Fairfield Hall (17 page)

As she climbed into the trap once more and turned for home, another thought struck her and she pulled to a halt outside the smithy’s where Jabez and Josh worked. She climbed down and went
into the yard and to the doorway, but hesitated to interrupt the two men who were working at the glowing forge. She waited until another man came up and asked what she wanted.

‘Is it ya pony, missis?’ He jerked his head towards the animal standing patiently just outside the gate.

‘No, no, I just wanted to speak to Josh or Jabez, but I didn’t want to interrupt them.’

‘That was thoughtful of you, missis. You’d be surprised how many folk just walk in here and disturb them without realizing how dangerous this work is. Can I give them a
message?’

‘If you would, I’d be grateful. What time do they finish work tonight?’

‘About six.’

‘Then please tell them I’ll arrange for Mr Jackson to fetch them in the trap.’

The man’s eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded. ‘I’ll be sure to tell them. They’ll be glad to hear it. Young Josh don’t look too well today.’

Annabel made no comment but merely smiled and bade him good day. Then she climbed back into the trap, anxious now to get home.

When her pony trotted into the village, Annabel saw her grandfather’s farm cart standing outside the vicarage gate. Edward, Ben and the vicar were carrying goods into the
house. When they saw her, they stopped what they were doing and came to her. Further down the street, she could see the doctor’s pony and trap and guessed he had arrived already to continue
his examination of all the villagers as she had asked.

‘Grandfather,’ she greeted him and kissed his cheek.

‘Ben told us where you’d gone, but we were starting to worry. You’ve been a long time.’

Her eyes sparkling at the success of her morning’s work, she said, ‘Let’s go inside. Perhaps Mrs Webster can find us a cup of tea and I’ll tell you everything.’

‘Oh, miss, I’ve been that worried.’ Jane hurried towards her as they entered the kitchen. ‘When I found you gone, I – I thought – well, I didn’t know
what to think and Lady Dorothea said you’d likely gone home – back to your folks. But I – I didn’t think you’d have gone without me, miss.’

‘Of course I wouldn’t have, Jane.’ Annabel smiled as she sat down and drew off her gloves. ‘Besides, this is our home now. Whatever anyone else says, we’re here to
stay.’

Jane couldn’t stop herself grimacing, but she said softly, ‘Whatever you say, miss.’

‘Don’t worry.’ Annabel patted the girl’s hand. ‘Things will soon be better.’ And, as Phoebe Webster poured out tea for them all, she told them everything that
she’d done that morning. ‘You’ll have to call in at both Mr Parker’s and the bank, Gramps, to sign some papers, but they said there was no immediate hurry.’ When at
last she fell silent, they were all gaping at her – all except her grandfather, who was smiling with pride. ‘That’s my girl,’ he murmured.

It was the vicar who said what they were all thinking. ‘You shouldn’t have to spend your own money. Your dowry was supposed to –’ He stopped in embarrassment, wondering
if he had said too much. Gently, Annabel reassured him, but she was careful not to let Ben down in any way. ‘I know about my dowry and, yes, it should have solved everything, but it
didn’t. My sister-in-law wasted no time in telling me that the sum of money my father paid my husband – a large sum of money, I might add – was not nearly enough. It has only
secured Fairfield Hall and the land, and, I suspect, only for the time being, seeing as there is no income from the estate at the present time.’ Now she glanced at Ben. ‘She also told
me that you had been instructed to give notice to the tenant farmers and to all the villagers. I do hope you haven’t done anything about that yet.’

Ben glanced uncomfortably around the gathering before saying, stiltingly, ‘No, m’lady, I haven’t. I was hoping – like you’ve just said – that the money his
lordship had been promised on your marriage to him would . . .’ He spread his hands in a helpless gesture and didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone there knew exactly what he meant.
Instead, he went on flatly, ‘But if, as you say, it’s all been used to save the house and estate, then’ – he sighed heavily – ‘I suppose now I have no choice but
to carry out those orders. But who’ll want to take on the farms in their present state?’

‘You’ll do no such thing,’ Annabel said swiftly, but her smile took the sting out of her demand. ‘Everyone will be staying. Between us, we’ll get this village
– and the estate – back on its feet. Oh, and by the way, Ben, please would you take the pony and trap into town to be at the smithy’s in town by six o’clock. Jabez and Josh
need a ride home.’

