Mistress Agnes Read online

  independent it was fine by her, she would not put any pressure on anyone.

  Buying those run-down farms would cost her more than they would make back in ten years, she'd do it only to help those farmers survive.

  It was very pleasant to travel with Guy, they had plenty to talk about, the proposals, the happenings of the day before, Dick's plight and how they were going to get him to accept not being able to work, the risk to Dennis and whether he should stay or go into hiding.

  And, the wedding.

  'Do you think we can just go ahead with it, Guy? For it will be talked of, and people will wonder about Mr Parker's family, the whole neighbourhood will gossip and questions will be asked.'

  'I can't see how you could postpone it, Mrs Beauchamp, you've sent the invitations to your connections, recalling them would be much more suspicious that just going ahead. But you've not invited that many local folk, just the doctor and Maria's family. Well, and the vicar knows, of course. The rest won't even know about the camp, or the brigands. Remember, your London connections already know Mr Parker as a foppish, languid sort of character.'

  That was true. And Agnes really wanted to be married to Dennis, as quickly as possible. The day before yesterday she had realized once again how much she truly loved him, she felt so safe in his presence, she knew he'd make everything right, and he had. Even Mr Winfield had felt so safe he had merely incapacitated his man, Agnes was certain he would have shot to kill if Dennis hadn't been there, exuding confidence.

  And Dennis himself hadn't shown the least desire to fight, though Agnes could see he was perfectly ready to do so if needed. The rush of the hunt had not taken him over, the energy he had mustered to fight had drained away without leaving a trace. Insults and filthy language hadn't rattled him. His self-control was admirable.

  Today, Dennis was planning to work on Dick's mind, see if he could instill some acceptance in the large man, and if anyone could do it, Agnes thought, it would be Dennis. Even Maria did not have the same influence on Dick, not yet. But it would not be the work of a day, it would be a task for each day, every day someone would have to convince Dick he was not a slacker or a parasite, but a hero who had been wounded in action and who had the right to recuperate even if it did take weeks.

  It was quite a drive, the second in as many days, but before Agnes expected to see the forest she felt the horses give the extra impulse to climb the incline and they entered the gloomy dusk under the dense trees. Another ten minutes saw them to the first farm, where they were welcomed by Peter once again, but a lot more enthusiastically.

  'Mrs Beauchamp,' he greeted her as soon as she stepped out of the carriage, glad to stretch her legs after a long ride, 'thank you so much for all your help!'

  So at least something had been done right two days ago, the boy looked more at ease.

  'A real doctor from town came and set my fathers leg. He howled like a hound but he said the leg felt much better straight away. And my brother can't work for four weeks but then he should be fine, his skull wasn't damaged at all. Mother was taken to one of the other farms by a nurse, while the doctor treated that neighbour here, and all the girls and the women gathered and talked and got medicine. She's not better yet, but she meets the other women every day. They say she will be better soon. Did you really shoot one of them, My Lady?'

  'I did, Peter, I shot him in the leg. Mr Winfield shot another, and Dick, he stayed outside yesterday, lifted one right off his feet and kept him there until he could be bound.'

  'Is he the giant, my lady? The soldier said a giant man had caught a brigand barehanded.'

  'That was Dick. He is pretty tall, but I wouldn't call him a giant...'

  'You know the soldiers will come back today, they wanted to know exactly what happened. Why the army, my lady? You said you were going to get them hanged.'

  'The brigands were soldiers, Peter, escaped from the camp. I cannot prosecute them, the army will, that is why that soldier wanted to know exactly what they did. To punish them for it. Can I see your father now? And your mother, if she is well enough?'

  The boy led them back into the house, where things were much the same as two days ago except the atmosphere, everyone seemed much more alive.

  They were greeted with respect and gratitude, and the woman said, 'Thank you so much, Mrs Beauchamp, for thinking of us. The food, the doctor and especially the nurse. Most landowners would not have considered our plight, but that nurse recognized it straight away and got us all together.'

  Of course the farmer described how the doctor had to break his leg again,

  then set it properly.

  'The howls that sounded in this forest yesterday, My Lady, would have made the wolves of the old days jealous. Not just me, several other men needed to have bones set afresh. But after that torture the pain faded fast. We heard you got the brigands, we've slept well for the first time in weeks. You have given us our future back, you had no obligation to us but you helped us anyway.

  Thank you so much, My Lady.'

  Before Agnes could hand the farmer her offer to buy the farm there was a commotion outside as a group of riders approached the little house and stopped right in front of it. Peter looked out the door and turned back in to say, 'Those soldiers are back, I'm going out to meet them!'

  Agnes did feel a twinge of fear, she was still afraid of everything they had built up together coming apart. Guy took over seamlessly.

  'Mrs Beauchamp is afraid you will struggle this winter, and the next. She has a proposal for you that you may want to consider, it will prevent you from want of food and shelter. But it does also entail a loss of your autonomy.

  Read it well, or have someone read it to you. You are under no obligation to accept it.'

