The Guinea Thief - Chapter 4 - Island Life

A little way off in the distance Jack could make out the twinkling lights of a farm, but nothing else. It had taken a good twenty minutes to get to the tavern from the Wadeway, and along the way Jack had counted just a few cottages. The land was completely flat for miles around so Jack was able to make out a small village over to the east.

“That’s Northney,” John remarked when he spotted Jack trying to make out the shapes in the darkness.

“It’s got a church, a couple of farms and some cottages, but nothing else. Used by the Oystermen for the most part as their beds are up this end of the island. But the real heart of the island is a bit further toward the Manor. Our farm backs on to the Manor farm, and their land goes right down past the Pound to the Church of Our Lady.”

“The Pound? What’s that?” asked Jack.

“That’s where the villagers keep their animals, common grazing ground, and it’s also where the stocks are. They’re not used now. Any trouble and you get carted over to Portsmouth or sometimes Winchester. Not much scope for trouble here really though. Everyone’s family of one sort or another, so any bother gets sorted out by the families.”

Matthew steered the cart to the stables at the back of the tavern. They quickly unharnessed the horse, rubbed her down and gave her some fresh water. Chores done the two brothers led Jack towards the back door of the pub. John pushed the door open and a blast of warm air and light filled the courtyard. It was very comforting after so long in the darkness. Jack really wasn’t used to country life and such complete blackness, in the city there was always light throughout the night.

“Hello, we’re back.” called out John.

From a room nearby there came the sound of a pot being clattered onto the stove.

“Be right with you Son. Your mother’s upstairs seeing to the room. Mark’s in the bar and Luke’ll be over shortly. Go right on in, and I’ll be with you. I’m just keeping an eye on things for your mother and I daren’t leave the room in case it all goes wrong.”

Matthew grinned at Jack.

“With luck Mum will have cooked her special lamb stew. I’m famished after that walk and a plate of stew would go down a treat.”

Jack grinned back. The fresh air and the long walk had sharpened his appetite too. Despite the huge feast he had eaten earlier in the day his mouth began to salivate at the thought of hot stew.

Matthew clapped an arm around Jack and led him through a couple of doors into public bar area. It was a simple open bar with tables and benches scattered around the room. There was a large open fireplace at the far end of the room which gave off a welcoming smell of burning wood, although the logs seemed barely aglow. It was not a cold night and the room seemed warm and inviting. Seated at one of the benches was a huge man with dark curly hair, arms the size of a young girls thighs rested on the table. Matthew sprang over to the table and cuffed the man on the ears.

“What’s this you sitting around with nothing to do when we’ve been walking all day. Give John a hand to unload the cart, I’m going to get myself a pint of beer. You ready for another one Jack?”

Jack had been taken by surprise when Matthew cuffed the strangers ear, but as he got up, Jack quickly realised that he must be one of the four brothers. This must be Mark. He was even taller than Matthew. “What did these fellows eat to get so tall?” Jack wondered to himself.

He nodded a happy acquiescence to the pint of beer and settled himself at the table that Mark had just vacated.

Soon enough the cart had been unladen. Aunt Eve had finished getting Jack’s room ready upstairs and returned to the kitchen, in time to save the supper from any damage Uncle John might have caused. He beat a happy retreat to the bar where he belonged, from the kitchen where he clearly did not. Jack, the three boys and their father were joined by the last of the brothers, Luke. Luke was the youngest of the four boys, another giant of a man. Altogether the four lads made a formidable but cheerful sight, the kind of men you would always want on your side. There was lots of talk about the day’s trip, everyone wanted news from the city, and to know what was happening in the war with France. Almost unnoticed in the hubbub a door opened and a woman’s voice called out firmly.

“Dinners on the table in the parlour, don’t let it get cold.”

The boys jumped to their feet at once, Jack followed swiftly after.

“Come we should wash the dirt from our hands, or Mum won’t let us sit at the table.” Said Luke.

Jack glanced at Luke’s face and saw that he wasn’t joking. The four lads trooped into the kitchen, carefully washed their hands and faces with soap and water and then made their way into the parlour.

Before them lay a steaming pot of stew, piles of new potatoes glistening with golden butter and a loaf of bread which gave off the most delicious yeasty aroma. Plain pewter plates were laid out on the bare oak table. Jack’s Uncle John took a seat at the far end of the table, a steaming plate of stew already lay before him.

“Come on lads, get sat down. Jack make yourself at home, come sit here beside me.” said John.

