Chapter 22
As Emeline came down the stairs, she was relieved to find that no one else was about. Retracing her steps to the entry, she emerged onto the gravel drive and made her way around the corner of the manor house to the arched ruins, now silhouetted against the rosy, late afternoon sky.
Spying the tall man partially bent over behind a crumbling stone wall, Emeline called, “Hello! Are you Mr. Ackerman, the gardener?”
He straightened, shading his heavy brow with one canvas-gloved hand. “I am.”
She went forward, smiling, and introduced herself, adding, “I am a friend of Lord Hartcliffe, and I have come with my two learned associates to assist with the excavation of this site.”
“Assist?” The word rang in the air. “How do I know you are competent, or that you can be trusted?”
“We are antiquarians. Lord Melford has even been conducting an extensive dig on his own estate! And my cousin Louise and I have been assisting Lord Hartcliffe in London, researching the possible origin of the sword discovered here.” Then, taking a chance, she added softly, “And I have seen the coin that you sent to London.”
Ackerman pushed back his cap, considering. “I see.”
“His lordship is traveling on the Continent, but since you are eager to begin digging again before the weather changes, I know he would want us to assist you.” Seeing that the gardener remained uncertain, Emeline remembered her secret weapon. “It was Mrs. Peachey’s idea for us to come here!”
His gaunt face seemed to relax. “Why didn’t you mention Peachey straight away? If she approves, so do I.” He pulled off one dirty glove and shook her hand. “It’s good to meet you, miss.”
“We’ve just arrived, so my friends are still getting settled, but I cannot rest until I know more,” Emeline said, smiling up at him. “Will you enlighten me about your discoveries up to this point?”
“Yes, miss. I’d be glad to.”
As she followed him around the corner of the ruins, she was relieved to see that the trench she had glimpsed from the window extended only a few feet into the hillside.
“It all started last spring, when I had a notion to plant some berries here, along the ruins, where they could get the morning sun,” Mr. Ackerman explained, pointing toward the River Alde to the east. “The very first day, I came upon corroded pieces of an ancient sword. I felt a chill, miss, and because Lord Jasper was far away in Rome or some such place, I decided to wait for him to return. But I did write a letter.”
“His lordship has shown me sketches of the sword.”
Ackerman nodded approvingly. “When he returned later this past summer, we dug together a bit more and discovered part of an ancient sword hilt, with markings I’d never seen!
His lordship seemed to remember hearing some talk of ancient relics when he was a lad.
So, he began looking around in the library and the late duchess’s bedchamber, hoping to find a clue.
He came upon a little red chest, with a buckle and ring, hidden in the back of her armoire. ”
“Oh, yes! I have seen it,” Emeline exclaimed. “In fact, Mrs. Peachey and I brought it with us from London.”
Ackerman nodded and lowered his voice. “We knew then that ours was not the first discovery on this site. Lord Jasper had to travel to London to visit his brother, the duke, but promised, while there, to study the emerging science of archaeology, and determine the best way to proceed.” The gardener paused, sighing heavily.
“I was surprised to hear that he had departed for the Continent without returning here.”
“Never fear, we have come in his place,” Emeline assured him, trying to sound more confident than she felt.
Kneeling next to the long trough, she touched the sandy soil.
“I gather this is the place where you discovered the pieces of the sword. It is a very good thing that you didn’t dig deeper.
We have special methods and tools to excavate without destroying any of the artifacts, but first there must be real digging.
Do you know any young men who would like to help with that stage? ”
“Aye, I have two nephews living at the next farm over. I will ask them.”
Emeline rose to her feet, tingling with anticipation for the grand adventure that lay ahead. “Excellent! Mrs. Peachey has the funds to pay them.” Reaching out, she shook Ackerman’s callused hand again. “We shall begin tomorrow morning at first light.”
The next morning, Emeline walked with Louise and Tobias in the hazy glow of dawn, carrying their tools to the excavation site. All three of them were wearing trousers, woolen shirts, suspenders, and sturdy boots.
“I am so excited!” Emeline declared, for perhaps the dozenth time.
Louise reached out to take her hand. “We all are! I haven’t felt like this since the day we uncovered that winged pterosaur with Mary Anning. That seems like another lifetime.”
