Read Online A Country Marriage by Sandra Jane Goddard - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sandra Jane Goddard
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apologetic in its tone and as she drew closer, she caught sight of George ruffling a crown of mousey-brown hair. Without looking up, its owner stepped aside to let her through.
‘Hello.’ Although she offered her greeting with a smile, it met only with the top of his head. For certain, though, it was the same young lad that she had observed last night, perched alone in the corner of the barn, mindful of nothing except a plateful of food. Denied a view of his face, she tried to remember what George had said about his age: fifteen, maybe? It seemed about right; he was certainly still afflicted by the ranginess of youth, she noted as he loped away, offering her no greeting in return.
‘Looks like you been busy, the pair of you.’ It was Hannah appearing from the scullery to lift a heap of darning from the table. ‘Your pa’s up Top Orchard checking on the pears,’ she added with a glance to George. ‘Ellen, love, come and do something with this pile of mending, will you? He’ll be down soon, though, if it’s him you’ve come for.’
‘I was hoping for the loan of some tools,’ George answered his mother.
‘Why don’t you just go and fetch what you need, son? Your pa won’t mind. And you, Mary, love, sit yourself down. Give your feet a break this while.’
Doing as she was bid, she pulled back the nearest chair and sat down. Around her, the kitchen felt vast – but then it needed to be big in order to accommodate the huge brick fireplace and mishmash of oversized pieces of furniture. The table alone, she was certain, was as large as the single room of her new home. But courtesy of the aromas – yeasty baking mingled with oaky wood ash – it felt mellow and inviting. And that being the case, she found herself wondering why on earth George had wanted to leave it for the damp and cramped conditions up the lane.
‘So, how do you like Keeper’s Cottage then?’
Lord, were her thoughts so easy to read?
‘Oh, just fine, Mistress Strong, thank you.’ Perhaps her eyes had been flitting about rather a lot.
‘Now, lovey, you can’t go on calling me Mistress Strong; not now we’re family. Annie and Ellen both call me Ma Strong. How does that sound?’
She smiled. At least George’s mother was friendly.
‘Thank you. It sounds just fine. I’ll try ’n remember.’
‘An’ is everything all right ?’ Her mother-in-law’s question seemed decidedly specific and guessing at her meaning, she looked into her lap.
‘Fine, thank you.’ Somehow, she could feel Hannah regarding her; could even feel that it was with some doubt as to her honesty.
‘All a bit new, lovey, ain’t it?’
She nodded.
‘A bit, yes.’ There was no need for her to know the intimate details. There was no need for anyone to know those.
‘Nothing that a bit of time won’t remedy.’
‘No.’
‘Time and familiarity; the one coming from the other.’
‘Yes.’
‘And ’though I say so myself, there’s not many a man of George’s years that works harder or lives cleaner.’
‘No. I know.’
‘He just needs to settle to it. You both do.’
‘Yes.’
‘You see, Mary, men don’t always know what they want, even when it’s put right under their noses. And since the dear Lord saw fit to bless me with four sons, then I think I’m as well versed as any to say so.’ She risked looking up from her lap. Maybe her mother-in-law would be forthcoming in the way that her own mother hadn’t been. ‘You see, when Tom and Will both chose to wed at the same time, I felt for certain that George, although a few years younger, would be quick to follow suit. So when he didn’t, I’ll own to being fair surprised. From where I stood, it seemed there was any number of young women willin’ to throw in their lot with him. I even put a fair few of them in his sights myself; not that any of them ever took his fancy. And although I’ve never been able to rightly say why, it always seemed to me that he was holding out for summat in
‘Hello.’ Although she offered her greeting with a smile, it met only with the top of his head. For certain, though, it was the same young lad that she had observed last night, perched alone in the corner of the barn, mindful of nothing except a plateful of food. Denied a view of his face, she tried to remember what George had said about his age: fifteen, maybe? It seemed about right; he was certainly still afflicted by the ranginess of youth, she noted as he loped away, offering her no greeting in return.
‘Looks like you been busy, the pair of you.’ It was Hannah appearing from the scullery to lift a heap of darning from the table. ‘Your pa’s up Top Orchard checking on the pears,’ she added with a glance to George. ‘Ellen, love, come and do something with this pile of mending, will you? He’ll be down soon, though, if it’s him you’ve come for.’
‘I was hoping for the loan of some tools,’ George answered his mother.
‘Why don’t you just go and fetch what you need, son? Your pa won’t mind. And you, Mary, love, sit yourself down. Give your feet a break this while.’
Doing as she was bid, she pulled back the nearest chair and sat down. Around her, the kitchen felt vast – but then it needed to be big in order to accommodate the huge brick fireplace and mishmash of oversized pieces of furniture. The table alone, she was certain, was as large as the single room of her new home. But courtesy of the aromas – yeasty baking mingled with oaky wood ash – it felt mellow and inviting. And that being the case, she found herself wondering why on earth George had wanted to leave it for the damp and cramped conditions up the lane.
‘So, how do you like Keeper’s Cottage then?’
Lord, were her thoughts so easy to read?
‘Oh, just fine, Mistress Strong, thank you.’ Perhaps her eyes had been flitting about rather a lot.
‘Now, lovey, you can’t go on calling me Mistress Strong; not now we’re family. Annie and Ellen both call me Ma Strong. How does that sound?’
She smiled. At least George’s mother was friendly.
‘Thank you. It sounds just fine. I’ll try ’n remember.’
‘An’ is everything all right ?’ Her mother-in-law’s question seemed decidedly specific and guessing at her meaning, she looked into her lap.
‘Fine, thank you.’ Somehow, she could feel Hannah regarding her; could even feel that it was with some doubt as to her honesty.
‘All a bit new, lovey, ain’t it?’
She nodded.
‘A bit, yes.’ There was no need for her to know the intimate details. There was no need for anyone to know those.
‘Nothing that a bit of time won’t remedy.’
‘No.’
‘Time and familiarity; the one coming from the other.’
‘Yes.’
‘And ’though I say so myself, there’s not many a man of George’s years that works harder or lives cleaner.’
‘No. I know.’
‘He just needs to settle to it. You both do.’
‘Yes.’
‘You see, Mary, men don’t always know what they want, even when it’s put right under their noses. And since the dear Lord saw fit to bless me with four sons, then I think I’m as well versed as any to say so.’ She risked looking up from her lap. Maybe her mother-in-law would be forthcoming in the way that her own mother hadn’t been. ‘You see, when Tom and Will both chose to wed at the same time, I felt for certain that George, although a few years younger, would be quick to follow suit. So when he didn’t, I’ll own to being fair surprised. From where I stood, it seemed there was any number of young women willin’ to throw in their lot with him. I even put a fair few of them in his sights myself; not that any of them ever took his fancy. And although I’ve never been able to rightly say why, it always seemed to me that he was holding out for summat in
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