The Tarnished Necklace. Trish Inc. DuffinЧитать онлайн книгу.
Maria snuggled into the blankets and as she got taken over by sleep a lingering smile lay on her lips.
The following morning she awoke to the smell of sizzling bacon, toasting bread and of frying eggs mingling with the aroma of coffee. Feeling guilty she flung the covers back and was about to head out to the dim gloom of the morning when the quiet rumble of men talking stopped her in her stride. She chose to get dressed and arrange her hair first. Her father was there, already dressed for the day. He was in deep conversation with Peter, using his fork to point at imaginary objects on the table. “Good morning,” she said.
Both men looked over her way and greeted her, before returning to focus on their plans for the day. At that point Peter remembered his stunt from yesterday. “Did you sleep well, Miss Scott?” he politely and all too formally enquired.
Her eyes narrowed a little as she considered her reply. “Yes, though I felt the night was a little short.” The emphasis was on the ‘short’. Peter laughed and wished her a longer sleep in future. Susan saw the curve of a smile on his mouth, causing her to ponder if perhaps Maria was correct in her accusation.
Maria turned and got started on making a loaf of bread. The scraping of chairs indicated the men were off to start the harvesting. Susan was thanked for the breakfast, hats were clamped on heads, boots were dragged onto feet and the men left, leaving the ladies to get underway with the day’s activities. Alice and Joanne didn’t have any school for the next two months as every hand was needed for harvest. Even little Grace was called upon to help out. Her job was going to be picking the beans, peas and tomatoes.
At midday the men came back, dusty and smelly. They both had a quick wash, shook the chaff out of their shirts and the grit out of their boots before settling down to a substantial lunch. Then they were back into the fields, remaining there until the last dying rays of the sun. The horses were unharnessed, rubbed down, fed and watered before the men came in to also be fed and watered. Their bodies ached from the strenuous work and the walk home for Peter seemed a little longer. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
This became the routine as agreed on by the men. Early starts, late finishes, with Peter being fed by Susan and Maria. They worked on each other’s farms, prioritising on the maturity of each crop. The girls were kept busy preparing the root crops for storage, bottling the fruit and vegetables that wouldn’t keep. The meals were substantial but simple as everyone was so busy and falling asleep within minutes of going to bed. Six days marched by, the weather holding and the crops being gathered. The most pleasant part of the day was after the meal when everyone sat around talking, laughing or, in Peter’s case, losing a game of chess.
Sunday came, a day of rest. Everyone slept in, exhausted from the week’s activities and it became a bit of a scramble to get dressed. The horses were quickly harnessed, everyone fed, hair brushed, faces cleaned and on the road to get to church on time. Peter’s horse was already there and he was deeply engrossed in a conversation with Murray Wilkinson. After the service Felicity Atkinson asked if Maria could remain behind. Her sister was in England and had mailed a new hymn to Felicity with lyrics. Felicity loved the words and was keen for everyone to learn them as she was responsible for the church choir. She had also heard Peter’s voice the previous week and made him a similar request, which he readily agreed to. So Peter and Maria found themselves in the humble little church learning the words and music. About half an hour later everyone left the cool interior of the church and stepped out into the bright, hot sun. Peter’s horse was collected, a little reluctant about leaving the cool of the trees and the grass beneath it. Maria walked beside him, suddenly feeling a little tongue tied. Peter broke the silence first. “I have to return a compliment to you.”
She turned to him with a quizzical look on her face, “How do you mean?”
“You complimented me on my singing voice after Grace’s birthday. May I, in turn, compliment you on yours?”
Maria blushed. “Thank you,” she murmured and again found herself tongue tied, still a little shy.
At that point the rattle of a gig made them turn around. Maria sighed, sounding a little exasperated. Jasper. Peter detected the sigh and the implications. Jasper lifted his hat in a greeting and slowed his horse to their pace. “Good morning, Miss Scott.”
Maria glanced up. “Good morning to you, Mr Peterson.”
“Miss Scott, may I offer you a ride home? This is far too warm a day for you to be walking.” Jasper was confident in his request as he had managed to convince Maria to accept rides twice in the last few months after a late choir practice. To his surprise he was politely rejected.
“Thank you for the very kind offer, Mr Peterson. Mr Matthews has kindly offered to escort me home today.”
Jasper glanced over to Peter and his face tightened. Mr Matthews better not be attempting to capture Maria’s heart. He had been secretly in love with her since they had attended school together. Now that he was a man of means it was time to woo Maria. Damned if this newcomer was going to get in the way.
Peter detected the slight tightening of Jasper’s lips but said nothing and reached up to shake the young man’s hand. “Thank you for the offer, Mr Peterson. I trust this hasn’t put you out in any way?”
Jasper shook his hand briefly before reaching up and tipping his hat. “No, I haven’t been inconvenienced. Good day to you.” With a flick of the reins he moved off, quietly fuming.
Peter turned to Maria, “Am I to understand you didn’t appreciate his offer of a ride?”
She explained, “He and I used to be at school together. I suspect he liked me because he was always annoying me or giving me small gifts of sweets. I thought I would be free from him once he started working for his father but now I am receiving offers such as this. He isn’t a bad man, I just find him a little tedious and self-obsessed.”
Peter laughed at this explanation. “Would it suit you if I escorted you home from church on a regular basis?” he ventured.
Maria’s reply suited him immensely, “I would very much appreciate that offer, thank you.”
Peter paused for a second. “One rule though.”
Maria turned to him again. “What rule?”
“We are to be on a first name basis.”
She smiled, glad that that issue was clarified. It was always a little difficult to know when to cross the line from formal to familiar. Even though Peter was a good friend of the family, the changing of his status from that of a married neighbour to a single man, escorting a single lady home meant a change of relationship. “A small price to pay, I will consider it.”
Peter laughed. “Why, thank you for such consideration.” They continued on their way, both aware of the subtle change in their relationship.
At one stage they paused under an elm tree and Peter tied the horse up to a convenient branch. He untied a basket that was mysteriously attached to the saddle and reached for Maria’s hand. “Come with me,” he said, before leading her through the long grass towards a small stream. Maria followed, her fingers tingling with the sensation of holding his hand. All too soon he let go, and gestured towards the laden raspberry bushes. “I spotted these a few weeks ago, do you feel like raspberry picking?”
Maria’s mouth watered. She loved raspberries. Her stomach rumbled, it was lunchtime. The berries were picked, a vast amount also disappearing down their throats. Once the basket was filled Peter suggested they should continue on their way. They both laughed as they looked at each other, raspberry stains were on their fingers, teeth and their clothing was stained with the juice.
Susan looked out the window in the process of serving lunch. She saw Maria and Peter coming down the road, obviously enjoying a joke between them and Peter carrying a basket. Even from that distance she could see that the two of them were clearly relaxed and enjoying each other’s company. She nudged Andrew to look and he watched his daughter and their neighbour casually make their way towards their house. They paused at the turnoff where Peter would