After a moment’s hesitation – as if she could hardly believe it was true – Nancy fell weeping into her mother’s arms. ‘There, there, it’s going to be all right,’ Agnes murmured, but the tears were running down her face too.
‘We’ll leave you to settle in,’ Lily Broughton said. ‘Now, Nancy, you know where to come, love, if you need help. You’ve only got to ask.’ Both Betsy and Grace Parrish nodded their agreement.
As they stepped outside and closed the door behind them, Lily sighed. ‘I hope they’re going to be all right. That poor little lad looked as if he didn’t know what on earth was happening.’
Annabel said nothing, but Bertie’s solemn face had touched her heart and she promised silently that she would keep her eye on him. After all, as Jabez had said, he was by rights a Lyndon, though she doubted Dorothea or even her own husband would see it that way.
Two days later, on the Wednesday, Annabel, accompanied by Ben, Jim Chadwick, Adam Cartwright and William Broughton, drove into the town to attend the cattle market.
‘I couldn’t get me dad to come,’ William told them. ‘He just sits in his chair by the fire all day. Me mam says it’ll take a rocket up his –’ The youth stopped and turned red at what he’d been going to say. ‘Sorry, m’lady,’ he mumbled.
Annabel hid her smile. ‘Maybe the sight of cows in his fields once more will get him out of his chair, William.’
‘We’ll have him up and about again, don’t you fret, lad,’ Jim said. ‘And in the meantime, we’ll all pull together. We’ll help you.’
‘We’ll need shires. How many do you think?’ Annabel asked the men squeezed in beside her as the trap rattled towards town.
They glanced at each other and then Ben said, ‘We’ve been having a chat about that, m’lady. To start with, we reckon we could manage with four between us.’
‘For four farms? Do you really? There’s a lot of ploughing to be done.’
‘If there are some decent ones on sale today, we could get them and see how it goes.’
‘Very well. And how many head of cattle do you want each?’
‘Chaffinch Farm was mainly cattle,’ William said. ‘We had twenty cows at one time. Not that I expect you to buy me that many, m’lady,’ he added swiftly. ‘But we haven’t a lot of arable land. It’s mainly pasture for the cattle. And Mam would run the dairy. She’s a dab hand at making butter and cheese.’
‘And I’m more arable than cattle,’ Jim put in. ‘Though I had a small herd of about six milkers.’
‘Home Farm’s was a good mix,’ Ben told her. ‘A little bit of everything. A few cows for both milk and beef – we had Lincoln Reds for beef. . .’ There was a wistful note in Ben’s tone and, hearing it, Jim put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, as if to say, It’ll be all right, Ben, though he didn’t say the words aloud. ‘A few sheep, hens, ducks,’ Ben continued, ‘turkeys for Christmas and fields of wheat, barley or oats and root crops too, of course.’
‘What about you, Adam?’ Annabel asked. ‘It seems you can choose. I haven’t had time yet to take a good look at Sparrow Farm, but you can do whatever you want.’
As they arrived near the centre of the town, Adam was gazing wide-eyed around him at the bustling marketplace as if he’d landed in a magical land. ‘What d’you advise, Mr Jackson? I always liked working with Mr Chadwick’s cows.’
‘Aye, you were a good stockman, Adam,’ Ben said. ‘I reckon you’d do well to concentrate on a dairy herd or mix of both. The chap who had Sparrow Farm before you kept both and he had a lot of pigs too, so between us all we supplied the local butcher. I don’t think Percy Hammond needed to go off the estate much at all for his meat supplies. There’s a slaughterhouse behind his shop, m’lady. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but Mr Hammond used to do all his own slaughtering.’
‘I don’t want to tread on William’s toes,’ Adam said worriedly.
‘You won’t do,’ Annabel said firmly. ‘How’s Betsy with dairy work? Once she’s well enough, of course.’
Adam laughed. ‘She’s like a new woman already. You should see her cooking and baking and cleaning. And she can’t wait to have a few hens to look after.’
‘Tell her not to overdo it. We don’t want her ill again. It’s not long since she had the baby, but do you think she’d like to learn dairy work?’
