Authors: Dulcinea Norton-Smith
Roger
’
s final words were underlined by
another kick to the door by Hargreaves and a minute later the door creaked open
to reveal the small, bent figure of a frail old woman.
“
I haven
’
t had the pleasure. Am I to suppose that you are the one
they call Demdike madam?
”
“
Aye that
’
s the old harridan
”
said Hargreaves before spitting on
the ground.
“
It
’
s ok Hargreaves. I
’
ll take it from here. I need to hear
it from the woman
’
s own lips. Are you Elizabeth Southerns, the one they call
Demdike?
”
“
Aye, that I am Sir if it gives you pleasure.
”
said the woman in a rasping voice.
“
A straight answer woman. No double talking. Are you her?
”
“
Aye
”
“
I come to talk to you about the death of the baby Grace
Baldwin. Am I to come in or do you come out?
”
“
You can come in Mr Nowell. I got nothing to hide. I
’
m just a poor widow woman trying
’
to care for her kin.
”
Demdike
stood aside to let the two men into the house. Roger stooped to go through the
low doorway and as he straightened up he saw a damp, gloomy room. The heat of
the low burning fire had made the dirt floor muddy as the frost had formed and
melted many times over. Clumps of dank, dirty looking hay sat in corners and the
whole room had an unpleasant foisty smell of mildew, a meaty sour smell of
faeces and the acrid tang of urine. Roger held a piece of cloth to his nose.
The scrap of white cloth was one of his few nods to the City fashions he
witnessed when he visited the nearby market town of Preston and the larger
place of Lancaster. A thing called a handkerchief which was carried mainly by
women but also by some men. Though Roger preferred a stout piece of cloth as a
more useful thing to carry these small scraps came in handy in situations such
as this and there were many poor folk in the forest of Pendle that lived in
conditions almost as bad. By the fire sat a middle aged woman.
“
Come here madam. Join us. I assume you to be one Elizabeth
Device. Be that so?
”
“
Aye
”
answered a high pitched, grating voice.
“
Get up and look at your betters when they talk to you
”
said Hargreaves, giving the stool on
which Elizabeth Device sat a kick which sent it from underneath her and her
sprawling on all fours.
“
Stand up
”
he said again as he grabbed her roughly by the collar and
pulled her to her feet. Elizabeth whimpered pathetically and Roger looked at
her eyes rolling frantically in their sockets as she faced him.
“
Thank you Hargreaves, that will be enough.
”
Hargreaves
nodded and took a step backwards, the leather strap slapping against his thigh,
creating a slow rhythm which seemed to set both Demdike and Elizabeth on edge.
“
Now, Constable Hargreaves and I are here to question you
about little Emma Baldwin. This can be as easy or as difficult as you want it
to be. If you cheek me then I will let Constable Hargreaves have at it at your
backs with his strap. Is that clear?
”
The
women nodded. Roger could now see Alizon out of the corner of his eye, still
looking at him with confusion and fear and the younger girl still clutching her
arm as Alizon stroked her hair and absently made shushing sounds to soothe her.
He hoped that those two souls were both yet unclaimed by the Devil who all and
sundry claimed to own the souls of the two older wretches stood before him. Yes
perhaps the girls could still be saved if the older two were dealt with.
“
Elizabeth Device. Do you know of the man named Richard
Baldwin?
”
“
Aye
”
squeaked the middle aged woman, her eyes still rolling
madly and her dry tongue slipping out from between her lips to lick the flaky,
chapped skin as if in an attempt to soften it. The two actions together made
her look like a deranged snake.
“
When did you see him last?
”
“
P
’
raps a week back, hollering and banging at our door. Angry
like. Maddened he was. Scared the poor kiddies he did. Not fair. Big man like
that scaring my kiddies.
”
As
she spoke in her rapid high pitched manner, Elizabeth simpered as she gave a
glance to Alizon and the girl. Roger was in no doubt that this was not a
genuine show of affection. The woman looked spiteful and incapable of love. He
noticed that the children had naturally kept their distance, as if used to
blending into the background and staying out of reach.
“
Why would he be shouting at you Widow Device? What did you
do to him to make him so angry?
