Between being immersed in learning how to run Winsdale, which meant learning estate management from the perspective of a master of said estate, Harold Hurst was being trained in the arts and crafts he would need to have if he was ever to be accepted to serve in the group of men his father managed.
In the mornings, Harold would ride out with the very efficient steward, one Mr Nicholas Church, who had been charged by the senior Hurst with doling out the education his son needed to manage an estate. It did not take Harold long before he realised how much was involved in the management of an estate and how a poor master could have a negative impact on the many souls dependent on it. The more he learnt, the more he came to see that contented tenants led to a profitable entity, and that they needed to be treated as assets and not burdens. Mr Church explained that when a tenant was happy, his family secure and well fed, and his cottage in good repair, the estate would gain the loyalty of the tenant families and that would lead to generational tenants. At the same time, Harold learnt that some of the current servants were generational, which led to loyalty to the owners and the staff and servants becoming protective of, rather than gossiping about, the family they served. The Adamses were part of that group.
One morning when they rode out, Harold had asked Church about who visited the tenants and looked after the home farm, the dairy, chickens, herb and vegetable gardens, and the still room. The steward had explained that all of those areas were under the purview of the mistress of the estate, and that she had many other duties aside from the ones asked about. Further, he related that in the absence of a mistress, Mrs Adams had filledthat role and that she was the one instructing Harold’s mother on the mistress’s duties.
In the afternoon, Harold’s instruction was given by hisvalet. They would visit a barn that had been designated for training away from prying eyes. The floor was covered with a six-inch thick layer of straw so that when he was brought down during training, the fall was cushioned somewhat. The problem was that as he was taught self-defence and other physical activities, his body slimmed and became more muscular.
After six months of training, Harold was concerned about the changes to his body he was seeing. He did not repine that he was healthier and fitter than he had ever been, he worried how the changes would affect the persona he would need to display to make others comfortable in his presence.
“Holcomb, I know that all of the physical aspects I am learning are very necessary, but how will I present myself as an indolent, drunken sot if I look like…” Harold asked his valet and teacher in one the next afternoon. He indicated his body with his hands. “Like this? The way my body has changed is not compatible with the persona I chuse for myself.”
“Master Harold, do you remember what your father told you about playing a role like a player does on the boards in a theatre?” Holcomb reminded the younger Hurst.
“Yes, I do. I am not speaking of the way I would act but the way I would look,” Harold clarified.
“Do you think the way you see the players on the stage is the way they always look? No, they do not.” Holcomb answered his own question. “There is much that can be done to change or disguise your appearance, from wigs to pieces you would strapon to change the shape of your face and body. Do you know we have one or two women among our number?”
Harold shook his head, the revelation shocking him. “Surely, it cannot be safe for a lady?”
“There are times when those who are investigating need to be seen as a couple, and who can be less threatening than a woman who is with child? No, of course, we do not send someone in the family way out on a mission, but that is where the changes to a body I spoke of come in,” Holcomb explained. “This was a long way of telling you what you actually look like and what others see are not the same things. Also, the way you wear your clothes can have the same effect for a man without having to use something to change what people see of your body.”
“What do you mean?”
“In polite society, most men wear clothing which is tailored to fit them closely, do they not?”
The younger Hurst allowed that was so.
“If you saw a man whose clothing is bigger and gives the impression of a portly belly, you would not think the man was wearing something to disguise his true size, would you?” Holcomb saw his master and student nod his agreement. “My point is that there are more ways to kill a dog than hanging,[3] which means that there are many options that you will be able to use to achieve the look you desire.” He paused. “That, Master Harold, is putting the cart before the horse. You still have eighteen months of training remaining, and there is no guarantee you will be accepted.”
Just then the barn door opened and two huge men walked in. Harold guessed they were close to him in age. One of them handed an epistle to Holcomb.
Holcomb read the missive from Mr Hurst. When he was done, he looked up. “These are men your father wants me to train, and then, they will act as servants. Anyone who sees them will see only footmen. To most in society, servants are invisible so even with theirsmallsizes, they will not be noticed. Master Harold, these men are John Biggs and Brian Johns. Biggs and Johns, Master Harold Hurst, the heir to this estate.”
“Welcome to Winsdale,” Harold said.
The two men doffed their caps to him. Holcomb led them out of the barn to go meet with Mr Adams so the butler could assign them places to sleep with the rest of his footmen. The butler was aware that the men would be anything but footmen, and he knew better than to question the directive he had received from the master.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
In March 1802, an epistle—delivered by one of Father’s personal couriers—arrived for Harold from London. He knew Mother had also received one so he was fairly sure she would be told any news Father had to impart. He broke the seal and began to read.
10 March 1802
Hurst House
London
Son,
I am very pleased at the positive reports that I have been receiving from Holcombregarding your training. You show all of the attributes that I look for in the men who serve with me. It is a point of pride that you are doing so well and have learnt the knife, sword, pistol, and rifle so masterfully.
I can now tell you some of my men and I were in Ireland during the Irish Rebellion in ’98. We were able to identify the ringleaders. Their arrest led to the ending of the rebellion with much less loss of life than there would have otherwise been. One of the results of the attempt at rebellion was that the government crafted the Act of Union, which was passed in both houses before the end of 1800. His Majesty, of course, signed it into law.
The above was not the main reason for my letter. You remember, do you not, that I told you about the former Sir Lewis de Bourgh? The man who was in the leadership post I now have. He is no more. Two days after Easter, he met his end in a suspicious hunting accident.
My men investigated, and it is obvious that he took his own life. I suppose the shame of the King’s rebuke and the loss of his knighthood finally became too much for him.
Did you know his wife is the aunt to your Fitzwilliam friends? Her name is Lady Catherine (being the daughter of an Earl, she did not lose her title when he lost his) and a bigger termagant I have never met. I met her when I attended the funeral. She is the one who has put about the story of a hunting accident sothe crown will not step in and punish her late husband for committing suicide.