  Then the soldiers came in, Lieutenant Harley in front, two other officers behind him. Agnes felt her heart skip several beats in fear, until the lieutenant bowed and said, 'Mrs Beauchamp, so good to see you again! I was wanting to see you with a personal request. Maybe you can spare me a few moments of your time to hear me? These ensigns have come to take statements for the trial, it has been set a week from now. There are eight more still with the horses, two to witness each household. Of course they will wait outside when you want to speak with a certain family, you have done much already to set our mistake to rights.

  Will you accompany me to each family?'

  Agnes did not look forward to being in his company for so long but she dared not refuse, however polite he was he held power over her, for if he took Dennis away from her life would lose most of its meaning.

  'Certainly, Lieutenant. We are done here, we came to enquire after the family and to check on the work of the doctor and nurse I had sent over, as well as the supplies. These folks should not be hungry. I am also leaving a proposal to improve their lives, if any of the farmers are not literate, will your ensigns be so kind as to read it to them? I prefer a neutral person do that, to assure them I am not trying to make thing seem better than they are.'

  Another bow from the lieutenant.

  'I will make sure that happens. We have a responsibility to those who suffer for our lack of vigilance. Anything else?'

  'No, Lieutenant, that will be all. We can go to the next house.'

  And they did check on all four other farms together, each time two men stayed behind to make an accurate account of what had been done to the farmers in question. Agnes left a proposal, heard how everyone was doing, confirmed that one of her servants, a large local man, had subdued one of the brigands barehanded. When they were through, they went back to the horses and the carriage together, and Lieutenant Harley became quiet and much less authoritative.

  'How's your man?' he asked.

  'The giant hero?' Agnes returned the question, then replied it straight away,

  'he turned out to have broken his hand after all, it didn't look very good and he was in a lot of pain. He is in for six uncomfortable weeks, I'm afraid.'

  'I'm very sorry to hear that, he is such a f
riendly man, and to have him suffer.

  That is so unfair. But in fact I meant your future husband. Mr Parker. How is he?'

  'He wasn't hurt, the fight was over before it even started.'

  'Mrs Beauchamp, please. I mean, did he suffer a heavy shock? I'm so very sorry to have caused him such a fright, though for myself I'm so very glad to know he is not drowned in a pit of moss, lost forever.'

  'He was very afraid, yes. But he seems to trust you, and he isn't terribly worried about the huntsman or the brigand either. In fact, I'm the one who worries most, the very thought of losing him makes my heart grow cold. I lost my first husband, you see, Lieutenant, I cannot face losing another, and with his child growing inside me.'

  'Please do not worry, Mrs Beauchamp. When our friend disappeared in the moors and we couldn't find him, he was never registered as a deserter. Our captain reported him as lost on patrol in the moors, presumably drowned, but not dishonourably. Of course rumour spread that he had deserted, but it's not in the official records, and since it has been a year no-one cares anymore. No-one will credit a brigand's words, if he dares utter any.'

  That was a relief, Dennis was not listed as a deserter? It would hearten him to hear that!

  'Mrs Beauchamp, I have a huge favour to ask of you. Can we please meet

  Dennis again, just once? I haven't slept a wink the last two nights, I just couldn't, there is so much I want to ask him, and tell him. And three other comrades feel the same way. Among which the private who had the 'watch'

  when he got away. The poor man has been in agony for a year, thinking he had killed a friend who needed him, by following orders of a superior, just for five minutes.

  Will it scare him even more, to talk with us? Or will it offer him a measure of closure, as it would to us? We were his best comrades, he never had friends, said he couldn't afford to get attached to people he'd certainly lose, but we loved him. Just an evening, we have leave and would come with you straight away.'

  Damn, this was hard! Agnes did not want this man to see her home, she was so afraid to lose Dennis, though she knew he could not hide in her manor, everyone knew where he lived. And part of her realized Dennis would love to see his mates again, talking with them would hand his trauma its deathblow, something inside her knew that with the greatest certainty. But four soldiers, they could drag him away from her and there would be nothing she could do to stop them. A gentle voice called her back from her fearful musings.

  'My superiors have lost a lot of face over this, ma'am. It is very embarrassing to train men to track and kill the enemy, then have them use those abilities against the people they should be sworn to protect. Our leaders are very eager to bring the case to a swift and quiet end, and make suitable reparations to those harmed in it. That is why those poor farmers are being interviewed right now, they will not be left to starve because of a mistake the army made, justice will be served, and there will be compensation. I have an official request for you to see our colonel, I expect him to offer you compensation for the expenses you have taken upon yourself to care for the injured. Since you have just told me your servant was hurt pretty badly in the fray I am certain he will also receive compensation, and possibly a reward. I am certain I can convince my superiors to let me check out his situation, if you will please allow us to visit. No-one will ever know our true reason.'

  Visit the colonel? The military leader of the whole camp? The man who ruled over the lives of more than a thousand hard-bitten men? Couldn't she just forego on compensation and go back home straight away, as fast as her carriage could take her? No, she would not run away. Dennis had spent years in the clutches of these people, they had used him and damaged him almost

  beyond help. And still he didn't hate them, but felt guilty about deserting them. He hadn't run yesterday, he had faced them courageously.

