Life In Amberly
Life in Amberly had became peaceful after the adventure with Sherry and his band of men. One golden day after another stretching out to another.
Autumn was upon them once again, and for once Octavia was happy to see it come.
Kate still worked for the Coates family but now it was only three days a week, the rest of the time she helped out at the Inn. Maggie was not well, some days her bones ached so badly she couldn't make beds or do work in the scullery.
Octavia loved teaching, but Justin Landers was a hand full, he was always finding mischeif and landing right in the middle of it.
In October school was started for all children between seven and fourteen. Very few older children actually attended.
"Justin Landers your eyes are to be on your chalk board not your neighbours," Octavia warned, how many times had she to tell him that?
A few girls attended, but mostly it was boys, and Octavia had her hands full at first, once the got it through their heads she was the governess and they were the students only Justin seemed to be a problem, several times he had to wear the dunce cap and the talking stick in his mouth. For talking during letters and numbers.
One day Octavia could bear it no more Justin had gone to far he had brought a bull frog to school and and put it in the pocket of Jessica Amberly.
Octavia put Roland Swensen in charge, Roland was big for fourteen, but also mild mannered and obedient, he would take nothing from the others and would keep the lesson going, she then marched Justin out to the wood shed.
There Justin got his first taste of corporal punishment and his last at Octavia's hands along with a lecture about how to treat others as you would want to be treated. Justin was horrified of snakes. Octavia used that terror to explain how Jessica felt upon finding a frog in her pocket. After some shed tears, more shame then pain, as Octavia had forced herself to go easy on him, although she wanted to leave red marks up and down his back side. But it did good, and he became a very well behaved boy. Earning the nickname of teachers pet.
He would still wander off the line that Octavia expected her students to toe, but only a hard look or his name in a voice that dripped with disdain would quickly set him to rights and a harsh scolding would set him to tears much as it would with the girls.
Justin was only seven, but he had never been taken in hand, when he should have been, Astrid was soft on him and allowed him to over run her.
Justin didn't like it when Octavia was upset with him so he worked hard, and soon his studies were surpassing his peers. The four other seven and eight year olds in his group, soon Octavia had to move him to the next group with the nine and ten year olds.
A few times Jacob Amberly would slip in and sit in the cloak room and listen in on the class . Since the childrens backs were to the cloak room they never saw him. Octavia did and he would always smile and bow before he left, after his third visit he never returned and Chester told her at the town meeting, he sang her praises as a fine tutor.
Life was good, and as Kates pregnancy advanced she stopped working for the Coates all together but she had trained Molly Ferrin to take her place. Kate being at the Inn was like having the family all together.
Morris Sherry had been spotted by someone 100 miles south of Amberly.
It seemed to Jamie life couldn't get better, he and Octavia were saving back money and placing it with Chester for safe keeping. Quentin was growing up pretty fast and Jamie loved reading him poems and stories.
Jamie wanted to buy the place where Kate and he had been fishing, he and Jack had inquired into it. Coates farmers were grazing sheep on it but it seemed the land itself belonged to Landers. Not much was being done with it.
Winter seemed to pass quickly, and it was a beautiful first day of spring when Jamie and Jack had came back from working on Jack's house. It would be done in a month if the weather held and the inn didn't get too busy.
Jamie had gone into the pub to see how things looked, to see if they should rush the horses or take their time and put them to stable properly.
The tavern was quiet, and Chester met him at the door and whispered something to him that made Jamie grin broadly.
He put on his best card face and walked back to the stable forcing himself to walk not run.
Jack was striping the tack from Bow.
"Congratulations are in ordor by the way," Jamie said trying to look serious as he removed Bess's saddle.
"For what?" Jack said rubbing Bow down, and then reaching for the curry.
"Being the father of a beautiful little red haired baby girl, I think you should go now and see Kate I will finish here." Jamie said trying not to laugh at Jack.
Jack just stood there mouth agape.
"You will catch flies," Jamie said, laughing at last, "go now."
Later Jack proudly showed the baby to anyone who would look, they had named her Amelia Rose, Amelia for Kates brave good mother, and Rose for Jack's mother. He had thought that had been her name, others called her Rosie. Jamie smiled Jack was now a true family man.
