Kate -- Chapter 36
From: Karen
At 5 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Kate shook Carolyn awake. "Come on, sleepy head! That turkey isn’t going to cook itself. We have to stuff that big old thing now or we’ll never eat it today!"
Carolyn pulled the covers over her head and burrowed deeper in the blankets. Kate could hear her voice, muffled from the pile of covers, saying, "Ten more minutes, that’s all I ask. Ten more minutes!"
Kate, feeling no mercy, pulled the blankets off Carolyn, who was rolled in a fetal position. "That’s what you said 20 minutes ago, kiddo! Now get up!"
Carolyn sat up in bed, knowing she was defeated. She looked at the window and groaned.
"The sun isn’t even up yet, Kate. How long does it take to cook a turkey? Three or four hours? There’s plenty of time for me to go back to sleep!" Carolyn exclaimed as she pulled the sheet over her again.
Kate shook her head and pulled the sheet off. "Baby, you have a lot to learn about cooking. The turkey Mrs. Johnson ordered is about 30 pounds. It will take all day to cook it. So up and at ‘em!" Kate headed out the door.
Carolyn glared at Kate’s back, got out of bed and dressed. She was downstairs and in the kitchen as Kate pulled the giant turkey out of the refrigerator.
Helping Kate set the main dish on the kitchen table, Carolyn pulled out the dressing they had made last night. The two women had cleaned the turkey the night before as well, so it was ready to be stuffed. The oyster stuffing was almost gone by the time the turkey’s cavities were filled. Kate closed the front of the turkey and had Carolyn lace the legs together. The huge roasting pan was filled to capacity with Mrs. Johnson’s ‘small turkey’.
"How long did you say it takes to cook this thing, Kate? I think it may still be baking tomorrow!" Carolyn said, laughing.
"Only about 9 hours or so. It’s almost 6 now, so it should be ready by 3 or 4 this afternoon. Now that the turkey’s in the oven, let’s start on those pies." Kate said.
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Around 10 o’clock, David came in the kitchen asking for breakfast. By then, the kitchen was beginning to be filled with the delicious aroma of roasted turkey and the sweet scent of pumpkin and mincemeat pies.
"It smells good in here!" David cried, his nose wrinkling with pleasure. "Can I have a piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast, Carolyn?" he asked.
Carolyn shook her head. "’May I have a piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast’, David, and the answer is no, you may not. We are saving the pies for dessert." she replied.
"I can’t wait until then. I am starving NOW!" he said dramatically. He fell to the ground, crawling on the floor, holding his stomach as if he was dying of hunger.
"Oh, David, do get up! You may have toast and hard-boiled eggs. The eggs are already cooked and you know how to make toast." Carolyn said. "Everyone else has already had breakfast, slowpoke. Now, scoot out of here. We are too busy for your silliness this morning!"
David stuck out his tongue at his cousin, which she returned. He opened the refrigerator, taking out the leftover eggs. He cooked his toast as quickly as he could. Grabbing his hasty breakfast, he headed for the dining room.
"Be sure to bring your dishes back in here, David!" Kate called after him. "Then we need your help, okay?"
"Okay!" he exclaimed.
Carolyn turned to Kate who was putting the finishing touches on a pie. "How can David help us? He sometimes is more nuisance than help." she asked.
"I thought he could help me set the table. We are almost done here. The only things left to do are the cranberry sauce, which you can make, the potatoes and vegetables. We can finish those after the table is set."
"That sounds like a good idea. David really could use something do to until Amy and Chris get here."
Carolyn smiled to herself. She would be glad to see Chris. Carolyn was hoping they could get back together. She missed him; and Amy, too. Since Chris decided he wanted to take care of Amy himself, the little girl’s presence was greatly missed at Collinwood. Carolyn thought David would be happy to see Amy, too.
Kate put the pie in the oven, setting the timer. She showed Carolyn the recipe for cranberry sauce and left her to it. Pulling the potatoes out of the bin, she began to peel them and put the peeled potatoes in ice water to keep from turning brown.
Kate could smell the cranberry sauce cooking. "That smells so good, Carolyn. Did you taste it yet?" she asked.
"You must have read my mind! I just put a spoon in it." Carolyn took a bite of the hot cranberries and syrup. Her mouth opened wide as the warm sauce hit her tongue. "Hot, but delicious! Would you like a taste, Kate?"
