23 April 1931

"I'll be amazed if she turns up."

"Well why on earth wouldn't she turn up?" Siegfried demanded as he stood in the kitchen watching Mrs Hall prepare the evening meal. "She said that she would come. Surely you don't think her so lacking in manners as to just not turn up?"

"I wasn't saying it as a criticism of 'er," Mrs Hall turned to look at him. "But I know 'ow Tom Bailey can be sometimes and, well, I doubt Lily's 'ad many dinner invitations in 'er time. I can imagine that 'er father might be a bit put out by it."

"But why, for heaven's sake? He can't honestly expect her never to go anywhere, can he? She's hardly a prisoner. She must be entitled to have some friends."

"Friends?" she raised her eyebrows. "I doubt that's 'ow Tom would see it."

"Oh Mrs Hall, do behave yourself!" he blustered. "Miss Bailey is a nice young woman with whom I've had the pleasure of speaking on a number of occasions and whom I wished to invite for dinner with myself and my housekeeper. If I had anything nefarious in mind don't you think I would have asked her to go somewhere more…private?"

"I'm not saying that's what I think. I'm only saying what Tom might think."

"Well even if he did think that I'm hardly a ne'er do well."

"No, indeed you are not." She smiled warmly at him. "You're a lovely man. And she's a lovely girl."

Sighing and shaking his head at her frivolity, Siegfried turned and left the kitchen for the sitting room, glancing at the clock as he did so. It was six-thirty and Lily was due to arrive by seven, having agreed the time by telephone the previous afternoon. Since surgery had finished some hours earlier, he had found himself routinely checking the time and feeling somewhat irked that it appeared to be going so slowly. Though he had been relieved to see Tristan and George back onto the train the previous weekend, he found himself missing the noise and joviality they had brought to the house. Playing Scrabble with Mrs Hall of an evening didn't make for as lively an occasion. Not that he was expecting high jinks from Lily Bailey either, but a change of conversation, as he had eluded to when he had invited her, was to be welcomed.

As he sat down in the armchair, he thought back over Mrs Hall's words and her insinuations. He had no idea where she had avowed herself of the notion that his interest in Lily was anything more than platonic friendship and he could only hope that she chose not to allude to such nonsense when the other woman was there. He had suspected, shortly after arriving at Skeldale House, that nothing would please his housekeeper more than to see him settled with a new wife. Well, that wasn't going to happen, no matter what Tristan or anyone else might think. He had no wish to become entangled with anyone else. No wish at all. At all.

"Well dinner should be ready just after seven," Mrs Hall joined him, wiping her hands on her apron. "I wasn't sure whether you wanted to open a bottle of wine or not."

"Wine?"

"Yes, wine. You know, it's a beverage often consumed with a meal."

"Yes, thank you, I know what it is." He paused, thinking on what sort of impression offering wine might give. He didn't even know if Lily would want to drink wine. Perhaps she preferred ale, or indeed water. "Perhaps we should wait and ask Miss Bailey what she would prefer."

"As you like." She began busying herself around the room, moving books from one table to another and straightening the cushions as she did so. He found himself fascinated by her motivation, given that he himself had found the room to look perfectly adequate as it had. Just as he was contemplating asking her why she felt the need to do as she was doing, the doorbell rang, and he leapt to his feet. "Would you like me to answer it?" Mrs Hall asked when he made no move.

"No, no, I can manage." Making his way towards the door, he paused to give himself a glance in the mirror, the reason for why he knew not, and then opened it to reveal Lily standing on the doorstep. "Miss Bailey."

"Mr Farnon," she replied with a smile before glancing behind her. Following her gaze, Siegfried could see Tom Bailey sitting in the driver's seat of the van, watching them with furrowed brow. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Not at all," he replied, ushering her inside before lifting his hand to Tom who merely pulled the van away from the kerb with a roar. "It's lovely to see you."

"Hello Lily," Mrs Hall said warmly as she joined them. "As Mr Farnon said, it's lovely to see you."

"It's lovely to see you too," she replied, holding out a small container. "I made some gingerbread cake to say thank you."

"Oh, that were very kind," Mrs Hall took it from her. "Mr Farnon's very fond of gingerbread, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes, yes indeed," he agreed. Lily smiled up at him and, for a moment, he stood quite unsure what to do next.

