Honey's Farm (55 page)

She shook her head. ‘
Duw
, it don't do to upset the gentry, mind.' She put a kindly hand on Eline's shoulder. ‘It's a come-down for you, dear, but at least cleaning is honest and chaste, and you won't have men pawing you, not like the serving girls do.'

It seemed that, within the space of a few days, her whole life had been turned upside down. Eline could have easily given in to tears; but tears were weak and useless and solved nothing. But still it was with a feeling of trepidation that she crossed the road to the public, dressed ready for the job in a dark sensible skirt and a blouse with sleeves she could roll above her elbows.

‘Good girl!' Abe was a wizened man with a sprinkling of grey curls covering his otherwise bald pate. He had few teeth, and his cheeks were sunken, but his eyes were lively and full of humour, and Eline liked him on sight.

‘Now,' Abe said. ‘Tuck your skirt up, girl, otherwise it will get wet and bedraggled – up into your bloomers, girl, have you no idea?'

He cackled. ‘Don't worry about your legs. It's only me seeing them, and I'm well past any mischief these days.'

He went to the door and paused. ‘For today only, I've lit the stove and boiled up water, but from now on that's all part of your duties. I'll treat you fair and honest, but I need a worker, not a shirker. If you agree with that, we'll get on just fine.'

Eline felt she had never seen such a messy floor in all her life; beer and tobacco stained the flags and, although she had brushed it furiously, a fine coating of sawdust lay in the cracks of the boards.

She sighed. This was what she must get used to now; this was her life, and the sooner she came to terms with it, the better it would be for her and for her son.

Will handed the shoes to Mrs Jessop, and she examined them intently. ‘Very good,' she said at last. ‘I'll go and get you some money.'

Will was relieved by her praise; it was the first time she had come to him for cobbling, and he had known at once she would be a difficult customer to impress. But she would also be a loyal one.

Will's attention was drawn by a small cry from the other side of the room. Edging forward, he saw there was a baby in the open drawer of the dresser.

He knelt down, and, with an in-drawn, ragged breath, he realized he was looking into the face of his own son.

Mrs Jessop returned and smiled as she leant over Will's shoulder. ‘Bonny, isn't he? Got no name, mind, bless him.'

Will straightened. ‘Why is he here?' he asked.

Mrs Jessop smiled in assumed innocence. ‘His mammy brought him – Eline Temple . . . I think you might know her.' There was a cunning smile in Mrs Jessop's eyes. ‘She's boarding with me since her husband threw her out.'

‘You know, don't you?' Will said. ‘You know this boy is my son.'

Mrs Jessop had a coy look that sat strangely on her wrinkled face. ‘I don't know what you're talking about,' she said, smiling. ‘I just asked you to do some work for me, and you have. You can take things from there, if you like.'

‘Where is she?' Will asked, looking round as if he expected Eline to appear from thin air.

‘Eline, you mean?' Mrs Jessop said. ‘She's working over the road, at the inn. Honest toil, it is, mind – scrubbing floors for old Abe, and her glad enough of the job.' She paused. ‘I shouldn't be gossiping, but I'm sorry for the girl. Her husband sewed her up tight, took everything she owned; all legal, mind, and now the poor girl got to get down on her hands and knees and scrub floors.'

Will clasped Mrs Jessop in his arms and kissed her cheek. ‘You're an angel,' he said, ‘a bloody angel.'

‘Go on with you, and there's no need to swear, mind.' Her words were reproving, but she was smiling.

Will left the house and stared for a moment across the road. He took a deep breath and began to walk towards the inn.

Eline's knees ached intolerably, and so did her arms. More, her blouse was slowly growing damp; the exertions had brought her milk in, and her heavy breasts told her it was time her son was fed.

A shadow fell across her, and Eline looked up at a tall sharp silhouette, dark against the light from the door. Hands helped her to her feet, and then she was looking into Will's face.

‘Come on, my lovely,' he said. ‘I'm taking you home.'

She leant wearily against him, her eyes closed. ‘But, Will, I have nothing, I'm penniless,' she said softly.

‘I haven't got much either,' he replied. ‘But at least we'll be poor together – you, me and our son.'

As he led her outside, Eline felt relief flood her. Will was there; he would take care of her, they would be together for always. And suddenly it seemed that, on the cold winter day, the sun was shining.

Iris Gower was born in Swansea to an Army family. Married early, she was a mother of four and a well-published author by the time she was in her mid-twenties. She still lives in Swansea with her husband in a house on top of a Welsh hill facing the sea she loves. She is the author of the highly successful
Sweyn's Eye
series of novels and
Honey's Farm
is the third title in her new
Cordwainers
series.

COPPER KINGDOM

PROUD MARY

SPINNERS' WHARF

MORGAN'S WOMAN

FIDDLER'S FERRY

BLACK GOLD

THE LOVES OF CATRIN

THE SHOEMAKER'S DAUGHTER

THE OYSTER CATCHERS

 

and published by Corgi Books

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HONEY'S FARM

A CORGI BOOK : 0 552 13687 5
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN: 9781446487532

Originally published in Great Britain by Bantam Press, a division of Transworld Publishers

printing history

Bantam Press edition published 1993

Corgi edition published 1994

7 9 10 8 6

Copyright © Iris Gower 1993

The right of Iris Gower to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All the characters in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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