The next morning, Ravenna began to prepare for her day. She brought in water for a bath and heated some on the stovetop. She readied her bath and locked the bathroom door. Entering the warm water, Ravenna washed her skin and hair, enjoying the warmth and the peace.
Ravenna stepped out of the water and into a towel. She dried her hair and wove it expertly into a braid, which she twisted into a bun. If she was going to help her friend at the market today, she couldn't have her hair down and in the way. Ravenna wriggled into a green dress and called Anne to help her lace up the back. The long dress sleeves would protect her from the morning's chill.
Ravenna headed toward the town market after breakfast with her grandmother and Elijah. After a half hour of walking, she saw Teresa at her small shop, her small son in tow. Teresa's son Thomas began to jump up and down, shouting, "'Venna! 'Venna! 'Venna!"
"Good morning, Teresa! I have come to see if you would be interested in any help these next few days. You mentioned not getting enough rest, and Grandmother insisted she could handle the blacksmith's son alone. Are you interested in some company?" Ravenna asked her friend, who was shuffling behind her small child.
"Praise the Ruler, Ravenna, you truly are an angel! Please, join me! Little Thomas here would love to have someone besides myself to entertain him, and you are always more than welcome to come to my shop!" The heavily pregnant woman sat on a crate. She placed one hand on the small of her back, rested one on her swollen stomach, and heaved a sigh of relief, knowing she had someone to help her at her market stall today.
Ravenna picked up Thomas and played with his perfect golden curls. The child laughed; he loved Ravenna as much as his little heart could love someone. She sat on a crate beside Teresa, bouncing little Thomas on her knee. The small boy giggled and squealed with delight.
The two women spent the morning chatting, and Ravenna told her friend about Peter Jones and their unpleasant tea.
"You poor soul, dear, I couldn't put up with that man if he was the last available! I hope some proposals come along for you- it is too bad you rejected so many before in hopes of remaining a healer! But your grandmother is right. Having a family is important to being a healer as well! You need to have children to carry on the family business!" Teresa rubbed her stomach. "Although this part of having children is far from easy!" Ravenna laughed and placed her hand on top of her friend's. She felt a tiny kick and pulled her hand back quickly, surprised.
"That has been happening so much more lately, and I think the child is trying to fight its way out!" Teresa giggled. Ravenna still looked surprised. She knew babies move and shift in the womb, but she had never felt it. Could she handle that sensation when it came to having her children? Ravenna shivered. Such an odd thing to experience.
Around noon, a young man came by Teresa's shop. Little Thomas had fallen asleep in his mother's arms, so Ravenna took care of the man. He was Samuel Reed, one of the men Ravenna had previously rejected. He was a miller and in his late twenties. His arms were thick from physical labor, and his smile was so broad that it wrinkled his eyes. His bright green eyes shone when he noticed it was Ravenna helping at Teresa's shop.
"Good afternoon, Miss Hawthorne," Samuel beamed.
"Hello, Mr Reed, is there anything I can help you with?" Ravenna asked politely.
Samuel leaned forward, placing one of his hands on Teresa's textiles stall, and smiled wider. "Well, I had come to see if Teresa here had any more sacks for my mill, but I found much more for myself at the shop today," Samuel paused and winked. "I know you had turned my offers down before, but word around Canden is you accepted a tea invite from Mr Jones. I was curious if you had changed your mind towards my offers as well?"
Ravenna fidgeted. She did not know Samuel well, but he couldn't be worse than Peter Jones.
She cleared her throat. "I would love to join you for an afternoon, Mr Reed, although I am promised to Teresa here today..."
"Goodness! She said yes!" exclaimed the excitable miller. "I will meet you here tomorrow afternoon...." Samuel slowed down to look at the young woman. "I mean, if you are available tomorrow afternoon I would love for you to join me for lunch."
Amused by his excitement, Ravenna agreed, and Samuel nearly floated away from the shop. Teresa laughed, and Ravenna blushed. "Oh, I remember how my husband was when I first agreed, he nearly fell into the market fountain over there. Those were the nice days.
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After spending the afternoon with Teresa and Thomas at the village center market, Ravenna prepared to walk home. She said farewell to her friend and ruffled the small child's curls. Ravenna was eager to get home to Anne and tell her about her planned afternoon with the miller.
