Part 2

Chapter 9

Caroline soon got to her feet, gently easing a disappointed and resentful Engelbert off his warm cushion of soft and girlish flesh, and went up to the house to have her morning shower and use the toilet. She saw Grace standing outside holding a bucket.

"Morning Caroline. Bath time! Stand nice and still!"

With this she came up to her and after raising the bucket high over Caroline's head, emptied half of its icy cold contents all over her. She handed her a bit of soap and ordered her to use it. Then she rinsed her off by pouring the rest of the water over her.

"No more hot showers for you, my girl! I've been far, far too lenient with you, and it won't do any longer. From now on it's going to get a whole lot harder for you. How dare you complain of the cold nights, when I have slept through far colder ones without any warm body next to me. Now get off to work. I think a nice bit of ploughing is just what you need today. I have things to do around here, so you'll be on your own for much of the day."

Grace had said the previous day that the stubble needed to be ploughed into the cornfield and shown her where the hand plough was kept. When she had asked why the horse could not be used to pull the plough, Grace had gone white with rage and told her that such fine horses could never be used for such menial work. Caroline had been utterly cowed by this unexpected anger on the part of her formerly gentle and sweet friend and felt utterly crushed until Grace recovered her good humour and comforted the almost tearful girl with a kiss and a hug.

The work was utterly back-breaking and exhausting. By midday, after five hours of constant toil, Caroline was close to collapse and still Grace had not come to help her or give her permission to rest. Despite the rigours of her life, which promised to get harder still in the days ahead, it simply did not occur to her to go back home to her comfortable house in London. She knew her place was here and that her friend was wise enough to know that what she was doing was for her own ultimate good.

Despite extreme exhaustion and the pain which was affecting her entire body she forced herself to continue all through the afternoon until the sun began to go down, and still Grace was nowhere to be seen. This was the first day that they had not worked side by side and the sense of isolation, desolation and remorse at having given offence grew in tandem with her tiredness.

Finally, as the light was beginning to fade, Grace appeared and told her to stop ploughing for the day, further telling her that there was work to be done in the house, which needed to be cleaned fom top to bottom before she either ate, drank or slept.

"I suppose you don't believe in electric vacuum cleaners"

"Don't be so stupid, Caroline! Of course I don't. You get down on your hands and knees and brush and scrub your heart out and you don't get up until you've finished. When you have there'll be food and drink for you in the wood, where we sleep. Don't even think about not doing a proper job, or you'll see just how hard on you I can really be!"

By this time they had reached the house and Caroline immediately started work, despite her extreme tiredness, hunger and thirst. By the time she had left every nook and cranny spotless and utterly free from any merest speck of dust, she scarcely had the strength to stagger across to the wood and the bread and water meal which was all that Grace had provided for her. After gratefully eating and drinking she lay next to Grace and prepared to sleep.

Grace pushed her away.

"You don't get any heat from me any more, Caroline. From now onwards you sleep on your own!"

Chapter 10

Caroline was awakened by a none-too-gentle prod in her side from Grace's foot - more of a vicious kick, really. She looked up to see her hostess frowning down at her.

"Come with me, Caroline. There are some things I want to show you, about which I would value your opinion."

Surprised that there could be any topic where she had anything to teach Grace and disturbed at her unfriendly tone, which continued to cause her terrible grief, she followed her up to the house. She noticed that a hosepipe had been attached to an outside water tap. Grace walked into the house and Caroline followed. Her friend wiped a finger across a window. She then put it in front of Caroline's eye.

"What would you say that was on my finger, Caroline?"

"Dust, Grace! Sorry! I must have missed a bit last night."

"And what did I say would happen if you failed to do a proper job of cleaning my home?"

"That I would find out how severe you could really be with me. I'm sorry, Grace, but I was awfully tired yesterday. I worked non-stop for eighteen hours without food or drink."

"Don't make things worse by coming out with a lot of miserable excuses, Caroline. You're in a hole - stop digging it even deeper!"

"Yes, Grace. I promise to try and do better in future"

"That's better. Get upstairs, brush your teeth etc. and then report to me outside in the yard."

Some five minutes or so later, Caroline did as instructed. Grace told her to stand with her arms raised. She then turned on the tap, lifted the hosepipe and directed a jet of freezing cold water at her, playing it up and down her body for such a long time that Caroline began to shiver uncontrollably under its icy cold impact. Despite the fact that poor Caroline was obviously perishing with cold, Grace did not let up, and the poor victim knew that any plea for mercy would be quite useless.

