The Windsor Girl by Sylvia Burton Read Free Book Online

may marry, without my permission, this being the rule of the house, so it is in your own interest to hear me out’. 
    He looked from one to the other, and then continued.
    ‘My conditions are, firstly, you may not meet secretly, as I believe has be the case.  You, William, will treat Sarah with respect at all times.  You will be allowed two free afternoons in which to call upon her, and these meetings must, without exception, be here in the house.  The Drawing Room will be put at your disposal, at these times; the door is to be left open throughout the visit.  If, at the end of the year, you both feel as you do today, I will not only pay for you’re wedding, but will make a settlement on you of forty pounds a year.  This will assist you in your life together; after all, Sarah is kin of this family’.
    When no one spoke, he asked, ‘well William.  What do you think?’
    ‘I can only thank you Sir for your understanding and kindness.  I agree to your conditions.  A year is a long time but I am more than willing to wait for Sarah’.
    The Master stood up.  ‘That’s settled then.  Now perhaps you would all be good enough to return to your work?’
    His eyes met William’s, ‘the house does not come to a standstill you know, even for affairs of the heart’. 
    He said this with a smile, and then left the room, leaving the door ajar behind him.
    William was overwhelmed and hugged Sarah to him.  ‘I love you’, she whispered, before he and his parents returned to the kitchen. His father was relieved that it had been resolved so amicably.  His mother was just pleased to get back to the kitchen where she could regain some of her usual composure.
     
    The months that followed were the happiest that William could remember.  He and Sarah met twice a week and came to know each other’s every thought.  They were both happy to wait knowing that, eventually, they would be united in marriage.
    On his visits, upstairs, they would sit in the drawing room and hold hands.  When the strawberries were in season, he would arrange the most succulent ones, on a small silver tray, cover them with clotted cream and feed them, one at a time, into her lovely mouth.
    Sarah would read poetry from her favourite book and William would gaze at her, in wonder, and think himself the luckiest of men, to have a love such as this.
    He composed his own love poems for her, and memorise each line by heart, repeating the loving words to her, whilst his eyes poured out his love.  She would search his eyes, whilst he recited the words and would see the adoration written there.
    Their togetherness gave them a wondrous feeling of being the only two people on earth.  They were quite certain there had never been such a love as theirs.
    Spring turned to summer and summer to autumn and William was not only busy with his usual work, but worked, in his spare time making furniture for his future with Sarah.
    One Sunday, after stocking up the wine cellar, he was putting the finishing touches to a straight back chair, which had taken him four weeks of intricate work.  His father came out to the yard where William was working.
    ‘William, you had better go up to the house.  Sarah is feeling ill and the Master said for you to meet with him before visiting her’.
    William heart missed a beat, ‘oh my God!  What's wrong with her?’
    ‘Calm down boy.  It’s probably just ‘the vapours’; you know what ladies are like?  As they reach womanhood, they get vapours’.
    ‘I must see her’, shouted William, already running towards the house.
    He found the Master in the morning room.  William's breath was coming in great gasps as he said, ‘Mister Fairfax?  What’s wrong with Sarah?  Is she all right?’
    ‘Sit down for a moment William.  It will do no good getting into an anguished state; Sarah is all right, for the moment at least.  I have had the Doctor in to see her and it looks as if she has caught a chill on her lungs.  You may