Weeks turned into months as the ship battled through headwinds and unkind seas, Luke had struck up a casual friendship with the sailor, and he told him that the crossing was always severe in this direction. Coming back, he asserted would take half the time with a following wind and moderate seas. In this direction, they were forced to tack and had to push through the waves, slowing them down considerably.
Luke wanted to know something of their fate and the sailor said they would be put ashore in Norfolk, Virginia where the colony was in dire need of labour. He stated that their destiny would be better than the blacks’. Luke wanted to know more, and the sailor told him he had once been a crew member aboard a slave ship, but never again he said. The conditions aboard were gross compared to what Luke and the others were enduring. The blacks were chained up in rows below decks and were never permitted above. They relieved themselves where they lay, and the mess was hosed out with seawater once a day. Luke found it hard to imagine anything worse than he had suffered either this or the last time he had been taken. The sailor asked if Luke was a Gypsy and when Luke replied, no, he was a baker by trade the sailor told him that when they landed to make sure he kept apart from the others and to make it clear he wasn’t a Gypsy and had a valuable skill to offer. Luke found it hard to come to terms with distancing himself from the others, his own sweet wife was a Gypsy after all, but he needed to fend for himself now. Bethany had disappeared, and he was alone; he wondered how he would fare in the ‘New World’?
The ship docked in Norfolk, Virginia as the sailor had said and the captives unloaded. They were marched off, still in chains to a large shed where several men at tables sat to greet them. Names were asked and given, mostly false of course, but the inquisitors didn’t seem to care. They were more interested in any skills the prisoners may have had. Several men were standing behind the tables, and now and then the seated man would look behind him, a nod exchanged, and the prisoner at the table assigned. A large piece of paper, already drawn up would be appended with their name together with the name of the employer. The transaction completed, the prisoner was informed of the term of the indenture and the matter finalised.
When it came to Luke’s turn, he stood upright at the table and looked the sitting man in the eye. The man was not used to this and could not meet Luke’s piercing eyes.
‘Name?’ Said the seated man.
‘Luke Bradfield.’ Said Luke, making up the surname on the spot for fear that his crimes may have preceded him even to this far flung place.
‘Occupation?’ Asked the man.
‘Master Baker,’ Replied Luke.
The seated man now looked up,
‘And what, pray, are you doing here?’
‘I have no idea, sir. One moment I was at an inn drinking ale and the next knocked unconscious and heading for a berth aboard yonder ship.’
‘You are not a Gypsy then?’
‘Certainly not!’ Luke exclaimed.
The seated man smiled thinly,
‘Well, someone certainly wanted you gone, young man.’
Luke immediately thought of Seth. His father had seen to it that he was taken as a vagrant Gypsy, it could have been none other.
‘Well,’ The seated man said, ‘That’s as maybe, but you’re here, and that’s that I’m afraid.’
He leaned back and nodded to a man who had been studying Luke.
Directing his words to Luke, he filled out an indenture form as a baker but reduced the term of the agreement to a very reasonable five years. The usual time was a great deal longer, the indentured person no better off than a slave.
Luke was taken away and his manacles removed. He rubbed the chafe marks they had left and watched as the skin tore easily leaving open wounds on both wrists and ankles. He waited patiently as the group of prisoners presented themselves in turn. Eventually, it was over. The prisoners had new masters who paid the paltry sum of five pounds sterling for each, one pound for a child. They were led away in groups, and Luke thought he would never see most of them again. He was surprised when a young woman was led to stand beside him. She was in tears, and he saw an older woman and man looking back at her as they were led away. Luke took hold of her hand and squeezed gently,
‘Don’t worry, if we are to be together I shall look out for you.’ He said reassuringly.
She looked up at him gratefully, at least she would not be alone.
Their new master approached and nodding at them, led the way out of the shed. They didn’t have any distance to walk, as not far from the quay a thriving new town was under construction. There were signs of building everywhere and amidst the busy throng Luke saw a large sign over a shopfront, ‘Bakery’.
Inside the shop, the girl was led over to an older lady and introduced.
‘My dear, this is Lucy, she is to be our new shop girl, I’m sure she will manage very well.’ The man said, ‘Lucy, my wife will show you how we operate and where you will sleep.’
Luke thought the man seemed very reasonable and hoped the girl would be treated fairly.
He was led through to the rear of the building and presented with his new workplace. He was not unhappy; he saw a well built oven and substantial tables together with all the implements needed for producing high quality loaves, he had been brought up with this work and had spent the last two years in Plockton making bread. This job would prove to be no hardship provided he was also treated fairly.
His new master smiled as he recognised that Luke had been honest in his claim to be a master baker. So many had lied in order to get a soft billet but were always found out.
