A Dinner Of Herbs (40 page)

come back,

knowing what your evil devil of a father did. If I had my way I’d burn the whole place down to get rid of

the stench. Aye’—he nodded at her now ‘that’s an idea. In a short while, that’s what I’ll do, buy it and

burn it, wipe it off the face of the earth.”

He watched them turn and look at each other. Then pulling up the front other long skirt with one hand,

she ran down the yard to the trap, round to the back of it, picked something up, and then there she was

standing, a gun held at shoulder level and aimed straight at him.

He watched her walk slowly towards him and when she said, “Turn round,” he muttered,

“Like hell I

will.” The next instant he had his hand over his eyes and a spray of shots went over his head and one

pellet penetrated his hand. My God! She was mad, and bad, as bad as her father. A

thought flashed

through his mind: What in the name of God had Roddy seen to love a woman like this?

The brother now spoke to him, saying quickly, “Do as she says. She means it.”

He turned round, and now her voice came at her brother, saying, “Open the barn door.”

And as the

man ran across the yard she pushed Hal in the back with the barrel of the gun, saying

curtly, “Move!”

He moved.

When he entered the barn he saw it was empty except for a platform up above with odd

broken bundles

of hay on it here and there. And when she ordered her brother up on to the platform, he watched her

gaze towards the great beams supporting the old part of the barn, and he thought, My

God! She means

to hang me. And for the first time he knew real fear. Swinging round on her now, he

cried, “What d’you

think you’re up to, woman?”

“Time will tell,” she said.

“Get up the ladder.”

“I’ll be damned if I will.”

“Well, if you’re blind or not, you’ll go up the ladder. I will count five and I’ll discharge this full into your

face. What about it?”

He climbed the ladder to the platform, and there stared at the white face of the young man who was

staring back at him, and he was about to appeal to him when her voice came again,

commanding, “Lie

down, face down.” She herself must already have climbed the ladder.

He hesitated for a moment, thinking she couldn’t mean to hang him, then he lay down.

“Put your hands behind your back.” And he did as he was bid. Then her voice came

again: “Catch

this,” it cried, and when a coil of rope fell to his side a tremor went through him again.

She was kneeling by him now, the gun pressed to his head, and she said to her brother,

“Tie his hands!”

As his wrists were being tied he wanted to cry out, for the rope see red his flesh as if he were being

burnt.

“Get him to his feet!” He was tugged upright by the young man. But now it was she who

pushed him

forward to the far end of the platform where the beams crisscrossed down to the floor

level.

“What are you going to do?” It was the brother’s anxious—sounding enquiry. And she

said, “You’ll

see. Lie down, you!” Her foot caught him in the back of the knees and sent him

sprawling. His head hit

a beam and he fell on to his knees now, then forward on to the hay-strewn floor.

What happened next actually made him scream, for she wrenched his legs back up to his

hands until his

whole body arched, and there she strung them together. Then with her foot she pushed

him on to his

side, and saying to her brother, “Give me your scarf,” she pulled it from his neck. And now bending

slowly, she said, “Open your mouth.” And when he didn’t she took her fist and brought it under his chin,

and his mouth sprang open, she rammed the silken scarf across it, pulled it round the back of his head,

brought it forward again and knotted it across his mouth.

Rising, she looked down on him and said, “Now you know what it feels like to lie

speechless and not

able to use any part of your body. My father lay like that for weeks. There’s only one thing I’m sorry

for, the other one isn’t here to join you. But you’re a good substitute.

You’re afraid, aren’t you? That’s what Feeler must have experienced before you made

him string

himself up. Because that’s what you did, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it? Nod your head. “

When he didn’t obey her, she said, “Well, it doesn’t matter. I know what I know.” Now

she turned to

her brother, saying, “Push him over to the beam.”

Every fibre of his body screamed in agony as he was dragged towards the beam at the

end of the barn.

And when her brother said, “What are you going to do?” she said, “Make sure he can’t

wriggle. Here,

take the end of that,” and she threw him the loose end of the rope.

“Put it round that beam there, and pass it to me.” When she had the end of the rope in her hand again,

she jerked it hard, and continued to do so until his legs and arms were pressed against the beam, and as

the agony of his limbs brought the sweat pouring from him, he watched her pull the loose straw towards

him and he heard her brother whisper, “Look, Mary, that’s enough. What do you mean to

do?”

“Oh, just build a barrier round him so that anyone putting their head over the top of the platform won’t

see the ... poor ... creature.” She drew out the last words. Then kicking some straw near to his face,

she added, “And by God! you’ll be a poor creature when they find you. And you won’t

be able to give

any evidence of all this happening to you. That’s for sure. But even if you could, we’ll be where no one

will find us. So, Mr. Roystan, your retaliation is at an end. And one more thing I’m going to tell you.”

She bent down until her face, like that of an insane devil, hovered above him as she

ground out, “I said

to the other one and I say it to you, no matter what my father was, he was worth a

thousand of you and

your kin, because you’re nothing but trash, the lot of you. Now’—she straightened up

‘you’ll have

plenty of time to think in the days ahead. And I’m being merciful, because I could set all this damn lot

afire and let you roast slowly, because nobody would bother hurrying out to an empty

barn. Would

they?” She now took her foot and gave him a vicious kick in the lower part of the

stomach. And he

closed his eyes and his head drooped forward.

When some minutes later, he opened his eyes again he was alone, and he told himself that this was the

end and the quicker it came the better, for the agony that was tearing at him couldn’t be endured for long

before his mind snapped.

Mary Ellen wiped the cold sweat from Kate’s brow. The old woman was conscious and

clear-minded

but very weak, and she surprised Mary Ellen by saying now. The doctor fellow. Get him.

