A Blessed Song for Their Love by Olivia Haywood
Chapter Ten
Rosaline hoisted the laundry basket onto her hip. It had been a few days since the wedding, and she was trying her best to settle into her new life.
She followed Buena out of the back door to a shed that was situated beside the house. The wooden structure housed two giant tubs for the laundry and all the tools needed to accomplish the task.
Having more than one maid to help at the Voss’, Rosaline was not yet accustomed to washing laundry. She had been a kitchen maid by day and singer by night. Washing clothes was not yet part of her limited skills.
“Shall we jump right in?” Buena asked after she set a large copper kettle beside the tubs. She had boiled the kettle in the kitchen and lugged it out to what Rosaline now knew was the laundry room. “One of the farm hands will fill the tubs with water from the creek early on Monday mornings.” She gestured to the two tubs. “They are pretty reliable with that.”
Buena hoisted the giant copper kettle up with both hands and poured the steaming water into the first tub. “You only need to add the boiling water...” she panted while balancing the heavy kettle. “I find that one kettle per tub does the trick, you don’t want the water so hot that you scald your hands.”
Rosaline hung on Buena’s every word, not wanting to get anything wrong.
“Now, you can begin scrubbing while I fetch the second kettle for the other tub.” She pointed to the shelf behind Rosaline. “There is your lye soap and grater. You want to get a few tablespoons of the lye in the water before you begin.
Rosaline turned to see a grater next to a thick bar of yellowish soap. She retrieved them and proceeded to grate a fair amount into the water. “Is that enough?” She looked to Buena for advice.
She nodded. “That should just about do it. Now soak the clothes in the water with the laundry stick and I'll be back in a jiffy.” Buena paused before leaving as Rosaline gave her a quizzical look. “The wooden stick hanging behind your head, dear,” she pointed out. “The water will still be too hot to use your hands. You use that to stir in the clothes.”
“Of course,” Rosaline smiled sheepishly as Buena picked up the empty kettle and left. “Right,” she said to the empty room and rolled up her sleeves. Hoisting the basket onto a stool that stood beside the tub, she began to submerge the clothing in the steaming water, retrieving the laundry stick from the hook on the wall and swirling the garments.
The steam that rose from the tub flushed her face, making her flushed and red-faced with tendrils of hair clinging to her face. No wonder the laundry maids at the Vosses always complained. You needed a lot of stamina for this kind of work. She proceeded to stir until all of the clothes and linen were swirling in the soapy water.
The thought of the Vosses made her wonder if they were looking for her. How angry had they been when they found her room empty? How long had it taken them to realize that she was no longer there?
Just then, Buena came back carrying another kettle of water and interrupted her thoughts. She poured the boiling water into the second tub and wiped her brow. “That’s the ticket,” she encouraged Rosaline as she watched her stir the laundry. “Now we can get on with the scrubbing and rinsing.
Buena showed her how to use the scrubbing board as they worked. “Now you rub the clothes over the rungs, exactly like that, don’t be scared to use some elbow grease. Laundry is hard work.”
Rosaline washed while Buena rinsed the garments in the clean water.
“How are you settling in, dear?” the older woman inquired as they washed and repeated the process.
Rosaline paused for a moment before answering. “I don't mind the work, I’m used to that. I just wish Robbie would settle a little. He still won’t let me feed him.”
“That will come in time,” Buena reassured her gently. “If you feel you’re ready, we can switch rooms tonight and you can see to him during the night. It may help you bond with him.”
Rosaline had been waiting for the right moment to bring up Thomas and Robbie. “Does Thomas bond with Robbie? It’s just that I haven’t seen them together since I’ve been here. I thought perhaps that it was because of the upset caused by my arrival.”
Buena seemed sad for a moment as she dunked a sheet into the tub. “Children can sense when there is any kind of unrest in the house.” She looked up quickly. “I don’t mean you, dear. No, the unrest comes from Thomas, he hasn’t been able to connect with anyone since... Well, you know by now.” She smiled gently. “Robbie can sense the hurt his father is feeling, it creates a barrier between them.”
Rosaline’s heart broke at the thought of Robbie feeling his father’s anguish, as a single tear spilled down her cheek.
The other woman looked up at the sound of Rosaline sniffling and stood. Walking over she placed a loving arm around Rosaline’s shoulders and consoled her. “Dry your eyes love, you have a kind heart. That will see you through in the end.”
“I’m sorry, I’m being so soft.” Rosaline sniffled and wiped her face on the shoulder of her dress.
Buena stepped back and gave her a stern look. “Never apologize for being soft-hearted,” she scolded, then added more gently. “The meek shall inherit the earth. Your tears speak well of your heart.” She placed her hands on her hips and continued in a lighter tone. “You’ve done an excellent job with the scrubbing. Now I’ll show you how to use the mangle.”
Rosaline gave her a thankful smile. “The mangle sounds frightful.”
“It’s not as vicious as it sounds,” Buena teased and added in a more serious tone. “Just don't get your fingers caught in it.”
The rest of the morning continued with cheerful laughter and light conversation. The more Rosaline got to know Buena Gideon the more she liked the older woman. She embodied all of the good qualities she’d come to admire, not only in her friend Donna, but in her mother as well.
They hung up the clothes on a line next to the house where the breeze and sunshine could do the rest of the work. In the end, the mangle had proved not to be as scary as it sounded. The two wooden cylinders pressed the water from the garments as you fed them through and turned the handle. Keeping your fingers a few inches from the rollers was the main part of the job.
Rosaline thought she saw Thomas watching from one of the pens as they hung up the sheets, but when she glanced in his direction he was busy with the cattle. Her heart fluttered whenever she saw or thought of him. She hoped they could at least build a solid friendship on which to base their marriage, even if it was just one of convenience.
