‘You’ve got married! I thought you had come here to—’ Lucy stopped short.
‘What? Come here to fill your shoes and pinch him from under your nose? I do love Adam, but only as a true friend. Not like the love I’ve seen growing within you for him, and within him for you. Both of you needed to be told of one another’s feelings, and you both need not to be scared of what folk might think. Happiness is hard to find. I should know. It has taken me plenty of years to find my Hugh, and although he did not have a penny to his name when I met him, I knew he was right for me – and to hell with the consequences.’ Ivy smiled, but still held Lucy’s hand, and closed her eyes as she searched for something to make Lucy believe in her power of knowing things that other people had lost the sense to feel.
‘But he’s my master! My parents would be furious if they knew how much I love Adam, and I would never have the courage to let him know. He’d think I was loose in my ways or, even worse, that I was only after his money. Besides, you often hear of masters taking advantage of their servants, only to cast them aside when they fall pregnant – or even worse.’ Lucy looked at Ivy as she let go of her hand.
‘You know Adam’s not that sort. He’s kindness itself. The way he spoke of you all yesterday, and I know that he loves you too. He just daren’t admit it.’ Ivy looked round towards the house, noticing Adam glancing out of the window. ‘Now shush – he’s coming. Think on. I never played Cupid’s advocate between you two; let him think that he’s done it all himself.’
‘Morning, Ladies. What are you two about, this glorious morning?’ Adam stood in the main doorway and looked at the two principal women in his life, and knew instantly that they had been talking about him.
‘We were admiring the view. And I was complimenting Lucy on the size of her radishes, and how neat and tidy the garden looks.’ Ivy smiled and winked at Lucy.
‘Were you now! I think otherwise – you were both deep in conversation when I looked out of the window. It seemed something a bit more serious than radishes.’ Adam grinned and watched as Lucy picked up her skirts and walked towards him to enter the house.
‘Excuse me, I got waylaid. I’ll light the fire and get the kettle boiling. I’ll make you your breakfasts before I milk the cow – there’s enough milk in the dairy for porridge. Would that be to both your likings?’ Lucy put her head down and couldn’t make eye contact with Adam. Her secret was out, she feared, and perhaps Ivy had led her on into thinking Adam felt the same.
‘That will be fine, Lucy. But I’ll bring the cow in from the bottom meadow, after we have had breakfast. I could do with a walk to clear my head, and then you two can carry on with your urgent conversation about radishes.’ Adam looked at Lucy. It was true that he did feel deeply for the lass. He’d just needed someone to tell him it was alright to do so.
‘She’s as smitten with you as you are with her. What a pair of idiots you both are! Did not one of you have the gumption to tackle the matter? Would you still have been skirting around the subject, if I hadn’t talked to you both and found out that you both feel the same way?’ Ivy whispered and sighed, looking out across the valley. Then she turned and looked at Adam.
‘She still hasn’t said anything to me. I’m still not sure,’ Adam said as he noticed Archie making his way into the farmyard, ready for his day’s work.
Ivy, spotting him, couldn’t stop herself and shouted, ‘Have you come a-courting Lucy? Because it seems everyone else knows how to go about it, apart from my friend here,’ she yelled out to a startled Archie.
‘No, ma’am. I’m just minding my own business, and hoping to start digging the ditches where Mr Brooksbank is going to be piping water from the springhead up on the fell to the house. I’ve no intention of courting Lucy or anybody else, come to that.’ Archie seemed shocked at being confronted with such an accusation, and looked at Adam shaking his head.
‘Be quiet, Ivy. Archie is my farm lad – let the lad on his way. As he says, he’s starting to dig a ditch out for me so that we can have running water in the house. Something I need doing before winter sets in. So hold your noise. I don’t want the world to know my affairs.’ Adam nodded his head to Archie, as a sign for him to be on his way, as he took Ivy by the arm and entered into the kitchen of the farmhouse.
‘Was that Archie I heard talking? He’s late this morning. I hope everything’s alright at home,’ Lucy said as she set the table for breakfast and noticed the scowl on Adam’s face, as Ivy sat down and winked at him.
‘He didn’t mention home, so I suppose everything is alright.’ Adam pulled up a chair to the table and looked across at Ivy, as Lucy poured them both a cup of tea and went to stir the porridge that was now bubbling in a pan on the fire.
‘He’s a bonny lad. I asked him if he’d come a-courting you. I didn’t realize who he was.’ Ivy laughed.
‘Oh, Archie wouldn’t say a lot back about that. He’s known me all my life. I