His new master introduced himself as Richard Baxter and his wife, Maggie. He told Luke that his last indentured Baker had turned out to be a rogue of the highest order and that he had no alternative but to hand him back for re-assignment, this had cost him another five pounds, but he considered it worth it to be rid of the man. No doubt he would have been sent to a plantation where the work would have soon made him regretful for his outlandish behaviour. Luke raised an eyebrow at this, and the man answered his unasked question,
‘He was an unchristian man if ever I saw one, none of the local girls were safe when he was around. I couldn’t have that kind of behaviour, kindly take note and inwardly digest young man.’
Luke did indeed take note, he thought the man to be fair and although the prospect of five years of unpaid labour was a little difficult to accept he knew it could have been ten times worse.
Chapter 23
Luke settled into his new position and learned to laugh and smile again. He and Lucy became close and would often spend time together but always under the watchful eye of Maggie. Richard soon came to trust him, and he was allowed to wander freely as long as he attended to his baking duties. Richard shared the work, and Luke recognised his passion as a perfectionist. The bread they produced was of the highest standard and was much in demand.
There was one thing which continually puzzled Luke, where were all the black slaves the sailor had talked about? He asked Richard the question one day and was shocked by the answer.
‘Why, all the labourers you see here working in town are slaves by any other name.’
‘But, they’re white!’ Exclaimed Luke.
Richard looked at Luke kindly and explained as if he were a child.
‘Yes, they are white but also Catholic, and there is no greater sin in the world than being of the Catholic faith. A nigger will cost you all of fifty pounds to buy, but an Irishman can be had for a mere five. Nobody will pay any more; they are worse than Gypsies!’
Luke found this reasoning difficult to follow or indeed to come to terms with so merely nodded his head. But Richard was not finished yet,
‘They do say the best slaves come about when the Irish are bred with the nigger. Both white and black sires result in a very pleasing result known as a ‘mulatto’. They are worth all of fifty pounds at auction and considering that the sire or dam, as the case may be, costs only five pounds there is a handsome amo
unt of money to be made.’
Luke decided to say nothing; he would never understand this situation. Although the ‘New World’ was controlled by and fuelled by the old world, his own world, the rules were different; slavery itself was illegal in England. He shook his head and walked away, confused by the injustice of it all.
Three years passed and Luke had almost become part of the family. Richard was getting on in years and every day Luke could see the man becoming more feeble. He had lost most of his bodily strength and along with it his willpower, sitting around for the most part and rarely making it to the bakery on time for the early morning shift. They began the preparation at two in the morning, and oft times Richard slept through until four or later resulting in Luke having to cope alone, and with the ever increasing trade, it was becoming difficult to meet all the orders.
He was accepted enough to broach the subject one day with Richard and his wife, Maggie. She was only too aware of her husband’s failing health and encouraged him to listen to Luke. They had not been blessed with children, so there was no one to take up the reins of the business if and when Richard passed away. Maggie was some ten years his junior and still very fit but feared that if Richard suddenly died she would have to sell the business and without that security, she would be a woman alone in the world. Not a pleasant position to find oneself in the seventeenth century.
Luke began by suggesting they apply for another indentured worker or slave for want of a better word. There were still hundreds pouring into the colony every week from England and Ireland. Itinerants including Gypsies or Egyptians, as they were also called in that time, from England and the poorer classes of ordinary folk from Ireland. Richard bridled at the thought of a Catholic staying under his roof, but Luke pointed out that many good people were working in the town, skilful and hard working who were of that religion. The bonus being they were virtually indentured for life. Luke offered to select the right man, preferably with baking skills. Richard pondered over the matter for so long that both Luke and Maggie thought he might have dozed off. This proving to be the case as he suddenly snorted and sat upright,
‘Well, I see you’ve both quite made up your minds, but I’ll be having the final say.’
Luke and Maggie smiled at each other, they had their victory and knew the final decision would be theirs anyway.
The following week a ship carrying more prisoners from the Motherland arrived. Luke attended with Richard, deferring to his position as a master by walking one pace behind. They watched as the human cargo was paraded before potential employers listening to their avowed skills. Most, Luke dismissed out of hand recognising them as vagrants and potential trouble makers.
One young man caught his eye; he was no more than twenty years old Luke guessed but had an upright stature and seemed out of place with the rest of the bunch. He gave Richard a gentle tap on the shoulder who in turn spoke to the man sitting at the table preparing the indenture papers.
‘What of this man, does he have any skills?’
The man looked up at the prisoner.
‘Well, you heard the gentleman, do you have anything to offer or are you like the rest, idle and useless?’
The young man spoke in a thick Irish brogue.
‘If it please, your highness, I can turn my hand to anything.’
The man at the table stared at him,
‘Any more of that cheek and we’ll see how you handle fifty lashes or maybe we’ll burn your feet!’ He exclaimed.
The young man continued to smile and Luke, fearing the punishment may be imminent prodded Richard.
‘I’ll take him.’ Richard said on cue, although he was by no means sure he had made the correct decision.
