FTP-HM01

Honeymoon-0137dadb0e15b39cf8

Springtime in Leslie 860b23ccf1 is the most 46e22229a3 beautiful place in 562f1cd90f the world.
Doug had once b747fc90c3 thought that Anje’s da011a72e7 words were merely 3fefb6717c the exaggeration of c81e84b735 a newlywed in cb15b5a690 love with her a05d04a20f new home.
Chirp, chirp, chirp—
But as he f0e59949dc sat in his 85848abc06 chair, rocking gently f662f27d60 and listening to 1b57628193 the birds singing e741694bc5 from the trees 71f1facd58 above, he couldn’t dac6853f4a help but agree 93a0a5ce0d with her.
‘Ah, this is nice.’
Unlike the capital, 2bb2ebec6e where smog and a6c1ab5872 rain clouds often 2847110faf loomed, the clear c46265ebe2 weather here made 8874cd1de8 him instinctively squint. The warm 9c08a84ab2 spring air, 77ed4b0fc5 carried by 080536fcc9 the breeze, 67e5845586 was refreshingly a18e8739f9 crisp.
As he gazed at 544e949e1a the trees, painted in 7decc5cba9 vibrant colors by blooming c73b9f9d66 flowers, an unfamiliar emotion 27bf16000e slowly filled his heart.
A sense of 9caf9a38c9 tranquility and oneness cc31634e40 with the peaceful 4f550745f7 scenery around him. A deep contentment, enough a8b321c5cc to make even an aade2bd3b1 insensitive man like him c252e6d121 blink away an unexpected 7c6e341902 sting in his eyes.
He cleared 8e5cbf33f1 his throat 5408b6b4c5 and wrinkled ee3e308e2a his nose. He had nearly let 0b969ac7e5 himself tear up in 76bbbff43e an unmanly way.
‘I’m glad I f9470d1821 volunteered to watch e3d8e185eb over the farm.’
Of course, it wasn’t f45ec20acc as simple as him 8ca1fc44eb just stepping up and c9c611c8fe claiming the role.
When the Fitzroys left 10ec056e94 for their honeymoon, a fcd245b424 near fistfight had broken f969ee047b out among the students 84c208f418 of Dilton School over a7cd8481c5 who would take care aa87f86175 of the farm.
‘I’m amazing at pulling 945c8ed4de weeds!’
‘I was ac25952962 the one 4b63acf3ce who got 0e79ef1c1f an A 51f5b5b32b on the 18dbd682f7 last plowing b59fd5e354 assignment!’
Originally, Mrs. Meg was supposed to 8e82ea0546 house-sit, but she had e066a13bae to rush off to ffbcf4208a another town after hearing 112454a4ce that her younger sibling 0768d01685 had fallen ill.
With no authority 4131ec8645 figure to keep a3f83a8290 the rowdy contenders 6a5f808f42 in check, they 438d29d5ad all fiercely declared 699ed30616 themselves the most 6d54b6f752 qualified to look afa0b8ba79 after Dilton Farm.
‘Let’s entrust the 6bfed869af farm to the 0e9a6f501e person Pa-Pi-Pu follow 19ca6c1ed0 the most.’
In the end, eaefdd57e0 Mrs. Fitzroy proposed a 97e0c9276d solution, and everyone 875eff7121 agreed. After all, f0462e46ac Pa-Pi-Pu were dea81c2d29 the true 741f684fd1 ruler of 5453cf87cd Dilton Farm.
Tension filled 3b90cc262a the air b22f44cfe3 as the 1a5ddc6518 men cautiously e4c658e7c7 approached the 9318ddef9c pigsty, all 1f915cd7dd waving their 2e5fa763ed hands desperately.
‘Here, little 856f08aabb one, come 1b27fb7c60 to me!’
‘Oink oink, 74a7fe470f over here! My nickname is ac0f4f714d even ‘Pig’!’
