The next day Lark was almost taken by surprise. He had expected that Emma would arrive with Lendra or Justin to report for her first day’s work. Instead, she arrived alone riding a horse.
Lark was still indoors when the transformation began.
He sat still in shock as he watched the fur appear on his hands. As he tried to understand what was happening, he incanted the spell he had learned. His transformation did not cease and he felt his blood run cold as he cringed waiting for a scream that would tell him the spell had failed.
He stood and walked to a window of his house which was when he spotted her.
He was amazed at how she looked just like Erin. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at her through the window. She sat on her horse studying the house.
Lark finally opened the door and stepped out hesitantly waiting for the scream, that would tell him the spell had failed.
Instead, she smiled when she saw him.
“Good day sir,” Emma smiled as she dismounted.
“Good day,” he said descending the steps of the porch. “You must be Emma.”
“I am, sir,” she replied.
“This is a surprise. I thought you would be escorted by one of your parents on your first day.”
“There is no need sir. I could find my way well enough. Can I say thank you for offering me this job?”
“You are most welcome,” Lark replied.
He invited Emma in and she sat down at his table.
“As I explained to your father and mother, I am out in the fields or the yard all day most days and it would be nice to come home to a clean home and a cooked meal in the evenings and lunchtimes as well as to have someone wash and iron my clothes. It is the last thing I fancy doing in the evenings after a hard day of toil in the sun.”
“I can well understand sir,” Emma replied. “If you show me what I need to do then I will be glad to try my best. I hope you will find it satisfactory.”
“I am sure I will,” Lark smiled.
He showed Emma around the house and explained to her what needed doing. She was a fast learner and took in everything he said.
When he was sure he had explained everything to her, he left for the fields. The first part of his strategy had been easier than he imagined.
Lark resisted the temptation to move faster than he dared. He was eager to try and develop the relationship between them but he did not want to move too quickly.
His feelings stirred very quickly and he lived for Emma’s arrival at his home every morning.
After all these years he was still in love. It was amazing he thought, how the universe worked.
Lark began to take longer each day before he left for the fields. He enjoyed spending more time with Emma obviously and since it was just the two of them, he did not fear that there would be any visitors who would see how much time he spent with Emma.
“I am beginning to feel like a thief sir,” Emma joked one morning.
“Why is that?” Lark asked.
“Well, when I first started to clean your home, there was a lot of work to do but now, keeping it clean and maintaining it is much less work than when I started. Perhaps I should only come for three days a week?”
“Not at all, Emma. It is not just cleaning but also cooking. I must admit, your cooking is far more delicious than mine. It reminds me of my mother’s cooking. I do so enjoy coming home to your meals every day,” Lark smiled.
Emma blushed. “You are too kind sir. Even if you need me for my cooking I fear you pay me too much.”
“I don’t think so,” Lark replied. “If you think so though, I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.”
Emma laughed at his joke and Lark smiled.
“Can I be honest?” Lark asked.
“Please do sir,” Emma said smiling.
“You do a wonderful job of cooking and cleaning but it is more than that. I enjoy your company. Please don’t get me wrong, I mean not because it’s you but being out here can be lonely at times, and having someone like you to talk to is so refreshing.”
“Me?” Emma asked blushing.
“I must say, I think your opinions and ideas are so fresh and interesting. I do thoroughly enjoy speaking with you. It always brightens my day.”
“Why thank you, sir,” Emma said as her face turned a deeper shade of pink. She looked at him, taking in his face, and blushed again.
Lark was happy that his spell worked. She saw him as he truly was. It was all he needed to be able to be close to her and try to develop a relationship with her.
He noticed her looking at him and felt that her glance was more than simply a glance. It was a glance filled with questions and thoughts.
Lark finished his tea and left the house for the fields. He was in the process of plowing the fields and with just himself and one horse it was taking a long time. Around midday, he spotted Emma at the edge of the field.
He continued plowing until he reached her side of the field and then stopped the horse.
“What brings you here?” he asked.
