by Evie Grace
‘My ma is dying,’ he said suddenly.
‘I’m sorry.’ Catherine sat up straight. ‘Why didn’t you say? Is she much worse than she was?’
He nodded, his eyes forlorn.
‘You know the saying a creaking door hangs longest. I reckon she’s about to fall off her hinges. Seriously, she has taken to her bed and is lying there moaning.’
‘Is she in pain?’
‘Some of the time she’s in agony. Other times, she sleeps.’
‘Does she have any medicine?’
‘Your pa has paid for sleeping drops – they help a little. Anyway, what I wanted to say is that I wish to go and find Jervis. I need to bring him back to see his dying ma, not for his sake, but for hers. He doesn’t deserve it for the grief he’s given us over the years, but he’s family, and blood is thicker than water.’
‘We shouldn’t be sitting here,’ Catherine said, recalling how Ma Carter had expressed a wish to see Jervis when she had called on her on Stephen and Emily’s wedding day. ‘We should be looking for him. Have you any idea where he is?’
‘I’ve heard that he’s found work and a place to live. I believe that Sir William stayed at the very same cottage for a while after he left Mr Francis at Boughton and before he moved to Bossenden.’ He pronounced it ‘Bozenden’. ‘Apparently, Mr Francis ordered him out of Fairbrook when he brandished a pair of pistols at him during a spat.’
‘I don’t blame him. I shouldn’t wish to think that a guest of mine kept a pistol beneath his pillow.’
‘He wouldn’t have used them. I’ve told you before – he’s a peaceable man. People like him. He’s well received by the Culvers at Bossenden.’
‘What has Sir William got to do with finding your brother? You seem transfixed by this man.’
‘I agree with his message, but I’m hardly a fanatic. I wouldn’t take off to join his gang of followers even though I have sympathy for their plight. As you’ve rightly said before, I have work, and I have you, my love – I have too much to lose. No, as far as I know, Jervis is one of his followers. I figure that when I find Sir William, I’ll find my brother.’
‘I’ll come with you. You were going to take me to listen to him speak,’ Catherine pointed out.
‘Not tonight.’ He reached across and stroked her hand. ‘I need you to cover for me if I’m not back by morning.’
‘Oh, Matty,’ she groaned. ‘How will I do that when Pa watches everyone like a hawk?’
‘You’ll think of something.’
‘I don’t want to. You know how I feel about dishonesty.’
‘Your parents lied to you. I’m sorry – I shouldn’t have brought that up again, but that’s how it is. This would be a white lie.’
‘What about John?’
‘You can keep an eye on him – it’ll only be for a few hours, I promise. Please, Catherine. This means everything to my ma.’
‘All right. I’ll do it this once, but don’t ask me to do it again.’
‘I won’t.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘I promise.’
She stood up and slipped her shoes back on.
‘Let’s go back,’ she said. ‘The sooner you find Jervis, the better.’
‘Thank you, my love,’ he said, and he walked her back to the farm.
The next morning, there was no sign of Matty, but no one apart from Catherine appeared to have noticed his absence. George was hoeing the barley fields where the grass and weeds were threatening to overtake the crop. Pa had ridden over to see Young Thomas to talk farming and arrange delivery of a boar to service his new gilts. Ma was talking to a caller who was trying to sell her some goats’ milk.
John was in the yard, unattended and staring at the ground.
‘What’s wrong?’ Catherine said, noticing his perturbation.
He pointed at a heap of brown and cream feathers.
‘The hens? Where are they?’ Catherine called for them, but none came running. She followed a trail of feathers to the orchard, but the hens were missing and the culprit responsible for their disappearance was long gone.
Wiping back tears, she told John to wait and ran inside to speak to Ma.
‘I’ve seen a wily-looking dog fox hanging around recently,’ Ma said, bewailing their misfortune. ‘I told your pa not to let them out too early, not until people were around to keep an eye on them. Oh, we are cursed. Has the cockerel gone too?’
‘I can’t see him anywhere.’
