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Having witnessed his reaction, the older woman gave a pleasant laugh. ‘My daughter Mary has a strong grip for a little one, don’t you think?’
Mary tried to explain. ‘It comes from gardening,’ she said shyly. ‘A few years ago our old gardener retired, and rather than take on someone new, I persuaded Mother to let me have a go at the job.’ Her face flushed with pleasure. ‘It’s hard work, mind, but I love every minute of it.’
‘Mary is a worker, all right,’ her mother declared. ‘When she’s not up to her eyes in the garden, she works five days a week in her flower-shop in Leighton Buzzard, and whenever the chance arises, she’s out and about delivering the flowers herself, driving the shop-van.’ Tutting, she finished quietly, ‘I don’t know where she finds the energy!’
‘A busy lady then?’ Ben looked down into that bright lively face and wondered why she was not married. ‘And may I ask what you do in this garden of yours?’
It was the mother who answered. ‘She spends every spare minute she’s got in it, that’s what she does!’ From the reproachful glance she gave Mary, it was apparent that she thought her daughter should be enjoying her life and doing other things while she was still young. ‘She grows all our own produce,’ she said proudly, ‘and she’s completely redesigned the garden, made it into a little paradise with delightful walkways and colourful blossom round every corner, except,’ she glanced at the ominous skies, ‘of course, on days like this.’
‘Then it sounds like time well spent,’ Ben commented. He wondered why it was that Mary spent every spare minute in the garden. Did she never go out? Was she never approached by men who would like to enjoy her company? She was such a fetching little thing, he certainly wouldn’t mind the opportunity to get to know her better.
‘Oh, but the garden is so lovely!’ That was the mother talking again. ‘She’s even managed to carve out a number of little nooky holes – quiet places where you can escape the weather and enjoy your own company.’
The younger woman’s soft voice intervened. ‘I just thought it would be nice to have a quiet place where you could hide from the rest of the world.’ Blushing under her mother’s lavish praise, Mary made an effort to divert attention from herself. ‘Do you like gardening, Mr Morris?’
For a long moment he gazed down on her, his heart turning over like never before. ‘Why would you want to hide from the rest of the world?’ he asked, ignoring her question.
Mary had not expected him to answer with a question of his own. ‘Isn’t that what we all sometimes need?’ she asked cagily.
He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he didn’t. Instead he went back to her original question. ‘I farm,’ he answered lamely. ‘I’m afraid there isn’t a great deal of leisurely time left for gardening, or much else.’
Her smile was appreciative. ‘In a way, farming could be called gardening, only on a larger scale … don’t you think?’
‘If you say so.’ When those lavender-blue eyes beamed as they did now, her whole face seemed to light up.
‘Well, I never!’ With a quick, mischievous smile on her face, the older woman reminded them, ‘There’s me badly injured, and you two exchanging pleasantries as if I wasn’t even here.’
The pair of them were mortified. ‘Whatever am I thinking of!’ Ben exclaimed. ‘I’m so sorry.’ He had been so occupied with the daughter, he had neglected the mother, and he was ashamed.
‘I must get Mother home.’ With her eyes still on Ben, Mary shifted closer to the older lady. ‘I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here just now.’
She had seen this stranger before, striding down the streets of Salford with his faithful dog in tow as she drove past in her van. Discreetly taking stock of him now that he was here, close beside her, she liked what she saw. Handsome, of manly build, with dark, expressive eyes, he seemed to be taken with her, and it was strange, but she felt oddly drawn to him.
‘I’m glad to have been of help.’ He wondered how he could sound so calm with his heart thumping fifteen to the dozen.
He glanced at the older woman and caught the glint in her smiling eyes; he realised she was taking everything in. He gestured at her ankle. ‘From the look of it, I don’t think you’ve broken anything.’
She nodded. ‘It’s probably just a sprain. Once I get home and put my feet up, I’ll be right as rain.’
‘It’s best you don’t put too much weight on that foot.’ Pointing across the fields, to the rambling, white-washed house in the distance, he informed them, ‘Far Crest Farm, that’s where I live. I’ll help you up there, shall I, to take a look at the ankle and see what can be done.’
Sensing their reluctance, he quickly added, ‘Or, if you’d prefer, I could nip up and get my car and take you home. It’s only a few minutes to the farmhouse.’
The older woman thanked him. ‘Don’t think I’m not grateful.’ She had a natural friendliness in her manner that warmed him to her. ‘But I’ll be well taken care of. Look there?’ Gesturing to the long dark car that waited by the kerbside outside the church, she revealed, ‘I have a car and driver waiting.’
Flustered, Ben apologised. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise …’
‘How could you?’ Her smile deepened. ‘I might be a frail old biddy walking with the aid of a stick, but as you see, I’m not short of a bob or two.’
