The next day, Colin woke up in a dreadful mood. He wanted to apologize to Mary, make things okay. If only to be friends. He hated just being a friend, but it was better than this. It was bright and early as he ran to Mary's room.

But to his shock an surprise, she wasn't there. Had she run away?

He burst into Martha's room.

"Martha, did Mary come in last night?"

Martha's eyes widened. "Shh, master Colin. If the house keeper were to find out, she'd have my hide as well as hers."

"Well, I won't tell... if you tell me any idea where you think she might be." He whispered confidentially.

He saw Martha's eyes widen in worry, then... in fear. "Dickon! He's just built a small barn next to Ma's. He sleeps there with his animals! He might have brought her there!" She whispered. Then she made the sign of the cross on her chest. "Lets hope Mary hasn't gone an"

"-You and I both, Martha." Colin murmured,

Then he turned, and was rushing through he halls, down to the stables. He took out Pistachio, his horse. He mounted it like Dickon had shown him how years ago, and galloped as hard and fast as he could.

Finally, he came up to the familiar house. As children, Dickon used to take Mary and Him to visit his family some times, and his mother. Dickon loved his mother, and it showed strongly when he spoke of her.

Colin saw next to the small house, a roughly similarly sized one. Wooden, fairly well built by the looks of it, and sturdy. He quietly dismounted, and creaked the ajar door a bit farther, to allow him to step inside.

He was almost surprised to see Dickon sitting down, a few feet away, feeding a baby lamb. This is how Colin always seemed to remember him by. Feeding a baby lamb. Next to him, he was also trying to make what was assumed to be the mother, comfortable as she slept.

"Where is she?" Colin said in a normal voice, but it seemed to loud for this quiet atmosphere.

Dickon didn't even glance up. "Shh, she's sleeping." He said, nodding his head towards the mother.

Colin was confused, not sure what, or who he meant, but as Dickon handed him another bottle, nodding towards the other mewling baby lamb, Colin sat on the hay ground.

"You see, you have to handle them with care." He whispered confidentially. "They can be very stubbornly free spirited, and don't like it when we restrict them. He looked down at his lamb now. "Particularly this one. She's often been treated like a thing. She kept getting traded to people who took care of her, but sometimes ignored her. She doesn't like it when people handle her like that."

Colin had been fumbling, to feed the baby lamb, but he was also listening to Dickon. After he had finished speaking, he looked up, solemn and understanding. "Do you think she'll forgive me?"

Dickon released the lamb from his grasp as he answered. "I don't know. She has her own mind about where she wants to go. But I think if you give her the chance, she can surprise you." The lamb who had been clumsily trying to walk was now bounding off happily. Dickon and Colin smiled after it, and for a moment, it was as if they were ten and 12 again. But then Colin was brought back to reality by a pressing matter, and turned to Dickon.

"Can I see her?"

Dickon's brown furrowed, and a new look entered his eyes. "She's sleeping right now. She shouldn't be disturbed."

"Oh, of course. But I mean, se her. Just to see if she's okay?"

Dickon raised an eyebrow. "So, you don't trust me now?"

"Dickon, will you or won't you?"

"No." He said flatly, his eyes once again unreadable. "Mary will be in the garden by noon, Colin. Please leave her in peace now." Colin looked into Dickon's hard set determined eyes. Colin, defeated, walked out.

But as Colin was about to mount his horse, he saw Dickon going out with two milk pails. He waited a few moments for him to be out of site, then dashed to the once again ajar door.

As he stepped in, he looked around hurriedly, to see where Mary was, but to no avail. He looked up by chance, and was gifted with the sight of a ladder.

He climbed up it, and was rewarded with a beautiful sight.

On the second floor, in front of him, was piles and piles of hay, and on top of a stack, there was a peak of dark gold hair, covered by hay. But his relief was short lived. Upon closer inspection, he observed she was naked.

He was then taken over by waves of nausea. His heart seemed to shatter. He felt like running away. Far, far away, Go to the garden, lock himself in there, and die along with all the other trees, and flowers.

Then he heard steps below, and he knew it was Dickon. He spotted another haystack near the corner, and silently walked to it in a hurry.

Dickon came up with on pail in hand. He walked slowly to Mary, taking the empty space Colin was certain he slept in the night before. He was laying down face to face with her. And Colin saw his hand ever so slightly caress her cheek, and tuck back her hair. Then his hand rested on her cheek and Colin saw her rise slowly.

"I have some breakfast for tha, if tha will eat today." He said softly.

Colin saw her smile at him in that magical way of hers, and it pained him deeply. He continued to torture himself, however, and could not tear his eyes away.

He watched her slowly rise, taking the sheet he produced to cover herself for the meanwhile. She searched for her clothes around the floor. As she dressed in her underwhere, Colin looked away, respectfully. He still had some morals.

He looked up when she was covered in her undergarments, which showed nothing. She gave Dickon a kiss, then smiled delightedly at the milk.

Dickon grinne, offering it to her. Hesitantly, she reached for it. Then Colin saw her gulp it down. Dickon grinned in a self-satisfying kind of way.

"Come on now, Mary, Mum wants to have a talk with you." He said, after she had fully dressed with his help.

"Yes, that's perfect." Then a pause. "Dickon?" She said, standing over him as he was about to climb down the laddrr.

"Yes Ms. Marry?"

"Thank you." She said gratefully. "For everything."

For a moment, Dickon passed, then he put a hand on the railing above, and lifted himself to meet Mary's lips in a passionate kiss.

He grinned when he pulled back. Then he left down the ladder, and soon after Mary followed.

After they had left, Colin did as well, rushing home, trying to ignore the pain. He pretended that everything was normal. No one thought anything was amiss back at the manor. Everyone thought Mary had 'gone into the gardens' extremely early. That was that. It ripped him apart inside to know what really happened.