A slow grin spread across Ben’s face. ‘Indeed I will, m’lady. And – thank you.’ His deep voice was suddenly husky with emotion and Annabel knew he was thanking her
for a good deal more than her thoughtfulness for the two working men.

Hands on her hips, Phoebe was looking at the goods stacked around her kitchen. ‘And you say there’s more coming from the town later today, m’lady? Whatever are we going to do
with it all?’

‘Ah, now I need to talk to Dr Maybury and ask him the best way to distribute everything. I don’t want anyone to make themselves ill with over-indulgence.’

‘Shall I go and find him, miss?’ Jane offered. ‘He’s down the street.’

Annabel nodded. ‘Yes, please. Then we can organize how it’s to be done. In the meantime,’ she added, as her maid hurried out, ‘I want to be sure that the woman and her
child in the cottage on the outskirts of the village will be included when the provisions are given out.’

There was an uncomfortable silence around the table and no one would meet her questioning gaze. Beside her, a puzzled frown furrowed her grandfather’s brow. After several minutes, it was
Lizzie who burst out, ‘Begging your pardon, ma’am’ – she glanced at her mistress – ‘but it has to be said. That woman is a whore.’

Now there were startled gasps and the vicar said sternly, ‘Lizzie, curb your tongue. I will not have such language in my house.’

Unfazed, Annabel said softly, ‘Then tell me about her, Lizzie, if you please.’ Even though she knew the story, she was anxious yet again not to let Ben down. He was sitting across
the table from her, his head bowed. But now, Lizzie too seemed uncertain. She glanced at her mistress, who shrugged and said flatly, ‘You’d better finish what you started, Lizzie, but
mind what you say.’

‘She had a bairn out of wedlock. The boy you see playing in the garden. It wasn’t so bad at first. She lived with her mam and they were dressmakers, but when times got hard and there
was no work coming in, Nancy had no means of supporting her child so she turned to –’ again Lizzie hesitated before whispering, ‘entertaining a couple of men from the town. They
come nearly every Friday night. Mrs Banks couldn’t stand the shame so she – she left.’

‘So – Nancy’s regarded as a fallen woman and her child is treated as an outcast? Is that it?’

‘He’s a bastard, m’lady, he—’

‘Lizzie!’ Richard Webster thundered.

‘Sorry, sir, but he is. And the rest of the village will have nowt to do wi’ her – or him.’

‘You mean she is shunned by everyone? And the little boy has no playmates?’

Lizzie shook her head.

‘She’s a lost sheep,’ Richard murmured sadly.

Annabel turned to look at him, her jaw set determinedly. ‘Then, Mr Webster, it’s high time she and her child were brought back into the fold.’

He shook his head. ‘Not whilst she still – um – entertains.’

‘That will be stopped. She’ll have no need to earn her living outside the village.’

He gazed at her for a moment before saying. ‘No one in the village or on the estate will employ her. They could forgive her bearing an illegitimate child, but not what she’s doing
now.’

‘Maybe not, Vicar, but I can and I will find gainful employment for her in due course. In the meantime’ – Annabel pushed back her chair and stood up – ‘she and her
child are to be fed along with the rest of the villagers. Now, that sounds like Jane returning with the doctor. Come along, we have work to do.’

For the rest of the day, until dusk fell, they worked as a team. When the supplies arrived from the town, they doled out the food to each household, under advice from Stephen
Maybury with regard to how many adults and children lived in each dwelling.

‘Give them what we’ve given them today for the next three or four days and then they should be all right to eat more or less what they want, though,’ he laughed, ‘there
may still be one or two cases of indigestion, but it’ll no longer be harmful. I think most people have taken notice of what I’ve told them, particularly where their children are
concerned. Country folk understand nature – even human nature – better than most. I’m confident now that they’ll all be sensible. It was just for the first few days when
they were so desperately hungry that I was fearful they would over-indulge.’

As the doctor was about to leave, Annabel held out her hand. ‘I don’t know how to thank you, Doctor, for everything you’ve done. You will send your bill to me, won’t
you?’ But he waved her plea aside.

‘I’ve been glad to help. And don’t hesitate to call on me any time. I mean it.’ He took her hand in his warm grasp and looked down into her beautiful eyes, losing himself
for a brief moment in their depths. ‘You are a most remarkable woman, Lady Fairfield. It is a privilege to know you.’

