Author's notes: Patience, my friends, patience... :-D

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Asherton Ideas

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It was Monday morning. Outside it had become a grey day. Coming down the stairs, now fully dressed, Barbara saw through the windows that it was slightly sizzling. The heavy wind blew clouds in all shades of grey across the sky. The weather offered a great prospect of the coming day. It would be a very nice day, she thought, without the need to be outside the cottage for too long. The fire would be crackling and they would make love the entire day. She blushed a little at that thought and smiled towards the ancient portraits she passed on her way to the kitchen, feeling her heart made a jump when she looked in Tommy's eyes on the wall. One day their son would have his own picture there. He would be looking like Little Stevie, of that she was sure.

Having to think about it she leaned onto the wall opposite of Tommy's oil painting. For having children they would not necessarily have to marry. Would the child become Lord Lynley anyway, even if they were not married?

It doesn't matter. she told herself. He would be a love's child and that's all that counts.

Though she had to admit that it probably would be Tommy's wish to not end the Asherton peerage just because she feared to be Lady A. Maybe she could marry him and still refuse to get the title. Oh, his noble lot would be absolutely not amused.

Barbara grinned at that idea.

What a weekend this had been! When her DI had collected her at the spa she never would have thought that she would end here. At Howenstow, musing about a shared future, musing about having children with him, thinking how it would be raising a family with His Lordship. Knowing that (or at least parts of it) was about to become reality. In fact already had started to become reality.

Patting the head of the dog that had appeared tail-wagging in front of her to receive some morning cuddles Barbara pictured herself walking at the coast, carrying a baby girl in a carrier in front of her chest, watching the Mini-Tommy running around, seeing how he chased a younger version of Limpy and two fuzzy haired Cairn Terriers.

In fact all this really was an option.

"Oh, hell, where have I manoevered myself to? Hm, Limpy?" Together with the dog she appeared in the kitchen. Daze, who already was reading the papers after her breakfast, looked up across her reading glasses and smiled.

"Hello, again." she nodded towards the dog with a lovely smile. "He's adopted you already."

"Yah, looks like." Barbara poured herself a coffee and put two slices of bread into the toaster.

"He adores Tommy, so it's no wonder he also adores you." Daze winked. Barbara could not answer anything witty instead she yawned.

"Still tired?" Daze asked and hid her smirk behind the paper.

"The night was a bit exhausting..." Barbara looked out of the window sipping at her coffee. Hearing Tommy's mother harrumphing behind her she realised how that had sounded. "Oh, umm... I mean... it's..."

"No details, please." Daze muttered drily.

"It may have sounded like... well, in fact, we've spent the night in the riding hall leading Runnel Boy around with a colic."

"You what?!" Abruptly Daze put down the paper and her cup of tea. Barbara briefed her about the events of the night and that all had gone well otherwise they would have called her son. And with Daze's statement that Barbara obviously had a natural talent for horses the conversation turned to the Asherton stables in general. The stables also were the reason why Daze already was up and ready for the day.

"The St Piran Elementary School is coming for a visit today. It's one of our local primary schools." she explained.

"How many primary schools are in Nanrunnel anyway?" Barbara asked munching her toast. Dorothy explicated that there were two of them, the old St Piran in the village centre and the Red Cross Primary School near the developing area, but they did not regularly visit.

"Just this once. It's a favour for a friend."

"Why don't you invite them more often?" Barbara suggested. "As far as I've learned not every one even around here has the opportunity of getting in touch with horses."

As always she's thinking of the not so privileged... Daze thought. "That's a nice idea, Barbara."

"You could invite every p2 on a regular and maybe the later forms on voluntary basis. Fun for the kids and another benefit thingy for you." Barbara grinned with a wink at Daze who looked back at her already thinking that it in fact was not a bad idea at all. "You could give away little flags with your crest." Barbara added with a distinctively cheeky grin.

Daze could not help but burst out in laughter. She slapped Barbara playfully on the arm when Tommy appeared in the kitchen. He immediately was adressed by his mother.

"Tommy! Good morning! What do you think - Barbara had suggested to invite our primary schools for a regular visit to the stables?"

Under her breath Barbara added "...with flags..." and grinned into her coffee mug.

"Oh, stop that, Barbara!" Daze scolded her but had to grin nonetheless while she turned to her son again. "It would be very interesting, especially for those who don't live on a farm or near stables. And you know that there are those in the modern developing area. These children don't have many opportunities to get in touch with horses at all. Of course we won't turn into a riding school for children."

"No, of course not. It will stay the elitist horse training station it already is." Barbara added, only slightly sarcastic.

"Yes, but maybe one or the other of those children will discover the love for horses, for riding, for working with those animals." Unirritated Daze went on talking to her son and already developed the idea a little further.

Tommy seemed to be far away. With his eyes on Barbara, who had turned to make herself another coffee, his mind was not on his stables at all but on her. Barbara had suggested that? he wondered. His eyes drifted away through the window into the sizzling weather outside. Tommy memorised how Barbara had fit in at his barbecue party, especially at the end of it. He remembered how easy she had acted with his beloved gelding tonight, wondered that she had suggested inviting the children. To his mother. Daze, how Barbara called her very easy. Tommy had an unspecific warm feeling of family in his belly by the realisation that Barbara, maybe unintentionally, had brought her first idea into the Asherton business. A business she actually did not need to mind at all. But she did. His eyes went back to Barbara who had started to read the headlines of the paper. He was deep in thought. Deep in thought again about how she naturally had become a part of the Ashertons in only one single weekend. He desperately just needed a yes from her. He simply wanted to make it conservatively official.

"Tommy!?" his mother's sharp word made him snap out of his own world back into the kitchen.

"Oh, yes, yes, sorry... yes, it's a good idea." he stuttered, his face getting slightly pink.

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