Chapter 189

And indeed Caitlin experienced only the slightest shock that afternoon in the forest when Rover growled deep in his throat and she looked up to see a rider coming towards her. She called the dog to heel immediately, heart pounding, but soon deduced who this had to be from his quality hunting garb, tall hunting boots and magnificent horse. By now she had learned the difference between a cob and a highly bred horse, though she still admired all horses equally herself. Even those scruffy little ponies they were teaching to pull the gig, or maybe it was more fair to say those ponies were teaching her to drive.

This was not a gentleman, judging by his practical headgear and ruddy complexion, but he radiated authority and sat his hunter almost as perfectly as Jean sat their black equine barn-guest Liquor. And even as she told Rover this was probably the Pemberley hunt master and thus good folk, the man before her waved his cap and called out, 'I'm Mr Oliver, Miss Brennan, Mr Darcy's hunt master. I was hoping you could spare me an hour of your time!'

Of course she was curious what he might want to talk to her about, though most likely it had something to do with the forests that he was responsible for, maybe there were some nesting sites he preferred she'd avoid disturbing.

Mr Oliver seemed to be a bit older than Jean and was both taller and broader, but decidedly less handsome. He wasn't extraordinarily plain, just a normal looking man with the weathered complexion of someone used to being outside. Jean was also outside most of the time and yet he had something refined, maybe it was because he was of French descent, it was much hotter where he grew up, likely the weak English sun couldn't damage his skin. Caitlin realised she herself was outside most of the time as well, and as a ruddy blonde with pale skin she was really sensitive to sunburn. But she knew a herb for every purpose, even to protect her skin from the summer sun. She also was more than a decade younger than Jean, by the time her skin started to look weathered he'd be turning grey, or maybe even going bald.

The very idea of vain Jean losing his hair made her smile indulgently, and when Mr Oliver had dismounted his horse a lot more elegantly than she'd expected and was holding out his hand to greet her, he must be pleased with his friendly reception.

'I'm very glad to finally meet you, Miss Brennan. Your boy told me where you were planning to be this afternoon, he was going fishing with the Brewer boys. Don't worry, they promised to stay on the banks of the stream. We'll have to teach him to swim pretty soon, though, when it gets really hot they will be tempted to go in.'

'You would do that for him? I know the boys in Witham play in the stream there but it's hardly more than a trickle.'

'Your boy belongs to the Pemberley staff now, Miss, and we take care of our own. Mr Hugo has been a good friend of mine for ten years and his family is as my own. You have no idea how glad I am to see him as happy as he is with you and Ben.'

Rover had settled down as soon as Caitlin's feelings had, and he let himself be petted without the slightest hesitation.

'I met Rover before in the stables, he's such a handsome boy, but I'm certain he won't let anyone approach you against your will. So different from Mr Darcy's hounds, they are my responsibility and they like to see me but mostly because they love to go out. Hounds live for the pack and the hunt, yours is more used to being with people.

Now, Miss Brennan, there is something I'd like to show you. Ben told me you were looking for certain herbs on the dry slopes near the escarpment, and if you need more I can help you gather what you need. But then I'd like you to follow me to the complete opposite, a clearing in a cut off arm of the river, where the soil is always wet. The alder trees my predecessor planted there never thrived and a local tradesman wanted them for a project so I had them cut down. And since it's been a few years I really ought to start thinking of replanting, but then I saw some plants growing there that I know are rare because most of our wetlands are in use as summer meadow. In short, if you want them, I'll keep the clearing open, it's not as if we can grow useful trees there.'

That was the last thing Caitlin expected, Mr Oliver had to be a very busy man, taking care of acre upon acre of woodland, keeping poachers away, protecting Mr Darcy's birds from foxes and other pests, and yet he knew there were some rare plants in this clearing and he wanted Caitlin to have them if she could use them? Incredible!

'Thank you for thinking of me, Mr Oliver! Of course I'd love to see this clearing, I have what I came here for, I was just exploring the slopes to see what else I might find for later use. But that'll keep, I could use some valerian and I'd love to have bog myrtle. I survived a few winters on starchy roots and tubers I gathered near the stream where I lived, but it was too rich for bog myrtle and too shady for valerian.'

'I'm certain I saw the valerian, and if the bog myrtle doesn't grow there I know a few other places to try for them. Anything else you are looking for? Maybe I can help.'

He knew plants! Caitlin knew Jean had high expectations of Darren's knowledge of medicinal plants, but he'd never mentioned Mr Oliver as being so knowledgeable. Most likely they'd never discussed wild plants because Jean hadn't seemed interested in them.

Caitlin had a whole list of plants she hoped to find to establish her own little apothecary before fall, and Mr Oliver nodded at the mention of most. A few he didn't know, one or two he knew but hadn't found on the Darcy estate, yet, and one he clearly thought too dangerous to even think of using.

'But you are the miracle worker, and I will show you where to find the plants you need. I have a map of all the kinds of forest and most of the plants I've found, I'll make a copy for you. It'll take some time. Unless... I think I may have a quicker solution. If I'm right, I'll give the result to Hugo, or maybe to your boy. He may have the cleaner hands of the two.'

