Chapter Fifteen
Rosalind woke when the breaking dawn’s shafts of sunlight peeked through the shutter cracks in her chamber’s eastern window. She knew she should get up and move, but her body felt heavy, and her mood gray despite the promise of a sunny winter day.
The fire in her room had not been fed, and only a few embers burned in the hearth. Ridley had not made his rounds this morning. She propped herself on her elbows and listened, but she heard nothing.
She wasn’t worried. The children were most likely still sleeping as Alden kept his promise and, after dinner, had told the conclusion of the story he’d begun that morning.
Many more tales followed. The children were delighted with each telling, and she didn’t have the heart to send them to bed.
It was well past midnight before Devlin carried Luella to bed, and a very sleepy Kaylyn followed.
She smiled because, for just a little while, she’d forgotten about her worries, and the cloud of fear and uncertainty lifted.
Rosalind somehow found the will to get out of bed, threw back the covers, and yelled, “Kaylyn! Luella! It’s late and you must get up. Come now, and get dressed.”
She heard a few groans from the connecting room. Luella entered her chamber. Her eyes were half closed, and her hair was sticking up all over her head.
Yawning, she asked, “Do we have to get up now?”
Kaylyn made her appearance, and while looking just as disheveled as her sister, she said, “Of course we do. We’ve got to put Lord Edmond in the ground.”
“Kaylyn! We don’t…,” Rosalind scolded. She was going to lecture the child on respectfully speaking about the dead but then stopped. She couldn’t think of anything to say about Lord Edmond that warranted reverence on the day of his burial.
Instead, she bent down in front of the girls and gathered them in her arms. “Kaylyn is right. Today, Lord Edmond will be buried in the churchyard beside his father and his father’s father.
And while I am not sorry that he is dead and gone, and I know you both aren’t either, I still expect you to behave accordingly.
We won’t have lessons today or do our chores.
We will stay calm and quiet and spend today in peaceful reflection and prayer. ”
Both girls looked at her wide-eyed but nodded and promised they’d be on their best behavior. Rosalind’s heart nearly burst with love for these girls.
The calm and quiet lasted less than an hour.
The morning scene in the kitchen was chaotic. Marta stood at her work table, her rolling pin held high as she scolded the children.
“Kaylyn, finish your bread. I’ll need some help here when you’re done. Ridley! You and Luella, stop running! And for heaven’s sake, get the dog out of my kitchen!”
Ridley ran through the kitchen with a small length of rope trailing behind him, which Grim was happy to chase.
Behind the dog darted Luella, squealing with delight with the game.
Rosalind sighed. Ridley’s face was smudged with soot from stoking the fires and it seemed he’d been to the barn already too.
An unidentifiable substance ran down his pants leg.
Rosalind wasn’t sure what it was, and she didn’t want to know.
She turned her attention to her girls. Kaylyn was content to eat her breakfast, but Luella’s plate was practically untouched, and her neatly braided hair was rapidly becoming undone. Rosalind sighed, but she wasn’t angry.
“Children!” she called, but the melee continued.
“Luella, Ridley!” she barked out, this time a bit louder.
But still, the play continued.
She took a deep breath, ready to yell this time, but Devlin entered, accessed the situation, stuck two fingers in his mouth, and let loose with the loudest whistle she’d ever heard.
All movement, even Marta’s wagging rolling pin, stopped, and Devlin said sternly, “Ridley, Luella, Kaylyn! Listen to your lady.”
Luella and Ridley froze and were startled into silence. Kaylyn, who hadn’t been doing anything to start with looked at Devlin and grinned mischievously like she relished the thought of her sister getting into trouble. And Rosalind wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.
“Ridley, wash your face and then change your pants. Father will be here shortly to discuss the service, and you must look presentable. Luella, come here and let me fix your hair again. Kaylyn, you’re dawdling. Finish your meal and help Marta. Come, children, there’s much to do, and we are behind.”
The children sprang into action, and soon the kitchen was calm again.
Joining Devlin at the table after he’d prepared himself a plate, Rosalind smiled and thanked him. “You’ll have to teach me how to whistle like that. It was very effective.”
