by Ivy Hayes
Because the topic was so fun, the girls spend more time than they usually do on writing and the reading portion takes us to the end of class. We didn’t get to work on math today, but I still offer the same help when I excuse them, “Good job today, ladies. I will be around for a little while longer if anyone has any questions they need help with, otherwise you are all free to go.”
Five of them stay and they keep me plenty busy.
TWO - GWEN
I always feel mentally exhausted after leaving the school, today being no different so I am looking forward to an easy lunch with Lucy. It’s a short walk to the Humble Pie, only taking me a few minutes to cross back into town and walk through the town square. I am relieved when I see Lucy is already seated at a table outside, so I sit down next to her.
“Hi, Lucy. Hope you weren’t waiting long?”
“Nope,” she smiles, “I just sat down a minute ago.”
“Oh, good. Thanks for meeting up with me today, we haven’t had any real girl time lately and I’ve missed you.”
Lucy and I used to play together all the time when we were younger, neither of us having a sister of our own. We have always been close, but now that we are older, it gets harder and harder to spend any quality time together, something that will only get worse as we get married and start having kids.
“I have too, but we have both been so busy lately.”
“Has the clothing store…” I trail off as I see Lucy is practically bouncing in her seat and I can tell she has a hot piece of gossip to tell me. Somehow Lucy always knows everything, about everyone here.
“Uh, Lucy, you look like you are about to explode, what is going on?”
“Come on, Gwen, don’t play dumb,” she laughs, “you know the heir of Westhaven is arriving today.”
Oh, that.
“Yah, he is. What’s the big deal?”
I don’t want to even be thinking about his arrival and definitely not talking about it.
“He is unmarried,” she says in a conspiratorial way, “what if he wants to marry one of us?”
“Well, you can have him. I have no desire to leave Cliffden, nor be with him.”
“Are you sure? From what I have heard he is quite handsome.”
“And who told you that?”
I doubt anyone has met him, besides my brothers, and I don’t see them spreading that gossip.
“It’s just the talk around town.” She waved her hand, indicating that it is something everyone knows.
“Well, that wouldn’t change anything,” I shake my head, “if that is true that probably only makes him worse. I can’t imagine he has anything good going for him other than his inheritance and I bet he is dreadfully dull.”
“Or, he is very friendly to add on to his attractiveness,” her eyes get a dreamy look in them, “he could be that prince we always dreamed about when we were young.”
I laugh, “I doubt it, we believed in fairy tales. Those aren’t real.”
Desperately wanting to change the subject from Parker and how eligible he may be, I motion to the serving woman at the bakery, a young woman around my age if I had to guess.
“I got her attention. Do you know what you want yet?”
Lucy nods as the woman walks up to us.
“Afternoon ladies, what can I get for you?”
I motion for Lucy to go first, “I will get a coffee and whatever fresh salad is on the menu today.”
The serving woman nods, then they both look my way, “I will have the same.” Before she has a chance to walk away, I add, “What is your name? I don’t think I have met you before.”
She grins, “No, I don’t think we have. I’m Sami. I didn’t come into town that often, too busy on the farm, but when I heard about this job, I convinced my parents to let me try it out.”
“So, you are the response to their advertisement. How is it going so far?”
She looks slightly nervous, “Well, it’s only my first day. They said it’s a trial today, to see how I do and I’m so nervous, I don’t want to mess it up.” She says with a blush, “I really want this job.”
“You seem to be doing just fine, to me.” I beam at her, hoping to give her a little more confidence.
“Thanks, I should probably run to get your order in.” She starts to walk away, then pauses and turns back quickly, “I forgot to ask your names, that was so rude of me.”
Lucy and I let out a little chuckle, “I am Gwen, this is my friend Lucy.”
“We are pleased to meet you,” Lucy says, “hopefully we will see a lot more of you.”
Sami smiles, then head back off behind the counter.
Turning back to Lucy, I had the best idea, “Hey Lucy, what do you say we promise not to talk about Parker again today and I have you over for afternoon tea tomorrow. You know he is staying with us, right?”
She practically squeals, “Really?”
“Yup. Just as long as we don’t talk about him anymore right now.”
“Fine. I can do that. Oh, thank you Gwen, I am so excited!”
“No problem.” It really is no problem, I will happily push another woman towards Parker. Lucy thinks she would be happy with him, and if he takes a keen to her, I might just get out of this arranged marriage.
We spend the rest of our afternoon talking about trivial things. One thing I can always count on Lucy for is endless chatter. She knows all the gossip of the town and loves to tell it. Though, I am not particularly interested in the gossip, on days like today, when I want to escape my own thoughts, it is the perfect solution.
It is getting well into the afternoon and it’s time I make my way to Bethany’s. I wait for Lucy to finish the story she is currently in the middle of then say, “Sorry, Lucy but it’s getting time for me to leave.”
Lucy looks up, as if snapping out of her trance of storytelling, “Wow, look at the time. It flew by.”
