Moorland Mist

by Gwen Kirkwood

  Later when they were alone he said, ‘I’m glad Father is taking this so well. I reckon Emma will make a good wife for William and he always had a soft spot for her, even when she first arrived as a nervous wee lassie straight frae school.’

  ‘I agree, but I do wish Mother could have accepted her as her daughter-in-law. After all, she is the mother of her grandson.’

  ‘Aye, she’s good at preaching about the Bible but she’s not very good at doing what it says when it comes to forgiveness. Weren’t they supposed to be Jesus’s last words when they hung him on the cross? “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” If you ask me, Emma didn’t know what she was doing either, or at least she didn’t realize the consequences.’

  Bert Greig gave Emma no peace until she had sent her reply, but William felt he had waited half a lifetime hoping for a letter from her. He would not make any decisions until he knew whether she would marry him and move to Yorkshire. The men who shared the loft with him complained that he was irritable and even the housekeeper, with whom he had found favour from the day he arrived, was bewildered by his moods. When the letter did eventually arrive, he tore it open with such haste he tore the single sheet of paper but it didn’t stop him reading the news he wanted to hear. It was true she didn’t sound overly enthusiastic about living so far away from her family, and in her honesty she told him her father insisted it was the right thing to do for Jamie’s sake. She told him Maggie had been to see her and she agreed with her father.

  Emma didn’t tell William about Maggie taking her to see Miss Wilkins to buy material to make new dresses for them both. Maggie’s excitement was infectious. She had volunteered to be matron of honour and she said they would surprise him when he saw them at the church. Emma was happy until Miss Wilkins looked down her narrow nose and refused to serve her. She almost burst into tears but Maggie had intervened, firmly telling her Mr Sinclair was paying the account for the material. Emma had always got on well with the seamstress after she won the school prize for best sewing, so she was hurt by her attitude.

  ‘She wouldn’t have sold me a bag of rags if Maggie had not been with me,’ she told her mother tearfully. ‘She hardly spoke to me. She brought out some coarse grey cotton and said it would be very suitable for me, but Maggie insisted she get a bolt of material from the top shelf. That’s where she keeps the quality stuff.’

  ‘I know.’ Eliza sighed. She didn’t tell Emma she had suffered various snubs herself from Miss Wilkins and other local people since Emmie and her baby had returned to Locheagle. ‘It’s another of life’s lesson’s ye’ve had to learn, lassie, but I hate to see ye hurt. Don’t let it make you bitter. Some people canna forgive, some are jealous, others are fickle. We have to learn to choose our friends carefully. Anyway, Emmie, this material is beautiful and the royal blue will suit you. You’ll look lovely. I’m truly grateful to the Rev Davidson for being so kind and understanding. No one in Yorkshire will know your circumstances and the dress will be suitable for attending the kirk in the summer, as Maggie suggested. She has a heart of gold.’

  ‘I know and she says she will come down and we can cut out our dresses together and then fit them on each other. She is going to bring a paper pattern from Bessie to guide us.’

  William lost no time in replying to tell Emma how pleased he was. He wrote to tell Maggie they would be married as soon as he could see the land agent and reach an agreement over the tenancy of Moorend Farm. He also wrote a short letter to Mr Rowbottom to say he would like to meet him again on Saturday afternoon after he finished work, so that he could take another look at the more distant fields, and discuss a possible tenancy. It was short and business-like. He had always been good with numbers at school but he was thankful now that Maggie had made him pay attention to his spelling and practise his handwriting. He couldn’t wait for Saturday afternoon, although he did not intend to let Rowbottom see how keen he was, or how urgent it had become as a place to live for his wife and son.

  He was buoyed up with anticipation but his heart sank when the land agent told him they were to call on Lord Hanley before any discussions.

  ‘He gave instructions that I’m to take you to the Manor. After all, he has known all his tenants and their families all their lives, as his father did before him. He said he would make enquiries about your cousin from the agent at Wilmore, since he is your only connection that we know.’

  ‘I see,’ William said stiffly.

