‘It’s not easy for me, Ivy. Mary’s shoes will always be hard to fill. And what if you are wrong? I’d make a fool of myself.’ Adam sighed.
‘Then do as you wish, but you are lucky to have Lucy looking at you with such love. And as for walking out with Reggie Ellwood, perhaps she was hoping you’d be jealous. Now, I’m going to my bed; it’s been a long day and I hardly slept last night. Tomorrow is another day and we will see what it brings.’ Ivy leaned forward and kissed Adam on the cheek. ‘Goodnight, my dear friend. Don’t worry, love has a way of showing itself even to the blindest. I’m just going to make sure that I help it along.’ She smiled and then went up to bed, leaving Adam pondering her words.
Could Lucy be smitten with him? He did find her attractive and had enjoyed the intimacy of being near her, when riding Rosa to Keighley, and had nearly thought of kissing her while admiring the chicks at Easter, but had thought better of it, not wanting to be called a lecher by her or her family. He shook his head. Damn Ivy, she always did know him too well. And now he was feeling guilty for even thinking about his young maid and her winning smile, which had disappeared since his announcement of Ivy coming to stay. Ivy was right: Lucy had not had a good word for her, and she’d not said a word to him about her day out with Reggie Ellwood. But should he be true to Mary’s memory, or should he perhaps follow Ivy’s advice and open up his heart to a new, young love?
22
Ivy sat outside Black Moss Farm admiring the early-morning mist, which was following the river down in the valley below. She’d purposely awoken early in order to speak to Lucy on her own. The garden at the front of the farmhouse was abuzz with bees seeking pollen from the summer flowers, and the air was full of early-morning song from the newly fledged birds and their parents. The world was content, just as she was, now that she had found the right man to have by her side for the rest of her life.
She only hoped Adam could feel the same way she did, and could get over the loss of his late wife; and that perhaps a woman-to-woman talk with Lucy would help her dearest friend and make them both see how much they meant to one another. She’d caught signs of both of them having feelings for one another, and now she had decided to act as Cupid and make them realize how good life could be if they were together – regardless of Adam’s misgivings about the age gap and Lucy’s place in society. Life was for living. Death came all too quickly, as well she knew from her previous dealings with the afterlife.
‘Good morning. I’m just sitting here, admiring the scenery and this immaculately kept vegetable plot and garden. Somebody spends hours keeping this weed-free and in order.’ Ivy smiled at Lucy as she came up through the farmyard, ready for her day’s work.
‘It’s my guilty pleasure, along with Adam’s help. It should supply him with all his needs over the coming months. The soil is good and rich, and things are doing well, with the attention that is lavished upon them.’ Lucy caught her breath from the steep climb up to the farm and stopped to talk to the woman she had thought about, and had little sleep over, the previous night.
‘Somebody has to look after him. I’m glad you get on with Adam so well, as he needs somebody to take him in hand and see that he looks after himself. He speaks very highly of you, and is grateful that you have been here for him.’ Ivy smiled and saw the look of pleasure on Lucy’s face for the praise she was giving her.
‘It’s nothing – I’d do the same for anyone. He’s a good man, and I wouldn’t wish to work for anybody else. Is he not awake yet? I’m sure he’d not want you to be up and about on your own. He likes playing the perfect host.’ Lucy made for the front door and turned to look at Ivy.
‘No. I could hear him snoring in the other room when I tiptoed down the stairs. I left him to sleep. We talked until late last night, and I left him with a lot to think about. A lot was forthcoming in our evening together, and some things were quite revealing.’ Ivy looked at Lucy with apprehension.
‘I hope you didn’t do as he wished and hold a stupid seance. He believes in you so much, and it’s hurtful the way your sort fill people’s minds with stories of loved ones still living on beyond the grave. You, and others like you, should not make a living from other people’s grief,’ Lucy spat out.
‘No, I told Adam to leave the dead alone, and to look to making himself a new life. He could do worse than find himself someone to look after him, now that he has sowed his wild oats. He needs to be loved and taken care of. Mary would have wanted that for him. However, I think Adam knew that already, and that his heart already belongs partly to someone he owes a great deal to.’
Ivy looked at Lucy and saw the colour rise in her cheeks, knowing that her words would spark a reaction. She added, ‘I fear my news of being a married woman came as quite a shock to him. I don’t think he had ever envisaged me settling down and marrying. Poor Adam, he just needs a little encouragement to show him where his true feelings lie. Men are always slow at
