The Crash

'I grow tired of needlework, sister; will you walk with me?'

A winters' afternoon, and the two young women had been kept indoors for three days owing to the inclement weather conditions; cold winds from the north bearing sleet, which stung the eyes and chilled the bones even of these cold-hardened people. On this day, however, the wind had abated a little, and one of the young women had become bored with her incarceration, and with her embroidery.

'To where would you walk on such a day as this?'

These two had emerged from their mothers' womb into this cold world within moments of one another, and yet they were as dissimilar in looks as they were in temperament, the one having the straight, jet-black hair and dark, somber eyes of their mother, the other having perhaps inherited her golden curls and grey-blue eye colour from a more distant and ancient relative.

'Oh, I don't know; perhaps through the woods to the middle village; the wind may not be so hard there.'

'Nevertheless we must wear our fur capes; the day is biting cold.'

They set down their needlework, informed the maidservant of their intention and headed out into the forest which surrounded the Manor House in each direction, the only easy way through being the cart-track along which would in years to come be driven the carriages of the nobility, and the carts of the trades-people. Otherwise there was only the quite narrow pedestrian and bridle path which linked the house with the few dwellings in which lived some of the employees of the Manor. These were good times; their father had made his fortune in wool, meat and other commodities which he did not discuss with his daughters, and the country was for the most part at peace, at least for now. There was talk of plague once again in London, the trades-people would once again leave their goods at the gates of the Manor House, but these two young women at least felt safe, so long as they did not venture far afield, and did not go to the city.

'It is such a tiresome thing, is it not?'

'What is?'

'To be cooped-up here, when there is so much happening.'

'If what we are told is true, then everyone is leaving the city bar the poor wretches who have no choice but to stay there and take their chances. We must hope that it is false rumour, and must in any case count ourselves fortunate to live in such circumstances, must we not?'

'My dear sister; ever you make the best of any situation and see the better side, and you are right, of course, but at our age we should be abroad in society seeking husbands, should we not? Others of our age are already married.'

'We are barely sixteen; be patient; our father will make us both good matches when he feels the time is right.'

'Well I feel the time is right now; Beth is but a little older than we are, and she is with child, and Jane Mary is heavy with her second.'

'Jane Mary is nine years our senior, and you should rejoice in our brothers' offspring; be content. He has enough troubles without your making it worse by your envy of his wife, does he not? Would you change places with him, and be cast out by our father as he has been?'

'No, I would not, and you know it. I would though that we did not have to meet with him in secret, and otherwise hear news of him through others. I do not like our sister in law overmuch, I never have; she has a sweet countenance, it is true, but seems unwholesome and secretive by nature.'

'So you have said before many times, but you must keep such thoughts to yourself; remember that without her our brother would ... well, you know well enough, and she has reason enough to be secretive, does she not?'

They walked in silence for a few moments, each lost to their own thoughts and to bearing the cold wind which penetrated even so deep into the forest. For one of the young women, however, the train of thought had not yet ended. She had become restless of spirit of late, and was keen to learn news of the world beyond the Manor House, and impatient to become a part of it. It was also the case that her young body had begun to crave satisfaction of a quite different kind, but these thoughts also she would keep to herself, and she steered the conversation into safer waters.

'Do you think the queen will ever visit us here?'

'Perhaps; I don't know. Father was a good friend to King Henry, of course, during his later years, and it is he that we have to thank for our position. But Queen Elizabeth ... She has her favourites, I suppose. I have heard it said that father was fortunate indeed to keep his estate through the reign of the last queen'

'Even so father is less often at court these days; never in fact, as far as we know. I would have liked to have met him.'

'Who; King Henry ...? He was a difficult man by all accounts; a tyrant around whom one could never truly feel safe, and at least now we have peace.'

'But do you think ... do you think the Catholics will win in the end? There are ever rumours of uprisings, the Spanish and French conspire against us, and that would be the ruin of us, would it not?'

'Shush, dear sister, so many questions! It is not for us to consider such weighty matters; be content that we are who we are, Mary is dead and we have a Protestant queen; she is strong woman and many will ever remain faithful to her. Here; we have reached the smithy, and I for one will be glad when we are on the return journey; it grows ever colder and the dark is not long away. I wish I had not allowed you to talk me into such a walk.'

'You agreed without hesitation as I recall. I am thirsty, though; let us see if the smith has ale or boiled water.'

'Cannot you wait until we get home?'

'No, I cannot.'

The young lady knocked at the door of the blacksmith, this workshop being the first building encountered at the end of the track; the brazier, which was situated outside but undercover was cooling now after its' days' work. A young man answered the door.

'Good day to you.'

'Oh ... umm, good ... good day your ladyships ... My father is abroad about his business. How may we ...'

'Is your mother not at home?'

'My mother ... my mother is passed away.'

'I see, we are so sorry to ...'

'My sister and I are thirsty from our walk; do you have refreshment for us?'

'We umm, we only have ale, I believe.'

'Then ale will suffice, if you would be so good.'

'Yes; yes of course; please come in, if you will.'

The two young women entered the blacksmiths house, one somewhat more...