‘Afore we were married she used to work for Mrs Broughton in her dairy. Do you remember, William?’
William furrowed his brow. ‘Vaguely, but I wasn’t very old then. But if she learned under me mam, she’ll know what’s what. Me mam’s a stickler for things being done right.’
‘Here we are.’ Annabel drew the trap into the backyard of the pub where all the farmers gathered on market day. ‘And there’s Grandfather waiting for us.’
Before the sales began, Annabel made sure that each farmer from the estate would bid for his own stock, leaving Ben to buy four shires that would be shared amongst them all for a while until they saw what was needed.
‘Grandfather,’ she whispered, as they found their places near the railings of the first pen of animals to be auctioned. ‘Stand near William and give him a bit of advice if he needs it. I wouldn’t want to belittle him.’
Edward looked down at her. ‘Of course I will, my lovely.’ He frowned. ‘But why do you think you’d belittle the lad?’
‘Oh Gramps! A woman telling him what to bid for! What do you think? I want him to take his place amongst the local farmers and today is a good chance to start, but I don’t want him bidding for rubbish.’
Edward chuckled. ‘You think of everything, lass, don’t you? And just so’s no one else feels belittled, as you put it, lunch at the pub after the market is on me. And I won’t have any arguments.’
Annabel squeezed his arm in silent thanks.
The morning went well. There was pen after pen of cattle, both dairy and beef, and all looked sturdy, healthy animals. The auctioneer was assuring his audience that all the dairy cattle – ten in all – were in calf.
‘Gramps, why are they being sold if they’re in calf?’ Annabel whispered, frowning. She was puzzled. ‘I’d have thought the farmer would want to keep them.’
‘They’ve all come from old Sam Bennett’s place,’ Edward whispered back. ‘He’s just died suddenly and his son doesn’t want to come back here. He has a city job. So, the farm’s being sold. They’re all right, my lovely.’ He chuckled. ‘I’ve made enquiries and had a good look at them myself. They’re due to calve again about next May. You’ll be getting milk straight away, of course, but the only trouble is they might all have their two months’ drying-off period at the same time. Still, that’ll not happen until next March, April time. We’ve time to think about that before then.’
William was pink with delight when the hammer fell on six of the dairy cows for him. Next, it was Jim’s turn to buy the remaining four milkers. ‘And I’d like some pigs, m’lady, if that’s all right.’
They were able to buy four gilts for Blackbird Farm.
‘They look healthy,’ Jim murmured. ‘What d’you think, Edward?’
‘How old are they?’
‘Six months.’
Edward wrinkled his brow. ‘That’s about right. Need a bit of fattening up before they’ll be ready for the boar. About the end of November, I reckon.’
Jim nodded. ‘Let’s see, they’d farrow in March.’
‘Three months, three weeks, three days,’ William piped up and they all laughed at the young man airing his knowledge.
Ben bought livestock for Home Farm and Adam, too, obtained three in-calf cows, two sows and six ewes. ‘I like sheep, m’lady. I’d love to build up a nice-sized flock.’
‘I always loved lambing time, if I could wangle a visit to my grandparents’ farm at the right time,’ Annabel told him, smiling at the happy memories of seeing ewes safely delivered of their young or helping to rear an orphaned lamb in Martha’s warm kitchen.
‘You can have loan of my ram,’ Edward of
fered. ‘You’ll be needing him early October. We’ll sort it out between us, Adam. And my neighbour, Joe Moffatt – you know, Annabel, your Jane’s dad, who has Glebe Farm next to mine – he keeps a boar he hires out. There’s no need for you to buy them – at least, not yet. Now, my lovely, we’d best have a look at those shires over there. Four, do you say?’
‘That’s what they’ve decided between them,’ Annabel said, ‘though I don’t know if it’s enough for four farms.’
‘Ben can always fetch mine for a few days, if I’m not using them.’
Four beautiful shires – black and white heavy horses – were knocked down to Ben. The excited expressions on the faces of all the men were reward enough for Annabel, whose bank balance was being eroded steadily. But she didn’t mind; there were more shares she could sell and it would be so good to see livestock in the fields once more.
