1896 | 1897-8 Interlude

1897 (Winter)

Winter settled in, and the snows covered the ground. Abraham and Florence still managed to go to school each day without fail, even if it was snowy. Abraham managed to keep up with both his homework and helping out around the house, but it was definitely easier to do that with the farm being snowed in. At least Stefan had stopped complaining about the expense of schooling the boy.

Juliet peered out the frosty window and smiled to see Florence playing happily in the snow. She watched for a while, then sighed and turned back to the multitude of toddlers running pell-mell around the house.

Samuel was currently playing with a little duck, and was, for the most part, a happy and easy-going child to care for. He loved, in particular, charming anyone he encountered, and followed his older sister around, just begging for attention.

Benjamin, on the other hand, was an independent, high-energy toddler, and seemed to be able to get into everything all at once. He had been particularly easy to toilet train, because he insisted he could do everything on his own. Which, Juliet mused, was not a bad thing with as many children as there were in this house.

Juliet turned to go make lunch, and - once it was done - called everyone in for something to eat. Stefan was in the other room, playing with Nellie, but he called that they would be in for lunch in a moment. Florence ran in, and left her snow-covered boots dripping all over the floor by the front door. Trying not to cringe, Juliet ignored the mis-placed boots and served her oldest some stew.

Abraham was late for lunch, as usual, because he claimed he still needed to finish his chapter for school the next day. Stefan and Nellie came in, grabbed their bowls of piping hot stew, and each found a chair and dug into their meal happily.

After lunch (which Abraham had, eventually, showed up for), Juliet talked the men into watching the toddlers, and she took Florence to the parlor to start teaching her to knit. This was a skill she would certainly need later in her life, but Florence wasn't convinced. The difficulty in keeping track of both of the needles as well as keeping the yarn from tangling frustrated the young girl quite badly, and it took everything in her to not simply give up and go do something she was better at.

Eventually, things started getting easier for Florence, and, inevitably, the toddlers escaped their inept caregivers. Juliet sighed, and watched Nellie dripping the school paints all over the hallway with an indulgent smile. Nellie was so jealous of Florence being able to go to school that the school supplies were her favorite toy - even if she wasn't using them the way they were intended. Good thing it was going to be time for her to start school soon - there would be one less toddler to chase around. At least - sort-of. Charlie was right on the edge of being able to toddle around, himself.. so the balance of toddlers would be the same. At least she wouldn't be feeding a baby constantly!

Juliet stood up and went to clean up the paint mess, leaving Florence finishing up her first knitting project. Interested in what his big sister was doing, as usual, Samuel toddled over to watch her. Shaking her head with a smile, Juliet finished her task and headed outside to dump the dirty water in the yard.

Back inside, Stefan cornered Abraham in the parlor, and had a few nasty words for him about never having gotten dressed for the day, and for being late to lunch. Abraham, of course, apologized profusely, and Florence shot him a sympathetic look under her lashes.

Feeling proud of himself for keeping his household "in line", Stefan headed out to the front yard to do what he had been originally intending to do - mail off the loan payment. Even though this winter had been extremely snowy and there was no income coming in, Stefan was able to pay the bills easily.

In fact, the farm had been doing so well, he was starting to dream big. As much as he loved this little farm, he wondered how much more money he could make with a bigger farm. Unfortunately, the big farms in this area were all owned and definitely NOT for sale. So, perhaps, as much as Willow Creek had welcomed them with open arms... perhaps it was time to move on.

Coming back into the house, he peered into the boys' room, and found, to his surprise, Charlie out of his bassinet and starting to learn his shapes with the blocks. Juliet looked at him apologetically, and asked him to go get the new bed he had crafted on his workbench out for the boy. With a smile, he went to get the bed, and helped Juliet rearrange the room a bit and make the bed.

Finally, the room was complete, and Juliet and Stefan tucked each toddler into bed in turn, then headed upstairs to check on the girls. Once everyone was fast asleep, they wearily retired to their now-empty room. It would be the first time they hadn't had at least one baby in a bassinet in their room in a VERY long time. Stefan though, briefly, about romance, but then he noticed the dark circles under Juliet's eyes, and quickly decided against it. His poor wife needed her rest!

