Seth stood at the pump in the yard and washed Isaac’s blood from his arms and torso. They had both been working stripped to the waist as usual, so there was no blood marking his clothes. He casually donned his shirt and entered the kitchen, gathering himself before climbing the stairs to inform Lilly of the tragedy.
Sitting on the side of Lilly’s bed, Seth gently touched her arm until she woke up. She was startled at first suspecting he wanted more than merely housekeeping from her. She was not blind to his attentions and had lain awake on many occasions as he watched her in bed, feigning sleep with regular gentle breathing.
She sat up in bed gathering the bedclothes about her. Seth looked down and forced tears from his eyes, explaining what had happened in the bakery and Isaac’s terrible accident.
Lilly put her hand over her mouth to stifle the scream which she knew would come. Leaping out of bed, she ran downstairs and out into the yard heading for the bakery, Seth followed behind at a more leisurely pace; no need to hurry, Isaac wasn’t going anywhere.
In the bakery, he found Lilly crooning over the prostrate form of her husband. Her clothes were covered in his blood as she attempted to lift his head and place it in her lap. A part of his skull dangled sickeningly from the back of his head, Isaac’s brains oozing into her lap.
Seth knelt down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders as if to comfort her in her hour of need. But his selfish desires were driving him rather than any sense of compassion. He would have to tread carefully now if he was to make her his.
He encouraged her to stand and walk away, back to the kitchen where he fed her a large mug of locally distilled gin. She drank it down, and he refilled it. It would be best if she slept while he dealt with her husband's body. Seth would report the accident to the authorities in the morning, but Isaac’s body would have to be removed from of the bakery, after all, it was unhygienic, and the villagers would still want their bread delivered as usual.
Back in the bakery Isaac lay with his shattered head on the floor but surrounding him now was a mist of grey ash, it swirled this way and that like a veil of smoke as if in consternation or anger. Seth entered, and it swirled one last time, disappearing into the oven, leaving him looking stupidly at the open fire door. His mind registered one word, Tom. So, there had been a witness after all but none who could testify to the murder of poor Isaac. He thought for a moment of consigning the body into the oven as he had his son but there was no need to cover this one up. No one would suspect foul play, after all, he had no one to help him in the bakery now.
Seth paid out the barest amount possible for the simple funeral and comforted Lilly as she paid a final farewell to her husband. He was lowered into the somewhat shallow grave and quickly covered up. Seth had paid the absolute minimum, so the services provided by both the gravediggers and the local vicar were reflected accordingly.
Lilly had no idea what she was to do now. They had planned to stay at the bakery until the season changed to spring and then continue on their travels, but now she was alone, and this world was no place for a woman on her own, particularly a woman well past her youth and with two children already at rest. She hoped they would find their father, at least they would be some comfort to each other.
When they returned to the bakery from Upper Marston, there being no church or graveyard in their village, Seth and Lilly sat at the kitchen table. Lilly with her head in her hands and Seth packing his pipe.
‘Well, my dear, what are you intending to do now, you are suddenly alone with no man to support you?’ He began.
She replied from behind her hands,
‘I don’t know; I have no family, no friends and now no husband.’ Lilly collapsed into tears again and laid her head down on the tabletop.
Seth allowed himself the merest flicker of a smile as he lit his pipe, drawing deeply on the sweet tobacco.
‘Well, my dear, you don’t have to make any immediate decision, you are welcome to stay for as long as you like, it’s the least I can do in memory of poor Isaac. I feel beholden to care for his widow, after all, he died in my service.
Lilly knew she had no alternative. It was here with Seth or out on the open road with who knew what future to look forward to. A woman could not exist in this era on her own, she needed a man to look after and protect her and it may in the end not be anyone of her choice anyway. She consoled herself with the thought that better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. She had no choice other than to accept his offer with all the pitfalls that it might bring. Lilly looked up at the man sitting in front of her wreathed in tobacco smoke,
‘Thank you; I will stay, it’s very kind of you to offer.’
‘Perhaps you will be able to work with me making the bread?’ Seth suggested, ‘I’m sure we’ll work well together. The demand is not what it used to be because the village seems to be emptying out as the young folk leave to seek their fortune elsewhere.’
She nodded her head in reply, adding,
‘Thank you.’
They made a start that evening; there could be no respite, people demanded their daily bread whatever the baker’s personal circumstances. Seth showed her the process, and she helped him knead the dough and place specific amounts in each tin, leaving the dough to rise as the yeast did its work. He saw to the fire and when it had reached the correct temperature began to feed the baking tins inside to rest on brick shelves either side and above the fire. There was still a stain where Seth had not been able to entirely remove all the blood and Lilly cried as she was forced to walk over it. Seth took note and decided he would have to play the waiting game if he hoped to get her into his bed. It would take time, but she would be worth it, as long as it was not too long. He doubted he could reign in his passion for more than a few weeks.
And so it was, one month to the day after Isaac’s death, together with her now regular nightly mug of gin, Seth persuaded Lilly to join him in his bed. He accepted her coldness at the idea and paid little heed to it. He was a selfish man in every way, and her feelings meant nothing to him.
