The Straw Halter (3 page)

Biting her lip she turned away and returned to her chair. She seemed to hear Mrs Wallasey’s voice in her head:
Betsy, have patience and many of the things you want will happen. It must be done gradually, you simply cannot change such ingrained traditions and customs overnight. But your time will come child, and you must be prepared for it.

To this end Mrs Wallasey had taught her to read and write, lent her books, and talked about so many subjects. They discussed politics and the King while Betsy made herself a new apron from material bought in the market. They talked about the latest fashions while she sewed ribbons on to Mrs Wallasey’s new but rather plain hat, and sometimes they mulled over the sermon the minister had preached in church. Mrs Wallasey had been in her usual pew, and Betsy at the back with the other servants, but it didn’t stop them talking together about what had been said.

‘Well, it was meant for all of us, Betsy, “you in your place and me in mine,”’ was her lady’s comment once when she was shy about this. And Betsy didn’t mind the business of high and low places. It seemed fair. Mrs Wallasey and her family had money and land and could afford to hire people to do the things poorer folk had to do for themselves. This was right and proper. If she, Betsy, one day had money and land, she too would do this she felt sure. No, there was nothing wrong about having a place in life, but it should be a movable place.

It had been a wonderful four years and she had loved her employer dearly. She had still slept in the attic room with Jane and Annie, but they were wary of her and no longer played tricks or tried to get her into trouble. In any case she saw little of them except late at night and early in the morning and her mind was too full of the wonders of learning to give either of
them much attention. Once Jane said, ‘What do you do up there all day?’

‘I sew, mend, run errands.…’ She did not tell them that when Mrs Wallasey went for her meal she always left her a book to read, or an essay to write. ‘You have a good brain, Betsy, don’t let it rust,’ she had told her.

‘I was eager for it, puss,’ she said to the cat, who had finished cleaning himself and was lying in front of the fire. ‘I saw the other side of life when my lady was alive. She took me with her to so many grand places and she taught me so much. You have no idea.’

The cat looked up then, its green eyes glittering like the emeralds her special lady often wore. Betsy settled herself once more in the armchair and picked up the book, but within ten minutes she was asleep and the book had slipped down the side of the chair. She didn’t even wake when Daniel returned at almost midnight. He saw the flickering candlelight in the sitting-room and was startled to find his wife sound asleep in the chair.

A
gentle kiss on her forehead woke Betsy. She stirred in the chair, and then looked up, startled to see Daniel gazing at her.

‘Time for bed I think,’ he said, holding his hand out to help her up.

‘Is it all right – whatever the trouble was?’ she asked.

‘Yes. Two cows in difficulty calving. Martin saw to one and I took the other, but it was a long haul. Bad luck to get two of ’em in trouble at the same time.’

‘You – you didn’t lose any?’ she said.

‘No. Now he has three healthy calves. Twins, that’s unusual, and where most of the trouble was, and a single.’

Betsy stood up, ‘I’m so glad. You must be tired. I’ll fetch you a drink and something to eat.’

‘Just a drink, Betsy. There’s some cider in the pantry.’

As she moved away he said quietly, ‘And Betsy I’ll make no demands on you tonight. I’ve had a long day and I’m tired. We’ll simply lie together.’

He was asleep long before she was, and as she lay listening to his regular breathing she returned in her mind to those earlier years she had been thinking about during the evening, and to
her previous husband, George Hatton, whom she married when she was fifteen. If Mrs Wallasey hadn’t died and her son and his wife taken over the house who could tell how different her life might have been. She had always been wary of John Wallasey when he visited his mother and took pains to ensure she was never alone with him. When he inherited the property and came to live there with his wife whom, he said, would need a maid, life became nasty. From dodging his wandering hands
whenever
he could catch her alone, to putting up with his arrogant and overpowering wife, Betsy went from one extreme of working conditions to the opposite. She had determined to go to the next mop fair and seek work in a kitchen again when matters were taken out of her hands.

The new ‘my lady’, it seemed, was not ignorant of the ways of her husband and within six months of taking over she had found Betsy a spouse. George Hatton was nearly thirty years old and had taken over one of his father’s farms. He needed a wife and Sarah Wallasey decided she needed an older and plainer maid.

‘I have spoken to your mother,’ she told Betsy, ‘and she is in complete agreement. We will give you a small dowry and you will wed George Hatton next month.’

Betsy had wondered at the time why they should give her a dowry but there was no time to ponder the question. It was three months before the mop fair would come, and short of running away and trying to fend for herself she had no choice. Her mother would not take her back; she had been only too glad to push her into service, and how long would she last with neither food nor money? It would be foolish to try.

Much later when she thought about the situation calmly she came to believe that the older Mrs Wallasey had made some sort
of provision for her and it was this that her son and his wife gave her in the form of a dowry. She was sure that that had not been the intention of the lady she regarded as her special guardian angel but there was nothing she could do about it.