Mr Oliver could say that since he was Jean's very good friend and the Pemberley staff liked to tease each other. Though it was likely true, Jean might not see the value of a map and Ben certainly did. No, Jean had been a soldier, he knew maps were of the greatest importance, and he'd shown a decided interest in the ones covering nearly every flat surface at headquarters and even some non-horizontal ones. That globe was a miracle in itself, but Jean might just have been studying all of it to avoid looking at Mr Fowler and Mrs Manners sitting together like lovers.

'Ben has learned some healthy boys' behaviour lately, Mr Oliver, as well as an inclination to grow his own vegetables, I wouldn't be so certain. But either of them will deliver it clean and whole, I'm sure, and I'm still visiting regularly, Mr Fowler is not altogether healed.'

'Well, if your boy catches anything today he'll be covered in slime and fish scales at the very least. I'm glad you don't mind, my mother always said boys needed their freedom, but I've always observed my sisters liked to run wild and climb things just as much.'

'I never had much time to myself as a girl, Mr Oliver, as an orphan living off my master's charity there was always another task for me to do. But when old Mayghen let me be her apprentice I could at least go out to hunt for herbs with her a few hours every week.'

And when Mr Oliver looked as sympathetic as Mrs Reynolds had when Caitlin told her more about her childhood in Ireland she added, 'And I'm making up for lost time now, roaming Mr Darcy's woods all day, leaving my curtains unwashed and my doorstep unscrubbed. Jean is even teaching me how to drive a horse.'

'You will be the envy of all the village housewives, Miss Brennan, and deservedly so. You have no idea how glad it makes me to hear you talk of my friend with such affection. Do you know I never even knew you were supposed to pronounce his name as Zjawn? Of course I knew he's French, I've even heard him curse in French once, but to us he's just Hugo. He is so lucky to have found you, I don't know another woman who could have convinced him to finally settle.'

Caitlin suspected she could never have convinced Jean to stay true to her, either, if he hadn't decided for himself, and to her their current happiness seemed altogether due to his change of heart, but she was glad to hear yet another friend of his saying that he wished her well.

By now, they had reached their destination, a charming depression in the typical half-circle shape of a cut-off river bend. It was surrounded by higher ground and larger than she had expected, but of course Mr Oliver would not have called it a clearing unless it had a size worth planting. This had to be a cut-off arm of a much larger river that had once flowed here, the nearby stream was so small she could easily cross it via a shallow ford or the occasional narrow bridge, it could not have formed such a large feature in the landscape. Caitlin guessed the depression no longer got its water from the stream but rather accumulated rainwater from quite a large area around it, making it relatively dry in summer and hopefully keeping the soil a bit poorly, which offered all kinds of possibilities for the plants growing here.

At first glance the vegetation was typical for a marshland, a lot of sedges with the occasional flowering herb trying to compete with the mass of long stems. As they made their way through the tall grass-like vegetation, the valerian was easily recognisable, and Mr Oliver preceded her straight towards the middle of the clearing, which she guessed would be either a bog or a little lake, well-hidden by the tall sedges. They could still walk without getting their shoes wet, but the ground beneath Caitlin's feet was very springy. Peat! Better and better, no wonder alders hadn't thrived here.

Mr Oliver was wearing rather smart riding boots, he would probably not want to spoil them by getting them wet, but Caitlin's feet were protected by Jean's valuable and supremely useful gift to her when he'd returned from London in the middle of last winter: sturdy and watertight boots, perfect for long rambles in snow, rain, or even to cross the occasional ford. They were well broken in and she could walk on them all day. And by now she was happy to have them, for the ground was starting to get really soggy, little puddles welling up where Mr Oliver's and her feet had been moments ago.

He stopped and turned around to look at her footwear, but of course the skirts of her dress hid the rather inelegant boots. Maybe she should ask Mrs Darcy where she'd gotten those riding skirts, they were much better suited to rambling but also to answering to her patients' calls for help. If made from a more practical fabric, of course.

'I really want to show you some special plants, Miss Brennan, but the soil is still rather wet. Are your shoes up to a marshy walk? I should have asked before taking you in here.'

She felt so much at ease with Jean's older friend that she lifted her skirt just high enough to reveal her left boot, and his face cleared instantly.

'Hugo got you those, didn't he? He so loves that shop in London, I asked him to commission these for me as well, I can't just go to London like he did. They cost me a fortune but they're worth their weight in gold. Did you know Mrs Darcy wears a pair as well when she goes rambling or riding? It's the best quality one can buy. Well then, do you want to follow me in? If you step in my footsteps it's not dangerous.'

'I can think of a few plants I'd like to find in here, so yes, please!'

'If we do find them, please don't go out here to gather plants by yourself, it's too dangerous, I'll gladly accompany you.'

Though she knew how to navigate even a peat moor safely, she'd lived near an expanse of them all her youth in Ireland, she promised the hunt master what he asked for, it was his responsibility after all. And so they went on, the sedges making way for moss, no open water visible before them, which surprised Caitlin. Before they'd taken ten soggy steps she had identified three species she could use, though she needed none of them now, but she would remember them. It was relatively easy to inventory the herbs she encountered because she knew which ones to expect in a marsh like this, she just had to remember which ones were present.

'Isn't it a miracle, Miss Brennan, that a tiny little plant like this can hunt like a man? Even though it is stuck here and cannot run down its prey?'

