‘It is agreeable,’ Mrs Hampton said, with an insistent glare to her husband.
‘Excellent,’ Hypatia grinned. ‘We’ve made similar offers to the other tenants thus far, and will continue to do so. As yet, we have two others who have agreed to stay, and the Greers unfortunately we discovered left.’
‘Death in the family,’ Hampton said roughly. ‘Moved up north last we heard.’
‘Most unfortunate,’ Hypatia agreed. ‘Thank you for letting us know. We will seek to find new tenants, therefore if you have any recommendations, do share. We hope to get as much in order as we can by week’s end, so we can all begin anew. Perhaps we could come again, after that, and visit, see where we all stand.’
‘We’d like that, my lady,’ Mrs Hampton said gently. She glanced at her husband, hesitating, and he nodded after a moment. ‘Ye should know, some parcels have been…used by others, we thought it was with the earl’s blessing, but now I think…’
‘We would appreciate you sharing any names, Mrs Hampton,’ Thorn said as delicately as he could. ‘We don’t seek to make trouble, and would like to come to proper arrangements for the use of certain lands, but have no idea where to begin, and those who remained at the house don’t have much knowledge of the situation either.’
‘I’ll write you a list of what I know,’ Hampton agreed slowly.
‘Thank you.’
‘And, one last thing, if it isn’t too much trouble,’ Hypatia said. ‘Could we borrow a goat or two?’
Thorn thought then, that if he’d had the funds to pay for some fancy portrait artist, he might’ve commissioned a painting of the scene then: the bewildered looks of the Hamptons, Hypatia’s incandescent and contagious eagerness, and his own likely balancing amusement.
But I’ve not the coin, so I’ll simply paint it to memory, just like that day in her parents’ home. By the end of my life, I feel I shall have quite the series.
Days like no other; a wife like no other.
Chapter Nine
As they slowly ambled to the top of a gentle rolling hill, in the midst of one of many pastures that had long since been grazed, becoming more of a wildflower extravaganza, a haven for bees, crickets, and all manner of other creatures, Hypatia felt lighter than she had in perhaps her entire life, including childhood.
Their day thus far had been long, arduous, full of talking, negotiating, and disappointing discoveries. It was far from over—it was barely past two in the afternoon—and the next few days would be just as demanding; Hell, looking at how things stood now, it looked as if the next few years would be. And yet, as she and Thorn came to a stop in unconcerted unison, she didn’t feel the weight of that demand, of that future, upon her shoulders as she’d felt every second of every day before now. Perhaps that made her callous; perhaps that just made her finally free. Either way, she was grateful for it.
She was grateful for the good people they’d met, not easy, not forgiving, but good people, who seemed to be willing to join this strange sort of team she and Thorn were trying to form; and she was grateful for Thorn. For his easiness, his support, and his apparent appreciation of her taking charge. Of her, full stop, in fact.
She was grateful for this sunshine, for this breeze, and for this view.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Thorn remarked, his eyes wandering over the rolling hills, pastures, fields, woods, houses, farms, and spires spread out before them as far as the eye could see. ‘Essex has its charms, but I’ll admit, I like these Downs.’
‘They feel…welcoming.’
‘Agreed,’ Thorn smiled crookedly, glancing over at her. ‘Did you always live in the city?’
‘All my life. First Birmingham, then London. We’d sometimes go out to the country for this party or business thing of my father’s, but never long. And I was not always given the opportunity to enjoy it. I’ve never seen the sea though,’ she added, before Thorn could comment as she felt he might on her lack of pastoral pleasures. ‘So in that I am jealous of your upbringing beside it.’
‘I thought I’d miss it more. But it’s so strange, with every passing minute, I feel more at ease, at home here than I did there. I wonder if some part of me never got attached. If it knew I would leave someday.’
‘Destiny?’
‘Something like that.’
‘Do you miss your work?’ she asked after a moment. ‘Did you enjoy it?’
‘I did,’ Thorn smiled, nostalgia and memory filling his eyes as they studied the fast-moving, thickening clouds ahead.
‘What kind of blacksmith were you? If that is even a question.’
‘It is,’ he chuckled softly. ‘Though I don’t know if there’s a proper word for what I did, which was a bit of everything, really. Gates, fixtures, doors… The odd decorative fantasy, and piece of jewellery—though that was more for my own amusement and to work my skills. I could never claim to be a proper silver or goldsmith.’
‘I should like to see your work someday.’
‘You can now, just take off your glove,’ he said breezily, but Hypatia frowned, stunned as she understood his meaning.