‘I’ll send Matty with the cart to tell Pa to fetch a few of Young Thomas’s flock with him when he comes home.’
‘Oh no, that won’t be possible.’ Catherine’s heart sank. ‘Matty isn’t here.’
‘Where is he then?’
‘I believe he has gone to Faversham to borrow a suit from Stephen.’
‘George didn’t say anything about that,’ Ma said, eyeing her with suspicion. ‘I didn’t think he could afford to take a day off when it is a holiday tomorrow, especially when he will soon have another mouth to feed.’ She looked towards Catherine’s belly. ‘It’s all right, my girl. I’m not stupid.’
‘I am with child,’ she confirmed. There was no point in trying to deny it.
‘What were you thinking of?’
Nothing at the time, she thought, nothing but the heat of Matty’s skin and the passion of his lips.
‘No one need ever find out. You’ll be married by Friday, thank the Lord. You’d better go and watch the sheep with John until he gets back. I’ll tell Pa about the suit. It won’t be a problem – we all know how important this wedding is, even more so now.’
Catherine was amazed. Ma wasn’t as angry as she had expected, and in fact she was treating Catherine rather tenderly. She hoped that her marriage to Matty and all it promised for her family would be the making of her relationship with Ma.
Chapter Ten
Behold a White Horse
Where was Matty? Catherine was in the kitchen, feeling sick as she stirred the last of the eggs from the hens that the fox had brutally murdered into the mix of flour and fat for a honey cake. It was Oak Apple Day, the 29th of May, when they’d arranged to spend some of the holiday together, but he hadn’t turned up. It was the second day running that she hadn’t seen or heard from him.
When she heard shouting from outside the front of the house, she rushed to the door and threw it open.
‘What’s happening?’ Ma bustled down the stairs to join her. ‘Is it Matty?’
‘No, Ma, it’s Little Ed.’
A small boy with dirty knees stood on the doorstep, his cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling with excitement and self-importance. He clutched a coin in his hand.
‘What news is there?’ Catherine asked urgently.
‘Master Carter asked me to let you know, miss. Sir William Courtenay himself is riding through the village. He and his men have stopped for refreshment at the Woodsman’s Arms.’
Catherine didn’t wait for any further explanation. She fetched her shoes and a shawl, and headed out of the house.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Ma said, following her. ‘At least, put on your bonnet.’
‘I’d like to see this man everyone is talking about with my own eyes. Please, Ma. They say he is Jesus. Matty says he’s seen him shoot at the stars and break them into pieces. This could be our chance to witness a miracle, if it’s true.’
Ma didn’t take much persuasion.
They hurried straight to the beerhouse. A gang of men and women, some wearing sprigs of oak, were standing outside Mrs Clackworthy’s establishment, drinking ale from all kinds of containers: pewter tankards, glasses and china cups. There was a bugler standing with a white horse, an elderly man holding a white flag with a red lion painted in the centre, and Matty leaning against a pole which had a loaf of bread speared through its end.
Catherine was relieved and angry at the same time. Leaving Ma behind, she ran towards him.
‘Where have you been?’ she cried.
‘Oh, listen to you, my love. Y
ou’re already a nag and we aren’t yet married.’ He smiled, trying to make light of it, but he sounded different, tense and distracted. There was something wrong.
‘Is everything all right? Are you well? Did you find Jervis?’
‘Don’t fret. You have no need to worry about me, and Jervis is fine.’ He paused for breath. ‘Please, take care of yourself and the baby.’ He glanced towards the tiny swell of her stomach and lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘Don’t go into the woods alone.’
‘Why do you say that? Aren’t you coming home with me now that you’ve seen your brother?’
‘Not yet. Just promise me you won’t put yourself in danger. There are many strangers travelling through the parish. It makes me feel uneasy.’
‘I’ve walked through those woods all my life and I’ve always felt safe, even when the trees came down in the storms.’
‘I’m afraid that a storm of another kind is brewing.’
‘I wish you wouldn’t talk in riddles. What is it you aren’t telling me?’
