She kissed the miniature, and set it down on the bedside table. For a few moments, she lay back against the pillows, a little smile on her face, remembering Henry, her lovely Henry. Then, with a sigh, she sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed and began her day.
At noon, she donned her stoutest boots, a thick woollen cloak and an ancient scarf that her mother had knitted for her when she was a child, and set out to find the elder Mr Hammond‘s cottage. The air was dank and chilly, and when she reached the woods, the detritus underfoot was sodden. Gone were the crisp leaves of autumn, for the darkest part of the year was fast approaching. Perhaps there would soon be snow.
As she crossed the main path that ran lengthwise down the narrow strip of woodland that fringed the river, she saw Ben Lovell, the gamekeeper, approaching.
“Good day to you, Mr Lovell! Have you had a good haul today?”
He whipped off his woollen hat, revealing a sprinkle of grey hairs amongst the black. “Aye, pheasant, partridge, hare… rabbit for the servants’ hall. A few fish, but there’s not much in the river just now.”
“Excellent. You keep us well supplied. There’s quite a nip in the air today. Shall we have snow before Christmas, d’you think?”
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. Not likely. Rain, for sure, but not much chance of snow. Nothing serious, anyhow.”
“Still, it’s cold work being outside all day.”
“I get a hot dinner in the kitchen, ma’am.”
“Oh, good! Better get yourself inside, then. Good day to you.”
“G’day, ma’am.” He touched his forelock and turned away to cross the bridge. Georgie passed over the main path, taking the narrower track that led through the woods. In no time, she had reached a stile, and there beyond it, its chimney smoking gently in the still air, was the cottage, welcoming light spilling from the nearest unshuttered window.
Inside, the front door opened directly into a small parlour, the fire burning steadily..
Jamie, as neat as ever despite the rustic setting, smiled at her. “Come through to the kitchen and warm up. It is bitter out there.”
“It’s certainly bracing,” she said, unwinding her scarf. “The country always seems colder than the town, somehow.”
“Do you like living in the country?” he said, leading her through a narrow passage to a large kitchen, where pans bubbled on a modern range and the air was filled with the scent of fresh bread.
“My cottage in Oxford is practically in the country. From the bottom of my garden, there’s nothing but fields and distant woodland, but I can walk into town whenever I want.”
“The best of both worlds,” he said, smiling. “Now, I have a pot of soup ready, and bread just out of the oven, or—”
“Perfect!” she said. “There’s nothing quite like bread still warm, is there?”
He laughed and agreed to it, and they settled down at the big table, its surface scarred from innumerable vegetables chopped there over the years. The soup was thick broth and the bread solid and chewy.
“Just like my mother used to make,” Georgie said, savouring the strong flavour. “Do you know, I prefer this to all the duke’s fancy dishes.”
“Do you? I confess to being partial to green goose, and there is nothing to beat venison, to my mind.”
“Trout,” she said thoughtfully. “I love trout… salmon… any fish of that type.”
“A bit insubstantial for me,” he said. “I like my meat, I confess. Beef, mutton, pork… any sort of meat.”
“And venison.”
“True. But we must not fritter away the time by talking only about food. I think… I hope… I have devised a story which will account for a speedy marriage without raising too much suspicion. Will you hear it?”
“Very willingly.”
“Well, it works like this.”
He laid his spoon down, folded his arms to rest on the edge of the table and leaned forward eagerly. She was struck by how boyish he looked in such an attitude. He was a self-effacing man who normally hid behind a bland façade, but she rather liked this enthusiastic Jamie.
“I have to go to Oxford next week,” he began, “and you have reason to go there, too. Your cottage to be let, the bank… I think you said something about the bank?”
“To arrange for my income to be paid to Brinchester. I need to pack up the rest of my belongings, too.”