  Inwardly his spirits plummeted. He had intended trying to negotiate a whole year’s tenancy free of rent to help him bring the farm back into production. Now it seemed he might not even get the tenancy at all, and if he did they would have to depend on whatever income they could make from hens and pigs in the farm buildings and the nearby paddocks, while he paid a rent for fields too neglected to keep stock.

  He had ridden over on his Clydesdale mare. Rowbottom admired her and suggested he turn her into the paddock with the two house cows and old Ed’s horses.

  ‘We’ll drive to the Manor in the pony and trap. Best not keep His Lordship waiting.’ William sensed an uneasiness in the land agent and his own tension grew. Back home he would have had his father’s influence and support behind him.

  Eleven

  Lord Hanley greeted them politely and led the way into the estate office. He lost no time in telling William he had made enquiries about him and, as far as possible, about his relatives in Yorkshire.

  ‘Walter Frame, the land agent, is impressed with Mr Kerr and his farming methods. Apparently he pays his rents on time and has a good reputation for paying his debts promptly too, though I gather he doesn’t suffer fools gladly. However, that does not mean to say you will prove to be as good a farmer as he is, and you’re younger than I would have liked, but at least you will have someone to give advice if you need it. I’m told you have proved yourself a hard worker, good at breaking in the young horses.’

  ‘Thank you,’ William said uncomfortably.

  ‘Having relations in the area may help you settle. I assume you do mean to make your future in Yorkshire?’

  ‘That is my intention but my – my wife has not seen the house yet, nor the farm and the countryside around here.’

  ‘We understand the women have to be happy if the men are to get on and do their job, don’t we, Rowbottom?’

  ‘Yes, Your Lordship, but there is not much we can do about the house. It is sound enough underneath the dust and rubbish.’

  ‘Emmie doesn’t mind hard work,’ William said firmly, ‘but she has just had our first child.’ Privately he thought he was getting quite good at sounding like a married man.

  ‘Mr Rowbottom tells me she can do milking and churn butter. Not many farmers’ wives around here do that. You may be wise to get her some help when you have heard my conditions for granting you the tenancy.’ William sat up straight. It didn’t sound as though there would be any negotiating with the land agent at this rate.

  ‘I suggest a trial tenancy of three years until we see what sort of farmer you prove to be …’ William opened his mouth to speak but Lord Hanley held up his hand. ‘Hear me out first. I am well aware Mr Dixon has neglected Moorend but his family were good tenants for four generations. Mr Rowbottom considers I have been too lenient and it irks him to have the farm under his charge.’ He raised a quizzical eyebrow as he glanced at the land agent. He grimaced in response.

  ‘I feel responsible and I’m ashamed to see such neglect.’

  ‘We agree the first thing we must do is erect new boundary fences,’ Lord Hanley went on, ‘but the tenant will be expected to maintain them. We will also fence two of the fields which are furthest away from the farm to prevent stock from the Common Land straying onto your land. If you are good at hedge-laying, several of the other fields could have a stock-proof hedge within a couple of years for the cost of your labour.’

  William frowned. ‘I have done some, but we had more stone dykes, stone walls that is, for our boundaries.’

 
‘However you do the rest of the fencing will be up to you, as tenant. Ed Dixon is keen to move now so you can have immediate entry but your three year lease will not begin until the end of September. Mr Rowbottom and I agree that you should have the first year rent free, provided we see some improvements at the end of the first six months. If you’ve made no improvement at the end of the first year, we shall terminate the tenancy without further notice.’ He eyed William shrewdly.

  ‘I understand,’ William said, hiding his jubilation at being granted a whole year rent free without even asking. ‘That sounds very fair, but I would like it in writing and granted a three year tenancy, though I would have preferred five years. In return, I guarantee to improve the fertility of the land and the farm itself without delay. Indeed, I could not live there and not bring some sort of order to the place,’ he added wryly. ‘I shall keep a note of all the changes I make, and the cost, and I think you will find my period without rent has been as much to your benefit as to mine.’

  ‘Fine words, Mr Sinclair. All that remains then is to see whether you can follow them through,’ Lord Hanley said. ‘Anything to add, Rowbottom?’