Bobbing about the parlour fetching salt, tankards and anything else the boys demanded was a diminutive blonde woman. Eve appeared to be half the size of her four giant sons, and it seemed almost impossible that she could have given birth to such boys. Eve was as neat as a pin, a dainty lace cap pinned over her long blonde hair, tiny hands with pretty pink nails and a very slight frame. Compared to Mrs Goody she seemed almost doll-like. She gave Jack a huge welcoming smile. Soon all were seated at the table, John said a short grace and formally welcomed Jack into their home. Jack bowed his head acknowledging their welcome.

“Thank you so much for inviting me to stay in your home. I’m very glad to be here, and anything I can to do help while I am here, please just say. I don’t want to be an idle pair of hands.”

Matthew laughed. “Don’t worry about that Jack, there’s always plenty of work here for a spare pair of hands, tomorrow you can help me with a few chores on the farm.”

That night Jack slept a deep and dreamless sleep. The fresh air, the exercise and the heavenly food had all served to send Jack into the sweetest slumber. When he awoke it was already late in the morning. Struggling to remember his bearings in the rambling tavern, Jack quickly washed his face at the washstand and took a look out of the window. When he’d gone upstairs the previous evening it had been inky black outside and he had no idea what lay beyond. It was so different from his home where there was always light and noise around and about. Beyond the window lay fields and more fields, broken by the occasional hedge or oak tree. In the far field a flock of sheep grazed contentedly, the lambs still with their mothers. Jack noticed one was completely black and thought to himself, that’s a little like me really, the odd one out. Over by the larger of the two oak trees he could see stood a few cows. These were brown cows, different from the ones he usually saw at the market. They too looked fat and contented. Peering to one side Jack spotted the farmstead whose lights he had noticed the previous evening. Matthew had said that the farm belonged to the family and was managed by himself, Mark, and John. He guessed that all the land and animals must belong to the farm and therefore to the family too. It was a tidy property, although it had to support any families the boys had in the future.

Jack heard footsteps in the corridor and decided he should show his face, he was sure everyone else would be up and busy already. He left the neat and tidy bedroom with it’s colourful quilted cover and set off after the footsteps. He located the staircase at the end of the corridor, and once at the bottom tried to remember the layout of the downstairs from the night before. He pushed open the second door on his left and to his relief e found himself in the kitchen. At the sink was Eve, Jack was fairly sure it was her footsteps he had been following, as they had been too light for one of the boys.

“Good Morning, Mrs Cooper.”

Eve turned around, wiping her hands on her apron, beamed at Jack and crossed the room in a few short steps. She appeared almost to glide across the floor, so slight was her frame. She gave Jack a welcoming hug, held his face in her hands for a few moments studying it intently.

“Now Jack, I told you yesterday, it’s Eve. Your in my home, living under my roof and I can’t be doing with any Mrs Cooper nonsense. Your name’s Jack and mine’s Eve, that’s all we need round here, to us you are family, you know. You look rested. I told the boys to let you sleep in, its been a pretty tough few days for you. Matthew’s working in the field and would be glad of a hand in a while. But first of all sit yourself down and I’ll give you a bite to eat. I have a feeling you have a busy day ahead of you.”

Jack did as he was told and sat down at the kitchen table. In quick succession Eve laid before him a glass of milk, a loaf of bread, butter and some soft cheese and ham.

“Just a light breakfast to start your day, I hear that all you did was eat yesterday!”

Jack flashed Eve a grateful smile.

“Eve, that’s very kind of you to let me sleep in, I had such a restful nights sleep.” Jack paused to slice the bread, and breathed in the delicious aroma of home made bread.

“This all looks delicious.” He said as he spread the pale creamy butter onto the crusty bread.

Jack took a sip of the milk and gave a little start. The surprising combination of creaminess and warmth was like no milk he had ever tasted. He looked up enquiringly at Eve.

“Don’t worry Jack, a city boy like you doesn’t know what real milk tastes like. This is from Buttercup, I milked her myself just now, which is why it’s still warm. She’s a Jersey cow and they give lovely creamy milk. I’m sure that won’t be the only difference you’ll notice around here, but I’m sure you’ll fit in just fine. The boy’s will keep you busy enough so you don’t miss home too much. I know the island can be a little bit quiet, especially in winter, but with Summer on it’s way there’s plenty to be doing and the islands no such a bad place for a young lad. My boys should keep you out of trouble for the time being. I think they have a fishing trip planned for you on Saturday once the chores are done.

Once again Jack thought to himself how lucky he was. A few days ago he had been in danger of being packed off on one of his majesties ships, perhaps never to see home again. Now that bad stroke of luck had deposited him here on this island, surrounded by a family that welcomed him as one of their own. This really was a most unexpected outcome.

