The rain was drumming on the window pane and the wind howled down the chimney. I should be used to it after ninety years living on the moor 'in splendid isolation'. I drew the blanket closer around me and watched the mesmerizing trickles on the glass against the night sky. I never closed the curtains, I liked to watch nature in all her glory and no-one wanted to watch me. Although, there was someone once.
I was eighteen and home from boarding school. Mother and Pa didn't seem to know what to do with me, so I explored the estate and hung around the stables, helping out with little chores given to me by Johnson. He was as old as the hills and knew all there was to know about horses and their welfare. I liked him, he treated me like family.
Giving one of the horses a brush down one morning, I was surprised to hear a voice pipe up, 'Are you sure you know what you're doing, girly?'
When I looked up, a tall, handsome young man stood before me. He had the blackest hair I'd ever seen, and his dark eyes twinkled with amusement. I felt rather affronted by his criticism,
'Well, you'd better show me how it's done then!'
He moved close to me and gently removed the brush from my hand. He smelled of grass and Springtime, and he whistled 'Danny Boy' as he brushed Delilah rhythmically, with both gentleness and strength. He had just been taken on by Pa to help Johnson.
'My name's Rory, and you are?'
'Lilian.' I took his outstretched hand shyly, avoiding his gaze. He assumed I was Johnson's granddaughter and I confess that I didn't put him straight.
I spent even more time in the stables; Rory was like a magnet to me. My skill with horses increased dramatically with such a teacher. I could tell he felt the same; his eyes followed me wherever I was. The day he took me in his arms and kissed me was the happiest day of my life. Before long, he was talking about a future together.
Pa walked in on us in the stable one overcast afternoon. I suppose it was inevitable. We had been lucky, but now the game was well and truly up. To be honest, I didn't care about Pa finding us, but I'll never forget the shock on Rory's face when he realized who I was. Pa told him to pack his bags and get out. I became hysterical; I knelt before Rory, clinging to his legs and sobbed, 'Don't leave me! I was afraid of losing you, forgive me.'
Rory softened; he whispered in my ear, 'Let me go Lily. I promise we'll meet again, if not in this life, in the next.'
I never saw him again. After my parents died I stayed at the house, in case he came back, I didn't give up hope.
I sat up in bed and once again concentrated on the patterns the rain made on my window. It was then I heard something . . . something familiar . . . 'Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling . . .' I lay back on the pillows and as my breathing slowed, I smelt Springtime.