Giving a Gift
Ashley and I were sitting by the lake, for our midday meal. Mama had packed a picnic basket and shooed me out of the kitchen door. When I saw Ash outside, Ashley said her mother did the same thing to her. Lady Townshend told her to take the afternoon off, and join Payton, down by the water.
The reason for letting us play, for the rest of the day, wasn’t argued. We made our way down, to where we were lazily looking at flying water bugs, dart to and fro over the water. The air was warmer, with a hint of moisture, which might have meant rain. I wasn’t actually sure about those sorts of things. My weather information only came, from hearing my Pa talk about it.
“Do you suppose, we will ever grow up Payton? It feels as though, we have been little girls forever!” Ashley was so eager to grow up. She had lots of things to look forward to, I supposed. I was just glad, to be not working at the moment.
“I hope not, I like not having to worry about grown up things” I turned to face her, “I mean I want to have babies, one day. I don’t actually think of things the way you do Ash. I have to wait, till someone can afford to take care of me.” My mind went back to a week before, when I overheard Pa, and Lord Townshend talking. I remembered Lord Townshend said that I might be able to have the same privileges Ashley did. I wondered if maybe, this might extend to whom I could marry. But the thought was gone, as quickly as Ash started talking again.
“Oh Payt, not if you are my companion.” Ashley said, seeming to come alive with an idea. Ashley’s ideas can sometimes be exciting, but scary, and the way she looked at me now, I wasn’t sure which I felt. “When we get a little older, you will become my companion, and then, we shall marry you to gentlemen. We can all go to balls, and dinner parties, and go to all sorts of musicals and things.” Ashley was now, clapping her hands, with the excitement of her idea. It wasn’t actually a new one. She always talked to me about becoming her ladies maid. Once, when I mentioned this to my mama, she said that, that would probably not happen. As Lord and Lady Townshend didn’t have extravagances, like others of their status. They liked to live in a way, which saw them, have, a more hands on approach, to their estate. And that also meant, to their own comfort as well. Forgoing things like; personal servants, including ladies maids. So, with that in mind, I always took Ash’s talk, of ladies maids, and companions, with a smile on my face, knowing it would never happen. Until she married someone, and hopefully he would let her at least, have a personal maid, and that would be me.
“Well Ash, as long as whoever he is, loves me. I want to fall in love.” I said with little emotion for the conversation. I didn’t like the idea of going to balls, and all those “things” Ash talked about on a regular basis. I wasn’t sure if I were old enough to know what I wanted, when it came to getting married. But I did know that my mama and pa were happy in our little cottage, and that is all I looked forward to, at this time.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” Ashley and I turned around, startled to see three tall shadows coming closer, which were attached to three tall boys. Nash, Charlie, and William to be exact.
“WILL!” Ash yelled springing to her feet and raced into her brothers open arms. He had been staying with a relative or someone while he was getting started on his studies in London. He looked like he had grown quite a bit, and was about half a foot taller, than Nash and Charlie. His hair was dishevelled, and looked, as though, it was darkening to a sandy blond, rather than the paler blond I was used to. I hadn’t seen him on his last visit. Not for any particular reason, except that we never ran into each other. Nash and Charlie were inseparable anyway, but when William was home you could more often than not, find Will with them. Or the other way around, I wasn't sure. William and Nash, in their adolescence, were two peas in a pod, and when Charlie came along, Lord Townshend named them three of a kind
“Ha-ha Ash you little button, I knew I could find you here with Payton” A whirl of Ashleys skirt, was wrapping around William, while turning Ashley around, in a big hug. As William was putting Ashley down, I walked over and curtsied, just like Ashley showed me, in front of William. “Welcome home Master Townshend.” Ashley clasped her hands to the front of her and beamed a proud smile.
“What no hug?” William said, looking between Ashley and me. I shook my head and held out my hand. William looked like, he was holding in a laugh.
“You’re supposed to kiss it.” Ashley gave her brother a nudge.
“Yeah, you’re supposed to kiss her hand. They have been practicing becoming ladies, remember?” Nash offered, looking William straight on and rolling his eyes.
“Oh, well then.” William said clearing his throat, and then, he gallantly took my hand, and placed a kiss upon my knuckles.
