Anne blushed and looked away as if she had been caught in a crime.

"Aye... I hope so..." muttered Tobias. They were leaving the village behind. The road climbed a little and the horses slowed down. Soon the paved road made way for a sandy one. Some marked sheep lay on the road and lazily moved out of the way as they approached. "You should go and see Bess while you're here." Or stay there instead, he added in thought. Of course hers was not their ancestral home, but then again, her household was not currently a zoo, an over-crowded one at that. "How long did you say you were here for?"