Journeyman

by Mark J Rose

  Robert Martin came to great them. “Good day, Thomas,” he said, reaching out to shake his hand. “Sorry I missed you at church today. There was some crisis at the dock.”

  “Business calls,” Thomas said.

  “It occurs too often these days,” Robert said. “I’ll increase my tithe this week to prevent the reverend from making me the subject of his next sermon.”

  Will reached his hand out. “Good afternoon, Mr. Martin.”

  “Good afternoon, Will,” Robert replied. “It has been overlong since we’ve seen you.”

  “Samuel keeps him busy,” his father chimed in. “We rarely see Will.”

  “Learn what you can,” Robert said. “There’s no better man with money than Samuel.”

  Thomas spoke up as he motioned to Matt. “Robert, please meet a family fellow,” he said. “Matthew Miller.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Miller,” Robert said as he reached his hand out.

  “It’s my pleasure,” Matt replied. Robert Martin’s handshake was firm and warm. He seemed altogether comfortable with himself and his place in the world; it was obvious where his eldest daughter had learned her poise.

  “We bought some of your horses,” Robert said, looking back at Thomas. “What fine animals! We are stealing them from you at that price.”

  “They are some of our best,” Thomas said. “All should feel that they stole their horses from us.”

  “This may be the case,” Robert said, “but I have instructed Graine to make up for this with fine dresses. It’s been difficult to convince my eldest that both parties should profit in any venture.”

  “They walk on air with new dresses,” Thomas said. “Are they still choosing?”

  “Grace is in the stables with my Graine and those two new horses,” Robert said. “The ladies mentioned something about learning to make them shine.” He shook his head. “Graine spends too little time on activities that endear her to other ladies.”

  “Sounds like Grace!” Will said. Matt saw Thomas give his son a disapproving look.

  “You jest, of course. Your sister is as feminine as anyone I’ve seen,” Robert said. “If I had a son, I’d be lobbying this very moment for an alliance.”

  “Thank you, Robert,” Thomas said. “Sometimes my son speaks from passion, and it would not do for his sister to hear.” He gave his son another dirty look.

  “Your secret is safe with me, lad,” Robert said to Will. “I should wish to speak more to your father. Graine instructed me to send you both to help with the horses when you arrived.”

  **********

  As Matt and Will rounded the corner to the stables, they saw the girls working with the two mares. Grace was showing Graine how to groom them with a fine-bristled brush to bring out their luster. “Learning to brush your horses?” Matt called as they approached.

  “I gave Mr. Miller the same lesson yesterday,” Grace replied, smiling, “but I charged him a shilling.”

  “Whatever for?” Graine said.

  “I’m teaching him to ride,” Grace explained.

  “Would you teach me?”

  “What?” Grace didn’t attempt to hide her surprise.

  “A horse,” Graine repeated. “Teach me to ride.”

  “Why would you want to learn to ride a horse?”

  “Must there be a reason?”

  “Well no, but—”

  “I know what I said. I told you, I take it all back.”

  “I can’t imagine what has changed your mind,” Grace said.

  “Mr. Miller convinced me it would not be so improper for a lady to ride,” Graine explained.

  Now everyone was looking at Matt. “This is news to me,” he said. “I’ll not take the blame when her father hears.”

  Graine stared at them mischievously and said, “I have a pair of breeches that should fit.”

  “It’s worse than I imagined,” Will said. “One afternoon with my sister, and now you’re wearing breeches?”

  “Let it be our secret,” Graine replied. “I don’t want the whole town knowing…yet.”

  “I’d be glad to teach you,” Grace said, “as long as your father agrees.”

  “’Twill be easier if he knows I have a good teacher,” Graine said. “He thinks much of your family.”

  “We’ll see after he learns of your desire to ride a horse,” Will said. “He’ll have us escorted off the grounds.”

  “He won’t,” she said. “He often asks why you never come to visit.”

  “Speaking of,” Will said. “May I have a private audience with Graine?”

  Matt smiled at him. “Certainly,” he replied. “Grace?” He put his elbow out jokingly. To his surprise, she stepped over and put her arm through his.

  When they were some distance away between the stable buildings, she stopped and said, “Graine’s manner is greatly surprising. What exactly did you speak of?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Matt replied. He wouldn’t have known where to start.

  “Do you admire her?”

  “Of course I admire her,” he replied. “She’s a wonderful woman.”

  “Romantically,” Grace said.

  “I’ll be going back to Philadelphia soon,” Matt replied. “Anyway, it’s obvious that she’s a perfect match for Will.”

  “Will has no admiration for Graine,” Grace said.

  “Yeah, she’s only smart, beautiful, rich, and friendly,” Matt replied. “He thinks she’s totally repulsive.”

  “Those qualities are all a man desires?”

  “They’re a good start,” Matt said. “Your brother has spoken highly of her, besides.” He motioned around to all the buildings. “After seeing all this, there aren’t many men who could support her…certainly not me.”

  “So you’ll never be wealthy, Mr. Miller?”

  “I’m a drunkard. You know that.”

  “I’m serious,” Grace replied.

