“Yes, My Lord,” Samuel Cooper replied.
Chapter 9
It was a cold and dreary day in December. The Duke sat silent and morose, a shadow of his former self. Within the last four weeks, since Abigail had been carried away from the castle, he had been besieged with problems.
More than half of the workers at his colliery had quit to join the neighbouring colliery. The council members had sent him a strongly worded missive demanding he appear and justify the death of Jeremiah Blunt. He was threatened with the closure of his business, and the staff that worked for him at the castle had begun to leave. The Duke was faced with the prospect of being unable to run the castle due to lack of staff.
I shall have to close it down and move to another smaller place, he thought. Yet that is insignificant compared to the loss of Abigail. I wonder where she is and with whom.
At that moment, Tobias came and joined him.
“What news do you bring Tobias?” he asked.
“Your Grace, I have spoken with the foreman. He says the men are revolting and refusing to work. They fear they will not be paid their wages in time.”
“Why Tobias? What is it that has thus altered their behaviour?”
“So many men have left, Your Grace, that the burden of work has increased for the remaining men, and so they grow discontented,” he replied.
“Yes, but what made my men leave? Who poached them away?”
“That is the very thing that I have been attempting to determine. As yet, I have been unable to get any man to admit the possibility of sabotage. However, I have my suspicions, and I believe Samuel Cooper may be responsible.”
“How can you say that? Was not he ordered to leave and never come near my colliery again?”
“So he was, Your Grace, yet I believe he has by stealth crept into the miners’ homes and individually poisoned several of them against you. Then once having sown the seed of discontent, waited for them to share their opinions with others.”
The Duke was silent for a while and then said, “You may be right, and yet I have difficulty understanding how a man working for me, at a decent wage, with a family to feed, should listen to people that tell him to leave his work.”
“I shall keep trying, My Lord, till I have all the information,” Tobias replied and got up to leave.
“What of the girl?” asked the Duke.
“I have no news about her, Your Grace. It appears she did not return to the miners’ village.
“Have the groomsman bring out my horse,” said the Duke abruptly.
Tobias did so, and the Duke rapidly mounted the horse. “I shall go look for her myself,” he said.
***
Abigail tossed and turned in bed that night in the Earl’s home. She did not know what to decide.
I never dreamed I would miss working as a housemaid! she thought. Yet what a wonderful time that was. Innocent and carefree, all I cared about was the pleasure of bringing breakfast to the Duke and watching him eat from the doorway.
Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the last night she had been with the Duke.
Could I go back to being that simple housemaid that delighted in holding his shirts to my cheek before putting them away, when I have tasted the wild joy of being clasped in his arms? Yet why did he do that if I meant nothing to him?
She got up and shivered in the cold night air, wrapping a shawl about herself and pacing up and down the room.
What did I mean to him? What did he intend to do? He pushed me away before that last disturbance. Would he have told me to go back to work? Would he have made me his mistress?
She bit her lip as the thought entered her mind that she would have loved to be that close to him, and yet she knew that she could not have borne the anguish of knowing that she could be tossed aside at any minute and that she had no right to live with him.
It would be like constantly plunging from the heights of ecstasy to the depths of shame and despair. I would eventually grow to despise him, and then my heart would be broken.
The tears came into her eyes as she thought, I wish I could forget him. My heart is already broken. Dear Lord, why did you awaken this desire for him in my heart if there was no way I could ever have him? It was my own fault for dreaming. I should have stayed with my father and worked in the coal mines. At least I would have been free of this aching hole in my heart!
“She got back into bed and huddled under the blankets, wrapping her arms around her pillow as if it could ease the pain in her chest.
Does he think of me? Will he even wonder where I am? Enough … I will not think of him anymore. Tomorrow, I must start my new life. This is the last night that I will dream of him.”
Sleep came eventually, and for a few blissful hours, she was at peace.
Chapter 10
The Earl of Aldrich sat at his table smirking with satisfaction as he was served dinner. At the other end of the table sat Abigail, calmly waiting for him to begin. Her rich blonde hair hung in thick ringlets on her bare shoulders. Her dress was pale blue with golden leaves embroidered on the bodice and hem. The waist had been cinched in and then flared out into a vast skirt with hoops. She wore her mother’s silver locket, and it sparkled in the light of the fire.
“You look positively ravishing cousin.” The Earl leered at her.
“I am grateful for all that you have given me, My Lord, yet I must insist that I cannot accept any more unless I am allowed to contribute to your business in some way.”
Abigail studiously avoided looking at him.
“Don’t be a fool! You know this is all your inheritance. You are a member of my family.”
