Three Round Towers

  I moved over towards him, no one stopped me, they knew I was unable to escape.

  ‘You?’ he said.

  ‘Aye it is me.’

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I have been kidnapped and so has Beth, your sister.’

  His close-set eyes registered that strange thought – that he had a sister. His father’s crime against Becca had obviously been seen as of the moment and he had not registered that the child who was the outcome was, in fact, his sister. I watched him turn the information over and saw a dawning understanding.

  ‘Aye, she is your sister and she is in the greatest danger. You must know all there is to know about this family and how they treat women. I am to be forcibly married to Sam and what will then happen to Beth when she grows into womanhood? Will you let that happen to your sister? Never mind what you think about me – she needs protection from this family.’

  He looked bewildered, he was never the quickest but he was the gentlest and I often thought he could be different if he was not egged on by his older brothers.

  ‘You must help me to save her. Please?’

  ‘What can I do?’ he muttered as he raised his hand acknowledging my cousin Sam.

  ‘You must go to Dr Grieve’s house and tell them we are in dire danger and I only have a few days left before I am force-put to Sam. I doubt they will bother with calling the bans but the result will be the same. I will be wed to all intents and purposes and unable to leave. Beth will become their stepdaughter and they will have power over us both. We will never get away and God knows what will happen to her.’

  He walked away from me to sort his merchandise. As he went he turned and whispered

  ‘Is she bonny?’

  ‘Aye, as bonny as her mother was.’

  He was gone and I had no idea if my appeal had fallen on deaf ears.

  The cart we were awaiting pulled up at Jeremiah’s side and I hurried over to ensure he was lifted carefully. He winced at every movement and I offered him some poppy seed tincture to help dull the pain. He refused but thanked me. I turned away and looked gloomily into the woodland that edged up from the brooks.

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Field Poppy: Papaver rhoeas – Fresh flowers were used as a sedative, also for coughs. Opium poppies: papaver somniferum were grown for their pain killing properties and an opium syrup was recommended for coughs by an 11th century Arabian physician. Field poppies also provided colour for wine and medicine

  The Physic Garden Booklet, Michelham Priory

  Beth was excited beyond belief when I pulled her grubby little self into my arms. Oh, how I had missed her wet kisses and loving cuddles. I held her tightly to my chest and buried my face into her beautiful hair. Aunt Tilly had looked after her but not as I would and I itched to give her the care that only I could give. She had been sleeping in a tiny crib near the man who had forfeited the right to be treated as a decent human being. I snatched her little crib and removed it to one of the side rooms where there were cot like beds presumably used by my cousins. I looked to my aunt and said primly, ‘Beth and I will sleep here together.’

  She didn’t respond other than shrugging her shoulders. But a little later she came towards me saying, ‘You can make yourself useful and prepare a meal for tonight. You’ll find grub in the scullery.’

  It was not what I would call a kitchen but needs must so I did what I could with the meagre ingredients and prepared a hearty soup using the remains of a coney which I found in the meat safe. I cooked it long and hard as there were flies eggs and maggots embedded in the carcass. I used some of my precious herbs for flavour. There was some bread that I dipped in warm ale to make it more palatable and softer on the gums.

  Jeremiah was made comfortable in one of the outhouses, which had been cleaned for the purpose. There was plenty of room for him and I spent time checking his wound and trying to get him to do some movements so he didn’t stiffen up too much. He was a fit young man and had vigour on his side so I expected him to make a full recovery in due course. As I bathed him he grasped my hand and held it to his face. I pulled away: I wanted none of that, not even his thanks.

  No one had come seeking him so Aunt Tilly had thought it safe for us to return from the underground cellar. I was soon to learn that there were safe areas all round the property and if anyone came calling Jeremiah could slide through a trap door into another cellar. The church itself was utilised as a hiding place though no one told me how.

  Sam returned before twilight and made short work of my food. I had already given some to Jeremiah but left the others to help themselves. Beth and I ate in our little cubbyhole.

