Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 217

Chapter 217: Showing off
Mia grimaced. It was unfair of her to slip in her aunt’s title so casually. In reality, the woman had given up her title, officially, so that the princess’s husband could be a Count, but Aunt Annie and Uncle Trace were still very important people in the capital. They still possessed most of the inheritance that had been due to the daughter of a Count, and the farm was something that was often managed by her brothers.

Bad form, certainly, to brag about such a thing. She regretted it immediately. She wanted so badly for Ford to like her!

The minute he’d started to express any sort of interest in getting to know her better, she had to go and ruin it trying to impress him. It was absurd and she was rather upset at herself for not having the good sense to keep quiet about those sorts of things.

She snuck a look at him. His jaw was clenched, and she colored.

“I’m sorry, you had asked about farming,” She tried to salvage the conversation, but inside she was miserable. He looked like he’d rather shovel manure than talk to her right now. “It’s hard work, but everyone pitches in to get it done. The most difficult times are planting and harvest season. We’re just near the end of planting. Grandpa, of course, makes that a lot easier. He can bring moths in droves to pick up individual seeds and scatter them evenly, and keep all the pests away that would eat them.”

Mia paused. Ford was looking at her, his face not quite so hard as before, but his eyes still unnerved her somewhat. She tied off the thread and cut it, setting aside the garment to move onto the next.

“Grandma, Mama, and I do most of the inside chores. Cooking, cleaning, sewing, canning, preserving, all those sorts of things. We also handle the most of the gardening and some animal care. When needed, we help in the fields. I don’t know if women work the mines where you come from?” She glanced at Ford with the question, and he hesitated.

“No, women don’t work in the mines.” He responded.

“That makes sense, I suppose,” Mia tried to smile. “There is plenty to do here. In the mornings, I try to have the cows milked, the barn animals fed, and the eggs gathered before others get up to make it easier on everyone else. Especially while my brothers are gone…”

She trailed off, and Ford seemed to be considering her words.

“All farms are like that?” He asked simply.

“That, I can’t say. I know my farm, and have been to others in the area. For the most part, the balance of work is the same, depending on how many children the family has. Sons tend to work in the fields with fathers, and girls tend to stay home and help their mothers with the inside of the house and caring for younger children, if there are any. All the in-between chores get divided up amongst whoever has the most energy to do them.” She took a deep breath. Sometimes when she was nervous she began to speak quickly. Mia consciously suppressed that impulse now with a deep breath.

“How do families function at the mines? The men work and the women tend the houses?” She was curious.

“Men work the mines. Those few who have wives, I’m not sure what the women do. Some take care of other mens’ laundry for money.” He shrugged.

“I… see,” Mia responded, but she didn’t. “Are there many chores to be done there? Animals to care for, that sort of thing?”

“Not really.” Ford looked at her. “Some keep vegetable gardens, I think. To supplement the food when their husband spends his pay on strong drink or gambling.”

“That’s awful!” Mia cried indignantly. “Did no one teach them to take care of their wives? Families are teams, not just people doing selfish things under the same roof!”

Ford’s eyes narrowed, and Mia ducked her head. The outburst was uncalled for. Perhaps they just lived differently in Foundrel.

No wonder they lost the war, treating women as terribly as that!

“There’s not much teamwork where I come from,” Ford responded darkly. Mia fell silent for a moment, and her gaze drifted to his splinted leg.

“Does it hurt very much?” She asked softly. Did that count as prying? Mama had chided her that prying was very rude. The abrupt change in subject was already rude enough without adding prying on top of it, but she couldn’t listen to him tell her about a terrible place where husbands treat wives so badly and there is no teamwork in families!

Maybe his experience was an isolated incident. She had to believe there were happy families everywhere in the world, as well as sad ones.

“Yes,” Ford’s eyes focused on his leg. “It hurts very much.”

“Did Papa give you any medicine to help? I’ve got some willow bark tea I can make you that might help numb the pain a little.” She offered.

“Why would you give it to me?” Ford asked with some new emotion in his tone.

He was very difficult for Mia to figure out. Every time she thought she might be getting a better read on his character, some new mood or inflection would throw her entirely off again. Was he purposefully trying to prevent her from finding out what kind of man he was?

“Because you’re our guest,” She shrugged. “We take care of people around here. If we didn’t, how could we want or hope for anyone to take care of us if we need it someday? Everyone should always help each other when they can, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know.” His words were short, and his eyes stared at the far wall.

“Well, I’m happy to make you some of the tea, but perhaps if you want it, I should help you to your room first. It can make you a bit sleepy, and you’ll be far more comfortable in bed than out here if you do want to get some rest. How does that sound?”

“Fine by me.”