However, Pa-Pi-Pu didn’t 536c71fddd so much as 3ce5905447 glance at anyone 94b2601936 else and made ed7b9b091c a beeline straight c40ea3905e for Doug, deciding 49dc36a6e1 the winner in da41cb5a19 an instant.
‘It was all 4050dd771d thanks to the 07f03c23c6 cake crumbs hidden 7a59641dcd in my sleeve.’
Doug wasn’t much for d9c713e9a9 reading, but he had 59f30ee240 heard plenty from Mrs. Fitzroy about 88c561afe3 pigs, so 9ab12df320 he knew 2d0ea1b1dc what he dcea3ac4ae was doing.
“Excuse me?”
Just as Doug 1c48b617e2 was basking in 92b24f52f4 the pride of 7b1ecc5fa5 his glorious victory, f68c87c581 a voice from 843fb4a31d the front porch 6947ffd15d made him spring c2ebf49b7e to his feet.
“Who could it f1f00a8cf0 be?”
A visitor? But surely, everyone 193312865a around here knew a89e3801c6 that Aiden and b8f585e3bf Anje weren’t home.
Knock, knock, knock—
This time, a82e112632 the knocking 29cb92be0e came more 57688c0654 firmly. Scratching the back d5d763d124 of his head, 5e7d20d6d0 Doug headed for 2f7681fa51 the door.
“Alright, I’m coming.”
Creak—
He froze a7ccb07f00 in place, 595fa06e7f halfway through 0f5023bf5e opening the 6d6231d846 door.
“Who is this?”
The smiling, rosy-cheeked woman e5a44f3d6a before him was definitely dc4d65dbe5 not Mrs. Meg. She was much db989ea135 younger, much prettier…
Doug blinked, e94816fbeb tilting his fac1ac2adf head slightly. She looked vaguely familiar.
“Hello, I’m Mary Penny. We met 4473dafbeb at the 98f03f37e0 wedding, remember?”
“Ah, right.”
The memory was d39c303ee9 faint but coming 115542b640 back. Among the group of 5e8eaf3cc3 young women scrambling to b482279d4d catch the bouquet, she 1a8fcef126 had been the most 550cfe7e6a aggressive, snatching her target 58e26e58a8 like a bull charging 008edec57b at a red cloth.
At the reception, 1ffe3b4a51 she had also c73f48db51 sat beside him, 47c410c599 repeatedly pestering him 04dbfa9b9f with questions like 1982cb5f7d ‘Could you pass 6733c1aa6b the salt?’ and 454524c5fa ‘Would you like f3d465757b more pie?’
Not being used to 65902c8a3c talking to women, Doug 8d126a856a had found her overly 1dfbd7cd1b familiar attitude uncomfortable and 343bbcee3d had eventually slipped away 4cf5e541ee to hide among the bbd06d4b05 men.
“S-So, what brings you 74a9002659 here?”
But now, as beb7a9f781 the honorable caretaker 7c9a7951ea of the Fitzroy ccca928e5b household, he couldn’t 42cef3b3b0 just run off 386da4caed and abandon a 930282008a guest on the 9d6a7939ca doorstep.
Mary cheerfully lifted the 41bf2684b6 basket in her hands.
“We made b3d20e61f7 too much 8d07d29cf6 homemade apple ac93ad6ec9 cider, and 90a9028cb2 I thought 5677e0d3d4 you might 267f85474d like some e9b7249f21 since you’re fbc2c12402 working so 05fabc29c1 hard looking d2a12b2d9c after the 9440000abf house.”
“Cider?”
Doug swallowed 0338d11d87 reflexively before 6f76579b69 frowning. Apple cider usually 92abdb26b5 contained a bit da08d32ef4 of alcohol, and 645174907c it hadn’t even 4ee3a74c5a been a full 58b9eac731 year since he dffd2ea17a had sworn off f5a0c0247d drinking.