Before Kate could answer, David came in and said, "I’d like to try it, Carolyn. Since you are still standing, it must not be poison!" He laughed as he grabbed a spoon and dipped it in the pan. He brought the spoon to his mouth and took a big bite. Carolyn watched his face to see his reaction as the warm liquid went into his mouth. David’s eyes got big and he waved hand in front of his mouth.
"You could’ve warned me, Carolyn!" he exclaimed, still fanning his mouth.
Carolyn and Kate laughed. "You deserved it, David, for telling me my cooking was poison!" Carolyn said. "The look on your face was priceless! Why is there never a camera when you need one!" she laughed.
David set his dishes in the sink and grabbed a glass. He turned on the tap, filled it with water and took a big gulp. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he said, "I have to admit, the sauce is good, Carolyn."
Carolyn beamed. She walked over to the table where Kate was still peeling potatoes and started peeling carrots.
"Might as well get these done now." she said.
"Hey, buddy, you want to peel some carrots with us?" Kate asked. She indicated another peeler on the table.
"I don’t know how." David said.
"Pick up the peeler and I’ll show you, David. You just have to be careful. You don’t want to scrape your knuckles. It hurts like crazy!" Carolyn said.
David watched his cousin and soon had his first peeled carrot. The carrot was narrower on one side than the other, but it was peeled. With all three of them working, and no scraped knuckles, the carrots and potatoes were peeled quickly. Carolyn put the carrots in water as well, setting the bowl in the refrigerator.
"Let’s sit for a bit, Carolyn." Kate suggested. "It has been a long morning. I am pooped!" she said as she sat back in her chair.
"How about a cup of tea, Kate?" Carolyn asked. Kate nodded and Carolyn put the kettle on. David took a soda from the refrigerator and sat down, too. When the tea was ready, they sat there companionably together, joking with each other.
The timer went off indicating the last pie was done. Taking it out, Carolyn put it with the other pies to cool.
She surveyed the kitchen; pies cooling on the counter, turkey roasting the oven, Kate and David sitting at the table, drinking tea. She felt she had accomplished a lot in a few hours. Smiling, Carolyn sat down at the table with a sigh of contentment.
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Willie watched Barnabas nervously adjust his tie in the hallway mirror. Chuckling, he said, "You ain’t nervous, are ya, Barnabas?"
Barnabas looked at Willie’s reflection in the mirror and frowned.
"Why would you think that, Willie?"
"Cuz, you have been lookin’ in the mirror for about 15 minutes, checkin’ yourself out. You usually don’t spend more than a minute to put your tie on." Willie replied. "Don’t worry, Barnabas, you look real handsome."
Barnabas turned from the mirror, embarrassed at being caught in a moment of vanity. "Thank you, Willie. That will be all for today." he said dismissively. As he walked down the stairs, he asked, "Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?"
Willie followed Barnabas down the stairs. "Yeah, Mrs. Johnson’s friend asked me for dinner, too. They are probably waitin’ for me to get there. I’d better go. don’t wanna disappoint the ladies!" Willie opened the front door and went out. Just as he was closing the door, he stopped.
"Don’t worry, Barnabas. Kate will be real happy to see you." he said reassuringly. "Have fun! Bye!"
Barnabas went over to the fireplace and checked the clock. It was only 1 o’clock. When he had called to tell Elizabeth he was coming for dinner, she had told him it would be served at 5. Barnabas had asked Elizabeth not to tell anyone he was going to join the family. She had promised to keep it their little secret. She encouraged him to come earlier, of course.
Barnabas wasn’t sure if going early was such a good idea. He was ready to go now, of course, but would Kate be happy to see him? Would she greet him with open arms? Not for the first time, he wished Julia was here to talk to. Perhaps he could call the great house and talk to Julia now? Somehow that seemed a coward’s way out.
"All right, Barnabas," he said to himself, "get yourself together. You aren’t facing a firing squad, only the woman you love. You have faced worse things in your life. Now go!"
Taking a deep breath, Barnabas put on his coat and grabbed his wolf’s head cane. He opened the door and stepped out into the snow. With determination on his face, he walked to the great house of Collinwood, ready to face whatever happened. No matter what.