“I am the unwanted daughter of noble parents,” she replied. “I have no inheritance.”
“Had they been alive today, I am sure that they would have corrected their mistake.”
The Earl chuckled to himself as he ate. “Cousin, I have something important I wish to discuss with you after dinner,” he said. “Will you join me in the parlour?”
Abigail agreed warily. He made her uncomfortable, and she did not enjoy his company. She ate little and then got up to join the Earl.
“Come, my dear, sit here with me and tell me what dresses you would like to have made. The dressmaker will be here tomorrow. I have also called for the jeweller. You must appear as the daughter of a Marquis.”
He leaned forward as if he would kiss her cheek, but she drew back in disgust.
“As grateful as I am to you, I must request that you keep your distance from me!” she said.
“Abigail, you are my cousin. We should be on more intimate terms. In fact, we can be very intimate …” He took her hand, stroking her palm with his thumb.
She stared at him wide-eyed, mesmerised by his audacity.
“You are so very beautiful my dear, and you have suffered a great deal. It makes my heart ache to think of it. I wish to see you happy, and I desire that we share everything. My wealth, my home, my jewels, and my chamber.”
Abigail awoke from her daze and snatched her hand away. “How dare you, Sir? I am your cousin, and that one relation means that there can be no other!”
“An archaic rule cooked up by bishops and priests that have nothing better to do than torment ordinary mortals like us. I assure you no one will care in the least. Make me happy, and I shall make you the lady of this mansion. No one knows of your birth. Everyone will accept what I say.”
“I see that I have made a terrible mistake. I shall leave tomorrow, My Lord, as I have no intention of ever making you or anyone else happy in the manner that you have described.”
“Oh, don’t be nonsensical! You know you have nowhere else to go. Do not grieve; I will give you more time. You know you have no choice. As you say, you are the abandoned daughter of noble parents and have been brought up as the daughter of a miner and a housemaid. To my knowledge, you were well on the path to being the Duke’s mistress. What future do you think you have? Your parents’ property has passed on to the son of the mine
r, who is respected as the Marquis. Who will challenge him? Even if it were proved that he is not the rightful heir, you will not inherit his property. It will go to your male relatives, including me.”
Abigail rose to her feet, “If that is all you wished to discuss, I would like to leave now. I wish to go to bed.”
She walked away while the Earl called after her, “Consider my proposal. I will ensure a safe future for you.”
When she reached her room, she bolted the door and wept.
“Dear Lord, help me, guide me!”
***
The Duke was exhausted. He had left Northumberland Castle and now lived in a more modest mansion several miles away. Only Tobias, Alfred the butler, the housekeeper, and the cook with two housemaids remained with him. All the other servants had left.
Every morning, he would ride with Tobias to the colliery and oversee the work of his miners. He spoke kindly to them and insisted on paying them well. Yet he was unable to determine the reason that such a vast majority had left.
Then one day he met Mother Grey again. She beckoned to him.
“What are you doing here, Mother? This is no place for you. Go home, and I shall come see you in the evening,” he said.
She shook her head. “No, my son, thou hast enough on thy hands without concerning thyself with an old woman like me. I have all that I need. I only desired to tell thee that which none of these workers will.”
She came closer and whispered, “Samuel Cooper! He is the villain that has poached away thy men. He told them their houses wouldst be burned down while they slept unless they left the colliery and went to work for the Earl.”
“I suspected as much. It does not matter, Mother Grey, do not worry.”
“He hast them still in his power. They are weary and heartbroken. He hast worked them to the bone and will not pay them. Yet they dare not return. They fear his wrath and your just resentment.”
“I am grateful, Mother Grey; God willing, I will do my best to alleviate their fear and win them back.”
“She is with him.”
The Duke looked up sharply. “What did you say?”
“Many tears hast she shed, and yet she dost not know what to do. Alone and friendless, she has no faith in thee.”
“Who, Abigail? Who is she with? Why does she have no faith in me?”
“Thou hast failed to take any measures to recover her, and she hast no will to return, for she fears thy indifference and has been poisoned to doubt thy sincerity. She has been taught to believe that thou were the one who drove her father to his death.”
“She cannot believe that!” he exclaimed.
“Yet the thought torments her.”
“Where? Who is she with?”
Mother Grey looked up at him her eyes filled with rage. “I shall strike thee down with my staff! Dost thou love her? Dost thy heart not tell thee where she must be? Dost thou not know who carried her away? Yet thou sat silent all this time. Dost thou fear ignominy? Then thou shalt never have her!”
