A Friendships Love - Settler series book 1 (Wattpad version, first draft)

Gift Giving

Giving a Gift

Ashley and I were sitting by the lake, for our midday meal. Mama had packed a picnic basket and shooed me out of the kitchen door. When I saw Ash outside, Ashley said her mother did the same thing to her. Lady Townshend told her to take the afternoon off, and join Payton, down by the water.

The reason for letting us play, for the rest of the day, wasn’t argued.  We made our way down, to where we were lazily looking at flying water bugs, dart to and fro over the water. The air was warmer, with a hint of moisture, which might have meant rain. I wasn’t actually sure about those sorts of things. My weather information only came, from hearing my Pa talk about it.

 “Do you suppose, we will ever grow up Payton? It feels as though, we have been little girls forever!” Ashley was so eager to grow up. She had lots of things to look forward to, I supposed. I was just glad, to be not working at the moment.

“I hope not, I like not having to worry about grown up things” I turned to face her, “I mean I want to have babies, one day. I don’t actually think of things the way you do Ash. I have to wait, till someone can afford to take care of me.” My mind went back to a week before, when I overheard Pa, and Lord Townshend talking. I remembered Lord Townshend said that I might be able to have the same privileges Ashley did. I wondered if maybe, this might extend to whom I could marry. But the thought was gone, as quickly as Ash started talking again.

“Oh Payt, not if you are my companion.” Ashley said, seeming to come alive with an idea. Ashley’s ideas can sometimes be exciting, but scary, and the way she looked at me now, I wasn’t sure which I felt. “When we get a little older, you will become my companion, and then, we shall marry you to gentlemen. We can all go to balls, and dinner parties, and go to all sorts of musicals and things.” Ashley was now, clapping her hands, with the excitement of her idea. It wasn’t actually a new one. She always talked to me about becoming her ladies maid. Once, when I mentioned this to my mama, she said that, that would probably not happen. As Lord and Lady Townshend didn’t have extravagances, like others of their status. They liked to live in a way, which saw them, have, a more hands on approach, to their estate. And that also meant, to their own comfort as well. Forgoing things like; personal servants, including ladies maids. So, with that in mind, I always took Ash’s talk, of ladies maids, and companions, with a smile on my face, knowing it would never happen. Until she married someone, and hopefully he would let her at least, have a personal maid, and that would be me.

“Well Ash, as long as whoever he is, loves me. I want to fall in love.” I said with little emotion for the conversation. I didn’t like the idea of going to balls, and all those “things” Ash talked about on a regular basis. I wasn’t sure if I were old enough to know what I wanted, when it came to getting married. But I did know that my mama and pa were happy in our little cottage, and that is all I looked forward to, at this time.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Ashley and I turned around, startled to see three tall shadows coming closer, which were attached to three tall boys. Nash, Charlie, and William to be exact.

“WILL!” Ash yelled springing to her feet and raced into her brothers open arms. He had been staying with a relative or someone while he was getting started on his studies in London. He looked like he had grown quite a bit, and was about half a foot taller, than Nash and Charlie. His hair was dishevelled, and looked, as though, it was darkening to a sandy blond, rather than the paler blond I was used to. I hadn’t seen him on his last visit. Not for any particular reason, except that we never ran into each other. Nash and Charlie were inseparable anyway, but when William was home you could more often than not, find Will with them. Or the other way around, I wasn't sure. William and Nash, in their adolescence, were two peas in a pod, and when Charlie came along, Lord Townshend named them three of a kind