Page 25 of A Whiskey River Princess

Dirk was sitting in the rocking chair, reading a book, Buster on the floor by his side. Buster looked up when she walked out, but Dirk didn’t even glance up from his book. “Enjoy yourself?” he asked, smirking.

“Hmph!” she huffed, and then stomped into the guest room and slammed the door shut as Dirk chuckled. She thought for a moment, and then opened it. “And stay out this time!”

Dirk laughed. “I wouldn’t have walked in before if you had waited until the water was ready!”

Gabriella slammed the door shut and looked around the room. A candle was sitting on a pewter candle holder that was muted silver in color. The golden light cast shadows around the room. Dirk must have lit it for her. She was surprised when she looked around. There was a lady’s vanity on the left against the wall, with a woman’s hairbrush, hairpins, elaborate combs, and more. On the bed was a clean, dainty bedspread. Curious, she walked over to the closet, and in it hung ladies’ clothes, fine dresses, and shoes. She picked up a shoe and held it to the bottom of her foot. It was close to her size and would do.

She ran her hand over the clothes, amazed. She could spend hours in that closet, going through the dresses, scarves, modesty pieces, and more. And on the top shelf of the closet were hats. As she took it all in, her rage immediately left her. At that moment, she realized that there was no end to Dirk’s generosity. Suddenly, she felt guilty for having let the bath water get cold for him. After all, he had taken the time to heat it for her, to care for her.

Confused, she sat on the edge of the bed, taking it all in, wondering who the wardrobe had belonged to. She glanced atthe door involuntarily, and then back at the vanity. Gabriella pulled out the dainty chair and sat in front of the slightly wavy reflection. Then she examined the countertop. Two feminine boxes sat on either end of the vanity. Curious, she slowly opened the one on the left. It held cosmetics, imported from France. The box on the right was a jewelry box. She opened it, and it was filled with simple, but fine pieces. She quickly closed it, feeling as if she were invading another woman’s personal belongings.

She opened the bureau and found a silk gown, folded neatly, lying in the second drawer. She slipped it on, and then donned a beige silk robe. Unable to wait, she opened the door. Dirk was still sitting in the rocking chair, facing the fire, reading as Buster lay on the floor by his side. Buster lifted his head when he noticed Gabriella standing in the doorway, and lazily wagged his tail.

“Are these fine things… ladies’ things… in the spare room mine to use,” she asked, her voice soft, “while I’m here?”

Dirk sighed as he closed his book, but his eyes didn’t meet hers. “Yes. They’re yours for as long as you like.”

Gabriella nodded. “Sorry about your bath.”

Dirk smiled as he watched the fire. “Don’t worry. I put more water on to warm.” He waited for a minute, and then opened the book again and started rocking back and forth as he suppressed a smile. “I’ll be sure to lock the door, so you won’t accidentally walk in on me.”

“Thanks.” She turned to head back into the spare room.

“Gabriella.” He paused, waiting for her to turn back. “It really was an accident. Please, forgive me.”

She smiled. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

“Oh?” he teased, raising an eyebrow.

“Because it was an accident,” she amended flatly. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night.” He smirked, and then added, “But I’m not sorry for dumping the water on your head.”

Gabriella laughed, in spite of herself. “Oh? Well, enjoy your cold bath.”

He smirked. “I already let out the water and rinsed the tub.”

“Good night.” She went back into the spare bedroom and shut the door. She had been thinking of waiting until he was in the bath and then dumping a bucket of snow on his head, but after she saw his generosity, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. No, she would save it for another day. As she prepared for bed, she heard Dirk chuckle as he rocked back and forth in the rocking chair in the living room.

Bright white light streamed in through the window the next morning as Gabriella opened her eyes. It was bright. Too bright. The kind of brightness that only comes from light reflecting off snow. And for some reason that she didn’t understand, she couldn’t wait to see Dirk.

She rose from the bed and perused the dresses in the closet. Some were homemade, but many were store bought. The dresses that had been hand sewn were very well made. Gabriella knew enough about life in the west to know that women usually only owned a few dresses, at best. In fact, many could only afford two or three. One or two work dresses and only one fancy dress. But this closet was filled.

Gabriella chose a beige dress with little pink rosebuds. It was fitted in the bodice and flared out from the waist to the floor, fitting her to perfection. She fumbled with the tiny buttons, but soon figured it out and was dressed. She had no idea what to do with her hair, but then she remembered what her maids had taught her. Her hair had dried overnight, so she pulled the sides up with golden combs encrusted with pink roses to match the dress and let the back fall past her shoulders down to her waist.She sat at the vanity and pinched her cheeks to bring up color. When she walked out of her bedroom, she felt more like a lady than she had since this adventure began.

In the living room, Buster was waiting for her at the door, wagging his tail. She stooped down to rub his ears. “Bonjour, mon amour.Want to go out?” He wagged his tail furiously in answer as his nails clicked excitedly against the floor. Gabriella laughed. “Come on,mon cher.” Since it was already daylight, she figured that Dirk was already outside tending the animals. She couldn’t believe she had slept in, but she had been so tired from her adventure and the bath had been so soothing—despite Dirk’s antics—that she had fallen asleep right away.

Gabriella headed into the kitchen and made coffee, mimicking what she had seen Dirk do. The stove was already lit. Evidently, Dirk must have lit it before going out to the barn. It was a good thing because she had no idea how to light it. While she was working, she realized just how much she didn’t know about running a house. She looked around, and in one of the drawers was an apron. So, she put it on and started making biscuits the way Dirk had taught her, rolled them in oil on a pan, and then popped them into the oven. Then she let Buster back in, and he went into the living room to curl up by the fireplace.

It was cold in the cabin, so she put another log on the fire, but it kind of sat there. Soon the fire began to die. Gabriella glanced over at a box with small twigs set by the fireplace. So, she took a handful and laid them on the log, hoping she was doing it right. She looked up, and long matches were setting there. She lit one and then placed it under the twigs. It caught fire but started to die. She blew on it to keep it from dying and soot blew back onto her, covering her face. Unwilling to give up, she struck another match, held it under the fine twigs, and to her amazement, the fire started, and warmth immediately filled the room. She walked into the kitchen, feeling accomplished.

Gabriella picked up a dish towel and wiped her face the best she could, sure that it was covered in soot. She didn’t know where the perishables were kept, but she looked around and found a door.

When she opened it, cold air rushed toward her and there were stairs leading down, so she assumed that the perishable food was down there. Did she dare go down to find out? Feeling like a homemaker for the first time in her life, she summoned her courage and went down the stairs. They led to a cold, dark cellar. There, she found jars of preserves, jellies, tomatoes, corn, canned green beans, homemade pickles, and other vegetables, along with a variety of smoked meats. There was enough for a whole family to get through the winter, let alone one person. She picked up some bacon and walked back up the stairs, but the door was locked.

“No!” She gasped as she shook the door handle. “No. This can’t be happening!” She thought for a moment and then hollered, “Dirk! Dirk I’m down here!”

Nothing.

---