Free Blood on the Wood by Gillian Linscott Page B

Well, he sulked for a bit then he said his niece knew a lot of the old tunes from her grandad and he’d get her to play them for me on her fiddle. So he yelled outside, and in came Daisy looking as scared as if he was going to hit her too. Anyway, he told her to go and get her fiddle and play the tunes and as soon as I heard her I knew this was the biggest thing I’d ever hit on in the collecting line. It wasn’t just the tunes. She knew the dances that went with them – all from the old grandad. She played and played, and any time she looked like stopping Fardel told her to go on, play for the gentleman and she looked like … like something in a trap. So I felt ashamed of myself and said she was tired and I’d come back tomorrow. So I did, and the next day. And gradually I got her to trust me and start talking to me when we were on our own and … I’m not even sure I can tell you the next bit.’
    â€˜Go on.’
    â€˜He was brutal to her, I’d guessed that. She showed me the bruises on her arms where he’d grabbed her and shaken her when she wouldn’t do what he wanted. But the worst of it is – what he wanted. Her own uncle, and he wanted her to … you know.’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜You can’t believe the simple way she said it, as if it was only to be expected, what all uncles did with all nieces. She … she even thought she was being wrong and disobedient in not wanting to. I swear to you, when I think about it I get so angry I could go back there and…’
    â€˜So what did you do?’
    â€˜Went to him and told him it had to stop.’
    Which showed nerve, at least. Daniel was a lightweight and didn’t look as if he’d trained as a fighter.
    â€˜Did he knock you down?’
    â€˜No, he did something worse.’
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜Offered to sell her to me. He thought I was … interested in her in that way. So he said I could have her for twenty pounds.’
    â€˜You didn’t accept, did you?’
    â€˜If I’d had twenty pounds in my pocket I’d have done it just to get her away from him and be blowed to the consequences. But after all that beer and tobacco I’d had to buy I didn’t even have twenty shillings. So Fardel laughed and said he’d keep the goods until I came back with the money. That’s what he called her – the goods. So what could I do? What would any decent man have done?’
    â€˜You ran away with her?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜And what did you intend to do with her?’
    â€˜At first all I could think of was getting her here and asking Carol and Felicia to look after her. Then I started wondering – what happens after that? She can’t go back where she came from and anyhow I’ve compromised her. Even though I haven’t … you know … everybody will think I have, so her reputation’s gone and nobody else will marry her and she’ll end up on … oh God, I can’t even bear to think about what would happen to her. So it came to me last night, the only solution is to marry her myself.’
    I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So much desperate gallantry and even more desperate stupidity – but then perhaps they always go together.
    â€˜Even though you’re engaged to be married to Felicia Foster?’
    â€˜Yes. I suppose there’ll be a terrible row.’
    â€˜Quite likely.’
    â€˜I’ve got to go up to the house and tell them all now. Will you do something for me?’
    â€˜All right, I promise not to tell Daisy about Felicia – although I think you’ll have to tell her yourself sooner or later.’
    â€˜I mean, something else. Would you explain to Felicia for me?’
    â€˜What!’
    â€˜It might come better from another woman and there are things I’d be embarrassed to say to her, like the uncle and so on. If you can get her