Maggie's Child (25 page)

Mason chuckled. ‘It would be an honour to manage your herd. I have visions of better times ahead. Livestock is the way forward for us. Turn the farm to dairy and beef. Jacob wanted his finger in every pie. Granted a few sheep and pigs, but for farm use only. Let us use the extra grazing for the cows and bull. Our sheep are good stock, keep back some and exchange the others. Listen to me. Ours, us, anyone would think I own the farm. I do love the place though. It grows on you. Jacob would never let it. It was his burden, he would say.’

‘We will talk some more on the way home. Come back for me in one hour, please Mason.’

Maggie climbed down with the assistance of a footman. She remembered the last time she stepped through the doors of the large building in front of her and felt a deep sadness.

She was lead to a large drawing room. Instinctively she looked to the ceiling. There was a carved rose in the centre. Shivers ran down her spine.

‘The one in the library is pastel green, with my husband’s, great grandfather’s initials engraved into a petal. Quite the feature do you not think?’ Flora Avenell entered the room and held out her hand. ‘I am sorry for your loss, Mrs Sawbury. A dreadful business, my husband informed me. Now what is it I can do for you? I am intrigued by all the secrecy, and trust me, I have not mentioned anything to the squire.’ She indicated a chair, offered refreshment, and listened while Maggie stammered out her confession.

A cup hit the floor and Flora Avenell fainted. Maggie ran to the door to call for help but could see no one. Flora Avenell had ensured their privacy. Maggie saw a bell pull and tugged on it firmly.

A footman came into the room, took in the situation, and ran for the woman’s maid. They laid Flora onto a chaise longue. Maggie dismissed the staff assuring them she would call them if needed, their mistress had merely fainted because of the heat. Slowly Flora came round. She sipped a glass of water and beckoned Maggie over to her.

‘I am dreadfully sorry about that, how embarrassing. Please help me up. You have given me quite a shock. To find out my husband passed his time away in the granary with other women, one of whom became pregnant with his child is not pleasant. Then to learn his illegitimate child wants to marry his legitimate one is most distressing.’ She fanned herself with a delicate hand painted fan.

‘We, or should I say I, have a dilemma my dear. You want to stop a marriage and I want one to go ahead. Only a confession can remove the dilemma.’

Maggie looked at the pale faced woman. She could not imagine how she must be feeling.

‘I am sorry, Mrs Avenell. It pains me to hurt you so, but you can surely understand my predicament? Do you need me to confess to your husband?’

‘Very difficult, Mrs Sawbury. Painful? I am not so sure. Hear me out’. Flora Avenell settled into a seat opposite Maggie.

‘The granary was where I let him take me for the first time too, you know,’ Flora continued talking. Maggie tried to stop her; she did not need to hear the woman’s memories. She had done enough damage to her present.

‘I instigated the whole thing. Oh, he thinks he seduced me, but I let him believe what he wanted for the sake of his ego. Men have large egos, do they not?’

Maggie wasn’t sure whether she should respond or not, she gave a half- hearted smile with a short nod of the head.

‘We had been pushed together by our parents. There was no excitement for me. I did not want to be his bride. I loved another. Sadly, he was not a man of means, and I have been rather spoilt all my life. I like the finer things and to spend money on fripperies.’ Maggie could not believe she was listening to the confessions of Stephen’s wife. She needed to get the conversation back to Nathaniel and Ruth. To encourage the girl’s mother to take her away, and hope their infatuation will subside but the woman continued talking, giving no opportunity to intercede.

‘I had to bed him quickly, to make him want me you know.’ Flora Avenell swallowed hard. ‘I was in rather a delicate position -  if you understand my meaning.’ Flora’s fan moved faster and faster as she spoke. Maggie watched while she absorbed the woman’s words. Flora Avenell, nee Tamworth, a daughter of society, and strict upbringing, had been pregnant with another man’s child. She allowed Stephen to think it was his, and this in turn moved their marriage along. At last Maggie found her voice.

‘Ruth is not of Stephen’s blood. Is that what you are telling me? Our children are not related in any way?’She sat wringing her gloves trying to make sense of what she had just heard.

‘Yes, you understand correctly. Now we need to be clear on what has been said here today. We are women with dangerous secrets. Secrets that can ruin lives. I promise you my lips are sealed. Nathaniel is a fine young man, and I am saddened you have to live on the edge of his life. Ruth is a beautiful young woman, and I adore her, as does her father -- the squire. My secret relieves you of a burden of conscience does it not?’

Flora rose from her seat and went to Maggie. She knelt to the floor at her feet. ‘I am begging you to keep the secret to your death bed. There will be no gain for anyone should you speak openly.’

Embarrassed by the open plea from such an important woman, Maggie helped her to her feet and spoke with earnest, almost breathless, honesty.

‘You have my word. I would never want to hurt the Arlington family. They have been good to me. This is the reason I have never spoken the truth. Your words have given me great joy in my heart. I
promise
, like you, my lips are sealed. We will speak of it no more. Nathaniel will inherit Windtop when I die. It will not be a surprise, because I hope he will help me manage it, and therefore would have earned it. Besides, I have always told the Arlington family I would find a way of repaying their kindness to me one day.’

The two women embraced and shook hands to seal a secret pact. Maggie left with the knowledge she had overcome yet another hurdle in her life.

When she stepped outside she was surprised to see Dukes waiting for her. His wide smile was just what she needed to see. The news she had heard made her forget what Lizzie had shared with her the night of the farm party. It came flooding back.

‘What did I do to deserve this honour, kind sir?’ she teased.

Dukes bowed. ‘Mason sends his apologies. Apparently he has been given a free reign to buy cows, and heard of a bargain purchase in Rickinghall. When I called to speak with Nathaniel, Mason asked if I would collect you. So here I am.’

