Tomorrow's Garden by Amanda Cabot Read Free Book Online

seen.”
    “You look as if something’s wrong.” Furrows formed between Isabelle’s eyes.
    Harriet frowned at the realization that she had not hidden her concern. There was no point in lying. “I wish the building were stone or brick.”
    Sarah’s eyes widened. “Why? Are you worried about fire?”
    Harriet nodded. The story would come out at some point. She might as well tell these women. “My parents died when our house burned. I’ve worried about fire ever since.”
    Sarah slid an arm around Harriet’s waist and hugged her. “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t fire, but I lost my parents as well.”
    “It’s been seven years.” Harriet wouldn’t tell either Sarah or Isabelle about the years before the fire, her parents’ erratic behavior and the nights she had prayed they would leave and never return. She doubted either woman would understand, and she had no need of pity.
    “I feel so fortunate, because my parents are still alive,” Isabelle said. “I don’t know whether you’ve had a chance to explore Ladreville, but they own the mercantile. We’ve got most anything you might need there.”
    Taking in a deep breath of air that still smelled of chalk, Harriet seized the change of subject gratefully. “I do need some new clothing for my family. Ruth’s stopped growing, but the boys and Mary shoot up faster than thistles.”
    “We can help with that.” Isabelle started to list the types of ready-made clothing that the mercantile carried.
    As if she realized that her friend could continue indefinitely, Sarah interrupted. “You might want something new for yourself.”
    Though Isabelle nodded, Harriet did not. What she had was perfectly serviceable. Besides, it wasn’t as if she wanted to waste money on frippery. Even when her grandparents had been alive and the Kirks were the wealthiest family in Fortune, Grandma had insisted on sensible clothing, claiming it was important that people liked them for their character, not their money. “I have plenty of dresses,” Harriet said firmly. “It’s the children I worry about.”
    Isabelle was not dissuaded. “We have lovely yard goods. There’s a light blue muslin that would highlight your eyes.”
    Though she wanted to insist that she didn’t need to highlight her eyes, Harriet remained silent. The women meant well. They simply didn’t understand.
    “Isabelle’s the town’s expert on fashion,” Sarah said. “She won’t steer you wrong.”
    She wouldn’t, indeed, because there would be no steering, not toward light blue muslin, not toward anything. “Thank you, both,” Harriet said as politely as she could manage, “but I’m content with the dresses I have. They’re suitable for teaching.”
    “Certainly.” The look Sarah gave Isabelle said the discussion was closed. “Is there anything else I can show you here?” She gestured around the room. When Harriet shook her head, Sarah announced that she would head home. “I seem to tire more easily these days.”
    As they waved good-bye to Sarah, Isabelle touched Harriet’s arm. “Do you mind if I walk home with you? I want to invite your sister to meet Eva.”
    “No, I don’t mind; I’d enjoy the company.” At home in Fortune, she had been careful to keep her relationships purely businesslike. Grandma had insisted that, as the founding family, the Kirks were Fortune’s upper class and should not associate with what Grandma called the “common folks.” It was only when she’d become an adult that Harriet had realized that while Grandma’s attitude might have been appropriate in her native England, it was the antithesis of the American dream and it had led to the Kirks’ isolation. Her resolution that they would not make the same mistakes here in Ladreville was part of the reason Harriet insisted that everyone work. It was also the reason she sought friends for her siblings. And herself. Mary wasn’t the only one who needed friends.
    “I wonder if Sarah will miss teaching,” Harriet