13.1 Vivienne

Upon their return to the farmhouse, Vivienne took the porch stairs two at a time, and impatiently waited for Marcus to fish out the keys and unlock the back door. She then rushed into the kitchen and began unloading their haul. Soon the room was filled with the fresh scent of flowers and the faint aroma of the blackberries they had just picked.

Once the massive collection had been deposited onto the centre table, Vivienne began to move about the room with purpose, searching through the cupboards for the necessary utensils and ingredients she would need to make blackberry jam. Marcus watched her with interest, hazel eyes filled with curiosity as he leaned against the doorframe and motionlessly tracked her progress from his position.

Finally, Vivienne pulled out a large, heavy-bottomed pot and several glass jars with their lids still screwed on and the labels long peeled off. Some looked like old jam jars, but others must have been used for other things like peanut but