Free Who's sorry now? by Jill Churchill Page B

doesn’t know how to wrap packages either,” she said with a smile. ”I had some extra birthday paper and the books are all wrapped and ready and back in your box.”
    Robert grinned. ”Your guess was right. I was going to ask our maid or Mrs. Prinney to wrap them for me. It was kind of you to save me from more embarrassment.”
    Not only had she wrapped each book individually, but the paper was lovely and each package had a ribbon tied in a fancy bow.
    Howard Walker had come home early and asked Mrs.
    Prinney for a small vase of water, which he carried out to the woods behind the mansion, picking a big handful of the prettiest wildflowers he could find.
    Phoebe Twinkle had made a pink felt hat with a very stylish brim and embroidered flowers around the crown.
    Mrs. Tarkington had wrapped up a small bracelet another teacher had given her years earlier and that Lily had admired. She’d told Lily at the time, that while it was pretty, it wasn’t really her style.
    Mrs. Prinney had prepared a good-sized pork roast (most of which would serve as leftovers and sandwiches for Phoebe and Mrs. Tarkington for lunches), mashed potatoes with thick, tasty gravy, sliced tomatoes she’d put up in jars last summer, and a fabulous three-tiered chocolate cake with one candle on it.
    Everybody sang ”Happy Birthday” as Lily blew out the candle. Robert disappeared for a moment to fetch the books that he’d hidden in Mr. Prinney’s office, and he set them at the corner of the table. Lily eyed them while she opened Phoebe’s box and put on the hat. It fit perfectly. She thanked Howard for the flowers. She was already wearing Mrs. Tarkington’s bracelet and thanked her again, then asked, ”What are those other four packages?”
    ”They’re from me,” Robert said.
    ”And you wrapped them yourself?”
    ”Of course.”
    Lily raised an eyebrow.
    ”Okay,” Robert admitted, ”Mrs. Smithson wrapped them. She’s been hiding them at her house.”
    Lily smiled. Opening all four in a row, she gushed, ”Oh, Robert. My favorite four authors. How did you know?”
    ”I pay attention to what you read.” Then realizing he couldn’t get away with this either, added, ”Miss Exley made the choices. All I did was go to the city and buy them.”
    Lily was almost choked up by the gifts. ”Thank you, everybody. Mrs. Prinney, that was a wonderful meal. Phoebe, this is a gorgeous hat, and the flowers are lovely, Howard. Mrs. Tarkington, how nice of you to remember how much I like this bracelet. This has been the best birthday I’ve had for years.”
    ”Don’t get weepy about this, Lily,” Robert pleaded. ”I hate it when you cry.”
    She dabbed at her eyes with the table napkin and said, ”I’m sorry to be sappy.”
    Mrs. Prinney and Mimi started clearing the table. Mr. Prinney went back to his office, claiming he had letters he needed to get out on tomorrow morning’s train.
    ”Speaking of the mail train,” Robert said to Lily, Phoebe, Mrs. Tarkington, and Howard, ”I hear that our very own chief of police is telling people I should run this post office thing in the station.”
    Howard nodded. ”It was your idea. It’s pretty much up to you to pursue it, don’t you think?”
    ”I’ve thought about it and you’re right. But I don’t want to do it forever.”
    ”Do you have someone else in mind?” Lily asked.
    ”Not yet. But I’ll keep an eye out for someone else to take over. If it happens, of course. I need to get back to getting people to sign the petition and present it to the town council for approval. Lily and Mr. Prinney need to give me some guidance on what the costs will be, and how much should be charged for a box, and how much of the money should go back to the city for funding it.”
    ”That should be easy to compute,” Lily said. ”We could work it out tomorrow, so you can get started with the petition.”
    Phoebe had to excuse herself. ”I have two hats that aren’t quite finished and both ladies want them