Page 43 of Waking Roslyn

“No. I just finished planting the flowerbed on the east side of the house, and now I am headed to clear a small dam of branches that’s blocking the flow of the stream.”

She chewed her lip for just a moment, then asked, “Do you need help?”

Was she offering? This girl continued to surprise me. “I can handle it well enough.”

“Yes, but…I’ve delayed you, so it’s only fair that I help you catch up with your work. Plus, you’ve devoted so much time to helping me train…”

My instinct was to reject her offer, but I stopped myself. Something in her face and voice told me that she wanted to help. Maybe it was boredom or curiosity. Whatever it was, I found myself wanting to say yes.

“If you wish to go wading through the stream, I certainly won’t stop you. Perhaps you can do all the heavy lifting and I will stay dry on the shore,” I teased.

She shocked me by responding with, “Wonderful! Lead the way.”

I sputtered for a moment. I thought my teasing might make her blush, or that she’d tease me in return. I hadn’t expected her to take my suggestion seriously.

But I loved that she had, so I just nodded and pointed through the trees. She skipped off in that direction, leaving me feeling like a puppet on strings, following after her.

“Does the stream get blocked often?” she asked over her shoulder.

I caught up with her so that I could walk at her side. “Not too often. But during the rainy season when the storms knock things around, I check it regularly.”

“Could something bad happen if you left it?”

“There’s a small chance that the wheat fields could flood, but that’s unlikely. I also want to be sure that it’s flowing well so that Sir James has plenty of water for his horses. But mostly, I just like keeping things the way they are.” I gave a shrug, wishing that I could tell her there was some essential, heroic reason for this task. Then I had to wonder why I wished that.

“Could the flooding damage animals’ homes?”

I grinned, glad that she wasn’t looking up at me. “Yes, it could.”

“Then it’s a good thing you have my help.”

I just chuckled. Of course Miss Rose wanted to protect animals’ homes.

When we reached the portion of the stream where the branches had piled up, I was only half surprised that Miss Rose sat down and started taking off her shoes. Then, true to her word, she gathered up her skirts and waded into the water.

“Tell me what to do,” she said, ignoring the water that was halfway up her calves.

I removed my own shoes and stockings, unwilling to let her be in the water on her own. The last thing either of us needed was for her to return to the manor house drenched. So I waded in beside her, close enough that I would be able to lend a steadying arm if needed.

“Now we just start pulling on branches and see what comes free,” I instructed.

“Very well.” She reached for one of the thicker branches and started pulling.

“And we have to be sure not to let the branches get swept away either, otherwise they might cause another block,” I warned.

“Yes, yes,” she said, giving the branch another tug. After a moment, she looked up at me with a mock glare. “Aren’t you going to help?”

Honestly, I’d been more concerned with making sure she didn’t fall into the water, but if the lady wanted help…

Just as I was about to take hold of the same branch, it broke free and the water tried to sweep it away and out of her grasp.

“Oh no,” she said in alarm, still clinging to it as it pulled her along.

I lunged forward, catching her around the waist with one hand while grabbing hold of the branch with the other.

She laughed as she regained her balance, and we pulled it toward the shore. We set it down together, and when I turned to look at her, her smile was radiant as she continued to chuckle. “See?” she challenged. “I told you I needed help.”

I smiled and shook my head. “Just don’t let yourself be swept downstream.”