She lay naked in his bed, cringing inside as he approached, his desire evident. He was displaying an erection, and the look on his face was not in the least affectionate. Seth was by no means an attractive man when fully dressed, but now in a state of undress, he looked decidedly repulsive. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to go blank, feeling the bed sag as he clambered in to join her. Seth was desperate with frustration and without any preamble climbed on top of her, roughly kneeing her legs apart. She sighed as he entered her, he mistook it for the sound of pleasure and pushed all the harder making her cry out. It was mercifully over very quickly, and as he rolled off, she turned away gratefully, feigning sleep. In the early hours of the morning, they were once again in the bakery working in silence. They had nothing to say to one another, she had a roof over her head, and he had a maid, a worker and a bedmate rolled into one. It was a relationship based on mutual need, nothing more.
Months passed by and it soon became evident that Lilly was with child. The idea did not make her happy. She had watched as her husband’s children died and she was now about to give birth to a child sired by the man she despised. Seth, on the other hand, was overjoyed, convinced he would have another son, someone to take over when he was too old.
As the pregnancy became more and more evident, Seth insisted they be married. He would not be father to a bastard at any price. Lilly went along with it, as usual, caring not for herself but instead thinking only of her unborn child. They were married in a civil ceremony as cheaply as possible, Seth spending not one penny piece on a reception after the nuptials had taken place. He was not well liked in the town anyway, so it was no surprise when no one bothered to attend the ceremony.
Seth decided he would have to take on somebody else to assist at the bakery, he was not getting any younger, and due to her condition, Lilly was not able to help in the bakery.
He hired an older man for the position. The man, Hugh, had some ex
perience in baking, so it was not all bad. He slept in the little room Isaac had used and rarely entered the house, attending the kitchen only for meals. Seth was not generous and paid the man a meagre wage, but at least he would have a warm place to sleep and food in his belly. Hugh smiled grimly as the money was counted out into his hand each week thinking that Seth was reluctant to part with any of the coins. When Seth’s back was turned, he would smile at Lilly, and she thought how warm he was, so different to her new husband. Seth had not stopped in his sexual demands of her, and it was becoming uncomfortable with her size; she begged him to stop until she had given birth. But he insisted she lay on her side and he behind her, promising he would be gentle, which he rarely was.
The local midwife was called in one Sunday morning, and Lilly gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Seth was overjoyed and in his ebullient mood overpaid the woman who quickly pocketed the money, knowing full well that if he realised his error, he would have no hesitation in demanding some of the money be handed back. Lilly bonded with her new baby immediately she clapped eyes on him. Her previous disinterest evaporated in the joy of motherhood, and holding her baby son, smiled for the first time in a year. Well, not exactly for the first time, she silently acknowledged, Hugh always smiled at her her, and she couldn’t help smiling back.
The child was christened with the name Robin and grew quickly. He was a good baby and slept soundly. Hugh and Seth toiled in the bakery every night seven days a week while Lilly played at motherhood. Seth doted on the little boy, more than he ever did with either of his other two sons. He spent money on him which was totally out of character with his usual meanness and Lilly was glad of that. His general lack of caring for herself was made up by his attention to their new son.
As soon as Lilly was no longer able to deny him, Seth returned to his nightly insistence on conjugal rights. She certainly didn't want any more of his children, even though she loved Robin to distraction, and found any excuse to deny him. This didn’t sit well with Seth, and on occasion, he would slap her and take her by force, knowing full well that no court in the land would deny him the right to have intercourse with his lawfully married wife. The beating became almost a nightly occurrence, and he found he enjoyed it almost as much as the sex itself. Lilly, however, was certainly not enjoying it and wished with all her heart she could escape his clutches.
Hugh was a silent witness to all this. He never made any comment and carried on with his work to the point where he melted into the background. Very often Seth would forget he was there and carried on with Lilly as if they were alone. Hugh hated Seth’s unkindness and found it difficult to hold his peace.
One evening Lilly, at last, decided to stand up for herself and delivered a mouthful of invective to Seth accompanied by a stinging slap of her own. She was rewarded with a savage beating which left her bruised and bleeding. Seth stormed out of the house and crossed the road to the inn. He sat in a corner and drank himself into oblivion, much to the amusement of the other customers. They knew he rarely parted with money even for his own pleasures and chuckled behind their hands as he slowly sank into a drunken stupor.
Hugh had been alarmed by the noise from the main house and rushed in to rescue Lilly but was too late. Seth had already left, and she was sitting on the kitchen floor nursing her bruised body.
‘Get your things together and bring Robin, we’re going.’ He stated.
Lilly didn’t argue, gathering up her few personal possessions and collecting Robin from his crib. Hugh carried the baby and together with his meagre luggage slung over his shoulder the pair made their way around the side of the house and headed South. Away from both the Marston villages, heading for a place, any place where nobody would recognise them.
