Half a Sixpence

by Evie Grace

  ‘Stephen’s right,’ Pa said, overhearing the tail end of the conversation. ‘We must keep the faith.’

  As they went outside, a messenger came pushing through with news of Sir William’s burial.

  ‘It is done,’ he cried. ‘Over one hundred people were there at Hernhill churchyard, but he was unwept and unhonoured.’ A few desultory cheers went up as he continued, ‘The coffin arrived at the church and was taken straight to the grave without a tolling bell to announce it. Then the Reverend Hanley read just the parts of the burial service that are necessary by law for a person buried in consecrated ground. The coffin was covered with earth and left unmarked. Sir William Courtenay is no more.’

  ‘It’s a good job for the country that he was buried without ceremony,’ Pa observed. ‘Now we can concentrate on how to get Matty off this charge of …’ His voice faded then returned. ‘He needs a good lawyer to represent him, someone with clout, but I don’t know how to raise the money for that.’

  ‘I have a little spare that I’d be willing to put towards the fee.’ Stephen named a figure and Pa laughed out loud.

  ‘That wouldn’t go as far as hiring a lawyer’s little finger, and what use would that be, except to direct Matty’s way to the hangman’s noose?’

  Catherine sank to her knees.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Pa said as he and Stephen helped her up. ‘I should have kept my mouth shut.’

  ‘Let’s get her back to the cart. She should be at home in her condition,’ Stephen said.

  ‘So you’ve guessed?’ Pa said with a shrug. ‘Everyone will know soon enow.’

  ‘I have to go to Maidstone,’ Catherine said. ‘I need to be close to him.’

  ‘You’re no use to anyone in this state,’ Pa said. ‘You need to rest.’

  ‘Do as your father says for once,’ Stephen said.

  Exhausted and temporarily defeated, she half stumbled, half fell on her way to the cart. Stephen lifted her into the back, climbed in beside her and put his arm around her waist. She leaned her head against his shoulder as Pa took up the reins to drive back to Overshill.

  What had Matty been thinking of? Catherine wondered. She loved him more than anything, but how could he have been so foolish? His recklessness had left her on the brink of becoming a fallen woman, unmarried and with child.

  She wished she could have remained in ignorance of her condition – she’d heard that many women didn’t know until they reached their fifth month, but she’d been certain of it within a few weeks. Now she would have no peace of mind until Matty was freed and they were wed. It had to happen. She couldn’t bear to think of the alternative.

  ‘I’m very grateful for the ride back,’ she heard Stephen say as the cart jolted along and she slipped in and out of sleep.

  ‘It’s no problem to me. We’re all going the same way,’ Pa said.

  ‘I don’t know how I’m going to tell Ma and Pa the news. It’s preying on my mind.’

  ‘It’s terrible to think we have to wait another two months to learn of the prisoners’ fate, but at least we have some idea of how long it will be.’ Pa changed the subject. ‘How is your wife?’

  ‘She is well, thank you.’

  ‘Make the most of the early days. They don’t last.’

  ‘That’s what I’ve bin told,’ Stephen said drily. ‘Maybe absence will make her heart grow fonder. Since she’s been with child, she’s been like an angry cat.’

  ‘I can’t imagine that of Emily. She’s always seemed so meek and mild.’

  ‘There are times when I wonder if she’s the same woman I married.’

  ‘The female of the species is a changeable creature, while we men are simpler, more straightforward beings. You’re a good man, Stephen. I know that you’ll stand by your wife, whatever happens in the future.’ Catherine heard the crack of the whip and felt the cart shoot forwards.

  Before long they were back at the farm where George and Ma were waiting in the yard. George was leaning against the wall, chewing on a blade of grass, and Ma was sitting on a chair, shelling peas. They rushed towards the cart, tripping over the hens as Pa pulled the horse up.

  ‘What news of my boys?’ George asked.

  ‘Where’s Matty? Is he not with you?’ Ma said, looking towards Catherine as she held up her skirts and descended from the cart.

  ‘He and Jervis are to be tried in Maidstone. I’m sorry, George,’ Pa said. ‘The witness couldn’t tell the truth if it hit him in the face. There was nothing we could do.’