Ben smiled. ‘You don’t strike me as a frail old biddy,’ he remarked, holding open the lych-gate for the two women to pass through it. ‘In fact, I imagine if anyone got on the wrong side of you, they might rue the day.’
The girl Mary had to smile at his comment. ‘You’re absolutely right. What you see is not always what you get.’ She gave her mother a curious glance. ‘Still waters run deep, isn’t that what they say?’
The older woman nodded but said nothing, though her gaze roamed back to the headstone, and the name Barney.
He had been a man amongst men, she thought. A man of such bravery it made her humble. Even now after all these years her heart wept for him, and for the unbearable torment he had endured, all in the name of love.
‘Oh, look! Here comes Adam now.’ As the driver approached to help her down the pavement, she reached out and shook Ben by the hand. ‘You’ve been very kind, Mr Morris. Thank you again.’
Leaning on the arm of her driver, she set off for the comfort of the big car, calling as she went, ‘By the way, my name is Lucy.’ She had taken a liking to this young fella me lad and, from the look on her daughter’s face, she suspected Mary had done the same.
‘Goodbye then,’ Ben replied. ‘Take care of yourself.’
‘Not goodbye,’ Mary said hopefully. ‘I’m sure our paths will cross again.’
He smiled into her eyes. There was so much he would have liked to say, but not now. Maybe not ever, he thought sadly.
In a moment the women were gone, and he felt lonely, as never before. Retracing his footsteps to the simple headstone, he read out the inscription. ‘He made the greatest sacrifice of all …’
The words burned in his soul. ‘Barney Davidson …’ he mused aloud. ‘Lucy’s husband, maybe? Her brother?’ Somehow he didn’t think so. His curiosity heightened. ‘What great sacrifice did you make, Barney?’ he wondered.
Deep in thought, he almost leaped out of his skin when a quiet voice said over his shoulder, ‘Barney was Lucy’s husband – died soon after they moved here. And as for the inscription … I’ve wondered that myself, many a time.’
Swinging round, Ben came face to face with the new vicar, the Reverend Michael Gray. ‘Oh, it’s you, Vicar!’ He greeted the older man with a sheepish grin. ‘I don’t usually make a habit of talking to myself,’ he explained, ‘but I must admit, I am curious.’
‘You know what they say about a man who talks to himself?’ In his late fifties, balding and bespectacled, Mike Gray had the hang-dog look of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. And yet his smile was heavenly.
When he began walking towards the gate, Ben went with him. ‘As you know, I’ve only been here a matter of a few months,’ the vicar went on to remind him, ‘but like you, I’m intrigued by that grave.’
‘Maybe you should ask the ladies?’ Ben suggested. ‘I’m sure they wouldn’t mind it coming from you – I mean, you being their vicar here at Saint Andrew’s.’
Mike Gray shook his head. ‘There have been times when I was sorely tempted to ask,’ he confessed, and slid a finger round to loosen his dog-collar. ‘Then I felt I might be intruding, so I thought it best to wait, at least until I know them a little better. They’ve been worshipping here for around twenty years, I believe. But of course, the war has occupied everyone’s thoughts, and that tombstone is old history now.’
‘You’re probably right,’ Ben replied. ‘All the same, it’s a curious thing, an inscription like that.’
‘Yes. As you say, a curious thing.’ The Reverend paused to stroke Chuck’s glossy head. ‘Our man obviously did something out of the ordinary.’ His features crinkled into a wry little smile. ‘It’s to be hoped we might all of us aspire to great things before we’re called.’ Raising his gaze to the skies, he gave a long, deep sigh. ‘Sadly, a lot of poor devils had to be heroes in the war, whether they wanted to, or not. The truth of it is, most of us simply do not have greatness in us.’
By the time they reached the gate, the men had covered every possibility. ‘Maybe he saved a life by forfeiting his own?’ Ben speculated.
‘Mmm.’ The vicar nodded. ‘Or he may have shown true bravery during the Great War. Certainly his age suggests he could well have been called up to serve his country.’
Ben considered that. ‘Could be.’
Pausing in his stride, Mike Gray glanced back towards the headstone, now dim in the failing light. ‘Whatever that inscription means,’ he declared soundly, ‘we can assume that our Barney Davidson was a remarkable man.’
Hearing a scuffle behind a great yew that stood near the vestry, Chuck suddenly slipped his lead and raced off. While Ben called him back, the vicar had spotted a dark object lying on the ground. He stooped to pick it up. ‘Well, I never!’ He wiped off the smears of dirt and dampness with the cuff of his sleeve.
A knowing smile creased his face. ‘This must belong to one of our ladies,’ he said. ‘Maybe, if you were to return this, you might be privileged to discover the true nature of that inscription?’
‘Mary’s mother must have dropped it when she fell over earlier. I would gladly deliver the handbag.’ Ben recalled the young woman and those pretty lavender-blue eyes. It would be good to see her again, he thought. ‘Only I don’t know where they live.’