He was pointing at a little sundew plant, a rather common plant where she'd lived in Ireland but one she had not expected to find in this rather cultured forest on rich soils.

'How can it grow here, Mr Oliver? It's usually crowded out by grasses and reeds, isn't it?'

'You know it? Of course you do. Can we please do this more often, Miss Brennan? I so love to talk about wild plants but nobody is interested. I think this place has been here for more years than we think, there must have been a larger river flowing here and it cut off one of its bends as large rivers do. The old bed was like any other lake and filled up with plants, some of them dying, for years and years with live plants growing on top until the lower layers became peat. By now, the river had changed its course and no longer brought rich water to feed the plants, so moss replaced most grasses. And now sundew can survive here. Isn't it lovely? And nobody cares, even the gardeners prefer big flowers.'

'Ben will love to see this, and I think Jean may yet surprise you, though he loves horses he is not altogether oblivious to nature's. It's so lovely, Mr Oliver, and I wish you didn't have to plant any trees here. I don't wonder they didn't survive, it's much too wet and trees don't like poor soil.'

'They did plant them a little higher up but still they didn't thrive. I'll talk to Mr Darcy, if you see herbs you can use he may be pleased to leave it as it is.'

So that was why he'd taken her here, he didn't want to plant this beautiful spot, he wanted it preserved and he hoped Caitlin would give him an excuse!

'I've seen at least three or four and they are all very rare in the area I have explored so far. It would be a tremendous waste to plant trees here, especially since only willows have a chance to thrive and nobody wants them, do they?'

'On the contrary, Miss Brennan, willows are considered to be very important, for fencing and for wickerwork, and did you know the trunks make excellent cricket bats? But we don't grown them in rows or even in a forest, every village has its own willows, I'm sure you've noticed.'

'Yes, we're helping our neighbour clear out a patch at the moment, he let it overgrow because he and his wife had been ill and their children had left Witham for town. And we have several in our hedgerows, they're really useful. But indeed not to sell to the mill or to builders in town.'

'Well then, I have what I came for, your support to keep this clearing as it is. Is there any plant you need right now? I'll help you gather some of it.'

'The valerian, please, the rest can wait until I need it or winter approaches. I so wished we'd find some bog myrtle.'

'Oh but there is some here, we just haven't reached it, yet. See where the ground gets higher?'

He pointed at the other end of the shallow, which was indeed a little higher, as if it was the rim of a bowl they were standing in. And there was brush growing just before the ground started to rise, quite a bit of it, too.

'That's it, good, I did so want some.'

'Let us get it, then, we'll find some valerian that way as well, I'm certain.'

After gathering some of both plants they talked a little more of the local wildlife, Mr Oliver knew so much about plants and all the birds and other animals living on the Pemberley grounds.

'Personally I don't care about game birds but the master likes to shoot them so I keep them plentiful and safe. It's difficult sometimes, having to shoot birds of prey or dig out badgers to protect dumb birds because they taste good. But I do my best to protect the fiercer wild creatures as well as the mild, Miss Brennan, another game keeper might rejoice in exterminating them. I try to protect them as well as I can, and with Mr Darcy's approval I have saved quite a few, though once they get a taste for chickens, eggs or game birds they're generally doomed.'

Slowly, they walked around the beautiful marsh until they had reached Mr Oliver's horse. He had tethered it to a willow brush where it had not been tempted to try to free itself, the young shoots were a delicacy for a horse and it was still pleasantly occupied stripping the flexible branches of leaves and bark.

It was time to part ways, and Caitlin had a feeling Mr Oliver was rather reluctant to abandon their conversation. Maybe he was lonely for someone he could talk to, since Jean no longer lived at Pemberley to talk of horses and hunting.

'I suppose you read, Miss Brennan? Just plain English, not Latin?'

Hardly any woman Caitlin had known in Ireland did, and neither did most village women in Ripley, but fortunately Caitlin had been taught her letters and more by the healer she'd been apprenticed to as a child and young woman. If only she hadn't passed away, then Caitlin would have stayed out of sight of her master's son and her life might have been so different. But then she wouldn't have had Ben and now Jean.

'I can read and write English, and even read some Latin and French, but I wouldn't dare to try and write either.'

He nodded, he might not realise how poor and dependent on others she had been for most of her life.

'English will do, I don't own the Latin original. Since you seem as interested in wild flora as I am, I thought you might want to borrow a book that is as valuable to me as my bible: it's The Families of Plants by Erasmus Darwin. It's a translation of an incredible work by a Swedish man called Linnaeus, who studied plants. All plants. He classified them in families and gave them generic names that every scientist in every country can understand. Your fiancé picked it up for me in London a few years ago after I'd begged him to find me books on plants, and it's taught me so much. I just know you'll love to read it, though it's not easy to read at all. Let me know if you want to borrow it, I'll give it to Hugo to bring home with him.'

'I'd love to read it, I've always wanted to learn more and I almost forgot one can learn from books. Thank you for your kind offer, books are valuable!'

'It mostly self-interest, Miss Brennan, I'm starved for conversation on a subject that interests me, and I'm hoping you'll indulge me.'

'It will be my pleasure, Mr Oliver.'

