Page 56 of A Pure Lady for the Broken Duke

They giggled before Jenny insisted they get the pies in the oven before the customers came clamoring for their treats.

* * *

The day of the picnic dawned cloudy and Jenny and Claudia stared out the window to see if it was likely to rain. They had church service first, and they figured they would know by then whether the picnic could happen or not.

As the service let out, Jeremiah joined Jenny and Claudia who were waiting at the church gate to see if Evan would appear. The clouds had substantially subsided, and it looked to be a fair afternoon.

And sure enough, Evan drove up on the produce wagon and jumped down to greet his fellow picnickers.

“Are we all ready for a glorious afternoon? My Mama worked all morning to prepare us a fine lunch and I am happy to say the weather seems to be welcoming us.”

Evan and Jeremiah shook hands and the two men assisted the ladies onto the wagon where Evan had secured two comfortable chairs for the ladies to sit in during the ride.

“Where are we headed?” Jenny asked. “I hope you have chosen a pleasant spot for us?”

“I have indeed. Do you know the falls below the Arian Peaks?”

“I know of them but have never been. It is outside my normal walking range.”

“Then you are in for a pleasant surprise.” He snapped the reins and the horse bobbed his head, and they started out of the village, Claudia waving to her mother and father who were watching them leave from the church porch.

The group was in high spirits as they left the village and, before long, they were boisterously singing local country songs as the wagon rattled through the countryside.

It took nearly an hour before they reached their destination and pulled up by a pleasant glen next to the river and just down from a rather robust waterfall.

“My, this is splendid!” Jenny exclaimed, glad she had worn layers of clothing as the spray from the falls cooled the air.

Evan and Jeremiah unloaded the picnic basket from the back of the wagon while the sisters ventured toward the falls. There were a lot of large boulders at the base of the falling water and some were covered in moss and others were swept clean by the force of the water rushing over them.

“Be careful,” Evan called out. We do not want to pull you out of the river.”

Jeremiah spread out a blanket while Evan opened the basket and began taking out the containers containing the picnic lunch.

Eventually Jenny and Claudia came back and sat down on the blanket.

“I hope you do not mind, but I have brought several bottles of my father’s home brewed ale.”

“No need to apologize,” Jeremiah insisted, as he secured the horse to a tree.

“You can let him graze, he will not roam,” Evan said.

The clouds continued to disappear and within half an hour it was becoming quite warm and Jenny shed a jumper.

The lunch was quite marvelous. It was clear that Betsy was an excellent cook, and Jenny especially enjoyed the head cheese with dollops of whole grain mustard.

“Would you care to take a stroll to the top of the falls after lunch?” Evan asked Jenny.

“I would. There must be quite a fine view from the top. I cannot believe I have never been here before. It certainly deserves repeated visits.”

Jeremiah had had a little more ale than he should have and before long he was stretched out on the blanket, with his arm behind his head and snoring.

“Will you come with us, Claudia,” Jenny asked, as Evan stood and offered her his hand.

“I think not. I find I am feeling uncommonly lazy and do not fancy climbing all the way to the top.”

“Very well. We should not be too long,” Jenny said, taking Evan’s arm and letting him lead her to the path to the top.

It was an arduous climb. It was steep, and the path was covered with pebbles, and the walking tended to be slippery. But they reached the top without a lot of conversation. They stood by the river as it emptied over the edge of the cliff and looked down at the picnickers below and waved.