Billy and Alice always felt drawn back to the old bridge-the place where they had first met, though Billy never knew its deeper ties to his family's past. By 1922, life at Panpwmton Farm had steadied. Billy, his mother Hannah, and Uncle Alfred worked hard together, the land now thriving after difficult years. Helping them was Tommy Roberts, a cheerful, determined young man despite his crooked back, club foot, and stammer. His good spirit and tireless work made him invaluable, and the family agreed to pay him a proper farmhand's wage. Grateful, Tommy sought independence, making a small home for himself in one of the barns. Faith was central to his life; every Sunday he walked to chapel and afterwards visited his mother, secretly slipping her a few shillings to keep from his father's drinking. What little money he had beyond this, he gave to the chapel-trusting the minister's words that it was God's will. But when Billy and Hannah discovered that Reverend Williams was exploiting Tommy's generosity, they intervened. Gently, they persuaded him to keep part of his wage for himself while they set aside the rest for his future needs. Though shaken, Tommy accepted their guidance, trusting that God would see his good intentions. The farm, the family, and the bridge stood at the threshold of a new era-a world of hope, though the past still lingered, unwilling to let go. The bridge listened to the wind and decided the future.
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