The next morning when I woke up, it was still dark outside, I couldn't for the life of me think why it was that I had woken up since I had not gotten in until about 2am.

But I smiled to myself anyway as I got up and walked over to my dresser from which I carefully examined each of my dresses in turn before picking out my favourite one, it was a light sky blue and was simply cut but matched my eyes exactly, and somehow managed to put some colour into my normally pale face and fiery red hair which cascaded down my shoulders, once I had combed it back and wrestled it into a style which I thought would keep it up for once! I turned to exam myself carefully in the mirror.

When I was satisfied that my reflection was fine, I pulled the covers back over my bed and walked out of the door, shut it and walked quietly down the stairs and into the kitchen.

The kitchen was cool, but not cold, the embers had died from the fire, which lit the grate last night, but some of its warmth still remained in the air, not yet diminished by the cold morning air creeping down the chimney and under the door.

I grabbed some logs, from the box and threw them onto the fire after cleaning out the ashes from the night before, I struck a light and started up the fire and then moved around the kitchen starting to get some breakfast together, there was some bread left over from the day before so I cut it up into squares and then grabbed some home made strawberry jam and some fresh butter which I had bought the previous day.

I was just pouring milk into three cups as I heard a whisper of a noise coming from upstairs, which swiftly turned into a loud thunderous noise and then suddenly Esther and Bronnie appeared in the kitchen closely followed almost instantly by Thomas, they all took their places at the table and looked expectantly at me waiting for their breakfasts. The three of them had the same rusty coloured hair and the sapphire coloured eyes as I did, although they were each different in the way which they presented themselves, Esther was tall, taller than me she was very lady like and graceful her hair once tied up would never float down or come out of place, her dresses were always immaculate, she never got dirt on her face and always smiled no matter how she was really feeling on the inside, it was only those closest to her who could tell what she was really feeling. Bronnie, was shorter and slightly more rounder than the rest of us, she was by no means fat but you couldn't describe her as being thin though, she had a pretty face and dimples was she smiled, she was a very quick minded and blunt person, she would tell you exactly what she was thinking when she was thinking it. She was not mean, although some people mistook her to be with the things, which she said she had a good and loving heart and tried hard, not matter what she did. Thomas wasn't tall but that was only cause he was still young, he was thin and loved to run around in the fresh air, his hair grew quite long down to his ears, but so did all of his friends. He was good at his lessons and was hoping to be an Engineer when he was older.

Esther stood up and put some more logs on the fire to keep it going and grabbed the bucket from the corner walked over to the big stout wooden door which was over the far side of the kitchen, un hatched the lock and went out to feed the chickens, we had about twelve chickens and three cockerels, Esther loved animals, but I didn't much care for them if I'm honest, I like the cats which we kept whom we named Sammy and Matilda and the big Irish wolf hound Called Chip who guarded the house for me when I was gone, but apart from them I really had no care for animals in general so the care of the chickens had long ago become Esther chosen care, she would feed them in the morning before breakfast and gather their eggs while they ate.

When she had returned from the garden and given me the dozen or so eggs which she had managed to collect, I placed a plate in front of her, and she immediately tore into it. They all did, we were not well off, but we weren't desolate either, we had money enough to buy the essentials and we had animals too, chicken who provided us with eggs and cows which provided us with milk and cream and cheese.

I looked at the clock on the wall it was nearing 8o'clock,

"Bronnie, Thomas, Hadn't you better be going up now to the school, you don't want to be late and I certainly don't want you to be sent home, I have much to much to do today to find something for you to do."

They both smiled at me and got up from the table after shoving the last crumbs of bread into their mouths before standing up, Bronnie ran up stairs to grab her slate, and Thomas handed me a comb which I used to run through his rusty curls.

When Bronnie appeared back in the kitchen, I gave them both a kiss on the forehead as they left; they would good children at heart.

When they had gone it was just me and Esther left in the kitchen, Esther had finished school the month, she know was for Ms Rebecca Lowery hleping her togather articles for the town's weekly newspaper.

Whe she had finsihed she smiled and hugged me quickly while pulling her coat on, promising not to be late that night.

When she was gone I was left alone again, I did not mind, I was glad that they all had jobs to do. I started to clean up the kitchen of all the breakfast dishes, and then I did some washing. This took up my morning, so by the afternoon I decided that I should go outside into the garden, as I had not felt the freshness of the air that day.

I grabbed a scissors and went out into the garden, we were going to have stew that night, I had decided and so I needed to dig up some potato's from the patch in the back and also get some clippings of the herbs growing in the hedgerow.

Once I had got all that I needed, I went back into the house and was met by a massive warm front, the fire had warmed the kitchen so that it was lovely and cosy while I was outside and it provided such a contrast from the cool spring air, which was outside.

I got some chicken out of the larder and began to cut into streaks to make the stew, then I pealed the potato's added the fat and browning, and the herbs and let it all bubble in the pan above the fire.

Thomas and Bronnie returned home not long after, they both had been given homework from their Master, so they sat at the table doing their sums.

Esther arrived home just as it dusk was settling in. she set the table as I poured out the stew into the plates and Bronnie cut up the bread while Thomas brought the jug of fresh milk out of the larder and placed it on the table.

We had settled at the table and Bronnie......... No it was Thomas, that's it Thomas was saying grace.

"Bless lord, this food which is before us, the crop of the land and milk of the beast, we thank you for providing us with this your gifts."

He had just finished as a knock came at the door, I stood up putting my fork back down on the table beside my plate of steaming stew and walked over to the door which was at the over end of the kitchen, it was a heavy door and it took a few minutes for my scrambling fingers to pull back the lock and open the door.

Chip was at my feet growling at the door, I was not worried though, foolishly as Chip normally growled if any one came to the door at mealtime.

Esther Bronnie and Thomas were sitting at the table they had stopped eating and we're watching me, I think that we all expected it just to be another messenger from the village calling for me to come and help Lucy with a birth, but as I opened the door something clicked in my brain and I knew who it was, it was him.