Free The Old Cape House by Barbara Eppich Struna Page A

trip west to Abigail’s. Maria knew Matthew would never say no to her.
    Maria hurried along the path. Mindful that she was only wearing her shift and shawl, she ran faster, not wanting to be seen by anyone. As the sun heated her skin, she began to perspire. By the time she arrived home, she was dripping wet.
    She placed a clean shift and skirt into a small sack and prayerfully thanked her mother that her father was already gone. He would have been angry with her for not fixing his breakfast.
    She went outside to raise the green flag on a pole that topped the roofline of her house. It signaled to Matthew that she needed him to get the wagon ready. This was a game they had played when they were younger, pretending to be sea captains on the high seas, using colored pieces of material to signal messages back and forth. Now that they were older, they occasionally played the signal game, even though their elders frowned upon this silliness, expecting them to be more mature. She trusted that he would see her signal.
    Surprised to see the flag, Matthew was more than pleased to accept Maria’s request. He stopped splitting wood, set aside his axe and walked towards the Hallett home.
    Meanwhile, Maria brought water from the well into the house and set it down on top of her bureau. After dropping her soiled garment onto the bed, she withdrew a bottle of Minda’s lavender water from inside a drawer. Into the cool water, she sprinkled two drops. Then, she took a deep breath, letting the wonderful scent calm her.
    After bathing, Maria patted herself dry and reached for a fresh shift hanging on a peg under the stairs. It slipped over her head with ease. She pulled a corset from the bottom drawer of the bureau, placed it over her cotton shift and laced up the front, being careful not to pull it too tight across her stomach. Next came her drawstring petticoat. As she tied the strings that held her skirt she realized that she would be able to adjust her skirts to accommodate the child as it grows. Her thoughts surprised her; she sat down on the bed. She closed her eyes and tried to listen to the voice inside her that Minda spoke of. Maria squeezed her eyelids together, trying to listen to her thoughts and feelings. Her hands moved over her stomach. Her next words almost sounded like a prayer. “I think I will keep this child. I know that Sam loves me. I trust him. When he returns, he’ll take care of me, and this little one inside me too.”
    Her decision made, she felt better. With determination to move forward with her choice, Maria continued dressing, pinning a pocket to her petticoat and then smoothing it flat. She felt joyful at the thought of bearing Sam’s child.
    A second petticoat was laid over the first and fastened in the front with long pins. It had a large slit to its side for access to the pocket, hiding it from view. She hid a shilling for an emergency. Chanting her words now, she repeated, “I’m going to have Sam’s child.”
    Maria moved with lighthearted steps to the bureau and chose one of her better handkerchiefs to go around her neckline, tucking it in across the top of the corset. She felt confident Sam would return before the birth. She folded her apron into the carrying basket, in case she needed it when they arrived at Abigail’s house.
    She could hear Matthew in the barn preparing the wagon. As he brought the wagon closer to the house, Maria relieved herself in the jar under her bed instead of going outside one more time before they left. Lifting her skirts, she looked down and noticed she wore no shoes or stockings. She giggled to herself and thought that being with child must make women do silly things. She scooped up the basket that held her apron and placed Abigail’s new woven cloth inside, along with biscuits wrapped in a piece of cotton plus her shoes and stockings. As she grabbed her cap hanging by the door, Maria glanced over at her unmade bed and promised herself that she would empty the bed jar