Читать книгу The Tarnished Necklace - Trish Inc. Duffin - Страница 19

Sunday morning came and Andrew came over. He helped Peter get ready for the day before departing for church. Peter slowly walked around his home. Obviously Andrew had made the boys spend hours splitting wood. Peter reckoned he wouldn’t need to split wood for another year, due to the size of the wood pile. He grinned when he felt the wood. It was hard wood and he could only imagine the blisters those boys would have. He went out behind his house and confirmed his suspicions. A tree had come down in the late spring storm and Peter had made a few tentative chops before being discouraged over how hard the wood was. Now the only evidence of it being there were crushed weeds and small chunks of wood everywhere. He turned back to his house and spotted Jake making his way down the road.

The next few hours were restful, the dog at his feet, the call of birds in the air, the soft clouds sliding across the sky. Peter felt he had visited hell and was now back in heaven. Then his mind turned to more practical details. Two areas of consideration came to mind. One was obviously Maria, the other was the approaching winter. It didn’t make sense for him to stay in this little house over the winter period. He would be more sensible finding work elsewhere to bring money in. There was the snag, elsewhere, not here. Also what work could he find? His previous work on the railway lines was out of the question. He winced at the thought of waving a sledgehammer around for ten hours. Last year he did that but this year he couldn’t even move his arm. Hopefully he will regain use of his hand before winter set in. One option was seeking employment with the railways in planning, strategy or advising. He doubted such employment could be found in this small town, so again he was going to have to consider leaving for the winter period.

Perhaps he could stay? No, that was a foolish idea - to have no income for four months was silly. His crops will bring in some welcome money but not enough to cover the planting period. He had his investments but he couldn’t rely solely on them. He liked working for his money. At least his property was paid for.

So, back to Maria. He sat there and pulled his mind back over the last half year. Her friendship to Chenoa spoke volumes to him. Maria wasn’t bigoted and was a warm friendly person. Her excitement over the baby spoke of her warm heart and her love for children. He had seen her deal with her sisters and had been impressed with her gentleness and kindness. She was a good cook, pretty, intelligent and one thing he loved doing was simply sitting with her and talking. That was one thing he and Chenoa had never been able to do, due to neither being fluent in each other’s language, though they had both learnt fast.

Peter’s mind swung to Susan, Andrew was a lucky man to have her as a wife. Maria was very much like her mother. This meant she would make a wonderful wife. So he had convinced himself that Maria was worthy of courting, he hadn’t had to work hard on that. Was he worthy for her? He had a few secrets that he needed to tell them about before courting her. He grimaced. It was time to tell them about how he met Chenoa. Also he begrudgingly decided he should tell them about his father as well. They had never asked him about his past.

So, now what?

Jake walked over and he fondled the dog’s ears.

Peter made his decision. He was going to ask Andrew permission to court Maria. He was going to tell them, well, not the children though, about Chenoa and he was going to get on with his life. Over the winter period he would work elsewhere, coming back in the spring to his home and have her in the house as his wife by next winter. Easy, except for the winter part.

He sighed.

He was missing her.

He was lonely. Even Jake wasn’t much company, he had gone to sleep again.

Peter found himself walking towards Andrew’s home, not intentionally, he just was thinking about them. He got to the turnoff and paused. This is where it all happened. He stood there and images flickered through his mind, all of them violent. He recalled rolling down a bank, it must have been here. Brief flashes flicked through his mind, the look of hatred in Jasper’s eyes, someone screaming, blows from behind and his last fleeting thoughts before darkness closed in. He shook his head, turned back home and went to bed.

Andrew met him about 5 o’clock, earlier than planned, but Maria had been moping around the house all day and it was beginning to irritate him. Peter was sitting on the porch with Jake’s head on his lap and reading a book when Andrew arrived. Andrew smiled, so that’s where Jake was, he should have guessed. They hadn’t been too worried when they came home and found him gone but it was good to know where he was. “How was your day Peter?” asked Andrew and he laughed when he got the reply, “Dull.”