Once they were done with the washing, Buena showed her how to feed the chickens in the coop behind the house, an undertaking that seemed simple enough at first, but proved to be more of a challenge when the largest rooster of the brood chased her into a corner.
She let out a high-pitched yelp and picked up her skirts as she ran from the coop. The sound caused Thomas to drop what he was doing and come running to her aid as she fled from the coop, slamming the wire door shut behind her.
She whipped around at the sound of Thomas calling for her and slammed into his chest. She pulled away and rubbed her nose.
“Rosaline, what happened? Are you alright?” His strong hands gripped her elbows firmly as he examined her from head to toe.
Rosaline placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed herself a few inches away. “I’m fine,” she laughed. She could feel his heart beating under her hand on his chest. His eyes were fixed on her with concern.
“She ran a fowl of old Henry,” Buena laughed, and pointed to the rooster strutting along the fence, turning his head to keep a beady eye on his target. “I didn’t have time to warn her. You need to stand your ground where old henry is concerned. He rules the roost, so to speak.”
“I’m fine, truly,” Rosaline stammered, becoming acutely aware of the hands that had moved up her arms and gently gripped her shoulders. “I was just frightened is all.” She was close enough to smell the heat of his shirt from working in the morning sun.
Thomas let her go abruptly and took a step back. “I thought you were hurt. Don’t scream unless you’re in real danger.” His voice was gruff, but his eyes held a look of relief that warmed her heart.
“We’re going to milk the cows next Thomas. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Buena called from inside the coop as she tossed a handful of dried corn before the chickens.”
Thomas nodded and looked away from Rosaline. She noticed that a deep blush had crept up his neck. “Pa was looking for you. Robbie has woken up from his nap.” He turned and strode back to the pens. “Try not to get attacked by anything else,” he called over his shoulder in a tone that Rosaline could almost mistake as humor.
Rosaline watched his long strides as he strode back towards the cattle, noticing that his lanky frame was muscled beneath his shirt. She could still feel the heat of his skin beneath her fingers.
She jumped when Buena came from behind and suddenly spoke.
“We can feed Robbie and take him with us to the barn. He loves seeing the cows,” Buena smiled. “They’re gentle creatures that wouldn't harm a fly.”
Rosaline tried to steady the beating of her heart as they made their way to the kitchen where Arthur Stratton was waiting with Robbie in his arms.
He fussed and pulled away when Rosaline held out her arms to take him.
“He’s just hungry,” Buena reassured her and took the flailing child from Arthur.
“I heard him crying and thought I’d lend a hand,” Arthur smiled at Rosaline. “Chin up, lass.” He winked at her and left.
They went into the kitchen where she attempted to feed Robbie on her own, mixing the boiled bread in his porcelain pap boat. Rosaline’s heart fell when Robbie cried, not wanting her to feed him.
Buena took over and fed him. “Don’t be too downhearted, dear. I tell you what, you can carry him to the barn. Let him become accustomed to You. She wiped his mouth with a cloth and handed him to Rosaline.
Robbie was weary at first but more contented after having his food. He allowed Rosaline to take him and place him on her hip. She looked at Buena in surprise when he placed his chubby little fist in his mouth and allowed her to gently sway him back and forth, his large golden eyes watching her every move.
Buena smiled encouragingly.
“Hello there little one,” Rosaline smiled down at him.
Rosaline carried Robbie on her hip past the pens towards the barn. She glanced at the men feeding the cows and saw that Thomas was watching her with an expression she couldn’t make out. She had been hoping he would smile at them, but he looked away and carried on shoveling the hay into the pens. This was the first big step she felt she had achieved with Robbie. His lack of acknowledgement made her wonder if she was doing a good job with all of her duties.
The two dairy cows were waiting in their stalls when Buena, Rosaline, and Robbie entered the barn.
Buena lent over and took Robbie from her. “Have you ever milked a cow, dear?”
“No,” Rosaline admitted. “But I have seen it done once or twice.” She’d seen the milkmaids do it on the farm.
“Best to jump right in then,” Buena repeated for the third time that day.
Rosaline wasn’t sure about all this ‘jumping right in’ that Buena had been suggesting. Jumping right into the chicken coop had not been a good idea. She hesitantly fetched the pails that stood just outside the open stalls and placed one next to each cow.
Buena walked over to a cow and lowered Robbie to the floor. He crawled over to a pile of hay and began picking at the pieces. “I’ll do this one and you can follow my lead,” Buena encouraged, gesturing for Rosaline to take the stool by the other cow.
She took her place and gently grabbed the warm teats as Buena was doing.
“It’s more about pushing the milk out rather than puling. Grasp the teat at the top and gently push down like this,” she said as a thin stream of milk shot down into the bucket.
Rosaline concentrated and managed to squeeze a few drops into her bucket.
“You can use a little more pressure, that’s it. Like everything else in life, it just takes some practice,” Buena encouraged as they milked the cows.
Living on a ranch was more involved than Rosaline would have imagined. When Buena was gone she would have to do all the chores throughout the day as well as keep an eye on Robbie, who at present was proving to be more of a handful than anything else.
He crawled around and shoved anything and everything he could find into his mouth. Rosaline found herself having to jump up and chase him down every few minutes. She was coming to find that nothing was faster than a crawling infant.
When her bucket was eventually full, an endeavor that had taken her far longer than Buena, she bumped it over in an attempt to stop Robbie from shoving a bug into his mouth.
Startled he began to wail and wouldn’t allow Rosaline to pick him back up. Buena rushed to the rescue and picked the child up to console him.
Rosaline stood looking at the upturned milk and the crying infant in Buena’s arms and wondered how on earth she was going to do this without her help.