Adam sat back in the saddle, holding the reins tightly, and felt the horse beneath him. ‘I used to know all the family very well. The Reverend has had his fill of grief over the years. When I’ve time, I must go and see him.’
‘I hope you had nowt to do with that son of his. He was as wild as a mountain hare, always in bother with somebody or someone. Anyway, because of his father addressing Haworth’s problems, Keighley Waterworks are sorting out the water down in Keighley itself. It’s been announced that reservoirs are to be built at Ponden, Watersheddles and Blackhill. You’ll not find me saying anything against them – we need ’em – but folk from them parts are moaning. The stench down in Keighley is enough to knock you over some days. God only knows what the water tastes like down there. I’ve my own spring, so I never drink anything when in town. You want to go and see Haworth; it’s cleaned up just grand, and there’s plenty of fresh water pumps now. Well, I’d better get back to my old lass, she’ll want to know what I’m about. Take care of my horse and if there’s anything else you want, let me know.’
Tom turned his back on Adam and his horse and went inside, leaving Adam pondering whether a visit to his old friend, the parson at Haworth, was in order. He used to knock regularly on the parsonage door when he was a peeler, to tell the Reverend that his errant son was in bother once more, and had always been graciously accepted.
Adam reached home as dusk was descending. Tom had been right about his four-legged purchase, and the sturdy animal had not quaked once at the uphill journey back to Black Moss, even though she carried the weight of Adam and all the supplies that he had bought while in Keighley. He was thankful to see the oil lamp lightening his window and a cloud of smoke rising from the chimney, as he dismounted from the pony for the last few yards up the wild, overgrown path to his home.
‘You are home, sir. I was beginning to worry that you were not going to make it before nightfall.’ Lucy greeted him at the porch doorway and helped him in with the supplies.
Although he had not been living there long, the house already felt like home, with the fire blazing and the smell of a good stew simmering in the pot, Adam thought, as he helped her with his goods.
‘My brother Nathan came by with a brace of rabbits, so I put them in the pot along with an onion and some tatties. So you’ve got a warm meal waiting for you, and I’ve not been idle – I’ve sorted and cleaned your bedroom. There’ll be no spiders tonight, sir.’ Lucy grinned as she carried the loaded hessian sacks into the kitchen. ‘You’ve got a horse, then?’ she asked on her return, eyeing the dark-haired creature that stood at the garden gate.
‘Aye, she’s a good ’un, just like Tom Gaine said. She’s not flinched once, and has done everything asked of her, so she deserves a night’s rest. I’ll unsaddle her and take her into the small paddock behind the house. At least she can’t go far in there, for the walls are sturdy enough. And then I’ll sit down and have my supper.’ Adam grabbed the reins of the small, sturdy pony and went to unsaddle her, hanging the saddle up in the ramshackle stone hut that his father and his grandfather before him had used for horse harnesses. He stood at the paddock gate and watched as the small mare trotted around her new home and then rolled in the middle of the field, flailing her legs in the air and snorting and whinnying, as if she knew that she had come to a good home and was going to make the best of it.
Adam smiled to himself as he walked back to the kitchen. He’d got himself a horse, his house was looking like a home and he couldn’t wish for any better maid than Lucy. For once in his life he was content, although he couldn’t help but worry how long it would last.
After a while he sat back and licked his lips. It had been a long time since he’d eaten rabbit stew that good. The sprigs of mountain thyme that Lucy had placed in the stew had made it more than simply palatable, and he thanked her as she took his plate away into the back kitchen to be washed. Suddenly there was a sharp knock on the door, and Lucy rushed back into the room to greet the visitor.
‘I hope you don’t mind, sir, but this will be Archie – Archie Robinson. I asked him to call this evening to talk to you about your need for someone to help you with your boundary walls and fences. I happened to see him as I left home this morn.’ Lucy blushed and wondered if she had been too forward in asking Archie, and if she should show such enthusiasm at answering the door.
‘Well, you’d better let him in then. It could have waited a while yet, but
