As John halted, two men in plain clothes entered the carriage, one about the lieutenant's age, and one older man.
'Fisher got on the box to lead the driver out of the camp. It's a maze, and we don't want to stay here any longer than necessary.'
That was the older man speaking, he looked around forty, old to be in active service.
'Mrs Beauchamp, this practical fellow is Jones, who is the quartermaster of our company. He used to be a private with us, but due to a break that wasn't properly set he had to retire from active service.'
Agnes offered to shake hands with the skinny man, and he accepted gingerly.
'Please my lady, not too firm, it's my arm, it never healed right and is still very painful. I broke it in several places in France, and by the time we came back to good old England it had healed up in a big mess. I can still use it, but shooting accurately was impossible, and damp weather makes me utterly useless.'
It was hard to imagine Jones useless, he looked brisk and very efficient.
The other man was fresh-faced and shook her hand firmly, though he didn't say much. He seemed nervous. Lieutenant Harley introduced him as Lieutenant Alexander.
'I didn't meet private Barks until we were all back from France, ma'am,' Jones said. We were in the infirmary together, and Harley used to visit him. That's how we all met. We all looked up to Barks, he was so young and yet had seen so much action, had done some brave things. But after a while we started to see something was not right with him, his wounds had healed but his eyes lacked life, so to speak. We considered him a friend, but he kept a certain distance, I suppose he had lost too many close to him to dare feel friendship.
Maybe he couldn't love, some things he did tell me suggested he never had anyone to get attached to. He had horrible nightmares that did not improve once he was back in the barracks. But he was the best marksman, and he knew enough strategy to be an officer, except he could never have that since he had joined to avoid the gallows. When word came his company would be sent overseas again he lost heart, and we started to keep an eye on him, expecting him to do something desperate.'
'Which he did,' Alexander stated dryly. 'On my watch. I was still a private, and when I was called away by an officer I had to answer. When I came back, he was gone. We searched the privies and other places, and our sarge took us on a patrol in the moors, just to scour that dismal place looking for him. But the weather was atrocious and we couldn't find him. After three miserable days sarge called off the search, and Barks was reported missing on patrol, probably drowned. Even the sarge couldn't bear to have him marked a deserter, Barks had spent more time in the service of our King than any one of us.
I still feel I failed him, though the others said I couldn't help it. Especially when some men in other companies started to question a patrol that far from the camp, and used that ugly word to describe our friend. When Harley told me he was still alive, I nearly fainted with relief and guilt. I hardly dare face
him, I failed him so.'
Had Agnes misunderstood, or had the others forgotten to correct his fears?
'I was under the impression Dennis didn't know you were watching him?
How can he be angry if he didn't even know?'
Lieutenant Alexander's sad face grew soft.
'Is that what you call him, Dennis? Is that his Christian name? I never knew.
And yes, ma'am, he didn't know, and I know he didn't. But still I'm afraid he'll be angry for not saving him. He must have gone through a lot, will you tell us about that before we see him? How he ended up living with you?'
The carriage halted suddenly, and Agnes felt that twinge of fear again. But when the door opened, no uniformed men looked in, but a young handsome fellow with stunning blue eyes.
'We're clear of the camp, quite a distance, actually, can I come in now?'
'Yes, Fisher, do come in,' Lieutenant Harley said, 'please meet Mrs Beauchamp, who saved Barks from certain death and who is engaged to him.
He calls himself Mr Parker now, and Mrs Beauchamp calls him Dennis, since that always was his first name.'
Agnes shook hands with the self-assured youngster, who flashed her a smile.
'Mrs Beauchamp, Fisher is the youngest member of our little group. He's just made ensign, which is a miracle since he has no sense of responsibility at all.'
Fisher again smiled broadly, he was a funny chap, he did look like he had no sense of responsibility, but he had gotten them out of the camp without incident.
