Nat listened quietly.  So, the story Jimmy had said about Mr. Appleton was totally a lie.  She could totally understand though.  She shook her head.  "I'm not here to take anyone's place or opportunities.  I just want a chance to work and make a life again.  My parents were dead and the shop I couldn't take care of, not at my age."

"I was staying with a nice family when I was getting better,"  she paused to explain that, "I tried to protect my mother from the ones that were robbing the shop and killed my father.   We were on the stairs to find out what was going on when we saw Papa..." she took a breath to stable her voice. 

"He was dead there on the floor.  The men came up and were saying some bad things to Mother.  I wasn't going to let them hurt her or me.  They threw me down the stairs after hitting me a few times, then I was more in or out.  I saw...."  she played with some of her food, then went past that part.  "I was I guess thought dead.  There was a lot of blood, and my head hurt bad.  Still have the scar."  She indicated at her temple the crease that went around her temple to back along her ear.

"Anyway... I stayed with the neighbor family.  But they had four little ones and one on the way.  I sat outside on the fire escape and heard various people talking about what might happen to me if I went to an orphanage as they had.  We were down in London, you know.  Not a great area."  She admitted.  "I figured I could make it on my own.  So, I took a few things of mine and left London.  This is the first time though that I've been able to have a solid job and not just here and there jobs.  So, I am grateful.  Really grateful.   Working here is just fine for me."

Jenny quietly walked over to Nat, sat down beside him and took his hand while he spoke. Poor boy, she thought to herself. He had to have been really young when he witnessed that horror and lost his parents, if he had been on his own for several years. Jenny knew tragedy and pain, but at least when she had lost her father and brothers, her mother had still been there to look after her and her siblings. "Don't worry, Nat," she said quietly. "Ye'r welcome here and we'll be like family. Jimmy will come round, I'll see to that. Yer no longer on yer own."

She looked at Jenny.  It was the first time in a long time that someone has comforted her like that.  A hand of condolence.  She felt moisture at her eyes.  Blinking she kept herself from crying.  She hadn't cried since leaving London.  She couldn't start now, it would not help her keep her secret.

"I've had to do things to survive and stay safe.  Things I am not proud of and things I hope to make right soon."  She gave a brief smile.  "Maybe here."  She had a hopeful tone.  "I miss having a family.  Maybe one day I'll show you the picture I kept with me of the three of us when I was a tiny baby.  I took it and a very few things of my parents to remember them but couldn't take much as I knew I would be traveling."  She explained.

"I would love to see it," said Jenny with a smile. "And now," she rose. "Finish your meal and go. You don't want to keep Mr. Appleton waiting." She returned to the scullery to finish washing dishes.

Nat nodded.  For the first time in a long time, she actually felt a friendship growing with another female, though Jenny didn't know that of course.  Yet.  She had hung around with the street boys, and few little girls that bigger brothers watched over when mothers were either working at the factory or the streets in a different way.  She had also made friends with the elderly there on the streets male and female, but more trying to make sure they had food and warm clothing. 

Finishing up her meal, she got up and headed past Jenny.  "Thanks for the snack.  See you later."  She then headed to the field again and looked for the guys to get to work herself.

Tobias was just returning when he met Nat. Mrs. Appleton looked up at the two from her seat in the courtyard, but then quickly picked up a book that lay beside her and ignored them. "Ah, there ye are," said Tobias to Nat. He glanced at Alice. "C'mon, I'll introduce ye to Mrs. Appleton."

Nat nodded.  "I briefly did on the way home from school, but I didn't stay long to visit."  She explained with a quick glance at the woman that she had not really gotten a feel of.  There wasn't time, but usually that street life feel of who is not safe and who is just didn't work with this woman yet.

"Did ye? Well, then there'll be no need for further introductions. Ye won't have much to do with 'er until she's strong enough to help out." And he strongly doubted now whether that would ever happen again. He cast a dark glance at her, and then turned back to Nat. "Off to the stables then," and he guided Nat there. "There's a boy's overall there by the door," he said, and he took his own and put it on over his clothes.

Nat was curious about the wife but didn't push it.  She followed him to the stable and in his direction to the overall, she put it on over her clothing.  It made her already lose clothing all the bulkier but all the better to her mind.  She looked around and wondered what all she would be doing.  She had done some work when it was available in stables in towns, but it was just from time to time.  This was a working farm though, so she figured it would be somewhat different.

"The stables need to be cleaned out regularly, or the animals might get sick." Tobias explained. "If the animals are outside by day, like now, we clean it out once a week and you or Jimmy remove the dropping and wet parts every day. In winter, when they are indoors, we have to clean more often." He handed Nat a rake. "We should be able to clean out the cow stalls before tea." You take that one. You can put everything in the wheelbarrow over there. If it's full, take it to the pile behind the stables."