Emma stood wearing a broad-brimmed hat that covered her pale, freckled face. “Well, I thought perhaps I could bring you your lunch out in the fields,” she said smiling. “It’s such a beautiful day to be outside and I’m feeling kind of closed in by the four walls of the house. It’s nice to have a break and be outside.”
“Well, that’s most kind of you,” Lark smiled. There was a big tree off to the side of the field which cast a large amount of shade. “Shall we go sit over there in the shade?”
“That looks like a nice spot,” Emma agreed.
Lark took the basket of food from Emma and led her toward the tree. A river ran between the field and the tree. Lark often sat under the tree when he rested between plowing and sowing and had placed two wooden planks over the river that served as a bridge. The planks were quite narrow and Lark crossed first. He reached back for Emma’s hand and she gave it to him so he could help her over the planks.
Emma’s hand was soft and Lark felt as if he was in heaven touching her soft skin. He couldn’t feel it properly though for his hand was covered in fur. After she had crossed the river she looked at him strangely for a moment.
“Is everything okay?” Lark asked noticing the look she gave him.
“Yes,” she said seeming distracted as she rubbed her hand. “For a moment your hand felt strange,” Emma said.
“Really?” Lark feigned surprise. “What do you mean by ‘strange’?”
“It felt as if, as if…” Emma trailed off then added. “I don’t know.” Emma wanted to tell Lark that his hand had felt as if it had been covered in fur but she knew it would simply sound ridiculous.
Lark opened the blanket Emma had brought with her and spread it under the tree. Then he placed the basket with the food on it and they sat down. Lak helped Emma unpack the food and complimented her on her cooking skills.
She had cooked chicken and vegetables for them and brought fruit. The food was delicious and Lark thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I could get used to this,” Lark smiled between mouthfuls.
“This,” Lark said waving his hand to take in the scene. “A magnificent lunch in the shade of this tree every day with the pleasure of good company.”
Emma blushed and looked down. “Thank you, sir.”
“You are welcome,” Lark replied.
As they ate, Emma asked about the process of plowing and planting seeds. Lark explained to her not caring that he should be getting back to work.
“There’s no better education than experience,” He told her. “This planting and plowing, running a farm, things like this give you a learning experience no school can offer.”
“Perhaps I could help,” Emma suggested.
“I would love you to, but heaven’s above, what would your parents say if you go home all dusty from the field every day? They’d stop you from working I think. Besides, can you imagine what the sun will do to your beautiful pale skin? It’ll age you a good ten years very quickly I think, not to mention adding a ton of those cute freckles you have now.”
Emma blushed again. “Oh stop it, sir. You do make a woman embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed?” Lark feigned surprise. “I beg your forgiveness, my dear. It’s not my intention to embarrass you. I’m only complimenting a very beautiful young lady.”
Emma giggled nervously. “You are too much sir.”
“I hope not. I wouldn’t want you to stop working here.”
Emma looked up at Lark in that instant and their eyes met. Lark was frozen as he looked into the eyes of the woman he had loved all these years. The woman he had waited so long for. He wanted to stand up then and take her hand, pull her close to him, and kiss her. He wondered if she wanted the same.
His wondering was answered as she stood and stepped closer to him coming to stand before him. Lark looked up at her and then stood.
“What is it?” he asked his voice little more than a murmur.
Emma reached up and her hand settled on the back of his hair. Her eyes searched his looking for something, perhaps she wanted permission, perhaps she wanted to know if he felt the same. She raised herself trying to bring her lips to his and he stopped her.
“What are you doing?” Lark whispered.
“Kissing you,” she replied looking up into his eyes. “It is what you want isn’t it?”
Lark nodded silently, “But is it what you want?”
“Yes,” Emma said without hesitation. She moved to kiss him again but he stopped her again.
“Wait, please, there is something I must tell you.”
Emma looked at Lark curiously. “What is it?”
Later, in hindsight, Lark would curse himself. Why he had not just kissed her then, he would never know. It would have been so easy to end it all there and then. But he was too honest and he felt the need, to be honest for the same reason that Erin had hesitated to kiss him all those years before. What if there was a secondary curse that would be activated if he kissed her? It would not be fair if he had not told her the truth. He loved her too much and would not betray her trust or her love.