‘I can’t say. People are listening.’
She wanted to ask why he cared, but the way he glanced nervously towards the bugler made her bite her tongue. A fresh thought occurred to her.
‘You will be at the church the day after tomorrow as arranged?’
‘Of course. Nothing will stop me. I love you, Catherine. All will be well. Trust me. I must go now, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.’ He took a step back. ‘At least now you will see the man himself and form an opinion of him. Make sure you take his words with a pinch of salt.’
Catherine frowned. What did he mean? Had he changed his mind about Sir William?
She watched him turn towards the beerhouse where a roar of cheers went up as a figure emerged from the doorway. From his appearance, his long white hair, black beard and proud bearing, Catherine guessed that it was the notorious man himself.
‘That can’t be him,’ Ma said over her shoulder. ‘Where are his fancy clothes?’
Catherine was disappointed that his outfit didn’t match up to the rumours. He was dressed like the other men and about as flamboyant as a cockroach, not the kingfisher she’d had described to her. He was carrying a sword, but where was his Spanish sombrero and his tunic embroidered in gold with the Maltese Cross?
‘He is a handsome man, though, in spite of his attire,’ Ma went on. ‘He is large and most pleasing to the eye.’
The bugler helped Sir William onto the white horse. Once aloft, he raised one arm, gathering his followers around him, and addressed the crowd.
‘Let us go forth with the bread as a symbol of the future when all Men and Women of Kent will flourish and prosper. I promise that if you trust me and follow me, we can take the lands from the lords of the realm, of England, and divide them so that everyone has the means to support their family.’
The crowd cheered. Ma clapped. Matty stood with the staff and the loaf on top, his expression impassive.
‘I am the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. For those who have doubts, hear this.’ He paused for effect. ‘The Book of Revelation reads, “… behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him; and he went forth conquering, and to conquer”. This is proof of my claim, and I will not let you down, my disciples.’
The bugler fell to his knees and raised his hands in prayer.
‘Drink up your beer, and we will move on. There is a farm near Boughton where we have been promised victuals.’
The bugler shouted out, ‘Every man according to his works, our rights and liberties we will have.’
The crowd cheered and sang as they followed their leader along the road out of Overshill. Matty walked alongside the throng, holding the pole with the bread in front of him. Catherine was confused. She’d sensed that he was uncomfortable in the company of the gang, so why had he gone off with them and not come home with her? Had they threatened him in some way? She tried to dismiss her concerns. Matty was more than able to stand up for himself.
‘What do you make of Sir William?’ Ma said.
‘I feel sorry for those who are gullible and desperate enough to believe him.’
‘Like Matty, you mean. I would have thought that a loving fiancé would have arranged to spend this day with his wife-to-be, not traipse the countryside with the likes of Sir William and Jervis Carter.’
‘Jervis?’ When Matty had said that Jervis was fine, she had assumed that he had persuaded his older brother to return to Overshill straight away to see their dying mother.
‘Didn’t you see him? He was with the rest of them. And I thought I noticed Drusilla, that good-for-nothing, among them as well. She was wearing a cloak with a hood as if she was ashamed to be seen, as she should be.’
‘Ma, do you really believe that Sir William is the Messiah?’ Catherine asked.
‘I have no reason to think otherwise. He makes an excellent speech – he uses clever words, although I don’t understand entirely what he’s saying. And he looks like those pictures of Jesus that are hung in some people’s houses with his long hair and beard. What do you think?’
‘I think he’s an old fraud. How can he be Jesus and heir to the Earl of Devon at the same time?’
‘God moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. Anything’s possible. But I do worry a little that he’s going to rob the rich to help the poor. Where does that leave the Rooks, when we’re somewhere in the middle, with assets but no land of our own?’
Catherine turned to head back towards Wanstall Farm, but Ma caught her arm.
‘Where are you going, my girl? Let’s call on Ivy to make sure she’s finished altering the dress. You know what she’s like. Come along,’ she went on. ‘Hold your head high – people are looking at us.’