'I admired Barks, I mean, the other thing, Parker, wasn't it? I admired him so much. He was my age, but had already been abroad for years and years, he had killed countless French and won all kinds of honours. Harley always told us how Parker had saved his life. And Parker taught us green ones moves, and not just army style, but also vicious ways of fighting, mostly unarmed. I looked up to him, but I didn't realize at first he was a mere shadow of the man he had been. I started to understand that slowly, when he woke from nightmares screaming. He was ashamed of his weakness, started to retreat ever more from us, but no-one called him a coward, not even when he started to freeze up in drill sometimes, even the sarge covered for him. We could guess what he had been through for he talked in his sleep.
Then when orders came to prepare for a campaign in Africa, he stopped spending time with us altogether, and Harley wanted us to watch him in
turns, said he was going to make an end to it. But he was too determined, he was too good for any of us to keep track of. He gave us the slip and walked himself lost on the moors until not even the sarge could find a trace. I really wonder how you managed to save him from death, ma'am.'
Agnes did not want to tell them, especially not since hearing about the state he'd been in, but she would tell them a censored version, she would be honest. She would not force Dennis to lie to the people who had loved him even when he didn't dare accept their love, they deserved to know the truth.
'I was riding on the moors with my three hounds, all by myself, I know the dangers well and like to hunt there. But that day the weather was miserable, had been for weeks, and I planned to merely let the horse and the dogs go for a run.
The hounds found what I thought was a dead animal, but then I saw it was a man, and he was still alive, though barely so. He was stone-cold, emaciated, almost comatose with fatigue. I warmed him enough for him to mount my horse, then sat behind him and rode home. He wore a tattered uniform, so I knew he was probably a deserter. It was a three-day walk from the camp, but he looked like he had been on the run much longer. without food, without shelter or dry clothing. It was a miracle he survived.'
'You took in a deserter, ma'am, just like that? That was a very dangerous thing to do.'
Ensign Fischer said that, and of course he was right, Agnes knew that now.
One of those brigands would probably have raped and killed her.
'I am ashamed to admit I kept him in a collar and chain while he recuperated.
I thought that kept me safe from him but of course it wouldn't have. He could easily have choked me with the chain, or killed me with his bare hands. But there was no will left in him, not even when his body was strong again. He was like a child trying to please me, he clung to me and would do anything for a bit of attention. I did not treat him well, I left him alone a lot and never even noticed that something was wrong with his mind, though my staff knew about his nightmares. Then one day he just gave up. The army had broken him, and the little life my love had given back to him, for I loved him already, was spent, he had nothing left.
I freed him and requested my servants, who were very fond of him, to help him build a life of his own somewhere. They kept him in their part of the house, and encouraged him to exercise, they tried to cheer him up, but he only wanted to cling to me, gain my love. And I was desperately unhappy,
too, for having treated him so badly when I truly did love him all this time.
Then one day we met outside, and stared at each other for minutes until I b
roke down crying and begged him to forgive me and stay with me.'
The memory of that moment was as intense as it had ever been, and Agnes almost cried again.
'I soon found out that Dennis was suffering from nightmares, and he didn't want to do anything but be with me, he wanted my love and nothing but my love. We talked night after night, all those frightening and heartrending things he went through in France, he relived them again and again at night.
And when he finally found a place for them and conquered his nightmares, he was still my creature, not an independent spirit. When I got with child I realized I needed him to be his own person, not my shadow, I mean, bearing children is dangerous, I might die. The very idea of living without me crushed him, he needed to face his own dependence. Facing what had happened between us did a lot of good, and slowly he started to regain his confidence. Now he is as self-assured as you have probably never seen him, except maybe Lieutenant Harley.
Running into the lieutenant was a shock, of course. He will be shocked to see all of you, but I think it is the last step to his complete recovery, though I'm still afraid to lose him to the army's harsh justice.'