‘Good strong workhorses, they are, Ben.’ Edward nodded his approval. ‘They’re from Sam Bennett’s place, an’ all. There’s a farm sale on site on Friday. It might be worth your while to take a look, but I think he thought he’d get a better price for some of his dad’s livestock in the town market.’
‘You go, Ben,’ Annabel urged him. ‘See what there is. In fact, you can all go. I might not come as there’s still so much to do in the village.’
‘Would you come with us, Mr Armstrong?’ Ben asked. ‘We appreciate your advice.’
Edward eyed him, wondering why the man was asking him. Ben had already been a bailiff for a few years and had run Home Farm and the estate efficiently before things had got tough. Why, Edward wondered, was he seeking his help and advice? Perhaps, the older man thought shrewdly, if Annabel wasn’t there, he’d need advice on how much he could spend of her money. So, Edward smiled and nodded. ‘I’d be glad to.’
They bought ducks, geese, chickens and a proud, strutting cockerel for each farmyard.
‘Mam will love them,’ William said happily. ‘She’ll take on the poultry.’
Over lunch, which Edward insisted on paying for, they discussed what else they needed. ‘I don’t like the look of the rest of the sheep for sale today. I reckon we got the best of what’s here,’ Ben said as he tucked into steak pie with a glass of ale at his elbow.
‘There might be more back at Sam’s place when you go on Friday. And have a good look around at what machinery you’ve got and what you might need – and tools, too. He ran his farm well, did Sam, poor old feller. There’ll be all sorts at the sale on Friday and it’ll be in good condition,’ Edward reminded him. ‘You could pick up a lot of stuff quite cheaply.’
The chatter continued between the men and Annabel listened, joining in now and again but for the most part she ate in silence, enjoying hearing the talk. Several local farmers came up and patted Ben’s shoulder, or Jim’s, and one or two were even bold enough to ask William how his dad was doing.
Then their curious glances lingered on Annabel’s face and she knew the word was spreading around the district about the new Lady Fairfield. She smiled and greeted them and was introduced to so many people that her head whirled. ‘I’ll never remember all their names,’ she laughed. ‘I’ve enough to remember with everyone in the village.’
They returned to Fairfield, tired but happy with their purchases and full of hope for the future. But what awaited Annabel at Fairfield Hall spoiled her day.
Thirty-Four
‘What’s all this I’ve been hearing?’ Dorothea’s thunderous face greeted her. ‘Just who do you think you are?’
‘What have you heard, Dorothea?’ Annabel was tired after the day’s events and yet elated by what had been achieved. The last thing she wanted was to engage in a quarrel with her sister-in-law. But it seemed she had no choice; Dorothea was spoiling for a fight. Annabel was determined not to let the other woman gain the upper hand. Whatever it was could wait until she had washed and changed her clothes. And there was something even more important she had to do first. ‘I must see your mother. I’ll see you at dinner, Dorothea.’
‘You’ll listen to me now,’ the woman almost shouted. ‘And you won’t disturb my mother. She’s sleeping.’
‘How is she?’
Grudgingly, it seemed, Dorothea was obliged to admit, ‘She’s improving slowly.’
‘I’m glad. And is the nurse proving satisfactory?’
Again there was reluctance, but she said shortly, ‘Yes.’
‘Then what is so important that it can’t wait until I’ve had a cup of tea and changed my clothes?’
‘You’re bringing shame and disgrace on this family. Wait until my brother hears about what you’ve been doing.’
Annabel raised her eyebrows, but Dorothea’s tirade continued. ‘Bringing folks out of the workhouse back to the estate – folks who rightly belong there because they couldn’t manage their farms. Reinstating a common whore into the village. Wasn’t it bad enough we couldn’t get rid of her because my stupid oaf of a brother gave her the cottage?’
‘And who made her into a whore?’ Annabel said quietly.
Dorothea face was purple with anger. ‘How dare you? How dare you speak ill of my family like that?’
‘It’s the truth, though, isn’t it? If your older brother hadn’t seduced her and sired her child, Nancy would have continued quite happily, I’m sure, as a maid.’
