Epilogue

Ellen stood watching as Tom came out of the church with his new wife on his arm. It was summer because they’d waited a few months for decency’s sake and their happiness seemed to surround them like a golden glow. She couldn’t help smiling as Roz looked across at her and winked.

Ellen nodded back. Over the past few months they’d formed a good working relationship. Roz wasn’t afraid of hard work, though she’d had to be taught even the simplest of tasks.

‘It’s what comes of being born a lady,’ Ellen had told her when she’d despaired of learning how to bake bread. ‘It’s a good thing you’ve got me to show you or Tom would be on short rations.’

‘Yes, he would.’ Roz laughed. ‘You won’t tell him how useless I am, will you?’

‘You’re everything that man ever wanted and he’d starve rather than admit you’re not perfect.’

Glancing at Roz’s friend Lady Julia, Ellen was glad of the new dress her daughter-in-law had insisted on making for her in a dark blue silk. Ellen had never worn anything like it in her life and might not ever again but she had to admit that it felt good. Lady Julia had been so generous and so friendly, different from Roz’s mother who had not come to the wedding and was refusing to have anything to do with her daughter.

Roz didn’t seem to mind too much that most of her old friends had cut her. There weren’t enough hours in the day to sit and mope because the work never stopped. Roz was happy with her life and she made them smile as she struggled to do all the things a farmer’s wife ought to be able to do. She hadn’t quite got the hang of the milking yet but she was learning. One of these days she would be as quick and clever at her chores as she was with her sewing and her reading. Ellen loved it when the chores were done for the night and Roz read to them all from one of her many books.

Tom had bought more land and he was talking of building on to the house soon. Roz needed a parlour of her own for all her bits and pieces and they wanted more bedrooms because there was already a baby on the way and she was set on having a big family.

Most of all, Roz was happy and that made Tom happy too. You could see it in the way they looked at each other as they walked arm in arm towards the wedding carriage. There was laughter in the house now and love, and that was how it should be.

All in all life hadn’t turned out too badly, Ellen decided and darted forward to shower the couple with rice and flower petals.