Chapter 26
While Agnes did her duties on the edge of her own lands, Dennis started on a task he felt he was the most suitable person to perform: he was going to convince Dick to accept his inability to work, for no less than six weeks. He knew it couldn't be done all at once, it would take days, even weeks, of quiet talks with simple reasoning. But he felt up to it, and he knew everyone would be behind him all the way.
Maria had left for work early, Dick accompanying her with Pixie, and since Dennis had said his goodbyes to Agnes before she left he was up early as well, and waiting for Dick to return for breakfast. Dick seemed reasonably well, his hand was still wrapped in the splint so Dennis couldn't see how it was. He did look pretty tired, but not in pain. Walking towards Dennis, Dick accepted an arm around his shoulder gladly, and together they moved to the servants' common room right next to the kitchen.
'Did you get any sleep, Dick?' he asked his friend.
'A bit, yes, but it hurt a lot, as the doctor said. I didn't want to wake Maria, and I felt very lonely all by myself in the dark. Tonight I'll ask Maria if I can have Pixie with me when I can't sleep. I can't wake Maria, you know, she has to get up early to work. I didn't feel like making love at all Dennis, do you think she'll mind?'
'Dear Dick, Maria loves you very much. She minds that you're in pain, but I'm sure she understands that you don't feel like making love right now. Don't worry, it will come back, you'll want to have some soon enough.'
But Dick did not eat as usual, and Dennis was secretly worried that something wasn't as it should be. It wouldn't do to let Dick see that, though, so he proposed walking the hounds together.
'On the moors, you're not afraid anymore, are you?'
'No, I'm not. And at least no-one will bother me there, I don't want to go to the village anymore.'
So they walked out after breakfast, John had seen to the horses before he drove off with Agnes, but the hounds needed their exercise.
After a nice walk Dennis managed to convince Dick to lie down for a few hours, with a painkiller to keep his hand from waking him.
'Let Pixie on the bed, Dick, I'm sure Maria won't mind if it helps you sleep.'
Dennis worked in the garden and talked to Patrick, who was expecting a replacement for Dick before lunch, someone Beatrice had recommended, a girl from her village who worked hard and talked little. That was what Beatrice had said, according to John, who did not talk enough to let Patrick know his own opinion on the girl. One girl could not replace Dick, so they would have to hire a strong man as well, there were plenty of those to be had until harvest, though in general men without a steady job had a bit of a bad reputation. Still, the work needed to be done, and this was for three days a week only.
Back to his work in the garden, working in the shade of the house, Dennis soon found his head nice and empty. This was very pleasant work, weeding the vegetable garden mostly, and the fruits of his labour would be on his plate tonight. Dennis liked that a lot, he would miss the work in the garden the coming winter.
The sound of a carriage broke the silence. It was way too early for Agnes to return, they didn't expect her back until right before dinner. Curious to see whether it was indeed Agnes, Dennis walked around the house, and saw an unfamiliar carriage with a rather nice team of sorrels being led to the stables by an unknown man. Patrick bowed to a man Dennis had never seen before, thirtieth and of average height. He was dressed as a gentleman, and not bad looking at all. A suitor for Agnes?
They had already sent off the invitations to their wedding, it was to be in three week's time, but of course not every eligible gentleman would know instantly that Mrs Beauchamp was recently engaged.
Patrick was talking to the man respectfully, but it was clear he knew him well, and that he was an important person. Maybe a relative then?
Dennis would soon find out, for they were coming towards the part of the garden where he was working, and he quickly went back to his post and continued his weeding as if he had not been spying on them. Of course he kept an eye on the approaching gentleman, his instincts had been awoken by their hunt for the brigands and would not be laid to rest within a week. He still felt a little unsafe.
'Mr Parker! Mr Parker! There is a gentleman to see you. Well, actually, to see the mistress, but since she's out you're the master of the house.'
Patrick seemed nervous, but still he managed the introductions just fine.
'Mr Parker, this gentleman is Captain Henry Avery, the late Mr Beauchamp's cousin on his father's side. Captain, you know of Mr Parker, of course, since you received the announcement of his engagement to the mistress.'
