The man who had ferried them there in his cart was paid off, and their luggage carried inside.
After a happy meal in the early evening, it was time to retire. Luke and Mary were shown upstairs to what had been Luke’s old bedroom all those years ago, and by that act, it was apparent that the assumption had been made that Luke and Mary even if not married were certainly a couple in every sense of the word. They didn’t wish to appear rude or cause any embarrassment to Hugh or Lilly, so gracefully accepted the room. They made ready for bed in the privacy of the darkness, and it wasn’t until they both lay in bed under the covers that Luke felt a massive wave of guilt. It had been in this room and more than likely in the same bed that he had last held Bethany in his arms. He turned on his side away from Mary and allowed tears to wash down his face.
Mary sensed his grief and turned to nestle into his back, her arm around him.
‘Go to sleep now, Luke. I’m quite sure that Bethany will be looking out for you, wherever she might be.’
It was in the early hours when Luke turned over, still fast asleep and snuggled up to Mary. She was wide awake and opened her arms to him. He called her Bethany as they gently made love, but she paid no heed to the mistaken identity, looking instead at the figure in the doorway and smiling. The woman returned the smile warmly before slowly disappearing.
The dawn broke heralding a new day. The sun shone through the window illuminating the couple, Luke staring at the ceiling. Mary woke up, stretched her arms and turned to face him. Luke began to stammer his apologies for his behaviour the night before; he had woken up during the act of lovemaking.
‘No need to apologise, Luke, really, no need.’
Luke became thoughtful,
‘I’m sorry if I offend you but it was the strangest experience. I want to explain what happened.’
‘Go ahead.’ Mary urged, nestling further into his shoulder.
‘I was asleep; then I began to dream. I dreamt of another time when I shared this bed with Bethany. I lay beside her and felt a tremendous desire. At the start I was with her, making love to her but then as I woke up, I realised it was you, and it was as if the two of you became one. I didn’t feel that I was being unfaithful to Bethany or I was doing you any wrong. It was beautiful, and I was blissfully happy.’
Mary spoke without facing him, quietly and sincerely.
‘Bethany was here, in the room, and she was happy for you, happy for us. You must not feel any guilt; she approves completely.’
Luke thought about that,
‘You mean to say that she is dead, you saw her spirit?’ He asked.
‘Yes, I saw her as clear as day, and she smiled at us. She will always be with you, Luke, it is I that must share, and I do so gladly.’
The next morning the work began in earnest, and the two men cleared the bakery and oven. They raked out the fire box and were surprised how much ash and debris emerged to scatter over the floor. Luke combed through it, hoping there would be no trace of Tom’s skeleton remaining. He thought he detected a few pieces of bone but quickly brushed them aside into the heap of ash.
Hugh was reaching in with a long handled rake to get to the very back of the fire box when something caught in the prongs. He pulled on the rake with both hands, and it emerged with an object still caught on one of the tines. They both examined it, and Luke let out a cry of dismay. He separated it from the rake and held it in his hands looking at it intently as if it would talk to him, to tell its tale. Hugh was also studying it, but from his look, Luke knew he had no idea what it was.
‘It’s a scold.’ Said Luke, ‘Used to prevent women from talking and spreading malicious gossip.’ He didn’t explain that a scold could just as easily be used to keep anybody from calling out. It would make a very effective gag if a little uncomfortable and cruel. Luke put it to one side, not sure what to do with it and they both continued to clean. They decided that the walk to Upper Marston was not that far and if they could bake excellent bread, they would be able to sell it there. The village still didn’t have its own bakery, and the bread had to be delivered from Rainly, a good distance away. Consequently, the loaves sold in the village were always at least one day old. They decided that Hugh would go into the village that afternoon and arrange for delivery the next day. Just small quantities at first but later they would be able to supply the entire area. Luke had noticed that the little cart his father had taken from the Gypsy camp was still in the yard. It looked serviceable, and would make the task of delivery so much easier. He arranged for shipments of flour and yeast to begin immediately, enough to give Hugh a good start.
Lilly and Mary set about cleaning the house from top to bottom, Mary chose the downstairs and set to. She kept glancing at the little room used as a pantry and couldn’t resist the temptation any longer and walked in, starting at the front and working her way back towards the rear wall. There was something about this room that held her, and Mary sensed it was the girl she had seen the night before in their bedroom. She placed her hands against the wall and shivered. Somehow she knew the girl was there, perhaps behind the wall, but she also knew she was dead. To expose her remains to Luke would destroy him and as a consequence her beautiful new relationship. She would not give that up for anything and decided to make no mention of what her mind was telling her was true. Mary knew she had the gift as it was known, although many would call it by its other name, witchcraft.
If it was Luke’s lost love, then she already knew her name. Luke had spoken of Bethany so many times that Mary thought the name must be etched into her brain. She leaned against the wall with palms outstretched and softly called her name. Mary hearing nothing in reply turned to leave but was brought to a standstill by a vision standing in front of her. It was the thin outline of a woman.
‘Bethany?’ Called Mary, softly.
‘Luke must not take ship again.’ The voice was thin and seemed to be coming from far away, but Mary understood every word.
