CHAPTER EIGHT

Falling in Love

That summer, Angel and Tess studied one another. During this time, they were like two streams running beside each other. Like those streams, they would have to join.

Tess was very happy now. She and Angel often met in the early morning at three o'clock. They felt like they were in a story from the Bible, the story of Adam and Eve. Clare treated Tess like a queen. In the early morning light she seemed like more than a milkmaid. She seemed like a perfect woman.

One day after breakfast, everyone met in the milking room. The milk was not turning into butter like it should. Mr Crick was worried.

"Maybe someone on the farm is in love," said his wife. "Sometimes this happens when people are in love."

Mr Crick nodded. Then he told a story about one of his old workers.

"Jack Dollop was one of our milkmen. He got a girl in trouble and she was going to have a baby. The girl's mother came looking for him. He was scared, so he hid in the churn. The woman found Jack and turned the churn around and around. When he shouted for her to stop, she said she would only stop if he married her daughter. He agreed, but the churn was broken."

Everyone laughed at the story except for Tess. She was sad all afternoon. Only she could see how sad the story really was.

While Tess lay in bed that night, she saw the other girls looking out the window. They were looking at someone in the garden.

"It's no use to be in love with him, Miss Retty Priddle," said Marian. She was the oldest milkmaid.

"There he is!" said Izz Huett. She was pale and had dark hair. "I would marry him tomorrow if he wanted me."

"So would I," said Retty.

"We can't all marry him," said Marian. "It doesn't matter anyway. It's obvious that he likes Tess. I've been watching him everyday and found out."

The room was quiet.

"This is silly," said Izz. "He is the son of a gentleman. He won't marry Tess or any of us."

They all went to bed. But Tess could not sleep. She knew that Angel Clare liked her more than the other women. She was more beautiful and better educated. But should she let him fall in love with her? Mrs Crick had told her that Angel wanted to marry a girl from the country to help with his farm. Tess had promised herself that she would never get married. She should let one of the other girls try to love him.

The next day, Mr Crick asked his workers to look for garlic plants in the field. If a cow ate any garlic, it would make all of its milk taste like garlic. Clare decided to walk next to Tess.

"They are very pretty," she said.

"Who?"

"Izz Huett and Retty," said Tess. She thought that they would both make a good farmer's wife.

"Well, I have not thought about it," said Clare.

"They are very good milkmaids."

"But you are better than them," he said.

Tess continued to speak. "She turned red because you looked at her." But Tess could not tell Angel to marry one of the other dairywomen. It was too painful. So she spent less and less time with Angel so the other women could have a chance.

The month of July was very hot. The atmosphere in the valley was so hot that the people at the dairy were sleepy all the time. The weather was like a drug over the people, the cows and even the trees. One Sunday morning after the milking was done, Tess and the other three girls got dressed and went to Mellstock Church. The church was three or four miles away from the dairy.

There had been serious thunderstorms the night before. However, today the sun was bright and the air was hot and clear. When they reached the part of the road that was the lowest point, they discovered that it was covered in water. If they had been wearing work clothes and old boots, they would have walked through. But they were wearing their best clothing. They did not want to ruin their thin shoes and white stockings.

They heard the church bell ring. They were still a mile away.

While they talked about how to solve the problem, Angel Clare came down the road. He had already seen them and was coming to help.

"I'll carry you all through the water," he said. All of the girls turned bright red.

"Marian, put your arms around me. Hold on." And Angel walked across the water with Marian in his arms. He helped Izz Huett next, and then Retty. As he crossed the water with Retty in his arms, he said to Tess, "Soon it will only be you and me."

At last it was Tess' turn. When he picked her up, she was embarrassed to find that he excited her. She wanted him to touch her body.

"I had to carry three plain girls to get to one beauty," he whispered in her ear.

"But they are better women than I am."

"Not for me," said Angel. Neither of them spoke. Then Angel Clare put his face very close to Tess.

"Oh Tess," he said. Her face was red and she could not look at his face. He respected her for being modest, so he did not do anything else. He walked as slowly as possible across the water. When they got to the other side, Tess' friends were looking at them. Angel said goodbye and walked back down the road.

The four continued towards the church. Marian said, "We have no chance against Tess." She looked very unhappy.

"Why do you say that?" Tess asked.

"He likes you better than anyone else. We watched him carry you over. If you had wanted it, he would have kissed you."

The women were no longer happy, nor were they bitter either. They were simple country girls and they accepted their fates.

Tess knew that she loved Angel Clare. It was even more difficult because the others loved him, too. In her heart, she wanted Angel and her friends to be happy.

That evening at bedtime, Tess said, "I will not stand between you and Angel Clare. Even if he asked me to marry him, I would say no. I can never get married."

"But why?" they asked.

"I will refuse all men," said Tess.

So the girls all remained friends. They shared many secrets, and the air in the bedroom was heavy with their desires. They felt fire in their hearts, but had no hope that Angel would ask any of them to marry him. They were not jealous of one another. One of them had heard that Angel's family planned for him to marry a neighbor's daughter.

Tess no longer cared if Angel was interested in her. It was a short attraction. It went away with the summer. The days became hotter and hotter. In this weather, even the smallest attraction could become love. So Clare became even more attracted to Tess.

The fields were dry. Carriages made a lot of dust on the dry roads. The cows were restless and Mr Crick rolled up his sleeves. The men and women worked in the fields where it was cooler.

One afternoon, Tess and Angel were working near each other. Tess rested her head on the cow while she worked. She looked at the fields. The sun shone on her face and made her look very beautiful. She did not know Angel had followed her. She did not know that he was watching her. He loved Tess' face. He believed that she had the most beautiful mouth he had ever seen.

He could stand it no longer. He jumped up and walked quickly towards Tess. He took her in his arms and Tess relaxed. She was surprised, but very happy and excited. Just as he was about to kiss her tempting mouth, he stopped.

"I'm sorry Tess," he whispered. "I should have asked you first. But I really love you. I really do."

Tess began to cry. She tried to get away.

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know," said Tess.

"Well, now you know how I really feel. My heart was stronger than my brain and I had to tell you. I love you truly, but I will not force you to do anything. I can see that you are very surprised."

Tess and Angel continued to milk the cows. Nobody had seen them. When Mr Crick came to see if they were working hard, he had no idea that anything had happened. But something serious had happened that would change their lives. Love can change people's lives. Love should be respected as a powerful thing.

(end of section)