know that Margaret is very fond of you.'
'Aye?,' responded Richard.
'She is a gud woman. She works 'ard and is 'ealthy.'
'Aye, that she is,' was all that Richard offered.
'She has mourned Bromley.'
'Aye?' said Richard in a lower voice as if to say, 'And? Go on.'
'She is pleasing to luk at also.' Richard was a little surprised to hear Lind admit this and he looked at Lind and studied his facial expressions.
'Aye, she surely is,' responded Richard slowly and now looking away from Lind.
'You 'ave known 'er since you were children and she combs from a gud family.'
'Aye, we played together of'en, boot I think that she used to 'it me,' replied Richard with a smile.
With the mood a little lighter, Lind walked away from the enclosure and toward the fields. Richard followed close.
'Aye, and you deserved it,' Lind assured him jokingly. Richard felt good. It had been a long time since he and his father had enjoyed a laugh together. 'If you were to ask 'er to be your wife, she wuld agree,' said Lind, now looking directly into Richard's eyes. The conversation was now serious.
'Father, I am married in the eyes of God and the Church, I can nay take another wife,' responded Richard.
'I spoke with the priest last week and 'e said that you culd 'ave the marriage annulled.'
This struck Richard with a blow. 'Annulled,' he thought, 'that is so final. I can nay do that. And whot if Elizabeth combs back to Stamford?' asked Richard.
'She 'as been gone for munths. She thinks that you are deed, Richard. She is nay combing back to Stamford.' It pained Richard a little to have his father speak so directly on the subject, but he recognized the same words that he had thought privately.
'Margaret wuld be a gud wife,' said Lind.
'I do nay luv Margaret like I luv Elizabeth,' Richard objected.
'Boot you will, sone,' urged Lind. 'Many men 'ave learned to luv women that they knew less than you know Margaret.'
'I did nay say that I do nay luv 'er, just that I do nay luv 'er like I luv Elizabeth.'
'Aye, I am nay suggesting that you do or shuld, yet. Boot you can and you will sumedee if you try,' promised Lind.
Richard was looking at the ground now, seriously considering Lind's advice. It was not a surprise to him. He had already had the same thoughts. To hear his father speak the words actually helped to validate his own thoughts.
'You need a wife, Richard. Margaret needs a 'usband. I 'ave seen 'ow she luks at you and listens closely to every word that you say. And, by the way, I 'ave not'iced that for years.'
Richard looked up. Had he really been so blind to Margaret as to not notice her interest in him all these years? All he had eyes for was Elizabeth previously, and of course Margaret had been a faithful wife to Bromley. 'Boot, 'ave things now changed?' he wondered privately.
'I will speak with Margaret,' he promised.
'Gud,' replied Lind as he placed a hand on Richard's shoulder. 'Let us go inseed.'
As they walked toward the cottage, annulment suddenly made sense to Richard. If Elizabeth thought him dead, she would likely want to remarry. He needed to get the annulment if for no other reason than to release her from the moral obligation.
Later that morning, Richard asked Margaret to accompany him to Stamford. He needed to visit the priest that had married he and Elizabeth and it would give Margaret the opportunity to visit the market. Richard made up an excuse to visit the church to check on the state of the leaded glass windows.
Richard enjoyed Margaret's company very much. He had forgotten how quick she was to smile and how cheerful her disposition. As they walked along, Margaret playfully stole his cap and ran off with it. He easily caught her and hugged her as he retrieved it.
Leaving Margaret at the market, Richard hurried to the All Saints' Church to find the priest. He found him inside and related the situation to him. The priest was very disappointed, but understanding and told Richard that he would take care of the annulment right away. He said that he had heard of people getting separated and then not being able to find each other again, but hadn't known any personally. He advised Richard to keep the situation relatively quiet so that the suspicions of the sheriff were not aroused. In such cases of missing persons sheriffs had a way of suspecting