‘Why?’ She asked.
‘Danger.’ Came the reply, ‘Keep him safe, Mary, keep him by your side, don’t let him cross water. Do this for me.’
The vision faded to nothing and Mary was left wondering if it had been real or imagined.
Lilly came down the stairs with Robin and suggested it might be time for lunch. It broke the spell and Mary laughingly agreed.
That evening, the flower and yeast arrived. The Carter mumbled about the lateness of the hour, but he had been paid handsomely by Luke. All was now set, and the pair of bakers were primed and ready to start. Mary spotted the iron headpiece which Luke had brought in and placed against the kitchen wall. She walked over and picking it up began to run her hands over it.
‘It’s called a scold,’ Said Luke and explained its use to her. Mary didn’t reply but continued to run her hands over the object, frowning as she did so.
‘Where did you find it?’ She asked.
‘It was stuck in the oven, right at the back.’ Replied Luke, ‘Looked like it had been there for years. It would have been heated and cooled countless times I would guess; I wonder who threw it in there?’
Mary became aware the object was getting warmer. Not uncomfortably so but definitely warmer to the touch. Then across the room, she saw the thin outline of the girl she had seen before beginning to materialise. The figure gained a face and Mary saw the grim smile. Luke caught Mary’s look and turned to look in the same direction. There was nothing there, only the blank wall.
‘Everything all right, Mary?’ He asked.
‘Bethany wore this.’ Mary replied, ‘She was forced to put it on.’
Luke gasped as he realised the enormity of what she had just said.
‘That would have been Seth.’ Lilly stated in a matter of fact tone.
He was a cruel man and cared only for himself. I often wonder if he had a hand in my Isaac’s death.’
Luke was becoming confused now, ‘Isaac?’ He asked.
Lilly looked sad,
‘He was my first
husband, Seth said he burnt himself on the oven door and fell backwards hitting his head on the floor and splitting it open. But I sometimes wonder if Seth had anything to do with it? After poor Isaac’s funeral, he offered for me to stay on out of the kindness of his heart but I always knew it was for himself he made the offer. He soon had me in his bed, the alternative was the open road, and I was still grieving over the loss of my husband and children. I watched them die from starvation, so I had nothing. He made me pregnant and then insisted we be married because of the child. After Robin was born, he became worse if that were possible and my life became unbearable. That is until Hugh took me away with Robin, who he now treats as his own.’
She took hold of Hugh’s hand,
‘Now that we know Seth has gone we shall be married.’
Luke smiled at them and said the marriage should be arranged as soon as possible and that he would meet all costs.
His mind returned to the scold and Bethany. Taking the contraption from Mary’s hands, Luke ran his own over the smooth surface. He could feel only the coldness of the iron; the warmth had disappeared.
‘I can’t believe my father was so cruel, how am I not like him then?’
Mary answered,
‘You must have taken after your mother, what about your elder brother, Tom wasn’t it, what was he like?’
Luke’s eyes hardened as he remembered his older brother,
‘He was like my father, selfish and quite capable of being brutal to get what he wanted.’
‘I wonder where he is?’ Asked Mary, almost to herself.
She saw the faint swirling shape of smokey ash circling the kitchen before it slipped under the door. No one else appeared to have noticed it. But she thought she knew where Tom was now.
She had to get Luke away from here; there was only danger and sadness for him in this place. She guessed that Lilly and Hugh with little Robin would be alright, maybe the child would afford them some protection from the forces surrounding them.
The bakery became a hive of activity as they quickly refurbished the house. Luke drew down money from a bank in Lincoln connected to his London bank and spared no expense to make life comfortable for Hugh and Lilly, not forgetting little Robin, who was after all his half brother.
The marriage was celebrated at the church in Upper Marston in front of a well attended congregation. The village folk were overjoyed at having a regular supply of good quality fresh bread and joined in the celebrations. Luke put on a reception at the local inn the like of which had not been seen in the area for many a year.
Luke announced two weeks later that it was time for Mary and himself to depart. He told Lilly and Hugh about the impending voyage back to Virginia saying they would have to make haste if they were to get back in time. Luke had wanted to take a ship in Kings Lynn for the trip to Bristol but Mary, conscious of the warning she had received baulked at the idea, saying she would much prefer to travel overland. Luke although surprised, agreed; the relationship between the pair had changed radically in that they were now a couple but he spoiled her much as before.
The farewell at the bakery was a protracted affair. Hugh and Lilly were now well established, and the title for the property was now firmly in their hands. They were so grateful for everything Luke had done for them and could not think of enough ways to express their gratitude. At last, the time came for the travellers to board their hired carriage for the short trip to Lincoln to pick up the overland stage to London. As it trundled out of the yard, there were waves and tears aplenty. Mary looked back, waving at Hugh and Lilly standing hand in hand. Her smile became fixed as she saw the look on little Robin’s face. Even from a distance, the hardness in his dark eyes was clearly evident. A shudder ran through her as she saw the outline of another person standing behind him. The outline hardened into the figure of an older man, and she noticed he too had hard, black eyes. Both were staring as they drove up the road in the direction of Upper Marston. They were standing adjacent to the old gallows which added to the morbidity of the scene. She wished she had asked Luke to pull it down; it was the only other remaining structure in the village and the least attractive. Mary was glad they were leaving and vowed they would never return.
