The Tempest by Hawkins Charlotte

Author:Hawkins, Charlotte [Hawkins, Charlotte]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Historical
ISBN: 9781449993979
Amazon: 1449993974
Goodreads: 8354764
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2010-04-17T00:00:00+00:00

Not far from the house, she was pleasantly surprised to find an orchard. It was teeming with apple, pear, and fig trees, and her little basket was soon full. Once she’d brought them to the kitchen, she set out again to see what else there was to be discovered. Happily, she found wild strawberries growing in abundance near the house, and a walnut tree that provided a small harvest of nutmeats. Now if only there was yeast to be found, and grain to grind into flour, some of the fruit would make good pies. Fresh game would be pleasing as well…perhaps smoked fish or roasted pheasant. But until Guy returned and brought such things, the fruit and walnuts would have to suffice.

There were wildflowers growing everywhere, but the soft purple of lavender caught her attention right away. The delicate flower had always been her favorite, particularly because of its many uses. Cooking with it gave food some delightful flavor, and the scent was wonderful in a bath, but it had been especially dear to her and her father for its healing properties. The oil helped to heal burns and cuts, and soothed headaches by rubbing it on the temples. Having found this treasure from nature, she gathered up many basketfuls and brought them to the kitchen, where she set about working.

Aside from her hunger, the desire to set herself right with a good bath was overwhelming. In her despair over her loss, she hadn’t cared so much about her appearance. But as memories of her father came to her again and again, she thought of what he would say if he knew she was being so slovenly. As peasants, they did not have much of anything and had no need to impress, but he’d always encouraged his children to take pride in themselves. Guy hadn’t seemed troubled by the way she looked…but then again, he wasn’t the perfect model on keeping up appearances. Either way, she intended to see to herself again from this day onwasat her father would have wanted, for her to keep her strong sense of self. To honor his memory, she would do just that.

In the servants quarters she found some materials for soap making. Sesame oil, potash, alkali and some lime…all she had to do was mix them all together and boil them, and then pour them in a mold. Some of the lavender mixed in would give it a pleasant scent.

A little while later, as the molds were cooling, she went about the house in search of fresh garments, wondering if any had been left behind by the previous tenant. Rummaging through a large trunk in the master chamber, she found several nightdresses…all of which were quite large in size, and judging from the design, meant for a man. But one of them would do until she could wash her own clothes. And here in seclusion, who would know the difference?

It was late afternoon when she returned from the river, where she’d bathed and scrubbed out her dress.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.