George Hatton had one overwhelming ambition. To have a son. ‘Or two or three,’ he told her. To that end they retired in the early evening and if sheer persistence could have worked, he would have been a happy man. Betsy came to dread the nights, and was thankful they were both so busy on the farm and in the house during the day. His desire dominated his life and she never conceived. Would the man sleeping deeply by her side now be the same? As he moved she felt his arm brush against her and she held her breath, but he did not wake. She closed her own eyes and thanked the Lord for one night of respite.

When Betsy woke the next morning she was alone in the bed, but she could hear sounds from the kitchen. She poured some water from the jug into the large china bowl on the washstand, washed, dressed and went downstairs. Daniel was sitting at the scrubbed wooden table eating egg and bacon and a hunk of bread. ‘Sleep all right,’ he said.

She almost nodded, then remembered the effect this had on him, and said, ‘yes thank you, Daniel.’

The cat came and rubbed against her legs. ‘You are a beauty,’ she said, bending to stroke its sleek glossy back.

‘Dumbo seems to have taken to you, he is not always so friendly.’

‘Dumbo?’ she queried.

‘Because he’s dumb. Can’t make a sound although he does open his mouth and try sometimes. He lets you know what he wants just the same.’ Daniel glanced down at the animal. ‘Makes a heck of a racket with his paws when he wants to be let in.’

‘Yes, he does, he really startled me last evening while you were out. I thought someone was trying to burgle the place.’

Daniel scraped back his chair. ‘I’m off. I’ll be in about noon with Jim who helps out on the farm. We’ll have some bread and cheese and you can cook a meal for you and me this evening. There’s a larder full of ingredients.’

‘Yes.’

He turned at the door. ‘You’re so beautiful, Betsy, whatever was he thinking about to sell you?’ Then he was gone.

They came together that night. Daniel was gentle at first, nothing like he had been in the cart on the way back from market. As he caressed her and she responded, their
lovemaking
became more passionate until, exhausted they went to sleep in each other’s arms.

Her days fell into a pattern of working, often in the dairy with Hannah, the pretty little fourteen-year-old, cooking and shopping in the market in nearby Lampney. She went in once a week with Daniel when he took his milk and butter to be sold.

Most evenings were spent reading and talking with Daniel after their meal. She learned that he had been to school when he was a boy and worked on his mother’s farm before he began in the mornings and when he came home again. She thought he seemed a natural scholar and, had he been born into a wealthier station in life would surely have gone to university. They had some lively discussions and went up to their bedroom happy and stimulated.

Most nights they made love at least once and for the first time since she lost her virginity Betsy knew the ecstasy that was possible with a man.

It amazed her in those first weeks how deeply contented she was with this man, who had, after all, bought her in the
marketplace
.
The work did not bother her at all. She had been used to it since she was old enough to toddle but her awakening
feelings
for Daniel did surprise her. She was discovering so many things about her new husband. She learned quickly that his temper was powerful but slow to ignite and to her surprise she found she wanted so much to please him.

The halter was there still, evidence of something she felt to be degrading, yet she had not asked him to move it.

One morning when he was out on the farm and she was sweeping the kitchen she paused beneath the straw halter. She reached up and unhooked it from the nail. If I burnt it would he notice it wasn’t here? she thought, and knew immediately that he would. The idea was swiftly followed by her strong feelings that he too had to recognize the place women should have in the world. She knew the humiliation of being ‘bought’ and he had to acknowledge and do something about the situation.

She had thought this when she was with George Hatton too. He had not bought her as Daniel had, but he treated her as a servant nevertheless. On the occasions, near the beginning of their marriage, when she had defied him and tried to make him understand her feelings he had hit her.

‘You are my wife and you will do as I say,’ had been flung at her many times. He was mean with his money too, and there was never any chance that she could leave and find
employment
anywhere else.

During that first month with Daniel she had learnt to trust him as a human being. He was blunt and lacking in some of the finesse she had absorbed when she was with Mrs Wallasey, but she could not blame him for this. She realized how fortunate she was to have had those years and Daniel at least treated her mind as equal to his. Carefully she replaced the straw halter.

‘One day,’ she said to Dumbo, who was following her around, ‘one day he will understand how shameful that is.’

Betsy and Daniel had been together for six weeks when Daniel’s brother arrived. It was midday and, along with Jim the cowman, they were sitting round the kitchen table eating. Sometimes when they were very busy they took their food into the fields with them, but most days they came to the farmhouse kitchen. Jim was tall, skinny and very quiet, except when he was with the cows; he talked to them all the while. ‘Has a way with cows, has Jim,’ Daniel said to Betsy one evening. ‘Understands ’em more than he does humans. That’s one reason why they give us so much milk – they’ll give to Jim they will.’ Betsy had become used to the silent young man sitting down to eat with them. Although he didn’t appear to, he actually ate his meal quickly and was always finished first. Pushing his chair back, he’d say, ‘I’ll get back then,’ and glide silently through the door. On this particular day they had only just begun their repast when there was a banging on the door and a fair-haired man dressed in breeches and check shirt came in.

