The Hungry Tide (9 page)

John strode purposefully across the town and towards the river and the houses on its banks. He would make the Foster home his first call, to deliver the long-awaited bonus and to sound out their reaction to his proposal. He had a romantic notion of delivering his hero and his lovely wife from the servitude and despair of the hovel in which they lived.

He was therefore somewhat taken aback when in answer to his knock the door was opened immediately, not by the gentle Maria, but by a young woman dressed in a most bizarre fashion, with flowers, feathers and lace bedecked about her person, who gave him a coquettish glance as she stood aside to let him in.

He swallowed hard and politely gave a small bow. He wondered curiously if she was a woman of easy virtue, for by her painted appearance she might well be; but if that was the case then what was she doing here?

‘I wondered if Will was at home, Mrs Foster?’ he asked as Maria appeared. ‘Or if you expect him back shortly?’

‘He’s gone for a drive into ’country, Mr Rayner. I don’t know what time he’ll be back.’ She added by way of explanation. ‘He gets very downcast if he spends too much time inside. He’s so used to being outdoors.’

She hesitated before saying, ‘You’ll pardon me for asking, sir, but did you come about ’bonus? Word is out that it’s going to be paid.’

John marvelled at the speed in which news travelled in this community. It was only a few hours since he had been given the report himself. ‘Yes, that’s it exactly, but I also wanted a word with him about another matter.’

He was interrupted by Annie who with a shrill exclamation on hearing this information, gathered up her shawl and prepared to depart.

‘I must get down to ’docks and collect my dues,’ she said excitedly. ‘There’s sure to be summat for me.’

‘It’s Mrs Swinburn,’ said Maria as Annie disappeared out of the door and she saw the questioning look on John’s face. ‘Her husband was killed on ’
Polar Star
and she’s badly in need of money.’

‘So how does she manage?’ asked John curiously. ‘She appears to have money for clothes.’

Maria thought he was sneering and she answered sharply. ‘When we have no money at all, sometimes we have to sell our precious possessions.’ She indicated the bare and gloomy room, devoid of any ornaments or embellishments. ‘And God knows we have few enough of those. Annie only sells what is hers, and hurts nobody, only herself.’

‘I wasn’t criticizing or passing judgement, Mrs Foster,’ John said quietly. ‘I do apologize if I gave you that impression.’ Clearly the tender Maria wasn’t as timid and reserved as she first appeared to be, and he admired the spirited way in which she defended her friend.

She was immediately penitent. ‘No, it’s me that should be sorry, I don’t know what comes over me sometimes.’ Her eyes filled with tears and she brushed them away with the back of her hand. ‘But we folks have to help each other, there’s no-one else who will.’

He wanted to take her hand, to comfort her, as he would have done with Isobel, but he knew that the action would be misconstrued, that she would shy away from him in distrust. Instead he gave a small bow and said that he would call again the next day. In spite of her rough upbringing, this was a modest, gentle woman who would recoil with dismay if he should commit the unpardonable sin of bridging the social barrier which divided them.

Will relaxed for the first time in weeks. They’d cleared the town and were heading out on the Beverley road. He took a deep breath. It was good to be away from the confines of the town and to smell the sweetness of the country air. They’d passed the Infirmary, and were now bowling swiftly along the main coach road. It was a good surface and the young mare kicked up her heels and trotted briskly along.

‘Would tha like to take a turn with ’reins?’ Francis asked presently, and obligingly pulled over and swapped places.

Will took the reins diffidently. ‘I’m a seaman,’ he said cautiously. ‘I’m not used to hosses.’

‘Just let her have her head for a bit until tha gets used to ’feel of ’rein. She’s a good hoss and won’t go wild.’

Will shook the reins and felt the strength of the animal as she responded to his signal. He smiled to himself and straightened his shoulders. This was akin to being at sea. To feel the power beneath his fingers, the breeze blowing in his hair, and the surging movement beneath him as they were carried along.

He laughed out loud, a resounding cry to which the horse reacted as, startled, she broke into a canter which tipped Francis unceremoniously backwards into the cart, making the two men roar with laughter.

‘Where are we heading?’

They’d been on the road for an hour, there was little habitation apart from an occasional farmhouse or country estate and he didn’t think for a moment that Francis had brought him out this far just for his pleasure, there had to be some other reason. They were coming towards a wooded area and ahead he could see a small crossroad.