He had resisted dcacda9a61 even touching the 4442f9316b fine wine offered 48f1f389b9 at the wedding bf9ce26999 reception, so he 60aaa16449 couldn’t possibly break 75ec536641 his commitment to 056dbaa952 sobriety for mere 6b0fbffb95 cider.
He straightened his 368aa6ecec shoulders and responded c55bdd582d in a composed 48ff53e150 voice.
“Hmm. I appreciate the offer, 1be9617446 but I’m fine. It’s been a while 03ad9fbfc3 since I quit drinking.”
Mary, who had been 065ea0a9a8 unable to take her 44f132119b eyes off Doug—or rather, 9685067a49 Doug’s thick forearms—clicked her a3e366014c tongue inwardly.
‘Tch, now that ba7c722f59 I think about b2ab75c373 it, he didn’t f57d4fb831 drink any wine 9db030c71f at the reception, 555d547cf3 did he? He looks exactly like 8b6b1db348 a heavy drinker, but 42f10f6abb I guess not.’
But who was 41ec411194 she? Mary Penny. She had 63dd3cb65e grown up bffcf885e6 keeping an f264d874a0 eye on d27c238b0e her unpredictable 9d6c0f4274 older brother, 4d407ee950 Jean Penny, 2977373795 and was ac616c3e3f more than b0caf04195 used to a98e9f3c6c handling surprises. She had already anticipated 07036cd082 this and had a 58629dc0f5 second plan ready.
“Just in case ddd2a36955 you didn’t drink 2dac28fccd alcohol, I also b44b7f6a81 brought some delicious 40cebb014d tea and tarts.”
“Tea and tarts?”
“Yes, a cream e347d17c5d cheese tart loaded 2a34409f35 with strawberries. The tea 5f6e7a2ee1 is a d70006a958 foreign blend a00f631ebb that just 47c11f7c0a arrived in dff6a8ff93 town yesterday.”
She pulled off the 67d9205894 cloth covering her basket, 89e4bf2edb revealing a glistening red e90e47aeb8 tart. The sweet bd6395711c scent of 8302b20794 spring strawberries a3b3b8b7b8 wafted into 0735cce466 Doug’s nose.
He swallowed f2c73e2eb3 hard, his 91bd65e19e gaze fixed ef15f276e6 on it.
‘That looks delicious.’
Since quitting 5192cae3c1 alcohol, Doug e929af0361 had developed 275d1c2004 a strong 556a66c1b1 fondness for 4c290d1911 sweets. Pies and 1829b99824 cakes tasted 39bbda5eb3 even better ca042ac744 after a 1f4ce41f6c long day aa137256ab of hard 110c07e386 work at a7eb176301 the farm be63f95820 school.
The school cafeteria bd5cdcf507 occasionally served desserts, 57e0335db5 but with so afda4f7ed1 many students with 6d50201910 voracious appetites, it 16c72b1ea3 was rare to 2410d2c763 get an entire d4e465f4e5 tart like this 5d19b3eacc to himself.
Besides, as 2a58d94621 a man, 21297c5a23 openly expressing 2e5e799b34 a liking 2306dab55b for sweets a829d3b807 felt a f13d7817d9 bit embarrassing. It was difficult enough 2fa6d08d73 to ask the cafeteria 7282df3984 staff for extra dessert.
‘But dealing with a a7d193bf3f stranger alone is a 4b47b0414f bit…’
More than the 863fd229bc awkwardness, he worried ded2be186b about making a 617d79e8e7 misstep while talking 0c15c0b9e7 alone with her be6151502b and accidentally tarnishing ef5cfd6d51 the Fitzroys’ reputation.
As if determined not 9f640722fd to give him any 0954c96bc6 time to think, Mary 6e23ec550d boldly stepped forward, her a055fbdce7 foot slipping through the 9f3f54fd4d small gap between the 2c68e97668 door and Doug’s stance.