His lips felt warm on my hand, and I know I flushed, from head to foot. Ashley let out a giggle. “I told you, it tickled.” And then she grabbed my hand from Williams and led me back down to the blanket. William, Nash and Charlie followed, and lazily sprawled their limbs about on our blanket. Nash started to go through our picnic basket. I swatted his hand away “what are you doing?”
“Ma said you ladies would have cake down here. We came to help you eat It.” And he reached back into the basket.
“Well, you could wait till it’s offered.” I said pushing his hand out again.
“Yes don’t be rude Nash, let the ladies serve us.” Charlie said, smiling at me, nodding towards the linen napkins.
“Yes let us practice on you louts; it doesn’t matter if we mess up with you.”
“That’s not very nice Ash, I’ve been gone eight months, and you’re calling me a lout!” William added with a wink at me. Oh boy but I flushed again. I didn’t think I was old enough to have the butterflies I had, in my stomach at such a gesture.
Beside me, Charlie pulled the cake out of the basket and handed me the knife. “Here you go, just don’t give Nash a large piece, that will teach him” he said quietly, so that I just heard him.
“Will... You, coming home must be why we were told to go play.” Ash said, smiling in her brother’s direction, happy to have figured out the reason for our dismissal today.
“Well you’re a lady, and you’re smart.”
“Don’t be mean Nash.” I said and handed a piece of cake over him to William.
“What now I don’t get cake?”
“Yes you do, but because your being rude to Ash, you have to wait.” I said in my firm don’t argue voice. Beside me, I could hear Charlie laugh.
“So Ladies, did you miss me?” William said, before he took a bite of cake.
“Yes I sure did.” Ash said.
“And you Payton? Did you miss me?”
“Of course Will.”
“Oh good, were back to Will again, and not Master William. Does that mean I get my hug now?”
“NO” I said rather too loudly, and firmly.
“No! Oh well I suppose you don’t want your gift then. I missed your birthday you know.” I looked at him.
“Did you bring me a present?”
“Yes my little sister, but you will have to wait till this evening.” William replied to Ash’s Question.
“Why would you get Payt a gift? She’s a little imp!” Nash added reaching over me and grabbed the piece of cake I just placed on a napkin.
“Don’t be mean.” Charlie said, again, and then pushed another napkin into my hand.
“Yes don’t be mean Nash, and you did give Payt a gift, I remember, it was a ribbon.” Ashley said accepting her cake. “Well, what did you get Payton Will?”
“Here.” William reached behind his back, and pulled a small rectangular package out, from where I assume it was tucked into his breeches.
“Thank you William, I am truly grateful” I said as ladylike as I, knew how, and reached for the parcel. I looked at it for quite some time.
“Well, don’t just stare at it. Open it!” Nash said to me while wiping crumbs from his shirt.
I gently undid the strings and peeled the brown paper away. Inside was a book. A book of poems it said on the front. I looked up at Will, and held the book to my chest “thank you so much Will I love it.”
“Ma told me in one of her letters, that you and Ash were working really hard to become ladies. And I know that every lady needs a book of poems Payton. So when I saw this one I thought of you.”
“Oh Thank you.” I said again, and threw myself over Nash, and embraced William in a big hug. My dark brown hair flew into his eyes. I often took it out of its braid, when we played down by the lake. He had to push it away from his face before he could talk.
“Well, now I know.” He finally said.
“Know what?” I replied pulling out of his embrace.
“How to get a hug from you.” he said with a chuckle, and a wink.
“Oh, so that’s what I’m doing wrong.” Nash said from the other side of me “I have to give gifts!” And with that we all laughed.
Later that night, after I finished the first few pages, from my new book of poems. I reached over to the small table next to my bed, and grabbed my three stranded, thin leather, plated book mark. It had a small wooden carving of a little flower, from a lovely dark wood, dangling from the top end. It was my gift from Charlie, for my birthday, and laid it in between the pages, to mark it for tomorrow. I thought to myself that Charlie was right. When he gave me my gift, he said, it would be nicer than using a dried leaf, to mark my place in a book, which I was in the habit of doing. And then, quite abruptly, another thought came to my mind. I didn’t hug Charlie like I did William, when he gave me my gift. I was so touched at the time, that he took note of what I needed. I frowned and told myself to remember to give him a hug tomorrow.