"Perhaps you could take Lily's coat," Mrs Hall prompted.

"Yes! Forgive me," he exclaimed. "Please." She shrugged out of her coat and he hung it up on the coat stand. When he turned back, he saw that she was wearing a green dress that set off the richness of her hair and emphasised her eyes. "Would you like to come through?" he gestured in the direction of the sitting room.

"Yes, thank you," she moved in the direction he indicated, and he followed her whilst Mrs Hall returned to the kitchen. Almost immediately, she made her way over to the bookcase, her head cocked to one side as she read the various titles.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Yes, that would be lovely, thank you."

"Anything in particular? Whisky? Sherry?"

"A small sherry would be nice," she smiled at him again and then turned back to the books. "You certainly 'ave plenty books 'ere."

"Do you like to read?"

"When I get the chance. Often I'm too tired come evening time to do anything, much less give my attention to a book." She ran her fingers along some of the spines and then stopped at one in particular. "The History of Veterinary Medicine. I suppose you 'ave cause to look at this one from time to time."

"On occasion," he replied, handing her a glass as she pulled the book from its place. "It's rather a weighty tome."

"So I see," she laughed, taking a small sip and then placing the glass down on the coffee table to better look at the book. She began flicking through the pages and he found himself quite captivated by the action. "At least there's some pictures. That 'as to 'elp."

"I suppose it does. You're welcome to borrow it, if you wish?"

She looked at him with faint surprise. "I doubt there's anything in this book that I would need to know on a day to day basis."

"Perhaps not, but if you're interested…"

She held his gaze for a long moment, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was inwardly mocking him. But she merely smiled and placed the book down on the table. "That's very kind, thank you."

"Well I did say that you should come back to the surgery one day to help me," he reminded her. "Especially after you were so good with Winston."

Laughing, she took a seat on the couch. "You do so like to exaggerate my involvement in that."

"It's no exaggeration, I assure you."

"I 'elped you find a rabbit. And only succeeded because he ran across me foot."

"Ah, but he definitely seemed to like you and that's half the battle in this game."

"'ow do you mean?"

"Well, you can't practice very effectively if you have no affinity with animals, and you do."

"And you've reached that conclusion based on one encounter with a rabbit?"

"One encounter is all it takes."

She smiled broadly at him and he couldn't help but think, once again, how pretty she really was. "It's a shame that there aren't more women in the profession. After Aleen Cust one would have hoped numbers would have swelled."

"Aleen Cust?"

"Yes, she was the first female veterinary surgeon to be recognised by the Royal College back in 1922. A real trailblazer, you might say."

"And you're in favour of that? Women 'aving their own professions?"

"Aren't you, being one yourself?"

"I suppose I never really thought about it," she replied, looking down into her glass. "Most of the women I know are either in the 'ome or 'elp their 'usbands out on the farm. There aren't too many women round 'ere with professions. Though I must say, when I last visited Dr Bellamy I did think 'aving a woman doctor might be good."

"Yes, indeed." He paused. "Do you never help your father out on the farm?"

She met his gaze again. "No, not really. 'e prefers me to be indoors. I think 'e worries something might 'appen to me. What the likelihood is of me getting trampled to death by a cow or something I don't really know but…well…I think 'e worries about being left on 'is own."

"I see." He found himself thinking of Tom and how the loss of his wife had clearly affected him. If calculations were correct, Lily's mother would have died around the same time as Evelyn had and he couldn't help but wonder if his own thoughts and feelings would have been different had he been left in sole charge of a child.

"Now then!" Mrs Hall appeared at the door. "Dinner's ready if you'd like to come through."

"Would you like some wine?" Siegfried asked once they were sat at the table, ignoring the look that Mrs Hall gave him.

"Oh no, I'm fine with water, thank you," Lily replied. "A couple of small sherries are about my limit, I'm afraid. If I started on the wine, goodness only knows where I'd end up." She laughed and then looked down at her plate, as though embarrassed by what she had just said.

"Well it wouldn't be ideal having to manhandle you out of the Drovers," he said jokingly, and she met his gaze and laughed again.

The meal was delicious, as all Mrs Hall's offerings were, and the conversation moved to more general matters surrounding people in the village, how the gala day had been and how Darrowby Show would fare in comparison.

