It was both a command and a request. Given that this day had already been upsetting enough, William didn’t want the tale of the missing children to take over the conversation when he had more important things on his mind. The disappearing children had happened several months before and, in truth, Kelso was still reeling from it. It had been a horrible situation that they were trying to overcome and that was the way it needed to be looked at– all they could do was move forward and not make the same mistake twice.
But it had been quite a revelation to Maitland, who was still sitting there in shock as the trenchers were brought forth from the kitchens. Big discs of stale bread were placed before the diners, filled with meat and gravy and vegetables. The smells of beef that rose up filled the nostrils and the focus was diverted away from the lost children of Edenside and on to the meal at hand.
At least, that was what they all pretended.
But Maitland couldn’t shake what she’d been told. She’d always had the unfortunate problem of feeling too deeply for things and taking them personally. She ached for a fallen sparrow and wept for a lost child. That was simply her nature.But she pretended to move forward as the others were, spooning the delicious beef into her mouth as soft conversation went on around her.
But inside, she was filled with sorrow.
“What are your first plans once you reach Edenside, Mae?” Desmond asked, his mouth full of bread. “Do you have any grand plans for the place?”
Maitland looked at him. “Until I found out about the horror of its past, you mean?”
Desmond shook his head. “I assumed you had a plan when you came, regardless of what you have been told,” he said. “My little sister always had a plan, for anything she ever did. What is your great plan for Edenside?”
Thinking about what she intended to do for the charity somehow made her feel better about the terrible things she’d heard about it. She knew for a fact that she would never permit the children in her charge to know fear or heartache or hunger. She was too determined and smart for that.
“Well,” she said, swallowing the bite in her mouth. “I am hoping to make it a productive charity. The first thing I must find out is if the charity owns livestock, like sheep or cows.”
“There are sheep,” Jordan said. She had been listening in on the conversation between brother and sister. “I know there are sheep because when we discovered what had happened tae the children, sold as they were, I wondered why the greedy servant hadna sold the livestock instead. It was speculated that the livestock would have been missed more by the abbot’s sister than the children themselves. The sheep are valuable tae the foundlin’ home in that they give milk and wool.”
They were back on that horrific subject, but Maitland focused on the advent of sheep. “Good,” she said. “We can use the milk to produce cheese. I supervised the servants who made cheese at Alnwick, so I know how it is done. If we could get some goats,that would be even better. Do you know that you can make soap from goat’s milk? An old fishwife from Newcastle showed me how. She could make soap from flax oil and seawater and ash and mixing a little goat’s milk into it made it soft on the skin.”
“We are a little far from the sea,” Thomas said, his eyes glimmering at her when she turned to look at him. “You can use water from the River Tweed.”
Maitland grinned. “It would not be the same,” she said. When she continued speaking, it was for everyone’s benefit. “If we cannot make soap or cheese to sell, then we can at least harvest the wool from the sheep and create caps.”
Thomas’ eyebrows lifted. “Caps? Like for a man’s head?”
Maitland nodded firmly. “I can teach the children to knit the wool,” she said. “Lady de Vesci knew how to knit and she taught me. I can make caps and capes and even a tunic. I can teach the children and we can sell the results, thereby making money for the charity. We must teach these children to be productive so that when they go out into the world, they know how to support themselves.”
A faint smile crossed Thomas’ lips. “Well said,” he murmured. “And utterly brilliant. The lady has a head for business.”
“Now do you see why Lady de Vesci was so devastated when Mae left Alnwick?” Desmond said, chewing on a knuckle of beef. “My sister is smarter than most men. If anyone can turn Edenside around, she can. I have the greatest faith in her.”
While Thomas sat there and nodded his approval, unable to take his eyes from Maitland, Jordan spoke up again.
“The lass’ mind is in the right place,” she said firmly. “Are ye sure ye can make the charity productive with the right tools?”
Maitland nodded. “I know I can,” she said passionately. “In fact, I was hoping to find a patron so we can obtain what we need– sheep, goats, and anything else. If I have these things,then I can teach the children the trade of knitting. I can teach them how to manage their caps and sell them. I know it sounds like a grand idea, but I know I can do it. I have done it before, at Newcastle. The children sold dried fish from the abbey’s pond in the marketplace and made money for themselves.”
Jordan genuinely hadn’t touched much of her supper. She’d been so fascinated listening to Maitland speak that she hadn’t thought much about her food. What she saw before her was a woman of great vision and skill, an impressive thing to see. If she could only do half the things she said, she would still be an accomplished woman, indeed. Already, she liked what she saw and from the way Thomas was looking at the woman, she suspected her youngest son did, as well.
Call it women’s intuition.
“Say no more, lass,” Jordan said. “Ye needna look any further for a patron. My husband and I will be happy tae supply Edenside with whatever ye need tae make it self-sufficient. I’ll send word tae Castle Questing tomorrow tae send ye a herd of goats.”
“Wait,” Thomas suddenly piped up, looking at his mother almost accusingly. “The lady has asked that I be her patron, and I shall. It would be my pleasure.”
Jordan’s eyebrows lifted. “What did ye say not a few minutes ago?” she said. “Ye said that ye dunna pay attention to anythin’ other than the safety of the border and yer family. Ye even said that ye werena a crusader for lost children.”
Thomas pursed his lips at his mother. “And I cannot change my mind?” he said. “Lady Bowlin makes an excellent case. Why would I not want to support Edenside under her skilled management?”
Jordan thought it was more that he wanted to be seen as a hero to a pretty widow, but she didn’t say so. Now that she realized Thomas had an eye for the lady, she was still trying tofigure out what his game was without embarrassing him. Since Tacey’s death, her son had led a rather wild life over the past eight years, and she’d heard her husband and sons whispering about Thomas’ drinking and whoring behavior, so in a sense, her instinct to protect Lady Bowlin from her son’s predatory ways was starting to kick in. She liked Lady Bowlin and didn’t want to see her son toy with the woman.
The man had enough trouble on his hands.
“We’ll talk about it later,” she said, gesturing to Caria, who was eating most of Thomas’ food. “Wipe her mouth, Tommy. She’s makin’ a mess of herself.”