  George started to cry. Stephen moved round to comfort him.

  Ma was furious. She turned on Pa.

  ‘After all you’ve done for him: turned a blind eye to his thieving ways; sent him to school and l’arned him about shepherding.’

  ‘A man should be presumed innocent until he’s been proven guilty,’ Pa said adamantly. ‘Matty’s never been violent – he wouldn’t hurt a fly.’

  ‘He’s brought shame on us.’ She glared at Catherine. ‘You must send this sorry creature away, Thomas. I can’t bear to look at her. I’m too old and worn out to take on another bastard.’

  ‘I will hear no more talk like this, Margaret. You are a spiteful, vindictive woman,’ Pa spat. ‘This is how it’s going to be. Matty is innocent, therefore, he will be freed by the judge. Then he will return to Overshill, marry our daughter and give her unborn child a respectable upbringing. He’ll take on the tenancy of Wanstall Farm when the squire sees fit, John will be cared for and we’ll live here comfortably for the years we have left.’

  ‘I want her to go,’ Ma muttered.

  ‘Well, she’s staying here, whether you like it or not. If you keep on like this, it’ll be you who’s packing her bags.’

  ‘I don’t think so. What would you do without me?’

  Pa turned, unhitched the horse and walked away, leaving Ma standing in the middle of the yard, opening and closing her mouth like a trout out of water.

  Stephen gave Catherine a questioning look as he took his father’s hand to escort him home.

  She nodded. She would be all right. It was Matty she was worried about. She had to find a way to help him get off the charge of murder. As she fed the hens and pigs, she began to make a plan.

  Time passed. Stephen returned to Faversham, and the more mundane topics of repairs to the church tower and the sale of the Woodsman’s Arms to a new proprietor gradually replaced talk of the riot. Catherine worked less in the house and more on the farm, looking after John and the sheep. The sickness wore off as her belly began to swell. She felt physically strong again, but her heart ached for Matty.

  One day in the middle of July when the poppies were jostling for space in the cornfields, Stephen and Emily called at the farm.

  ‘Do come and sit down.’ Catherine smiled.

  ‘Is your ma not at home?’ Stephen enquired.

  ‘She’s taking a nap.’ She’d pretty much taken to her bed since Matty’s imprisonment. ‘Would you like some tea?’

  ‘We won’t be stopping long – the forge doesn’t look after itself,’ Stephen said. ‘I came to tell you that I’ve sold the ring to a Faversham merchant who desired a fragment of England’s history. The gold, the stones and the association with Sir William made it a very valuable piece.’ He pulled a wad of banknotes from his pocket. ‘I hope that I drove a hard enough bargain for you.’

  She took the money. It was more than she could have dreamed of.

  ‘Thank you, Stephen.’

  ‘I know you’ll spend it wisely.’

  ‘I’ll use it to obtain legal representation for Matty at the trial. Any money that’s left will go to the families of the prisoners and those that were killed. I have no wish to profit from this sad affair.’

  ‘I pray that my brother will be swiftly and safely returned to us,’ Stephen said. ‘Is your father at home? I should like to speak with him.’

  ‘He’s walking the fields with John. He has high hopes of this harvest. I hope they aren’t misplaced. There seem to
be more weeds than ears of corn.’ Catherine felt a stab of regret at memories of happier, more carefree times.

  ‘I’ll go and find him – if I have your permission, my dearest wife?’

  ‘I’ll wait here,’ Emily said.

  The two women moved to the kitchen, where Catherine made mint tea and cut slices of cherry cake.

  ‘Married life suits you,’ she said, observing the glow in her best friend’s cheeks.

  ‘It hasn’t been plain sailing – I’ve been rather hard on my husband at times.’ Emily smiled as she pulled up a chair. ‘Stephen has no doubt that Matty is innocent.’

  ‘I hope the judge can see that,’ Catherine said, sitting down. ‘I miss him. It’s like part of me has been torn away.’ She listened out for his cheery whistle every morning, and looked for him when she stood at the orchard gate to watch the sheep nibbling at the grass. Sometimes, she heard his voice at her ear when she slipped into the woods to sit in the clearing in order to feel close to him. ‘Let’s talk about something else. When is your baby due?’

