Three Round Towers (7 page)

The very next day I was summoned to the coroner's office again. Farmer Elwood appeared at our door and said he would accompany me. I was very anxious but glad to have such a man at my side. I kissed Mrs Makepiece goodbye outside the clock tower. I knew she was worried sick but I tried to settle her spirits by being calm myself. She pushed her hankie into my hands and whispered to be brave, upright and remember I had good friends nearby.

The coroner was sitting at his desk and after a formal greeting with Farmer Elwood he addressed himself to me.

‘Esther, I am sorry to have to tell you that Farmer Coad has made a statement to the constables that you did kill Becca in order to take her baby for your own.'

I gasped and started to protest but he silenced me with a raised hand.

‘He accepts that the child was a result of his union with Becca and declares that she was a known trollop. He has called on his sons to bear witness that Becca conducted herself lewdly and he also called on various people who were at the Midsummer Fair where, he said, she was seen to flaunt herself to all and sundry.'

I was robbed of my voice by this shameful slur on Becca and by the knowledge that my voice against Farmer Coad and his sons was unlikely to be heard. Farmer Elwood, at my side, spoke.

‘Have they any proof that Esther might have killed Becca?'

‘No, it is her word against Coad's. But it is not my place to decide who is or is not, guilty. My role is to ascertain how she died and I am clear that she drowned, either by her own hand or someone else's. However, as a personal friend John, I would suggest that Esther think through everything that happened and bring to bear any fact that might shake Coad's story. He and his sons think they are – to coin the phrase – home and dry. There is the matter as to who violated the body, which might shed some light. The stave that was used to batter her has been found near the riverbank and very near to the farm. There is nothing remarkable about it other than it has been sharpened at one end and this was used to inflict deep wounds in the corpse. The level of malice is striking. The best outcome for Esther is that a witness can be found to augment aspects of her story. She can bring witnesses as to her character and demonstrate that she is not a likely candidate to inflict death or such vicious post mortem wounds.'

I was rooted to the spot in fear of what would become of me.

‘What happens to me now?' I croaked.

‘You must remain at Mrs Makepiece's until such time as the constable has enough evidence to prove or disprove your situation.'

‘Am I under arrest?'

‘No. This investigation has a way to go before the constable will move against you. In the meantime, I will release the body for burial.'

Becca's funeral was a poor affair. No one wanted to have her buried on hallowed ground. I was shocked at the many pious people of Lewes, who needed so many places of worship, yet, not one of them would show any charity towards this young and badly used girl. In the end, Farmer Elwood took it on himself to allow the burial on part of his land where there was a family chapel, the same chapel where his own child had been laid to rest. Even without much faith myself it was a relief that she was buried on hallowed ground. I wore Cecilia's thickest veil in case anyone objected to my presence but we were only a few: the Elwoods, Mrs Makepiece, Becca's pa and I took the body to the tiny chapel. It was surrounded by light airy woodland and had a quiet, peaceful atmosphere. Small birds chirruped amongst the autumn leaves with a gentle wind speaking in shallow sighs and whispers. I felt the chapel to be welcoming Becca.

The hole was dug deep and proper, not like some recent burials where bones had escaped their bindings and appeared above ground mere months after the committal. This disturbing bit of information came from Mrs Makepiece who was scathing about the standard of burials in the town. She said the stink was scandalous and good people deserved better.

Becca had been popular, her father said, but none of her childhood friends had come to pay their last respects. I felt for her. To commit herself to such a death was bad enough but to have people believe the wicked lies was monstrous.

As Mrs Elwood laid a little posy of autumn leaves and bright berries on the earth I wept for Becca and for Beth who would never know what a fine mother she had. It was difficult not to feel a sense of bitterness against the people of Lewes who had shut their minds to our innocence, believing instead the malice of a wicked man and his family.

Later that evening we were surprised by a sharp rap on the door. It was Miss Wardle, the lady who loved her pigs more than her neighbours.

‘There is a young man in my Sally's sty and I think he needs some medical attention. He says you are his friend and might help.' Her voice was irritable but I detected a kindness beneath.

‘It must be Billy,' I said. I reached for my wrap and with Mrs Makepiece followed the elderly lady into the dark.

The sty was dark and I could barely make out Billy who was sweating profusely and covered in scratches and small wounds. He was wet, dirty and worryingly hot. I struggled out backwards and reported to the ladies that he was in need of a doctor. I volunteered the thought that he had been attacked.

