Testing: Day 1

Word Count: 6,023

Summary of Events:

Ivy and Thomas set out from the Oldford farm for Elk City and Ivy pressed Thomas to try and describe his family to her a little bit more, even though he didn't really feel he knew how. Gabriel fed his horses and did what little work he could with them before going inside and eating the meal Mrs. Goddard — the owner of the rooming house he lived in — had kept warm for him. Ivy thought about how much she loved Thomas and how she now understood what her sister Anna and sister-in-law Mildred had been experiencing when they'd been preparing for their own weddings years ago better . . . 

Excerpt of the Day:

""You're surprisingly quiet," Thomas said softly.

"I want you to be able to hear your family when we arrive," Ivy replied, smiling.

Thomas smiled, uttering that soft, low, warm chuckle that flooded her heart with joy she was sure a woman could only know when she had a wonderfully perfect man for herself.

"I appreciate your consideration," Thomas said quietly, the smile still on his face. "Of course you have always been very considerate, even to people you don't like, I've noticed."

"Oh, thank you Thomas," Ivy said, flushing.

"I haven't made you considerate," Thomas said.

"For the compliment Thomas," Ivy replied.

"Oh, you're welcome," Thomas said, a bit of colour creeping into his cheeks as he kept his gaze steadily on the horses.

"I'm even considerate to people I don't like?" Ivy asked.

"Not as considerate as you are with people you do like," Thomas replied. "But yes."

"How so?" Ivy asked, honestly not sure how that could possibly work.

"Well, you do as the Golden Rule: you treat others the way you would like to be treated," Thomas replied.

"Don't you have an example?" Ivy asked.
"Well, Ophelia Calvert," Thomas replied.

Ivy shuddered.

"I knew you wouldn't like to hear it," Thomas replied. "But Ophelia always talks you down for being so good and kind, and having such lovely appearance as you do, whereas you say nothing about her. You ignore her unkindnesses, and also, you make no comment about her because you have nothing nice to say about her. Not even now. You just keep silent and put it all aside. That is, in a way, considerate, if you know what I mean."

Ivy shifted her jaw, not sure she understood.

"You know that you don't like the way Ophelia treats you, so you considerately refrain from treating her in the same manner," Thomas said. "You've chosen to show her some caring and consideration despite the fact that she shows you none in return."

"I guess that is true," Ivy said. "And in part, I must admit, I don't understand why she treats me like she does."
"Jealousy," Thomas replied. "Ophelia gets the impression that you're faultless, not to mention I've heard that more than once a young man she met first because she lives in town completely forgot about her as soon as you walked in the schoolroom door when the session started."

"They obviously never bothered to talk to me," Ivy said. "Although I've always thought men go after the blondes, so Ophelia should be the one with the crowd of men."

"And that's what she thinks too, however, it seems all of the men around here have an affinity for raven-haired women such as yourself," Thomas said, a smile blossoming over his face. "Myself included.""