The Accidental Countess (Forever His Series Book one)

Chapter 5 - The crop gathering

Its ridiculously early in the morning, the sun has barely risen and I'm trudging towards the wheat field I've been allocated to with a small group of people, including 4 men, 3 women and a handful of children of varying ages.

All of them seem eager to get started and are moving speedily toward our destination carrying all the necessary tools for the day ahead.
Clearly this isn't a dream, I'm beginning to worry that I might actually be stuck here...I need to get back to the castle and find that bloody book, and soon!

Florence has dressed me in a plain and simple brown dress this morning saying that no one would be wearing their finery out in the fields today and I don't mind one bit, but it's woolen and I'm already sweating profusely from the walk here. Today is going to be a challenge.

This whole thing is crazy...how can I even begin to explain how I got here. My mind boggles as I trudge through the heat of the morning.
A man is barking orders from a distance clearly trying to organise the rabble into various groups, and one of the women rolls her eyes at his over the top hysterics making me smile at her.

She approaches me with an air of grace and elegance about her – I would guess that she has lands and a title to go with her confidence.

"Is this your first year? I don't think we've met before" she remarks casually.

"Oh yes. I'm not from here, just visiting some family and I wanted to take part" I say hoping I sound as sure of myself as she does.

"Well it's easy once you get into it. Back breaking mind you...but it'll go quickly once you settle into your gathering."

And she motions for me to fall into step beside her as we make our way. She's carrying two buckets and hands one to me.

"So what's your name dear?" she asks me warmly.

"Cassandra"

"What a beautiful name. Cassandra...I like it. I'm Elizabeth" she says and we nod respectfully to each other, proceeding to chatter inanely as we reach our field.

The setting is unrivalled, the castle is in full view in all its glory and the rolling hills and stream are nearby; I stand still admiring everything about this place, sighing in utter peace and contentment at my surroundings.

When I'm here, in this setting, it's easy for me to forget about trying to find a way home. The inbuilt simplicity of life here is seriously appealing.

You work the land; you feed yourself on the result and help others to do the same. Living under the clear and unpolluted skies, a countryside that's undamaged by future man's industrialisation and greed.

The more senior man of the group starts delegating tasks and makes his way to me before explaining exactly how he wants me to gather the wheat when the men cut it. It involves a lot of heavy lifting onto a nearby cart and I think just how right Elizabeth was when she says back breaking work.

I'm beginning to grunt and tire with every move I make, my limbs starting to feel unbearably heavy and sweat pours off of me in great disgusting waves.

I'm wondering just when we'll stop when all of a sudden the man barking orders from across the field earlier reaches us and tells us to take a break. I'm so grateful for the breather I plonk myself down and sigh in loud relief.

He's brought with him the two buckets Elizabeth and I had been carrying and they're full to the brim with water, sloshing out onto the dry soil. I hadn't even noticed him collect them from us; I must have been really getting into this farming malarkey.

We all gratefully fall upon the water, filling our small cups that someone has thankfully produced from somewhere.

There's sufficient water left in one of the buckets that I take a cup full and splash it on my face attempting to cool myself down, feeling the drops fall down my neck and tickle a path down my chest.