She was getting good at turning hay, Ness thought. There was a way of holding the long, two-pronged fork so the weight on the end of it was manageable. The only trouble was that her right hand had blisters on it and Kate had been obliged to give her an old leather glove to protect it.
‘Your hands will toughen up. When those blisters are gone, Ness, I’ll give you some methylated spirits to rub on your palms. Meths will fettle it.’
‘Hey! Ness Nightingale!’ Rowley was calling from the fieldgate. ‘Didn’t you say there was someone in the manor this morning?’
‘I heard voices when I came to work. Didn’t bother to find out who it was. Could have been a couple of tramps, sleeping in one of the outbuildings.’ Fork in hand, she crossed to where he stood. ‘Why do you ask?’
‘Over there.’ He pointed in the direction of the back entrance to the manor. ‘Two army trucks, and soldiers. What the hell are they up to?’
‘Search me, Rowley. Why don’t you ask them?’
‘I intend to! Glebe Farm rents the manor fields!’
Red-faced, he strode towards the trucks. Curious, Ness followed.
‘A moment, please!’ Rowley vaulted the gate that divided manor yard from field. ‘Can you tell me what you are doing?’
It was almost a command, Ness thought.
‘I can.’ A soldier in officer’s uniform turned slowly, his eyes raking Rowley from head to toe. ‘What exactly do you want to know?’
‘Well – why you’re here, for one thing. This is private property!’
‘You own the manor?’
‘No. My father owns Glebe Farm and we rent the manor land.’ His face grew redder.
‘Then our interest is only in the house, not the land.’ The officer turned away, speaking to a sergeant. ‘Having any trouble with the keys?’
‘No, sir. Got in without any bother.’
‘Then let’s see what’s what. Where’s the MO?’
‘Inside, sir.’
‘Right, then.’ He turned to Rowley. ‘Good day to you,’ he said firmly, dismissively.
‘Well! What do you make of that, Ness Nightingale? Arrogant sod! Who does he think he is?’
‘Who? From where I was standin’, I’m almost sure he’s a major. And he did say he was only interested in the manor. Don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about.’
‘But we have! We can do without a load of swaddies next door, making their noise, lifting everything that isn’t nailed down. The manor’s been empty for years. They’re going to get a shock when they take a look inside!’
‘Well, it’s nuthin’ to do with me. I’m away back to the field, though I think you’d better tell your father what’s happened.’
The Army, Ness frowned, resuming her rhythmic forking, lifting, turning, interested in the empty manor house. So what might they want it for? What did anybody want with a tucked-away, empty-for-years old house? Rowley had demanded to know, but all he had learned was to be curtly told they had no interest in the fields around. It had upset the young farmer, Ness grinned. Rowley Wintersgill wasn’t used to being spoken to like that.
But soldiers in Nun Ainsty! What would Lorna make of it, or Mrs Ellery? Come to think of it, how would the village take to a turmoil in their midst, because with soldiers usually came drill sergeants and trucks and lorries and noise. Guns, too!
Oh, my word! She could hardly wait for five o’clock to come.
‘Soldiers!’ Lorna gasped. ‘Oh, my goodness!’
‘That’s exactly what Mrs Wintersgill said. “Oh, my goodness. What on earth is going on?” But Rowley was told they weren’t interested in the fields. Very curt, that major. Mind, Rowley jumped in with both feet. Silly of him. It’s better to ask than demand when you’re dealing with the Army.’
‘That young man can be very arrogant. Thinks he’s God’s gift to the opposite sex. Has he – er – ever tried anything on with you, Ness?’
‘Lordy, no! Mind, I haven’t been sending any signals. He isn’t my type. Don’t worry. I’d soon slap him down if he came-it with me. But why do you suppose the Army is interested in the manor?’
‘Why shouldn’t they be? Probably want it for a billet. After all, they’ve got to find somewhere to put all the soldiers who came back after Dunkirk. How many were at the manor?’
‘There was the one Rowley spoke to, with rank up, plus a sergeant and an ATS girl, sitting in the biggest car. She didn’t get out. Suppose she was the major’s driver. And there was another. I didn’t see him. The MO, they called him.’
‘Medical Officer. Maybe he was giving the place the once-over – hygiene, sort of. It must be filthy inside, after all that time empty. Maybe he was checking the water supply and the sanitation. It’s going to be interesting – seeing if they’ll come, that is. The government can take any house it wants, empty or not. They gave quite a few farmers their marching orders, then pulled down the farmhouses when they wanted to build the aerodromes. A shocking waste of good agricultural land, William said at the time. And talking about my husband – there was a letter this morning. He’s fed up. He says it looks like the Army doesn’t know what to do with him, once they’ve got him. Says he seems to spend his time doing useless things, or trying to look busy. He hates wasting time. Time is money, he always said. Well, he would I suppose, being an accountant.’
‘And no mention of me?’ Ness ventured.
‘No. I think he assumes that once having told me he didn’t want you in the house, I would ask you to go. Once, I might have done; my own fault, I suppose. Grandpa spoiled me, then William took over. They both used to think for me, tell me what to do, and I let them. After all, Grandpa only wanted what was best for me; tried to make it up to me because – well, because of what happened to my mother.’
‘Your mother died? Your grandparents brought you up? Where was your father, then? Why didn’t he – ’
‘My father. Never knew him …’ Her voice trailed away and Ness knew that already too much had been said – or had slipped out.
‘If you’d rather not talk about it – I mean – losing your mother must be pretty awful. I’d go berserk if anything happened to Mam.’
‘Yes, but you’ve had your mother for twenty-five years. I can’t even remember mine. She died before I was three. I came here to Ladybower, to my grandparents. Grandma died when I was seven. I only vaguely remember her. Of course, Grandpa spoiled me and fussed over me. I was all he had left.’
‘And your father?’
‘He wasn’t around. He’d taken off, I believe, as soon as my mother’s morning sickness started. A pity. She loved him very much, even up until the day
