‘I’m sorry I’m leaving so soon. You must come and visit us at Kendal and, of course, you must keep in touch.’ Ivy looked over at Adam as he picked up her bag, after they had both sat and eaten breakfast. ‘Bring Lucy with you – you will both be made more than welcome by Hugh and me.’ Ivy looked across at Lucy, who stood next to the window and waited to clear the table after Adam’s guest had left them.
‘You will come with him, won’t you, Lucy? I’m so glad you two have realized the love that has grown between you. And if you decide to tie the knot and get married, I expect to be the first to be invited.’ Ivy smiled.
‘It’s a bit early for talk of that, I’m sure,’ Lucy replied quietly.
‘I’ll go and put your bag in the cart and wait while you two say goodbye to one another.’ Adam bowed his head and left the kitchen, with the two women standing together, embarrassed by Ivy’s assumption of marriage.
‘You get him wed. You are both made for one another, and don’t listen to what folk say. He’s a good man and he needs you.’ Ivy hugged Lucy and kissed her, before standing back and looking directly at her. ‘Before I go, I’ve something else to do for you, to ease your worries.’ She breathed in and looked at Lucy. ‘The babies your mother lost were never really formed, so they had no souls. I felt your worries when I held onto your hand the other day. Don’t despair that your father buried them where he did; it was not his fault. They do not have a place in heaven or in the afterlife, as they never actually lived.’ Ivy looked at the shock on Lucy’s face.
‘How do you know that? Who’s told you?’ Lucy gasped, feeling her eyes fill with tears.
‘I felt your sorrow and worry, and I sense things that other people don’t. It is as plain as the nose on your face, to those who have the gift. I’m only telling you this to put your mind at rest, and to prove that I’m not a fraud; that there are more things between heaven and earth that most people can’t relate to. My lips are sealed, and your secrets are safe with me.’ Ivy squeezed Lucy’s hand and wiped a tear away from her cheek. ‘Now you make your life with Adam, because that is where your path lies, of that I’m certain.’
‘I’m sorry I implied that you were a fraud. I know better now. Nobody else knows my secrets, so you must have hidden powers and depths that are special.’ Lucy wiped her eyes and looked at Ivy.
‘Not special, just blessed. Now, you enjoy your life, because it is going to be a full and good one.’ Ivy squeezed Lucy’s hand again, before leaving for the door and her journey back to Kendal. ‘Look after my Adam for me,’ she yelled as she stepped up into the donkey-cart next to him and Lucy watched from the doorway.
‘I will, of that you can be sure. Take care on your return journey,’ Lucy yelled back. She’d a lot to thank Ivy Thwaite for, she thought, as she went back into the house and looked around her. A shiver went down her spine. What else had Ivy been able to tell about her, simply by a touch? She must know that her love for Adam was true, else she wouldn’t entrust her with his love. She didn’t know how, but Ivy definitely knew things that no one else did, and that worried Lucy slightly. Would she, as promised, keep her secrets or would she tell Adam? And, if so, would Adam still want anything to do with her?
Lucy still couldn’t believe that her life was going to be as she had always wanted, from first realizing that Adam was the man for her. Surely something would go wrong. It always did, no matter how hard she tried to follow her own path in life.
‘I tell you, Father, you are going to have to have words with our Lucy when she returns home this evening. She’s up to no good with that Adam Brooksbank. He’ll not give a damn about her. She’s just his maid – something he can use for his own pleasure. Susie’s been telling me that she heard Lucy saying his name over and over again last night. The lass needs to come to her senses, and be told that men like that simply use young lasses.’ Dorothy stood angrily next to her husband as he sat down, hoping for peace and quiet after a hard day’s work at the tannery. But she was in no mood for her husband to be laid-back about the love affair that she had now realized was developing between Lucy and her employer.
‘Aye, Mother, I think you are jumping to conclusions. Lucy’s only fantasizing – it’s what young lasses do. Besides, there’s many a worse man for her to set her cap at. At least he owns his own farm, although he’s perhaps a bit older than her. I think he’s a decent sort.’ Bill looked at the anger on his wife’s face and saw that his words had antagonized her even more.
‘He’ll be using her. It’ll be a different tale from you, when Lucy comes back home and tells you she’s having his baby, and that he wants nowt to do with her. Because, mark my words, that’s what will happen, Bill Bancroft. As soon as I saw him, I thought: Aye, you might think yourself a toff of a farmer, but keep yourself to yourself, when it comes to my lass.’ Dorothy folded her arms and swore under her breath when Bill didn’t reply. ‘You say something to Lucy tonight, as soon as she steps through the door. She won’t listen to me, but she
