large extent due to Jenny’s mother, who even after death cast a substantial shadow over her most beloved daughter. Alex accepted the offered mug of barley water, smiling when she recognised her own recipe with plenty of ginger and cinnamon.
“I miss you,” she said, seeing a pleased smile appear on Jenny’s face.
“You do?” Jenny sat down opposite to her.
“Yes, you never come over anymore, do you?”
Jenny looked away and muttered something about being very busy with the last of the summer milk.
Alex drank some more barley water. “Your mother wouldn’t approve.” She was taken aback by the dark flush that flew up Jenny’s face. A warning bell rang in Alex’s head.
“Approve?” Jenny asked in a flat voice.
“Of you spending so much time alone.” Alex noted how the tensed back relaxed somewhat, but decided not to push things – at least, not for now. She sighed. Both Jenny and Ian were hurting, and she had no idea how to help. “You don’t spend time with us, and you don’t ride over to see your brother and father. All the time you spend up here, with the occasional visit from Agnes or Naomi.”
Jenny’s light blue eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to see my father!”
“No, I suppose that might be difficult.”
“Eight months dead she was when he informed me he was marrying again.” Two bright red spots appeared on Jenny’s cheeks. “The woman he’d been married to for more than thirty years, and she’s barely cold in her grave before he goes a-courting again!”
“Maybe he was lonely,” Alex tried, although she totally agreed with Jenny.
“Lonely? Then he could have wed a widow, someone closer to his age, not that…that…”
“Girl?” Alex offered.
Jenny bit her lip and nodded.
“It isn’t her fault. I dare say your father, for all his stellar qualities, did not come top of her wish list – he’s older than her father!”
“Stellar qualities?” Jenny stared at Alex before breaking out in harsh laughter. “There are babies all over Leslie’s Crossing,” Jenny said once she’d stopped laughing, her voice darkening. “Nathan and Ailish seem intent on populating the world by themselves, and then there’s Constance, and I…I…” She looked away.
“Jenny…” Alex clasped her hand. “The babies will come. You’ll see, they’ll come.” Jenny hung her head, refusing to meet Alex’s eyes. “But don’t lose your husband on the way. Don’t let this become a wall between you.” To Alex’s surprise, Jenny slid to her knees, buried her head in Alex’s skirts, and cried.
When Alex left an hour or so later, she was very pleased with herself. They’d had a long heart to heart about the importance of nurturing a relationship, and a red-nosed Jenny had promised that she’d follow Alex’s advice and use the trip to Providence to try and find her way back to Ian.
“Don’t forget to touch him – often,” Alex had said, having to smile at Jenny’s scandalised look. “Not like that, silly. Like this…” She’d exemplified by brushing her hand gently down Jenny’s arm.
Alex smiled pleasantly at Angus when he popped up from behind the woodshed. He gave her a shy smile in return before falling in behind her. Alex swung her basket and hummed to herself. A good day’s work, all in all, and on top of that her basket was full of mushrooms. She decided to fry them with finely chopped onion and parsley, and then she and Matthew could have them for supper – only he and she, in the privacy of their bedroom. And while she was at it, she was going to talk to him about Patrick – she hadn’t liked the way he had looked at Jenny when they came out of Jenny’s kitchen, a lascivious glint in his eyes.
*
Jenny waved Alex off, ignored Patrick’s heated gaze and stepped back inside, leaning heavily against the door. She wasn’t sure how all this had started. There’d been the time when she had run into Patrick in the forest, and he had handed her a flower.
“I miss you,” she said, seeing a pleased smile appear on Jenny’s face.
“You do?” Jenny sat down opposite to her.
“Yes, you never come over anymore, do you?”
Jenny looked away and muttered something about being very busy with the last of the summer milk.
Alex drank some more barley water. “Your mother wouldn’t approve.” She was taken aback by the dark flush that flew up Jenny’s face. A warning bell rang in Alex’s head.
“Approve?” Jenny asked in a flat voice.
“Of you spending so much time alone.” Alex noted how the tensed back relaxed somewhat, but decided not to push things – at least, not for now. She sighed. Both Jenny and Ian were hurting, and she had no idea how to help. “You don’t spend time with us, and you don’t ride over to see your brother and father. All the time you spend up here, with the occasional visit from Agnes or Naomi.”
Jenny’s light blue eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to see my father!”
“No, I suppose that might be difficult.”
“Eight months dead she was when he informed me he was marrying again.” Two bright red spots appeared on Jenny’s cheeks. “The woman he’d been married to for more than thirty years, and she’s barely cold in her grave before he goes a-courting again!”
“Maybe he was lonely,” Alex tried, although she totally agreed with Jenny.
“Lonely? Then he could have wed a widow, someone closer to his age, not that…that…”
“Girl?” Alex offered.
Jenny bit her lip and nodded.
“It isn’t her fault. I dare say your father, for all his stellar qualities, did not come top of her wish list – he’s older than her father!”
“Stellar qualities?” Jenny stared at Alex before breaking out in harsh laughter. “There are babies all over Leslie’s Crossing,” Jenny said once she’d stopped laughing, her voice darkening. “Nathan and Ailish seem intent on populating the world by themselves, and then there’s Constance, and I…I…” She looked away.
“Jenny…” Alex clasped her hand. “The babies will come. You’ll see, they’ll come.” Jenny hung her head, refusing to meet Alex’s eyes. “But don’t lose your husband on the way. Don’t let this become a wall between you.” To Alex’s surprise, Jenny slid to her knees, buried her head in Alex’s skirts, and cried.
When Alex left an hour or so later, she was very pleased with herself. They’d had a long heart to heart about the importance of nurturing a relationship, and a red-nosed Jenny had promised that she’d follow Alex’s advice and use the trip to Providence to try and find her way back to Ian.
“Don’t forget to touch him – often,” Alex had said, having to smile at Jenny’s scandalised look. “Not like that, silly. Like this…” She’d exemplified by brushing her hand gently down Jenny’s arm.
Alex smiled pleasantly at Angus when he popped up from behind the woodshed. He gave her a shy smile in return before falling in behind her. Alex swung her basket and hummed to herself. A good day’s work, all in all, and on top of that her basket was full of mushrooms. She decided to fry them with finely chopped onion and parsley, and then she and Matthew could have them for supper – only he and she, in the privacy of their bedroom. And while she was at it, she was going to talk to him about Patrick – she hadn’t liked the way he had looked at Jenny when they came out of Jenny’s kitchen, a lascivious glint in his eyes.
*
Jenny waved Alex off, ignored Patrick’s heated gaze and stepped back inside, leaning heavily against the door. She wasn’t sure how all this had started. There’d been the time when she had run into Patrick in the forest, and he had handed her a flower.
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