There was no sign of Len when they reached the forge, but Ivy invited them into the cottage with barely a smile.
‘We’ve come to try the dress on,’ Ma said. ‘It is ready?’
‘I’ll fetch it. You can change in there.’ Ivy pointed towards the kitchen.
Catherine went behind the screen and moved the tin bath to one side. She wondered if Matty would wish to bathe in the kitchen when they moved into the cottage after the wedding. She stood waiting clothed in her bodice and petticoat for Ivy to bring the dress that Ma had given her from her wardrobe, one she had worn when she was a young woman.
‘There’s a little bit of moth, but I’ve added some lace to cover it,’ Ivy said.
‘I hope you didn’t bring the seams in too much,’ Ma said. ‘Catherine is in the family way.’
Ivy rounded on her.
‘I can’t believe you got yourself into trouble after what I said to you.’
‘She’ll be married within two days. It’s completely different from your situ—’
‘Hush,’ Ivy said. ‘You promised you’d never mention it again.’
‘Len isn’t here, is he?’ Ma said.
‘He has gone out.’ Ivy helped Catherine put the dress on over her head, a chemise made from pale blue muslin and trimmed with lace. Catherine smoothed it down over her stomach while Ivy fastened the back. She felt better, like a bride should feel, she thought, enjoying the swish of the skirt as she swayed her hips.
‘Marry in blue – love will be true,’ Ivy said. ‘Marry in May and rue the day.’
‘Thank you, Ivy,’ Ma said sarcastically.
‘I married Len in May,’ she went on.
‘At least you can be thankful that you didn’t end up an old maid, or even worse, in the workhouse. Well, we can’t stop here all day. Catherine hasn’t started on the supper yet.’
The thought of preparing food made her feel sick again, but on their return to the farm, she managed to cut up onions, fry some pork and add stock, carrots and potatoes to the pan, leaving it to simmer for a while.
Later, the Rooks settled down to eat.
‘Thomas, Catherine and I had the good fortune of seeing Sir William today,’ Ma said.
‘Oh, not that
lunatic.’ Pa sat down at the table. ‘He’s making a right nuisance of himself.’
‘He was riding a white horse,’ Ma said.
‘That belongs to Mr Francis – he’s stolen it from him. He’s a thief as well as a fraud.’
‘I thought you said he was a generous man, Pa.’
‘He gave me that impression, but I know now that it was false. I don’t think he will come to anything.’ Pa’s spoon hovered above his bowl. ‘According to the reports I’ve heard from the vicar and at the forge, he’s a powerful preacher who twists his knowledge of the scriptures to his advantage. His apocalyptic visions terrify the poor and weak-minded, but they say that the “Lion of Canterbury” – yet another name that he once gave himself – struggles to recruit.’
‘He had many followers with him – twenty or so?’ Ma looked to Catherine for confirmation.
‘I think there were more like thirty,’ she said.
‘They’ll leave when they realise how deluded he is.’
‘He can shoot the stars, remember,’ Ma added. ‘There must be something in it.’
‘He discharges his pistols into the night sky to impress, but it’s mere trickery, involving gunpowder and tow.’ Pa turned to Catherine. ‘I thought Matty would have taken you out, seeing it’s a holiday.’
‘That’s what I thought too. Didn’t I say so, Catherine?’ Ma said.
Catherine nodded.
‘Did you see him today?’ Pa went on.
‘Yes, Pa.’
‘Is he well?’ he enquired.
‘He is indeed well, and looking forward to our wedding.’ She glanced towards Ma, grateful to her for keeping quiet about Matty’s exact whereabouts. Ma wouldn’t want to worry her husband with the fact that they had seen Matty with Sir William.
‘That’s reassuring anyway.’ Pa continued to eat, a troubled expression on his face.
‘They won’t disturb us here, will they?’ Catherine asked. ‘Those men and Sir William?’ She shivered as she recalled the rick fire and the heat of the flames as the stable roof fell in. She had no wish to go through an experience like that again.