“Now, it’s important not to leave the leaves to steep too long. Otherwise it will be bitter and the flavor will be lost. He took out a pocket watch and steadily gazed at its face. A minute and a half… yes, I think that will do.”

He cautiously poured a little into a cup. “Yes, it’s ready now. See that pale color? If it were any darker, it would be over-brewed.” He poured out the rest into the two cups and handed one to Katherine. “Let’s go have a seat, and I’ll tell you a story.”

The two walked into the office, and the captain pulled a folding chair from behind a tall bookcase and set it near his desk for Katherine. Settling into his chair, he began.

“This tea was picked just two weeks ago. It was dried, rolled and shipped express to the Harborside. This is the freshest tea you could get, without going there yourself. My sister used to say—” Just then the big old clock in the corner chimed eight o'clock, interrupting the captain’s reverie.

“Oh, it’s opening time. I suppose I’d better get that door opened.” He rose abruptly and walked into the shop.

Katherine, astonished and disappointed, was more curious than ever. Captain Braddock so rarely mentioned Serena, and now, just when he had been about to say something about her, he stopped mid-sentence and walked away. It was almost too much. Katherine sipped the last of her tea thoughtfully, trying to piece together a connection between this valuable tea, the long-lost sister, and the forbidden room at the top of the staircase.

31 Advertising

Once Captain Braddock had unlocked the front door and flipped the old pasteboard sign to “Open,” he wandered back into the office, resumed his seat, and picked up his cup of tea. To Katherine’s delight and surprise, he revived their previous conversation with a bright, “Now, then, where was I?”

Katherine, not thinking it prudent to begin with the half-finished sentence about his sister, replied, “You were telling me about the tea being so fresh.”

The Captain leaned forward in his chair. “Ah, and so I was. You see, I always get the first flush white tea from this particular plantation, because… well…” he fumbled for a moment, then charged ahead with a hurried, “never you mind about that. The fact is, it’s the best of the best. Not only is it the finest cup of tea I have from one spring to the next, it’ll make the Harborside three times the profit of any other tea. We just have to wait for the right customer to discover it.”

The two silently sipped their tea for a moment before Katherine asked thoughtfully, “Captain Braddock, if the tea is so valuable, why don’t you advertise it? I’m sure Mr. James would be glad to help you put something in the Gazette about it.”

The old man’s brows knit together in a heavy frown and drew himself up tall and straight in his chair to declare solemnly, “The Harborside never advertises. Never! If we do our jobs right, our customers come back, and tell their friends, too. Word of mouth, they call it. That’s how we’ve operated for over a hundred years, and it’s never failed us yet.”

The captain sat back in his chair and continued to sip his tea. After a moment, a smile slowly spread over the captain’s face. “Mind you,” he began with a chuckle, “there was a time, generations ago, when a Braddock uncle placed an ad in the paper. It put the whole Braddock clan in uproar, and he was nearly disowned on account of it.”

Katherine leaned forward, eyes sparkling and face alight with anticipation of a story.

The captain recognized her look and chuckled again as he continued, “You see, it wasn’t as if he had just advertised in the Harborhaven newspaper. No indeed! He had advertised in the paper of a town further up along the coastline, and that was really what threw them all out of sorts. They said, it was bad enough that he’d even done such a vulgar thing as advertise, but to degrade the Harborside in the eyes of strangers was just too much.” He paused and took another sip of tea before continuing.

Katherine sat, wide-eyed, enthralled by the story, imagining the ire of the offended Braddock elders.

“Yes, the reigning Braddocks of that generation were furious, and wouldn’t be appealed to. He was sent off to sea, so he was. And the Harborside, which he had been meant to inherit, was given to my great-grandfather instead.”

“And the Harborside Braddocks never advertised again?” asked Katherine.

“Nope. It’s one of our cardinal rules here.”

