A Dinner Of Herbs (72 page)

live there, you know you can’t.”

“Why not?” The question was quiet.

And now he almost screamed at her, his voice cracking with the hoarseness, “You know

what happened

there. You know who lived there.

The man who owned that place murdered your own grandfather and my father, and his

daughter

crucified me. That’s the word, crucified. I have nightmares still. She can tell you. “ He jerked his thumb

in Mary Ellen’s direction but kept his eyes tight on Kate the while.

“I wake up groaning, never yelling, because she stilled my voice, that devil, that demon who was born in

that house, brought up in that house. Even to this day I feel the screws in my joints from the way she left

me.

And you, knowing this, would go and live there. Does he know that it has been taken four times over

the past years and the longest stay was five years? Two of them only stayed a matter of eighteen months

and every crop they put in failed for the lot of them. The place is accursed. Why, nobody will ride that

way after dark, even today. “ He paused, then, his voice dropping, he said, “ There’s

other farms to let

off or for sale within a few miles, why did he pick on that one? Like one or two of the others that took it,

he had heard that there still might be some loot hidden away somewhere. And that was

what that devil

and her brother were after the day they cornered me. Has he heard that? “

“No, I don’t think so.” Her voice was quiet, dull sounding now.

“Anyway, as far as I can gather he has no need of money.”

“No, no? That’s another thing I’d like you to explain to me, why a man of means should shut himself

away in a place hardly bigger than a pig-pen, up in the wilds. Nobody’s lived up there for the last ten

years. Joe Stollard was the last and he was a lone man and wrong in the head. And’ His voice rising

now, he ended, “ You must be an’ all.

There’s something fishy. And it’s my belief, as you’ve kept close about this business, you’re keeping

close about’ other things. “

“Let up. Let up.” Mary Ellen pushed her hand towards him; then she turned and, walking quickly

towards Kate said, “Sit down, lass, sit down,” and pressed her into a chair. And when

Kate was seated

with her head bowed, Mary Ellen turned and looked at Hal and screwed her face up at

him to silence

any further protest.

A tap came on the door now and Florrie entered and, looking anxiously from one to the

other, she said,

“We’re back. I mean, Charles is here.”

“Charles? Tell him I want a word with him. Aye, he’s another that wants sorting out.”

“Stop it!” Mary Ellen turned harshly on him now.

“You’ve said enough for once,” and taking hold of Kate’s arm and saying, “Come on,

lass,” she pulled

her up from the chair and led her from the room. And as Florrie went to follow them her father’s voice

came at her, saying, “Do what I tell you. Send him in.”

A minute later Charles entered the room and he began courteously by saying, “Good day, Mr. Roystan,

although from what Florrie tells me it wasn’t such a good day at the market, but....”

“Cut the cackle about the market, I’ll hear about that later. Answer me truthfully, did you know that

Kate’s fellow had bought Rooklands, the Bannamans’ place?”

“Yes, I did, but only after the business had been settled. If I’d known his intentions beforehand I should

have persuaded him against it, knowing he was fond of Kate, and also how you felt about that place.”

“Why didn’t you let me know after he’d done it then?”

Charles looked down to the side as if he was examining his leather gaiters and paused a moment before

he said, “Well, I suppose I sensed what would happen, what apparently has happened

today. You’ve

been very upset by the knowledge. Anyway, it was Kate and Ben’s business, not mine;

what had to

come should have come from them.”

“Right you are there. Right you are: what had to come should have come from them. But

God’s sake!

man, I ask you, our Kate goin’ to live in that house. Why? The whole countryside will be asking the

question: why, of all places should she take that as her home? Because it isn’t like if what happened

there happened in the last century, it happened in the lifetime of all of us around here.

True, you were but

a lad yourself, little, admitted; and like to many another hairn the story was given to you as a fairy tale no

doubt. Now am I right?”