Which brought Jamie's thoughts to Lewis, his and Astrid's son Todd was about 9 months old now and Lewis rarely came to the pub now, and when he did he was full of stories of how clever and handsome Todd was. He may not love Astrid as a man should love their wife, but he loved his son as a father should.
Kate was pleased that Jack was not upset because she did not give him a son. To Jack it did not matter, as long as the child was healthy and she was. Jack's little sister he barely remembered had died in infancy before her teeth had cut.
Octavia was about to graduate two of the students Roland Swensen and Warren Martin, both were ready to go to the secondary school in Rivers Edge, they had to stay after school to write a paper for admittance. So it was later then usual when she arrived at the Inn.
It was a very busy night, the inn was ful and the public room as well, drovers, farmers, hired men, all wanting to have one last good night of drinking and good food before settling into the spring work ahead of them.
Quentin had been put to bed by Jamie in their quarters above the stables with good Piper, Octavia checked on them and then went to help in the kitchen. She felt she should help out because Kate still tired easily, she had not recovered well from giving birth to Amelia.
Octavia came into the kitchen and saw bread needing to be cut, and went to do that. Maggie was fixing dishes and Kate was cutting meat into servings. Jack was busy over the fireplace roasting two haunchs of meat and simmering various pots, more bread baked in the small stone oven.
A little later Octavia became irratated as she heard Piper barking and barking, he would wake up Quentin for sure, she had thought she had closed the trap door but wasn't sure, soon as there was a break she would run out to the stable and open it so Piper could get out and check on Quentin.
After about an hour of working in the kitchen. Which reminded her of a steamy bath house her mother had taken her and her sister too once as girls. Jamie and Chester were serving everyone and it seemed when a few men left more men entered the public room. The guests had requested meals in their room. Which Chester discouraged because of the extra work, but he allowed it without comment. There were no place which the guests one a fine family of four could sit.
"Jack do you know where the new onions are?" Maggie asked, looking in a cupboard, Jack had rearranged the kitchen to suit him and she only knew where the plates and pewter were.
"They are in the store room, up high, I will go fetch them," Jack said, pushing the pot of beans back on the fire and pulling the haunches of meat off.
"Thank you dear I have four men who have asked for them for their stew." Maggie said from where she was dishing up stew.
When he entered the store room, he thought some one had left a candle lit, something that Chester would shout at you for.
Jack got the onions, but then a brighter light caught his eye, and he dropped the onions as he looked out the window.
"FIRE!" He shouted, and then realised no one could hear him. He ran out into the kitchen, the stable is on fire.
"FIRE IN THE STABLE!" Jack shouted and ran from the kitchen into the public room.
"My baby," Octavia gasped.
Jamie heard her cry this as well as the cry of fire, and he dashed into the kitchen almost knocking Jack end over tea kettle in his rush.
Jamie ran into the kitchen and saw the open door and Maggie mouthing something, Kate had gone up to feed Amelia. Jamie did not stop to ask Maggie what she had said. He ran out the door.
Octavia was just reaching the big double doors as Jamie rounded the corner of the Inn.
"NO!" Jamie cried.He ran towards her, there was a dark shape at the open stable doors, it was Bess. Jamie yelled at her to get. But the mare half paniced by the flames, shot forward.
Octavia was knocked to the ground, and Jamie who had stopped and froze with fear was moving again towards his fallen wife.
Then something caught his eye, it was Jack and he had Quentin in his arms, and Piper at his side running towards the safety of the Inn.
For a moment Octavia lie as still as death.
Jamie's tears almost blinded him as he ran towards her.he seemed to be running in molasses, and unable to go any faster, it looked a mile away instead of 30 paces.
She now was struggling to stand besides some bruises, she was fine, Bess had knocked the wind out of her that was all.
Jamie, ran on, and shooed Bess away the horse seemed uncertian of what to do.
Jamie scooped her up, she was shaking violently.
"Oh Jamie," she said a bit disorientated.
Octavia suddenly snapped out of it, she was struggling and fighting him, crying, "My baby my bay-beee!"
"Octavia stop it," Jamie cried, she was a good sized woman tall as he was and weighed almost as much, and before working at the Inn he would have never been able to hold her with her flailing and kicking and struggling against him.
"No my baby!" She screamed, slapping at him clumbsily.
"Octavia, they got out," Jamie cried.