And Caitlin meant that, she also loved to talk about the subjects that interested her, and though she had Ben now he knew nothing Caitlin hadn't taught him. It would be so much more interesting to have an acquaintance who knew different things, and whose intimate knowledge of the area went back more than a decade!

'Thank you for showing me this marsh, Mr Oliver, I'll emphasise the importance of the plants here to Mrs Darcy, and she will undoubtedly explain to her husband that I need it as it is. Maybe they'll want to see it for themselves, Mrs Darcy is certainly interested in a lot of different subjects, she is not an average lady of means.'

'It would be my pleasure to show it to anyone who is interested. Just let me know and I'll be ready. Well, it has been a pleasure to meet you, and your boy earlier this afternoon. I'm glad you have such a well-behaved dog to protect you, I hardly noticed he was here and yet I know he never let me out of his sight. See you soon, Miss Brennan!'

'Until next time we meet, Mr Oliver!'

Then he mounted his horse, bowed one last time and rode off, back to the great house. Caitlin was really struck how quickly she had been accepted by everyone there and not just the staff. She was also really glad with the bog myrtle since her medicine to prevent conception was running out and it was essential to make a new supply. Or maybe she could stop taking it? Jean didn't know she had a way to prevent getting with child and he certainly hadn't abstained before they had come to their arrangement. Why should he be set against siring a child of his own?

Still, it didn't feel right, it was much like lying. She'd make a new supply and continue taking it, at least until they were legally wed, and maybe then she'd ask him what he thought about letting nature take its course. She knew he didn't really care for the thought of having a child of his own, but seeing him with Ben she couldn't imagine him objecting either.

On the evening before the phaeton and ponies were to be revealed to Mrs Darcy, they used the little team one last time to drive themselves to Clifton, where they would visit Rose and Darren and Rose's children. They didn't take the shortest route, Ben and Caitlin had both enjoyed learning to drive so much they wanted to have one more turn at the reins, so they took quite a detour through the beautiful countryside. Hugo was proud of what the two who were now dearest to him in the world had achieved with so little prior experience with horses, and he took care to show them his approval. He was a bit proud of himself as well, he had never been this patient whilst teaching and it hadn't cost him the slightest effort to stay calm and friendly.

The faerie ponies that Ben and Hugo had revealed from under their shaggy winter coats with endless brushing and careful grooming had turned out as handsome as any gentleman could have wished for, elegant of head and body with long, slim legs, large expressive eyes, a profusion of long, thick manes and tails in a pretty dark grey colour on a beautiful, glossy short coat in lighter grey with dark dapples. Though Hugo could easily tell them apart by the individual dapples in their faces, they were an exact match in size, build and general colour, and their fuzzy little muzzles and tiny black hooves were very cute to look at. Mrs Darcy was going to be thrilled, which in turn would make her adoring husband very happy.

'I'm going to miss this, my love,' Caitlin said wistfully. It was a squeeze, with three people and a large dog in the gig, but it was very cosy.

Frankly, Hugo had hoped Caitlin would take to horses and the gig as she had done, it was the fastest and safest way to get about in the countryside. He was planning to visit the largest local market the coming Wednesday to buy their own pony for the gig and he had already arranged Fowler's permission to use Liquor to get there. It would be the first time in his life that he'd buy a horse with his own money, he had formed a very clear idea of what he needed and it would not be anything like any horse he'd bought before. This pony would have to be hardy, smart and obedient and hopefully fast enough for Caitlin to get to an emergency quickly. But it would not have to be well-built or beautiful or of good breeding, just healthy and useful. Hugo already relished the challenge, though Caitlin still had the last word on whether they'd own a horse at all.

'You know we can buy our own pony, Mr Darcy has already promised we can keep the gig. I'd feel relieved to know you can get about quickly and safely, my love, and I can easily afford to buy the kind of horse that will suit our needs.'

'And we can keep him almost for free, mum,' Ben offered, 'you know you really cannot walk to all your new patients, it would take all day and some may not have time to wait. Besides, I want to learn to ride and dad can buy a horse that can be ridden as well as draw the gig. Mr Darcy said he rode his first hunter bareback when he was much younger than I am.'

Hugo laughed at Ben's youthful confidence but he really did like to hear Ben act like any other boy his age.

'He also told you he fell off that horse more times than he could count. I think I can find us an old saddle to spare your bones and save you bruises.'

Caitlin didn't seem to fear for Ben's safety as so many mothers would, she had an immense trust in Hugo to teach her boy and keep him safe. Which he would, though no-one knew better than Caitlin that life was always full of risks, since she often had to help deal with the unfortunate results.

'I've never even considered owning a horse, but then I never thought I was going to marry a stable master. I'd love to have our own pony, Jean, it's been such a convenience and such fun to drive these boys. Though I suppose one pony would be more than enough for our purpose, if it is large enough to pull the weight?'

'A larger pony will be faster as well as stronger. I'll find us the perfect animal, one you can drive and Ben can learn to ride. And then we'll teach Rover tricks and run away to the circus.'

Life was just perfect with Jean and Ben, but amidst their banter Caitlin was a tiny bit nervous to visit Rose, one of Jean's former lovers. Darren himself had suggested that Rose had been in love with Jean, not with Darren, what if it was much too early for the newly redeemed skirt chaser to visit a couple trying to form a bond? What if seeing him again caused Rose to realise she wasn't ready to give her affection to another man already?

