The Folly (11 page)

Chapter
1
7

Jeremy was up before dawn, eager to get going. 
Silas
Manson would be waiting for him by the gamekeeper’s cottage with the hunting rifles.  Jeremy hadn’t been
hunting
in ages
,
and he looked forward to a day spent outdoors in the company of the old man.  Silas Manson had been like a father to him when he was a boy
,
and he spent many a happy afternoon fishing or hunting with Silas and his son, Simon.  They would come back tired and hungry and Mr. Manson’s wife, Adele
,
would always have a hot meal waiting for them
,
and something tasty for pudding.  Jeremy often thought of those
golden
days when he was
first
away at school, lonely and
plagued by nightmares
.  He was older now, but not much had changed.  He was still lonely
,
and
the nightmares were his constant companions
. 

Hardly a night went by that he didn’t wake up in cold sweat, dreaming of grotesquely mutilated bodies torn apart by
cannon fire
,
and the screams of dying horses left on the battlefield, waiting to be shot and put out of their misery.  In his dreams
,
Jeremy always walked among the dead, looking for something or someone.  His eyes burned from the smoke
,
and he tripped over teenage boys, their eyes staring at
a
sky they could no longer see.  The stench of blood and gunpowder made his eyes water
,
as
he tried in vain to find a way to leave the battlefield and return to his regiment
, if it even still existed
. 

He wasn’t sure who he was searching for, but it was imperative that the person be found
,
and Jeremy wandered around until day turned into night and the crows came to pick at the fresh corpses, feasting on the eyes and innards of the dead. 
There was no one particular battle that Jeremy dreamed of.  They were all rolled into one, a continuous Hell on Earth where the booming of the cannon never stopped
,
and fresh troops kept coming to be mowed down within minutes
;
the ground littered with dead
,
clothe
d
in the red of the British and the blue of the French.

Silas was already outside the cottage, guns cleaned and ready.  They would shoot pheasant
,
and w
hatever they killed would be turned over to Cook to make for dinner
.
The two men slung the guns over their shoulders and headed into the woods.  Jeremy
began to
relax as the sounds of nature
replaced
the sound of cannon in his head.  The forest was filled with birdsong
,
and diagonal shafts of sunlight sliced through the dim light of the track.  The grass was still wet with dew, drops of water sparkling in the morning sun.  Jeremy didn’t care if they didn’t shoot a single bird.  He was just happy being in the woods with Silas.  It brought back bittersweet memories long buried by his
psyche
. 

**

Jeremy sat down on a fallen log, his kill at his feet.  The dead birds stared at him accusingly
,
and he pushed them away with the tip of his boot, accepting a pewter
cup
of ale from Silas.  The old man wisely brought some sandwiches and ale, knowing they would be ready for a break by noon.  Jeremy took a long pull of ale, watching Silas settle himself on
the
log.  His movements were awkward
, forcing
Jeremy
to
realiz
e
that the man was tired.  He was close to seventy now and probably
arthritic
to boot. 
His sparse, white hair was ruffled by the breeze
,
and his skin looked leathery in the afternoon sun. 

“What do you say we call it a day, Mr. Manson?”  Jeremy asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.  “We have enough birds to satisfy Cook.”

“
As you wish,
Master
Jeremy.”

Jeremy could see the relief in Manson’s face and felt sorry for him.  Life had certainly changed for Silas since the last time they saw each other.

“I
’
m very sorry about Mrs. Manson.  How long has it been?”

“It’s been nearly four years now.  She suffered terribly at the end.  It was a mercy when she finally went.”  Silas looked away for a moment, trying to hide his grief.

“Could the doctor do nothing to ease her suffering?”  Jeremy asked.  He remembered Adele as she was when he knew her. 
She
’
d been plump and pretty, in an earthy kind of way, always a smile on her face.  He sometimes wished his mother had been more like her
;
kind and generous. 

“The doctor tried, but the pain was excruciating at the end.  The tumor had spread from her belly to other parts.  It was eating her up from the inside, poor woman.  She was skin and bones by the time she finally passed.”

“Did she get to see Simon before she died?”  Jeremy felt awful about not seeing his own mother before she died
,
and he hoped that Adele had at least had the comfort of saying goodbye to her only son.

“That, she did not.  It would have made her happy to see him one last time.  She was that fond of him, feebleminded idiot that he
is
.”  Silas shifted on the log, taking another sip of his ale.

“Why do you say that, Mr. Manson?”

Silas sighed, refilling his cup and taking another sip.  “Simon was always a hothead
, mind you, but he had no malice in him
.  You remember that, surely?  He would have had a good living had he taken over from me as gamekeeper, but he would have none of it.  Wanted to join the Navy, see the world.  Well, the Navy is no place for the likes of him.  He did well enough for the first couple of years, but then the trouble started.  Fell in with the wrong crowd. 

There was a mutiny on his ship
,
and Simon was arrested and court-martialed. 
Thankfully, he wasn’t one of the organizers
, so he
got off with a flogging, but the lot of them were hanged.  He was dishonorably discharged
from
the Navy
,
and started sailing with the Merchant Marine. 
Last I heard he was in Newgate for stabbing some poor sod in a tavern brawl. 
If the man dies, Simon will be tried for murder and executed.  I am glad his mother did not live to see how low her son has come in the world.”