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Ladies’ Bedstraw: Gallium verum – Mixed with bracken and other anti-vermin herbs, bedstraw, which smells sweet when dried, was used to stuff mattresses in the medieval period. Dioscorides knew it as galion or milk plant as it was used throughout Europe as a substitute for rennet in cheesemaking to curdle milk.

  The Physic Garden Booklet, Michelham Priory

  I was delighted the next morning to find many herbs growing nearby and as it was a sunny day I did some harvesting. I remembered that my mother had learned her skills from her grandmother and it was only after she died that my ma had fled Southease.

  My pleasure did not last long as there was much work to do in cleaning our sleeping area and distributing clean dry grasses to comfort us. Beth pottered around my feet and generally helped. At some point I put her down to sleep before tackling the food area.

  I thought often of escape but every time I moved outside the dog accompanied me and barked continuously. I had no chance to run without everyone knowing in an instant. Aunt Tilly kept Beth near her as an inducement to keep me within range.

  I had insisted that Sam go into Lewes and buy some fresh food. Jeremiah needed good vegetables and decent meat to build his strength. I also asked him to go to the doctor’s house and tell Mrs Jenkins that we were well and hoped to return soon. He refused but I insisted that they would come looking for me if I didn’t keep in touch.

  Later, I found that he had visited and had behaved oddly enough to arouse Mrs Jenkins’ suspicions but for now I felt I had no hope. All I could focus on was Beth, Jeremiah and cleaning. If I had to stay here then I would at least be comfortable and to be comfortable I had to be clean.

  Jeremiah improved daily; he worked hard to reinvigorate his muscles. I anointed his scabs with oils to help clean healing. I shaved him and cut his hair. He seemed grateful and became more courteous. I wondered whether if he was shown kindness and generosity he would change his ways but with the old man’s blood running through his veins it was unlikely. His was the only smile I received in that Godforsaken place.

  Sam, for all his pretty looks, was as cold as his mother though he played with Beth in a boisterous fashion, which she loved. I was always nervous when she was with any of them. I listened shamelessly to his conversations with his mother when they thought I was asleep; he no more wanted to marry me than I him but he accepted his mother’s view that I was better in the family than out. She pointed out the advantages – the healing, the cooking, and finally, the bedding. I heard him snort in disagreement and she replied ‘all cats is grey in the night’.

  God help me.

  Eventually I gleaned knowledge of their plans and it appeared that my day in church would be three days hence. The old priest who would officiate did not ask questions of such a family and just to set the seal the entire gang would be present to witness me becoming a part of the smugglers’ troupe.

  There were no preparations other than broaching a barrel of best undiluted brandy. My last two days of freedom were spent in the same manner, cooking, cleaning and working with Jeremiah.

  I was told on the morning that I was to be wed that day. Little Beth was to be my flower girl and Jeremiah was to give me away: cynical token civility.

  I made a pretty garland for Beth but otherwise had no finery or pretty things to adorn myself wi
th. I was instructed to make the bridal bed and was watched by my future mother-in-law – she had a vindictive glint in her eye as I spread the sweet smelling ladies’ bedstraw. I had the thought to kill myself, I had the means in my bag, but I couldn’t abandon Beth.

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  The hours passed slowly until I was marched towards Southease Church. Jeremiah haltingly led Beth who was prattling merrily all the way; together they had the same turn of speed.

  The priest was dressed in black and the pews were filled with a motley band of smugglers who were all there under order from Tilly to see the fun.

  My groom was at the altar waiting and joking with his friend who held the ring. There was a ring, a solid gold ring apparently torn from the finger of a dying woman – a wrecker’s prize. I had learned so much about this family when I was supposedly asleep. I would discard it as soon as I could.

  Jeremiah and I stood waiting for the church to quiet. He walked slowly and I was partly holding him up instead of the other way round. We arrived at the altar and the priest began.