  “I’m not sure why my being wealthy has anything to do with anything,” Matt said. “Are riches all a lady looks for in a man?”

  “No, but a lady does desire a man with the means to care for her family. I didn’t make the rules by which we live.”

  “I plan on being wealthy,” Matt said, “but I’m not now. There’ll be a lot of uncertainty in my life over the next few years. The last thing I need is to take care of a lady.”

  “So you’d have no interest should the perfect lady come along?”

  “Not at all.”

  She had a flirtatious smile on her face. “I don’t believe you.”

  Matt ignored her. “I was hoping we could leave with enough time for my riding lesson.”

  “There should be time,” she said. She let go of his elbow and headed toward the picnic, then turned back. “Are you coming, Mr. Miller?”

  He had been standing there watching her walk.

  30

  Men’s Breeches

  It was late afternoon by the time they returned from the Martins’. The farm was busy again now that men were arriving for the week. They were two horses short on the trip home, so Thomas had hooked one wagon behind the other. Thomas stopped in front of the house. Everyone climbed out, and then he continued to the side of the barn.

  Matt went to the hay barn to change, closed the door behind him, and slowly removed his new clothes. He took extra care to fold it all properly and then changed back into hiking clothes. A strange metamorphosis was occurring in his mind; he was beginning to think of eighteenth-century clothes as normal and his twenty-first-century clothes as strange. He looked at the hiking boots, which he had worn for the first time only weeks before his trip. Even they seemed foreign after wearing his new black shoes all morning. He hoped that the hiking boots would fit the stirrups when he had his riding lesson. Once dressed, he wandered to the stables early to spend time petting and talking to Thunder.

  Grace was already there and acted surprised to see him. She looked stunningly beautiful. “You’ve come already?” she said. “Don’
t dare laugh!”

  “Why would I laugh?”

  “Are you blind?”

  “I don’t know what you want me to see.”

  She looked down at her pants.

  “Oh, the breeches,” Matt said. He hadn’t actually noticed.

  “I wonder where you’re from, Mr. Miller,” Grace said. “There’s not a gentleman in Virginia that wouldn’t notice a lady in breeches.”

  “Where I come from, it’s normal.”

  “In Philadelphia?”

  “It doesn’t matter. All you should know is that it’s not surprising.” He stepped back to look at her. “They’re cute. You do look a little like a boy.” She didn’t look anything like a boy.

  She hit him lightly on the shoulder.

  “Will I get up on the horse today?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “I want you to lead him into the ring. I’ll ride Silver Star.”

  Matt took Thunder to the practice ring and then returned for the saddle. The dog wandered up and barked for Thunder’s attention. The horse shook his head and made a loud thpwaft in the air. Scout scooted under the fence and trotted alongside the horse, making them look like they were going to do circus tricks. The more Matt watched them, though, the more moved he was by the beauty and grace of both animals.

  Grace arrived proudly on her horse. Silver Star was a mottled silver stallion of medium size with rippling muscles. Silver didn’t quite describe him, since he was more than one color, with patterns of dark streaks that painted his body and made him look like he was constantly in motion. His mane was silver-black and longer than most of the other horses’, and meticulously trimmed. Grace looked like a druid priestess sitting atop her horse in front of the gate to the ring. Some of her hair had come loose from its bun and fell on her shoulders, framing her face. Matt couldn’t help but laugh in wonder. She was a woman from a teenage boy’s fantasy poster, a stunning beauty atop a gleaming horse. The Horse Princess.

  “What are you laughing at?” Grace said.

  “He doesn’t hold a candle to Thunder.”

  She frowned. “The dog has to go. He’ll distract the horses.” She looked at Scout and pointed to the fence. “Out!” The dog glanced at Matt for confirmation.

  “You gotta go, boy,” Matt said. Scout stooped and slinked to the fence. He stopped and turned to make one last plea. “Hey, if it was up to me,” Matt said. He put his hands out in a “what can I do” motion. “Lady says you gotta go, you gotta go.”

  “I don’t know what’s with you and that dog,” Grace said. “We usually never see him.”

  “It’s my charm,” Matt replied.

  “Not likely.” She didn’t let him answer before she continued. “You must learn to saddle him properly,” she said, hopping down from Silver Star. They spent the remainder of the afternoon with Thunder, learning the basics of mounting, guiding, and riding him around the ring. Sometimes Matt would follow Grace’s lead and other times she’d give instructions to him as she stood off to the side. Riding wasn’t as hard as Matt had predicted, but after two hours in the saddle, his butt was sore and he was glad to be done.

  They walked both horses to the pasture. Grace helped Matt remove Thunder’s saddle and then they let him through the gate, watching as he trotted away. “I’m taking Silver Star for a ride,” she announced. “I’ll return before supper.” She mounted her horse, twisted around, and galloped away towards the gate of the farm. Matt saw a few men glance up as she rode by, but they quickly went back to work. Matt grabbed the saddle, took it to the barn and eased it onto an empty wood frame.

  Thomas was across the barn, working with some leather straps attached to a metal bridle. Matt walked over. “You’ll need to buy a saddle for your horse,” Thomas said.