  ‘Very soon.’ Emily shifted in her seat. ‘I’m scared, Catherine. I’m afraid I shall die.’

  ‘Oh, don’t be silly. You’re the picture of health.’

  ‘There we are, reassuring each other about uncertainties.’

  ‘That’s what friends are for. We are friends again, aren’t we?’

  ‘Let’s let bygones be bygones,’ Emily said. ‘As it turns out, I couldn’t have wished for a better man.’

  The words stung. Catherine was still waiting to find out what kind of husband Matty was going to be.

  ‘How are you finding Faversham?’

  ‘I’m happy there. It’s much livelier than Overshill, with the ships coming in and out of the creek. The house is very small and we have very little, so there isn’t much for me to do. I cook and clean, and bake bread, and do the laundry.’

  ‘Do you ever wonder if you’re having a boy or a girl?’ Catherine said, changing the subject back to babies.

  ‘It’s a girl. I did the test with the piece of cotton. It isn’t definite, but I did it more than once, and it always gave the same answer.’

  ‘Will you show me what to do?’

  Emily removed her wedding ring, and tied it to a piece of thread that Catherine took from the sewing box.

  ‘Now, you have to hold it over your belly.’

  Catherine let the ring dangle over her stomach. At four months gone there was little she could do to hide her growing bump. The ring swung in a small circle.

  ‘You’re having a girl too. You know what that means.’ Emily’s voice was filled with excitement. ‘One day our children will play together and be best friends like we were growing up.’

  Catherine unfastened the thread and handed the ring back. She began to wonder if there was a chance that they would all live happily ever after as she and Emily had planned.

  The next day, she put on her Sunday best and left the farm to call at Churt House. She walked up the long drive between the rows of willows and beeches through the sweeping parkland to where the house stood on a small rise with its many windows glinting in the sun. A pair of deer stalked across the drive in front of her, and a pony and trap passed at speed.

  When she reached the buildings she wasn’t sure which way to turn. Should she knock at the front door which stood at the top of a set of stone steps, or should she approach by the tradesman’s entrance at the rear?

  ‘Can I help you, miss?’ came a voice. ‘You appear to be lost.’

  She turned to find the owner of the house riding astride a bay hunter. He wore a felt jacket with brass buttons and carried a silver-topped whip.

  ‘I know very well where I am, sir,’ she said rather sharply. ‘I have come to call upon you, Mr Hadington.’

  ‘What business can a person such as yourself possibly have with me?’ He reined his horse in a half-circle. ‘You have made a wasted journey.’

  ‘Please, hear what I have to say,’ she said. ‘I need the services of a lawyer.’

  He laughed. ‘The likes of you could never afford my services.’

  ‘I’m of limited means, that’s true, but I’ve acquired a sum of money to pay your fee,’ she said desperately. His curiosity apparently piqued, he jabbed his restless horse in the mouth at which the poor creature decided to stand still.

  ‘Are you in some kind of trouble?’

  ‘There is a man by the name of Matty Carter.’

  ‘Do I know of him?’

  ‘He’s one of the Carter boys from Toad’s Bottom. He grew up in Overshill and used to sing in the choir.’

  ‘And he is now in one of the hulks waiting for the trial at Maidstone next month,’ Mr Hadington finished for her. ‘I read the papers. Tell me, why would I risk my reputation defending a common criminal?’

  ‘Because he’s innocent of the crimes of which he’s been charged.’ Tears sprang to her eyes. ‘I’m sure, with your wit and learning, you can clear his name and enhance your professional reputation.’

  ‘I can assure you that it needs no enhancement. I am well known, even revered in legal circles. One day, I shall certainly become Lord Chief Justice.’

  ‘I’m sorry for causing offence.’ Inside, Catherine was burning with anger and resentment. So this was how her true father treated people! ‘I wouldn’t ask for your help if I wasn’t desperate. I’ve told you – I have money.’ She showed him the banknotes.

  ‘I see. Well, let me tell you, I wouldn’t defend this man for double that paltry sum, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way.’

  ‘So you will do nothing at all for the daughter you disowned, sir,’ she challenged.

  ‘Daughter?’ He looked her up and down, scrutinising her features.

