urns, whose unsightly appearance had been made up for by the addition of garlands of leaves which served somewhat to disguise their utilitarian look.
As she entered the kitchen to refill a platter, Katherine saw Rosie near the door. Setting the platter down, she turned to grab a spatula and found that Rosie had actually followed her into the kitchen. Feeling more than a bit exasperated, Katherine forced herself to smile and say sweetly,
“Is there anything I can get for you, Rosie?”
The older woman smiled back and nodded, her garish orange hat feathers nodding along. “I just wanted to ask you if you’re expecting that Captain Braddock to come this evening?”
“I don’t think so. He wasn’t planning to attend.”
“Oh.” Rosie looked relieved. “I was just wondering.” She stood by the kitchen door and watched as Katherine refilled her tray. Finally, trying to sound casual, she asked hesitently, “I don’t suppose you’ve gotten the Captain to open up to you any, you working there and all.”
So that’s her game. thought Katherine.