‘Couldn’t be easier. They live at Knudsden House – you must know the place,’ the Reverend Gray prompted. ‘I recall admiring it when I came into the village for the first time. It’s that big Edwardian house, with the large, beautifully kept gardens. You can’t miss it.’
Ben had seen the place. An architect by training, he took a keen interest in the buildings around him. ‘Of course!’ he cried. ‘It’s the one set back from the lane, behind tall iron gates.’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘I would never have guessed they lived there.’ Somehow, despite the elegant walking stick, and the chauffeur-driven car, he had pictured the women living in a large rambling cottage, with thatched roof and roses growing at the door.
The vicar remarked thoughtfully, ‘According to my housekeeper, Knudsden house used to belong to the village squire; he passed on some twenty years ago, and the house was put up for sale.’
Taking a moment to recall his housekeeper’s exact words, he went on, ‘It was then bought by Mr Davidson and his wife. Their daughter Mary was just an infant at the time. They were a family who preferred to keep themselves very much to themselves.’
There was a silence as Ben digested all of this information.
The vicar added thoughtfully, ‘For a long time they rarely ventured out. In recent years though, they have concerned themselves more with the community, and have given generously to any good cause; the daughter with her time and labour, and the mother with cash donations.’
‘Hmh! For someone who knows very little about the family, you seem to have gathered a fair amount of information.’
‘So I have.’ The vicar had surprised himself. ‘Don’t forget, I have my spies,’ he said wryly. ‘My housekeeper comes from a long line of gossips who’ve lived in this village since time began, so it goes without saying that what she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing. Mind, the dead are good at keeping secrets – and even she doesn’t know the answer to the mystery of that inscription.’
When the Labrador bounded up, Ben grabbed his lead and wound it around his wrist. He shivered. The temperature had dropped, almost while they were talking.
‘And what about the daughter?’ Ben asked. ‘Did she attend the village school?’
‘No. Mary was educated at home. A tutor arrived each morning and departed every afternoon.’ The vicar’s voice dropped to a whisper. ‘It must have been a very lonely life for a little girl.’
Ben was thinking the very same, and his heart went out to her. ‘So, as far as you know, she never made friends?’
‘From what I’m given to understand, the daughter has no close friends, but she does get on very well with the two women who help them out. Elsie Langton does a bit of housekeeping. Her married daughter Rona works in the flower-shop. Mary is closer to Rona, which is understandable when they’re at the shop together most days.’
Ben had heard the name. ‘Is that the same Langton who keeps the smithy on the farm adjoining mine?’
‘That’s the father. He doesn’t own the farm, I know that much, but he makes a reasonable living, what with his smithy and the market-gardening. The Langton family are closer to the Davidsons than anyone else in the village.’
‘What about the man who drives for them?’
Again, the vicar was able to satisfy his curiosity. ‘Adam Chives is an old friend of Mrs Davidson’s who comes from Liverpool. He’s a quiet, well-liked man who lives in the cottage next to the big house.’ He passed the handbag to Ben. ‘I really must stop chatting and be on my way. I’ll leave this with you, shall I?’
‘I won’t be able to return it straight away.’ Ben took the handbag from him. ‘I’ve got hungry animals to be fed.’
‘Of course. I understand.’ Having worked all his adult life in rural parishes, the vicar was familiar with the way of things. ‘The animals don’t know or care what day it is, they still need tending.’ He gave a knowing nod. ‘Much like my own flock, eh?’
Ben examined the handbag; it was an expensive-looking leather one. ‘I wonder we didn’t notice this on the ground before,’ he remarked. ‘I mean, you could hardly miss it, could you?’
The vicar agreed, but just then he spotted a small, round person calling his attention from the lane. ‘That’s Betty … my housekeeper,’ he groaned. ‘No doubt she’s landed herself in another crisis. Last week she broke the new vacuum cleaner; the week before that she let the bathroom sink overflow and nearly flooded the Vicarage.’
He rolled his eyes heavenward. ‘The Lord only knows what kind of chaos she’s been up to now!’
He waved a hand to let her know he was on his way. ‘I’d best go,’ he grumbled, ‘before the house comes tumbling down round our ears!’ His good-natured laugh told Ben he would probably forgive the housekeeper her latest mishap.
‘What about the handbag?’ Ben called after Mike Gray. ‘What if it doesn’t belong to them?’
‘Then it will belong to someone else, I suppose,’ the man turned and answered. ‘But we won’t know until you ask, will we? Just take the handbag with you. You can return it to Knudsden House, after you’ve seen to your animals.’
His wink was meaningful. ‘Besides, I saw you and young Mary chatting, and if you don’t mind me saying, I thought you made a right handsome pair. I’m sure she would be very pleased if you turned up on her front doorstep.’