The next day, Stefan found - to his credit - Abraham had remembered to get dressed, and had taken Florence outside to play in the snow.

Stefan pulled on his winter gear, and went out to collect Abraham so they could go get the Christmas tree. While they were walking to the woods with their axe, Stefan broached a subject that was definitely on his mind.

"Abraham, perhaps you learning your numbers and such is a good thing. I'm looking to sell this farm. With your inheritance, and a hefty discount because you are, of course, family - you could buy this farm and be able to manage it quite easily on your own as you look for your wife."

Abraham looked at him with surprise. "What are you and Juliet and the kids going to do?" he asked in confusion, specifically not mentioning that running a farm was the farthest thing from his life goals.

"I've got a line on a big farm in another town, one that could more easily support our large family. We could, certainly, use a bigger home, and the additional room to raise farm animals and more crops would help with the food costs." Stefan replied as they lugged the chosen tree into the house, trying to leave the snow that had covered it outside, but failing miserably.

Abraham listened, and even tried to consider the option... but his heart rebelled. After all those years of trying to avoid his destiny, all he could think about was wanting to be a teacher like his father had done. He looked away to hide his distaste, and tried to think of something positive to say about it. He grabbed a box of ornaments, and handed it to Stefan, while grabbing a second box for himself.

They both decorated the tree, while Stefan (who kept surreptitiously looking for Juliet) continued to extoll the benefits of being a farmer.

Noticing the looks, Abraham looked at him in wonder, "Have you not talked about this with Juliet?"

"Of course not! It's a surprise! Or - at least - I don't want to tell her until I know for sure that it'll actually happen. She's busy with keeping up this household, she doesn't need the distraction." Stefan sputtered, and turned back to the tree, dropping the subject.

Giving a relieved sigh under his breath, Abraham wondered exactly how he was going to get out of this "deal".

Christmas morning dawned far too early for Juliet's taste, but waking up to find her oldest, Florence, actually cleaning up Nellie's messes instead of making their own was truly worth it.

The toddlers were also up early, and everyone was super excited to see the traditional Holiday Crackers set out on the table for each and every one of them. The little ones, obviously, needed help to open theirs safely, but the pop still delighted them.

After a full breakfast, Juliet shooed everyone to the parlor, and cleaned up the dishes and table in a hurry so she could join them with the popcorn she had made the night before.

Juliet supervised as the whole string of cranberries and popcorn was assembled and, slowly, wrapped around the tree.

With the tree finally fully decorated, the kids could wait no longer. The presents were burning holes in their little brains, and they absolutely HAD to open them.

Juliet looked on as the older kids opened their new toys - and even Abraham was getting into the moment because she had found some new books for him at the local general store. Then, the little ones needed a little help, but the new toys kept them occupied for hours afterwards. Which was a welcome thing, and Juliet decided to take the "break" time to wash some laundry.... Another household chore that NEVER ended.

Stefan noticed that Juliet was occupied, and - after making sure Abraham knew he was in charge of the younger kids - retired to the kitchen to write an important letter. He kept an eye on the back door, however, to make sure Juliet didn't come in early and ruin the surprise.

Writing out the check and signing it, Stefan packed the whole thing up into an envelope, addressed it, and headed outside to put it in the mailbox for the next morning's mail carrier to pick up. He then stood there for a long moment, reveling in the fact that he was now completely debt free.

The next night, a quick bed switch was again on order, as Nellie had gotten to school age. She started her childhood with a nightmare, but was easily tucked back into bed after some "monster" spraying. Florence hadn't even woken up through the whole ordeal.

Juliet fell asleep with a smile, because that would put her down to three toddlers, and plenty of more grown-up hands to help around the house. There was always something to do, and having children old enough to help made a world of a difference.

Laundry, however, remained Juliet's chore, however, and she wiped at her brow as she kneeled in the dirty, soggy snow. Here she was, making more laundry even as she cleaned up the previous bunch.

Back inside the house, Nellie had found the activity table .. and found creating mini masterpieces to be less fun than the great big messes she used to make on the floor with the same paints.

The three toddlers in Juliet's earlier thoughts were happily eating some fruit salad courtesy of Abraham's help with the heavy icebox door. He then decided he'd better get dressed for the day before Stefan noticed him wandering around in his robe again.

