over the back wall

And to her secret place she went, book in her arms, skirts hiked up to her knees, feet bare. If only her mother could see her now! The fuss she would make! She made a hasty nod to the gardener boy, dismissing his deep blush at the sight of her well-formed ankles. She was almost there. Putting a pear from the espalier into her pinafore pocket and tossing the precious book over the back wall, she put her palms on the low structure and hopped easily over. Oh, the wonderful feeling of the sunwarmed stone!

She settled down in the wild flowering vines with her feet straight out in front of her and her skirts carelessly piled over her legs. Opening her book, she bit into the juicy pear and smiled in delight. Free at last! No one yelling for her to finish her needlework, only the soft buzzing of bees. No one scolding her for her improper manner of sitting or for the state of her tangled locks. And especially important, no one would take that forbidden book from her now. She would see for herself exactly how small the manor lands were in comparison to the world! She knew there must be more to the world than the garden and the manor, and what she could see from here could only be the beginning!

UF5
Gimp for watermark
Fabulous Texture from =DothackersDaichi [link]

Image copyright © 2010, Natalie Kelsey. Copying and displaying or redistribution of this image without permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.