Caitlin was not afraid to lose Jean, he was committed to her, she could not doubt his love for her since he showed it so obviously. But what if their, or rather Jean's, presence drove a wedge between Rose and a very deserving man? Darren didn't expect that to happen, or he wouldn't have asked them to come. He had admitted it would be difficult, but had also said they were determined to see it through.

At least their children would all be present to prevent all too strong a reaction, and Rose had the reputation of being a very calm, stable woman. Well, if Darren and Rose weren't afraid, Caitlin would not be either, she liked Darren but if Rose didn't want to be friends after all there was nothing she could do to change that.

When they finally arrived, Caitlin discovered she had been right to stop worrying, for Rose was waiting for them outside with Darren, obviously glad to receive her guests. And whilst her partner showed Jean and Ben where to take the gig and the ponies, Rose took Caitlin inside with her.

'I'm so glad to finally meet you, Miss Brennan, or may I call you Caitlin? Ever since Jean told me how he'd fallen for you I've wanted to meet you, from what he told me you deserve a man like him to love you.'

'Thank you, Rose, I'd love to dispense with the formalities, I instantly liked Darren and I so hoped you would be able to like me as well.'

'Isn't it strange how things worked out? I thought I preferred a dashing fellow but when I got to know Darren really well I realised how special it is to be so valued by someone. He has loved me all his life, and he never once blamed me for being less steadfast. I needed to find my own road towards loving him.'

'And you will have plenty of years together, I'm sure. Like Jean and myself, I never thought I'd get married, and certainly not to a self-confessed ladies' man.'

Anything else Caitlin or Rose might have wanted to say got lost in their entrance into the house, where Rose introduced her guest to her daughter Jenny. Caitlin couldn't help but think how nice it would be to have a daughter herself, there was such a natural bond between both women.

'You're very beautiful, Miss Brennan,' Jenny said frankly, 'and so young. Jean is a lucky man to have won your love.'

Caitlin could tell that the girl liked Jean, and yet wasn't predisposed against the woman who had taken him away from her mother. Of course Darren was very handsome and admirable, too, and he certainly had been more faithful to Rose than Jean, though the latter had always been honest about his intentions or rather his lack of them. He had been to Caitlin at least, there was no reason why he should have given Rose false hopes of him at any time.

As Rose provided Caitlin with a cup of tea from a beautiful China pot decorated with the flowers she had been named for, Caitlin tried to address Jenny's compliments without seeming triumphant towards her mother.

'Thank you, Jenny, I never thought of myself as either beautiful or marriage material, but it's nice to get such a compliment from a beautiful young woman.'

Before the conversation could turn to painful or embarrassing subjects it was interrupted by the entrance of two young men in the practical clothing most local men wore. One was about Jean's size but broader in build, the other was significantly taller and as broad as his brother, for despite the difference in age and size they were clearly related. Caitlin was pleased to find herself completely undisturbed by their sudden entrance, it seemed her change in circumstances and in status had hugely reduced her old fear of men.

The taller, younger looking man proved himself still mostly a boy by the way he blurted out some news that was obviously very important to him.

'Mr Hugo really wants me as his stable boy, mum, he says Mr Darcy approves of his choice and wants to introduce himself to me when I'm settled.'

'I told you he would keep his promise, didn't I, even though he wasn't there when you called. Didn't Darren tell you he'd mentioned you?'

'He did, and I should have believed him, I suppose I just was a little impressed after seeing all those valuable horses. Why would Mr Hugo hire someone who knows nothing of horses? But he said just now he prefers his stable boys to have a brain with which to learn things his way.'

His mother laughed, she had known Jean much longer than Caitlin had, after her husband's sudden decease he had helped her hold onto the farm until her eldest son could take over. But she also looked pointedly at Caitlin, possibly to warn him to guard his tongue, but as it turned out to remind him of common courtesy towards a visitor.

'Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Brennan, I should have greeted you first instead of rambling on about my new position as stable boy to your fiancé. I'm Patrick Kendall, how do you do?'

Well, he was polite enough, and no stranger to hard work, judging from his broad figure and the state of his clothes.

'I'm very well, Patrick, thank you. I'm glad you are so thrilled about working for Jean, some of our neighbours told him he had quite a reputation locally for being demanding. Though I cannot say I ever noticed anything of the sort, and neither has Ben.'

'I met your boy in the stables just now, Miss, he makes a delightful pair with your fearsome dog. My father was a demanding man and we had terrible rows despite my young age. I suppose I often thought I knew better. Then we lost him so suddenly and I got part of the responsibility for the work I was convinced I had mastered already. That taught me I actually knew nothing. And how valuable it is to have someone truly knowledgeable to teach me. Since I have no experience with horses whatsoever there can be no doubt that Mr Hugo knows everything better than I, and I'm eager to learn what he has to teach me. Of course Darren could teach me a lot, too, but I'm certain I'll find it much easier to respect Mr Hugo, which I'm afraid I need to be a good worker. I can't wait to start, frankly.'

'I think he is right, Miss Brennan,' the other young man interjected, 'I'm Colin Kendall and I'm very pleased to meet you.'

