Dawn's Untrodden Green by Carolyn Miller

Author:Carolyn Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Published: 2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Theo studied herself critically in the looking glass. The colored mark stretching across her cheek wasn’t as noticeable as some she’d heard about. Dear Clara had once told her about one of the princesses who had fallen in love with a man whose birthmark stretched across his face and over an eye. Her face wasn’t nearly as marred. But the overheard words of the captain—and silly, foolish Becky—had made her leave her task of pruning rosehips from below his window and hasten to a mirror to inspect what others could see, and what she’d long thought she’d grown reconciled to.

The pale pink-purple stain looked like spilled wine, stretching from her lip, along her nose, and up into the corner of her left eye. If she stood a certain way, with the light coming in from the window, some days it seemed to not exist. Other days it seemed most prominent indeed. She’d heard comments throughout her life and had been unable to ignore the way visitors to their village and church would glance at her, eyes widening, then quickly look away, almost as if they were afraid her stain would mar them too. She had soon learned to differentiate between those who judged—literally skin deep—and those who saw past her imperfections, as God did. Thank goodness for those who did not think, as some of the more superstitious folk did, that her birthmark and hair color resulted from a witch’s curse.

Her eyes lowered as she remembered other words she had been called. The fact the captain now knew some of them stung. She didn’t blame him for quickly ending the conversation, though the knowledge he pitied her carved a new hollowness in her heart.

Poor misguided Becky. How Theo would face her or the captain, she did not yet know. But face them—she wrinkled her nose at her reflection—she would. Vanity had never been a problem for her, and she wouldn’t let pride stop her from doing what ought to be done. Even if it meant she was now self-conscious, whereas before she had seen no reason to mind.

“Theodosia?”

At her mother’s call, she descended the stairs to see Becky excitedly sharing with Mama about the captain’s approval for the birthday treat.

“Oh, isn’t it exciting?” Becky said, eyes like cloudless skies.

Theo wouldn’t begrudge her. Not when this was the most exhilarated she had seen Becky in weeks. “Very exciting. This shall be on two Thursdays from now?”

“If it’s suitable, then yes, I’d love to celebrate on the actual day of my birthday.”

“Then we shall mark the occasion.” Birthdays were not usually grand occasions, unless one was a king or queen. But with this being Becky’s first as an orphan, and in these trying years betwixt child and woman, then anything Theo could do to alleviate the ordeal, she would do. The first name day without a mother would be hard, no matter how old one would be. “Have you thought which friends you might wish to come?”

Lydia and Patricia were suggested as guests, and Theo encouraged Becky to write the invitations.

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