‘Turn left here,’ Francis said abruptly. ‘There’s a property I want to look at. Just curious like,’ he added as Will looked questioningly at him.

He followed his instructions and slowed the horse down to a steady walk as they turned into a narrow rutted lane, the banked up sides overgrown with blackthorn and bramble.

‘Just stop here a minute.’ Francis spoke softly. ‘I want to take a look over yonder.’ He jumped down lightly from the cart and, grabbing hold of the long grasses and scrubby branches as support, pulled himself up the bank.

On reaching the top he dropped to his knees, and with his hand shielding his eyes looked out into the distance. From where he was sitting in the cart, Will could see a cluster of tall chimneys.

‘What’s up?’ he asked quietly, but Francis put up his hand in warning and scrambled back down the bank.

‘There are some dogs about.’ He took hold of the mare’s head to turn her around. ‘If they get wind of us, they’ll make a devil of a row.’

Will wondered why that would matter if the reason for them being there was innocent, but, knowing Francis, said nothing.

They had turned out of the lane back on to the road when Will was suddenly conscious of a rustling movement and cracking of twigs, and turning saw a man half hidden in the undergrowth, who on realizing that he had been observed, quickly covered his mouth with the scarf he had around his neck.

‘Where did he come from?’ Will turned towards Francis beside him, in time to see him make a quick nodding motion towards the man.

‘What?’ said Francis cheerfully. ‘I don’t know what tha’s talking about. Come on, let’s get moving.’

‘So what’s thy interest in yon mansion?’ Will urged the horse into a brisk trot.

‘Tha’s a bit sharp, Will!’

Will said nothing but kept his eyes to the front and waited.

Francis pursed his lips and whistled quietly and tunelessly. ‘All right I’ll tell thee. House yonder—’ With a toss of his head he indicated back to the crossroad. ‘It’s laden with stuff – silver, brass, clocks – all good stuff that would fetch a fortune. ’Owners are away and there’s only a housekeeper and a gardener there and they’re both old and deaf as stone.’

‘How does tha know all this?’

Francis grinned. ‘There’s always ways of finding out, but I happen to know somebody who used to work there. He was dismissed – a bit light-fingered he was, and ’fool got caught!’

‘So what happened to him?’ Will thought of the man hidden in the undergrowth, and of the penalties for theft.

‘Well, he didn’t get transported. He pleaded poverty, that his wife was dying, and he couldn’t resist temptation, all that sort of thing.’

He laughed contemptuously. ‘And ’magistrate believed him. He was sentenced to six years hard labour – and he escaped after six months!’

‘So what’s thy intent?’ Will was curious, and yet felt misgivings as if fate was drawing him into some misadventure.

‘Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it, but don’t think I’m going to let thee in on my plans,’ Francis answered harshly. ‘Not unless I can be sure that tha’s with me.’

‘Me?’ Will scoffed. ‘How could I come in with thee, even supposing I wanted to?’

He had always been able to turn away from temptation or trickery. He had made a virtue of his pride in earning an honest living by his own endeavour, without having to resort to borrowing or stealing, and felt no sympathy for common thieves like Francis and his associates. But he was beginning to feel some compassion for the poor wretches who were dragged off to transportation to pay the price for stealing food for their children’s bellies.

‘I need a waggoner, somebody who can be ready with ’hoss and cart, ready for a quick departure – just in case there’s any trouble.’

‘I’d never thought of being a waggoner,’ said Will thoughtfully. ‘That hadn’t occurred to me.’

‘Well, there tha has it. With a bit of practice, tha can be a coachie! But if tha comes in with me there’ll be no need, for there’s enough riches back there to set us up for life.’

‘But it isn’t right,’ Will muttered uneasily. ‘Who are these people? They’ve probably worked hard for what they’ve got.’

‘’Beaumonts!’ Francis was scathing in his contempt. ‘Not them. They’re bankers. Up to their ears in money – rolling in it – and I’ll tell thee summat, that place is so stuffed with goods they won’t even notice that owt’s missing.’

‘Nay, I can’t.’ Will felt the twin emotions of morality and need battling for supremacy. ‘I need ’money, God knows, but it goes against ’grain.’