They all shook hands, and Caitlin replied, 'I'm very pleased to meet all of you, and I'm certain you all have a great future ahead of you.'

Those boys were as calm and kind as their mother, and Caitlin could understand why Jean had contemplated marrying Rose despite not being in love with her. She was rather older than Caitlin but very attractive, and her children were all very well raised and willing to do their share of the work. Darren would find a warm welcome here.

They all chatted a little about the small things in life until the men and Ben entered the kitchen, Rover on their heels. Caitlin couldn't help watching Rose as she met Jean again for the first time since they had both committed to another partner, but there was no sign of disappointment or lingering partiality in her expression. On the contrary, when Darren came towards his love to greet her with a kiss, she didn't seem at all embarrassed at the slight impropriety of his open display of affection, but rather pleased and, yes, very affectionate towards him in return. There was no regret over Jean in Rose, Caitlin was now convinced, and the thought pleased her. She had observed the intimacy between Mr Manners and his friends with something a bit like envy, and had at times thought she might like to be part of that group and would even be welcome. But Jean would never be able to be intimate with his employer's sister and guests. His loyalty and sense of duty made her love him all the more but still she longed for friendship, and she thought knowledgeable Darren and calm Rose would do very well as their first friends.

And that feeling seemed to be mutual, soon they were all involved in a lively discussion concerning some disease that had hit the poorer part of the local population particularly hard almost a year ago in summer.

'I remember it well,' Caitlin said, 'so many came down with a terrible form of the flux. Even those who had spurned my medicine until then because I was poor and Irish were suddenly eager for it.'

'Where did they go, then, when they were ill? Before the sickness struck, I mean. Was there a doctor in Ripley?'

'I suppose some hadn't been sick for years, and some may have sent for the herb woman in the next village, she was a local I think. None of the villagers could afford a real doctor, except one or two relatively rich farmers. But what good could a doctor do in a dirty village where the people did their laundry and cleaned a lot of other messes upstream from where they got their drinking water?'

All adults instantly knew what she meant and showed their disgust.

'And don't doctors from town try to cure everything with bloodlettings?' she added, 'those only make things worse, especially flux.'

Caitlin had been able to help most of Ripley with a herb mixture containing wormwood and agrimony and some other local herbs, and a few lessons in cleanliness. Which, miraculously, even the housewives had borne from her, a woman who lived in a hut and didn't even have a doorstep to scrub daily and curtains to wash weekly. But their children had been sick as dogs, as they themselves had been, and even their precious husbands hadn't been spared.

'We had an excellent one in France, but of course my father could afford the best our region had to offer,' Jean observed, 'I do think even Mr Darcy lost quite a few tenants, though mostly the very poorest. Did you fare any better, Caitlin?'

'Once they started listening to me and used cleaner water and boiled it before drinking they did. And I had some medicine that helped.'

'We lost quite a few in Clifton, indeed mostly children and elderly of the poorest families.'

Rose knew a lot of people, but mostly in Clifton and Witham. Darren had a much larger range, his services were in demand as far as he could walk in a few hours, which was up to ten miles.

'It was mostly the poor and the vulnerable that died, in other villages as well. In town it was even worse. I suppose you didn't suffer any losses at the great house? Since you have plenty of clean water and soap there? Mother didn't get it, I'm very careful with her food and drink.'

'You are right, Mrs Reynolds insists on everyone cleaning their hands and face thoroughly before every meal, and of course our staff must be clean at all times. And you know, clean privies are also important. Mr Darcy and some other landowners suspected the cause of the disease to lie in the water supply, spreading further through unsanitary conditions in the poor parts of villages and towns, and Mr Darcy at least acted quickly to improve those. And the disease disappeared, but then in winter pneumonia struck.'

It had indeed been a nasty, virulent strain of flu that winter, one even Caitlin had found herself powerless against, though Ripley had lost fewer than Witham, even though living conditions in the village itself were markedly worse in general, with many large, poor families living close together in small, badly kept houses.

'The population of Ripley is much younger than that of Witham, even now, after so many elderly people died last winter. But I'm seeing to it that they are in better shape this winter, then I hope we won't lose as many. I've seen several plants in a little marshland that will come in very handy this winter.'

That, of course, set Darren and Caitlin to talking about herbs, and they soon lost themselves totally in their mutual obsession. Caitlin relayed her astonishment at finding Mr Oliver such an avid student of nature, and Darren relished talking with a kindred spirit as much as the Pemberley hunt master had. Caitlin hadn't felt so challenged in her field of expertise since her mentor in Ireland had passed away. Rose and Jean were totally forgotten, they were teaching Ben how to play a game of cards, something he had never done before and obviously liked a lot, but Caitlin just couldn't keep her attention on anything until she had satisfied her hunger for sharing knowledge, for the second time in one week. How her life had changed!

After about an hour, everyone settled around the table to play even more games, and this time Caitlin was pleased to join the rest. Jean had known Rose and her children for years, though admittedly not very well, but still he was very much at home in this kitchen. And yet, Caitlin felt very much included as well, and it was obvious Ben did, too, despite the difference in age between him and Rose's children. He was still a little adult at heart, though he was also progressing well in learning how to be a child. But these were games for adults, and Ben picked them up quickly enough that he could play by himself after watching Jean play for two rounds.