  If Dennis could be so brave, Agnes could spend ten minutes in the presence of their highest officer, and make herself agreeable to him. She knew her public persona was very ingratiating, and she would use that advantage shamelessly to get this colonel on her side. And she would decide in Dennis'

  name to have his former comrades over. It felt right to let her beloved talk of old times with the men who used to be his best friends. He would be shocked, frightened even, but in the end he would profit.

  'All right to both. It frightens me, you have no idea how much, but I will see your colonel, and I will take you and your three friends back home with me.'

  The lieutenant was a pleasant looking man, closer to her own age than Dennis', and when she assented to his request a glad smile broke out on his face, making him look positively attractive.

  'Thank you so much, ma'am, you have no idea how much this means to me.

  You will not be sorry, I assure you your fiancée will be perfectly safe. It's such a joy to see him loved so well, and by such an admirable lady. Shall we leave now? The investigators have the information they need and are ready to return to camp. Will you follow us there? I am certain the colonel will be pleased to offer you lunch, and of course your men can get a bite as well.'

  The officers all rode their own horses, and Guy sat opposite Agnes in stunned silence. To have his mistress visit a colonel of the army was quite frightening, but he did understand she could not have refused.

  'Dennis will die of fright, Mrs Beauchamp. Will you be able to warn him?'

  'I guess I expect him to take it reasonably well. They were his friends, and they will not be wearing uniforms. But he will be stunned, I know that. It wasn't an easy decision, Guy, and I'm not exactly looking forward to this visit either.'

  Of course Guy understood, and he managed to keep Agnes distracted by discussing various innocuous subjects with great fervour. There was no sexual tension between them, though Agnes had expected that in the relatively cramped space of the carriage, but somehow their little escapade had settled Guy's desire for a woman for some time.

  After twenty minutes they had left the forest and drove out into a much more fertile part of the county. It was a broad river valley, where the soil was much more suitable for farming, every flat surface was tilled, abundant crops also nearly ready to harvest, but taller and healthier than in her own domain. The

  road was well-kept, the cattle in the occasional lush meadow looked sleek and healthy, the number of carriages on the road started to outnumber the carts pulled by either oxen, rough-coated ponies, or even simply garbed men or women, though there were plenty of those as well.

  They were obviously nearing the city with its rich inhabitants and its food market, Agnes realized how sparsely populated and how poor her own lands were, but for some reason the houses along the road didn't look that much better than hers. There was plenty of money here, with such rich crops and some people showing off expensive carriages and stunning teams of matching horses, but apparently not everyone shared in the bounty.

  'It's beautiful, Mrs Beauchamp,' Guy observed, 'but I guess you would miss the wild lands very much. There is no space to ride here, except on the road.

  Why do you think those houses look so badly kept? Are they free-holds or do they have a bad landlord?'

  That was true, she would miss the wild moors with the bog and the heath, and even the thick forest. And those houses all looked to be in the same state of disrepair, so she guessed they had the same owner.

  'I'm afraid they have a negligent landlord, Guy, there is not a single well-kept one among them. Wait no, there's a neat house, but that looks like a doctor's house. And look, the vicarage is well-kept, too. Someone is spending too much on matched teams and too little on his tenants' farms.

  I'm glad we set that to rights years ago, Guy, when those places start to fall apart it will be much more expensive to build new ones. And the people have miserable lives, I prefer to enjoy my own meals with a clear conscience.'

  Chapter 25

  They did not enter the city, but drove around it some ways, to a really large temporary structure, the army camp. It was
as busy as a city, there were squads drilling on a large field, there were pastures with scores of horses, there were the sounds of a smithy not too far away, and Agnes even saw quite a lot of women walking about, some obviously hard at work, some loitering together, even with children.

  'Officers' wives,' Guy said, 'I suppose even our own Lieutenant Harley may be married. I hope they won't have to stay in a tent or barracks, with children.'

  For now they were passing scores of barracks, all lined up precisely along the nice, smooth road. A thousand men, and those were just the soldiers, there must be hundreds of non-military inhabitants of this town, too. All of whom needed to eat, clean, wash their clothes, get rid of their bodily waste. Agnes could imagine how it was done, she had a London house after all and London was home to millions, but those houses were made of stone, with doors and windows. This was so primitive.

  They soon left the barracks behind and entered a different part of the complex, with better housing, and fewer people about. This must be the officers quarters, they were not stopped even once, but of course they had an escort of officers. Not even a minute later they stopped, and Lieutenant Harley opened the door of the carriage.

  'If you'll please follow me, one of my men will show your servants where to water and feed the horses, and refresh themselves. I suppose we'll be an hour at most. I'm merely your escort, Mrs Beauchamp, once you're with the colonel you're on your own. But I know his wife is an avid reader of your books, so I guess you'll have plenty to talk about.

  Do you want to freshen up a little, first?'

  After sitting in those cramped, oven-like huts for an hour, Agnes did feel a certain wish to wash her face and hands, and maybe visit some privy, if there was a decent one.

  'Yes, please, it's not the journey so much as sitting in those sweltering huts.

  And you said the colonel would provide me with lunch?'