Dorothea couldn’t deny it. Instead, she shook her fist in Annabel’s face and shouted, ‘James will hear about it. About all of it and he’ll send you packing. Sham marriage or no sham marriage, you’ll be out on your ear.’
Annabel met the woman’s furious gaze and her tone was deceptively soft as she said slowly, ‘Oh, it’s no sham marriage, Dorothea, I assure you.’
With that she turned, picked up her skirts and ran lightly up the stairs without looking back to see how her words had affected her sister-in-law.
When she went into the dining room as John Searby sounded the gong for dinner, Annabel was surprised to see not only Dorothea there, but also Theodore.
‘Annie is sitting with my mother whilst the nurse has an hour or two off. Theodore will be eating with us this evening.’
Annabel smiled down at the boy. ‘That will be nice. I’ve been wanting to get to know you, Theo.’
‘It’s Theodore,’ Dorothea said shortly. ‘He’s named after my grandfather, the third earl. It’ll be most appropriate when he becomes the seventh earl.’
Annabel decided not to rise to the woman’s goading. For all any of them knew at the moment, Theodore might very well become the next earl after James. If she and James were to have no children, or only girls, then he would inherit the title and all the estate.
Annabel smiled at him as they sat down and after Dorothea had said grace, she asked, ‘How old are you, Theodore?’
The boy glanced up at his mother as if seeking permission to answer. Receiving a curt nod, he said, ‘I was five in June.’
‘I understand you have lessons with your mother. What is your favourite subject?’
Again, there was a swift glance for approval before he said, ‘I like learning all about the estate.’
‘That’s wonderful. Then perhaps – if your mother agrees – we could go out for a drive one day and you could show me around. I’ve seen a lot of it already, but not everything.’
‘I don’t think—’ his mother began, but the boy interrupted excitedly. ‘Oh please, may I, Mama?’ It was the first time he’d shown any enthusiasm, the first time he’d responded to Annabel’s attempts to be friendly. Though no doubt instructed by his mother to have nothing to do with the unwelcome newcomer in their midst, the child could not curb his excitement at the thought of an outing. Poor little boy, Annabel thought. I don’t expect there’s been much fun in his life. ‘I’d like to show Aunt Annabel everything: the farms, the woodland, even the river that runs through the estate.’
Annabel smiled. She liked being called ‘Aunt Annabel’.
‘I’d take good care of him, Dorothea, but you could come too, i
f you wish.’ She could see by the expression on Dorothea’s face that the woman was struggling with conflicting emotions.
‘Please, Mama.’ Theodore’s thin little face and big brown eyes were appealing. Surely she can’t refuse him, Annabel thought, but she kept silent.
‘Very well,’ Dorothea said at last, but there was still doubt and reluctance in her tone.
Annabel met her gaze and said softly, ‘And please give some thought to what I said about a governess or tutor. I meant it.’
In silence, they ate the meal that now deserved the name ‘dinner’. Out of the corner of her eye, Annabel watched the little boy devour every morsel, clearing each plate of food that was placed in front of him. It was good to see and already his cheeks were pinker, his hair brighter.
‘And now bed for you, young man,’ Dorothea said as she rose from the table.
‘Goodnight, Aunt Annabel,’ Theodore said as he skipped towards the door.
Dorothea made to follow him, but then hesitated and turned back towards Annabel. Haltingly, she said, ‘I didn’t want James to marry. Not anyone. You know why. It’s nothing against you personally, but I have to thank you for what you’ve done for us here in the house. For my mother, for Theodore. You needn’t have done anything, I know that. You needn’t have stayed here at all whilst James is away. And he will be away a lot. But you should know that whilst part of me is grateful, I will never give up my intention that Theodore will inherit.’
‘I understand how you feel, Dorothea, truly I do. But only time will tell on that matter. In the meantime, if we can’t be real friends, perhaps we could at least try to get along together.’
The woman bit her lower lip. ‘I still intend to write to James and tell him what you’re doing on the estate, because I don’t think he’ll agree with it.’
Annabel shrugged. ‘Please do, but I shall be telling him everything myself when I write.’
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