“Mr. Patten? Well…” Mrs. Penelope shyly looked across the room to where Mr. Patten was seated. “Perhaps, I could try just a little, then.” she said quietly.

“Good. I just know you’ll like it. I’ll be right back.” Katherine walked to the kitchen and began triumphantly preparing Mr. Patten’s order on a tray.

“Why did you put two cups and saucers there? Does Mr. Patten have a guest?” Miss Harriet asked as Katherine headed to the doorway with the tray.

“You’ll see.” Katherine replied archly, sweeping away with the tray balanced on one hand.

When Katherine came to Mr. Patten’s table, she set the tray down and said in her politest manner,

“Good morning, Mr. Patten. I was just speaking to Mrs. Penelope, and she would like to taste some Earl Grey to see if she likes it, but is a little hesitant to commit to something new. I wondered if you would allow me to ask her to come and share your pot of Earl Grey with you?”

A smile spread across Mr. Patten’s face. “Certainly. What a good idea! In fact,” he said, standing up from his chair and leaning in conspiratorially, “I think I might just go invite her myself.”

“Now that’s a good idea!” Katherine said, beaming. “I’ll leave you to it.”

* * * *

“How ever did you accomplish that?” Mr. James asked, as Katherine brought him a fresh pot of tea. “They’ve been talking and smiling and having a fine old time for two hours now.”

“It will probably sound silly if I tell you.”

“What is it? I promise not to laugh at you.”

“Well, I had noticed that Mrs. Penelope is just the type of person who usually enjoys Earl Grey. I felt certain she would like it so much better than the English Breakfast she usually has, and as I was trying to convince her to try it, Mr. Patten walked in. I thought that she might be less nervous about trying something new if it was his pot of tea she was sharing.”

“I see. Well, it apparently worked.” The reporter said, nodding towards the table. “Hold on, they’re getting up to leave.”

Katherine walked over to where the two were standing by their table, still deep in conversation.

“How was your tea, Mrs. Penelope?” Katherine asked, her stomach full of what felt like very lively grasshoppers. Mrs. Penelope paused, head cocked to one side like a little bird. Oh, no! Katherine thought. She must not have liked it.

“I have to be honest, my dear…”

Katherine’s heart thudded wildly as the old lady paused to find the right words.

“That was the most delightful cup of tea I have ever tasted! How did you know I would like it so well?”

Relief swept over Katherine. “Oh, just observation, that’s all. You seem like the kind of person who would like Earl Grey.” She shrugged, grinning shyly.

“Well, I’m certainly glad you suggested it.” The elderly lady said, looking at Mr. Patten as she continued, “And thank you for inviting me to share your tea this morning.”

“You’re very welcome.” Mr. Patten said, his eyes sparkling in his otherwise dignified face. “May I walk you out?” he asked, offering his arm politely.

The genteel couple strolled away down the street, still arm in arm, as Katherine returned to the table where Mr. James sat, gazing after them in pleased surprise.

“Well done, Katherine!” He said at last, grinning up at her. “Now, tell me: do you think you could do that again? Tell just the kind of tea someone would like, I mean.”

“Maybe.” Katherine said thoughtfully. “I have been trying to notice which types of people like which types of tea, but I don’t know how accurate my observations are.”

“I’d say you were pretty accurate this morning.” Mr. James leaned back in his chair and surveyed her narrowly. “Now, how about me? What kind of tea do you think I would like?”

Katherine thought a moment before answering decidedly, “I think you would like Assam. We don’t stock the exact variety I think you’d like best here, but the Harborside has it. The closest we have here is Irish Breakfast tea. Have you ever tried it?”

Mr. James raised his eyebrows, “No, I haven’t. What makes you think I would like it?”

“Because unlike the English Breakfast tea you usually order, our Irish Breakfast is one hundred percent Assam tea, though not the best quality.”

Mr. James chuckled and said teasingly. “I see you’ve picked up the captain’s obsession for subtle nuances and high quality. When it comes to tea, only the best will do!”

Katherine laughingly nodded. “Perhaps I have. It really does make a difference, though.”

“Then pick up some of the ‘best’ Assam when you go over to the Harborside tomorrow, and I’ll try it. Since this little experiment was my idea, I’ll gladly pay for the tea.”

* * * *

“I have a tea order to fill today!” Katherine said, bursting through the door of the Harborside.

“Really? Does Miss Harriet want hers early?” Captain Braddock leaned back in his desk chair to peer at Katherine through the doorway.

“No. It’s for Mr. James. He wants some second flush Assam.”

“That sounds about right.” Captain Braddock nodded. “The Orange Pekoe will be right for him, I think. Not so light as the Flowery Orange Pekoe, but not as earthy as the ordinary Pekoe.”

Katherine’s eyes widened and her face lit up. That was exactly what she had planned to bring to Mr. James!

Perhaps I’ve got the Braddock gift, after all, she thought to herself as Captain Braddock went back to the ledger he was poring over, leaving Katherine to the happy task of measuring out the dark, twisted leaves with the golden tips which gave the tea the nickname “tippy tea.”

When she finished, she set the little bundle of tea on top of her purse and rang up the sale, putting Mr. James’ money into the ancient cash register with a satisfied little smirk.

“Captain,” she asked, standing in the doorway. “I’ve never been able to figure out why Orange Pekoe teas have ‘orange’ in their name. They don’t taste or smell at all like orange.”

“That used to baffle me as well.” Captain Braddock said, shaking his head as he jotted down one more number in the ledger and closed it with a sigh.

Looking up at Katherine, he leaned back in his chair again and explained, “You know that the various pekoes are classifications of Assam teas.”

Katherine nodded and recited, “Flowery Orange Pekoe is the small leaf next to the bud, Orange Pekoe is the second leaf, Pekoe is the third leaf and Souchong is the fourth leaf.”

Captain Braddock smiled broadly. “You have been paying attention! And since you’ve been paying attention, you can probably tell me when and by whom the Assam tea plants were first discovered?”

“Was it… 1823?” the captain nodded and Katherine continued. “a man named Robert Bruce noticed the plants and asked for samples to send back to England. But he died soon after, so his brother Charles is really the one who got Assam tea classified as a variety of Camellia Sinensis.”