Chapter 8

“It’s a bit cooler tonight, Grace. How much longer will we be sleeping outdoors?”

It was now the end of August; the days were already appreciably shorter and the nights cooler than when Caroline had arrived back in July. She was used by now to the hard and incessant round of work. Her hands were hardened to the heavy labor and her bare feet could deal with any surface, no matter how rough. The constant physical exertion, which stopped only for a few minutes at midday, or whenever Grace decided, kept her warm and sweating during the day, but the nights were a different matter. She was becoming more and more appreciative of the warmth of the girl sleeping next to her.

Grace shifted her position and faced her friend and landlady, putting her arms around her and giving her a quick but exciting kiss before answering.

“You’ll have to get used to it being much cooler than this before we move indoors. This is nothing, my darling. Nothing at all, compared to how cold it will be in a few months. Now go to sleep - we have so much to do in the morning!”

For whatever reason, her shivering ceased and Caroline dropped off to sleep almost immediately. Grace smiled at her young friend’s recumbent form and moved a few inches away from her, leaving her without her warming propinquity. She continued to stare at the sleeping Caroline for some minutes and murmured a few words.

“You are so much tougher now, my sweet, but I see you’re not nearly tough enough. There is so much more you must learn to endure before you are ready.”

Caroline woke to find herself almost alone. Grace was nowhere to be seen and her only companion was the wayward Engelbart, who lay fast asleep on her firm young belly. She stroked the long-haired ginger tomcat and he responded by purring loudly, before going back to sleep.

“I wonder where your mistress has gone,” said Caroline. “Must be making an early start today - even earlier than usual. Gosh! but it’s cold this morning! Nice to have you to warm me up you lovely boy!”

“Nice to have your lovely warm stomach to lie on!” replied the cat in a language Caroline did not understand.