Chapter 29
Walking up the road to Upper Marston, Sebastian felt his anger subsiding. He smiled to himself as he thought about Briony, she was the epitome of everything he had ever wanted in a woman. But he could do without the mystery, why did life have to be so complicated?
By the time he reached the pub, he was far more relaxed but decided to have a drink anyway. The bar was busy, and he tried to attract the attention of the barman without any success. It was a different fellow from the ordinary man who served him and try as he might he couldn’t get his attention; he was about to walk out in disgust when the regular man appeared. He noticed Sebastian standing in the midst of the throng of patrons looking a little forlorn and, smiling, called out to him,
‘Just take a seat, sir, and I’ll bring your usual over.’
Relieved, Sebastian sat at a table tucked away in the corner of the room and gratefully thanked the barman, who he had always assumed was the licensee.
‘Can’t get good staff these days.’ The man joked, ‘Don’t pay now; I’ll set up a tab, and you can settle up later.’
‘Thank you.’ Said Sebastian, deciding the evening wasn’t going to be a complete disaster after all.
That was until James walked in. He too appeared to suffer from the same inability to attract the barman’s attention and stood scowling at the people standing at the bar laughing and joking amongst themselves. He spotted Sebastian sitting in the corner and sauntered over to join him.
‘Couldn’t get a bloody drink if my life depended on it.’ He quipped. The barman appeared with scotch in hand and delivered it to James who, smiling broadly, proceeded to sit down in front of Sebastian.
‘Don’t mind if I join you do you old chap?’ James asked.
A fait accompli if ever there was, thought Sebastian, treating the question rhetorically.
Sebastian held his empty glass up, and within seconds the barman was there with another measure to replace it. James downed his in one and made the same gesture with his, receiving another shot in much the same timeframe. Sebastian hoped James’ drinks wouldn’t be appearing on his tab.
The pair didn’t have much to say to each other and the usual welcoming pleasantries finished, the conversation died away altogether. Making up for the awkward silence, they both drank, and glass after glass of scotch was delivered to the table by the ever present barman.
By the end of the evening, Sebastian and James were sitting opposite each other and swaying gently backwards and forwards like bullrushes in a breeze. Conversation was impossible, even if they had the desire. The alcohol had adequately numbed the vocal chords of both men, and they were reduced to staring at each other through bleary eyes.
Time was called, and the place began to empty. Sebastian rose unsteadily from the table and wobbled his way over to the bar to settle up. James remained seated, still swaying gently. The barman presented the bill, and Sebastian tried to read it although it insisted on deliberately trying to outfox him by constantly changing focus. In the end, he held it out at arm's length to study the total.
‘I’m not paying for him as well!’ He slurred, rather louder than he meant to.
James suddenly perked up and spoke,
‘To hell with him; I’ll pay my own way!’ He exclaimed in an equally unnecessarily loud voice.
The barman put a pen through a number of lines on the bill and presented Sebastian with the amended total.
‘That’s better!’ Exclaimed Sebastian and pulled out his wallet. He fumbled through the compartments for the notes and plonked them down on the counter.
‘Keep the change.’ He shouted to the now empty room.
Empty? He thought, where did that bastard James go, sneaked off without paying I’ll be bound? He turned to address his fears to the bar
man, but he too had disappeared.
‘Going home!’ He shouted to the empty room, staggering towards the door. When he made his way out into the cold evening air, the inevitable happened. The sudden change of temperature turned his stomach. He could no longer see two of everything; it had increased to three or maybe even four. He gave up on the struggle to keep his vision monocular and instead allowed his eyes free rein. He felt his head swimming and sank to his knees. In that position, he was able to give in to the desperate need of his stomach to evacuate all the expensive Scotch Whisky he had consumed during the evening. The gutter was soon awash with the disgusting smelly mess, but Sebastian felt greatly relieved and although still staggering, felt he might make it home. He studied the road towards Lower Marston and decided that three miles sober would be more like four miles in his drunken state. He began to weave his way down the road, sometimes walking sideways at ninety degrees to his intended path before changing course and walking back over to the opposite side. In this way, his progress forward was perhaps ten yards while the actual distance covered more like Thirty, his path was not dissimilar to a sailing yacht tacking upriver.
He made it not quite halfway when his sense of direction finally failed him and instead of turning to recross the road he carried on and fell into the ditch. He lay there not so much stunned as fast asleep.
He had no idea what time it was when the soft caressing on his forehead awakened him. Laying on his back and looking up at the night sky, he was conscious of his head being cradled. As his vision cleared and he could focus he found himself looking up into Briony’s face. She was sitting in the ditch with his head in her lap. He smiled up at her.
‘I love you.’ He slurred.
‘And I you.’ She replied.
After many failed attempts she managed to get him to his feet and back onto the road. With her help and support, he finally made it to the bakery. The kitchen door opened noiselessly, and they both walked in. Sebastian stopped in his tracks. The tobacco was back, thick clouds of blue smoke curling up from the chair.
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