  ‘Can you tell me what you plan to do immediately? It is possible we may be able to help, though I am not promising anything at this stage.’

  ‘I would like another good walk over the fields which have grown wild,’ William said slowly. ‘If I can employ a man to help, I would mow them and maybe make hay if the weather allows. It wouldn’t be the best fodder, removing the rank grass would allow the pastures to freshen. It could even be suitable for grazing sheep since they don’t like it long. Do you take sheep for folding down here? I don’t want to use my capital to buy stock until I see how productive I can make the land. As it is, I shall need to buy a mower and some carts, as well as another horse. Folding someone else’s sheep would help the fertility too.’

  ‘That’s true.’ Lord Hanley nodded and looked at his agent.

  ‘I agree with your ideas so far,’ he said. ‘I have a cousin who is a land agent in North Yorkshire. Many of his tenants have sheep on the moors. I should think some of them would be pleased to send ewes for grazing for a few months to preserve their own land for flushing the ewes in the autumn. I could ask him. He would know which of the farmers are reliable with healthy stock and able to pay at the end of the season.’

  ‘What do you say, Mr Sinclair?’ Lord Hanley asked.

  ‘I should be glad of that sort of recommendation. I wouldn’t like to herd sheep for the summer and autumn with nothing at the end of it. In fact, I think I will tell the farmer he has to pay when he collects his sheep or I shall keep enough to sell to make sure I get my money.’ Both men chuckled.

  ‘There speaks a Scotsman,’ Lord Hanley said, but William felt he approved.

  ‘Ed Dixon is hoping whoever gets the farm will take over everything,’ Rowbottom said, looking doubtfully at William. ‘Most of it is lost amidst the grass and nettles, and the carts will need some repairs. He has a mower but I don’t think it will have seen grease for some time. He seems oblivious to the fact that he’s still owing rent. He has neither the energy nor the inclination to organize a farm sale. He’ll not be difficult to deal with but you’ll need to pay for repairs. Joe Wright, the blacksmith, is an obliging fellow and good at turning his hand to repairing machines.’

  ‘Yes, I met him with my cousin on our last visit.’

  ‘Aye, so you did. Ed is hoping the new tenant will buy his two cows and his mare. The previous owner will likely claim the gelding.’

  ‘When I’ve had another look at the land, perhaps I could have a talk with him, later this afternoon? Before I leave?’

  ‘All right, I’ll tell him,’ Rowbottom said. ‘If you’re finished here, Lord Hanley.’

  ‘Yes, I think that’s all. I’ll have an agreement drawn up.’

  ‘Very well,’ William said, ‘and thank you for considering me as your tenant.’

  ‘I have a feeling I shall not regret it, unless you make too many demands of course.’ His tone held a warning, but he smiled and added, ‘You must remember a Yorkshire man and his brass are not easily parted.’

  ‘I’m finding that out already,’ William grinned and his blue eyes sparkled.

  Emma knew she was fortunate that William was willing to help her with wee Jamie and that she wouldn’t have to struggle to find even the most menial jobs as an unmarried mother, but her heart sank when she read William’s next letter telling her he had signed a three year agreement for a tenancy of the Yorkshire farm, with the chance of a longer tenancy if he proved satisfactory. Secretly she had hoped he would not find a farm in Yorkshire and that he would come back and settle near her family. She didn’t understand that without his family’s backing, it would be even more difficult to get a tenancy in this area.

  Part of her longed to see his merry smile and teasing wink again. Her insides trembled when she remembered the way he had held her in his arms out on the hill and she longed to feel the thrill of him again, but in other ways she still regarded him as the son of her old employer. Although they had lived under the same roof and eaten their meals at the same table for three years, they had never had private conversations, like lovers, or even as friends. There were lots of things she didn’t know about him, and he didn’t know anything about her own hopes and dreams and opinions. He was marrying her out of a sense of duty because of Jamie, not because he loved her as her parents loved each other.

  Eliza found it a strain because she understood Emmie’s doubts and fears, but she had promised Bert she would hide her own feelings and chivvy Emma along until William came to take her back with him after the wedding. Maggie had been down to see them twice more and she and Emmie had cut out their dresses and tacked the pieces together.