“Oh, yes, that was a magical summer. Can you imagine, I was only nine years old! I called it a flying dragon…”
“You were always very precocious, Emmie,” Louise said affectionately. “It is no wonder that you have brought us to the brink of an entirely new ancient discovery.”
“We mustn’t get ahead of ourselves,” said Tobias, looking serious. “It may be that others have been here before us, and the best artifacts were looted centuries ago. I am concerned that the belt buckle and ring were found so close to the surface.”
He clambered down to take a closer look inside the trench, which only extended a few feet into the hillside.
“What do you think?” Emeline called when she couldn’t bear another moment’s suspense. “Can we work with this existing trench?”
“I think so.” Tobias looked up, shading his eyes.
“I wonder if this area might have once been a barrow—one of the burial mounds the Vikings favored for those of high status.” He studied the sloping landscape.
“Perhaps, over time, it became incorporated into a broader hill. I consulted with Mr. Cartwright before we departed, and he informed me that mound burials were customary in East Anglia centuries ago.”
Emeline knew that Suffolk was just one part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia, which was the stuff of legends and fairy stories. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
Even as she spoke voices came to them, and she looked toward the priory to see a pair of young men approaching, each holding a shovel.
“Just in time,” Tobias said approvingly.
“Come closer, lads. We must dig a trench, searching for the edge of a pit…what we hope will be a grave, or even a burial chamber. You must take care not to dig too forcefully, so as not to cause damage.” He paused.
“There may be more than one grave, it’s impossible to say at this point. ”
As the young men began to work, Emeline turned to Tobias. “If we haven’t found the burial chamber yet, how have the sword and other artifacts been discovered?”
“I think we cannot know what may have disturbed the remains over the centuries,” Tobias said. “Badgers and foxes have doubtless burrowed here. And rabbits cause all manner of chaos in burial mounds, I’m told. Also, robbers could have been here, but we must hope that they did not go far enough.”
Louise spoke at last. “Emeline and I have been reading about stratigraphy, wherein the layers of soil and rock are recorded to determine the location of artifacts, or even an ancient grave. If that is possible, it will help to narrow our search.”
“Yes, that is excellent.” Tobias sent her a warm gaze. “Louise, I think you might be just the person to document the details of our excavation. I brought a journal just for that purpose. What do you say?”
“Oh, yes!” She flushed becomingly. “I should like that very much.”
“As you doubtless know from your years with Miss Anning, it is imperative to capture every detail: the exact location, depth, and description of each discovery.”
Emeline put an arm around her cousin. “Louise will do a splendid job! And I hope that, once we reach a place where we can work more closely, I can use the archaeological tools you gave me to uncover some of the hidden treasures.”
“Of course!” Tobias was pensive as he watched the men dig.
“We are only extending Mr. Ackerman’s existing trench because some relics have already been discovered there.
However, Mr. Cartwright advised me that we may have to dig a second trench into the side of the hill, or even a third, to be certain we are really in the right place.
Otherwise, we might completely miss the actual burial chamber. ” He paused. “If it exists.”
Ackerman pursed his dry lips, appearing unimpressed by this line of reasoning. “Oh, there’ll be no need for that, my lord. I can feel that this is the right place. And be assured that Lord Jasper agrees.”
Emeline’s pulse quickened at the mention of Hart.
If only he were there, standing beside her with easy assurance in the mellow dawn light.
She could easily imagine Hart’s crisp blue gaze fixed on the proceedings.
But then, a moment later, he would flash a lazy smile her way or offer a remark that would be exactly what she needed to hear.
A potent mixture of longing and grief stirred in her heart.
Emeline was roused by the sound of a soft, familiar voice speaking behind her.
“If this one trench is what Lord Jasper would want,” said Mrs. Peachey, “I believe that is the course you must follow.”
“Certainly.” Tobias folded both arms over his burly chest. “For the time being, at least.”
Three days later, Emeline lay wide awake in her bed, too excited by the events of the day to sleep.
Her mind went round and round, reliving every moment of work in the trench, from the first scoop of a shovel to the last, when the sun had been setting and young Sam Ackerman came upon a dark rectangle under his feet.
“Something’s different!” called the boy.