She hated to see her friend in this implacable mood and only wanted to do something - anything - to regain her favour. With a great effort she controlled the shaking and trembling of her limbs and body and forced herself to stand quite still. A little later, the hose was turned away from her and off. Grace told her to get straight back to the field and continue ploughing without any food to break her fast.

This terrible regime lasted, without the slightest let-up, for three long and arduous weeks, at the end of which, the field had been completely ploughed and the house had been cleaned and re-cleaned over twenty times. Every night, Caroline collapsed onto the alfresco bed, separated from her friend and with only the occasional comfort of the here today and gone tomorrow Engelbert to keep out the cold. She vowed never to complain again to her friend about hardship.

Chapter 11

On the morning of the twenty first day after her punishment had started, Caroline woke to to find Grace lying on top her her and smiling happily at her. She bent down and kissed Caroline, hungrily and passionately. Caroline responded, delighted that the terrible estrangement was over at last. She had grown completely used to the harsh physical conditions and the growing cold at night, but not to Grace's awful remoteness. It was a long time before either was in a position to say anything.

"Still finding it too cold at nights, my angel?"

Caroline laughed, so happy to be addressed once more with endearments.

"No, Grace. I can face anything now, after these last few weeks!"

"Good, Caroline. That was the idea. Oh! How I've hated it! Every day I have had to force myself to be harsh and stern, when every second of these last weeks I've wanted to hold you and love you! Am I forgiven, my darling and uniquely precious Caroline? I only did it to help you."

Caroline could not hold back her tears and soon both girls were sobbing, whether out of joy for their renewed love or regret at three lost weeks, neither could quite tell.

When they were more or less recovered, Grace announced that today was to be a holiday, just as soon as the milking had been done. After Caroline's (and Grace's) first satisfying meal for weeks, the couple went up to the room Caroline had slept in on her first night and they spent much of the day in bed together, talking and loving and, to Caroline's relief after her non-stop work of the past few weeks, sleeping.

Engelbert came up and joined them. Truth to tell, he spent most nights here and only his deep affection for the two girls persuaded him to spend any time whatsoever sleeping out in that cold wood, of which they seemed so inordinately and unaccountably fond. He never would entirely get to understand humans and their odd ways, try as he might!

Chapter 12

"I think this must be the loveliest time of the year, Caroline, with all these rich golden/red colours and the carpet of leaves all over everything."

It was well into October now and the cows had all been moved into their winter quarters. The work on the farm had slackened off a little and Grace and Caroline were relaxing under the ancient oak. Grace had her arm on the back of Caroline's shoulder and Caroline had her head on her friend's lap, her nose nuzzling that sweet clump of hair. Caroline somewhat reluctantly raised her head to reply.

"I'll reserve judgment until I've seen all four seasons, if you don't mind! It's so lovely to be friends again after that awful time last month and any season is wonderful as long as we are together... I love you, my dear sweet Grace until my love is so strong it hurts enough to kill me. Why must I leave you one day?"

"Because you must, my darling. Ask no more questions. One day you will know."

Caroline seemed to accept this reply and said no more for some minutes. Then she spoke.

"I hope we don't have to go indoors to sleep for ever, Grace. I love it sleeping under these wise old trees."

Grace laughed into Caroline's light brown hair, kissing her silky locks as she did so.

"You'll know when the time comes! Even I have never yet managed a complete twelvemonth under the open sky - alas! And what do you think you have been chopping up all those logs for - exercise?"

"Can we have at least one night out in the snow under this tree - at least try to see if we can do it - just one night, Grace?"

"I fear I've made rather too zealous a convert my love! Never mind - be it as you wish!"

"The spirits of the wood will keep us safe, Grace. I trust them totally!"

"For the first time, I almost dread the winter, my darling Caroline - but I can't wait for that night to come, nevertheless!"

Engelbert listened with horror to this conversation. Was there no way he could make these foolish people see the error of their ways? He only hoped they left the house open for him to use on the night in question. Otherwise he would seek his feline fortune elsewhere!

Having decided on their night in the snow - always suposing it did snow during the coming winter - they resumed the still demanding daily round of tasks. Caroline spent another couple of hours chopping up firewood, pausing a couple of times to wipe the sweat off her brow as well as some blood caused by a splinter that had flown up into her face.

She was beginning to collect quite a nice little lot of cuts and scratches to adorn her young body, she reflected. No longer was she just a well brought up, pretty ornament of a girl, but a proper mature human being, working and suffering in order to stay alive and keep the land she owned in good heart. Engelbert sat watching from a safe distance. He knew exactly for what purpose the firewood was being prepared and at the thought of a lovely roaring fire to lie in front of in the coming winter months, he began to purr contentedly.

