Stratton-Over-Wye, Herefordshire, West of England, 1779
Tobias wriggled on the seat of the coach, trying vainly to find a soft spot in the worn upholstery so he could doze for at least part of the uncomfortable journey. Across from him, his lovely Lucy caught his eye. She smiled briefly at him while listening to the voluble farmer’s spouse seated next to her, giving seemingly endless hints and tips about preserving summer season fruit and vegetables.
He mused on how wonderful a vicar’s wife she had become in less than two years of marriage, as she nodded her head obligingly to the fellow passenger’s somewhat convoluted discourse. Admiring her graceful profile, he thought, as always, what a very lucky man he was.
He almost had to pinch himself that they were going away together from the
