Page 22 of The Condemned (Echoes from the Past #6)

“Is that all it takes to keep the peace?”

“The governor says that they are like children. They’re not capable of sophisticated thought or analysis of a situation. As long as they are placated and indulged, they’re happy.”

“You wouldn’t give children muskets and blades,” Mary argued, mystified by this view of people who were described as savage.

“No, but you wouldn’t engage them in intellectual discourse either. Governor Yeardley knows what he’s about.” John snorted with derision. He didn’t seem to think much of the governor or his methods.

“I suppose,” Mary muttered, shocked to the core that a nobleman would consort with half-naked savages and freely give them weapons that could be turned on the colonists.

John tethered the horse by the curtain wall and helped Mary down from the bench. “We’ll continue on foot from here.”

Mary followed obediently, her head swiveling from side to side as she took in the settlement with fresh eyes. Several men stood in the street, conversing. Some were well-dressed, while others wore the universal uniform of the poor: filthy shirts, patched breeches, and threadbare doublets.

“Who are those men?” Mary asked when she saw two fine gentlemen coming out of what she presumed was the governor’s house.

The men were dressed in suits of rich velvet, their swords slapping against their hips as they walked.

One man had a large pearl drop earring hanging from his ear, and she recognized him as the man she’d seen at the church when she arrived, while the other wore a gold chain around his neck, adorned with a large medallion.

“The one with the earring is the secretary of the Virginia Company. The one with the medallion is the marshal. Look, Mary, I need to go into the tavern. Will you be all right on your own for a bit?”

“Why can’t I come with you?”

“Because women are not allowed in the tavern. Go to the smithy and see your fellow travelers. I shan’t be long.”

Mary watched as John disappeared into the tavern, then she walked over to the forge, following the loud banging of a hammer on metal. The men who had married Faith and Prudence were hard at work, each one focused on his own task.

“Pardon me,” Mary called out self-consciously.

The men looked up at her. Their faces were covered with soot and they looked none too pleased to be disturbed while working. “What is it, mistress?”

“I was wondering if I might have a word with Faith or Prudence. We arrived on the Lady Grace together,” Mary explained.

“Right. I remember you,” one of the brothers said, an appreciative grin tugging at his lips. “Go round the back. They’re in the house.”

Mary followed the instructions and knocked on the door. Faith yanked it open as if she were angry, but her expression softened when she saw Mary.

“Mary, come in. It’s good to see you.” She stepped aside and invited Mary into the smiths’ house. Prudence was by the hearth, stirring something in the pot, but she set down her spoon and came forward to give Mary an affectionate hug.

“How is it with you, Mary?” she asked as she reached for a jug and poured Mary a cup of beer. “Come, have a seat.”

Mary sat down and looked around. The place was small and dim, and banging from the smithy reverberated through the room.

Two curtained bedsteads occupied the space by the walls, with the table and two benches in the center.

Mary had thought being a blacksmith guaranteed a good living, but judging by these humble quarters, it was more profitable to own land.

John’s cabin was light and airy, and much more pleasant than this hovel the two couples were forced to share.

“I’m well. John has been very kind,” Mary replied. “How about you? How do you find your husbands?”

“We’d have to spend time with them to find out,” Faith scoffed. “They’re always either at the smithy or the tavern, but I can’t say as I really mind. From what I’ve seen so far, they can stay there.”

“Faith!” Prudence exclaimed.

“’Tis the truth, and I’m not ashamed to admit it,” Faith replied, her hands resting defensively on her ample hips. “We’ve come halfway around the world to find men no better than ones we could have had in England.”

“Men are men,” Prudence snapped. “Didn’t realize you were expecting to marry a princeling.”

“I never held out for a princeling, but a man sober enough to consummate a marriage would do me very well,” Faith retorted.

Prudence’s face turned beet red. “At least yours managed to stay awake long enough to finish what he started.”

Faith turned to Mary, her mouth twisted in a mirthless grin. “Did your man manage to seal the deal? ”

Mary nodded. She hadn’t minded discussing things with Nell, but she’d never grown close to the sisters and was mortified to be put on the spot in this manner. “He did.”

“And was it bearable?” Faith asked.

Mary nodded again. She wanted nothing more than to leave this suffocating hovel and get back outside.

Whether John had completed his business at the tavern or not, she had no wish to spend any more time with Faith and Prudence.

“Thank you for the beer,” she said and sprang to her feet.

“John will be wondering where I’ve got to. ”

“Must be nice to have a husband who knows you exist,” Faith replied. “Come again soon, Mary. It was good to see you.”

“I’ll see you in church,” Mary said as she backed out.

She took a turn around the settlement, walking slowly and taking in everything she saw.

There wasn’t much, but it was better than soaking up the bitterness that had permeated the smiths’ cottage.

I’m so blessed , Mary thought as she stopped in front of the church.

I have a husband who is kind and considerate and doesn’t seem to overindulge in drink. This time, good fortune is on my side.

Mary smiled brightly when she saw John emerging from the tavern. He held something long and thin wrapped in sacking and his leather bag seemed fuller than when they’d arrived.

John returned her eager smile and beckoned to her. “Are you ready to leave? Did you see your friends?”

“Yes. I’m ready to go.”

They walked back to the wagon and climbed in. John carefully laid the scythe blade he’d bought in the back of the wagon but didn’t immediately take up the reins. He reached into the bag and withdrew something wrapped in muslin. He turned to her and took her hand. “I got you something. ”

“John, you’ve already given me a wedding gift,” Mary protested.

“Then don’t think of it as a wedding gift.”

John handed her the muslin-wrapped package.

Mary unfolded the fabric carefully, unsure what to expect.

Whatever John had purchased was hard and oddly shaped.

Mary gasped with delight when she took out a hand mirror and a hairbrush.

The frame of the mirror and the brush handle were made of polished wood and carved with a pattern of vines.

“Oh, John,” she breathed. “They’re beautiful.”

John blushed with pleasure. “You were in need of a brush.”

Mary blinked away tears. No one had been this kind to her in a long time, not since her parents were alive.

She’d forgotten what it was like to receive an unexpected gift or to trust the sentiment behind it.

Mary glanced around to make sure no one was around, then leaned forward and kissed John’s cheek.

John had explained to her that public displays of affection were forbidden in the colony, even between husband and wife, but she couldn’t let his gesture pass without acknowledging it in the only way she could think of.

John grinned and took up the reins. “Shall we go home, Mistress Forrester?”

“I think we shall,” Mary replied, grinning from ear to ear. She folded the piece of muslin carefully. It’d make for a good handkerchief, something she could make for John to repay him for his kindness.