“

“You want the doctor?”

“Aye.”

Til send for him. “

“Hal’s late.”

“Yes, he is. He was going after a bull. Perhaps he’s had trouble bringing it home.”

It was four o’clock in the afternoon and Hal hadn’t put in an appearance. It was the only day she could

remember his being so late.

But, as she had said, he had gone after a bull. He was so keen on getting a good bull; he saw himself

starting a great herd of cattle.

He had big ideas, had Hal, and being him he would likely see them come true.

She went to the door. Some of the miners passed by at the bottom of the field around this hour. She

waited a few minutes, then saw a group of them in the distance and she ran over the field and called to

them, and when they stopped she said, “Do you think you could get a message to the

doctor in Haydon

Bridge if there’s any one riding that way?”

They looked at each other and one said, “Well, aye, lass, the cart should be passing in half an hour’s

time. We’ll give him a message. Is it for the hairn?” he asked kindly.

“No, for Kate,”

“Huh!” They all seemed to laugh together.

“Kate wanting a doctor? I understand she practically chased him out the last time he was in the house.”

“Well, she’s asked for him now.”

Again they looked at each other and one said, “That’s bad. Well she’s nearly as old as the hills around

here. How old d’you think she is?”

“I don’t really know. She’s never said. But I guess she must be well into her eighties.”

“Aye, and a bit more if I can reckon,” put in another man.

“Well, lass, we’ll get him here as soon as possible. Likely be the morrow mornin’

though.”

“Thank you, thank you very much.” She turned from them and ran back up the field to

the cottage

When the evening wore on and Hal did not put in an appearance, she became worried.

This had never

happened before and if he had been bad he would have sent his young helper over here to tell her. Little

Terry Foster was only ten but he was very sensible. If anything had happened, surely he would have

come over with a message.

She lit the candles; she fed the child; she saw to Kate; she set the part of porridge near the ashes ready

for tomorrow morning; she washed out some of the child’s clothes. She did everything to fill up the time

until eleven o’clock at night and still he hadn’t come. She lay down, not by Kate, but on the pallet bed

she had rolled up at the end of the room and which she brought out each night and laid by the fire so she

could be near the child. What was more, there was a smell coming from Kate that no

amount of washing

seemed to erase and she found it nauseating.

Most of the night she just dozed, and at five the next morning she rose and built up the fire. Kate was

asleep, her breathing short and heavy. At six o’clock she opened the curtains and then the door and let

the clean air come into the room. And she stood on the step and looked to where the hills were rising

through the morning mist. What if he didn’t come this morning, what could she do? She

must go over

and see what had happened to him. And as the disturbing thought came to her, she

muttered aloud, “No,

no, I wouldn’t believe that.” Yet why not? This Annie he talked about seemed to be a

very capable

person and he was sorry for her. And why shouldn’t he marry, even if she was older than him. Look at

Roddy and that woman. Well, she didn’t really know anything definite about those two,

she only knew

how Kate had described the woman.

Hal should be married. Kate was always saying so. But he would have told her, given her some hint.

Well, hadn’t he given her plenty of hints about this woman being a wonderful cook and

how she had no

home life. Pity could make a man do lots of things it didn’t matter about age especially if.

well, he

needed a. She couldn’t go on and say, a woman. But what she did say to herself was, as soon as that

doctor comes I’ll get Mrs. Patterson to stay with them, then I’ll go across there. That’s if he doesn’t

come. But he surely will.

The doctor came at eleven o’clock and he must have thought it was she who needed

attention, for he

said, “You look anxious, pea ky What is it?”

“Nothing, nothing, only Kate wanted to see you.”

“She asked to see me?” His eyebrows went upwards.

“Yes.” She gave him a smile.

“Wonders’ll never cease.” He went to the bed, leant over and looked into the wrinkled

face, saying,

“How do you feel this morning, Kate?”

“I feel me end is on me. I wish it would hurry up,” she said.

“You wanted to see me. You want some medicine?”

“No, you know I don’t want... medicine. I want you to write a paper.”

“A paper?”

“Yes. I could have got the parson, but I don’t like parson. Just write a paper.”

He turned and looked at Mary Ellen, then said softly, “She wants me to make a statement of some

kind.”

He went to his bag and brought out a notebook; then returning to the bed, he said, “I’m ready. What do

you want to say?”

“Not much. Only that what I have, all my potions and herbs, me bits and pieces, and the money behind

the stone in the fireplace goes ... goes to her.” She made a motion with her head towards Mary Ellen.

And Mary Ellen, biting on her lip, shook her head and said, “Oh, Kate, Kate, no.”

When he had finished writing the doctor said, “Can you sign your name, do you think?”

“Can’t write.”

“Well, make a cross there.”

He put the pen into her hand and guided it at the bottom of the page;

then he signed his name and wrots something else. Then softly he said,” I have stated that this. is your

wish and that you are of sound mind, and that I have witnessed this, your hand. Is that what you want,

Kate?”

“Aye, that’s ... that’s what I want. She’ll’—again she nodded towards Mary Ellen ‘pay

you for your

visit.”

“I want no payment, Kate.”

She blinked up at him, then said, “Thank you. Thank you, sir.”

“And thank you, Kate. It’s an honour to be of help to you.” She closed her eyes and both he and Mary

Ellen turned away from the bed. And Mary Ellen trying hard to restrain her tears, said,

“Fancy that.

That’s what she wanted you for. She was thinkin’ of me.”

“She’s a fine old woman, ‘tis a pity she’s going. And from what I understand you’ve been like a

daughter to her. You’re going to miss her.”

“Yes, yes, I am.”

“You’ll be here on your own?”