Page 9 of The Book of Unwritten Stories

Katie stood up and flung her arms around both Dora and Mabel, and Dora felt all the tension drain away. This was the right thing to do, she’d known that the minute the idea had come to her. Lenny hadn’t argued with her. Her aunt had quite happily agreed to go along with her plans as long as it made Dora happy and this did. It made her happier than she’d ever thought she could be. She just hoped that this time it would last, and no evil witch hunter was there lingering in the sidelines ready to steal it all away from her.

EIGHT

SALEM VILLAGE, 1676

Lucine needed to find some mayflowers for the tincture they were making for the inn keeper’s wife. She was heavy with child and suffering with a fever. They had the other herbs needed from the garden of the cottage which they had harvested fresh this morning. Seraphina and Lenora were crushing, brewing and steeping the mixture, but what they were missing and what they could not grow despite many failed attempts was the wild mayflowers that thrived in the forest. The pretty white flowers loved to grow around the shade of the red cedar trees. Lucine had taken the seed pods and dried them lovingly before planting them in the little dishes she had bought in Salem town at the market, but to no avail. Those mayflowers did not want to be cultivated and grown inside; they wanted to stay wild and Lucine respected that as frustrating as it was. Some things were not meant to be and the battle between woman and mayflower was not one that Lucine would win any time soon.

The sun bathed her head in warmth, and she felt that her life was good, she was thankful for everything she had. Then a picture of the man on the beautiful dapple-grey horse entered her mind and she paused for a moment. He was as handsome if not more than the horse he rode, that red waistcoat had been a brightness in this dull Puritan world that Lucine had not known she had needed.

There was much talk in the village of the stranger who had found himself in their world. She had heard the Putnams had offered him a bed for the night and he had declined and stayed at Ingersoll’s Ordinary instead. Much to her relief, as the Putnams were not nice people. They hid under the disguise of their Puritan beliefs, but they were cunning and had plotted the downfall of several neighbours who did not bend their ways to make them happy. Lucine was glad they lived as far away from them as they could. The little homestead on the edge of Salem village was as self-sufficient as they could be and they relied on no man or woman to help them.

A loud moo filled the air, and she turned around to see the man on his horse, leading a cow, of all things, towards her. Lucine put her hands on her hips, lifting her hand to her brow to shield the sunlight from her eyes to make sure she was seeing what her mind had shown her. He was smiling broadly.

‘Good day to you, Goody English, I have brought you a gift.’

At that moment the cow pulled hard against the rope that was looped around its neck, making him lose his balance. He released the rope as the horse whinnied and reared on its hind legs. The cow ran straight towards Lucine, and she screeched in shock and fear as it stopped directly in front of her. Its big brown eyes were staring into hers and she did not know what to do. She had always been a little afraid of cows, they were so big and she was so small. The man jumped off the horse and dashed towards them.

‘The little devil has a mind of its own. Are you hurt? Did it scare you?’ He grabbed a hold of the rope once more and did a curt bow.

Lucine heard a giggle from behind her and turned to see both Seraphina and Lenora watching her from the doorstep.

‘Good day to you too, ladies, I trust I find you both well.’

Lenora, who was never the shy one, laughed. ‘We are quite well, thanking you. How are you this fine day?’

‘I am happy to be here, even though I am a long way from where I am supposed to be. I would be angry at my horse for leading me here, but how can I be when he led me to the most beautiful women in all of New England.’

At this Lucine’s sisters erupted in laughter so loud it was most unladylike, and Lucine turned to glare at them. They nodded at him and went back inside, leaving her to deal with this most charming man who had the audacity to arrive at their home with a cow.

‘Where did you find this beast and why have you brought it here?’

The cow let out a gentle moo. Its brown eyes were so big she was sure it looked a little hurt at the way she had just spoken about it. Tentatively she reached out a hand and patted its head. ‘I am sorry, I did not mean to upset you. Do you understand me or am I coming down with a fever?’

The cow rubbed its head against her hand so softly she felt a small giggle escape her lips.

‘See, she is the gentlest cow I have ever come across. You have nothing to fear; I think she wants to be your friend. Come now, you should name her so she feels a part of your family, and she will provide you with all the fresh warm milk you could ever desire.’

Lucine wanted to be angry with this handsome stranger, but she could not find it in her and instead smiled at him. ‘May, I will name her after my favourite flowers, but I cannot keep her. For one thing, I know not how to look after her and for another I have no coin to give you in exchange for her. Where did you get her anyway? For I did not see a cow with you when you rode into the village.’

‘Ah ha, you are very wise, Goody English. I did not have a cow with me. I won her in a game of cards at the ordinary last night, and the owner brought her to me not an hour ago. I cannot take her with me, and I thought she would be the perfect addition to your family.’

He leaned over and rubbed behind May’s ears, and Lucine was sure the cow was smiling in delight.

‘Whom did you win her from?’

‘What does that matter? I won her fairly, that is all you need to concern yourself with.’

‘You do not know the villagers like I do; when you leave and they discover you gave May to us they will be sure to cause trouble and demand her back.’

He shook his head. ‘They cannot do any such thing, a binding contract was spoken at the time of the exchange. May is legally yours; I told the owner where she was going and they did not care one bit. Apparently, May is a bit of a troublesome cow for them anyway. She is a great one for escaping her boundaries and roaming around. I fear we are doing the owner a favour for he is glad to be rid of her.’

Lucine looked into May’s huge brown eyes that were full of mischief, if she wasn’t mistaken. ‘Well, thank you kindly. May, if you are to live here with us, I will not be chasing you through the woods. You stay here and be a part of this family or you leave and you are on your own, it is your choice.’

The cow rubbed against Lucine’s side with her head, and she could have sworn she nodded in agreement with her.

‘Good, I am glad you understood that. Welcome to the family, May, I think you will be good friends with my sisters too.’

The stranger laughed. ‘Friends?’ He held out his hand and Lucine didn’t hesitate to take it. He cupped her fingers delicately and lifted them to his lips, brushing them against her soft skin.