“Weller yes, you are, because I remember it being told to us in that way. And I was a

good age before I

realized that it was true, even though my father had stated from the beginning that it was true;

but at Christmas time he would always regale us with tales of horror and ghosts, which he also

maintained were true. “

“Well, there was no fairy tale about Bannaman’s business, you know that. Anyway, I’m

goin’ to ask you

a straight question, and I want a straight answer. There’s nobody here’ he waved his hand backward

and forward ‘to witness what you’ll say. But now, tell me, give me your honest opinion of that fellow.”

Again Charles hesitated for a moment before answering

“My honest opinion of Benedict Hamilton,” he said, ‘is that, as far as I know, he is an honest young man;

he is definitely an educated and travelled one; but having said that, I think there is something in his past

that has been a great source of trouble to him. It may not have affected himself, by that I mean he is not

the culprit so to speak, but in a way He now turned and looked out of the window and

jerked his chin

upwards before looking at Hal again and continuing, “I don’t know how to put this. I

mean, I don’t

know how to simplify my own thoughts on the subject. But I may be wrong, yet it seems

to me he’s

expunging someone else’s guilt. That might be fanciful, yet, I don’t see him as a person who himself has

committed any crime. I’m .. ; I’m putting it badly.”

“No, no, you’re not, lad. No, you’re not. You’re explainin’ things that’s in me own mind, that’s what

you’re doing. Aye, well, he needn’t have committed any crime in that sense, but He leant forward

towards Charles now and, pointing his finger at him, he said, ‘there’s kind of crimes that are not crimes,

such as he could have been married afore, or could still be married. What d’you think on that?”

“I haven’t thought along those lines, but as you say, that could be,” “Aye, aye, that could be. America’s

a long way away, nobody knows what he did there, but whatever it was, it drove him to

go and live by

himself and put up with weather up there that we shy from.”

“Yes, yes, you’re right. Once or twice I was very anxious about him.

But when I rode over I found that he was quite comfortable . well, as comfortable as he could be in that

little place. “

“He’s a man of means. Well, he must be to have bought that place. He’s told me all about that and the

business that his people were in in America. He’s talked about his father and his

grandfather. The only

one he hasn’t mentioned is his mother. A man usually mentions his mother, doesn’t he?

Has he

mentioned his mother to you?”

“No, no, he hasn’t. His grandmother.... Oh yes ... yes he did. He said that his mother died when he

was, I think when he was twelve, and he had lived with his grandmother. He seems very

fond of his

grandmother.”

“Then why did he leave her across all that water?”

“I don’t know. I only know this, Mr. Roystan, that I feel there is good in him, and

speaking for oneself,

I must say the more one gets to know him the more one likes him.”

“Aye,” well’—Hal sat back in his chair “I’m no forrader. There’s only one thing I do

know, she’s not

goin’ to live in that blasted place. Where is he the day?”

“He ... he went into Newcastle early this morning. He left a message with me for Kate.

He’ll be

returning by coach tomorrow I understand.”

“Aye, well, the quicker the better, so I can get me tongue round him.

We’ve got to know where we stand, him and me. By! aye, we have that. “

He began to cough now and to press his chest with the hub of his hand, and when Charles said, “Can I

get you something, sir?” he gasped, then muttered, “No, just send the missis in. But

thanks, lad, for

being honest. Aye, thanks for being honest.”

At this he sat back in his chair and closed his eyes while still pressing on his chest, and Charles left the

room quickly to call Mary Ellen.

Hal did not have a meeting with Ben on the Sunday evening as he had anticipated, he had another attack

and his breathing became so difficult that Mary Ellen sent Gabriel posthaste for the

doctor, who said that

the patient must stay in bed for at least a week and be kept quiet:

Hal’s chest was in a very bad state and the only way it would improve would be through rest, breathing

air of a moderate temperature and the application of mustard poultices applied to the skin, and hot linctus

taken inwardly.

