April walked across the yard and into the near sheep field. She wondered why only sheep were raised on the farm. Can't Oakton grow wheat, or lettuce or something? she asked herself. With a snort, she realized she was blaming the sheep for something they had no control over. She wanted to think of ways to add to the profitability of Oakton, if she inherited, which seemed less likely as winter days passed.

She crossed the field to the yard farthest from the Lodge. She walked around the three empty cottages, two with three bedrooms and one with two. The cottages were charming but in need of repairs and hadn't been lived in since the pandemic. "We can probably raise more sheep with one more shepherd," she muttered. Smokey pricked his ears. She patted his head. "Not a job for you, good boy, the shepherd will have his own dog. I'll keep you." Smokey's tail wagged fast at the sound of his name.

She walked around the cottages again, looking in windows, noting where paint was needed, and other repairs. The cottages don't look too bad, she thought. If I don't hire more shepherds, maybe I can rent them out. I'll talk to Bill. Maybe he can recommend a new head shepherd for when he leaves. Perhaps Lucas.

She turned in a circle and looked over Oakton. The fields, the sheep quiet but for a few baas, Chico 's pale, white shape walking across the distant field. The bare oak trees, the Lodge, weathered and sturdy. Smokey, the dog who calmed her panic. Her dog. Her farm. Her home.

My dog, I love Oakton, I do, she thought. I love it here. But something's wrong, I feel it. I've got to fix it, and I don't even know what it is.

She zipped her jacket against a cold wind as she headed to the barn. Just as she reached the doors, Geoff came out. She smiled at the sight of him. He, too, was part of her happiness with Oakton, even if he was all her imagination.

"Hello there," he said. "You're a pleasant sight this cold day." He smiled down at her, admiring her bold colors. The cold had brought color to her cheeks, and her blue eyes and dark hair, with the red jacket, brought a pop of color to the wintry landscape.

She smiled, trying to find something to say. Geoff was carrying his shirt, having changed to work clothes to tend to the ewes. He was shivering in the cold.

"Thank you. You've been busy with the ewes. You're cold. Come in the house and clean up. Have something to eat. I'm sure Mrs. Bigwood has the refrigerator stuffed full, or," April smiled, "she'll jump at the chance to fix something for a guest."

"Delighted," said Geoff. "I could use a spot of tea." 

As they neared the kitchen door, Ben walked out of The Lodge and got in his car. April froze, hissing.

Geoff looked from Ben to her, eyes narrowing. "Something wrong, April? Trouble with Ben?"

She took a deep breath. "A little." She looked up at Geoff, realizing he was about 6'1'', perhaps eight inches taller than her. "I didn't realize you were so tall." She took a step back."

"Too tall or too short?"

She grinned. "Just about right, actually. Ben's manic over the ewes, and Nico dead, and stuff. He grilled me for hours though I didn't know anything. I told him, 'No more,' and he lost his temper. I reminded him he wasn't Master here, and I wouldn't be held to account by him. Mrs. Bigwood heard the yelling and came in." She paused, looking up at Geoff, who was standing tantalizing close. "He got over it, and I came outside for a walk."

Geoff looked at Ben's car, as the engine purred, and Ben drove off. "If he gives you trouble, hire another solicitor." He looked at her and reached out to touch her, but stopped, as his hands were grimy from the barn. "You need to protect your interests." He hesitated. "And perhaps, yourself."

"Thanks. I'll talk with the solicitor. I'll do that as soon as it's necessary." They watched Ben's Mercedes take the road to Pelham.

"Sooner," Geoff said.

"Want to stay for dinner?" she asked, hoping for more of his company. She shouldn't, for her position was not certain, and she had heard he was dating a nurse from Bath. Nor had he shown any interest in her beyond work. "Mrs. Bigwood made cottage pie. Very delicious."

"I'd love to stay. I'm starving. Didn't get lunch or tea. And not just for Mrs. Bigwood's pie, however delicious."

They ate at the kitchen table, for the dining room was filled with boxes Ben was examining. Mrs. Bigwood placed a steaming cottage pie on a trivet. She wiped her hands and said, "I'll be home to see to my Bill's dinner, Ma'am. I'll be back, about nine, to spend the night. Good night."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Bigwood." The door shut behind the housekeeper as she headed for the small cottage she shared with her husband.