Back outside, the bitter cold had found a victim. Juliet tried to ignore the robed specter and finish her chores, but she still wondered who it was. And who would be missing them.

While Juliet was contemplating her mortality, and how much her family really did mean to her... back inside, Stefan had cornered Abraham again (who was now properly dressed for the day).

"Abraham, have you put any thought into who you might be interested in marrying to help you on this farm?" Stefan began - taking for granted that Abraham would be buying the farm from him.

"Mr. Tangle, sir...." Abraham started, but then couldn't figure out what to say. "No. No, sir, I haven't." Abraham paused, trying to muster up the courage to say something far different.

"Oh, well, you really should. I can't tell you how much easier it was to get the farm going with Juliet as a partner." Stefan said conspiratorially, then started to say something else, only to be interrupted.

"But... perhaps I don't want to use my inheritance to buy the farm?" Abraham blurted out, then cringed internally at how whiny that sounded.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, boy. Why would you pass up on a SURE THING like this farm is?? You would have a ready-made fortune with daily work, and a house big enough to raise a small family! It's perfect for you!" Stefan said, almost laughing at the thought of Abraham doing anything other than taking this opportunity.

Abraham seemed to ponder this, and Stefan was quick to extol the virtues of being a farmer who was able to start with an existing profitable farm.

Abraham tried to be polite, and listened along. But inside, he seethed. He was watching his dreams swirl around a drain. But how could he tell Stefan and finally make him understand. He couldn't buy this farm... and still afford to get a flat near Britechester University to study for a teaching certificate.

Abraham tuned back into what Stefan was saying right as Stefan was letting Abraham know that the next day, they would be taking the train to visit the town that Stefan was scoping out the farm in. Apparently there was some town festival going on, and they would be able to meet the important folk in the town, and Stefan wanted Abraham along so he could learn some business savvy.

Thinking quietly, Abraham decided going along with this for now would be okay. You never know when he was going to actually need to know about purchasing property and "wheeling and dealing." Perhaps sometime during the day trip, he could also find a way to explain himself to Stefan more clearly.

The next morning, Stefan woke him up bright and early, and they were off to the train station. A few hours later, they had arrived at a lush, picturesque little town that was apparently called "Henford-on-Bagley". What a ridiculous name. Abraham stifled a snicker and followed Mr. Tangle towards the town square, where there was a large gathering of people... and animals, too. What were the animals doing in TOWN?

It didn't take Stefan long to identify the Major people in town, and corner the Mayor for a chat.

Strangely, the Mayor was a woman, apparently her husband had died quite recently and she was finishing out his term of office for him. Stefan was doubtful, but he certainly wasn't going to say that out loud, and he introduced himself, and the brought up the large farm that had been recently vacated. The mayor was delighted that he, a successful farmer, was interested in purchasing it, and was quick to suggest some townfolk who might be amenable to helping Stefan get the old house ready for his large family to move in at the beginning of the year.

She handed him the list of addresses, and then excused herself to go judge the cattle. Apparently, each year there was a fair competition of varying types where farmers could bring their animals or produce to be judged and win prizes. There was even a competition for pies. Wouldn't Juliet love that?! Nonplussed, Stefan wandered around, meeting people and shaking hands.

Elsewhere in town, Abraham had stumbled across another youth who seemed out of place, sitting on a park bench and reading a book. They struck up a conversation, and it turned out he, too, was interested in Britechester. What a coincidence! Abraham excitedly relayed his hopes to the young man, who's name was Alexander, and replied that he had wanted to go to University and pursue a law career for ages now, but his family wanted him to marry and carry on the name posthaste. Alexander was already engaged, and was looking for a home. Abraham mentioned that he had been hoping to find a small home near the University, but there wasn't much around there that wasn't either dorms for the students, or multi family homes - perhaps Abraham and Alexander could go in together on a duplex near the university? Alexander nearly squealed with joy. He, too, apparently had a modestly sized inheritance, and buying a home together would surely be cheaper. Just then, Stefan called to Abraham, and, guiltily, he jotted down his address and handed it to Alexander. He then turned, looking through the crowds to find Mr. Tangle... only to find him looking at, of all things, a cow standing on the village green.