Then she slapped him hard, making his left ear ring.
"Let go my baby is in there," Octavia screamed in his right ear making it ring.
"Octavia Jack took him and Piper to the Inn," Jamie shouted.
But Octavia's mind was to chaotic to hear what her husband was saying and take it in, somewhere a horse screamed, and Jamie thought of Bow trapped in there. But Octavia thought it was Quentins cries.
Jamie carried his sobbing wife, into the inn, and then took him to see the boy and dog in the back room.
"But how did he get out?" Jamie wondered.
"The boy cant use that stairs its too steep," Maggie agreed she had seen Quentin crying to go down the stairs.
"He rode Piper like a horse," Octavia said wide eyed, tears glistened in those eyes, she had seen him do it and discouraged him, he was so heavy for a dog even Pipers size.
"Well I'll be," Maggie said softly in amazement.
"I have to go out there," Jamie said realizing all the men had went to put out the fire.
"I will watch over them," Maggie said smiling at the young man.
Now the place was alive with men and buckets, one of the men had gone to get more buckets.
The rest were pumping water from the two wells and forming lines which buckets were filled, some of the smaller teens had moved the horses away from the commotion.
Jamie pitched in, and someone had went to the Angelican chruch and was ringing the bell, while someone else had gone to the Quaker meeting house and was ringing it.
More men and buckets and a few women and older children as well, the women, spelled at the pumps while the children ran errands or watched.
One of the teenagers had tied Bess to the rail Jamie saw when he went to get some sacking from one of the mens wagons. Bow grazed next door on the common, as calm as nothing had occured. Jamie wondered how she had escaped.
The fire was out and most of the men returned to the Inn, but some when on home, as did the women and children.
"The fire is out but where shall we do?" Octavia said, "We have lost everything!"
"Not everything," Jamie said looking at Jamie and Piper.
"Yes, but where can we go?" Octavia asked in tears again. The inn was full.
"Well now, you go no where, miss, we will fix a room for you temporarily in the store room, it is nice now that Jamie fixed it up," Chester said smiling tenderly at the woman he had come to think of as his daughter.
Most the men were gone now, but one of the last came back in, and said to the three men at the bar, "I say, my horse was stolen, could one of you go for the constable?"
"Life in Amberly, never will be boring that is for sure," Maggie sighed.
"Morris Sherry I seen him," Lewis said.
They all turned to see him.
"What?" Jamie asked.
"I was on my way to the fire when my horse went lame, I was walking here, when Morris Sherry on a piebald nearly knocked me down," Lewis said.
"My horse!" the man cried.
"No time for that," Jamie said and ran out the door Jack and Piper at his heals.
"Oh dear!" Octavia said worriedly.
"I would go with him, but my horse is lame," Lewis said.
"I would be pleased to give you the loan of my horse, Squire Landers," a man said.
Lewis smiled and thanked the man and they left.
Jack returned to Maggie and Octavia and said, "Jamie just took out of here riding Bess with only a rope and halter.
"What?" Kate said wide eyed.
"That man," Octavia fretted.
"Oh he will be fine, has a good head, and Bess respects him as master as she never respected me," Chester said as he left to fill the ale for the few men that remained.
When Jamie, followed by Seth, Neils, and Lewis returned, the crowd had completely gone. Maggie and Octavia were in the back room trying to fix it up for the small family for the night.
"It was Morris Sherry all right," Jamie said.
"Several pleople saw him," added Seth, and that exhausted horse at the rail is probably his!"
"Jack take the tack from Sherry's horse saddle Bow . . ." Jamie started.
"Jack Keene, you will do no such thing you are dead on your feet," Kate said from the stairs.
"Dear Kate, I can not sleep knowing the man is out there." Jack said.
"Quentin could have been killed if he lit the stable afire as Coates suspected he did," Jamie added, feeling none of them would be safe until Sherry was in irons.
"I am going to bar the doors, Jamie and Jack, you will have to pull the bell chain, pull it thrice and hard, I will know it tis yourselves," Chester said and took a musket Seth offered him.
"What does Coates know?" Jack asked as they went to the horses.
One of the horses whinnied, and Bess tried to dance away as Jamie approached her with a saddle.