As she walked, Ravenna pulled her hair down from its twisted bun, letting it down into just the braid. She was slightly distracted and didn't notice the carriage approaching the trail behind her. A pair of chestnut horses stopped beside her, and Ravenna saw the man she had treated the day before. She made a sound of disappointment; this was Peter Jones' carriage.
Ravenna reached out and petted the soft nose of the closest horse. It nuzzled into her touch. The coachman carefully stepped from the broken seat and opened the door for his employer. The heavy man emerged from the carriage and approached Ravenna.
"Good afternoon, my dear; where are you headed today?' Peter Jones loudly spoke, causing Ravenna to take a step back. He was standing entirely too close to her for her comfort.
"Oh, hello, Mr Jones, I am just heading ho-"
Peter swiftly interrupted, stepping closer to Ravenna again. "If you're just heading home, why don't you join me for tea in Graenwood?"
The coachman shifted as if he knew interrupting was rude, but correcting his employer was not his place. Ravenna noticed his sympathetic movements and the look of disdain on the coachman's face, appreciating that she was not alone in her dislike for Mr. Jones.
Ravenna stepped back again, avoiding Peter's attempts to get close to her. "I'm sorry, if you don't mind, I promised Anne to help her wi-"
Again, Peter interrupted, stepping closer. "Nonsense, I refuse any more excuses! I insist you join me in Graenwood this evening."
Ravenna was becoming irritated. She had a long afternoon at the village center market and wanted to get home to her grandmother. She stepped back again, off the path and into the grass. "Mr Jones, please, I promised Grandmoth-"
Peter cut her off by grabbing her hand and dragging her toward the carriage. Ravenna began to panic; she did not want to get in that carriage.
The coachman stepped forward and bravely pushed Peter's shoulder. "Sir, I apologize, but please, the lady said she needs to get home. I'm sure she would be open to joining you another night."
The coachman looked at Ravenna desperately as if trying to get her to agree to the Greenwood visit, hoping she would rescue him the same way he was trying to save her.
"I...I....I would be delighted to join you next week in Graenwood," Ravenna reluctantly agreed, seeing the joy in Peter's eyes and the relief in the coachman's.
"Next week? I must insist you spend the full day with me, if I must wait the week!" Peter was adamant, demanding more of Ravenna's time for himself.
"I... we can discuss it the day of the visit." Ravenna curtsied, turned, and ran away from the carriage, leaving Peter Jones behind next to his carriage. She did not want the rude man to see her tears of frustration.
Ravenna hurried back to the infirmary. She was so angry at herself for allowing herself to be bullied into an afternoon with that awful man. She felt terrible for the coachman, who had tried to rescue her from his employer, knowing the man would get chastised or worse. Ravenna thought again about the whisperings of the Canden women, about Peter Jones beating his first wife so severely that she had died of her injuries. What was that man capable of?
She allowed a single tear to fall.
Ravenna opened the thick wooden door of the family cottage. Anne was busy in the patient room, helping the blacksmith's son pack his things. His injuries had healed to the point where they no longer required Anne's supervision, and it was time for him to return home. Ravenna was sad to see Elijah go; he kept her grandmother company and made Anne happy. Elijah said goodbye to the healers and headed home towards his family forge.
Alone with her grandmother, Ravenna prepared tea and asked if she could talk to Anne. The pair sat on Ravenna's bed. Ravenna began to tell her grandmother about her day with Teresa, her invitation to spend the afternoon with the miller Samuel Reed, and her encounter with Peter Jones on her way home.
"Samuel seemed so excited that I agreed to his offer, and he seems like a hard worker who would appreciate my desire to continue working here. I hope to get to know him better. But then Peter Jones stopped me on my way home and would not take any form of rejection. I can't live with a man who doesn't care about my wants or needs."
Anne listened to her granddaughter's words. "Ravenna dear, you are a smart young woman. I know you will make the right choices for yourself in life. Samuel may be a hard worker, but Peter has the wealth to care for you the way you deserve."
"I do not care about wealth and gold. I want to be respected and allowed to continue my work. I am only considering proposals from men because you are right- I need to get married and have children to pass on our family trade."
"I trust you will do what is best, dear." Anne patted Ravenna on the shoulder as she stood, leaving her granddaughter alone to think about what she had said.
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Author's Note: Thomas: TAW-muhs