“What are you waiting for?” I asked. Every so often, as we weeded the field, Father would look up at the gradually rising sun, furrow his brows, and glance back at the road. Father looked over at me when I asked the question and raised his eyebrow. I nodded towards the road. “You’re gauging the sunrise, measuring how much time is passing, and practically glaring at the road. What are you waiting for?”

Father shook his head and mumbled something under his breath that I couldn’t quite hear. However, he didn’t answer my question. “Father?” I prompted.

“You’ll see in just a bit I’m sure…”

“Does this have something to do with the surprise you were telling me about yesterday?”

Father was looking once more at the road though. “Keep working on this area. The weeds took root a little too well this past winter.”

He stood up and brushed the soil off his knees as he spoke.

“Where are you going?” I called after him as he walked away.

“I’ll be back shortly,” was the only response I got.

I sat back on my heels and watched Father make his way up the road until he wasn’t visible behind the slopes of the hills. He’s acting strange, I thought. My stomach twisted in on itself. Something felt very off about the entire situation.

There wasn’t much I could do about it though. At least right now. Whatever surprise Father had planned for ‘us,’ I would deal with it once it happened. Then, I would get to what I truly wanted to do with my day today. Get back into the forest and figure out where the beast had disappeared to.

Something large enough to make tracks twice the size of a bear’s and push through a thicket of thorns that were meters tall didn’t just disappear. There had to be a trail somewhere and I wanted to find it. If I managed to do that, then maybe Father wouldn’t think I was being ridiculous. Maybe then Clive and the other Inner Circle elite would treat me with respect. It might be enough to prove to everyone that I could be something other than a farmer or the wife of one. And maybe it would finally convince Aust to spend some time training me while he was in Woodhearst!

Just maybe.

I drew a breath in and looked around at the field. So long as Father didn’t ask to much more of me, then I could probably be finished just before midday meal. Of course that meant that I would miss the best time to track as Aust put it. I’d just have to make do for the time being.

“Again, I’m truly sorry Merrik. I didn’t mean to be so late. I honestly don’t know what happened…”

A voice just beyond the crest of the hill pulled my attention back towards the road where Father had disappeared over. My gut clenched. “What’s Andrew doing here?” I mumbled to myself as he and Father came back into view.

He was dressed in some loose clothing and had a ratty old straw hat in his hand that looked like it had seen, not just better days, but entirely better generations.

“I trust that you’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again if you want to keep our arrangement.” Father wore a familiar stern look on his face as he replied. I would’ve thought it nice to see him giving it to someone other than me if not for my utter confusion at the moment. The twisting dread in my stomach didn’t lessen any, nor did my confusion, as Andrew and Father approached me with a straight beeline.

Then, it just so happened to be my misfortune, Andrew realized I was staring right at them. He was also close enough that I could see a sudden change come over him. The tightness in his shoulders melted away with a breath. He brushed his hand through his hair to smooth back the nonexistent fly away strands. But was most uncomfortably irritating was the sly, self serving smile that crept on to his face. “What are you doing here?” I asked, the words falling from my mouth with venom and vigor before my brain could actually filter them.

Andrew faltered a step as I stood up again and crossed my arms over my chest. Father finally turned his stern look on me. “Magdalena, show some manners. Andrew will be helping us through to the harvest.”

“Helping us?” I repeated.

“Your father hired me on as an extra hand to make sure everything went smoothly.” The smug smile on his face was what made the dread let go of me. Now it was just plain anger.

“Hired? You?” Again, I spoke before my brain had a chance warn me that what I might be saying might not be the wisest thing in the world.

Andrew’s smile slipped off his face as he stared me down and crossed his own arms over his chest. “Yes, you do realize that my family are farmers as well right?”

“Then why don’t you go farm your own land?” Why come to ours when your’s is in such desperate need of tending.

“Lena, we are in need of assistance this year. That is all. The Fields have some children to spare and we can afford to hire an extra hand.”

Wonders! Father had enough money to hire an extra hand but not give me a moment’s leisure without looking down his nose disapprovingly at me as I did it?

“I thought you were a hunter Andrew,” I muttered.

“Yes well, unfortunately Mayor Terrin has put a hard stop on income from that avenue for the foreseeable future.”

Father stepped between us, putting his hands on my shoulders and walking me back a step.

“Enough,” Father told me sharply. “There is much to be done between now and the harvest. We need Andrew’s help to ensure that it all gets finished in time. I expect you to put aside whatever childish differences you have with him…”

“Childish differences?” I spat back, lightning fast.

Father was just as quick with his answer. “Yes, childish. You will act like the young woman you are and make sure Andrew feels welcome at our home. I’m counting on you to show him how to do his duties correctly.”

The smug smile slowly crept back on to Andrew’s face. Every urge pushed at me to duck out of Father’s grasp and knock it right off. Send him running back towards his home, never to come back and be a thorn in my side. Father would be livid. Not to mention disappointed but I really couldn’t bring myself to care. If this was his surprise then it was terrible one. Dumping this on me without so much as a word of warning or asking my consideration? Levied against the fact that just a few days ago, Father had sent me over there like merchandise to be appraised by the Fields family! Looked over before being purchased…

Father must have sensed something or I must have betrayed what was on my mind somehow. Father gave my shoulders a bit of a shake and stared stonily down at me. And then I watched his face melt a little. “A word in private daughter,” he said quietly before turning me away from Andrew.

“Show some patience and kindness towards him. His family struggles with the hunting ban in place and their farm hasn’t seen a sufficient harvest since Andrew was an infant.”

“And this seemed like the perfect reason to hire him then?” I grumbled. Father clearly didn’t look impressed.

“Farming skills can be taught Lena. I taught you did I not? Besides, he’s a good lad with a good, kind head on his shoulders. Even you could appreciate something like that.”

A good, kind head? The words tumbled around my mind like water over rocks. My hands clenched into fists around my skirt, underneath my apron.

“I went to school with him. I know exactly what kind of boy he is. Did you know that when you sent me to his house with those pigs, he and his father looked over me like I was one of the hogs you were selling? Do you really think that’s going to change.”

“You will give him a chance,” Father told me firmly.

“A chance? What kind of chance? One to prove that he’ll be an abled bodied farm hand or one to prove that he’d make a good husband?”

Father’s lips pulled into an even tighter line, something I didn’t think it was actually possible.

My jaw dropped, mouth going dry. “My gods… that’s what this is, isn’t it? You hired him because you’re hoping that I submit to his pursuit?”

That’s where the words stopped coming. Whether it was because my mouth was so dry or because I couldn’t process how to handle the thought of Father’s notion that Andrew would be anything remotely close to a suitable husband.

Father reached the end of his limit. “This conversation is over. I want you two to finish weeding this field. After you’ve completed that, you will head to the barn and make it habitable for the hogs in the night. Clear out the debris that piled up this winter, repair any breaks in the boards and walls, clean out any equipment that doesn’t need to be housed in there. I will see you for midday meal later on.”

He turned and started to walk off.

“Just us two?” I called after him. Loudly. And throwing my hands to the sides.

Andrew definitely jumped a bit in surprise.

Father shot a glare over his shoulder. “Yes, the pair of you are more than capable of handling that.”

“And where are you going to be?” I demanded.

“In the northern field, checking the irrigation.” Then he kept walking.

“Father!”

I yelled after him. However, he just kept walking.

My hands were shaking. I could feel skin starting to break on my palm beneath where my nails were digging into them.