Old Sins Long Shadows (52 page)

‘Sir,’ blurted Janey, who was a little in shock at what he had told them, ‘before you leave, may I ask a question? How is Charlie?’

Mr Fitzwilliam smiled, ‘Of course, you often walked the dog.  We have the dog. My wife adores him and he adores her.  He is a funny little dog, loves his walks but won’t go near our lake or the water fountains, but he is well and very happy. Good day to you both.’

Daniel saw him to his horse and when he returned he found Janey reading the letter
. She looked up.

‘
What does she say?’ he asked. Janey held the letter in shaking fingers and began to read it.

‘My dear Janey,

‘I know my time left on this E
arth is short yet I have so much to say. I would like to thank you for your loyalty, understanding and your friendship during your time as my maid. Yet I know I have failed you. A mother’s love is a powerful thing yet it is no excuse for my failure to help where help was due. I was afraid to trust in my instincts, afraid to face the truth, afraid to ask the right questions and I humbly apologise.

‘
Where I have failed you, you never failed me. You stood by me when it was the last place on Earth you wanted to be. A tremble of a hand, the retching – I was aware but could not ask. If I was to ask - it would become reality and I am so sorry for my cowardice.

‘
How do I make amends for my shameful behaviour towards you, who I saw as the daughter I never had?  I cannot and now you have a beautiful daughter who I believe is my grand-daughter. I wish you happiness and health and hope my gift will give you a life free of financial strife.’

Janey looked up again, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

‘
She knew,’ she said. Daniel came over and gave her a hug.

‘
We must leave it in the past, Janey,’ he said gently. ‘We have a bright future together - with Hope. We must not allow James Brockenshaw to taint our lives anymore. Lady Brockenshaw has given you this fortune to make amends. It is time to move on.’ She rested her head against his chest.

‘
She was in mourning, I do not blame her. No one was to blame but him, yet he does not even acknowledge what he did. It did not even cross his mind that the baby in my arms was his.’

‘
Let us be thankful for that, as she is
our
daughter now. She will grow up to be a well educated, financially secure woman.’ They sat in silence for some moments until Daniel spoke again. ‘It is also time to no longer allow your mother’s rejection of you to hurt you further.’

‘
Since coming to live here I have realised that I no longer need my mother’s affection,’ said Janey decisively, wiping away her tears. ‘I have a family here, with Molly, David, Edna, Hope and you. Unlike our start in life, Hope will be well loved and never doubt our love for her, as I will never doubt your love for me.’ Daniel nodded in agreement and kissed her head.

‘
And thanks to us she will have many brothers and sisters to love her and be loved by her.  The past is in the past and we will move on - together.’

‘Together,’
Janey smiled, ‘as a family.’

The huntsman blew his horn and the chase was on. James, dressed in his scarlet colours, kicked his horse into a gallop and followed the pack of baying hounds. The misty weather and the wet boggy ground made the ride challenging but it all added to the excitement of the hunt where man and hound pitched their skill against the fox.

James revelled in the adrenaline pumping through his body
. His mount and his riding colours were borrowed and the money in his pocket was fast dwindling away. He needed this excitement to make him feel alive. Feeling alive reminded him he was not dead although he often spent his evenings lying as if dead in a drunken stupor.

Like a body of a sn
ake, the hounds moved as one through a stone stile gap. In order to avoid the slippery mud the riders took a firmer route around the bottom of the field. James, however, preferred to remain close to the hounds in order to witness the kill. With a vicious dig of his heels he forced his horse to jump the gap and land awkwardly on the slippery mud on the other side. Feeling invincible he pulled his horse around and set off again but the mist had come down and the visibility suddenly deteriorated. The baying of the hounds faded into the distance as did the hoof beats of his fellow riders. James had become isolated and his frustration showed. Angrily he turned his horse again and it leapt forward into the unknown, white foam spilling from the horse’s mouth as it fought for control.

James did not know if he or his horse was the first to see the red coated vixen that ran across their path
. The solitary hunter stopped and stood her ground whilst her accusing amber eyes stared back at him. Spooked, his horse reared upwards with flailing front hooves. James became unbalanced from his usually secure seat and he fell with a thud to the ground. Splattered in mud, James watched as the vixen casually turned and walked away. It was the last thing he saw before his horse, slipping on the muddy ground, fell with its full weight on top of his body, crushing the life out of him.

At the base of a hedge the vixen went to ground
. Reaching her cubs she curled her body around them and settled down to sleep. The sound of the hunt receded into the distance as they lost her scent and moved away. They would not disturb her again - she had survived.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

B.D.Hawkey was born in
Cornwall and enjoyed a fulfilling twenty-five year career as a nurse and health visitor. She is married with two grown up children and continues to live in the beautiful county of her birth.