Savouring the taste of the bread and ham sandwiched together by thick curls of delicious butter Jack took some time to take in the scene around him. The kitchen was spotless. A giant stove was prominently positioned on the far wall and a fire burnt brightly in the corner fireplace. A large pot hung over the fire and a couple of irons were warming for later. There was a trestle table along one wall, which had a number of gleaming copper pots hanging above it from an iron rack. The sink where Eve stood had a heap of men’s shirts next to it and she quickly returned to her task of washing the shirts one at a time, putting them on the counter top next to her and then rinsing them all through. A rub-a-dub board helped her to get the worst of the dirt from around the collars and cuffs and soon the smell of soap and washing filled the room. It was a very calming domestic scene and gave Jack a sense of everything being right with the world again. When he had finished his meal he reluctantly made his way outside and went to the barn next to the first filed as Eve had told him. Matthew had loaded the cart with tools and bags of seed.

“Morning Sleepyhead! If you’d have slept much longer you’d have missed the best of the day. We’re off to sow cabbages, turnips and carrots. It’ll take a few hours, the field is ploughed ready for us. Once we’ve got this lot in the ground, we’ll go and fetch John and give you a proper tour of the Island. There’s folks that are dying to meet with you, and not just Jenny Trumper.” Matthew winked.

Jack laughed and jumped up on bench seat of the cart. The horse was already in its harness and they were off to the top field. The work was hard and repetitive. Jack had never stooped up and down so much in his life. It really was back breaking stuff, but Matthew was taking it in his stride. The plus side was it was a gorgeous day with blue sky and a few fluffy clouds. There was a gentle breeze playing on their faces which served to keep the boys cool. Matthew had unharnessed Star and he had wandered over to the shade of an oak tree near the hedge. A few crows flapped lazily by and stopped a few yards away from where they were working, hoping to get some spilt seed, Jack tried to scare them off, but they didn’t go more than a few feet and soon he realized how pointless it was to even try.

“As long as we don’t spill the seeds we’ll be fine, there’ll be next to nothing left for them to find. Go steady and slow and all will be well.” Explained Matthew encouragingly.

It was the first time in his life that Jack had ever planted anything. It seemed strange at first, but now he was beginning to enjoy the warm feel of the crumbly brown earth beneath his fingers. The soil here seemed pretty good, a bit clay in places, but not full of flint and chalk like the fields to the north of Portsmouth. The work seemed to satisfy some deeply buried instinct within Jack that he had never been aware of before. To plant, to grow, to harvest, the cycle was as old as time and now Jack was part of that ancient cycle. It made him feel glad to be alive. Time past swiftly, Jack’s mind wandered over a million topics. Matthew’s instructions had been simple and easy to follow. Soon Jack had built up a steady rhythm. Without realizing he had disengaged his mind from the work of his body and let it roam free. Being away from home for the first time in his life gave Jack an opportunity to look at everything afresh. Unbidden one scene kept coming back to him and he played it over and over again in his head. The darkness of the cottage, the delicious smell from the pot, Delphine’s face silouhetted against the fire, her smile.

Jack felt someone roughly shake his shoulder. He woke from his daydream.

“Hey. You were miles away.” Said Matthew.

“I was, you’re right.” Answered Jack still recovering from the shock of being back in the middle of a field, not in France.

“I was just saying we should take a break, but you didn’t seem to hear a word I said.”

“Sorry Matthew, I just seemed to drift off into my own thoughts there for a moment.”

“Everything alright?”

“Sure everything is just fine.” Jack smiled to reassure Matthew that there really was nothing to worry about. The smile did reassure him and he clapped an arm around Jack’s shoulders.

“You’ve not done bad for your first time. Let’s take a break, I’ve got some provisions in the cart. We can sit under the tree and give your back a rest. Tomorrow you are really going to feel this. Trust me, it’s going to hurt!”

“How much longer till we finish do you think?” asked Jack.

“A couple more hour hours should see us through. Johns got some plans for you this afternoon. He wants to take you on a little tour. Mum needs some fish for supper, so I’m going to head down to the shore and see what I can catch. I hope I get some good bites, Mum invited a fair few people to make your acquaintance tonight.”

Jack had completely forgotten about his big introduction and Matthew caught sight of his frown.

“It’ll be fine you’ll see. They won’t bite. Leastways as long as I catch enough fish they won’t!” Matthew joked.

The rest of the morning passed by rapidly. Jack headed back to the Inn with a great sense of satisfaction. The work had been hard and he would indeed feel the aches in the morning from all that bending and stretching. But the sense of having been part of something, his oneness with nature, gave him a quiet serenity that he had never experienced before.