Stefan admired the lines of the beast. With the extra money he was going to get from Abraham buying the farm, he could certainly afford quality stock like this. While he mused over his great fortune, Abraham finally appeared out of the crowd, and he clapped the youngster on the back, exclaiming what a fabulous day it had been. He then turned towards the train station, chatting non-stop about his plans for the farm he had just secured.

Consequently, it wasn't until they got back to their front porch in Willow Creek that Abraham was finally able to get a word in edgewise. He stopped Stefan in his tracks, and they both sat down on the porch rockers.

"What can I do for you, Abraham?" Stefan asked, curious as to what was causing the clouds on the young man's face.

Abraham took a deep breath for courage, and firmly said, "Mr. Tangle.. sir.. I will not be buying your farm. I'm sorry, but I'm moving to Britechester. I want to go to University."

"That's ridiculous, son! Why would you pass up an opportunity like this?" Stefan replied, clearly not understanding that Abraham was adamant about this.

"Sir. I mean it. I have already found a housemate, and I WILL be moving as soon as I graduate next year." Abraham reiterated, then cringed as the thunderclouds took over Stefan's face.

"How DARE you... You.. ungrateful.. After I took you in.." Stefan sputtered.

"Sir, I am very grateful. To both you and my sister. I would not have gotten to where I am without either of you. But it's time for me to make my own choices. I'm going to University. And that's final." Abraham stood up and went in the house, leaving Stefan fuming to himself.

"Now What?" Stefan thought. So much for being out of debt. Stefan was going to have to get a new mortgage on the new farm just to buy it. At least it would be for less than the one he had just paid off, and payments would be lower, which would be very nice. The other benefit was that he would never have to deal with people in his old hometown again. Sighing, Stefan headed inside to the warmth, and helped Juliet get the children into bed for the night.

When they finally headed to their room, Stefan caught Juliet's attention. "Juliet, dear... things will be changing soon."

"What? Why?" Juliet was confused.

"I've found a larger, more profitable farm in Henford-on-Bagley for us. There's a bigger house for all the children, and plenty of room for both crops and animals." Stefan said, going to sit next to her on the ottoman.

"Why do we need to move again?" Juliet asked, still confused.

"I thought you'd be happy about a bigger house. We won't have to be tripping over kids all the time anymore." Stefan replied, with a smile.

"Stefan, love. We'll still be 'tripping over children' - for quite a while." Juliet chuckled to herself, "I don't think a larger house will solve that particular problem."

"True. But I would like to expand my farming venture into animals. Think of all the money we can save by raising our own meat and eggs. There's even room for Llamas to produce wool for your knitting!"

Stefan continued talking, not noticing that Juliet had pretty much stopped listening. She considered the options a bigger home could give her. She wasn't sure this was a good thing, but he certainly seemed firm in his conviction.

Finally, she tuned back into what Stefan was saying. He was still extolling the virtues of the farm.

"What about Abraham?" she wondered aloud, mostly to herself.

"Oh, he's decided to move to Britechester for University. I tried to sell him this farm, but he wasn't interested. So I suppose I'll have to find another buyer for it." Stefan replied bitterly.

Juliet gasped at the venom in Stefan's voice. "I thought you knew that's what he intended. He's been very open about wanting to follow Father's footsteps and become a teacher."

"True. But with his money... " Stefan paused, realizing he'd almost slipped and admitted just how far in debt they had been, and would be again. Juliet didn't need to know that. "Nevermind. He should be fine in Britechester. There are plenty of young men I can hire to help me on the larger farm in Henford. I want to move as soon as the winter clears here. That way, I can start spring planting as soon as we get to the new place."

"Alright, love. I will support you in this. I suppose being able to raise our own produce would definitely help." Juliet replied, grudgingly.

Stefan leaned over and hugged his wife. "Everything will turn out for the best.. you'll see." he said, cuddling her close.

Juliet's mind whirled as they got ready for bed. Moving the entire household would not be as easy as Stefan was thinking, she was sure.. but maybe this would be a good thing. She would just have to wait and see.

1896 | 1897-8 Interlude