So it was a fortnight before Hal came downstairs again. The whole family had been

concerned for him,

Kate equally as much as Mary Ellen.

But it was almost another week later before she said to him, “Dad, Ben would like to

come over

tomorrow to have a talk with you. It’s... it’s about the house.”

“Oh, aye.” He was in the sitting-room now. He had a ledger on his knee and had been

going through

the week’s output of milk which had fallen for the obvious reason that two cows had

gone dry. But the

market prices of the meat and butter and potatoes had stabilized, and so last week there had been no

goods brought back unsold.

He continued to look at the ledger as he said, “Aye, well, he’ll be welcome.”

“Dad.”

“Yes, lass? “ Now he did look up.

“We .. we want to do what is right and what is going to be least hurtful to you.”

“I ... I thought you’d see it that way, lass. Aye, I thought you’d see it that way. Thank you.”

“Oh, Dad.” With a quick movement she came and sat down beside him and, taking his

hand, she said,

“I could never be really happy if I hurt you.”

He looked at her lovingly as he said softly now, “And you’d never hurt me on your own, through your

own will, lass, I know that. I also understand how you feel about him, and when all’s said and done, he’s

a good match. But having said that, lass, you know so little about him. That’s ... that’s what I’m afraid

of.”

“You needn’t be afraid. Dad. I ... I know everything about him.”

“You do?” He drew back his head from her.

“Yes, yes, everything.”

“And you still think he’s somebody you should marry?”

“Yes. Oh yes, definitely.”

“Well, if you can say that, lass, with truth in your eyes as I see them now, then that’s good enough for

me.” He leant towards her and kissed her gently on the cheek, and she bowed her head,

and as the tears

squeezed from her closed lids he said, “Aw, lass, lass, come on now. Come on. It just

wants your

mother to see you cryin’ and I’ll get it again. My God! I’ve gone through it enough up in that room from

her. Come on. Come on. Here, don’t use your pinny.” He pulled out a handkerchief from

the pocket

of his soft house coat and handed it to her, adding now on a light note, “I’ve never been so long in bed in

all me life. At times I’ve thought to me self this is what it must feel like to be dead.”

“Oh, Dad.” She was smiting at him, and he nodded at her, saying, “Aye, aye, I did. Your mother’s a

tartar you know. She always was and always will be, and she’s got hands as gentle as

muck shovels.”

“Oh!” Kate now got to her feet.

“You’d better not let her hear you say that.”

“What had I better not hear?” Mary Ellen was coming up the room and she rounded the

back of the tall

chair and, facing Hal, she demanded, “What have you been saying about me now?”

“I was just sayin’ to Kate how gentle your hands were, nearly as gentle as a couple of muck shovels, the

long-handled ones, you know.”

Mary Ellen turned her head to the side while still keeping her eyes on him and, matching his jocular tone,

she said, “Very well, very well.

Wait till that next mustard plaster goes on, I’ll know what to do with the muck shovels.

By! lad, I will.

“

“Oh, away with you! woman, and get in the kitchen and do some cookin’.” But then,

jerking his head

towards Kate, he added, “She tells me that Ben’s comin’ over the morrow.” And looking

down at the

ledger again, he finished on a mutter, “He’s comin’ to talk about the house.”

Mary Ellen and Kate exchanged glances, and Mary Ellen let out a deep sigh, and, in an

even more jovial

tone now said, “Well, he won’t be the only one comin’ the morrow. There’s Florrie’s

Charles. And

what d’you think? Our Maggie’s just told me she met Andrew Boston in the market and

he asked her if

he could call the morrow an’ all.”

Hal looked up at her, laughing now and saying, “Well, now she’s doing something

sensible at last that

one. Andrew Boston. He’s in for law like our Hugh, but I wonder who really did the

asking’. Well,

well. Has our John or Tom said they’re bringin’ anybody?”

“No, not yet anyway; but May Turner has been trotting her horse along this road quite a bit of late, an