Seth returned very late. He had been drinking heavily, and he could hardly stand. The routine of being a baker ensnared him, and bypassing the house, he made straight for the bakery. The oven was cold, and he cursed loudly. Now he would have to light it before beginning to make the dough. He staggered around piling wood into the firebox and eventually managed to ignite it. He needed help to make the bread and shouted out for Hugh, walking around the back of the oven. The room was empty, there were no clothes, nothing. Seth cursed loudly, suspecting Hugh had taken his leave without telling him, how dare he, the ungrateful bastard?
Next, he went into the house to drag Lilly out, he would give her more than bruises if she didn’t buck her ideas up! But there was no one there. Seth clumsily climbed the stairs to their bedroom but it too was empty, and where was the baby, where was his son? He staggered down the stairs in an alcohol-fuelled temper, they had gone, all of them. That bastard Hugh had stolen his wife and his son.
Seth ran around the yard shouting loudly for Hugh and Lilly, he fell over continually, and each time it made him angrier. Staggering back into the bakery and spotting two pitch soaked torches in a corner he grabbed them, pushing each one into the fire and laughing as they burst into flame. Seth had finally crossed the divide between sanity and madness. Carrying a flaming torch in each hand, he ran across the road to the inn and burst in the door shouting out Lilly’s name,
‘Where’s my wife, you bastards. What have you done with her?’
There was a general panic in the room as the patrons, mostly drunk themselves, attempted to flee. They rushed at Seth pushing him aside but in doing so a couple of men brushed against the torches, pieces of flaming pitch clinging to their clothes. They rushed outside into the darkness with flames spreading over their bodies. In their drunken stupor, they didn’t have the wits to douse the flames but continued to run around, effectively fanning the flames. The two men on fire ran into their homes and in turn ignited the furniture and curtains.
Seth had not let up, dismissing the fleeing men as he continued to shout at the remaining patrons. The innkeeper attempted to swing a club at Seth, but he ducked avoiding the massive blow. In doing so, he set more people alight plus some of the furniture. The scene had become bedlam with people on fire running in every direction. The blazing sticky pitch attached itself to anything it touched. The innkeeper struck out again with the club and this time managed to connect with Seth’s elbow. There was a loud crack and a scream of agony as the joint shattered. The dropped torch added to the fire already raging, and soon the entire inn was alight. It quickly spread upstairs, and within minutes the thatched roof had collapsed adding to the ferocity of the blaze.
Seth ran out of the inn screaming in agony and frustration. He still gripped one torch in his good right arm and stood contemplating the wild scenes around him. The inferno had jumped from building to building, they being very close together, and the thatch rooves exploded into fireballs of flame. People were running out of the houses, some on fire themselves.
The innkeeper, himself smouldering, saw Seth and ran towards him wielding the club. Seth spotted him and ran for his own house still carrying the torch. He burst into the kitchen with the furious innkeeper in hot pursuit. Seth only made it as far as the kitchen table before taking a severe blow between the shoulder blades. The impact sent him crashing into the oak table forcing him to relinquish his grip on the torch. As he turned to defend himself, the enraged innkeeper brought the club down on his forehead opening up a long gash which travelled down the length of his nose. Seth sank back onto the table as the first flames began to lick around the table top. The innkeeper threw the club into the fire and turned to leave but stopped long enough to tear the moth eaten curtains from the window and cast them into the fire to hurry it along. He slammed the door shut behind him and walked back over the road to his former inn which had already been razed to the ground. The air was full of panicked voices as the villagers tried in vain to save their homes and possessions, running this way and that carrying buckets of water which hardly made any impression on the fierce flames reducing their village to a charred memory.
By dawn, the whole town had disappeared, and all that remained were smoking ruins amidst which their former tenants sifted in the hope
of recovering some article or keepsake. The lonely gallows at the corner of the crossroads bore sad testimony to the tragedy but was completely undamaged.
The only building still standing was the bakery; when the innkeeper slammed the door shut he had starved the fire of oxygen, and it soon burnt itself out, damaging the kitchen but as to the remainder of the house, it merely exhibited signs of smoke damage.
That same morning the entire village population began the walk to Upper Marston; there was nothing left for them, and their only alternative was to seek shelter in the next village or continue on to fresh pastures. They made a sorry looking bunch, many of them sporting injuries and burns from the previous night. Some of the burns were severe, and it was more than likely there would be several fatalities amongst their number.
The innkeeper had ventured into the yard of the bakery and opened the kitchen door. He knew he was responsible for Seth’s death if indeed he was dead. But he had to check to make sure. Had to know if the man had survived and might one day point an accusing finger in his direction.
He opened the door and was met by the appalling smell of burnt flesh. Seth’s charred remains lay on the tabletop which had collapsed onto the floor. The contents of the kitchen had been destroyed, but that was all. The innkeeper knew nothing of the mechanics of fire and instead blamed sorcery or witchcraft for the survival of the house. The only building to do so.
Seth was unrecognisable, his skull and bones remained, but even they were blackened by the fire. The innkeeper gathered up the remnants of the body and ferried them to the bakery. The oven fire still smouldered, and he fed it from the woodpile until it was once again blazing. He unceremoniously threw the bones and skull into the flames and closed the fire door firmly. The damper had been left open, and soon the fire was roaring up the chimney.
The Haunting Page 20