Katherine silently wondered if keeping secrets about sisters and rooms at the top of stairs were cardinal rules of the Harborside as well, then dismissed the thought as ungracious and attended to the matter at hand. She looked over at the captain, comfortably sipping his tea, and suddenly remembered Mr. Patten’s advice: branch out… advertise. Gathering up a little courage, she said,

“But… such a fine and rare tea as this one seems like something the Harborside should be proud to have in stock—and when you’re proud of something, you tell everyone about it.”

The captain stared at her in blank surprise.

“Don’t you think notifying the town, not necessarily with a newspaper ad, but with something else… like a sign in the window, for instance…however you chose to do it, don’t you think telling people that such a treasure can be found here would bring honor, rather than degradation to the Harborside?” With a sly grin, she added, “After all, aren’t you proud of the quality of the teas sold here?”

Captain Braddock stood abruptly, stacked the now empty cups and headed towards the tiny kitchen, gruffly tossing the words over his shoulder as he went, “It’s about time to get those jars filled, now. Best be about it.”

Katherine, knowing she had pressed her point as far as she dared, took a tray of empty jars from the built-in cabinet under the counter and went back into the storeroom to do her work.

When she came back in to place the filled jars on the shelves, she noticed the beautiful black box had been placed prominently on the counter, with a small sign next to it in the Captain’s own handwriting:

“Silver Needle White Tea: Freshest. Rarest. Best.”

Katherine smiled to herself. Well, it’s a start, anyway.

* * * *

Katherine hardly saw the captain at all the rest of that day. She expected this, because she had come to know his moods well over the winter, and she knew that the concession he had made in the writing and placing of the little sign had cost his pride much. But when, just before closing, he had gone out without a word, leaving her to lock up, she began to be worried. He had never done that before.

“He’ll be all right in a day or so, you’ll see.” Miss Harriet had said soothingly that evening. Katherine had told her of the tea, and the conversation about advertising, but hadn’t mentioned the reference to his sister. She felt that anything the captain said on that topic would be entrusted to her confidentially, and she meant to prove her trustworthiness by keeping the secrets of both Captain Braddock and the Harborside with all her might.

* * * *

The next day, Katherine walked to the Harborside to pick up Miss Harriet’s order, unsure of how she would be received. To her surprise, Captain Braddock opened the door as she approached, saying with enthusiasm Katherine hadn’t seen in a while.

“I am glad to see you today, Katherine. I know I left abruptly yesterday, and I know you probably thought I was cross with you—now don’t try to shake yer head, I can see it in yer eyes I’m right.”

Katherine smiled sheepishly and nodded.

“I’m sorry, but I’m an old coot, and new ideas make me squirm, even if they’re good ones. I want you to know that I did listen to what you said, and… well, I’m considerin’ on it.”

Shocked at this surprising change in the Captain’s heretofore stubborn nature, Katherine could only smile and stammer out, “Thank you.”

He walked over to the large old sea chest in which he kept the stock of bagged teas hidden away out of sight. He opened the lid and bent over it, handing boxes to Katherine as she read from the list. After the last few items had been read, Katherine began timidly,

“Captain, I’m afraid I’ve done something you might not like.” The old man looked up sharply from the sea chest with concern in his face.

“What is it?” Captain Braddock’s eyebrows were knit together in uncertainty.

“I, that is… I” she stopped short, then with a sudden burst of courage, said all at once, “I told Miss Harriet about the white tea, and she said that she wants me to have you add some to her order this week, so she can try it, too.”

The old man’s face relaxed into a mischievous grin. “Well, I suppose it’s about time that woman had a taste of the real thing.” he said, and promptly grabbed a small plastic bag. Opening the lid of the box, he asked, “How much does she want?”

Much relieved, Katherine grinned. Well aware of the fury she was about to unleash, she answered innocently,

“Miss Harriet was very specific. She said she wants four teabags’ worth.” Captain Braddock’s face turned red as he spluttered,

“Bags! Bags! How can she go on about teabags all the time? Why, do you know what they put in those bags she loves so dearly? Floor sweepings, that’s what. Bags…” He continued his rant while agitatedly measuring out the precious tea. “To speak of this tea in the same sentence as that rot. Ha!”