  “A saddle doesn’t come with every horse?” Matt asked, only partly joking. He hadn’t thought about the additional expense.

  “If you pay enough, we’ll include anything you desire,” Thomas said, smiling.

  “I was hoping it was buy one, get one free,” Matt explained. He wanted to intrigue the man enough to negotiate a reasonable price for both horse and saddle.

  “Interesting proposal,” Thomas said. “Most people would charge twice as much for the first item, I imagine.”

  “What’s a saddle cost?”

  “About three pounds for a new saddle in town,” Thomas said. “We’ll sell you one at cost once we see your money for Thunder.”

  “You wouldn’t sell him before I have the money.”

  “Someone could come any time,” he said. “I don’t believe you can afford the seventy pounds anyway.”

  “Seventy pounds?” Matt said, incredulous. He tried to get a read on the man to see if he was joking, but Thomas’s expression was blank.

  “Too much?” Thomas asked. “How much do you think he’s worth?”

  “I have no idea,”

  “You’ve already sold four horses,” Thomas said. “How much?”

  “I’d ask forty-five pounds,” Matt replied, “but would sell him to a guy like me for around thirty-five.”

  “Do you have thirty-five?”

  “You know how much I have,” Matt said. “You’re keeping my money in your strongbox.”

  “I’ll hold him for a five-pound deposit,” Thomas said. “I’ll expect another thirty pounds when your business is complete in Richmond.”

  “It’s a deal,” said Matt.

  “How goes the instruction?” Thomas asked.

  “I’ve learned a lot,” Matt said. “Grace loves to ride.”

  “Both Grace and her sister had horses in their blood—” Thomas said, and caught himself. “Have? Had? It makes me proud to see my children with the animals.”

  “What about Will?” Matt said, chuckling.

  “Will favors the enterprise. The animals are a means to an end,” Thomas said. “Grace would be happy to keep every animal.”

  “She rode her horse today,” Matt said.

  “We try not to discuss Silver Star around Will,” Thomas replied. “My son can’t resist mentioning buyers. What’re your plans after harvest?”

  “Once my ring sells,” Matt replied, “I’m off to Philadelphia to restart my life.”

  “Buying a horse is a worthy start, then,” Thomas said. “You should arrange for time during harvest to continue instruction. Arrange it with Uncle.”

  After leaving the barn, Matt walked over to the corral to inspect Joshua, who was eating happily. “Five more days to go, boy,” Matt said aloud. The infected skin was no longer red, and the sores were starting to lose their scabs and heal over. Matt looked at his handiwork one more time, glanced up at the sky and whispered thanks, then headed to the common. His plans were to sit with the workers and have an ale. He felt like he should be tired after everything he had experienced on his second Sunday in 1762, but he was nothing less than exhilarated. It had been a good day.

  31

  I Don’t Know

  Matt never wavered from his conviction that picking corn was misery. His first week of farming had been almost all about learning new skills. In this second week, he learned all there was to know about picking corn in a single morning, and after that, it turned into a monotonous bore. He had done his best to look at the stalks in wonder on that first day, using Thomas’s metaphor that they represented the affairs of men. By the second day, though, the stalks looked the same, like people walking by in a shopping mall. By the third and fourth days, the only metaphor he could accept was that he was in jail, and the cornstalks were fellow inmates.

  What Matt did look forward to every day was riding. He’d join Grace about two hours before dinner, and they would talk about horses as they brushed and saddled their animals, then spend the remainder of their time in the practice ring. It was already Thursday, and Matt was about to begin his fifth lesson. Grace had told him to plan on a long ride in the countryside.

  After four lessons, he had learned a lot about horses, but he had learned even more about Grace
Taylor. Matt liked how she’d start talking about horses, then let the topic morph into something else as they rode together. Horses were an integral part of colonial life in many ways, so Grace was able to build a detailed picture of her family, her community, and her culture by relating them to her experiences with the animals and the people that bought them.

  The riding lessons required Matt’s complete concentration and he often entirely forgot about Grace the woman; he mostly saw her as a friend and instructor. He tried to ask her provocative questions about her experience with horses, and he was usually intrigued at her answers. Someone had once told him that the best way to learn any skill was to ask a person to narrate it from their perspective. It was proving to be an excellent way to unravel the mystery of this beautiful farmer’s daughter.

  “What do you think about when you first get up on a horse?” he had asked her.

  “That I’m glad to be with my fellow,” she said. “And that I don’t want to betray his trust.”

  “What trust?”

  “He’ll do whatever I ask,” she replied. “I must not ask him to do something that may cause harm.” She paused. “I should not squander his time, either, so I must remember that.”

  “How can you squander a horse’s time?”

  “He must be a horse and do what horses do.”

  “You talk about horses like they’re people.”

  “They’re God’s animals, and He put them on this earth for a purpose, like men.”

  “So you’re doing God’s work?” Matt asked, smiling.

  “It’s not as grand as that,” she said. “Horses deserve respect, much like that dog of yours.” She nodded to Scout, who had started the habit of watching them at lessons every day. “They feel the admiration and respond in kind.”

  “Are you ever upset when they’re sold?”

  “There are times,” she said. “A few I haven’t cared for.”