"I don't know what the two of you find so amusing," Siegfried said as both Mrs Hall and Lily giggled over the role of the attending vet. "Surely it can't be that taxing."

"You 'aven't done it yet," Mrs Hall reminded him. "I'll remind you that you said that once you've 'ad a turn. It's no easy task, believe me. There wasn't much that phased Mr Grant but that…well…"

"I'm sure that Mr Farnon will be adequately up to the job," Lily said.

"Thank you, Miss Bailey. At least someone around here appreciates my abilities."

"I do 'ope you'll come back to our ladies' group, Lily," Mrs Hall said suddenly. "'aving you 'ere tonight 'as made me realise 'ow much we've missed you these last few months."

Lily's smile faded and she concentrated on the remains of her meal. "I'll try, but it's not easy getting away sometimes. You know what me dad's like."

"I know, but you used to be life and soul of those meetings. I'm not casting any aspersions on any of the other attendees but it's a lot duller without you. I were fair disappointed when you stopped coming."

Lily put her cutlery down rather sharply and dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. Siegfried looked across the table at Mrs Hall and saw that she looked equally as concerned. He wondered if he should say something, ask her if she was all right, but as quick as the moment had come, it seemed to pass. Lily lifted her head again and met his gaze, a small smile on her lips. "Did your brother and 'is friend make it safely back to school then?"

"Well I certainly haven't heard to the contrary so I can only assume so," he replied. "It will probably take until the end of term for both I and the village to recover from them."

"Will 'e be going to university after the summer?"

"I hope so. He wants to study at Edinburgh, so he'll need to pull his socks up. That was delicious, Mrs Hall, as always."

"Yes," Lily agreed. "It was."

"It were no trouble," Mrs Hall said. "I've got trifle for pudding if you've got room."

"There's always room for Mrs Hall's trifle," Siegfried said, smiling at Lily. "I confess I must have put on about a stone in weight since moving here."

"You needed fattening up."

"Well I don't know about that. It's not as easy dragging oneself around paddocks and fields carrying excess weight."

"Well I don't 'ear you complaining," Mrs Hall said, spooning portions into bowls. "I certainly wouldn't like to force you."

"Most men seem to 'ave 'ealthy appetites," Lily commented. "Me dad certainly does. 'e say's it's all the fresh air what does it."

"He's probably right," Siegfried replied.

Dessert over, they retired back to the sitting room, Mrs Hall insisting on making coffee, leaving them alone again. Lily sat back down on the couch and he took the armchair opposite. The momentary concern she had expressed at the table appeared to have gone and yet he found himself returning to the topic of conversation. "Pay no heed to Mrs Hall," he said. "Whether you attend the ladies' group or not is entirely your choice."

"Oh…that…" she looked away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude about it…"

"Not at all."

"It's just…" she sighed heavily. "Me dad doesn't like me being out at night. Especially when it's dark. 'e worries…" she trailed off. "Ridiculous, I know."

"I can only imagine a father's worry for his only child."

"But I am an adult," she looked up again. "Could 'ave been married with me own children now. Surely there 'as to come a time when…you stop worrying."

"I don't suppose you ever do," he said. "I know he's my brother, not my son, but I do worry for Tristan sometimes. Well, all the time. I know I can't do much whilst he's at school or, indeed, university, but I made a promise to my father to take care of him and I'd be lying if I said it didn't weigh heavily sometimes."

She nodded slowly, "I suppose I can understand that. But you'd never stop Tristan from making 'is own way, would you? Building 'is own life, 'is own family?"

"No, heavens no. The sooner some poor girl marries him and takes him off my hands the better," he joked. "Although she would have to have some fortitude, that's for sure. He'll need a firm hand."

"I'm sure 'e'll make the right girl very 'appy one day."

"One hopes so." He couldn't help but feel affected by the apparent sadness in her expression. If he hadn't thought she had been less than truthful when she had declared some weeks ago that she was very happy, he did now. "You're still young," he said softly.

"I feel older with each day that passes," she said somewhat wistfully.

"You're, what, twenty-seven?" She nodded. "You still have your whole life in front of you. Plenty of time to do all the things you want to do."

"I'm not sure there are that many things to be honest."