They walked for a few minutes before Peter broke the silence. “I’ve had a lot of time for thinking and came to a few conclusions. Can we just stop for a short while?”

Andrew nodded and helped Peter sit down against a tree before joining him. “So what’s on your mind?” he enquired.

“Two things actually,” replied Peter. He leant back against the tree before glancing over to Andrew. “Do I have your permission to court your daughter? I know it has only been a short time since Chenoa’s death and you may think I am rushing things, but may I?”

Andrew nodded, glad that he and Susan had already talked about this. His reply came easily. “Susan and I have already noticed you two have a deep fondness for each other. Our main concern is to make sure that you aren’t trying to fill in the hole created by Chenoa’s death. You and Maria get on so well and we know Maria is very fond of you. You have our permission, but I want you to promise me to take it slowly. You need to allow yourself time to get over your recent loss.”

Peter had spent a lot of time in the last week chewing over that very issue. He was confident that Maria wasn’t replacing Chenoa but was a wonderful young lady in her own right. He wanted Maria in his life. “Thank you. The second issue is this. There is no sense in me staying in my home over the winter. It makes more sense for me to find a job elsewhere. This time it won’t be laying the railroad though! I think I will approach them for a desk job over the winter period, perhaps in a planning role. Would you be happy to tend to my animals and keep an eye on the house before I return in spring?”

“I could cheerfully wring your neck!” Peter looked at him in surprise. Andrew continued, his face an expression of mock dismay. “You want to court Maria and then leave me for three months, locked in a tiny house in the dead of winter with a moping daughter who will be insufferable by the time spring arrives?”

Peter laughed and then winced in pain - blasted ribs. “I think I will have the better end of the bargain,” he replied.

Andrew pulled at a hunk of grass and threw it at Peter, “Well, thanks, that’s all I can say. Permission granted for Maria. I will care for your cow and eat your chickens as compensation for all the suffering I will have to endure over winter.” Peter’s face was wreathed in a smile as he reached for Andrew’s left hand. They shook, before standing up.

As they continued walking down the road Peter ventured one more thing. “There is one thing I have to do first. I need to tell you about Chenoa and I.”

Andrew glanced over to him. They had sometimes speculated about how Chenoa and Peter had met, but had never asked. “You don’t have to.”

Peter paused in his tracks. He was getting tired so he stepped sideways and leaned against a tree for a second before looking at Andrew. “I need to tell you what happened but I can’t tell you when Grace, Joanne and Alice are around. I will come over one day when they are at school. I think they start back tomorrow.”

Andrew nodded. This story sounded serious. “Why don’t you come over for lunch tomorrow? We can sit down together and talk then.” Peter agreed to this proposal and the two men continued along the road, the ten minute walk had taken a bit longer today.

The evening meal was delightful, eggs, salad, fresh bread and some fresh fish. Later on they all went outside, Jake charged around chasing a small stick that Alice threw for him and barked his head off. Grace curled up in Peter’s arms, laid her head against his chest and promptly fell asleep. Joanne had her nose in a book, Susan and Andrew went for a small walk together, just enjoying time alone. Maria sat beside Peter and they chatted away. He broke the news to her that he was thinking of moving away over the winter period. He was dismayed to see her face drop and the hint of tears glisten in her eyes. A twinge of sympathy for Andrew hit him. He realised Andrew knew his daughter quite well. He switched the conversation to a happier subject and Maria cuddled up beside him laughing over a joke he made. That evening Peter lay in bed, a smile on his face and thought back to that moment of contentment.

Maria lay in her bed and thought back to the evening. It was so good to have him getting stronger and healthier. She dwelt on the feeling of having her head against his shoulder, it felt so good to be beside him and be with him. She sighed, the future was looking exciting. Sleep overcame her and her dreams were filled with gentle fleeting kisses and soft brown eyes looking into hers.