She turned and hobbled away, striking the ground hard with her staff at each step.
The Duke stood stunned and suddenly aware that she was right. If he were really desperate to find Abigail, there was only one place left to look. He had been reluctant to go there, not wanting to admit publicly to his feelings, or to risk confrontation with his estranged cousin.
He went back to work, but Abigail remained in his thoughts. He wondered why he had never said it to himself. Why had it taken Mother Grey’s words for him to realise.
I love Abigail and will always do so. I am incomplete without her, and I don’t care who she is or what people say!
The Duke knew not how he passed the remainder of that day. He felt feverish and excited. He longed to return home so that he could plan his next step. It was obvious that he would have to accost the Earl of Aldrich. He had to decide the number of men he would take with him and how he would incapacitate the Earl so that he could talk to Abigail.
When he arrived home in the evening, he could barely eat despite not having eaten all day. As luck would have it, he woke up the next morning with a fever and cough. He cursed his luck but resolved to respect the doctor’s advice and stay in bed for some days.
Meanwhile, Abigail spent that entire evening pacing up and down her chamber and wondering how she could escape the clutches of the Earl.
If there is one thing I have learned, it is that men are not to be relied on. I shall have to be strong and stand on my own feet if I desire to be safe from the plans laid by men.
As far as was possible, Abigail stayed away from the Earl over the next few days. She had her meals in her chamber and went back to wearing her own simple dresses rather than the gorgeously arrayed costumes provided by the Earl.
Horace Blakemore was annoyed at this change in her behaviour but realised there was very little that he could do. He waited for an opportunity and at last succeeded in following her out to the grounds for a walk in the afternoon.
“My dear, I would like a word with you,” he said to her as he walked by her side.
“I have no desire to speak with you, and I believe it would be wisest to stay as far apart as possible,” she replied.
“My dear, you live under my roof, and you have nowhere else to go. You can hardly return to the Duke’s home, and neither can you return to the miner’s village. I would advise you to reconsider my offer.”
“I thank you for your kindness, but let us resolve never to discuss that offer again so long as we both shall live,” said Abigail.
The Earl smiled to himself at this speech. “What if I am unable to make that resolution?”
“Then I shall perforce be compelled to leave your residence and seek my fortune on my own.”
“I doubt you will be able to do that my dear,” snickered the Earl.
“In fact, I believe I should start preparing myself immediately,” she replied. The Earl watched in disbelief as she turned around and began walking back into the house.
“Where will you go?” he asked.
“I shall go back to the village and live with Mother Grey,” she replied.
“You would give up the luxurious life, clothes, and jewellery that I can provide to live in a mean hut with a crotchety old woman?”
“I would.”
The Earl began to despair. He stopped and fell to his knees in front of her. “I beg of you do not leave me!” he cried.
Abigail was astounded. She had not expected the Earl to grovel before her. “My Lord, it is no use compelling me to stay. I cannot afford to do so and risk my self-respect. Until a few days or weeks ago, you did not know of my existence. I am sure you will survive,” she said.
“You do not know what it is like to live all alone and be tormented by memories.”
“Perhaps you are right,” she replied indifferently.
“I shall do anything you say! Please stop saying that you will leave,” begged the Earl.
“If you want me to stay, you will have to accept my conditions, My Lord! I shall not accept any gifts from you, whether they be of clothing or jewellery. I shall earn my keep and live here as your manager.”
The Earl furrowed his brow as he thought. “What would you do as my manager?”
“I can see that you have no communication with your employees. You hardly ever visit your colliery, and you rely entirely on Samuel Cooper for advice as to manage your workers. That man is not to be trusted.”
“My dear, you know not what you say. That man is responsible for helping me to draw away the best miners from the colliery of the Duke of Northumberland.”
“That may be, but you have no idea what he did to achieve his goal. How did he persuade them to leave the service of a just and generous employer? Did he bully and threaten them? You may be indifferent as to his methods. However, having lived amongst the miners, I know that an unhappy worker is always on the lookout to leave and improve his condition. Until you pay more attention to the workers, you risk losin
g them.”
“What do you propose to do?”
“I shall visit the colliery and speak with the miners. Their just grievances will be addressed, and I shall be able to oversee what Samuel Cooper does.”
The Earl looked at her surprised. “You would be able to do that? What would you want in return?”
“Your word that I shall live here unmolested and earn a decent wage.”
“You shall have my word. For a trial period of one month, you can do as you wish. However, should you lose even one worker to the Duke of Northumberland, I shall have to reconsider the terms of our deal,” said the Earl.
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