”
“
I ha'nt done nothing. He can
’
t blame me for nothing he can
’
t.
”
“
She
’
s lying
’
Mr Nowell Sir. Look at them shifty eyes. Want me to show
her the strap?
”
“
No it
’
s ok Hargreaves. I
’
m not done yet.
”
Roger
’
s voice remained calm and pleasant
but all that knew him would have noticed the slight threat in the undertone. He
did not suffer fools gladly and was known through the County, even to poor
unfortunates such as the Device
’
s, as an iron fist in a velvet glove.
“
Mrs Device. Is it true that in October just one year back
in the month of October you worked in Mr Baldwin
’
s mill?
”
“
Aye
”
“
And that you left on bad terms; with an argument.
”
“
It weren
’
t my fault. It was him who done it. He
’
s no good man. All his
‘
igh and mightiness an
’
he won
’
t even pay for an honest day
’
s work.
”
“
So you felt he owed you wages
”
“
Aye he did an
’
he never paid me and still
‘
ant paid ter this day.
”
At
this Elizabeth spat on the floor, the big lump of phlegm filled spit landing
just short of Hargreaves
’
boot.
“
Mind your manners you bloody bitch
”
said Hargreaves with a disgusted
look on his face. Roger did not chastise him when he gave the woman a slap on
the back of the head with his strap, which sent her, for the second time in
their visit, onto the floor in a whimpering pile.
“
Alright Device. We will talk to your mother now.
”
Hargreaves
gestured to the older woman with his strap. Unlike her daughter, Demdike did
not look nervous and gave the Constable a malicious, squinted smile. Elizabeth
crawled back to her stool and sat down again, rocking back and forth as the
questioning of her mother began.
“
Now you answer Mr Nowell
’
s questions and don
’
t be messing him around or there
’
ll be plenty o
’
strap left for you
”
“
Surely you wouldn
’
t beat an old lady like me Sir. An
old widow just caring for her widowed daughter and them poor fatherless young
‘
uns
”
“
They don
’
t look too well cared for to me Mrs Southerns. Perhaps you
should be spending more money on food and clothes and less on buttered ale
”
said Roger as he gestured with his
head towards the two tankards on the floor. They were both half full despite it
being a little before noon and the only food in sight was a small piece of
cheese, spotted with green and white fur and half nibbled, though by a small
child or a mouse it was impossible to tell.
“
They get what they deserve. Nothing more nothing less. Life
’
s tough in this forest Mr Nowell. For
those that don
’
t have money an
’
big houses. They get what we can
give and they should be grateful for the roof o
’
er their licey little heads.
”
Roger
raised his eyebrow at Demdike. It hadn
’
t taken long for that caring facade
to slip and show her true colours; malice and spite. The forest of Pendle would
be well rid of her and her like.
“
Demdike, did you visit the land of Richard Baldwin with
your granddaughter Alizon Device to ask for your daughter
’
s wages which you believed to be
unpaid?
”
“
Aye
”
“
What happened when you visited Richard Baldwin
’
s farm.
”
“
He chased us off, waving his stick at us and threatening to
beat us half to death. Me a poor old woman and my poor little gran
’
daughter. Big man ought ta be
ashamed. He said we weren
’
t to go on his land again.
”
“
So you cursed him.
”
“
No. Weren
’
t me. I don
’
t put curses on people. Just help em is all. P
’
raps it were that
Old Chattox cow. She
’
s surely a witch that one. Murderer
too. You want to talk to her if there are ill winds in the air.
”
“
Madam Mrs Chattox has not been accused of this crime. You
have. Did you or did you not put a curse on Richard Baldwin and his kin which
led to little Emma
’
s death.
”
“
Weren
’
t me Sir. There isn't no-one who can say it were me. That
poor, poor girl and that Baldwin man suffering an all. Terrible that is Sir,
just terrible.
”
Demdike
’
s mouth turned up in a barely disguised sneer.
“
Take her outside Hargreaves, and her snivelling wretch of a
daughter too. Have at
‘
em with the strap. Twenty lashes each may loosen their
tongues.
”