The next morning began in the bath house as usual. When she heard about the planned outing, Martha scoffed. “Typical, taking holidays while the rest of us work.”

Eleanor raised a brow. “Like you work on the afternoons I’m with Sarah?”

That earned her a hair toss. Martha had irritatingly pretty hair, all black and shiny, but with a wave her mother’s lacked. Tilly was helping her comb it out and said. “You should borrow Eleanor’s yellow ribbon for the Winterfest, it would look ever so nice with your yellow gown and all the castle boys will be sighing over you.”

How generous of Tilly. Eleanor said. “I’m afraid that ribbon is now the waistband on Sarah’s new apron. We’ll have to hunt for some others.”

There was no way that acid-tongued grump was getting her hands on Eleanor’s silk ribbons, and the blue wouldn’t suit her anyway. Tilly bounced on her seat. “You and Cadan can do the next town trip and bring back all sorts!”

A town trip? No, not in a million years, not for all the ribbons in Clearfall, not even if the Duchess herself begged her, not even if Cadan begged her. The shocked looks, the whispers, the sniggers, they’d follow her down every street, from every shop and market stall she passed. She was never going back to Gandry.

Maggie changed the subject. “If you’re so set on pretty trims, girls, all you need to do is apply a little more effort to your weaving. Ribbons are an apprentice weaver’s stock in trade.”

From the look on Tilly’s face, Eleanor wondered whether there might not be a third knock on Maggie’s door after lunch tomorrow.

She and Sarah returned home to the scent of bubbling porridge and bacon about to burn.

While they ate, Cadan packed food for their lunch, a picnic, at this time of year. In his favour, the day had dawned unexpectedly clear and still. The damp, miserable, rain-bearing wind was elsewhere and Eleanor, trying to reach across the gap created the night before, said. “Are you such an important person then, that you can convince the weather to cooperate on your day off?”

Cadan’s smile was more relieved than amused, but it was a smile. “We always get a day or so of calm between the winds that bring the autumn rains and the ones delivering the winter snows.”

Well, that was just wonderful news. She’d been rained on until she was as soggy as a dish-cleaning rag, and now she had chilblains to look forward to.

Sarah said. “There was talk this morning of sending Cadan and Eleanor on the next town run.”

Eleanor huffed. “Only because Tilly wants ribbons.”

Matthew frowned. “We’ve a lot of work to be preparing for spring growth. It comes around too fast to not start early. I don’t think the lad can be spared.”

Sarah replied. “But Eleanor’s the only one who knows the value of our wood in town. For all Ingrid’s hand-wringing, we should not be letting that pair at Stoney Hill Farm get away with taking advantage like they have.”

Matthew said. “Then we send her with someone else. Easy enough.”

Eleanor’s jaw dropped as she stared at the man, horrified. That was even worse. Cadan rubbed her shoulder. “Are you finished eating? We’ve some ground to cover today, so best to get on. Arguments about town trips can happen later.”

Eleanor nodded and gulped the last of her tea before cleaning her bowl, spoon, and mug. How Mrs Fisher would stare. And sneer. Horrible woman.

Cadan slung a bag across his body and reached for Eleanor’s hand. “We’ll see you this evening.”

Eleanor waved to the older couple as they left. She liked to think the smiles and waves she got back were starting to be a little fond.

Cadan took them along the path to, then through, Garden Clearing. Tilly waved from where she stood in the chicken pen, scattering grain.

As they re-entered the forest, Eleanor asked. “Who is Tilly apprenticed to?”

Cadan replied. “No one. She never learned to read or write even with her father as the teacher, and while most here don’t hold much store by reading, all the children know enough to satisfy the rules of the Duchess. Since she can’t learn reading, she can’t learn anything else.”

Eleanor frowned. “But she’s not stupid. At all.”

“I wouldn’t know, she’s a nice enough girl, a bit flighty. I heard her say once that the letters turned somersaults whenever she tried to read them, so maybe it’s a problem with her eyes.”

That earned him a snort. There was nothing wrong with Tilly’s eyes either. She tucked the puzzle away for later. It was a lovely day and she needed to coax Cadan’s surprises out of him.

She squeezed the hand holding hers. “Where are we going? And don’t keep saying it’s a surprise. I want to be able to look forward to it.”

There, that was a nice way of asking.

He paused and looked at her, she put on her best pleading expression and swung their joined hands. “Please?”

One side of his mouth quirked up. “Ingrid said you’d wrap me around your little finger in next to no time. I’ve a couple of places in mind. I’ll tell you a little about the first one now, then when we’re there, I’ll tell you about the second one.”

It wasn’t as good as a full explanation, but she’d take it. They started walking again.

Cadan said. “We’re heading for a spot on the village river. We have to approach it from upstream. Downstream’s too overgrown and even the upstream path can be a bit awkward in places.”

Eleanor waited for more, they kept walking, Cadan began pointing out different plants and trees, and showing her rabbit tracks.

She prodded him. “Why are we going to this particular place?”

He looked a little offended. “That wasn’t enough?”

“That wasn’t anything.”

He looked hurt. “But I want to surprise you.”

“And I want to a reason to put up with the awkward parts of the path.”

He seemed to accept that because he finally told her. “It’s a pool, deep and calm, not with the swirls and currents of the mill pool. It’s very sheltered but still open to the sun, so I’ve found strawberries there when they’ve been gone from our gardens for a month, and it’s the first place in the forest where Spring arrives.”

That did sound nice, she bumped his shoulder with hers. “It sounds lovely. Is it where all the Woodbine couples go when they’re courting?”

His cheeks and ears turned red. “No, I found the place my first summer here and never told anyone about it, other than Matthew but he only knows it’s a river pool, not that it’s special.”

He was showing her his secret place, she wanted to grin, and hug him, and giggle. She wriggled her hand free of his, tucked herself under his arm and let the grin free. “Thank you.”

He looked confused for a moment, then grinned back, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

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