‘Joseph, what brings you here?’ Then, turning to Betsy he said, ‘This is my brother Joseph.’

Joseph’s eyes blatantly admired her and he moved along the backs of the chairs until he was immediately behind her. ‘Heard my brother had wed but didn’t know he’d found such a beauty. You must come over to Sandilands Farm and meet the rest of the family. Ma’ll be surprised.’

Daniel stood up and pushed his chair back from the table. ‘Will you eat with us, Joseph, then state your business here. We’ve a deal of work to do.’

‘That’s OK, Dan. You and Jim get back to work, I’ll entertain
your wife and yes, something to eat and drink would be great. I rode over and it’s thirsty work.’ Daniel walked to the dresser and returned with a plate and an earthenware mug. He cut a hunk of bread, a thick wedge of cheese and poured cider into the mug. ‘Sit yourself here,’ he said sharply, indicating his place, ‘I’ll take the stool over by Betsy.’ He came round with a kitchen stool and placed it next to her, moving his plate of food across.

Throughout the meal she was very conscious of Joseph watching her from across the table. He was as unlike Daniel as if they were not related. Daniel hadn’t mentioned family to her until she said to him one evening, ‘How many brothers and sisters have you, Daniel?’

‘Only the one, and t’isn’t often we see each other.’ Then he had changed the subject. Now, though, he raised his voice, ‘So what brings you over here, Joseph? Is Ma well?’

‘Same as usual. Best bring Betsy over to see her.’ Jim finished his meal, and with a nod to Daniel, slid through the door.

‘
He
doesn’t say much,’ Joseph observed. ‘So, when you coming over?’

‘Very anxious to see me suddenly, aren’t you? You’ve never bothered before.’

‘Ma likes to know what you’re up to.’

‘When it suits her,’ Daniel said. Then, turning to his wife, ‘Come on, Betsy, we’ve work to do outside. Leave this for now.’ He turned to his brother as he left and urging Betsy in front of him, said, ‘Tell Ma we’ll be over one day.’ Outside he took hold of Betsy’s hand saying, ‘Don’t look so surprised. Didn’t think I would leave you in there with him, did you?’

‘I can take care of myself you know, Daniel.’

There was half a smile on his lips and in his eyes as he said, ‘Maybe you can, yes, I daresay you can do so very well, but I’m
taking no chances. I know my brother and he’s not laying his dirty paws on you, Betsy.’

Joseph came out to them. ‘Always the unsociable creature – you don’t change much, Dan.’ Turning to Betsy he said, ‘When you need a bit of fun get him to bring you over to see us. It’s not much for a beauty like you stuck in this dismal place.’

Before she had time to reply Daniel said, ‘You help Jim with the cows, Betsy, while I find out what my brother wants from us. I won’t be long.’ Then, taking Joseph’s arm, but not in a friendly way, more like a man of law taking a prisoner, he ushered his brother back towards the house.

True to his word, Daniel wasn’t long, no more than fifteen minutes, and he looked to be in a black mood. She said nothing in front of Jim, but later in the house when they were eating the supper she had prepared she said, ‘So, did you find out what your brother wanted, Daniel?’

‘I did. He wanted to see you, the news that I had taken a wife had reached them. He also wanted to borrow money. Joseph is always broke. Ma usually bails him out but I gather this time she said no.’

‘He lives with your Ma?’

‘Yes. Manages the farm, but he’s a poor farmer. I
will
take you over one day when it suits m – us.’ Betsy’s spirits rose. He almost said,
when it suits me,
then changed it to
to when it suits
us
and she felt a glow of achievement. In the weeks of their marriage she had seen Daniel change from giving her orders to discussing things with her. He listened to her views, and they talked everything over together. He had a surprising turn of humour which delighted her. She thought it would be
interesting
to meet his mother and see what her farm was like.

‘Joseph hasn’t a wife then?’ she said.

‘No.’

Joseph had looked about thirty to her, but realizing that her husband was not in a mood to expand on this subject, she swiftly changed it. Later, in bed he said, ‘Betsy, did you think Joseph was handsome?’

The question took her by surprise. ‘Not really,’ she said. His arm came round her, ‘Oh Betsy, you’re so beautiful, beautiful inside as well as outside, I love you very much. Our marriage is good for you too, isn’t it?’

‘You know it is. I am happy, Daniel and – and I love you too.’ Their lips met in a passionate kiss, and as she guided him into her, she gave herself with an abandonment she had not even suspected she was capable of before knowing him.

Nothing further was said about visiting Daniel’s mother and in any case they were busy on the farm. She mentioned his brother one evening when they were having their meal. ‘Did you and your brother grow up on Sandilands Farm, Daniel?’ Smiling, she added, ‘I’m trying to picture you as a boy.’