Jean didn't want to leave the ponies by themselves very long, since they were his employer's and Mr Darcy was so eager to present them to his wife. Imagine one of those sweet ponies hurting themselves in Rose's stables, according to Jean there were not used to being locked up in a small space. So after a few games all the men went back to the stables, including Ben and Rover since Darren had promised to show Ben more tricks to teach the dog. Which left the three women by themselves once again.

'Your son is a delight, Caitlin,' Rose said, 'he is so incredibly smart and eager to learn. I knew Jean was good with boys but Ben is making it really easy for him to be a father.'

Only now did Caitlin realise that in her obsession with plants, she had monopolised Darren and thus forced Rose to spend an hour in relative intimacy with Jean! Of course, the children had been present, but still it was not a very kind thing to do in such an early stage of their friendship.

'I'm sorry I left you alone with Jean, Rose, that might have been very uncomfortable for either of you. It was selfish of me to claim Darren as I did.'

'Nonsense, my dear, Darren claimed you as much, he was aching to talk to you about plants and medicine, don't blame yourself for something that is only natural. You were both delighted to meet someone with the same interest, and we'll all profit by it when you discover some new cure together. I really don't mind being around Jean, I thought I might regret losing him but I don't. He is so right for you and Darren is so right for me, there is no way things would have worked out as well if the situation had resolved in a different way. It was good to see him again and talk to him, he is so happy with you and Ben is just like his own child. I suppose that's all for the best since you're still so young, it's almost inevitable you'll have more children together.'

It was so good to talk with another woman without her being a patient. Caitlin did not feel embarrassed at all to ask Rose the most natural question to follow her observation.

'Do you want more children?'

'I think I'm too old to have any more children, but if one comes along I'm certain Darren would be thrilled and I wouldn't mind either. Though we have his mother to think of as well, she is happy for her son but she does miss him when he is with us.'

Caitlin nodded. That was more or less her own opinion on having more babies herself, though of course she was younger and had only Ben.

'I think I'd like to have Jean's child, especially a girl, it's so nice to see you and Jenny together. But I do have my obligations towards my patients, I cannot just leave them to their own devices to take care of a baby. It was so hard to take care of Ben when I was still on my own, trying to make a living, I don't want to go back to those times. I know Jean makes a large enough salary to keep Ben and me as well as a baby, but I cannot abandon my patients.'

Caitlin could see the realisation dawn on Jenny, her mother would never permit her to become a maid at Pemberley, and craftswomen mostly were taught their craft by their own mothers. She probably hadn't seen her future beyond keeping a house and a kitchen garden, but here was a woman who worked for a living in total independence.

'You'll just need to find someone to mind your children for you, Caitlin, it shouldn't be very difficult to find someone to do that for you in Witham. I bet they are already offering you help with lots of things.'

So they were, but wouldn't they draw the line at her neglecting her own baby? Wouldn't they vilify her for being a bad mother?

'I can see what you're thinking, Caitlin, but you're wrong. You save people's lives, nothing is more important than that. If you or Jean had your parents still living and close-by, they would mind your children. Why not let someone else's mother, or even a deserving girl near adulthood, free you to help all the people of the village? They need you, they will want you to spend time looking for herbs to make medicine, and deliver babies and treat their ailments. You make their lives better, why shouldn't they want to make yours better? I don't understand why the people of Ripley didn't appreciate you, but I'm certain those in Witham will, and in Clifton. They certainly love Darren for helping their livestock, and I guess they don't value their children or their own health any less.'

Put that way, Caitlin could imagine trusting one or two local women, or grown-up, sensible girls like Jenny, with a baby. Peter's missus had her mother to mind the baby, and so many children had left Witham for town, their mothers would love to have someone else's child to spoil.

'I suppose you are right. I'll worry a lot less about getting with child, then. I'd love to have a little girl of my own, or another boy with Jean as his father. Though Ben turned out well despite his father being not so nice. Thank you for explaining, Rose, I guess I've lost a lot of faith in people over the years.'

'That is very sad, I really hope you will regain some soon, but I think you will. And we will help you if we can, I've enjoyed our time together very much.'

And so had Caitlin. They talked a little longer, or women's things and village things, and then it was time to go home. Tomorrow, Jean would bring the new phaeton and the ponies to Mrs Darcy's attention in an elaborate scheme that he'd worked out with the doting husband, and Caitlin would have to return to walking to her appointments. Oh, well, it looked like she might have her own pony soon, and then Jean would no longer have to come with her when she went out in the middle of the night as he insisted on doing now.

On their way back, Ben was tired but very pleased.

'I know so many tricks I can teach Rover, mum, Darren explained them to me and how I can get Rover to understand what I want from him. All it takes is patience, Darren says.'

'I suppose that is very true, my dear. Look at what Jean did with Liquor, and with the ponies. And with us, when he taught us to drive them. Eventually even we understood, and Rover is much smarter.'

Ben laughed merrily, he didn't mind being made fun of.

'When will you visit Mrs Brewer, mum? She said I had taught her boys to let go a little, but what she doesn't know is that they already know, they just want to spare her the worries. Do you think I'll get a little brother or sister myself?'

