Almost without a first thought.
She’d told Tucker she thought she loved him. It never occurred to her that this might be a problem for the lad. After all, she loved all three of her brothers, her mother and three little billygoats. She loved the smell of fresh bread and bacon in the morning. She loved the Highlands and climbing the hills behind the Farm.
She loved the Farm beyond all things; It was her World, her Life, her Everything.
She had loved her father like that, too, and even though that would never end, somehow she loved him less a little every day that passed, because he was dead, and it’s hard to love a memory.
And she thought she might love Tucker, just a little, in much the same way. Because love came naturally to Lizzie. It was easy, really, to care for people, if they let you. And one of the reasons that she loved Tucker (Just a little bit, mind) was because he had brought that back to her.
After her father had been killed, love hid. She still loved Gil, because he tried hard to make things better. Things that would never ever be better again. And she loved her mother because…. Well… You did, didn’t you? You had tae love yer Minnie. But it was better not to love people.
Because if you did… they died.
But Tucker… well the silly boy had kind of teased caring out of her. Because he was such a fool about it! And so sweet! And so clumsy and darling and…. lovable.
And hers. Someone who seemed to want her to …well, to love him. It was nice to have somebody to love. (Just a little bit.) It was nice to wake up in the morning and think, ugh, Potions today, and then remember, Tucker! Tucker will be there. And if the manful way (for Tucker) that he had taken her hand and led her into the Great Hall was anything to go by, he would be forceful and have something he wanted to do. (Like snogging behind the suit of armor before they went to their separate dorms.)
And maybe they would do something besides snogging today.
And they would! Because the first thing they were going to do was finish up all the homework they had been set! And then… well then they’d see.
Lizzie patted the bench beside her and moved some of her parchment over to make a space on the table.
“Here ye are, hinny, set you doon, and we’ll see what we have tae do.” She gave Tuck a quick kiss on the cheek, to show that the homework first, snogging after rule was not to be too strictly enforced, and pulled out her exercise book.
As soon as Tucker had his backside on the bench, Lizzie scooted over and pressed her thigh against his.
“What would ye like tae do first?” She asked.






Jane Scrivener
Millicent Helen Skrumpkin