Ainsley finished placing the last ceramic plate back in the cabinet before patting her hands down on her apron, untying the string at the back and lifting it off her head to hang on one of the hooks to the far wall of the kitchen. Beside her, her mother did the same, glancing out the bay window that looked out to the field.
Margaret pursed her lips slightly and shook her head. “I hope that nice boy’s not out there doing all your father’s chores again,” she huffed. “He’ll forget how to do them himself, what with all the help.” Ainsley only rolled her eyes, the corner of her mouth quirking upwards. She’d caught the words from the corner of her eye.
“I think he likes feeling useful, mama. And you know we could use the help.” It wasn’t so much a matter of her father being indolent as it was that they just didn’t have the same ability to accomplish work as they used to. In Ainsley’s childhood, her uncle had lived with them, and he and her father had both been much younger than they were now, and her mother a lot healthier and thus able to assist more with the outdoor work. Ainsley was the only one who could do more now than she could then, but she wasn’t enough to run the whole place by herself.
Her mother looked pensive, and Ainsley’s brows furrowed as if to match. It was true that her parents had been considering downsizing, maybe selling off part of the herd or one of the far fields, but then it was hard to tell if they’d really make enough to get ends to meet, especially considering her mother’s health costs. Really, it would have been better for them if Ainsley could have finished her residency and actually been a doctor, but the timing was just not quite right, and it had left them in a bind. If only she could have graduated a little bit sooner…
What she presumed was a knock at the door appeared to startle her mother, and Margaret thereafter moved to answer it. Ainsley, unsure who could possibly be calling at this time of the morning, suddenly remembered a very real possibility, and immediately dashed for the back door before she could be seen. Emerging out onto the property, she spotted one of the distinctive hover-vehicles that she knew from her time in the city were only used by the Rothen military. Her line of sight tracked to the barn, and she realized with trepidation that, if Alexander was in it, he wouldn’t be able to see either the vehicle or the guest at the front door. Knowing her mother could handle the talking, she maneuvered her way around the house, staying low and as quiet as she could without being able to hear herself, then darted across the clearing.
If she could get there, she could make it seem like she’d been working in the barn the whole time, and she knew her mother would distract them for as long as possible. As soon as she got to the barn, she mounted the ladder to the loft, and upon spotting Alexander, held a finger to her lips, whispering a single word.
“Rothen.”
Margaret pursed her lips slightly and shook her head. “I hope that nice boy’s not out there doing all your father’s chores again,” she huffed. “He’ll forget how to do them himself, what with all the help.” Ainsley only rolled her eyes, the corner of her mouth quirking upwards. She’d caught the words from the corner of her eye.
“I think he likes feeling useful, mama. And you know we could use the help.” It wasn’t so much a matter of her father being indolent as it was that they just didn’t have the same ability to accomplish work as they used to. In Ainsley’s childhood, her uncle had lived with them, and he and her father had both been much younger than they were now, and her mother a lot healthier and thus able to assist more with the outdoor work. Ainsley was the only one who could do more now than she could then, but she wasn’t enough to run the whole place by herself.
Her mother looked pensive, and Ainsley’s brows furrowed as if to match. It was true that her parents had been considering downsizing, maybe selling off part of the herd or one of the far fields, but then it was hard to tell if they’d really make enough to get ends to meet, especially considering her mother’s health costs. Really, it would have been better for them if Ainsley could have finished her residency and actually been a doctor, but the timing was just not quite right, and it had left them in a bind. If only she could have graduated a little bit sooner…
What she presumed was a knock at the door appeared to startle her mother, and Margaret thereafter moved to answer it. Ainsley, unsure who could possibly be calling at this time of the morning, suddenly remembered a very real possibility, and immediately dashed for the back door before she could be seen. Emerging out onto the property, she spotted one of the distinctive hover-vehicles that she knew from her time in the city were only used by the Rothen military. Her line of sight tracked to the barn, and she realized with trepidation that, if Alexander was in it, he wouldn’t be able to see either the vehicle or the guest at the front door. Knowing her mother could handle the talking, she maneuvered her way around the house, staying low and as quiet as she could without being able to hear herself, then darted across the clearing.
If she could get there, she could make it seem like she’d been working in the barn the whole time, and she knew her mother would distract them for as long as possible. As soon as she got to the barn, she mounted the ladder to the loft, and upon spotting Alexander, held a finger to her lips, whispering a single word.
“Rothen.”