The young man’s shackles were removed, and Richard led him outside, indenture in hand. Walking a few paces behind Richard, Luke was able to have a conversation with the new man.
‘What’s your name?’ He began.
‘Ben,’ Replied the young man with a hint of anger, ‘Ben Reilly.’
Luke spoke quietly, impressing on the young man his good fortune.
‘That man back there, he wasn’t joking you know, it happens quite regularly.’
‘What, you mean the lash? Doesn’t worry me, I’ve been whipped all my life, another few cuts won’t bother me.’ Ben retained his arrogant demeanour as he looked back at Luke.
Luke smiled,
‘No, you fool, I don’t mean the lashes. I mean the burning.’
‘What do you mean, I don’t understand.’ Said Ben, frowning now.
‘It’s the Irish punishment, they hang you up by the wrists with your feet off the ground and build a fire under you. You can smell your own feet roasting.’
Ben’s smile had completely disappeared now.
‘Furthermore,’ Said Luke, ‘They may choose to build the fire higher until your whole body begins to burn. It’s not a good death.’
At this Ben quailed and visibly paled, remained silent.
‘You’re only worth five pounds, Ben, no significant loss if they choose to kill you and there is no redress for a master who kills his indentured servant. It’s just the way it is out here.’
Luke went on to outline Ben’s new role in life and pointed out that he would be one of the fortunate few, especially amongst the Irish. He would enjoy good food a warm bed and a modicum of respect. However, Luke cautioned, it would be wise if you left your Catholic ways behind you.
‘They are hated and not tolerated over here.’ He affirmed.
‘Not back there either.’ Said Ben, meaning his homeland.
‘Right then, I’ll begin teaching you tonight, within a week you’ll be producing the finest bread in town.’
And so it was that Ben became the newest baker and he also gained the trust of Richard. He never mentioned his Catholic background and losing his devil may care attitude, was carefully groomed by Luke to fit in with the rest of society.
Another year passed, and the business thrived, although Richard became so frail he rarely ventured into the shop while Luke and Ben produced the goods for Maggie and Lucy to sell.
It had become clear that Ben and Lucy were a little more than just good friends too, but no one seemed to mind. Maggie thought it romantic and Luke was pleased that his friend Lucy might have met her future partner. They could get married if the master agreed, that was permitted, but the children produced from the union would remain the property of Richard, that was the law and meant that even when the woman’s indenture period was up, she rarely chose to leave, preferring to remain with her offspring. Ben, being Irish would never be given his ticket of leave. Very few if any, indentured Irish returned to their home shores. The English government wanted rid of them permanently.
It was almost another year and near the end of Luke’s indenture when Richard finally succumbed to his poor health and died. There was much sadness in the household, and everyone mourned his passing. Not every master in the colony was a bad person, and Richard had been one of the best.
Luke wondered what would happen to them now, Ben and Lucy had married some months ago, and she was already far gone with child. Luke’s period of indenture was all but over, and he was technically a free man. Able to set out and travel to wherever he wished.
Maggie had gathered them together in the main house shortly after Richard's funeral for the reading of the will. The solicitor appeared before them and sat reading through the document that he had prepared at Richard’s insistence.
Maggie smiled at the look on Luke’s face as he discovered that not only was he free but was also a full partner in the business with her, provided that he cared for her until the end of her days, when Maggie’s share would also pass to him. Richard had secured Luke’s future; he was now a businessman and a master in his own right. The indentured servants came with the business so, in fact, he owned Ben and Lucy as well.
The change to Luke’s outlook was almost breathtaking in its magnitude. He could do what he wanted and go wherever he wished. He h
ad money and position. The fact that he had up until recently been an indentured servant meant nothing in this new world society. If a person worked hard, it was possible to make something of themselves, however humble their beginnings might have been.
Lucy pulled him to one side after the reading and expressed her wishes that he could find someone as she had in Ben. He had told her long ago he was married and she accepted that she had no chance with this handsome young man, but should he spend the rest of his life alone? Luke explained that merely because a husband and wife were separated didn’t mean they loved one another any the less. He felt that Bethany was somewhere in England and one day he would seek her out and they would be reunited.
Chapter 24
Sebastian slept soundly after the incident with the chair and the pipe tobacco. He had a dreamless sleep and woke refreshed again wondering if he was, in fact, suffering from a kind of delusional problem. He stood looking at his sister’s bedroom door looking for any signs of recent repair. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He went in and stood for a while thinking he might feel something different, something to give him a clue as to what had happened to his sister. But there was nothing, the room felt perfectly normal to him. He shook his head and went downstairs to the kitchen. The wing backed chair was in its usual place but no smell of smoke. He walked around it and even sat in it, feeling nothing out of the ordinary.
The phone rang, and he snapped out of his daydreams and picked it up. It was Caroline, asking how his night had been. He answered that nothing had happened and went on to explain about her bedroom door showing no sign of damage and even the axe was back out in the yard.
The Haunting Page 16
