Page 45 of Exile's Return
But it had been death that took her away and plunged him into Hell.
A rap on the door startled him out of his reverie and he straightened in his chair as Sir Jonathan entered the room, ducking his head to avoid one of the low beams of the ceiling. He had aged in the years since Worcester, the dark hair now streaked with silver and lines had been etched around his mouth and eyes.
‘Good to see you up,’ Thornton said. ‘May I join you?’
‘Of course,’ Daniel waved a hand at a second chair.
Thornton sat down and stretched out his long legs, crossing his feet at the ankles. ‘Mistress Fletcher says you have a letter for me, from Giles Longley.’
Daniel rose unsteadily to his feet and retrieved the letter from his bag. As he resumed his seat, Jonathan broke the seal and scanned the contents, his face grave. He crumpled it in one hand and tossed it on the fire where it sparked and glowed before bursting into a bright flame.
‘England balances on a fine wire at the moment,’ he said
‘What do you mean?’
‘The restoration of the King seems inevitable, yet there is still so much to do to accomplish it. Foolish ventures such as that which saw Agnes’s brother in law lose his head do not help.’ He glanced at the fire as the letter dissolved in ashes and fell into the hearth. ‘The time for the sword is passed. Old soldiers like Giles and I can be of little use in the months to come. We must put our trust in politicians.’
Sir Jonathan lifted his right hand to smooth back the hair from his forehead, the cuff of his shirt falling away to reveal a circle of whitened scars around his wrist. Daniel caught his breath. The marks were unmistakable. He had seen them too many times before. He bore them on his own wrists.
‘Manacles,’ Daniel said aloud.
Jonathan rubbed his wrists as if he still felt the weight of the irons. ‘You are quite right. I barely survived incarceration in theTower of London in the months after Worcester.’ He sighed. ‘I’ve seen the scars you bear, Lovell. Do you wish to tell me about it?’
Daniel looked away. ‘His name was Outhwaite. He was the overseer of the plantation to which I had been sent after Worcester.’ He paused. ‘He is dead.’
‘Did you kill him?’
Daniel brought his gaze back to the fire. ‘No. I would have done, without hesitation, but I heard that they hanged him in Holetown for his crimes. Justice was served.’
Thornton studied him with a knowing gaze.
‘As you say,’ Thornton said at length. ‘Justice was served. Now, tell me about your time at the exiled court. What did they ask of you?’
Daniel looked up. ‘What do you mean?’
‘When you went to the court in Bruges, they would have asked something of you, I am sure.’
Daniel shook his head. ‘I made it clear that I have no interest in their games. I have given eight years of my life for the decision to follow Kit into battle that day, Sir Jonathan. I have nothing more to give.’ He paused. ‘Did Lord Longley say something in his letter to you?’
Thornton stood up and walked across to the window. He stood for a long time in silence, his hands behind his back, before turning to face Daniel again.
‘They want money.’ Thornton huffed a humourless laugh. ‘Giles knows full well they’ll get nothing from me. It is as much as Kate and I can do to hold this estate together and provide for our family and our tenants from year to year.’ He returned to his chair, leaning forward and gazing into the fire, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped. ‘The fines levied on us have been crippling but we have managed and now it begins again. I have nothing to spare for the King’s coffers and nothing to give of myself.’ He looked across at Daniel. ‘Even if it were wanted,I gave my oath as a gentleman never to raise my sword against the Commonwealth. Much as that decision galled me, I gave it gladly. It ensured me home and hearth and contentment.’
Daniel frowned. ‘And that is enough?’
Thornton returned his gaze to the fire and a rueful smile lifted his countenance. ‘Between us, Lovell, there are days when the beat of the drums echoes in my blood, but the only thing of value I have left is my honour and I will not break my oath and take up arms again.’ He straightened. ‘And I can tell you, Lovell, because I know you understand. I have no desire to return to the Tower of London. In the meantime, I have plenty to occupy me in keeping this estate running and ensuring my tenants are fed, housed, and clothed, let alone my own family. My stepson, Thomas Ashley, will inherit the estate when he is twenty-one and I wish to ensure he has something worth inheriting; not the rundown, impoverished estate I found when I returned home.’
‘Why would your stepson inherit it?’ Daniel asked.
Jonathan shot him a quick sidelong glance. ‘A decision of my grandfather, forced on him by my own recklessness. On his death, were I to have inherited, the estate would have been immediately forfeit. This way it stayed intact.’
‘But if the King returns … ’
Thornton waved a hand. ‘Thomas is nearly eighteen, and he has his own father’s lands in Yorkshire. I would hope he will allow Kate and me to live out our lives here, but that is something we will discuss in the future. What about you?’
Daniel stared into the fire for a long moment.
‘I went to Bruges seeking news of my brother,’ he said at last. ‘I had not thought he survived Worcester, but Lord Longley said he had lived but had been hanged for his involvement in a plot to kill Cromwell.’ He looked up. ‘Do you know anything about it?’