"Don't waste life, Miss Bailey," he said softly, Evelyn suddenly coming into his mind. The memory of her, so young and full of life, the image of her waving to him as the train had pulled out of the station…he felt a lump rise in his throat. "You never know just how long you're going to have."

Lily opened her mouth as though she was going to reply when Mrs Hall suddenly bustled in with the tea tray and put it down on the table. "'ere we are then. I buttered some of that gingerbread you brought Lily."

"Ah yes, as Mrs Hall said, I do love gingerbread," he said jovially as she handed him a cup.

"I'm glad," Lily replied. "It were that or scones and I thought I'd best try something different for you."

"Well, we're much obliged to you, aren't we Mrs Hall?"

"Most definitely," Mrs Hall nodded, sitting down on the couch next to Lily. "Don't let me interrupt."

"Oh, we were just talking about, well, nothing really," Lily said, smiling at him again and lifting the book that still sat on the coffee table. "I'll be looking forward to getting stuck into this."

"Oh Lord, you'll be bored rigid," Mrs Hall lamented.

The conversation once again returned to generalities and yet Siegfried couldn't help tuning out slightly and simply focusing on his guest. The way she moved, the way she smiled, the look in her eyes from time to time…he found himself comparing every nuance to Evelyn, for reasons that he knew not. They were so different in so many ways. Evelyn had been tall, rake-thin with dark hair and dark eyes. Lily was smaller, slightly more rounded, with hair the colour of fire and eyes that were so pale as to be almost like water. Evelyn had been forthright and opinionated. Lily seemed quieter, gentler somehow and yet, he thought, that was perhaps due more to her father's influence than her own personality. Evelyn had been all that he had ever wanted, could ever want and yet…

The chiming of the clock suddenly caused Lily to sit up straight and glance at her watch. "Heavens, I didn't realise the time."

"Can I give you a lift home?" Siegfried asked.

"No, no, me father said if I rang 'im, 'e would come and collect me," she replied, her face pinking at the words. "Is it all right to use the telephone?"

"Of course," Mrs Hall said, "it's by the door."

"Thank you." Rising from the couch, Lily disappeared into the hallway, returning a few moments later, her expression drawn. "I'm sorry…would you mind…?"

"Yes?" he got to his feet.

"'s 'ad a drink and 'e's in no fit state to drive. I'm sorry, I know it's a terrible imposition…"

"Not at all. I'll be happy to drive you home."

"Thank you," she said, looking at the floor. "I appreciate that. Thank you very much for inviting me. It were a lovely meal, Audrey."

"You're more than welcome, any time," Mrs Hall replied.

"I shall 'ave to 'ave you both up to Windy Hill to repay the kindness," she laughed awkwardly. "Oh, I best not forget the book." Lifting it from the table, she held it to herself as Siegfried returned with her coat and helped her put it on. "Thank you." Kissing Mrs Hall briefly on the cheek, she allowed him to guide her out of the door and round to where the car was waiting. Once inside and on the road out of the village, she glanced over at him. "I can't thank you enough."

"It's a lift home I'm giving you, not a kidney," he joked, but she merely turned to look out of the window. "I do hope you had an enjoyable evening?"

"Oh yes!" she enthused, turning back to look at him. "I 'ad a lovely time, truly I did. It were good to 'ave a change of scene for once."

"Well it was nice for us to have a change of conversation too." He paused, weighing up the wisdom of saying more and deciding to throw caution to the wind. "I meant what I said earlier."

"About not wasting life?"

"Indeed."

"You were thinking about your wife, weren't you?"

"Yes…" he said, somewhat taken off guard at her response. "I suppose I was."

"She must 'ave been very young when she passed."

"Twenty-three."

"I'm so sorry."

"It was a long time ago now." He turned up the hill towards the farm and, moments later, pulled into the yard. "Should I come inside with you?"

"No, that's all right, thank you." She turned to look at him again and paused. "You're a nice man, Mr Farnon."

He thought back on Mrs Hall's earlier words. "And you're a nice young woman, Miss Bailey."

She smiled at him and then hurriedly leaned over and kissed his cheek before opening the car door and stepping out into the cool night air. He watched as she made her way to the farmhouse door, pausing to wave slightly before disappearing inside. Turning the car around, he made his way back down towards the village, his cheek burning the entire way.