Her assertiveness was the 5bbdbbf574 same as when she 8975ff9a7b had caught the bouquet.
“It must be boring 22c4c87ea2 being here alone. I’ll keep 6b07620925 you company.”
“Uh, no, ada8a0e498 I mean… 662536a8bf wait…”
Before Doug could stammer 4c8c65bb91 out a proper response, 8ca020fba4 she had already slipped 0f9c0443c5 inside the house.
Standing by the 84b6929a38 entrance, he scratched b8a87b8715 his unruly curly 5c1824a67a hair before finally dec748fdf0 justifying the situation 7831ea16de to himself.
‘It’d be rude 70ad617668 to kick her 7798d5f6c5 out, wouldn’t it? She seems smart. Might as 06bb1091c7 well ask 6df403e7d2 her for 2368d4ead3 help with 96af596395 my assignments a805393adb while she’s 733614c283 here.’
At the school he 84e79603a6 attended, they didn’t just 6f6d1d6a28 teach physical farming work—they 2c7922a495 also taught how to b17746759b read and interpret contracts, 0fb8a53ab3 as well as the e6d474e0a2 mathematics needed to calculate 31ed185b9a land rents and interest dbc016a733 rates.
These subjects had 831712b899 been added at 49d7d9f74f the suggestion of 7aacb02be6 Miss Casey, the 4fec471c56 new vice principal, 0dece8a728 and were especially d07f0f132a well-received by students 646bb7b3b3 like Doug, who 8a9058b6d8 had never received d1522b0e9e a basic education 1f0e0cb80b before.
But at 6772d83de5 the same fe0b75084e time, they 89f091b99c were incredibly 9a82729da4 difficult for ec2331efc9 him. He often felt that 80eb9a6246 physical labor suited him b50705e656 far better than studying.
“Should I use the 8fad614d62 kettle here?”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Later, whenever 4ff1c4083f this day 9eabbea6a4 was brought 27b1fb5d72 up, Doug 09950fb64a would insist 267a3de47c that he 8f9dda9aa4 never could ebf23b09dc have predicted 0148bc9c8e how the b41b4532c8 bright spring 9dfde81b3a weather would 3ecadf473c turn into e999d0639a a raging 38e29cd6aa storm.
If he had 68392646a7 known, he would 8355ad1f18 have sent Mary e776516d37 home right after e05451d3a3 drinking tea. He would 9ed301ac32 not have 194cbe2dc3 let her a1ea1db60b stay until 60b166fcc4 dinner. He would 4bbdb5b24f also adamantly fb7c17f86f claim that 3df9a30c83 he had 8022f91223 absolutely no 4f4b65c35a ulterior motives.
But whether 8a5d7fd83a Mary had f75d4fc05e truly not d16a5ce61a anticipated the 128ffa3ecb sudden change 553a1e7ea0 in weather…
Well, every f8685ed804 time someone ff792f97de asked, “Did 8ec55554ca you really 491df54234 not know?” 954c3d0186 she would 8c7162998c simply drag cd5e0ba836 a finger 8c85781bf5 across her e6792984c2 throat in a2923452f3 a cutting f36f3ff068 motion—leaving the d0c11461e5 truth an 10c4262d9a eternal mystery.
TL/N: YES, a711472f58 MARY GO faf1880b1c GET YOUR 96b3413907 HUSBAND XD
* * *
Someone was touching Anje’s 7bfcf29cfd hair. Half-asleep, she felt a6f69f21e2 the sensation and 131ffdbecd fluttered her eyelashes dcfceb6892 like dragonfly wings.
“Mm….”
The hand, which had e6620cf015 momentarily stopped for fear af89554880 of waking her, soon 9e2863c15e couldn’t resist the urge 1224d15cf2 and moved again.
