Another Chance by Janet Cooper

.”
    He nodded in agreement .
    “So, who purchased thy indenture?”
    "A British merchant." The bitterness of his tone rang clearly when he spoke those three words.
    Sarah considered asking more about this man, but the hurt in Daniel's voice sounded so deep she changed her mind. "What doeth thou know about thy parents and grandparents?"
    "According to my mother, my father's father was an earl . Her father worked as their steward. My parents fell in love. He was the youngest son; she was the only child. Neither family approved, so my mother and father ran away."
    "How exciting and romantic," Sarah said. To herself she added, and how sad.
    "They survived on a small inheritance."
    "From whom?" Sarah asked.
    Daniel shrugged .
    "Has thou ever tried to get in touch with thy grandparents?" she asked .
    "I don't know their surname ."
    She frowned . "Isn't it Woodley?"
    He shook his head . "My father took that name. Perhaps, if I could have found the box with our papers…" He placed a few more logs on the fire.
    "Has thou asked my father to help?"
    Again, he stared at her oddly. "A few letters have been written. Master Stone made some inquiries, but nothing came of them." He stood up and dusted off his hands.
    "Don't stop looking," she said .
    "When I have paid off my debt, I will find out," he said with c onviction and grabbed a jar shaking the sliced apples into an even pile
    "I am sure thou will ."
    They continued talking, but mostly about the neighbors .
    Finally, Sarah drew the wooden stirrer out of the bubbling mixture. "I think this batch is ready."
    Grabbing a long handled fork from the table, Sarah moved back to the pot, looked in then stabbed a cooked apple segment with her knife. The fruit fell apart. "If thou will ladle the apples into the sieve and push the sauce through, I will start paring again and get the next kettle ready.”
    Having established a pattern, they continued for the rest of the morning . After a quick dinner, they returned to the chore. Around the middle of the afternoon, Sarah heard horses approaching. She stopped, pushed back her hair, and stretched her back. "Damn!"
    "Excuse me?" Daniel asked, then turned and stared at her .
    "May Long Knife and I have fresh water?" Silver Wolf asked, stopping his horse directly in front of her .
    She realized she should be angry with him for failing to say good-bye or even acknowledging her departure . Instead she thought, Why does he have to see me looking like a frump!
    He looked at her, waiting .
    "Ohhh!  Help yourself… thyself," she said, after finding her voice. "Daniel, inform… No, I will tell Benjamin we have guests." She dashed for the inn, hoping to steal a few minutes to freshen up. As she entered the tavern, she called, "Father, Silver Wolf and another Lenape are here."
    "I will be upstairs in a moment . Did thou ask if they were hungry?" he called up from the cellar.
    Always the innkeeper, she thought. "Not yet," she replied as she ran up the spiral staircase, forgetting her fatigue. She would not allow her anger at Silver Wolf for his cool parting to spoil an unexpected visit. Quickly, she scrubbed her face, tidied her hair, and put on a clean cap and a freshly pressed apron. When she stepped into the yard, conversation stopped and all four pair of male eyes looked at her. She flushed at their attention.
    Silver Wolf surveyed her before he resumed speaking to Benjamin. All during this time, his eyes stayed fixed on her.
    "We checked a few sources in Philadelphia," she heard Silver Wolf say, "but no one is taking responsibility for the damage done to our plantation ."
    "Has Father asked if thou will be joining us for supper?" Sarah questioned, drawing near.
    "He asked us, but we must return to Long Meadow ."
    "Oh," she said, unable to keep the dejection from her voice . Unwilling to allow him to leave quite so soon, Sarah asked, "Would thou care to have a bit before thou departs?"  She glanced from Silver Wolf to his young companion, whose name