‘Well, as long as he has nothing infectious,' Miss Wardle, barked. ‘You'd best bring him into my kitchen while one of you fetches someone.'

I struggled back in and eventually managed to drag Billy out of the sty. He wasn't objecting, he just seemed unable to understand what I was trying to do. I managed eventually and half carried, half dragged him to Miss Wardle's house.

Luckily it was a good-sized place with a cooking range burning contentedly so I laid Billy on the floor in front of it. Miss Wardle produced some cloths and I gently tried to clean him without opening all the cuts. His clothes were so thin they had given him no protection at all and I was fearful that an infection was setting in. As I took the scraps of clothing from him I wondered briefly why I seemed to be drawn to undress sickly people who I barely knew. Gradually he responded to the warmth and dry towels and his shivering lessened.

‘What happened, Billy, where have you been?'

I couldn't get any sense out of him at all and we sat there waiting for the physician. I cleaned some of the cuts with water and for one particularly deep one I pulled the skin together and bound it with thin cotton. Miss Wardle, tutted and worried all around us but was unable to help – I asked her for some clean water for Billy to drink.

She made a hot drink as well and we were all quite comfortable waiting.

‘Well, Esther, you seem to attract lost souls to you,' Dr Grieve said as he strode into the kitchen his voice booming over us three women and Billy.

He raised the patient on his pitifully thin legs and inspected the damage before opening his bag and choosing medicants and bindings.

‘Who did this to you, lad?' he asked.

Billy was still unable to answer and the physician finally gave up trying to get any information from him. Miss Wardle said that he could stay the night on her kitchen floor and she produced a blanket. I made him as comfortable as I could before Mrs Makepiece and I went back home much disturbed by Billy's misfortune. Dr Grieve had said he wanted to see Billy as soon as he had recovered enough to travel. I promised to get him there and hoped he would be able to answer some questions.

The next day I hurried to Miss Wardle's. I kept my shawl across my face so no one would question who I was and link me to Becca. Billy-alone was sitting at the kitchen table and looking a great deal better than he had last night. Next to him and propped against the table were two items, one I had never seen and the other made my heart soar. The first was a stave, sharpened cruelly to a point. The second was Becca's cradle. I picked it up and smelled it, there was a faint baby smell – how could that be possible after such a time out in the open?

I rushed to hug him but was speedily repelled. ‘Get orff, mind me bruises…'

We thanked Miss Wardle for her care and she seemed quite softened by the time we left, making our way to the physician's house as quickly as we could. Billy was concerned as to how he was going to pay the doctor.

‘Don't let's worry about it until he gives us a bill,' I said glibly. ‘First we have to get you better.'

We had brought the stave and cradle with us and the doctor was mightily interested in them after he had redressed some of Billy's hurts.

‘Tell me lad, how you came to be up near Coad Farm?'

Billy yawned, tired of this repeated questioning. ‘I went up to find the cradle.'

I had to explain how Becca had made the cradle in readiness for the birth and so she could float the baby down to find new parents much as in the story she heard Farmer Coad, in all his hypocrisy, read from the bible. The physician shook his head in wonderment and spent the next few minutes inspecting it minutely. I asked him to sniff the cradle and he would be able to smell baby. ‘I don't think my sense of smell is that finely tuned Esther but I accept that this was indeed a cradle, if only for a short while.' He turned to Billy.

‘Where did you find it boy?'

‘It was caught up in some reeds. I had to go into the river a long way down from Coad's in case I missed it.'

‘Can you swim?'

‘No. Leastways, I think I can now, but I couldn't then.'

‘So, you stepped into the shallows and waded upriver searching the reeds for this little basket. Then what happened?'

‘I was quite near Coad's when I heard some lads laughing and messing about. Reckon they were the sons, they started throwing stones at me and I kept falling into the deeper water. I tried hiding in the reeds but they knew where I was and kept at me. One of them ran off and came back with sticks and a dog. The sticks were tied to their wrists with long cords so they couldn't lose them.'

‘Did they know you Billy?'

‘Nah, I was just an easy target for a bit of fun, like.'

‘How long did this skirmish go on?' asked the doctor, ‘You have a lot of cuts and bruises.'

‘I dunno, it seemed like most of the morning,' Billy said. ‘I was losing ground and couldn't keep meself up no more. If one of the fishermen hadn't come down the river in his little boat I would have been a goner. He shouted at the lads and they ran off but not before losing this spear. It broke at the strap and fell into the water. He hauled me into his boat and we collected the spear and the cradle before coming back to the town.'