  He knew his service and intoned the phrases that are so familiar. My heart grew colder with each word but suddenly, when we got to the bit where he asked if anyone knew of a reason not to marry the couple before him there was a great shout from the rear of the church. I turned, stunned, as I saw Wilf, alone and unarmed in the centre of the aisle. Not a soul moved. It was as if we were all stupefied. He shouted again:

  ‘Stop! This marriage is unlawful for she is married already.’ My mouth dropped open in shock even as I saw Beth tottering toward Wilf. There was uproar and I took the opportunity to run as best as I was able towards him scooping Beth up as I went. ‘Don’t listen!’ It was Tilly standing on a pew. ‘It’s a trick, she b’aint married at all!’ I looked back and saw her raise a pistol.

  I wasn’t going to stop – I kept running. A shot was fired and I still kept going. He grabbed us and together we flew out of the door as the gang realised we were escaping and fell over themselves trying to get out of the narrow pews to get to us. Wilf slammed the great oak door and twisted the handle putting a crook of metal into the ring. We turned sharp into the yew bush that was alongside the church and then he helped me climb into an open table top tomb. He dragged me down to the floor with Beth under us. The top was lowered onto us and it was only then I realised that people had come to rescue us. The slab was wedged open with a flint through which we could see what was happening outside. Later I was to realise that this very tomb was one of the hidey-holes that the gang used to stash their loot.

  ‘Quiet,’ he whispered urgently in my ear. I put my hand over Beth’s mouth. ‘The soldiers are waiting, the place is surrounded. We just need to lie low until they are rounded up.’

  The oak door was sprung open as the combined might of so many ruthless men forced the hinges off the wood. They burst out, all reaching for what few weapons they had. Most had left their knives, cutlasses and guns behind at the house and with their horses for who needed weapons in a church at a wedding? It was a fatal error and cost many of the smugglers their lives. They were cut down in a hail of weaponry wielded by vengeful soldiers who had been made fools of too many times in the past. We were safe: clearly Wilf had indicated where we would hide and no one came near us.

  It was all over in a matter of minutes. Jeremiah was shot in the back and died instantly. Sam was cut down by a sword wielded by a giant of a soldier who swung the blade round his head before bringing it down on Sam’s. I covered Beth’s eyes. I didn’t see the taking of Tilly but she was taken and forced into a cart with her wrists tied to the side rail.

  Of all the men in the church, probably nearing one hundred, thirty were killed, and forty five wounded, the remainder escaped, melting into the background. When we clambered out of our hiding place we were rushed by Farmer Elwood, Billy-alone and Dr Grieve; my friends who had once again come to my rescue. I collapsed to the ground weeping tears of fear, pain, joy, I don’t know what.

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Beth and I were taken back to South Farm where we had a bath and sank into our lovely beds. I slept the sleep of my life with Cilla coming to take Beth as soon as she awoke but before she started shouting for attention.

  When I eventually made my way downstairs to the kitchen it was late morning and I was unprepared for the crowds who were there. Everyone I knew had come to greet me and before I knew it I had heard the whole story.

  Mrs Jenkins had been disturbed by Sam’s visit and told both Wilf and Dr Grieve that something was untoward. Billy-alone and Wilf had gone to Southease to spy on the household and on their way there they met the youngest Coad boy who warned them that Beth and I were being held against our will and that there was to be a forced marriage in a few days. Dr Grieve had extracted the date of the marriage from the terrified priest by threatening him with excommunication, prison, or stringing-up by a Lewes mob. He had given in quite quickly, perhaps glad to get rid of some of his troublesome parishioners. Farmer Elwood had enlisted the military through his contacts and got everyone down to Southease in total secrecy. Wilf’s ruse about me being married was of course untrue but it had worked brilliantly shocking the congregation for long enough for us to escape.