“It did. This was fun, and you can tell me the rest of the gossip tomorrow.” I start to rise, and she follows me up. On our way to the door, I wave to Sami, “Goodbye, it was nice to meet you.”
“Bye Gwen, Lucy. See you around.”
When we are outside, I hug Lucy and say a quick goodbye. I reassure her that she is still welcome for tea tomorrow then we head our separate ways.
I have a short walk to Bethany’s inn and am making my way along when I hear a commotion behind me. I look back with just enough time to see a horse galloping towards me at full speed. I have a hair-breaths of time to jump out of the way, landing on my side in a mud puddle just off the road. The stranger looks back at me, making sure I got out of the way, but does not slow or stop his horse.
The nerve.
He could have killed me.
I am shaky as I stand up, slowly calming my breath as I try to get some of the mud off me. My attempts are useless as my arms are covered just as much as my dress and all I am doing is making the mess worse.
I scowl to no one in particular. I love this dress, it’s red satin, and I better be able to get the mud out of it.
I am in a foul mood when I walk into the inn. Bethany seems me and rushes over, “Gwen, are you okay?”
I say through clenched teeth, “I’m fine. Just dirty. Some rogue just ran me off the road with his manic horse. Luckily, I had a puddle of mud to soften my blow.”
“You poor thing,” she clicks, “I have some clothes for you to change into if you would be more comfortable walking home that way?”
She is offering to let me leave, but I know she really needs to run these errands. Besides, if I go home, I am going to continue being angry and dwell on Parker’s arrival. I would much rather spend some time with her children, laughing and playing with them.
“I will take the spare dress, but I can still stay. I don’t have any plans except for helping you this afternoon.”
Bethany looks instantly relieved, “Thank you, Gwen. I will be as fast as I can be.”
She runs off to grab me the dress. As soon as she hands it to m
e, I head off to one of the empty rooms to change and clean the mud off my arms. The dress is far too large on me, as Bethany is bigger from having three children, but with a sash I cinch it in, holding it close enough to keep it proper.
Walking back in the main room, Bethany already has her hat on and purse in hand. “I told them to be good for you and I will hurry back.”
“They are going to be great, I always have so much fun watching them.” I reach down to pick up the littlest, Gracie, who is just over two years old.
“Watch out for crazed horse riders out there.”
THREE – PARKER
I had just arrived in the town limits of Cliffden, after a final long push of riding today when a produce cart toppled right in front of me. My horse, Powder was spooked and she set off at a full-speed gallop, it was all I could do to cling on and hope she stopped soon. Unfortunately, Powder kept scaring people and their shrieks only spurred her on more. I did my best to avoid hitting anyone, hoping to get out of the main part of town without causing too much damage, and thankfully no one was injured.
There were a couple of close calls, the closest was Powder nearly running over a young woman in town. I braved a look back, just to make sure she was okay, and it looks like she made it out of the way, just in time. I will have to go into town tomorrow to see if I can find her and hopefully apologize, especially since she landed in mud.
I am really praying no one recognized me, I don’t want my introduction to Cliffden to be the crazed man who couldn’t control his horse and nearly placed everyone in danger. I don’t know if I could live that down.
Powder finally stopped her sprint, now that we are out of the main part of town, giving us plenty of space away from other people and horses. The rest of the road looks to be uneven and potholed, and after her run, I worry about her making a bad step and breaking her leg. Using the calmest tone I can muster, I start to talk to her while pulling back on the reigns, reeling her in until she stops.
I climb down and walk to the front of her, continuing my tender words and calming tone, giving her a chance to relax. Deciding it will be safer to walk beside her, I grab her reins and guide her in the direction of the manor. It looks to be only a couple minutes away and I can easily see it in the distance.
As I near, I notice the stark resemblance of this manor and my home. Both are rustic, two story buildings, surrounded by grazing land and forests. If it wasn’t for the mountain standing tall right behind this place, I would almost be convinced I went the wrong direction and somehow made it back home.
I make it within twenty yards of the main door when someone finally notices me. I hear someone call my name from the side of the house, I turn and see it is Grant jogging over to me.
“Parker. Welcome. I am so glad you made it okay.”
He grasps me into a hug and I am glad to see my old friend.
“I nearly didn’t.” I give him a quick recount of Powder’s mad run.
“Oh, wow. Are you sure everyone is okay, or should we head back into town to help?”
“They are all fine, the worst was a girl ended up in a mud puddle. I worry about the cart owner, but I am sure he will already have had help before we arrive.”
He nods, “You’re probably right, besides your horse looks exhausted, we better get her into the stables and brushed down.”
“Thanks. She isn’t used to this much excitement, especially now that she is getting old.” I give her a pet, then start leading her after Grant.
“I can’t believe you still ride her, I feel like she was getting old when I was in Westhaven.”
“She was, but I haven’t found another horse her equal.” It’s true. She may spook easy, but we are a good match. I haven’t felt nearly as comfortable on another horse.
