“I’m very glad.” said Katherine with a smile. She turned to clear the dishes from another table just in time to see that Mr. Patten had been watching from his table by the window. She took the dishes to the kitchen, where she nearly bumped into Miss Harriet.

“Oh, Dearie. Would you mind taking Mr. Patten his bill? And here’s Mrs. Penelope’s, and Rosie’s.”

Katherine sighed heavily, and Miss Harriet took back one of the slips of paper.

“Alright, then. In the interest of you keeping a civil tongue in your head, I’ll take Rosie’s to her for you.”

“You’re the best!” Katherine said with a mischievous grin.

“Merry Christmas.” said Miss Harriet, equally mischievous.

When Katherine laid the check down on Mr. Patten’s table, he got out his wallet and said quietly, “Will you please allow me to pay Mrs. Penelope’s bill as well? I see she is in some distress today.”

Katherine smiled brightly. “Of course! Here it is.” She stole a look at Mrs. Penelope to see that she wasn’t watching and handed him her bill. When she turned to leave, he called her back and said, “Please, don’t tell her I was the one who paid. Just say that it was… a friend.”

Katherine nodded soberly and went back to the kitchen with Mr. Patten’s dishes before delightedly giving Mrs. Penelope the news that her bill had been paid by “a friend.”

22 A Harborhaven Christmas

Christmas morning, Katherine drifted awake to the soft sound of Miss Harriet humming in another room and the fragrance of something freshly-baked and full of spices. Her eyelids fluttered open and she gazed around the unfamiliar room. The ceiling and walls were white, and reflected the dimness of the dark, cloud-covered sky outside the pale blue curtains of the window.

Through the sleepy haze of a mind not quite ready to be awake, Katherine remembered that she was in the guest room of Miss Harriet’s little cottage above the sea. She stretched beneath the luxurious fluff of the down comforter and settled back into her pillow with a satisfied sigh.

Just then, there was a gentle knock at the door and Miss Harriet’s voice from the other side.

“Merry Christmas, Katherine! Time to get up if you want your Christmas breakfast before we head off to church.”

“Coming!” Katherine called, and reluctantly got out of bed. She walked over to the window and looked out over the harbor. A flood of memories washed over her as she remembered looking out over that same harbor on Christmas morning from the windows of her old house. How long ago that seemed, and yet the harbor looked just as it had all those years ago.

There was another knock at the door.

“Katherine, can I come in?”

Katherine opened the door to find Miss Harriet standing there with a small package, wrapped in Christmas paper and tied with a ribbon.

“I wanted you to have this before you dressed for church.” Miss Harriet explained.

Katherine took the package and sat down on the bed with a bounce. She gently untied the heavy silk ribbon before tearing the paper.

“Oh, Miss Harriet!” she cried, as she pulled the paper away, revealing a silvery grey scarf. She gently removed the silky folds of fabric from the paper and shook it out, admiring the richness of the light fabric.

“It’s lovely!” she said, jumping up to hug her friend. “Will you show me how to wear it?” she asked.

“Of course, Dearie.” Miss Harriet wrapped the scarf loosely around Katherine’s neck and stood back to survey the results. “Well, now. If it can look that lovely with a nightdress, imagine how it will look with your other outfits!” The two laughed heartily and Katherine stood in front of the mirror to see how she looked. Turning suddenly, she exclaimed,

“I almost forgot! I have something for you as well.” She opened her overnight bag and pulled out a very precisely-wrapped package. “Here.”

She handed it to Miss Harriet and sat down on the bed. Miss Harriet sat down beside her and carefully popped the tape off the back and ends of the package. She drew in a long breath as she moved the paper aside and gazed on the contents. She held up the ornate book and said,

“Oh, it’s Mrs. Beeton’s! I love this book and have always wanted a nicer copy than that ratty paperback I have in my kitchen.”

Katherine smiled happily. “I found it at the Antiques Emporium downtown, and it seemed like it should belong to you.”

“Thank you, Katherine. It’s a wonderful present!” The two hugged, then Miss Harriet stood up, saying, “I’d better go see to breakfast and let you get dressed. Happy Christmas, Dearie.”

Katherine closed the door behind her and pulled off the scarf. Rummaging around in her bag, she took out the skirt and sweater she had brought for church and quickly dressed. She sat down at the antique dressing table and tried to drape her new scarf like Miss Harriet had done.

Wonderful smells from the kitchen wafted into her room as she brushed her hair, and her stomach was growling by the time she walked down the short, curved flight of stairs and into the kitchen. Miss Harriet was just pulling the last slices of bacon out of a pan.

“I’m all ready to go. Is there anything I can help with?”

“Yes, in a moment. Did you sleep well?”

“Oh, yes. You have the most comfortable guest room I’ve ever stayed in.”

“Is it, now? Well, that’s good. Would you just carry that in for me?” Miss Harriet motioned to a towel-enshrouded basket sitting on the counter.

Katherine picked it up and walked out into the main room of the house, where Miss Harriet had set the table with china and crystal.

“It all looks so beautiful!” Katherine cried, as Miss Harriet came in from the kitchen with the plate of bacon.

“Christmas breakfast.” She replied merrily, “It was always one of our favorite things to eat off the fancy plates at Christmas, so we made a tradition of using them for breakfast as well as dinner on Christmas Day. Now, have a seat, and we’ll say grace.”

* * * *

“Doesn’t it just feel right when Christmas is on a Sunday?” Miss Harriet exclaimed as they put on their jackets and walked to the car.

“What do you mean?” asked Katherine.

“Well, the whole point of Christmas in the first place is to celebrate God’s gift of salvation to us, so doesn’t it seem fitting to spend at least part of the day worshiping Him with other believers?”

“I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it before.” Katherine looked out the window as they drove down the winding road. A few pockets of frost clung to the undergrowth beneath the fir trees that darted past.

“I wonder if the captain will come to church.” Katherine said wistfully.

“Did you ask him to?” asked Miss Harriet, a little surprised.

“Yes. When I left on Friday, I asked if he would like to come. I offered for him to sit with us.”