“Maugan! ” she said, forgetting herself. “Dear life, I’m that glad to see you! ” And put her arms round my neck.
I kissed her on the mouth, sweet memories in spite of all. “Dear Meg. Is all well?”
“Well? All’s ill. Dear life, tis a nightmare. Two days gone a sheriff’s officer come and served an order distraint or some such for a Mr Coswarth. There was none here to stay ‘im so in ‘e come. Tis rumoured Mr Killigrew’s in a debtors’ prison and all London pressing for payment is it true, Maugan? So afore cockfight yesterday a halfdozen bailiffs was here waving papers in their ‘ends bonds or some such and asking for payment.”
“Oh, Meg …”
“And none here to deny ‘em. So in they come and begin seizing on this, that and th’ other as part of their debt. All yesterday and today they been carting things away. It’s been like a war men shouting and fighting. They even tore the curtains pulling betwixt themI”
I went through the kitchens, past a couple of servants, into the great hall. Gone was the Pavia tapestry, the plush chairs on which Mr Killigrew and the special guests sat, the stools, the curtains, the fire-irons. Ash was scattered well away from the fire as if it had been blown about by the gale.
“Young Mr John Killigrew?”
“No sight of ‘im.”
“Where is Mrs Killigrew?”
“In her chamber, sick.”
At the foot of the stairs, two men were carrying down a chest. One was a tall shabby man in black, the other a foxfaced fellow with a big wart on the side of his nose.
They headed towards me and could get no farther; the tall man grunted at me to move. I did not.
“By what right, gentlemen, d’you shift my father’s furniture? “
They lowered the chest. “By what right? This no longer belongs to you nor to none of yours. Out of the way!“
“What’s your name, man?”
“Who are you?”
“Maugan Killigrew. A son of John Killigrew.”
The tall man wiped his forehead on his sleeve. “Oh, I’ve heard tell of you. Well, there’s naught for you to do here. The law of England’s took over, and that’s ten years later ‘n it should have. Your father’s a bankrupt and that’s all there’s to it.”
“What’s your name?”
“Ratcliffe. He’s Challenor. Money’s been owing_ n
“Where’s your proof?”
Ratcliffe stared at me. “We shown it when we was admitted.”
“I’ll see it again.”
“Here.” Challenor came round the end of the chest and thrust a piece of paper at me. “See this. Here be your father’s bond. œ300. Due August ‘95! Not defeasanced ~ Not renewed! Nor no interest neither I Two years it been owing since due and not a penny paid!“
“In time,” I said, “you’ll be paid in full. But not when you come like vultures like carrion. What d’you hope to make out of it? A few score “
“We’ll make what we can, by God! ” shouted Challenor.
“Get out,” I said.
“By God, those days are over, young man, and don’t you forget it! I mind the time when your rascally father and his father! would ride abroad “
“Get out,” I said.
“Oh, no you don’t. We’ve the law on our side “
I took out my short dagger and pointed it at Challenor’s throat. He bumped back against the chest, slid round it.
“Here, none of that! If you “
“Two minutes to be out of this house both of you. If you’re not, law or no law I’ll let some of the wind out of you.”
“You can’t do this, Killigrew!” Ratcliffe shouted. “There’s sheriff’s officers and bailiffs, aye and justices too, will stay your nonsense “
“Out of this house and out of these grounds before dark. That gives you ten minutes.”
Ratcliffe opened his mouth to protest again, but I went at him with the dagger. He drew sharply back, the two men bumping together; then they turned and went out, leaving the chest at the foot of the stairs. I followed them. Meg was in the hall.
“Bring lightsl ” This bawled angrily at a couple of shadowy servants lurking in a doorway. Then to Meg: “Where’s Job? And Bewse? And Dick?”
“Maugan, you can’t rightly blame them. They’re not schooled or “
“Who talks of blame? Where are they?”
“In the stables.”
I went out, across, kicked open a door. Dick was wiping Trudy, a halfdozen others stood round in dejection, shoulders hunched, dirty and unkempt. With various expressions they said my name. I cut them short.
“Listen. You’d stand by while these jackals rob us? Where’s your pride “
“Tis the law,” said Jael Job. “We don’t like to go ‘gainst that. If a man be broken for debt “
“But if I say different, you’d follow me, law or not?”
“Well, maybe. There’s many a time we’ve set the rules aside “
“Let’s have these men out, then.”
I turned and waited for them to follow me. Challenor and Ratcliffe were standing arguing by one of the carts.
“Unload that stuff.”
In five minutes the furnishings were inside the house again.
“Bewse, and you Dick, see these men off our land. And shut the gate behind them.”
The rest of us tramped through to the bottom of the stairs and then up. At the top a man was struggling with some bedding and a roll of sailcloth. Long Peter, encouraged now and ready for anything, snatched the cloth away from him and thrust him down the stairs so that he fell half the length. There were two more men at the end of the passage, just coming out of one of the bedrooms.
“Get them outl”
But these, instead of being debtors personally trying to collect their dues, were sheriff’s officers and not to be intimidated. There was a short fight in the half dark, a bunch of candles wobbling and dripping from a sconce, grey half-iPumined dusk falling through a casement, the rest shadow. In a while we had them pinioned, bruised and a little blood from knuckle and tooth.
“Get them outl”
“Stay. Is that you, Maugan? Yes, it is, I’d a feelin’ you were home! But, lad, that’s not sense, what you’re coin’ now.”
The voice, the tall lean figure, the long black hair … I was a child again knocking at an old mill door. Spittles of spite came into my mouth: some gland of fear had released them. “I might have known you’d be here, Mistress Footmarker.”
“Yes, well, I’m glad to see you, there’s need of a man. This house is in dire distress. I told you years ago it would happen. There’s evil like a cloud “
“If there’s evil you bring it nearer. Job, take those two men “
“No, lad.” She came along the passage and I noticed the servants break away as she passed. “You can’t fight the law. Your father tried; look where it’s landed him. This is not a “
“You and your damned meddling! Who brought you here! “
Her narrow face was a mask between the long tresses, eyes darker than blue with a kindling anger; often now we seemed to act so on each other; there was no mean, either we were in sympathy or, as now, sparked like flint on tinder.
“As much right as you, ladl Your stepmother, Mrs Killigrew “
“Oh, she’s so dominated by you that … Look woman “
“Listen.” She put a hand on my arm and I shook it off. “Listen! What’s wrong with you! Have ears to reason! Leave these men be, else you’ll end in jail. Your grandmother wished to resist, to keep these men outside the palisades, but it can’t be. I told her so, and Mrs Killigrew the same “
“By God!” I said. “Now I see it. Not only do you predict the ruin of this house; you see to it personal! … Peter, take this woman. If she has a nag put her on it and see her off our land! “