Riverbreeze: Part 1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

house, several rustic outbuildings, a
large kitchen and herb garden, a newly planted orchard of apple,
cherry and peach trees and two dozen mulberry trees for the
beginning of a silk producing operation, six acres of tobacco
fields, one acre of corn and wheat, goats and chickens in the yard,
pigs in the woods and a newly constructed stable with two
magnificent horses.
    They had truly been blessed, although since
the death of his wife, Robert didn’t see it that way. The last two
years had been extremely difficult for the brothers, working side
by side, sunup to sundown. Robert had worked himself nearly to
exhaustion every day to keep thoughts of his dead wife at bay. He
had given up interacting with all of English society, and angry at
God for allowing his wife to die, he had turned his back on the
church. He had even wished he could have stayed away from weekly
church services, but that was against the law and paying the fines
each week of fifty pounds of tobacco would have taken everything he
had planted. His family didn’t know how much longer he could go on
like that, but they were helpless to change the situation. Robert
was grateful for their concern, but he wished they would just leave
him alone.
    Alas, it wasn’t to be, though.
    * * *
    Today, the brothers were going to a party,
hosted by their adoptive father, Francis Tyler, in honor of Tyler’s
identical twin nieces who had just arrived in the colony three days
ago. They thought that the twins probably wouldn’t be in the mood
to be introduced to society so soon after their arrival, but it
couldn’t be helped. The invitations had been delivered over a month
ago, given out at the last council meeting or after church
services, the date of the party chosen carefully to fall at the end
of the tobacco season and in anticipation of the girls’ ship
arriving on time.
    It may have been a foolhardy thing to do
knowing how uncertain and unpredictable the crossing of the
Atlantic could be. Anything could happen while out on the open
seas, but Tyler had had complete confidence in Captain Neil
Fletcher and the ship he commanded. Unfortunately the ship had
encountered trouble on the open seas and it had been nobody’s fault
that the ship had arrived two weeks late.
    But Jamie wasn’t worried about the girls’
moods; he was just thrilled to be going to a party. He knew Robert
didn’t want to attend, but he didn’t care. He wanted to go and he
was determined to enjoy himself despite Robert’s sour mood.
    After dressing carefully in the new doublet
and breeches he had just purchased from a prosperous London tailor,
he bounded down the stairs and hurried into the kitchen. Robert was
already sitting at the board table with his two-year-old son,
Robin, who was sitting in a high chair which Jamie had constructed.
Mrs. Abigail Chilcott, Robin’s wet nurse and their housekeeper, was
at the large fireplace frying corn cakes on a three-legged spider
skillet.
    “Good morning, all.” Jamie said cheerily as
he slid onto the bench opposite Robert. A place had already been
set for him at the table with spoon, knife, napkin and a tankard of
hard cider. “Mmm, that smells good.” He added, grabbing the tankard
and taking a long drink.
    “Morning, Jamie. Sleep well?” Robert asked,
spooning coddled eggs into his son’s mouth.
    “Like a log. What’s for breakfast?” He asked,
his focus on Robin. He smiled broadly at the boy, then made a goofy
face to make him laugh.
    Robin did laugh, displaying an open mouth
full of yellowy and white slime. “Eggs!” He announced happily.
    “Lovely.” Jamie muttered, making a face at
Robert, but Robert was already scolding Robin and scrubbing his
mouth with a linen cloth.
    “Here you are, Jamie.” Abigail said, placing
a pewter plate full of eggs, ham, and corn cakes in front of him.
“You’re looking very handsome this morning.” She teased him.
    He smiled shyly and smoothed down the front
of his doublet. “Thank you, Abby.” He was