“I
’
m sorry, Mr. Manson.  I wish there was something I could do.” 

“Thank you,
Master
Jeremy
, but t
here is nothing anyone can do.  Simon made his bed, now he has to lie in it.  Never thought I would end up a lonely old man with not even a grandchild to dawdle on my knee,” said Silas rising from the log and clearing away the remnants of their picnic.  Jeremy rose to help despite the old man’s protests, wanting to do something, not matter how small
,
to assist him. 

Chapter
1
8

Jeremy volunteered to deliver their kill to the kitchen and left Silas at his cottage, cleaning the guns.  He walked through the woods
,
no longer noticing the sun-dappled crown of leaves above his head
,
or the sweet birdsong filling the air, his thoughts on Simon.  Simon Manson had been Jeremy’s only friend growing up.  Henry didn
’
t approve of the future baronet spending time with the gamekeeper’s boy, but Jeremy didn’t care.  Simon was the only boy on the estate close to him in age
,
and they would disappear for hours
after Jeremy’s lessons
, playing
games and setting traps for foxes and rabbits. 

The two boys were as different in looks as they were in their
temperament
, but they got along very well.  Jeremy was lean and dark, always thinking things though and coming up with plan
s
, while Simon was red-headed and pudgy, with golden freckles sprinkling his wide nose
,
and meaty
fists that he used frequently against the village lads.  Simon was quick to get angry, but he was also very forgiving and loyal. 

The boys from the village teased him about being friends with “the Toff
,
” as they called Jeremy, but Simon wasn’t bothered.  He followed Jeremy around like a faithful dog, despite being two years older than him, eager to learn anything that Jeremy would teach him.  Simon never had any formal education
,
and Jeremy spent many
rainy
afternoons teaching him how to read and write
,
and telling him about
important
historical figures, like King Arthur,
Caesar
and Richard the Lionheart.  Simon loved to hear the stories, wanting to learn something of the world
,
and he
returned the favor by teaching Jeremy how to set traps, fish and
track game.  It was understood that he would take over as gamekeeper for the Flynn estate once Silas retired, but Simon had other
ideas
.

             
Jeremy thought of the last time he
’
d seen
his friend.  It was
on
a hot, August afternoon
when Jeremy was th
i
rteen and was at home for the summer holidays.  The
two boys stretched out on a flat shelf of sun-warmed rock after their swim.  Sir Henry
would have been apoplectic to learn that his son was swimming in the sea in his smallclothes, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, according to Simon.  Jeremy shielded his eyes from the sun, enjoying the hot breeze on his wet skin
,
and watching a seagull diving in to snatch some
unfortunate
fish from the waves.  The tranquil waters of the North Sea sparkled in the afternoon sun, chilly despite the heat of the past few days.  Simon lay sprawled on the rock, totally naked, his milky white skin turning an alarming shade of pink.  He flipped onto his belly and turned his head toward Jeremy.

             
“I am leaving, Jeremy,” he said quietly.

             
“You should. 
You are going to get sunstroke if you stay much longer.”  Jeremy flipped onto his stomach also, enjoying the rays of the sun on his wet back. 

             
“I mean, I
’
m leaving for good.  I am going to London to join the Navy.” 

             
Jeremy turned onto his side, propping his head on his hand and looked at his friend.  “Are you serious?  Have you told your father?”

             
“
Aye,
I have and he is fit to be tied, but I
’
m going anyway.  My mind
’s
made up
, it is
.”  Simon looked defiant, expecting Jeremy to try and talk him out of his decision.

             
“Why?”

             
“Did you know that my Da was born in that cottage
,
and that his Da was your
granddad’s
gamekeeper
?  He’s lived here his whole life, never been more than five miles from
Flynn Manor
.  I was born in that cottage too
,
and I will die
there
,
unless I do something to change my life.  Joining the Navy is a way to see the world
, have adventures, live.  The very idea of living on this estate for the rest of my days makes me feel like I can’t breathe.”

             
“The life of a sailor isn
’
t an easy one, especially if you
’
re not an officer.  It’s not going to be a
pleasure
cruise,” said Jeremy gently, not wanting to upset Simon.

             
“
Aye
, but I
’
m young and healthy and I
’
m ready for the challenge.  This place will be very quiet without you anyhow, with you going
back
to school in two weeks.”

             
“
I’ll be glad to be back at school.  At least I won’t have to endure my father’s disappointed frown. 
He barely speaks to me
,
and my mother gets all anxious when
s
he sees us together.  She seems afraid
somehow
.”  Jeremy had never told anyone that before.  He didn’t want to believe it, but he knew his father couldn’t wait for him to leave
,
and thought
his
mother would breathe a sigh of relief once he was at school.

             
“
It’s not like you don’t like
school. 
It’
s
full of toffs like you, doing posh things and showing off in front of each other.  It’
s
grand,” Simon said, pushing Jeremy off the rock into the sand. 
The two boys wrestled for a few moments before brushing off the sand and putting on their clothes.  It was almost time for Simon’s tea and Jeremy would go home, take a bath and dress for dinner. 

             
True to his word, Simon left the following week, right after his fifteenth birthday.  His father was so angry that he wouldn’t even talk to him, but his mother cried, devastated to see her only son leave.  She could understand his longing to see the world and have adventures.  She had dreams of her own once.