Maggie climbed onto the cart.

‘I spent a pleasant afternoon with Ruth’s mother. I worried about the girl and her governess, and felt I should call to enquire after their health. I understand there is to be a wedding, and it will be announced shortly. They make a fine pair.’

Dukes gave her a side-glance. ‘You approve of the marriage now? I thought the young master was too young to wed in your opinion. What changed your mind?

Maggie laughed. ‘A woman is entitled to make changes whenever she pleases, is she not? I changed my mind while watching him handle my finances. The boy is a man now. More than capable of making his own way in the world. It is my intention to leave him Windtop farm when I die. He will become a man of means. I have no family to leave it to, and he understands the importance of running a good business. Plus he would be a kind, generous man to his staff.’

Dukes clucked the horse to pick up speed as they came to a small hill. He gave her another side-glance and she felt her face flush.

‘Do you not think it a wise idea? It cannot harm the boy surely. Besides, he will be a man with a family before it is my time to leave this green and pleasant land. At least I do hope that will be the case.’

Dukes said nothing except to slow the horse down. They ambled along at a slower pace and Maggie could not bear the silence between them.

‘Before that happens I have plans for Windtop.’

‘Dairy farming. Yes, Mason informed me. A wise idea, Maggie. You have a good foreman with Mason.’

Maggie waved her hand in dismissal of his statement. ‘No, I have other ideas. I plan to build on the land beside Dupp’s meadow. I want a small house of my own built there. It is the most beautiful place in Suffolk in my mind’s eye. I dream of waking and looking across at the river and farm. A beautiful scene in any season.’

Dukes nodded. ‘An interesting idea. What would you do with the farmhouse? He grinned widely. ‘I mean before you die.’

Maggie giggled. ‘I intend to ask Nathaniel if he would like to live there. He loves the farm, and if he marries Ruth, it will be years before he becomes squire. I have plans to enlarge the house, and when the building is brought back to good health, it will be a marvellous home. A modern farm would be a wonderful start for a young man’s career. Should he not want to take it on then I have no idea beyond that hope. No doubt fate will lend its hand, it usually does.’

The horse whinnied and Dukes settled him with a click of his tongue. Maggie marvelled at how gentle he was with both animal and man. He pulled the cart to a halt and turned to her.

 ‘So a house on Dupp’s Meadow overlooking the farm would allow a mother the joy of seeing her son on a daily basis. I think it is a marvellous plan.’

Maggie stared at him, his face was expressionless, and Maggie went back over his words, not sure if she had misinterpreted their meaning. He climbed down from the cart and she realised it is where they had collected chestnuts on their first meeting. He walked forward a few paces and stood by a bush. The area had changed very little, Maggie’s stomach churned, and she was convinced  the blood had drained from her face. He stood in front of the place she had laid Nathaniel the day he was born.

‘I found him here. Your son. I heard his cries. When you were brought to the Arlington’s I watched you with him, the way you bonded, how you held him, and I knew he was yours. Over the years, I also learned why you left him to be found. Jacob would have been a cruel father, and Stephen would not have taken his duties seriously. He would have abandoned you-did abandon you. Yes, I knew about your affair, I stumbled across you in an embrace not meant for friends. I have admired your strength from the day you held the boy and fed him. You were at death’s door but nothing mattered. Only the survival of your child.’ He walked back to her and looked straight into her eyes, Maggie listened in horror as he relayed facts she thought were secrets. ‘I watched you recently in Dupp’s Meadow. You looked so alive, and to hear you shout out your painful past was exhilarating. To watch you come so far is a gift for me.’

It took all the courage she had to remain standing in front of him, Maggie wanted to run, to turn back the clock. Instead she stood, statue-like, and listened to his words. He had been with her every step of the journey, from the day of her son’s birth to her day of freedom. He saved her, picked her up, soothed her, and never once asked a price. Jacob she had never loved, Stephen she thought she had but now knew he was excitement in her dark days. He had dallied with her, made a pretence of not wanting anything from her, and all the time was merely using her for his selfish needs. Dukes on the other hand, had lingered in the background of her life. What she felt for Dukes whenever she saw him she had put down to friendship, an acceptance he would always be there for her. Looking at him now she knew it was something more. Something deeper. She walked towards him and took his hand. His strong, muscular hand. Her voice came as a whisper but she had no energy left. Her emotions were spent. All she had left was for him, the man who kept secrets, and asked for nothing in return.

‘I love you, William Dukes. It has taken me a child’s lifetime to realise it, but it is the truth. I love you. As a young girl, I felt something but had no life experience to understand what it was. Now I know, and all I can say to you is, this woman loves you as much as, no, more than, that young girl did the day she met you.’

Dukes smiled, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small cloth and unravelled it, then held up a shrivelled chestnut.

‘ I hold this every day. It reminds me of a day of innocence. I fell in love with you the day you roasted me chestnuts. I could not bring myself to eat the last one for fear if I did, the magic I felt inside would disappear.’

He walked to her, and she dare not move. She gave no argument when he held her in his arms. Maggie raised her face, and their lips touched with the gentle kiss of new lovers. When Dukes released her, she looked to the hills. There was no more grey blot on the landscape. In its place was a landscape of colours, a brighter future.

The End

About the Author

Glynis Smy, (nee Honeycombe), was born and raised in the coastal town of Dovercourt, near Harwich, in the county of Essex, England.

She married her school sweetheart, Peter, in 1979 and they produced three amazing children, Darren, Nicola, and Emma. The long hours of a nursing career, and running two pharmacies ended in 2005, when she and her husband moved from the UK to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.