Page 15 of Exile's Return
‘I am sister to the Earl’s late wife, Ann,’ Agnes said.
‘Your brother, George Fletcher, took up arms against the Commonwealth and died in the Lowlands in June 1652?’ another of the Commissioners enquired. The man moved a few papers on the table, jabbing at one with his forefinger.
How do they know these things?
George had died in penury and drunken despair in Holland, leaving her quite alone in the world with his debts and no means to pay them.
‘He…’ she swallowed, biting back the words, ‘he fought for the King, but my brother’s decisions in life were not mine, sir.’
I just paid the price for them.
‘As a consequence of his actions, and his failure to pay the fines levied against him, his property was sequestered?’
Agnes’s hands tightened and she swallowed. ‘He was unable to meet the fines and the property was sold, yes. As he resided on the Continent and I was homeless, Lord Elmhurst and his wife took me in. After my sister’s death, on the birth of Henry, the care of the children fell to me.’
‘And you feel this gives you the right to the legal custody of the children?’
She took a deep, steadying breath, the old, well-practised lie sticking in her throat. A small boy’s whole future depended on The Great Secret.
‘I am the children’s aunt by blood and the closest to a mother that the children have ever known.’
‘But where would you live? How would you care for them?’ one of the other commissioners asked.
Agnes frowned, not understanding the question. ‘Henry is the rightful heir to Lord Elmhurst’s estate. We would return to Charvaley. Where else would we go?’
The three commissioners looked at each other and the president cleared his throat. ‘Mistress Fletcher, the late Earl died without a will…’
‘He had a will…I saw it…’ Agnes interrupted. ‘He kept it in a wooden box in his room.’
The Commissioner shook his head. ‘An extensive search of the property has been conducted and inquiries made, but no such will has been discovered.’
‘He would never have gone to his death without making proper provision for the children. He told me that I was named their guardian…’ She glared at Tobias. ‘You destroyed it!’
‘Mistress Fletcher, control yourself!’ The commissioner rose to his feet and brought the flat of his hand down on the table with a resounding thump that made his fellow commissioners start and the clerk reach for the inkpot.
Agnes fought to control her breath, her fingers clenched together so hard the knuckles showed white.
‘In the absence of a will, it has been decided that your petition must be refused,’ the president declared. ‘A woman cannot take on the legal responsibilities you seek.’
‘No!’ Agnes took a step toward the table as the full enormity of their decision hit her. ‘Dear God, no! What is to become of the children?’
The president held up a hand. ‘Colonel Ashby,’ he indicated Tobias with an ingratiating smile, ‘is the direct heir to the estate of the Earl, after the boy, and it has been decided that he shall be appointed guardian and protector not only of the children but of the entire estate.’
She swung around to face Tobias. ‘Not you. Anyone but you!’
Tobias’s lip curled into an ingratiating smile. ‘Mistress Fletcher, I know this is a shock to you…’
She whirled back to face the commissioners. ‘But what about me? I can stay with the children? Surely…’
The president fixed her with an unblinking stare. ‘You come from a family of known traitors. It is quite unthinkable that you should have continued access to such young, innocent minds. After discussing the matter with Colonel Ashby, we agree that you should not be allowed any further contact with the children.’
They couldn’t possibly be separating her from the children! She must have misheard…but she knew she hadn’t.
‘No! No…the children are my life. They are all I have. Please don’t take them away from me. Please…’
The breath left Agnes’s body and her knees threatened to fail her. She caught the edge of the table to steady herself.
‘Mistress Fletcher, compose yourself,’ the man’s tone softened. ‘I know this comes as a shock to you but believe me, we have the welfare of the children to consider. What you choose to do is your concern, and we believe it is in their best interest that you have no further contact with them.’
