She knelt beside him and shook her head. “No, you are the eight-year-old of the house. You don’t have to be a man just yet, but I am very grateful for your help and company. I don’t ever want you to think you have to take on Papa’s duties just yet. You need time to be a boy and have fun, as well as work. I’m only asking that you help here and there.”

JT’s expression was solemn. “I want to help. Luke said it was important that family take care of each other. I already knew that, ’cause Papa said it too.”

Gloriana smiled. “Well, we need to go around the house and find all the places where the wind is getting in. Baby Sally won’t be safe if she gets too cold, so we need to figure out how to plug up the leaks.”

The wind blew harder still, and JT moved a little closer to the fire. “I can help you do that, Glory. It won’t be hard, especially today.”

She got back to her feet. “We can start in here and go room to room, if you like. But first, since I feel certain the wind is going to be howling for hours, why don’t you go play with your soldiers?”

He popped up, grinning. “I have a battle going on.”

“I’ll just bet you do.” She gathered up his dishes as JT started for his room. Jack followed him. “Try not to be too noisy. Sally’s napping. Oh, and don’t forget to bring Jack to the papers from time to time.”

She took the dishes to the kitchen and set them in the sink. She would wash them along with the supper things later. Thinking of supper, she opened the oven door to check the stew she’d created. Mrs. Sedgwick had given her a crate of canned vegetables she’d put up earlier in the summer. Gloriana had used some of those along with a chunk of roasted beef to make the meal. This would feed them tonight, along with fresh bread and butter, and the aroma was starting to make her mouth water. They had always eaten a lot of fish, and beef was a rare treat. JT would be happy for the change. Papa had always been too.

Gloriana paused and let a memory come to mind. Mama and Papa had once talked about buying a dairy cow, and that had started them thinking about other animals. What if they were to buy a couple of beef calves and raise them to slaughter? The children would be the ones to tend the animals, and Gloriana remembered thinking it a fun idea. The problem came in actually killing and eating the animals she knew would become pets.