  ‘We’ve been together in church almost every Sunday. Don’t try to tell me you didn’t know.’

  ‘You can’t be! You’re the fruit of Thomas Rook’s loins.’

  ‘That’s what he led you to believe. I am your daughter. You took advantage of my true mother when she was your maid and barely out of childhood.’

  ‘That’s a lie,’ he said, his expression dark as he raised his whip. ‘Take that back. Immediately.’

  ‘I shan’t, sir. I deal in truths, not falsehoods. I am your daughter, and I tell you this, Father’ – she spat the word out in a fury of disappointment – ‘if you don’t agree to help me in this, the one and only request I will ever make of you, I shall contact the journalists who came to spin their yarns about the battle at Bossenden and make fun of those poor people who were caught up in Sir William’s web of lies. I’ll let them know what kind of man you really are. I wonder how revered you’ll be then.’

  ‘Perhaps you are my daughter after all,’ he said slowly. ‘Your grandmother told me that you had died at birth. It was easier to believe her version of the story than any alternative. Ivy was a very pretty girl.’ Catherine shuddered with revulsion at his lechery. ‘Where did you obtain that money?’ he continued.

  ‘It was owed to me,’ she said.

  He thought for a moment.

  ‘You seem rather sharp for a farmer’s child, so maybe there’s some truth in it. Let me see what I can do. Put the money away for now – you can settle my bill when we know what’s what. I trust that this will be kept in confidence between us.’ He cocked his head. ‘No journalists. No revelations. I’ll do what I can for the prisoner. You pay me in return. That’s the deal.’

  ‘I’m happy with those terms,’ she said, marvelling at her courage in confronting the man who was both blood and a stranger to her, and wary of him at the same time. He was a sly old fox who would have the head off a chicken like her just like that if she crossed him.

  ‘You must leave now,’ he added. ‘It isn’t wise for us to be seen together. Goodbye, Miss Rook. I will send word.’

  He kicked his horse in the ribs. It plunged forwards and headed down the drive at a gallop.

  Catherine trudged back to the farm, sensing that she had won so
me kind of victory in standing her ground. Pa didn’t feel the same, because when she ventured her news that evening as they swept the granary ready for the harvest, he was livid.

  ‘How can you be so shameless as to beg a favour from that man?’ he exploded.

  She shrank back, startled by the ferocity of his opinion.

  ‘Haven’t I always supported you? Done everything for you as a father should?’

  She saw that she had hurt his feelings, injuring him to the core, but Mr Hadington was the only lawyer she knew of, and who else would listen to her, considering the circumstances?

  ‘I was going to speak with Mr Boyle when I next visited Canterbury. You should have told me what you intended to do.’ Pa frowned suddenly. ‘How can you possibly afford this?’

  She explained about the ring.

  ‘Mr Hadington’s fees are extortionate. How did you persuade him to agree to represent Matty for that? I can’t believe he would do it out of the kindness of his heart when it is made of stone.’ A pulse began to throb at Pa’s temple, bulging and swelling as though it might burst.

  ‘I told him I was his daughter. I threatened to reveal it to the newspapers, the Faversham Mercury or even The Times of London.’

  ‘You were going to blackmail him? What kind of person are you? Didn’t I raise you to be honest and respectful? It’s as if Matty has influenced you, leading you astray.’ He looked around, his eyes wandering in blind confusion. ‘Didn’t I always encourage both of you to think before you speak and act, to do right by your fellow man and woman?’

  ‘What’s going on? I can hear you from inside the house.’ Ma made an appearance at the doorway into the granary. ‘Thomas, calm yourself. You’ll have apoplexy. Here.’ She forced the vinaigrette into his hand. He threw it down, sending it bouncing across the floor. ‘Have some sleeping drops, then.’ Ma gave him the bottle from her pocket, but he removed the lid and tipped out the contents. ‘No! What did you do that for?’

  ‘You shouldn’t put that stuff inside you. How many times have I told you that it does you no good? It dulls the senses and deadens the mind. You are a shadow of the woman you used to be, as I am but half the man.’ Pa walked out, crossed the yard and disappeared off along the track. He didn’t return until the following morning, dishevelled and rambling on about the state of the barley.