Homecoming

Chapter 11

Elim

The sound of carriage wheels and the jingle of tack left me in a drowsy yet restless state as I surveyed the land. I’d rather have been ridding but the horses were all needed between the carriage and the wagon. Despite my discomfort, I kept my complaints to myself and smile at my mother and daughter. Neither could ride long distances and it wouldn’t do to make them feel bad about it. Especially not when they both looked quite happy as they enjoyed the scenery.

“Elim, this is really yours?” Graham asked from the drivers' bench of the carriage. Ahead of us was a small estate, the remains of the Baronet.

“More or less,” Erica, my mother, said as she turned in her seat to get a glimpse of her childhood home. She’d been gone from it sixteen years and it had sat empty for eight of them. Or at least it should have, but I could see smoke issuing from a chimney.

“Graham, stop here,” I said, a bead of sweat rolling down my back. Since it had lain abandoned for so long it wouldn’t be strange for squatters to have taken possession. The placement wasn’t ideal, but we were screened by hedges where I’d called for the stop.

“Stay here, I’m going to go see what’s happening,” I said, and my mother clutched Bessy, a hint of fear in her eyes.

“Sven, August? You mind coming with me?” I asked two of the larger laborers I’d hired for potential renovations and they nodded, hopping down from the wagon.

“Thanks, Tim open that footlocker at the back,” I added and soon they were armed with a pair of spears. I didn’t want trouble. Working as a soldier for the Savex house had taught me it was always better to come well-armed and in force to ensure that.

Walking up was nerve-wracking but I realized quickly that the smoke wasn’t coming from the main house. Heading around it we found the yard behind it busy with a flurry of activity, at least fifteen people were going about a dizzying variety of chores. It honestly looked like a small village at work and I didn’t know what to make of the scene.

“August, go back and have everyone move somewhere safer,” I said, not knowing his background as well as I knew Sven’s. He’d been a soldier like me until his right foot was crushed by a rockslide. He’d been lucky to survive and had been taking odd jobs in the village since. When August left Sven went and hid so that he could observe what happened.

“Beg your pardon!” I called out and the group didn’t stop so much as thrown a quick glance my way. An older man who’d been busy bleeding a goose stopped his work and after cleaning a knife on his apron came over.

“Hello, I’m Tanner-” he began, and I threw my hand forward to shake.

“Tanner Leeds, chatelain,” I said, happy to find one of the family servants my mother had told me about still around. It didn’t guarantee anything, but I felt like we’d at least be able to talk.

“Been a long time since I was called that,” Tanner said in surprise but smiled as he shook my hand.

“I’m Elim, Erica’s son by Castor,” I said, introducing myself a beat late.

“Lady Erica?” Tanner said and the name passed from mouth to mouth in the yard before silence fell. I was starting to feel nervous as they all just stared now.

“Is she well?” Someone called out from the group.

“Yes-” I said, and a cheer went up before they started to swarm, asking questions and shouting blessings. It was an hour before I could disentangle myself from them, a reprieve created by the majority peeling off to go and start preparing a celebration dinner. They had been disappointed when I lied and said she was a few days behind but still happy about my arrival.

“Fuck…” I muttered to myself as I sat on the back porch of the main house and just enjoyed breathing.

“Forgive them, it’s just been hard these past few years,” Tanner said as he handed me a jug of mead. “After your grandfather died just this estate and the farm was left but without anyone to inherit it. In a couple more years it likely would have been seized and sold leaving the lot of us without a home.”

“Well, that much I can fix. Have you all been staying in the servant’s quarters?” I asked, wondering why they hadn’t taken rooms in the house. The servant’s quarters were larger, but the walls looked thin which would make it uncomfortable in winter.

“We only go in the residence to clean or do repair work, though we haven’t done much of the latter I’m afraid,” Tanner said uncomfortably. Without money, it would have been difficult to get what they needed. Especially since despite the healthy number of trees on the property I didn’t see a mill. Lumber was expensive and even trading a few trees for the price of cutting the rest wouldn’t be easy. Not if the millworks used the fact, they didn’t have a master to approve the transaction against them.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just thankful you were here at all. It would have been reasonable to leave when the Baronet passed,” I said, the wheels in my head already turning. I would be busy with 42’s work soon but if I put some coin into the estate it would turn a tidy profit.

“Are taxes owed?” I asked as the thought of profit brought me invariably to the thought of tax.

“I’m honestly not sure, some years the collectors would come and accept a trade. Others they didn’t arrive,” Tanner said, and I sighed. I’d need to get that straightened out quickly. Depending on the amount due I could be in trouble. I also might be hunting down crooked collectors since trade wasn’t accepted in Earl Savex’s territory.

“I’ll see to it tomorrow,” I said and got up.

“About that Elim, I’m really sorry,” Tanner said as I started to sway on my feet, reaching out to post to keep myself upright.

“Why!?” I demanded, seeing no profit in what he was doing.

“Well, two years ago I’d have welcomes you like my own long-lost son. Unfortunately, I’ve been paid to make sure this land goes up for sale,” Tanner said, looking genuinely apologetic.

“The rest?” I asked, sinking to my knees.

“No, they don’t know, but I’ll do right by them. You just drank too much and fell or something like that,” He said, not seeming to have put much thought into his plan.

“Who paid you?” I demanded feebly as I sunk down until I was laying on the floorboards.

“Who else? The new Baronet, he wasn’t happy to be denied the estate,” Tanner said, looking away from me with guilt in his eyes.

“Good to know,” I said simply, and he looked over in shock as I stood up and dusted off my pants. Having drunk several glasses of poisoned mead I should have been slowly losing consciousness. Fortunately, he hadn’t noticed me slip a small vial of antitoxin in after the first sip. 42’s gracious health care plan saving my neck a second time.

Though I was taking my time I didn’t give him room for a rebuttal and sunk my dagger in his throat. Throwing an arm around his body I pivoted until I was able to throw him off the end of the porch and into Sven’s waiting arms. Having left the dagger in I was short a blade but there was less of a mess and no spatter on the floor.

“Is that goose? I love goose!” I said cheerfully as I went to sample the preparations for dinner.