Without waiting for her to reply, he turned and climbed up into his pony and trap and as he drew away, Annabel found she was blushing.

By the time Ben returned with Jabez and Josh, it was almost dark, but there was just one more thing Annabel wanted to find out before she went home. She was waiting for them
outside the vicarage when the trap rattled into the village street. Seeing her, Ben pulled the pony to a halt and his two passengers stepped down.

‘Thank ’ee, m’lady. That were kind of you,’ Jabez said.

‘Provisions have been left at your home, Mr Fletcher. I understand Josh lodges with you?’

‘He does, m’lady. He came to live with me and the missis as my apprentice lad at the forge. My wife died some while back and he stayed on.’ He put his hand on the younger
man’s shoulder. ‘He’s like a son to me. He’s no family of his own, except for Nelly Parrish and her old mother, but, of course, she’s not here now.’ He lapsed
into a sad silence.

‘What forge would that be, then?’

Jabez sighed heavily. ‘My old forge, m’lady. Here in the village, but when things got so hard, I had to close it down. We was lucky to get work in the town, me and the lad here. We
was the only ones who could. We’ve shared what we’ve earned, but it’s not nearly enough.’ He drew the back of his hand across his eyes that were suddenly suspiciously wet.
‘We’ve lost two of the old folk in the last month. They were just too frail to survive the hunger. Two or three families left to go to relatives, but most of us either haven’t got
anywhere to go or – or we’re too proud to ask.’

Annabel touched his arm, but for the moment she could promise nothing, so she kept her counsel and merely bade them ‘goodnight’, promising them that Ben would drive them into town
the following morning.

‘Let me help you into the trap, m’lady,’ Ben offered. ‘You’ve had a long day. You must be tired.’

She hadn’t felt it at all until this moment, but suddenly the weariness washed over her and she accepted his offer gratefully.

‘Take me round to the side door, Ben. I don’t want to bring Mr Searby to the front door. Poor man’s exhausted. They all are.’

‘I will, m’lady, but may I offer you a little piece of advice?’

‘Of course.’

‘They
expect
you to use the front entrance. The Countess of Fairfield does
not
enter her home via the servants’ entrance.’

Despite her tiredness, Annabel giggled. ‘Ben, you know and I know that I am no lady.’

‘I didn’t mean to imply for one moment—’

‘I know you didn’t, but the fact remains. I realize now that the earl has married me for my money – or rather my father’s money. Seeing how things are, in a way I
can’t blame him for that. The person I do blame is my father. He is fixated on having a grandson with a title and his obsession has led him to – to
sell
his own daughter. That I
find hard to forgive. But here I am, Ben, and now I have another purpose in my life beyond producing a male heir. I mean to rejuvenate this estate and if I am to do so, people will have to accept
me as I am – lady or no lady.’

Dutifully, Ben drove the pony and trap into the courtyard. As he drew to a halt he turned to her and said huskily, ‘M’lady, you are more of a true lady in your little finger than
many a one born to the position. I only wanted to save you their –’ he paused as if searching for the right word – ‘comments.’

She guessed he had been about to say ‘censure’ or even ‘ridicule’ but had settled for a kinder word. She put her hand on his arm. ‘I appreciate your concern for me,
Ben, truly I do. Now, you go home and have a good rest yourself and I’ll see you in the morning. And don’t forget to take Jabez and Josh to their work, will you?’

‘I won’t, m’lady,’ he promised as he helped her down from the trap.

The four members of the staff, John Searby, Nelly Parish, Annie and Luke, were sitting around the kitchen table when Annabel let herself in through the side door and went down to the basement.
Jane was there too. In front of them, spread out on the table, were the supplies of food, which Annabel had ordered to be delivered to the house. For a brief moment they stared at her as if they
had seen a ghost. A fire burned brightly in the grate of the range and the coal scuttle standing beside it was full. Then they pushed themselves to their feet, their chairs scraping on the
floor.

‘Oh m’lady,’ Nelly began, her voice wobbling with emotion. Annie burst into loud tears and even John and Luke looked suspiciously wet-eyed.

Moving towards them, Annabel put her arm round the maid. ‘There’s no need to cry.’

‘But – but what about all the folk in the village? We can’t eat all this if – if—’ Again, she dissolved into noisy sobs.