Francis cursed angrily. ‘Does tha think that anybody will think ’better of thee for thy scruples? Who’s going to pull thee out of ’gutter when tha’s lying there? Who’s going to feed thy wife and bairns? Nobody, that’s who. Nobody will give a hang for thy virtuous reputation!’

In his anger Francis wrenched the reins from Will’s grasp and, lashing out, drove the horse into a gallop, the cart careering wildly about the road.

Presently he calmed down and, slowing the horse to a trot said, tersely, ‘Just think on what I say. Tha might have only one leg, but tha has a pair of hands to help thyself. This job will be easy. My mate back there will take care of ’dogs, I’ll do ’house, and all tha has to do is make sure ’hoss and cart are turned round ready for off, and give warning if anybody’s about.’

He added persuasively, ‘Tha doesn’t have to do another job. This can be ’first and last, but it’ll give thee a taste of excitement and buy thee a roof and vittals.’

They had approached the outskirts of the town and Will felt again the hopelessness of his situation returning, sending him down into a trough of despair.

‘I’ll let thee know. I’ll think on it.’

‘It’s got to be tonight.’ Francis skilfully manoeuvred the horse and cart through the narrow streets. ‘’Beaumonts will be back soon and ’goods must be got away before they realize that owt’s missing.’

Will looked at him sharply. ‘I can’t make up my mind so soon.’

Francis reined in by the entry, ‘I’ll give thee till six o’ clock to make up thy mind. But if ’answer is no – just remember—’ He put a finger to his lips and then made a sharp slicing movement across his throat. Then he smiled. ‘Only fooling of course, Will – only fooling!’

He shook the reins and the mare skittered across the cobbles, the cart wheels clattering noisily, and waved his hand in farewell.

Will stood watching for a few minutes and then turned towards home. He knew beyond question of doubt that Francis Morton never, ever fooled.

Maria was sitting on the bed with Alice on her knee as Will came in, ducking his head through the low doorway into the house.

‘Dost feel better for thy airing?’

‘Aye, I reckon so. We went a good way into ’country and I breathed in some good clean air.’

He picked Alice up from her mother’s knee and lifted her high to touch the low ceiling. ‘Now then, my little recklin, what’s up?’

Maria frowned, she didn’t like him to use that expression to describe Alice’s frailty, even though she knew he used it only as a term of endearment. ‘She’s not well again. She could do with some fresh air too, and she needs more medicine for her cough.’

Then with a sudden swift smile which lit up her pale face, she drew out the money bag from her pocket and shook it tantalizingly in front of him. ‘Guess what? We’ve had a visitor. Tha bonus has come!’

‘Praise be!’ he said with relief. ‘Let’s count it.’

They poured the coins on to the floor and then placed them into small piles. Will pushed several towards Maria. ‘Take these for food, and medicine for Alice. Then get Tom some boots, he’ll need to start work.’

He sat back in the chair, the elation of the moment draining from him. The few remaining coins would last only a week or two, a month if they were careful, and then they would be back in poverty again.

Alice started to cough, a harsh wracking sound that made him wince. She put her head against her father’s chest for comfort and he stroked her hair, rocking her gently.

‘John Rayner brought ’bonus himself.’ Maria got up, stretching her back as she reached for the potatoes to scrub for their supper. ‘He was disappointed that tha wasn’t here, he wanted to discuss a matter with thee – with us both.’ Curiously she asked. ‘What could it be about?’

Will was deep in thought and he shook his head in reply.

‘Anyway, he said he would come back.’

Will looked up. ‘I hope tha didn’t tell him to come back tonight,’ he said decisively. ‘Tonight I shall be out.’

They’d made their way separately to a meeting at the derelict Beverley Gate, as Francis insisted that they shouldn’t be seen together.

The sky was light in spite of the hour being close on midnight, and the crumbling ancient remains of the town entrance were silhouetted against the night sky.

As Will waited for Francis to appear he kept thinking of Maria. He’d told her that he would be late and not to wait up. She was apprehensive and suspicious and filled with foreboding and had implored him not to go out.

‘Stay in tonight, Will – please, I beg thee. Summat’s wrong, I can feel it.’

He’d teased her, although he felt not in the least jovial, and told her she was a witch and would have to be careful or she’d get a ducking. But she’d turned away from him and didn’t speak to him again.