"Why is she spending the night? Is there a problem. Ben should be back."

April spooned a serving of pie on a plate and placed it before Geoff. "No problem, exactly, just weird things have been happening here."

"Odd things?"

"Yeah. I hear footsteps late at night. Following me up the stairs, pacing the hall. The other night I thought I heard footsteps in Ben's bedroom although he was in Bath. Smokey growled as though something was there. Ben said it might have been a rat. So, exterminators are coming."

She filled a plate for herself and sat at the small table across from Geoff. He poured a glass of water for himself and looked at her. "Please," she said. He filled her glass. The pie, salad, bread, and butter made up dinner. They began to eat.

"Do the noises worry you? Is that why Mrs. Bigwood is staying over?"

"No," she said. "Not just that." She looked at him. "I walked Smokey outside last night and he and Chico acted as though something was in the small woods near the Lodge. Then, that body was found in the bog." She put her fork down. "I've talked enough about that for one day. Let's talk about something else.

"Oh, there's stories I could tell you about Oakton," he said. "We'll save them for another day." I'm glad Mrs. Bigwood is staying with you. She's a sensible woman. New subject. When is your family arriving?"

"Day after tomorrow. I'm picking them up in London and spending the night there. The next day Harvey invited us to lunch. He and Mom always got along, and we're driving here after breakfast. I'm looking forward to seeing them so much.

"Harvey's your ex-husband, isn't he?"

April nodded and buttered her bread. "Yeah, Harvey got along with my family. He was an only child, and rather liked my big family. That's why I was surprised to learn after three years of marriage that he didn't want children."

Geoff choked, then coughed. He swallowed water. "Excuse me."

"Is that odd? It's why we divorced. His mother wanted grandchildren and wouldn't release the family trust until she had one, so Harvey played along." April shrugged. "I think it's one reason he married me, to let his mother think we'd have a child, but he'd had a vasectomy. She never knew. I found out after her death. We got along so well that if he'd wanted children, we might still be together.

She ate her bread. "We had a very friendly divorce, and he gave me a generous settlement, enough to start again in South Carolina."

"Oh, I hadn't heard that." Geoff stared at his plate, then took another drink of water.

"Harvey's getting married on New Year's Eve. A woman about his age, mid-forties, two grown children. Right for him, I think. His mother left me some of her jewelry, and he offered to buy it back. I'm taking the jewelry to him."

"Do you miss him?"

April thought. "I miss the company, you know. Harvey felt like family, so marriage to him was easy. Did I love him?" she sighed. "In a way. We were good friends, and always got along." She looked in his eyes, then away. "Not a soulmate. I haven't met that man yet."

"Yet," said Geoff. "Are you planning to return to your home in North Carolina?"

"South Carolina." She smiled at him, a smile of delight, shaking her head. "I want to stay here. I love Oakton and Wiltshire. I think I could make a home here. Of course, I really don't know the townspeople, so I guess I'll have to find a way to fit in."

"You know Cress and me," Geoff said. "Ben." She shook her head. "Fr. Tom. He'll introduce you to the parish if you decide to join the church. Cress will be on the lookout for someone for you. Oh. I'll have to tell her."

"Tell her what?"

Geoff picked at his pie. "It's a little awkward."

"Hmmm? What is it?"

Geoff looked at her. "Sir Drew told me your marriage broke up because you didn't want children and asked your husband to have a vasectomy."

April stared at him, her fork halfway to her open mouth. She shut it without taking a bite. "Why, that lying old man. He was so manipulative."

Geoff nodded. "Ben was with me at the time. I know Sir Drew told Cress, and Baron Kennette."

April put her fork down. "That awful man." She shook her head. "I knew my job required me to be single, caring for him. I never dated much anyway. Harvey was the first man who asked me to marry him. That stinker. I wonder who else he told?"

"Probably not a lot of people. Just a few of the men you might meet. I'll inform Cress of the mix-up, so she can see if she can find someone who'll be a better match."

That's that, thought April. He knows I'm available and he's not interested. Of course, there's the social class thing. I'll inherit Oakton, but I'm not one of them. She wasn't hungry any more, and put down her fork. "I'm glad you told me. Now I know what Sir Drew was up to. To the future without him. Did you want dessert?"