Devlin grinned “Yes, very effective for getting the attention of men, children, and animals of all kinds. However, I have found that girls have difficulty mastering this particular whistle technique. Perhaps we should get you a bell that you can ring loudly when the children are frolicking.” He winked.
She blushed. Her attraction to this man grew each day.
“I am not sure a bell would be nearly as effective. The priest will arrive shortly. Uncle will be laid to rest, and that horrible task will be over. I know that we need word from King Charles and his rule on the matter of his death, but I am optimistic that this will all soon be over.”
“I agree. However, there is still one uncertainty that I wish I could resolve. Who weighed Edmond down in the marsh? I mean, what is the point? If anyone found his body, the death most likely would have been ruled an accident. And nothing was stolen, so there was no evidence of a crime.”
Rosalind stared down at the table for a moment. “Do you think that the king will consider this and not put the matter to rest?”
Devlin shook his head, “I do not know. The king is often unpredictable. I dare not try to predict his actions.” He reached out and covered her hand in his. “I will see you in the churchyard.” And with a nod, he abruptly left the kitchen.
Rosalind wanted to scream at him to stop, to stay with her, to take her hand, and never let go. His touch quieted the anxious thoughts in her mind and slowed her racing heart.
But that would not happen. So, she took a deep breath, said a quiet prayer, and rose from the table.
“Marta. I will be in the chapel.”
****
Rosalind hadn’t prepared the church for a service. Dry leaves that had blown in with winter winds accumulated in the corners, and the four wooden benches needed to be wiped down. The altar, however, was dusted and neat. Rosalind saw to that herself.
Edmond never frequented the small chapel; as the years passed, the priest came less and less. No, Edmond would not have wanted a funeral mass, and so she hadn’t planned one.
Rosalind moved out to the cemetery and breathed a sigh of relief.
A large hole now existed where there had been grass.
She was grateful. Benton was too old to complete such a chore, and she’d not made arrangements with any of the villagers to complete the task.
Alden and Devlin dug the hole without being asked and without complaint.
The next hour passed quickly. Father William arrived and he sought to comfort her.
“Lady Rosalind, please accept my deepest sympathies on the loss of your uncle.”
The priest knew well the kind of man Edmond was, but still, he went through the motions as he would have with any grieving family. “Do you have any special requests for today’s Rite to Committal?”
“No, Father, I just want it done quickly.”
Father William nodded.
The children, herded by Marta and Benton, arrived, and Rosalind was surprised to see that all three were clean, their hair tidy and combed, and their clothes were tucked, buttoned, and orderly.
The children stood beside Rosalind, Marta, and Benton, who flanked her other side.
Father William stood at one end of the large hole with his Bible in his hand.
Once everyone was in place, Devlin and Alden carried the coffin out to the grave.
Per her wishes, the service was completed in just a few minutes.
Father William asked if anyone wished to say any words before the closing prayer, but everyone remained silent.
Father William prayed, and Devlin and Alden lowered the coffin to the ground.
“You are welcome to come to the house for your mid-day meal, Father,” Lady Rosalind politely said.
The priest agreed readily.
“Benton, you crafted a coffin for his burial. You shouldn’t have done that. And you added the family crest,” she scolded gently
“No, I probably shouldn’t have milady. But his father had a proper burial, and his father before him. I was there both times. It just seemed the right thing to do.”
Rosalind squeezed his hand.
The children watched Devlin and Alden as they shoveled dirt into the grave and even pitched in to help by scooting dirt with sticks they’d picked up.
Rosalind joined the men at the grave. “Children, let’s go now. Marta has our meal ready, and you’ll need to wash.” She turned to Devlin and Alden. “I cannot express my gratitude enough for your help today. Please join us for the meal. I’ll have Marta and Benton wait to serve until you get there.”
****
Father William entered the manor with a spring in his step and a contented sigh, the solemn mood of the funeral behind him and the promise of a hot meal drawing him forward.
Marta, though she was told not to make a large repast, outdid herself once more.
The buffet held a large platter with a plump roast duck, baked and browned to perfection, small baby potatoes, honey glazed carrots, and sweet parsnips.
Rosalind, the priest, Devlin, and Alden took their seats at the table, and Benton arrived to fill their glasses. Because the meal was served on the buffet, each of them took turns filling their plates. Once they were all seated, Rosalind took her first bite of food for the day.