Roses Have Thorns

Chapter One

"Hello. I'd like a room, please." I told the lady behind the counter at Baker Hotel and Restaurant. I was in Union Grove because I took the teaching job here.

"Oh, yes, what's your name?" The lady asked. She sounded bored. She didn't even look at me.

"Kate Laurence." I said, setting my bag on the floor. It was heavy.

"Kate...Laurence." The woman wrote in a book. "Now, how long will you be staying?"

"Oh, I don't know. Awhile, at least." I said. The woman finally looked up at me.

"Awhile? I hope you don't mind my asking, but what exactly will you be doing here in Union Grove?"

"I'll be the new schoolteacher come tomorrow." I said.

"Oh, really? Well, allow me to introduce you to my family." The woman turned her head to a door behind her. "Charles! Leo! Charlotte!" She called in a sing-song voice. Two men and one girl came through the door. "Ms. Laurence, this is Charles, and my son, Leo, and my daughter, Charlotte. She'll be one of your students. Charlotte, say hello to your new teacher."

"Hello, Ms. Laurence. Pleasure to meet you." Charlotte said. Leo rolled his eyes behind her.

"The pleasure is mine, Charlotte."

Charles held his hand out for me to shake. "I'm Mr. Baker. Welcome to Union Grove, Ms. Laurence."

"Thank you, Mr. Baker. You can call me Kate."

Mr. Baker smiled. "Well, if I get to call you Kate, then you get to call me Charles."

"I'd like that, Charles."

"Where are you from?" Charles asked.

"Sleepy Hallows. It's about a day's ride south of here." Charles nodded.

"All right, well that's enough questions. I'm sure Ms. Laurence is very tired from her trip here. I'll show her to her room." The woman said.

Charles nodded. "Of course she is. Leo, will you go to the post office and see if there's any mail? Charlotte, go and sit down and do your homework. I'll be in the kitchen."

I picked up my bag and the woman led me up a flight of stairs. We stopped at a room with a number 7 on it.

"Well, here we are." The woman said. She handed me a brass key. "Let me know if you need anything, Ms. Laurence."

"Kate." I said. "And there is something."

The woman tilted her head.

"What's your name?"

The woman laughed. "Oh, of course, of course. I was so caught up with a new person in Union Grove, that it completely slipped my mind. My name is Lucille Baker."

"Thank you, Mrs. Baker."

"You're welcome, Kate. Now, anything else?"

"No, thank you."

"Alright. Now, if you're paying for a room, meals are free here. Breakfast is from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Dinner is from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Supper is from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. If you wish to eat anytime other than those times, you will be charged. I'll be downstairs if you need anything." Mrs. Baker said.

"Thank you." I said and walked into my room. It was simple. It had a bed, a closet, a dresser, a table with a wash basin on top and a mirror above the dresser. I set my bag down on top of the bed and took my coat and hat off. I hung them on a hook next to the door. I unpacked then. After I'd put the last skirt in the closet, I laid down on the bed. Before I knew it, I was asleep.

~~~

It was 7:00 in the morning when I woke up. I dressed quickly and rushed down the stairs to eat breakfast. I ate oatmeal and a piece of toast. Before I knew it, a woman was in front of me.

"May I join you?" She asked. I looked around. There were a lot of empty tables, but I didn't want to be rude.

"Of course." I said.

"Thank you. I'm Laura Thomas. Call me Laura. I haven't seen you around here before." The woman smiled.

"I'm Kate Laurence. Call me Kate. I'm the new schoolteacher here."

"Really? I hope you don't mind my saying this, but compared to Mrs. Smith, the old schoolteacher, you look very young."

"No, not at all. This is my second year of teaching. I'm seventeen."

"Oh." Laura nodded. "Where are you from?"

"Sleepy Hallows." I said.

"Oh! My husband does business there every once in a while! He always stays with Eliza and Jesse Erkens. Do you know them?"

"Yes, they were good friends of my parents."

"Are your parents here with you?"

"They died when I was eleven. Typhus. Almost took me too, but luckily I got better."

"I'm so sorry. I hope I didn't overstep."

"Of course not. I don't mind talking about it."

Someone called Laura's name from outside.

"Oh, well I have to go. It was nice to meet you, Kate."

"You, too, Laura." Taking Laura's place at the table was Mrs. Baker.

"Did you have a good sleep, my dear?" She asked.

"I did, Mrs. Baker. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should go and get ready for school." I said, and walked up the stairs. I reached my room and slipped on my coat and hat. I took my bag and looked in the mirror.

"Here we go. Katherine Genevieve Laurence, you can do this."

I opened my door and left my room.