“But I…”
“You have to get used to doing things on your own eventually, Cecily,” he told me gently. “Today is as good as any other day.”
“Well, then perhaps tomorrow—”
“I think not,” he interrupted, chuckling. “But I admire your effort, my dove.”
Knowing then that I was well and truly defeated, all I could do was wait until John returned, which wasn’t long. He was all too happy to go over to the neighbors’ and kept up a steady stream of chatter as we made our way there. He told me everything he knew about Mr. Gerald, though he didn’t have much to say about his new wife. Either he didn’t care to investigate such things, or there hadn’t been much time. I rather got the sense that he’d been kept quite busy in his father’s absence.
I decided that I liked the boy. He seemed bright, though perhaps a little shy. He looked like a hard worker, which I knew Antony must require in a son. Until that very moment, I hadn’t thought what kind of life my child would lead, but I supposed that if I had a son, Antony would raise him to be the same. Strangely, the thought didn’t bother me nearly as much as I would have once suspected.
“There it is,” John told me, pointing at the white farmhouse that loomed ahead.
“Hmm,” I answered noncommittally.
“I’m sure she’s nice.”
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, embarrassed that he knew I was nervous. “How do you know?”
“Mr. Gerald wouldn’t have married her if she wasn’t, just as father wouldn’t have married you.”
The frank sincerity in his voice made me smile. He certainly was hisfather’s son. “Alright. If she’s mean, can we make an excuse to leave?”
“I promise,” John replied, so solemnly that I had to feign a cough to cover my laugh.
As it turned out, I needn’t have been so worried. Mrs. Gerald, who introduced herself as Julia, was indeed very nice. She was of an age with me, and short with round curves, thick, curly brown hair, and a smile that was impossible not to return.
She’d taken one look at me and ushered me in, insisting I take a seat before I’d even introduced myself. “This bread smells heavenly,” she declared, putting in on the table. “I have some fresh-churned butter that would go nicely with it.” She excused herself and then returned not only with the butter in hand but a pitcher of milk as well.
“You know,” she said, turning thoughtfully to John, “our goat just had its litter. Would you like to go to the barn and see? I believe Mr. Gerald is feeding them now and I’m sure he’d be delighted to have your help.”
John’s eyes went wide as saucers and I knew at a glance that he wanted nothing more, but he turned to me first. “Is it alright, lady mother?”
Both surprised and touched to hear him address me so, I couldn’t manage anything beyond a nod of assent. It was enough for John, who raced out of the room as though he was being chased.
“He seems like such a helpful lad,” Julia commented as she poured a glass of milk and pushed it toward me.
“He is.” I took the cup from her and sipped it, just to have an excuse not to speak. At first, I felt a bit uncomfortable now that we were left alone, but Julia had an affable air about her and it was impossible to stay so for long.
“You’ve only just moved here?” she asked, her brown eyes sparkling. “Why, I’ve only been here for a few weeks myself!”
Long before the visit was over I found myself relaxed enough that I didn’t even realize how long we’d been talking. I hadn’t had many women that I trusted enough to confide in back at Hohenzollern, but during that time of my life, I had to be careful who I put my trust in. Here, Julia and I were equals and she had nothing to gain by hurting me. I was surprised by how refreshing it was to share with someone who I knew wouldn’t use my thoughts and feelings against me.
When the door opened and John came running in, followed by who I assumed could only be Mr. Gerald, I glanced to the window. To my surprise, the sun was already beginning to set.
Julia seemed to see it at the same time and jumped to her feet, wringing her hands as she looked from the window to her husband. Mr. Gerald was a tall man and well-muscled from, I assumed, long hours in the fields. He cut an imposing figure and made it more so by the fact that he looked at his wife without speaking. “Forgive me, William,” she began, before he’d said a word. “Mrs. Jennings came by to introduce herself, and I…”
“Spent the whole afternoon talking and not getting one bit of housework done,” he finished, his voice deep and stern. “Nor do I see dinner on the table, wife.”
“It won’t take me long to—”
“Forgive me, Mr. Gerald,” I interrupted, standing to my feet. “The fault is mine. I’m afraid I’m new here and don’t know all the rules yet.” I gave him my most charming, courtier smile. “And I should have mentioned earlier that my husband and I would like to invite you to dinner this evening.”
Mr. Gerald raised an eyebrow. “Indeed? How very kind of you, Mrs. Jennings. I’m afraid we won’t be able to this evening, but we would love to share a meal with you and your husband soon. Julia, I believe you made enough last night to make another meal. Why don’t you serve the meat with some of that fine bread I smell? That will be enough for me.” There was no mistaking the look of relief that crossed Julia’s pretty features, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she too was spanked by her husband. “In fact, why don’t you send some home with Mrs. Jennings? I know how much her husband enjoys a good piece of meat.”
I knew then, coupled with the stern look that Mr. Gerald gave me, that he knew I’d been lying about the invitation. That didn’t bother me much, as long as it kept my new friend out of trouble. I feared she wouldn’t want me to come calling again if she was punished because of my foolishness.
I thanked the pair of them and even gave Julia a brief hug before we accepted a covered plate of meat and went on our way. John had been given the gift of a baby goat, so he’d ignored the exchange entirely and spent the entire walk home chattering on about his goat. I had to reassure him half a dozen times that his father would let him keep it, and even then I wasn’t sure he believed me.