Entering in the stables, I am pleased to see fresh hay on the ground and an empty stall filled with oats and a water trough. I lead her in, then Grant helps me unsaddle her. He is putting that away and taking off my travel bags as I brush her down. Finishing up, I close the door to secure her in the stall then grab one of my travel bags off the floor, Grant grabs the other. We make our way inside the house and his parents are waiting for us in the main hall.
Lady Cliffden speaks first, “You must be Parker, it’s great to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine, my lady,” I give her a slight bow.
She blushes, “Call me Catherine, we are all friends here and I hate being called my lady.”
“Lovely to meet you, Catherine.” I smile at her.
“How was the journey?” Lord Cliffden asked.
“For the most part, very easy. With the new barracks and waystations, I had a comfortable place to sleep each night.”
“I am so happy to hear that, I haven’t had a chance to visit them since they finished construction.”
“We are going to need to update ours, I fear we didn’t make them nearly as welcoming. My father did not see the need to install any comforts, but after a long day of riding, the raised beds and indoor fireplace made a massive difference.”
Just another thing I will have to fight him on.
“Mother, can we send for a bath for Parker? He had an adventure going through town and I imagine he wants to clean up before dinner.”
“Of course, there is already some water warming. Rose was getting it ready for Gwen, but since she ignored my request to be on time, she will just have to take a cold bath.”
That does not sound like a good way to make the girl like me. “Are you sure, Catherine? I can take the cold bath.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Gwen will be just fine, she has had a cold bath before.”
Seeing I am not going to change her mind, as it looks like she is excited to punish her daughter this way, I gladly accept the warm water. There is nothing like a long, hot bath after a long journey.
“I’ll show you to your rooms,” Grant offers, “we can stash your travel bags then you can get ready for dinner.”
I nod and say to Lord and Lady Cliffden, “Thank you for welcoming me into your home and I look forward to dinner,” then follow Grant up the stairs.
About half way down the hall we stop at a door. Grant opens it and we enter a standard bedroom. I am pleasantly surprised when I see there is a separate area for the chamber pot, it will be a treat not to have to leave the room to relieve myself. At home, only my father’s room has that luxury.
I move to set my travel bags near the dresser when Grant speaks up, “Sorry to rush us out of there, but I was worried about you saying the wrong thing in front of my mother.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you see, we haven’t actually told Gwen or my mother about the arrangement.”
I stiffen.
“Why not? Are you guys planning on backing out of it?” If they are, my father might be right about Cliffden attacking.
“No, we will hold true to it. Gregory and I just wanted a chance for her to love you organically, so when the news did come out, she would take it better. We want her to have a chance of happiness and she would never have that if she lived her life thinking the marriage was forced on her.”
“She sounds stubborn.”
“That she is, but I think you will find that is your favorite part of her.” I doubt it, after my father I couldn’t take another stubborn person in my life.
“So, tell me if I understand this correctly. I am not supposed to mention our engagement, but I should try and court her.”
“I would appreciate your discretion. As for courting her, you might find distance will be better at sparking Gwen’s intrigue than typical courting would. There is a reason she is not married yet, most of the young men that have been around have only irritated her.”
I still can’t be sure if their motives are true about keeping the engagement a secret, but I couldn’t have planned this better. I didn’t want to hurt the girl with my betrayal and Grant gave me the opportunity to avoid just that.
“That I can do. I will be busy,
as it is, working with you guys, I won’t have much time to chase her around.”
“Thanks, Parker. And give her a chance, Gwen is a wonderful young woman.”
We’ll see about that.
There is a rap on the door, so I move to open it. Standing outside is a woman who looks older than my grandmother, and she is carrying two massive pails of steaming water. I immediately move to help, “Here, let me grab one of those.”
“I’m fine. Just get out of my way.”
Her harshness stunned me and all I can do is slide to the side, giving her an open pathway.
Grant is laughing behind me, “That’s Rose. Believe me, she is more than fine.” I hear a splash as she starts to dump the buckets into the tub. I watch her with rapt fascination, I can’t believe a woman of her age is this agile.
Heading back towards the door she says, “Leave this open, I need two more and I don’t want to knock again.”
“Got it,” I say, then ask Grant when she is out of earshot, “how old is she?”
“You know, I am not sure… my guess, around seventy. She was already around when my father was young.”
“And you make her carry those water buckets, still?” It’s unbelievable.
“We don’t make Rose do anything. We tried to get someone to help her, once and she ran them out of here within the week. She says working and carrying things keeps her young.”
“My god,” what a woman.
Rose reenters the room, two more buckets in tow. Grant takes his cue to leave, “Enjoy your bath, when you are done, head back downstairs. I am going to rile up my brother and we can have some ale to celebrate your arrival.”
“Sounds great.” And it does.
When they are both out of the room, I busy myself with cleaning the dust and sweat of the road off, enjoying the luxuries of being at my destination.
FOUR – GWEN
When I walk in the front door, my mother is already there, waiting to greet me. She is angry and irritated, just as I expected she would be.
“I expected you to be home hours ago.”
