Thomasin nodded. She should have known this, as lady of the manor. “Is there someone else you know who you’d rather marry?”
The girl shook her head violently. “I don’t want to be married at all. At least not yet. I don’t like the idea of it.”
“I understand. Can you speak to your father about it? Will he listen to you?”
She shrugged.
“If you go to him respectfully and explain yourself, perhaps he will reconsider. Could you do that?”
“I will try.”
“And you came here to pray for guidance?”
Mariot nodded.
“Very well, I will leave you to your prayers. Speak with your father when you get home. Explain your dislike and I hope he will listen. God bless you, Mariot Gull.”
Later that day, when Thomasin took alms down to the chapel after their midday meal, she found the place empty. On the wooden table she laid out the bread, a cold pie, some nuts, cheeses and a few leftover cuts of lamb from her and Giles’s table. She often instructed the kitchens to prepare too much, as if they were expecting guests, in order to ensure there was enough to pass on. It always went. The village children were usually sent down by their mothers, as they were the fastest runners, hanging back until Thomasin had left, then surging forward to fill their aprons and baskets. As she turned to leave, she noticed a tiny change in the place: a little grey stone hadbeen left in the middle of the altar, quite deliberately. Some local hand had placed it there. Leaning over to have a closer look, Thomasin saw that it was roughly in the shape of a heart, and had no doubt that Mariot had left it behind, as part of her prayers to avoid the distasteful marriage. She smiled and left the stone in position, heading back towards the house.
Lettice was sitting in the oriel window, embroidering a collar with Spanish work. It was a skill Thomasin had taught her, which she had learned in turn at the court of Catherine of Aragon. Even up to the papal trial four years earlier, Catherine had insisted on sewing all her husband’s shirts by hand, until Anne Boleyn had stepped in and put a stop to it. It was a useful skill, though, and Thomasin’s own work was visible in the collars and cuffs of Giles’s shirts.
Like Thomasin, Lettice had gone into mourning, and the long black skirts arranged around her felt at odds with the bright spring sunshine. She looked up as Thomasin approached.
“There you are! Look, I think I’ve invented a brand-new stitch!”
She held up her fabric, where Thomasin recognised a familiar pattern.
“Well done, that’s coming along nicely.”
“I’d like to finish this for Father before I go home.”
“Are you thinking of returning to Eastwell?” Thomasin had enjoyed having her younger sister for company.
“Not at all, but I shall probably be expected now, to help Mother with things.”
“Well, she has servants for that.”
“You know what I mean. Emotional things.”
Lady Elizabeth had always needed a lot of support when it came to alleviating her sorrows. In that way, she and her husband were opposites: while she was vocal and, if Thomasinhad to admit it, fairly dramatic, Sir Richard was quite the stoic. Their elder sister was of no help either, taking after their mother in that aspect of her character.
Thomasin sat on the curve of the window seat opposite, conscious of the bright colours on the other side of the glass. “You enjoy being here, though, don’t you?”
“Ever so much!”
“Then let’s have no talk of returning home. You’re very helpful to me, and we are not so far away if Mother wants to visit. Now, I was thinking of riding into Dedham tomorrow morning. Would you like to come?”
“Definitely. Will the market be on?”
“It should be. So, yes, that stall selling liquorice might be there.”
Lettice’s eyes widened. “And the one selling ribbons. And we might visit the baker’s for saffron tarts.”
“I suppose we might.”
But her sister’s face rapidly changed. “I shouldn’t feel so excited about going. I had forgotten for a moment about Uncle Matthew.”
“Come now, it is no dishonour to Uncle if you enjoy a few small treats. He would want you to do so. He was a kind man, and such things help us get through difficult times.”
