I lost the bet.

Alec, in all his infinite wisdom, thought it would be funny to start shaking the piece of wood as I went to hit the nail in. Just as he hoped, I smacked him right on the fingers with the hammer. It was his own fault since he had been stupid enough to move the plank in the first place but a bet was a bet and I had to go on the picnic.

It didn't take too long to convince Jonathan and Barbara to let me go, especially after what I did. They both felt like I needed to make it up to Alec for injuring him, even if it had been his fault, and gave me permission to go with him on Saturday. Jonathan found the whole thing hilarious and he had been pulling faces whilst Barbara reprimanded me for being so reckless with the hammer. My plan to stop the rumours had blown up in my face.

Still, I had no choice but to go on the picnic with Alec since I told him I would go and it hardly seemed fair to turn my back on him. Of course, I knew he would have played the victim card if I said no and most likely would have played up his injury, even though all I had done was bruise his fingers. If it had been anything worse, I knew I would be in more serious trouble but I think even Barbara could see that it never would have happened if Alec hadn't started shaking the plank like an idiot.

"It'll be fun, Syb. You'll see," Jonathan said on Saturday morning as we tacked up Jigsaw for the ride to the clearing.

"How? We went to the clearing before, I don't see how this could be any different."

"Ah, but you two barely knew each other back then. Things have changed."

"Don't start."

"I didn't say anything!" Jonathan wiggled his eyebrows at me; at least someone was having fun. He must have noticed my reaction because he sighed. "Right, out with it. What's going on with you? I thought you'd be excited to get off the farm for a bit, have some fun with someone your own age rather than with Barbara and me who are practically grandparents."

"I like spending time on the farm, it's fun."

"Not the answer I was looking for."

To distract myself, I readjusted Jigsaw's stirrups, but I knew I couldn't avoid the question forever. "Alec's nice and everything, but I don't want him to think that there could be anything between us. Not if I'll be going home when the war's over."

"I'm sure Alec knows that, and understands it, but what's wrong with having a bit of fun whilst you are here? You went to the clearing before, you said so yourself, why would now be any different? Especially if you're so certain that there is nothing going on between you."

I shrugged. "What if he thinks that there could be?"

"Then you set him straight if you're certain there is nothing there and don't want the same thing. Don't think about it too much, Sybil. I know I've been teasing you, and perhaps that's been a little harsh of me, but Alec would understand." He smiled. "That, and I think he might already think there is something going on there."

"I suppose."

"Just enjoy yourself today, it's supposed to be a bit of fun and you can't have fun if you're trapped in that head of yours."

Jonathan was right. Even if Alec did think there was potential for something to happen between us, this picnic was supposed to be a bit of fun, and after the last few weeks, I needed fun. I could always set Alec straight if things went too far or he got the wrong end of the stick, but there was no point thinking too far ahead when Alec hadn't even arrived yet. I needed to get out of my head for a change.

Although I had continued to meet with Eva once a week in the village, things had changed. She worried about Anthony and how he might be fairing in France since she hadn't received a letter from him. It was all she could think about and, in turn, it just made me think of Dad. He had written to say that the Navy were preparing to join the infantry troops in France and that meant he would be deployed. The thought terrified me.

I needed a day away from it all.

We finished tacking up Jigsaw with Romeo protesting in the next stall since he wouldn't be going anywhere. Jonathan had promised that, at some point in the near future, we would both go out to the clearing or at least around the area so that Jigsaw and Romeo could spend time together outside of the stall. Even if I wasn't Romeo's biggest fan, it didn't seem right that he was kept locked up in the stable.

I led Jigsaw away from the stable and back up the path to the front of the house where I was supposed to meet Alec; as usual, he was running late.

"Maybe we should get him a watch for his birthday, that'll improve his timekeeping," I said when Jonathan checked his watch for the fiftieth time.

"That's not a bad idea. He might finally be on time." Jonathan smiled and shook his head.

"I think that's him."

"Better late than never."

I laughed and watched Duchess emerge from over the hill with Alec sitting on top, hands grasped around the reins as he led her over the hill and towards the house. Jigsaw whinnied at the sight of Duchess, the two of them having become good friends since Alec had started teaching me how to ride.

"Did the chickens get out again?" I yelled when Alec was in earshot.

"No, I overslept." He smiled sheepishly. It looked like he overslept and hadn't even had time to brush his hair since it stuck up in all manner of different directions and resembled a bird's nest.

"You need to get better at your timekeeping, lad."

"I know, Mum gave me the lecture before I left. Maybe I should keep a cockerel in my room, then I'll always be up at the crack of dawn."

"Or you'll never sleep," I pointed out.

