maybe he wanted to talk to her father about farming and wasn’t coming to see her at all. But he had kept hold of her hand and only dropped it when he saw that Daniel was watching.
Daniel was climbing into bed in the room that he shared with Leonard, who was asleep and gently snoring, when he heard his parents talking next door.
‘You’ll have to speak to her,’ his mother was saying. ‘Ask her. If it can happen once it can happen again.’
‘Nowt can come of it.’ Fletcher’s reply was muffled. ‘Lad’s away at school for most of ’year. Besides, I don’t believe her. We know that she can lie.’
Daniel drew in a breath. Surely they weren’t speaking of Maria, who was as honest as the day was long? But then he knew they weren’t when his mother answered irritably, ‘You must tell her we need ’ truth , that our children’s lives depend on it. They have three sons and we have three daughters.’
He lay on his bed thinking. They’re talking of the Harts, but who else? And why have they mentioned the Harts’ sons and not Beatrice? And why not my brothers and me? He turned over and thumped his pillow to cradle his head. Another mystery to solve.
A few days later Charles rode alone to Dale Top Farm to talk to Daniel but he had forgotten that his friend would be busy; Harriet told him he was repairing fences somewhere nearby. ‘You can go and talk to him, but don’t hold him up. Remember that he’s a working lad and he has to earn his keep.’
‘Oh, sorry, Mrs Tuke.’ He looked repentant. ‘I should know, shouldn’t I? Daniel is always reminding me that he’s a man and I’m still a schoolboy!’
Harriet laughed. She’d always liked Charles; she enjoyed his ironic humour and although he was obviously a young gentleman, he wasn’t overbearing or pompous and she could see why he and Daniel got on so well.
Maria came into the kitchen whilst they were talking and blushed when she saw Charles, who gave her a polite nod. ‘Hello, Maria,’ he said. ‘I told Stephen I was coming over to see Daniel and he sent his regards to you. I think he would have liked to come too but he’d arranged to go out with the bailiff to visit the farms.’
Maria blushed even more, and Charles, seeing her discomfiture, said awkwardly, ‘Well, I’ll go and have a word with Daniel if I may.’
‘Come back and have a bite to eat if you’re still here in half an hour or so,’ Harriet told him. ‘That’s when ’men come in.’
‘Oh, thank you, I will. I’ll make sure I’m still here! Do you want me to round everybody up?’
‘No.’ Harriet smiled. ‘They’ll know; they won’t need reminding.’
Charles could see Daniel and Tom Bolton in one of the fields. Daniel was wielding a hammer whilst Tom held the fence steady.
Daniel looked up as Charles approached. ‘Well, it’s all right for some folks wi’ nowt to do but disturb them that’s working.’
Charles grinned. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I’d forgotten what day it was. The last of the visitors have gone today; they seem to have been here for ever. Not that I’m grumbling; they’re good company.’ He saw Daniel’s wry expression. ‘Well, some of them!’
‘I heard your party had gone well, Master Charles,’ Tom said.
‘Yes,’ Daniel grinned. ‘I gave a good report on you youngsters.’
Charles sighed. ‘We were all very well behaved, Tom, especially in front of old gentlemen like Daniel, otherwise we might not have been.’
‘You clear up here, Daniel.’ Tom collected his tools. ‘I’m going down to ’bottom field to fix ’gate. I’ll see you up at ’house in half an hour.’
Charles gazed after him. ‘Your mother said that no one would need reminding when it was time to eat.’
‘That’s because we start work so early,’ Daniel remarked. ‘It’s onny just getting light when we come outside. So what brings you here?’
Charles hesitated, then said, ‘Do you recall the conversation we had at the party about going to
Daniel was climbing into bed in the room that he shared with Leonard, who was asleep and gently snoring, when he heard his parents talking next door.
‘You’ll have to speak to her,’ his mother was saying. ‘Ask her. If it can happen once it can happen again.’
‘Nowt can come of it.’ Fletcher’s reply was muffled. ‘Lad’s away at school for most of ’year. Besides, I don’t believe her. We know that she can lie.’
Daniel drew in a breath. Surely they weren’t speaking of Maria, who was as honest as the day was long? But then he knew they weren’t when his mother answered irritably, ‘You must tell her we need ’ truth , that our children’s lives depend on it. They have three sons and we have three daughters.’
He lay on his bed thinking. They’re talking of the Harts, but who else? And why have they mentioned the Harts’ sons and not Beatrice? And why not my brothers and me? He turned over and thumped his pillow to cradle his head. Another mystery to solve.
A few days later Charles rode alone to Dale Top Farm to talk to Daniel but he had forgotten that his friend would be busy; Harriet told him he was repairing fences somewhere nearby. ‘You can go and talk to him, but don’t hold him up. Remember that he’s a working lad and he has to earn his keep.’
‘Oh, sorry, Mrs Tuke.’ He looked repentant. ‘I should know, shouldn’t I? Daniel is always reminding me that he’s a man and I’m still a schoolboy!’
Harriet laughed. She’d always liked Charles; she enjoyed his ironic humour and although he was obviously a young gentleman, he wasn’t overbearing or pompous and she could see why he and Daniel got on so well.
Maria came into the kitchen whilst they were talking and blushed when she saw Charles, who gave her a polite nod. ‘Hello, Maria,’ he said. ‘I told Stephen I was coming over to see Daniel and he sent his regards to you. I think he would have liked to come too but he’d arranged to go out with the bailiff to visit the farms.’
Maria blushed even more, and Charles, seeing her discomfiture, said awkwardly, ‘Well, I’ll go and have a word with Daniel if I may.’
‘Come back and have a bite to eat if you’re still here in half an hour or so,’ Harriet told him. ‘That’s when ’men come in.’
‘Oh, thank you, I will. I’ll make sure I’m still here! Do you want me to round everybody up?’
‘No.’ Harriet smiled. ‘They’ll know; they won’t need reminding.’
Charles could see Daniel and Tom Bolton in one of the fields. Daniel was wielding a hammer whilst Tom held the fence steady.
Daniel looked up as Charles approached. ‘Well, it’s all right for some folks wi’ nowt to do but disturb them that’s working.’
Charles grinned. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I’d forgotten what day it was. The last of the visitors have gone today; they seem to have been here for ever. Not that I’m grumbling; they’re good company.’ He saw Daniel’s wry expression. ‘Well, some of them!’
‘I heard your party had gone well, Master Charles,’ Tom said.
‘Yes,’ Daniel grinned. ‘I gave a good report on you youngsters.’
Charles sighed. ‘We were all very well behaved, Tom, especially in front of old gentlemen like Daniel, otherwise we might not have been.’
‘You clear up here, Daniel.’ Tom collected his tools. ‘I’m going down to ’bottom field to fix ’gate. I’ll see you up at ’house in half an hour.’
Charles gazed after him. ‘Your mother said that no one would need reminding when it was time to eat.’
‘That’s because we start work so early,’ Daniel remarked. ‘It’s onny just getting light when we come outside. So what brings you here?’
Charles hesitated, then said, ‘Do you recall the conversation we had at the party about going to
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