‘Did he know who the boys were?'

‘Oh, aye,' he said. ‘They were the Coad brothers.'

‘Who was the fisherman Billy?'

‘Dunno 'is name but I knows where he lives.'

The physician looked grave and studied the spear closely before comparing it to the one that was already in his room. They were the same, except for the remnants of binding.

‘Well, lad, you'll live, but you must keep clean and come back to see me if you feel at all feverish, by that I mean unnaturally hot, sick or sleepy.'

I spoke for Billy. ‘Thank you doctor. I will ask Mrs Makepiece if we can take care of Billy until he is all healed.'

As we left the doctor's room he put a hand on my sleeve. ‘This changes things completely Esther, I hope you will be vindicated in your story. Don't tell anyone about the stave and cradle until I have had time to speak to the constable. You are a very lucky girl to have such a good friend in Billy.'

We had started to leave when he called me back. ‘There was one other thing Esther. Coad maintains he gave you nothing to care for the child as his story is that you stole her. Is there anything that can link him to the money you say you have – how much was it?'

‘He said he was giving me fifty pounds but it was only thirty-five. I think he thought I couldn't count.'

‘Even so, thirty-five pounds is a lot of money just to have in hand. Do you know if he might have been doing some business that day with anyone?'

‘No, but the bag was stamped with the bank's name and his own brand.'

‘Thank you, that might help. Can you remember how the money was made up – notes, coins etc.?'

‘Aye, I can. I do not have that much money that I would get confused.'

I was able to tell him the exact denominations.

Billy and I returned to Mrs Makepiece's house where we found Miss Wardle. She had been taking a drop of the brandy and was a little pink in the face.

‘Billy,' she said. ‘I wish you would come and look after my pigs and chickens with me. I am getting on in years and I know you would be able to do the work and Sally behaves much better for you than me. You could sleep in the outhouse, which I would make comfortable for you. It would be much better than living on the streets or in Sally's sty and you would get your bed and board.'

I thought Billy would be pleased at this offer but he hummed and haa-d
before asking if he had to work all day, every day. Once he was reassured that his work would be in the mornings and evenings only, he agreed.

‘I'll do it, ta Miss Wardle. I reckon old Sal will be made up with me being there, she's a rare good piggy, perhaps we could keep some more of her piglets to fatten up and sell.'

‘That's the thing Billy, we'll make enough money to cover your wages and more.'

‘Wages, will I get wages an' all?' Billy smiled gratefully.

We were all very chirpy that evening despite Billy's injuries – he stayed with us for the next few days until Miss Wardle was ready to welcome him to his new home – the first he had known since his family died. The outhouse would be a great improvement to the way he had been living.

The very next day he and I made our way to South Farm to tell the Elwoods all that had happened and for me to see and cuddle Beth. She had changed in just the few days that I had been gone and I wept a few little tears into her ear. Cecilia was delighted to be able to tell me that she had smiled her first real smile and spent most of her time cheerfully crowing and blowing bubbles.

Farmer Elwood came in whilst I was sitting with Cecilia and was very interested to hear about Billy's battle with the Coad boys and the finding of the sharpened stave and cradle. I told him that the money Coad gave me was in a bank bag and I thought that the coroner was particularly interested in that and thought it of use to the case. I explained that it was upstairs with the belongings that I hadn't taken to Mrs Makepiece's and he bade me retrieve it. I sped to my room and pulled it from the box, returning to lay it on the kitchen table where we all peered at it as if it would speak. Farmer Elwood suggested that we put the bag and money in a safer place in case it was requested as evidence by the coroner himself or the constable. He took it to his office and it was locked up.

Billy-alone and I returned to Keere Street that evening after he had spent most of the time in the farm kitchen making Cilla laugh. I couldn't resist commenting that Cilla seemed to like him and had all but fainted when she saw his poor battered self.

It was true and it cheered me that such a good cheeky lad was benefitting from his own generous actions. I would have been a lot poorer in spirit and fact without young Billy keeping me company throughout my troubles. For a moment I wished I could find someone like Billy to share my thoughts and feelings with but I knew that I was not a likely wife for anyone. My twisted leg and plain looks were not likely to find me a man. I sighed before remembering Beth and my many advantages in having good friends who cared for me. I thought myself lucky to be a free woman still despite the serious charges laid by Farmer Coad against me.