The Spaniard's Gift by Catherine Cookson

Author:Catherine Cookson [Cookson, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780671682545
Amazon: 0671682547
Publisher: Summit Books
Published: 1989-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

‘What the hell does he mean by it! Going to stop us renting the land come Michaelmas.’ Jake Yorkless appealed to his three sons who were standing round the kitchen table. ‘Sending Pearson the steward, and out of the blue, no reason or rhyme, just to say his master says come Michaelmas he wants the land. And where does that leave us? Thirty bloody acres. Back to where we started, all me grandfather had almost a century ago. Why? Why?’ He spread out his hands before them.

No-one spoke for a moment until Luke, thumbing over his shoulder to where Emma was stirring the fire, said, ‘Better ask her.’

‘What’s she got to do with it?’

Luke thrust out his chin at his father, saying, ‘Ask her, or ask her husband there.’ He thumbed towards his brother now and Barney, his face grim, said, ‘What do you mean? What are you up to?’

‘Well, didn’t I hear her tell you that she had seen Fordyke riding across the barley and she had told him he shouldn’t do it?’

Jake Yorkless now brought his gaze on Emma, where she had turned from the fire and his voice was quiet as he asked, ‘You told him he shouldn’t ride through the barley?’

‘Yes, I did. You go mad if one of the bullocks gets into the field, and you were going to shoot Pearson’s dog, you said yourself, if it cut across that way to the river again.’

‘But Mr Fordyke, he wouldn’t have gone ridin’ through it.’

‘Go down and see it, Da.’ Jake now turned and looked at Barney, and Barney went on, ‘One corner’s flat and there’s a path wider than this table right through the middle of it. I was waiting for you to find out for yourself.’

Of a sudden Jake Yorkless dropped onto a wooden chair and, again looking round him, he said, ‘But surely he wouldn’t take the land off us for that?’

‘You’ve got his answer.’ It was Luke speaking again. ‘It’s known he’s a vindictive bugger, and anybody with any sense would have gone carefully, but no, somebody has to ride him, so much so that he must have been in a blazing temper to send his steward straight over here.’

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