Dennis did not feel comfortable in the presence of the man he was going to cut off from his rightful legacy. But he was indeed the host, and he would do Agnes honour in receiving this relative. He knew people usually liked him, and he would try his best to make Captain Avery feel well-disposed towards him.
'Captain Avery, it's such a pleasure to meet you. I'm so sorry Agnes is not in, you may have heard about the brigands in Harrowdale Forest, she has gone over to settle some matters with the farmers who were duped.'
The captain bowed but did not offer to shake hands, he seemed very formal, he probably was disinclined to trust this Mr Parker, who had come out of nowhere to sire an unexpected heir on his cousin.
'Pleased to meet you, too, Mr Parker. Are you by any chance related to the Parkers of Macclesfield?'
When Dennis and Agnes had decided on a false family name for their stay in London, they had not just chosen any old name. The Parker family had a very rich and respectable branch, but also countless less fortunate ones. They were impossible to trace back to a single ancestor, and they were scattered all over the country. Of course they had chosen a far-off county for Dennis to tell people he came from, to make it most likely they'd just take his word for it and see him as coming from a poor but reasonably respectable family.
Therefore, Dennis was used to this question, and replied readily.
'No, captain, unfortunately I am not. I'm from the local poor branch.'
The cousin would find out soon enough he was not a gold digger, but truly very much in love with Agnes.
'I suppose you came to see Agnes, we expect her to return before dinner. Can I offer you some excellent coffee straight away? We usually take it outside, we have this nice little seat in front of the house. Or do you prefer to sit indoors?'
Dennis' friendly attitude did soften the captain a little and he replied politely,
'Coffee would be lovely, Agnes' cook makes such delicious treats to go along with it, it's always a moment I look forward to when I visit. Outside is fine, Mr Parker. And frankly, I'm not disappointed to find my esteemed cousin away from home, I was hoping for a chance to talk to you in private. I
couldn't have wished for a better opportunity.'
/> Why did that make Dennis very uncomfortable? The man probably wanted to assure himself Dennis was not after his cousin's money, which was insulting because it suggested Agnes couldn't make that judgement herself, but not threatening to Dennis in any way. He just couldn't forget the fact that this was an army man.
But Dennis had found his courage two days ago and he did not betray any sensibility to his guest. He merely led the captain to their favourite summer spot, the terrace in front of the house, and asked Patrick to bring some coffee and treats. The he addressed his guest once again.
'I'm at your disposal, captain. And you're in luck, I think Cook has chocolate cakes and whipped cream today. Did you travel far?'
The captain's reply was enough to chill Dennis' blood.
'No, I dropped by because I was in the neighbourhood, I had business at the Newcastle army camp a few hours to the north, and since I was so close I decided to go a little out of my way to check on my cousin. But I'm a bit hungry all the same, I didn't stay for breakfast, I know dear Agnes keeps a very good table and you know what army fare is like.'
Very pleased to find his mind as acute as it had ever been, Dennis managed to hide his consternation as well as evade something he felt might be a trick question. For in fact, army food wasn't bad at all, it was simple but fresh, at least in an established camp, and there usually was plenty of it. But only a soldier would know that.
He smiled at his most ingratiating, trying to look a tad sheepish, and replied,
'Well, I can imagine what it is like, and I'm sure Cook will be pleased to spoil you with some of his specialties. I suspect him of trying to feed us all up, except we all seem to be the skinny kind here.'
Dennis had no way of knowing whether that had been a rhetorical question or an attempt to catch him at having been a soldier, and he managed to put it out of his mind, but only with some effort.
Pretty soon Patrick brought fresh coffee and indeed chocolate cake with whipped cream, and Dennis remarked, 'Thank you, Patrick, I have just heard that Captain Avery hasn't had breakfast, do you mind bringing something a bit more substantial as well, to tide him over until lunch?'
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