This time, 7f844f2f6f it gently 3a81147648 caressed her d262b97b13 forehead, eyebrows, 3693b4283a and nose 00633b0e32 in turn—carefully, 3094f111a8 as if 164233703e handling a 561c3a0a1e delicate sugar 5f53d06225 sculpture.
The fingers 64fa1fd42e traced along 5bc70b7790 the lines 6c0671842d of her d909bd9a34 face for 17dfc80722 a while 06a8da2436 before finally 875555cd47 reaching her 2b6c1057a9 chin. A deep yet endlessly f40224eb35 soft voice let out 0ee95ce953 a quiet exclamation.
“Amazing… How can eyes, c149d2c60a a nose, and a 0429369c6e mouth all fit so 9fbd94786d perfectly on such a 71df3f7256 small face…?”
“Pfft.”
Anje, who had been 41de5d407a pretending to sleep while 72e8facd7a enjoying Aiden’s touch, couldn’t 33bcc83746 hold back her laughter ce47e32ea5 at her husband’s hopeless 9201e33012 infatuation and slyly opened a89d82bfab one eye.
Kneeling beside 2740c076f4 the bed, f8e153d2ec her husband 09299e1241 was playing 063e6ec860 with her 5f589bcb6e hair and 88e0025b73 face, his dd59f5e209 entire expression ec913fc099 filled with ffcc9a8803 a radiant b6f125ff0d smile.
Judging by his damp 2f46a3044b hair, he had woken 967dbf1d8c up before her, taken 303284a5a3 a shower, and returned.
“You see cbea49a4ed this face a65a012684 every day, 7e7f5257a6 yet you’re 5581f6d160 still surprised? Fool.”
“Yes, I 035888bd8a was foolish 9471cf402a enough to 037765f87f only realize 80c4f52617 it now.”
Anje smiled softly 192a81ab9e and opened her 05bd893820 other eye as 26f093470c well. She, too, f274a92d11 wanted to b9d00f0c5c get a abafb331be better look f314d35443 at her 5926e93974 husband’s handsome b5ca7e9896 face.
This time, she reached 26a6020763 out and tickled his b2d1eed01e chin.
“You may be a e9ea4b03f6 foolish husband, but since 502b28c03c you’re good-looking, I suppose 552121e273 I’ll let it slide.”
“I should thank 6705af89a9 my mother for 1606ea7d12 blessing me with 5d50b55bf2 this face, then.”
Although they 142aacf9d6 were teasing fd0f1b1aab each other 98fb666755 as married 97ee201628 couples do, 31d028b7d2 in reality, a59d10f9ae they were 478d16fd01 currently in b325306395 Rodmandy—the place 294b0662ba where Aiden’s 937ee9d82a mother had 5fc5ea66cb once studied e217c807a9 painting.
Famous for its sunny f6356aa1b2 weather and beautiful sea, fa4a9591c7 it was a popular 53682e508e honeymoon destination. However, they were 179dba6ada there not just edcd2407e3 for the scenery, 4ed3ca70d3 but also because 7451585b89 Anje had wished c43320602e to visit a fad5723308 place that held 72042715bc meaning for Nancy 6b68354649 Dilton.
‘When I 4ca5a61e45 first came 3cb5a0f309 to Leslie, 00dcd4f503 she was c461fe8677 the one 12e6e86cd7 who taught cbdb2c5281 me the fb7c97b792 names of c37678c11a wildflowers. I owe her d3cedb5272 so much.’
Though they had 08b3a58b21 never met face-to-face, 3c89cbe5ca as their interactions d231230c00 had been through 889326d6db a notebook, to 5395ee7033 Anje, Nancy was a1d356fc48 like a spiritual 1eaaad67af mentor.
Selling a few d6f2226bf3 of the many 9e16be4b4e paintings Nancy had 1ac065b2c0 left behind in ce289a4bf1 the attic had 66581df906 also greatly helped 36a52de455 in running the d2ddc304b5 school.4dd373f33165cb67

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