  ‘What a small waist you have, Emmie, and you don’t even wear corsets yet,’ Maggie exclaimed. ‘I wish I was as slender as you.’

  ‘I’ve told her it’s time she was wearing a corset,’ Eliza said, joining the conversation, ‘especially now she’s had a child but she’s even skinnier than she was before.’

  ‘I’m not skinny here,’ Emma said, struggling to tug the bodice of her dress higher to cover her full breasts.

  ‘That’s because you have plenty of milk to feed wee Jamie,’ her mother comforted. ‘That’s a good thing. It keeps him content. Anyway, the curves suit you. Maggie has cut the dress beautifully.’

  ‘I know,’ Emma smiled, smoothing down the flat front with the pointed V just below the waist. She couldn’t see the back while she was wearing it but Maggie had swept the material towards the back, almost like a small bustle. She said the back was as important as the front because other people would see it when she was making her vows at the altar.

  ‘There won’t be any other people,’ Emma said.

  ‘Your parents will be there and your brothers and my father. Bessie wants to come too, and Jim and I will be there. You will look lovely, Emmie. I’m sure William will think so too and that’s what matters. Bessie is sending you her blue wool jacket and matching hat in case it is cold when you travel on the train. None of us have ever been on a train. It will be a big adventure.’ Maggie seemed to sense Emma’s anxiety, Eliza thought, and she was doing her best to encourage her and keep up her spirits.

  ‘Please thank Bessie for me,’ Emma said, her eyes watering and her chin wobbling with the effort of fighting her tears. ‘You have both been so kind to me. I know Miss Wilkins thinks I don’t deserve it.’

  ‘Never mind what Miss Wilkins thinks,’ Maggie said briskly.

  Emma knew her mother had bought a big bag of wool and she was knitting her a warm shawl so she could hide Jamie discreetly when he needed to be fed on the train. This had made Emma blush. She hated the thought of feeding her baby in front of strangers, but her mother insisted she couldn’t let him go hungry or it would upset him and make him cross. She didn’t know Maggie had another surprise for her, although she would not see it until the day of her wedding. />
  Indeed, Maggie had been surprised herself when William had written to ask if she could give him an idea of Emma’s measurements. He said it was Annie’s idea that he should give Emmie a new dress as a wedding gift.

  She is friendly with a woman whose husband owns one of the woollen mills so she has bought a length of material to make a dress and one of the long jackets which she says are in fashion. Annie says it will be suitable for travelling in. I told her Emmie has eyes the colour of the sea, neither green nor blue, so she has chosen a sort of bluish-grey material. She knows a seamstress who will make it up quickly if I pay her.

  Maggie’s heart warmed to cousin Drew’s wife, although she scarcely knew her. It sounded as though Emma would have one friend down there at least. Another thing which pleased Maggie was that Annie Kerr seemed to understand Emma would be exhausted after the upheaval of her wedding, taking leave of her family, and the long journey with a new husband and a young baby, as well as Queenie, William’s collie.

  Annie is insisting Andrew should meet us at the railway station, William had written. He is to take us to Blakemore to spend the night with him and Annie and their children. Annie says it will be better for Emma if she has had a night’s rest before she sees the house where we are to live. I hope they will get on together.’ He sounded anxious in his letter, Maggie thought, but he went on to say,

  Of course, Annie is not at all like Mother. She has not uttered a word of condemnation about us having a child out of wedlock. She understands what it is like to feel homesick. She is hoping she and Emma will become friends, even though we shall be living several miles away. We shall need to set out for Moorend first thing next morning because I am taking over Ed Dixon’s two milk cows, and he is staying at Moorend to milk them until I arrive. It is upsetting him more leaving the two cows than anything else. He is leaving all the things he and his wife accumulated over the years. Emma will have a lot of cleaning and sorting out to do. Annie says it is better if she sees it in the morning rather than arriving in the evening with no one to make a meal or prepare a clean bed. I do hope Emma will agree with these arrangements.