Then he was away, rushing down the lane with a sense of urgency, following the small round person tripping on in front, shouting over her shoulder and seeming frantic about something or another.
Smiling to himself, Ben went on his way. A vicar’s life wasn’t as dull as he’d imagined. Then he thought about Mary, and his mood softened. The vicar was right: he and the girl had got on very well, though whether she really would be pleased to see him turn up on her doorstep was another matter altogether.
Away from the church-grounds and into open countryside, he set the dog loose. ‘And don’t go splashing through the brook!’ he called after the big animal. ‘I haven’t got time to give you a bath today.’ He had more important things to do. Uppermost in his mind was the proposed visit to Knudsden House.
Striding across the field, he kept a wary eye on the dog; when the Labrador took off after a rabbit, he called him back. ‘Here, Chuck! Good boy.’
On his master’s call, Chuck came bounding back, but was soon off again at the sight of another dog being set loose across the field. Seeing the reason for his pet’s excitement, Ben let him have his head, smiling at the sight of Chuck canoodling with the smaller, prettier animal. ‘Casanova! Chase anything in a skirt, so you would,’ he said aloud.
Covering the ground at a fast pace, he drew his coat tighter about him; the wind was getting up, the skies were darkening and the smell of storm was strong in the air. He called the dog to heel, but by now he was nowhere in sight. ‘Chuck! Here, boy!’ He scoured the landscape, and called again, but the dog was gone.
Ben was nearly home now. Quickening his steps, he made for the top of the rise. From there he had the world at his feet, and the dog in his sights. ‘C’mon, fella!’ But Chuck was too engrossed in dancing after his fancy piece. With a sterner voice Ben caught his attention. ‘Here, boy!’ he bellowed.
With ears pricked and head bent to the wind, the dog raced up the hill and was soon close to heel. A few minutes later the two of them were hurrying down the path to the farmhouse.
‘I’m off now, Mr Morris.’ The old man came through the field gate and clicked it shut. ‘I shan’t be sorry to get home,’ he told Ben. ‘It’s turned real chilly all of a sudden.’ Taking off his flat cap, he scratched his head and looked up to the skies. ‘I reckon it’s blowing up a real nasty storm.’
Ben agreed. ‘You’re right,’ he observed. ‘Mind how you go and I’ll see you tomorrow.’
When Ben bought the farm, old Les had been part and parcel of the place. Ben had never regretted agreeing to keep him on because he was hardworking and reliable, a real treasure; besides which he had a cheery wife to keep, and a lazy good-for-nothing grandson, who showed up from time to time looking for a handout, and though he was more trouble than he was worth, poor old Les never turned him away.
‘I’ve stripped the tree-branches and brought them down,’ Les informed him now. ‘You’ll find them all stood up at the back of the barn, ready for chopping. By the time you’ve finished, there’ll be enough to keep the whole of Salford in firewood. Oh, and I’ve levelled that back field just as you asked – though you’ll need a new axle for the tractor. If you ask me it won’t last above another month at best.’
Quick to agree, Ben put a proposition to the old fella. ‘I think it’s time we had a new tractor altogether. What would you say to that, eh?’
The old man’s face lit up. ‘I’d say that were a blooming good idea!’
‘Right then. We’ll make arrangements to go and look at a few. Now get off home, Les, and take a well-earned rest.’
‘I could stay and help you with the animals if you like?’ From the moment he had shaken Ben’s hand, Les had recognised the good in him. His first impressions had proved right, for Ben was fair-minded, caring and generous, and though he had never worked on the land before he bought Far Crest Farm, he had taken to it like a duck to water.
‘The missus won’t mind,’ Les persisted. ‘Just say the word and I’ll be right behind you. We’ll have that lot fed in no time at all.’
Ben shook his head. ‘Thanks all the same, but I can manage well enough on my own.’
‘I’m not past it yet, I’ll have you know,’ the old man argued. ‘And it weren’t my fault that the boar took against me.’
‘I know you’re not past it. And I also know it wasn’t your fault that the boar took against you. But he did, and you were almost killed, and I’m not prepared to take that chance again.’
Ben didn’t want to hurt the old man’s feelings, but if he hadn’t managed to distract the boar that day, Les would have been killed for sure. As it was, he suffered a broken leg and had been left with a slight limp. Ben still felt guilty. ‘Look, we’ve gone over all this time and again, and I won’t change my mind,’ he said gently, then: ‘Besides, don’t you think you do enough round here already?’
‘I could do more, if only you’d let me.’
‘There’s no need, Les. The arrangement we have works very well. We do the ploughing and sowing between us. I keep the hedges down, you bring in the old branches, and I chop them up. With the help of casual work when the harvest is got in, this little farm runs like clockwork, so let’s not spoil a good thing, eh?’