"True enough."

"You should get going if you want to make it to the clearing and eat the picnic," Jonathan said.

"Right."

I handed Jonathan the reins so that he could keep Jigsaw steady for me. He lightly stroked Jigsaw's nose as I swung myself up and over the saddle, sitting back against it and slipping my foot into the stirrup. Once I had sat down, Jonathan handed me the reins and stood back, checking his watch one last time.

"Have fun, and remember, back before dark," he said.

"I know, and I will."

"Good. I'll see you later."

He smiled and took another few steps back as I squeezed my legs against Jigsaw's sides and trotted up to Alec who turned around and led us back the way he had come. We started off at a trot since it was a pace I was a little more comfortable with before Alec started to pull ahead into a canter. I sighed and shook my head, but couldn't fight the smile as I too sped up and raced him through the trees and towards the clearing.

I hadn't been back to the clearing since that first time since I had always been busy on the farm and spent my free time in the village with Eva. That, and the weather hadn't really allowed for a trip to the clearing, but since it had started to clear up, the conditions weren't too bad. After several months of riding lessons, I felt a lot more confident and comfortable on Jigsaw than I had during the first lesson, but I still liked to go slowly to make sure I didn't fall off. Alec, on the other hand, liked to push me.

At the pace we were going, it didn't take too long to reach the clearing but the horses were clearly tired by the time we arrived. Unlike the last time we went to the clearing, Alec had bought a small bucket which he topped up with water from a glass bottle for Duchess and Jigsaw to drink from. There were several other bottles hidden away in his satchel just in case. I didn't doubt that we would be going to the creak eventually, but at least the horses were happy.

Alec busied himself with laying down the same red and white gingham blanket that we had sat on before as I dismounted from Jigsaw and tied him to a tree near Duchess and then water. I stood to the side and watched Alec lay out the blanket before gesturing for me to sit down; I perched on the edge of it.

"I'm glad it didn't rain, you can't have a picnic in the rain," he said.

"Yes you can, it'll just be soggy."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

I laughed. "Yes. Two years ago, Eva, Enid, Mark, and I took a picnic to Hyde Park for something to do in the summer. It poured it down minutes after we got there, but we didn't leave. We got soaked and Mum wasn't too happy at the state of me, but it had been good fun. The cold that followed afterwards, not so much."

"Sounds like fun."

"It was. Sometimes I miss the four of us spending time the way we used to. We're all so busy here and don't see each other nearly as often as we once did."

"Must be strange, being moved so far from home so suddenly."

I shrugged and picked at the blanket. "It was at first, but I think I've grown used to it. It's not as bad here as I first thought."

"All because of me, I think." He grinned his usual lopsided grin.

"You're so annoying." I pulled up some grass and threw it at him.

Alec laughed and threw grass back at me, but he missed by quite the margin with most of the grass falling to the left of it. Even though I never thought I would have admitted it several months before, my time in the country and with the Goodwin's had been quite enjoyable. I had been able to do things I had never achieved before and had a little more freedom than I had at home. I missed London, I knew I always would until we could go home, but the country had its benefits.

Despite his arrogance around the subject, Alec had helped me a little when it came to adjusting to my life. He had been the one to push me into telling the Goodwin's about my issues reading and it hadn't been the disaster I thought it would be. He had given up his time to teach me to ride a horse and, even with that somewhat shaky start, didn't judge me for wanting to work carpentry despite being a girl. Of course, I would never tell him that.

He collapsed back against the blanket and stared up at the clouds dotting the sky, placing his forearms over his face to block the sun from his eyes. I joined him, lying beside him to watch the clouds roll by in near silence. With the birds tweeting in the trees and the wind helping to keep the temperature somewhat manageable, it could have been a perfect day.

Could have.

Jonathan's comments that morning continued to relay in my head, the idea that Alec thought there might be something between us floated into my head as we laid there. I could almost hear Eva's teasing laughter the first time she had mentioned it. Had she not said a word, the thought never would have crossed my mind, but since she said it, it had been something that lingered at the back of my head no matter how hard I tried to shake it.

I wanted desperately to deny it, to forget that it had ever been mentioned and hold onto the idea that Alec and I were friends and that that was all we were going to be, but I couldn't. Lying in that clearing and looking up at the sky together, felt different. It felt right and natural like it was what we were supposed to be doing.

Maybe Eva had been right...

~~~

A/N - We are back with Chapter Thirty-Two! I did say this was going to be a long one xD

Questions! Do you think Sybil likes Alec? Is she right to think that Alec deliberately set Sybil up to fail the bet?

Comment below!

First Published - October 20th, 2021