The Girl from the Tanner's Yard

learn, so I ticked all the boxes to help in the fight for intelligence-gathering over there.’ Adam had felt betrayed by his friend, Captain Linton Simmons, whom he had gone to support, with his detecting and linguistic powers, at Simmons’s request. At the time it had seemed like an escape from death and the grief of losing Mary, so he’d jumped at the chance of becoming a scout for the British military, working for intelligence – until the death of Charles Cattley, head of intelligence, just before the fall of Sebastopol. Adam’s bitterness concerning the war, which Britain was now feeling guilty about, poured out. ‘At Balaclava and Inkerman we were almost slaughtered, as we didn’t know enough about the Russians. But thank heavens, with the help of our Allies, we turned it around to become a victory. However, if I’d known about the loss of men, then I’d never have gone.’ Adam waited while the boss of the tannery took in his words.
‘It seems like you didn’t escape without injury yourself, by the look of the limp you’ve got.’ Bill stared at the man, who had obviously been through hell.
‘Sword wound, top of my leg at Sebastopol – ensured my discharge, thank God.’ Adam smiled.
‘My thanks go out to you for risking your life for our country. We could do with more men like you. I’ll make sure you don’t get any bother from any of my men here at Flappit Springs. They might be a rough lot, rowdy and outspoken, with a few dimwits amongst them, but they’ll give you the respect you deserve.’ Bill watched as Adam glanced at the hard-looking men of the tannery going about their business. ‘Now, is there anything else I can do for you?’ Bill asked.
‘Not unless you know of a likely young lass to become my housemaid?’ Adam joked.
‘Well, if you’re asking, my eldest – Lucy – would be your person. She’s twenty and she’s got the cheek of the devil, and she could do with something to keep her out of mischief. She’s at an age when she turns men’s heads and doesn’t know what she does to them. Get her working for you and it’ll get her away from here. She’d be ideal for you. You look after her, mind; I’ll not have her being abused by you, else you’ll have me to answer to. It’ll do her good working for an older man, and not flirting with half the empty-headed ones that work in my yard. She’ll get herself into bother yet.’
Adam leaned on his stick. ‘Send her up to visit me and we’ll see if we are right for one another. She might hate the sight of me.’ He grinned.
‘Nay, I don’t think she’ll do that, especially when there’s some money involved. She’s beginning to like the finer things in life and, with five children, we haven’t that much brass to spend, even though the tannery is mine. Talking of which, what would you be willing to pay her?’
‘Haven’t had time to think about it. Let her come and see me, and we’ll take it from there. I promise she’ll get paid what she’s worth, and I’ll look after her. You have my word.’ Adam liked the straight-talking tannery owner, and at least he looked after his family.
‘I’ll send her up with Archie Robinson, when I send him with your lime. It’ll be this afternoon, will that be alright?’ Bill waited for a reply while he shouted at a worker to ‘Put your back into it!’
‘Aye, that will be fine. I look forward to meeting her.’ Adam watched as one of the tanners lifted hides out of the flay-pit and took them into one of the large sheds that stood within the tannery. He could see, through the partially open doors, that a tanner had spread one of the soaked hides across a smooth, curved beam and, with a sharp knife, was scraping away the hair to make the hide smooth and ready for the next stage in the process. ‘It’s interesting to see how you all work,’ Adam commented.
‘Aye, it’s not the most pleasant of jobs. But the world would be lost without leather. It makes your shoes, sharpens knives, keeps your horse in harness and even helps rock babies asleep within their cradles, while they are suspended on leather straps. There will always be a need for leather. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll have to sort this bugger out. Look at him, it’ll take him all day to shift that pile of skins.’ Bill walked off and shouted again at his worker, who was making hard work of moving a pile of hides into an empty lime-filled pit.
Bill Bancroft was a hard worker, proud of his job and family, and he’d make a good neighbour – somebody Adam felt he could count upon, if need be.
Adam watched through the farm’s window as Archie Robinson unloaded into his outhouse the two sacks of lime that Bill had sent him. A stunning, giggling Lucy Bancroft was sitting on the edge of his cart, chattering away while swinging her legs freely under her long skirts and watching the good-looking young man do his job. She jumped down suddenly as Archie closed the outhouse door and made his way over to knock on the farmhouse door. Adam watched as the young woman teased the lad who was trying to get his job done, and smiled as Archie asked her to stop tempting him and behave, else her father would have his hide tanned. So, Lucy was a flirt – a flirt who would have to be taken in hand, if she was to work for him. Adam straightened his face as he opened the back door to the knock of Archie and his temptress.
‘Mr Bancroft sends his regards, sir. I’ve put the two bags of lime, sir, in your outhouse. Mr Bancroft says to take care with it. It can burn your skin if you splash it on