'Mrs Brewer is with child? And she told you, Ben?'

'She wanted me to ask mum to visit her, and I had already seen it. She looked like she was with child, it's easy to see in thin ladies. She said Mr Brewer already knew and mum had the right to tell you, she just didn't want Jonathan and Nathaniel to know, yet. In case something went wrong, I think, I suppose that happened before since she looked sad when she said that. Poor Mrs Brewer, she is so kind and she makes the best cookies.'

'Amazing, I've never heard any of that. But I suppose your mum will find out soon enough whether that's true.'

He did not tell Ben to keep his tutor's wife's secrets, he trusted Ben to know what was right. And Caitlin knew Ben would not betray that trust, he instinctively understood the need for a healer to be discrete. But Ben was still a child, as he proved soon after.

'Will you have a baby together as well? I suppose I'd like to have a brother or sister, though I'd have to share a room. Or do you think we can do without the still room?'

'We can build a still room in the barn, Ben, and we may want to move to a larger house anyway in a few years. Mr Darcy chose this house for you and your mum because there were just the two of you.'

That sounded as if Jean wanted her to have more children! Caitlin didn't know whether she was more surprised or pleased.

'Don't look so stunned, my love, Ben knows where children come from, doesn't he? Then he also knows you cannot stop that from happening. Wait, you can?'

She could see her unspoken admission had given him some serious food for thought, but he didn't want to share it in front of Ben. No matter, Ben was only ten, he didn't need to know everything. Jean would tell her tonight, in bed. And she would ask him whether he really didn't mind if she stopped taking the medicine she'd made with the bog myrtle. Shame to let it go to waste, but there were plenty of those bushes in the little marsh, which also gave her an idea to change the conversation.

'Speaking of wives and children, Jean, do you know why Mr Oliver doesn't have any? He seems such a nice man.'

'He may very well tell you his whole story one day, my love, but I dare say he won't mind my telling you the short version. He lost his true love to consumption years ago. They never had any children, he never had the slightest inclination to love someone else. Still, I do believe he is a happy man, one might say the Pemberley staff is his family, and we have people of all ages except of course the very youngest.'

'He did offer to teach me to swim, dad, and there are Mr Brewer's boys as well, so you might say there are people of all ages in the Pemberley staff.'

'True. I never thought of it that way but then I never had much interest in younger children. Until I met you, Ben, you have reconciled me to possibly becoming a father by blood as well as by law. I suppose any babies your mum makes with me cannot be much worse than you turned out, it's mostly the mother who they take after, right?'

Jean knew better than that, he was probably teasing Ben a little. To Caitlin, Ben's growing resemblance to her tormentor had worried her sometimes, but his different upbringing had seen to the resemblance remaining strictly on the outside. But now Jean's voice sounded more serious as he continued.

'But before you two get all excited about little girls or baby boys, two things. First of all, Caitlin, I'd like you to keep taking whatever you use until I have made an honest woman out of you. That is just two weeks, so it shouldn't be a big problem. And second: you know I've seen a lot of women, and as far as I know none have ever conceived. I may not be able to give you a child at all. Would you mind that very much?'

'Of course I wouldn't, my love. I love you, and I want to be with you. We're a father and a mother already, and I'm happy as we are.'

'And I'm glad to have you as my dad, Jean. I just wondered what would happen if we were to have another baby in the house, and now I know.'

Hugo was more than surprised by his own easy acceptance of the possibility of becoming a father to a child of his own after all, how much more would he change? Hopefully enough to please Mr Darcy by getting along with that boy he so wanted to hire to replace Peter with.

Hadn't it been a pleasant evening, talking to Darren and Rose's sons about livestock and horses, and seeing Ben thrilled to learn more things to teach Rover. Darren was such a good teacher, he really should take on an apprentice, and get himself a horse and gig as well, or just a riding horse.

'Did you have a good time tonight?' he asked his own family.

'I did,' Caitlin replied, 'I was afraid it would be embarrassing but it wasn't. Whatever Rose felt for you, I'm certain she is over it now and devoted to Darren. Though I shouldn't have left her to you altogether by monopolising Darren, I'm sorry, Jean.'

'They were not by themselves, I was there. And we had a great time, didn't we?'

Hugo could only be honest to his beloved, and frankly he hadn't even realised it might have been uncomfortable with Rose, it had been just like old times.

'We did, Ben, I felt no tension between Rose and myself. It was good to see her again, and even better to have friends we can visit more often. I liked playing games like this. And I'm very happy with Patrick, I don't think it will be a problem at all to be friends with a stable boy's parents.'

They enjoyed their last drive with Mrs Darcy's ponies, then did a last round to check on all the animals before they turned in. Ben took Rover with him to his own little bedroom, and Hugo led Caitlin to theirs.

A baby would spoil some of their closeness, they needed so much attention and they both spent so much time on their work. But seeing those strapping young men growing wiser by the week, and the bustle of a large family in the kitchen at mealtimes, Hugo had suddenly realised he would like to have that, too, some day in the future. And Rose had such a close bond with her daughter as well, Caitlin would surely appreciate having another woman in the household.

But apparently for now, they could still make love without having to consider the possible results, and since Caitlin obviously felt the same way, make love they did.