This story is by Kathie L. Court and was part of our 2024 Spring Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.
“Come, Mother. Father is at rest.” Anna glanced at her father’s headstone as she led her mother away.
Joseph James Norman
Beloved husband, father, and friend
B: August 29, 1793
D: August 1, 1844
***
The next day, Anna stood in the kitchen garden and watched the vicar, along with a young man, walk toward her. When they arrived, the vicar introduced him, “Anna Norman, this is William Price.”
“Hello, William. Welcome to Ainsdale. Have you come far?”
“Far enough.” He grinned, “Nice garden.”
“Thank you. Wander about if you like, William. Vicar, Mother’s inside.”
Anna entered the kitchen. “Mother, Vicar’s here.”
Her mother rose from her seat at the table and smiled at him.
The vicar reached out with both hands to her, “Clara, how are you?”
Clara grasped his hands, “I’m fine, Vicar. I miss him.”
The vicar squeezed gently, “I’m here whenever you need to talk.” He nodded toward the window, “William Price’s a farmer.”
They watched as William bent to pull a weed from a row of carrots.
Clara turned to the vicar, “He knows a weed from a plant, Vicar. Why is he here?”
“He needs work and you need help. Would you like to meet him?”
Clara nodded at Anna, who opened the kitchen door, “William, would you like to meet my mother?”
“Yes.” He entered the kitchen.
The vicar placed his hand on William’s shoulder, “Clara Norman, this is William Price. William, these women could use help with their harvest.”
William nodded to Clara, “I’d be happy to help.”
Clara shrugged, “Suits me fine. Anna?”
“Me, too. When can you start?”
“As soon as I get my things from the vicarage.”
***
Later that evening, Clara chuckled, “Aren’t we lucky William came along? God is looking out for us.”
Anna snorted, “God picked a fine time to look out for us. Where was He when Father was injured?”
Clara patted her daughter’s shoulder, “I miss him, too, Love.”
Anna smiled, “If not God this time, at least the vicar was looking out for us. Mother, you hesitated about William. Why?”
Her mother sat with a sigh, “Seemed odd. He appeared right when we needed help. What do we know about him? Can we trust him to take our grain to market?”
“We don’t need to trust him. I’ll travel with him.”
Clara’s eyes widened, “You will not! You cannot ride such a distance with a young man you don’t know. What if he assaults you?”
“Mother, please, I’m as tall as he is and stronger, too, I’ll wager. Let him force himself on me, he’ll be well and truly sorry. One piece of his farm equipment would be broken for a while, if not permanently.”
“Anna, you are scandalous!” Clara laughed all the same. As they prepared for bed Clara continued, “I hope he knows how to farm. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Anna stood at the sink and gazed out the window at the kitchen garden. In the evening light, her reflection revealed a slender face with wide set deep brown eyes over a somewhat hooked nose, and a toothy smile. “We will, won’t we?”
***
In the following weeks, Anna watched William do his chores. He focused on each task until he finished. He treated the animals with love and care.
One morning, Anna watched William as he carried a scythe through rows of stubble to a patch of unharvested wheat. Sunlight showed through the stalks and highlighted moss-covered stones beneath. William bent to touch one stone Anna knew was stained red with her father’s blood.
Anna walked toward William. “I came to see how you are.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are now. Did you know that scythe and that moss claimed a life? I might have saved my father if I found him sooner. I’ll sit and read while you work.”
“Thank you but I don’t need you here.”
“Maybe not. I’ll stay anyway. You might need supervision.” Anna raised her eyebrow and cocked her head to one side.
“Oh, now the truth is told.” William laughed. He took a solid stance, lifted the scythe to one side, and swung the blade down.
“Why are you here, William?”
“What do you mean? I’m here to help harvest your crops.”
“No, I mean why did you leave your home? Where is your home?”
William shrugged his shoulders and turned his back to swing the scythe.
“Don’t turn your back on me, William Price! I want to know more about you.” Her voice softened, “You understand why. We need to trust you. How can we if we don’t know you?”
William took another swing.
Anna turned away, “Talking to a tree stump.”
William touched Anna’s retreating back. “Wait, Anna. I don’t know why I had to leave.”
Anna turned, “That can’t be true, William.”
“I remember drinking and joking with my sister’s old beau at her wedding reception. When I woke the next morning in the barn, my father tossed me a satchel with my clothes. Told me to leave.”
Anna rested her hand on his forearm. “You have no idea why?”
“None.” He shook his head. “Couldn’t say goodbye to Ma. Left without knowing where I was going.” William sighed.
“I’m sorry.” Anna took William’s hand, squeezed gently, and released it.
She smiled at him, “You can swing a scythe. What else do you know how to do?”
“A lot of things. What do you need done?”
This is my chance. If he says ‘no’, I’ll be a spinster from now on.
“I need a child.”
“What?” William stopped in mid-swing and lowered the scythe. He turned to face Anna, “You need what?”
“A child.”
“A child?”
“Don’t you know how to help me?”
“Of course I do.” William’s cheeks reddened as he turned away. For all his swagger, Anna guessed he’d never been with a woman.
“I have a proposal,” she sat.
“Proposal? Marriage proposal?” William lowered his head toward Anna, “We don’t know each other enough to marry.”
Anna stood, tossed her head, “More of a proposition, without the complication of ‘love.’ I want a child. You want to farm where no one can force you to leave. Let’s give each other what we want.”
“Isn’t right. What would your Ma say? This is her farm.”
“Right now, yes. when you marry me, the farm becomes ours. Mother would get some rest and live in a separate cottage on the farm.
“Why me, Anna? Plenty of men would accept your proposition.”
“Why? You don’t know, and you never asked, how much we own and how much money we have. Men in our village know, or at least suspect. You will need to agree to some conditions.”
“Conditions?”
Anna nodded, “Seems you’re not used to alcohol. My first condition is you stay out of the pub.”
“At home farmers meet at the end of their day to swap tall tales and talk about their farms. Lots I can learn from Ainsdale farmers.”
Anna tilted her head, “If you can’t avoid the pub, can you promise to drink only a pint or two?
“I can. Other ‘conditions’?”
“You attend church with Mother and me every Sunday. Would you?”
“Yes.”
“What conditions do you have, William?”
Believing William was convinced, Anna was startled when he said, “No, no. This is too daft.”
“Calling me daft, William Price?” Anna leaped to stand with her hands on her hips.
“Yes, I am. You could have a child with any man.”
“Look at me, William. I’m no beauty. I could never trust a man to marry me because he loved me, not what I own. If you accept my proposition, at least we are honest with each other about why we’re married.”
“I need time to think.”
“All right, take as much time as you need. You think while I read.”
William lifted the scythe, took one swing, set the implement down and walked over to sit beside her. “Are you sure about this? Are you ready to sleep in my bed and take care of me while I take care of our farm?”
“You said ‘our farm.’ You’ve decided.”
“Maybe. Tell me more.”
“All right. What do you want?”
“Warm, dry place to sleep and tasty food.”
“Everyone wants those things. What do you want?”
“A healthy horse? A sharp plow? Rain and sun for my crops? A dry barn with a sturdy loft?”
“You sound like you’re alone. Don’t you want to be with others?”
“Sure, everyone does.”
“Not everyone. Some people don’t need anything more than an animal companion, and some don’t need that.”
“I never wanted much. I had what I had. Didn’t see how I could have anything more,” William shook his head, “Until my Pa taught me I could have less.”
“Together we can have more. We can.” Anna stood, reached for William’s hand and continued, “Do you trust me? Will you work with me?”
As he stood face to face, eye to eye with Anna, William smiled, “Yes.”
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