Eliza asked, when he’d finished restocking their peat stack. He looked up at the sun that was nearly overhead then shook his head.
‘Best not, I’ve more deliveries to make for Father,’ he sighed, climbing into his trow. ‘I’ll make sure I have time to stop next time and we can finish that conversation we began in the barn.’ Giving her a meaningful look, he picked up the oars.
She watched as he pulled away from the bank then bent and rinsed her grubby hands in the water. Clem and his talks, she thought, shaking her head then grimacing at the dust that fell onto her shoulders. There was no time for hair washing, she needed to make a start on that rattle for Mrs Finch’s grandchild. Bending down, she searched around until she found seven smooth pebbles, then made her way to the barn.
As ever, the tang of tannin in the air focused her thoughts. Selecting seven suitable withies, she dropped down onto her stool and began weaving the rods in and out to create the conical body. Carefully she inserted each pebble as she went; one for pride, another for envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust. Not that the little mite would have a clue what they signified, but superstition was rife around Sedge Moor and tradition adhered to. Taking up the rest of the lengths, she plaited the seven canes so that they wrapped the seven virtues. Faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, prudence and temperance, she intoned as she wove.
‘How lovely to see a maiden reciting her virtues, and a beautiful one with tresses soft as silk.’ Eliza’s head snapped up, her eyes widening as she took in the tall young man silhouetted in the open doorway. With the sun burnishing his locks golden, she couldn’t help thinking how handsome he looked.
‘Oh, you startled me,’ she cried, jumping to her feet and brushing bits of bark from her skirt.
‘Then please accept my apologies. My horse cast a shoe some way back and whilst waiting for the farrier to attend him, I began exploring. Somehow, I found myself inexplicably drawn to all those funny trees standing alongside the water,’ he explained, gesturing towards the rhynes. ‘I mean, I know they’re willows but I’ve never seen them shaped in such a way.’ His voice was cultured and he spoke in a quick tone, quite unlike the local drawl.
‘They are pollarded in order to encourage new shoots to grow straight upwards.’
‘Gracious, I can see my education is sadly lacking,’ the man replied. She stared at him, wondering if he was making fun of her, but although his green eyes were twinkling, his expression was serious. He was immaculately dressed in clothes so well cut, she couldn’t begin to imagine how much they cost. Their eyes locked and she felt a tingling down her spine. She could see by the way he stared that he’d felt something too, but before she could think of what to say to dispel the intensity of the moment, his glance lowered to the withies in her hand.
‘I’m making a rattle for a baby,’ she explained.
‘Oh,’ he replied, a frown creasing his forehead.
‘Hence the virtues.’
‘Ah yes. Well, thank you again for the arboreal lesson, er … I didn’t catch your name?’
‘Eliza, sir, Eliza Priddle.’
‘A pretty name for a pretty young lady,’ he said, smiling so charmingly Eliza felt sparks closing the gap between them. ‘As soon as I arrive home, I will make it my business to enquire of our estate manager about pollarding. Now, please excuse me, I must away and collect my steed. He is apt to become more than a little spirited if kept waiting. Good day to you.’
‘Good day to you, sir. Do feel free to call by again,’ she added impulsively. Heavens, had she really said that? Whatever must he think of her? Yet even as she flinched at her forwardness, he turned.
‘Should I find myself around these parts again, I might just do that,’ he replied, his eyes locking with hers once more.
‘Oh, please do,’ she whispered, hugging her body and suddenly feeling more alive than she ever had before.
Humming happily, Eliza picked up the baby’s rattle, her thoughts racing as fast as her fingers plaited. What a charming man. And so beautifully dressed. She grimaced down at her old skirt, criss-crossed with snags where the withies had pulled at the threads. How she wished she’d been wearing something smarter and brighter. Even the new dress Grammer had made for her was a sober dove grey, befitting the position of a school helper. If those smart garments were what he wore for riding then she could only imagine how he dressed when formally attired. Where had he come from, she wondered. It was only then she realized that, overawed by his appearance, she hadn’t thought to ask his name. Still, he’d said he might call by again, hadn’t he? And he knew where to find her.
Staring down at the rattle, her eyes widened in surprise. She’d been so busy musing, she’d finished it without her movements registering. Impulsively, she began singing, shaking it in time to her tune.
Then, once again, Eliza found her light blocked by a figure in the doorway. Her heart flipped only to flop when she saw it was her gramfer.
‘Someone sounds happy,’ he murmured.
‘Oh Gramfer, it’s you,’ she sighed.
‘And who was you expectin’, the queen?’ he grinned. ‘Haven’t seen you this chirpy for ages. Why, your cheeks are as rosy as the apples in the orchard.’
‘Sorry Gramfer,’ Eliza murmured, guilty at being caught singing so soon after her grammer’s passing.
‘Well don’t be. Mary wouldn’t want either of us moping about the place. Life won’t be the same without her but we has to carry on. I see Clem’s delivered them turves. Inside, is he?’ Seeing his hopeful look, Eliza shook her head.
‘He said he had a lot to do. I don’t think he was expecting to be making a delivery here, especially peat on such a sunny day.’
‘Ah, well you know how quickly the weather can change this time of year.’ He turned away but not before she saw the flush creeping up his neck. So, her suspicions were correct, he had got Clem here under false pretences. ‘See you’ve finished that rattle so I’ll drop it into Mrs Finch. Hopefully she’ll have been doin’ some baking,’ he said, changing the subject. ‘I need to check how the beds on the northern boundary are comin’ along, anyhow.’
‘Well you’re the expert on all things arboreal,’ she told him, the pebbles jangling tunefully as she handed over the baby’s toy.
‘Yer what? Heavens girl, I don’t know where you gets fancy words like that from, I really don’t,’ he said, shaking his head. She was about to reply but as he shuffled back outside, she saw he was leaning heavily on his stick again and held her tongue.
Knowing he’d be gone for the rest of the day, Eliza decided to wash out the flour sack. She would make a start on her new top, just in case a certain stranger called by again, she thought, her heart flipping at the thought.
Hurrying indoors, she blinked as the peat smoke stung her eyes, then made her way up the steps and through to the tiny lean-to which her grammer had proudly referred to as the scullery. In reality it was little more than a glory hole that housed their dishes and mugs and a chipped sink with the wonkiest draining board alongside. Behind it was a store, grandly called the pantry, where their meagre provisions were set up on bricks to deter the marauding rats and other vermin that shared their damp environs.
Catching sight of