"Sherry was there, he tried to make Janette go with him. She was frightened but refused. He threatened to burn Six Gables to the ground. They said he had whale oil. But Coates and his man servant drove him off, and then he sent a servants boy to fetch me." Seth explained, "and that is where I was during the fire."
The latter he added almost with apology.
"We must go to the Swensens, he will blame him as well,"Jamie said, wondering if Sherry had planned all this to do another deed.
"We shall go there, and Amberlys as well, we need to form up a militia to find this man," Seth reasoned as the horses were readied.
Why would he blame Jamie and Jack, when it was he who broke the law," Lewis said softly. Lewis had never thought of blaming his lover for his arrest. He had done wrong he had gotten greedy and had paid for it, but now he was greatful for that lover, for he had a happy life here.
"I think Sherry believes Jamie, and perhaps Jack overheard his schemeing with Linde," Seth explained.
Hours later after finding no sign of Sherry, Jack and Jamie bedded down the two horses at Seths place and walked to the inn.
"Well Seth is going to send out be awares to other constables when the morn post arrives," Jamie said.
Jack nodded, he didn't remember eating since noon, and his body felt almost as bad as it had after the beating he had gotten at the hands of the overseer.
The almost were at the Inn when Jamie heard Piper barking, and he saw that someone had left a candle burning, home and it looked so welcome.
Suddenly there was a shadow at a window a bulk of a man, near by in the copse of trees that hadn't burned by some miracle a horse nickered. Piper barked again furiously.
Come on something is not right," Jamie said, and then the bulk hiested itself through the window.
Jack followed him as he broke into a run.
Jamie dove in through the window, just as Maggie came out of the kitchen, and Octavia was scolding Piper for waking them.
Jack saw the door was open and he went in that way.
Jamie dove onto the man and they were fighting at once.
"Stay in the room!" Maggie shouted to the other women.
Jamie was overtaken by a red hot rage, and he it into Sherry like he had never fought anyone not even his brother.
"My God he will be killed," Maggie cried, and Piper barked and growled viciously scenting Sherry and sensing the trouble.
"Jamie," Jack cried, Sherry was so much bigger then Jamie, who still seemed to be not much larger then he was when Jack had met him on the boat.
"Jamie," Octavia cried.
Something buckled Jamies savagery back in, and he realized he had been out to kill Sherry.
"Jack go for Seth," Jamie called.
"Yes," Jack said feeling stupid for not have thought of it himself.
"Maggie get a rope," Jamie ordered.
"Oh dear a rope," Maggie said.
"Octavia has gone for Seth, Jack get the rope," Kate said in a calm voice that belied her shaking insides.
Jack was exhausted, but he ran fast to the constables house.
Chester came back in from the outhouse, with the musket.
"Desist, I arrest you in the name of the Crown," Jamie said pushing Sherry aganst the wall so hard the dart board rattled. It was no mean feet Sherry outweighed him by a good stone, if not two.
"You can't do that ye lil bustard," Sherry shouted.
Jack was back with the rope, and Jamie took it from him.
"Thats right hang the scoundrel," Chester cried.
Fear suddenly came over Sherry, an old man with a musket, two healthy young men, and an old woman with a piece of hickory that would be sure to brain one, he suddenly knew escape was hopeless.
"There will be no hanginging here." Maggie said, shaking the stick at Chester.
"He almost killed Jamie's infant son," Chester spat angrily.
Piper barked and lunged at the door and Quenting giggled not realizing the gravity of the situation out front.
There was the sound of horses outside, at least three maybe four, Jamie thought with relief.
Seth followed closely by Amberly, then Octavia came through the door Chester had left open on his journey back from the out house.
Sherry was hauled away, weeping telling the others that he hadn't known that there had been a child in the stable, and he knew that the dog would get out but he was afraid of it. He had even turned the horses out.
So that was it how Bow had gotten out, Bess had probably wandered back in and the door had blown shut as it always did if you didn't prop it back. Bess had probably saved Octavia's life in the process.
"Are you all right Octavia?" Jacob Amberly asked.
This tore Jamie from his own thoughts, and he realized his wife looked pale, also other men were outside.
"I am fine, just very tired," Octavia said waving the kind man away, knowing he wanted to be with Lewis, Edmond, and the others.
"Are you all right?" Jamie asked after they had gone.
"Yes let us go to bed I want to sleep until the morning next," Octavia said wearily.