  I hugged everyone and was completely overcome with the love that was showered upon us. Billy-alone was thoroughly enjoying his role in the rescue and Cilla’s eyes shone with pride as she watched him. Farmer Elwood was thankful to see me safe, he had dreaded having to tell Cecilia that I had been kidnapped, married against my will or worse. Mrs Fisher and Cilla were feeding cakes and drinks to everyone who crowded in. Mrs Makepiece and Miss Wardle arrived mid-tale with Beth’s grandpa and the story had to be told again. There were two people missing: Dr Grieve, who had his hands full with mending broken bones and cuts – injuries sustained in the attack, and Wilf.

  I had to see him and so I went out of the door to look for him. Cilla caught me and said he was in the stable.

  ‘Wilf.’ He turned to look at me and I took in the strong arms that had pulled me from the nightmare at Southease, his broad frame and his kind eyes. ‘How can I ever thank you Wilf?’ I held out my arms and he came into them and put his arms round me. ‘Well, I told everyone you were already married, perhaps you should be. To me.’

  I reached up to kiss him. ‘I never wanted anything more.’

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  We had to endure the trials of the gang members or free traders as they preferred to be called. Of my family only Aunt Tilly survived, her father having died whilst she was imprisoned at Lewes. Sam and Jeremiah were buried in paupers’ graves though it was rumoured that great riches were buried in or around Southease. Tilly was undoubtedly the ringleader but there was little evidence and she had no previous counts against her. She certainly was the brains behind an extensive operation and it was her brains that had kept her from public notice. The court case was distressing as I had to give the evidence that would convict her.

  Once again I sat in that court but this time I was called and led through my story by the public prosecutor. The room was packed as it had been for all those sent to trial. In general, sentences had been light as was often the case with smugglers who had links to sections of society who had the power to free them or arrange minor sentences. Aunt Tilly’s position was worsened by her disreputable family history and mostly because of what she had tried to do to me, her sister’s child. My own notoriety in Lewes lent me some sympathy but in the end it came down to my word against hers. On the last day of her trial the prosecutors produced a witness who supported my tale. In exchange for freedom from prosecution for this and earlier events, my companion in the cellar, Digger, stepped forward. Some effort had been made to tidy his wolfish looks up and when I saw him I smiled my thanks that he had finally turned away from the gang’s crimes.

  Aunt Tilly was sentenced to deportation and I hoped never to see her again. That she deserved such a lenient sentence I am far from sure but that was what was handed down.


  The event that had saved me from marriage to Sam was never brought to light: the intervention of the youngest Coad. I do not suppose he told his family of his talk with Wilf and Billy-alone, nor do I suppose that he would have gone out of his way to call at the doctor’s house so it was entirely fateful that they had crossed paths and he had felt able to act. That he had acted honourably by his half-sister was commendable in my eyes.

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  It was a good many weeks since Aunt Tilly’s sentence had been handed down for her part in the crimes of the smuggling gang, but still she was in Lewes prison, awaiting the boat that would transport her to the colonies. Her proximity to me was disturbing and I fretted constantly to be rid of what I felt to be a malign presence.

  Every day began with the same thought: I won’t let Aunt Tilly’s presence spoil my day. Every day I failed in this desire. Somehow she was always in my mind, hiding behind thoughts, sneaking out when I least expected it, infecting me with her malice.

  One day I woke particularly early. The dawn had barely begun its climb to dispel the darkness. I padded barefoot to the window and watched as fingers of opaque light threaded through night clouds; a pale shred of sunlight gently lifted the shadows until the light was full and vibrant. Gradually the birds began their songs and chirrups until the sky was full of exuberance and hectic activity. I might have been the only human on earth for nobody else stirred.

  Beth turned in her truckle bed and I watched as she began to fidget: yawning, stretching and finally blinking rapidly before she opened her eyes fully. I motioned her to the window and she scrambled out of the pile of bedding and together we watched the morning arrive. It was going to be a lovely day and we held hands together to welcome it.