Chapter 13

Caroline was dripping wet and windswept. This was her morning in the cowshed. Feeding the cows and mucking out their quarters - a smelly but satisfying task. She had finished the milking and carried the pails of milk back into the house, lashed by the wind, the torrential autumnal rain coursing down her body, her hair plastered to her shoulders and strong young back. By the time she got indoors, she was bright red all over from the exertion and the impact of the heavy rainfall, which the gale-force wind had been driving in a horizontal assault on her naked body.

She joined Grace in the kitchen for their first meal of the day. The two of them sat and ate and drank in silence, listening to the tempest outside and watching the rain lashing at the windows. Finally Grace spoke. "It feels so safe and secure in here, my darling! Don't you feel so comforted to be in the shelter of the house and sitting here with me, with that going on out there?"

Caroline thought for a few moments and then replied, " Yes. It's nice for a few minutes, but I want to be out there with you, Grace, the two of us braving that downpour together! Let's go down to the wood as soon as we've eaten. Do you think we could could for a ride later, or would the horses object?"

"They'll be fine, Caroline, they'd like the exercise. Just as long as we dry them off thoroughly afterwards. Can't have them catching pneumonia!"

Having cleaned up after breakfast and put Grace's priceless crockery back in its place they made their way out of the house, watched glaringly by a disgusted and contemptuous Engelbert, who was angrily wondering when the first fire was going to be lit.

They had spent the night under the trees as usual and now that the leaves had all fallen, the water had dripped steadily down on them for the whole night. Caroline marvelled at, and was ever more grateful for, that hard-won endurance which enabled her to sleep through such cold discomfort. Admittedly the warmth of Grace's body had now long been restored to her and this had made all the difference. Once she was enfolded by those strong and tender arms, pressed against that beloved body, the world only consisted of the two of them and was a place of warmth and reassurance.

"How well did you know Granddad, Grace?" asked Caroline as the two stood under the old tree, half shetered from the rain and totally shetered from the wind.

"Very well, darling. As well as two humans can! But that was long ago. Even so, I knew when he died, that you needed me and he would have wanted me to do for you what I have done and am doing. The work and life of this farm was the thing nearest and dearest to his heart."

It couldn't have been that long ago, thought Caroline, looking at her young hostess. This girl was scarcely older than she! She kept this thought to herself, as well as wondering about another mystery. From where had Grace made the phone call? There was no phone in the house, as well as no radio or television. No newspapers were ever delivered. And yet this strange girl who never seemed to leave these premises had known of her grandfather's death, waiting until the funeral obsequies were over before contacting her to invite her here.

She shook her head as if to dispel these thoughts and put her arms around her friend, trying to force Grace to the ground so that they could enjoy each other for the thousandth time. A willing and delighted Grace needed little or no forcing and soon they were both lying on the waterlogged moss, lost yet again in their own wonderful enchanted world.

Chapter 14

Engelbert was finally a self-satisfied and smugly contented cat. He lay stretched out in front of the log fire, protected from flying sparks by the fireguard. He thanked his lucky stars for the intervention of dear old Mother Nature, who had been kind enough to visit the land with the first mercilessly hard frost of the year. It was mid-November now and the world outside was a frozen hell, into which the pleasure-loving, lazy Engelbert ventured as little and as seldom as possible. Those two stupid girls were always outside, even now. How glad I am to be a sensible cat, he thought - that pair of madwomen don't even have any nice long fur like me!

Caroline was staggering across the farmyard, two full and very heavy milk pails tied together on a pole, resting on her strong and calloused shoulders. She was having to be most careful not to lose her footing on the treacherous surface. From time to time she had long wondered why they needed such prodigious amounts of milk between the three of them. Even accounting for all the cheese and butter they made, there must be an enormous surplus of dairy products on this farm and a world out there wanting to be fed!

She had asked Grace about this and that mysterious and ever more beautiful lady had smiled, assuring Caroline that nothing was ever wasted. She sold nothing, but gave away what she didn't need. Caroline was puzzled. Gave away to whom, though, and how? she asked herself."

They had tried to spend the previous night outside as usual, but the inexorably penetrating cold had soon proved too much, even for their hardy and tough young bodies. They had both come inside and gratefully got together between the sheets of that lovely bed in that lovely room, surrendering themselves to the luxury of pampered warmth and to each other. Engelbert had grumpily moved aside to make room for the two lovers, and then had his good humour restored as he felt the precious warmth of the happy young women coming up to him through the bedclothes.