This day was far more cold than the first and a biting wind did nothing to ease their discomfort.  Even Gwendoline, who had made a point of  exposing her nakedness daily and for long periods to the outdoor cold  all  through the winter, and had been mostly naked since discarding her mourning garb,   was beginning to think that they should take a break after a couple of hours  and she decided to accede to Harriet's request for a bit of respite just as soon as that request was made.

"Come on Harry" she thought half an hour after making this decision.  "Ask me to let us have a break, PLEASE Harry!"

Harriet herself was hoping Gwendoline would realise the impossibility of staying out all day without some time indoors to warm up.  "Just ten minutes would be enough," she thought.  "PLEASE Gwen, have some pity on me - it's alright for you, but I'm only flesh and blood"

Neither of these two proud young women would lose face in front of the other and they were stilll working away, feeling more dead than alive and  in horrible pain,  when Jenkins came out with their lunchtime picnic meal.  He looked in horror at their bodies, blue with cold and the pain which they were suffering etched on their drawn faces.

"If you don't mind my saying so, your Ladyship - you two really should get indoors, at least for a while.  You both look terrible and I don't doubt it's just because just neither of you wants to be the first  to give up.  You're both vey brave, but very stubborn if you don't eat this indoors.  Sorry to speak out of turn, but I've known you since you were a babe in arms - and I'm very fond of you."

"Put the things down, Jenkins and come back for them later.  I take note of your advice.  It was well meant I don't doubt and your fond feelings are most deeply and warmly reciprocated you dear old fellow."  She kissed him on the lips and said,  "Now bugger off."

 Jenkins went away,  pleased to have been told that Gwen was fond of him, but appalled at his mistress's headstrong pig-headed folly.  Her lips had been deathly cold against his, but it had been an unexpected pleasure  and unprecedented  to be kissed like that by the golden haired girl he had always doted on!  He felt he was walking on air as he returned to the kitchen and prayed she would come to no harm out there.  At least there's a nice warming drink in that basket for them, he thought.

They sat down to eat the meal, but soon got up and got back to work.  It was the only way to survive. The extra strong mulled wine, laced with rum,  did its work on them and they struggled through somehow until four o'clock, when Gwendoline threw her pick-axe aside and said she  had a little paperwork  to do and was going inside and Harriet was free to follow suit if she wished.

Harry watched her walking back towards the house and prepared to resume working, but Gwen suddenly turned round, came back and started digging furiously again.  When five came she sent Harry inside and carried on working herself for some minutes - she had showed weakness and so sentenced herself to  extra misery as a self imposed penalty.

Once both girls were indoors, the brandy was produced again and they drank it in the same sexy way  as before.  They inspected each others' pinched and frozen bodies.

"I have a confession, Harry.  I was ready to suggest coming inside every couple of hours to warm up for a bit.  It was atrocious out there today. But I just couldn't lose face in front of you!"

"I've exactly the same confession to make to you." Harriet laughed hysterically.  When she had recovered she continued  "Why couldn't we have listened to Jenkins.  He must think we're both certifiable - I saw it in his face yesterday."

"No, Harry.  We made  it, didn't we?  That means that we can do it again, if need be.  We stayed out all day today and we'll do the same tomorrow.  Just think about it Harry! We can do it!  We did it!  We're two very  hard, tough ladies" Now, doesn't that make you feel so very very proud?"

Harry agreed and after dinner, she suggested they have another early night and told Gwen there would be no dropping asleep before they had warmed each other up with a bit of violently active sexual athleticism.

As she rolled over and off Gwen's hard body,   Harriet wondered exactly what her friend had been doing to make herself so incredibly fit.

"Oh, I have a private gym in the house.  I have been working out under a personal trainer for weeks and weeks.  The only disappointment is that I don't look muscular like you were starting to in the autumn and soon will be again.  My stomach is hard as a rock now but just seems to be more concave.  I think I've actually lost weight.  I'm still stronger than you are, though - you could see that, could you not?"

Harry certainly could see that.  Gwendoline had been shifting twice as much stony soil as she.  She didn't want her friend to look too muscular, though  - it wouldn't look right for one of her graceful build.  Now she, Harry,  was different!  Her large bones simply begged to be covered by lots and lots of rippling muscles!  And by God,  they were going to be!

The next day was Saturday and Gwendoline said they would work until noon and have thirty six hours respite.  She further warned Harriet that they would be going to church the next day and would obviously need to be dressed for that and for Sunday dinner to which several guests had been invited.  She did add that she, Gwendoline, would discard her shoes straight after church and Harry was very welcome to do the same.

"Is there a law that says you have to wear shoes to church, Gwen?"

"I hadn't thought about it, Harry"

She went out and returned in a few minutes.

"I just phoned the Rector.  He says he doesn't have any objection to Lady Bountiful occupying the family pew without shoes.  He's an old dear!  And I'm the patron of his living anyway.  Thanks for raising the matter, darling - come here and be kissed! and let's get out there or the morning will be over - we're a real pair of lazybones today."

In truth Gwen had still not got over the last terrible day and it took great will power for her to take Harriet's hand and walk demurely with her out into the gardens.  They had been working two complete days, one of them together,  and the signs of their labours were pitiful to behold.  Every blow to the ground had yielded a derisory result in terms of soil excavated.

"I hope it thaws out soon, Harry.  We could be here twenty years in this icy hard cold and still have hardly scratched the surface!"

Then she saw the wheel marks on the lawn where they had been tranporting  stuff over to the projected rockery.  She gasped with horror.

"Oh, Harry! Just look at those horrible, unsightly tracks on our lovely lawns.  My gardener will murder me!"

Jameson, the gardener was the only servant Gwen had always dreaded.  Her father had early on given him permission to smack her if he caught her stealing fruit and he had never failed to take full advantage of this sanction.   Her bottom had not felt the heavy impact of his hand for many years, but she still feared him, even now that she was his employer.

She scurried away and came back carrying  two large rectangular metal boxes,each with a handle at each end and each capable of holding as much as one of the barrows.

"We'll just have to carry the stuff over in these"she announced.  "Feet marks won't upset old Jameson as much as wheel tracks, Start transferring the stuff and take it over, I'll carry on digging."

 Harry obeyed and  gasped and strained to lift the first full box off the ground.  Gwen looked up from her labours and scowled furiously at her.

"Stop fucking about, Harry and get that fucking stuff moved!   GO ON!!!.  You fucking feeble useless arsehole.  You frail wimp.  Call youself a labourer? - you're pathetic - you fucking cripple."

Stung by these insults, just as Gwen intended,  Harry managed to lift the heavy box and carried it over to join the distant  heap of spoil.  Her muscles stood out like steel bands and the veins in her forearms and upper arms looked fit to burst out of her skin.  A steady stream of jibes and insults caused her to hurry up and she never once paused to lower her burden to the ground.  She was sweating at the end,  for the first time in the last two days - and this was the coldest day yet.  She rejoined Gwendoline who smilingly congratulated her.  Gwen then picked up the other full box as if had weighed no more than when empty and carried it over and returned at a run.

"See Harry.  I'm a whole lot stronger than I look aren't I?.   I think I could probably take two of those boxes across at once,  one on top of the other.  What do you bet me?"

"I wouldn't waste my money, Gwendoline - your ladyship.  We both of us know quite well that you could do it!"