The adulteress

When afternoon quiet had settled on the house, I lost no time. I went out and crossed the gardens to the stables. That was where I would be most likely to find Jethro. I looked around at the edge of a small field; there were two cottages and on the gate of one of these a young boy was swinging. He looked at me curiously and I said: "Hello." He continued to stare at me and I went on: "Do you know Jethro?" He nodded. "Where does he live?"

He pointed to the other cottage.

I thanked him and opened the gate of Jethro's home.

He must have been prepared, because as I went up the little path I heard a voice say: "Come in, Mistress Zipporah. I've been expecting you."

I stepped down into a dark room, rather cluttered with furniture and highly polished horse brasses around the fireplace. Over the door a horseshoe had been nailed.

"Lord Eversleigh wished me to see you," I said.

"That's right. I'm the only one he's got here, in a manner of speaking."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, she's in charge now. It's what Jessie wants that goes. That's how it is."

I said: "It's horrible. I had no idea I was going to find this. That woman ..."

"Not such an unusual situation. A man like his lordship ... begging your pardon, Miss Zipporah, but it's happened before and it'll happen again."

"Couldn't she be sent away? Surely she only has to be dismissed."

"His lordship would never agree. He dotes on her. She's his woman ... if you'll forgive the expression, Mistress Zipporah."

"You mean she's got a hold on him."

"She's got him, mistress. He don't want her to go no more than she wants to go. He knows she's feathering her nest but he likes to provide the feathers."

I said: "It is the most extraordinary household."

"Well, you see, it's always been women with him and he can't be expected to change at his time of life."

"But there's something happening there. He whispered to me that he wanted you to tell me something."

"Ah yes, yes... . He wants me to tell you that he has got to see you on his own ... without Jessie there. He wants that arranged."

"I could go to him and he could insist that we were alone. Why shouldn't we tell the housekeeper to leave us?"

"Jessie's not that sort of housekeeper. She'd never allow it and he would never upset her. No, mistress, what you have to do is get into his room when she's out of the house. Now she's a regular one in her habits. And she'll be out of the house say thirty minutes from now."

"How do you know?"

"Because she acts regular as clockwork."

"She said that Lord Eversleigh rested after dinner until five and that she did the same."

"Her resting! On a bed maybe—but not to rest ... if you'll pardon the coarseness, Mistress Zipporah."

"I have come to the conclusion that coarseness is a part of this situation so I am prepared for it."

"After dinner," he said, "she tucks his lordship up and tells him to sleep. Then at half past one she's on her way to Amos Carew's house. She's very partial to him. Has been all the time. He got her here, you see. I reckon it was a put-up job between the two of them."

"Do you mean that Amos Carew is her lover? And who is he?"

Jethro nodded. "Who is he? He's the estate manager. His lordship couldn't do without him either. Amos brought Jessie down here as housekeeper and very soon after that she was in charge not only of the house but of his lordship. She's that sort of woman. She got rid of most of the servants except me ... and one or two of them in the cottages. She couldn't very well turn us out of our homes. Then she brought in some of her own choosing. But I have to say this ... both his lordship and Amos Carew seem very content. They think the world of her ... both of 'em."

"It's horrible," I said.

"Shocking for a lady like you. But he does want to see you, and he can see you while she's with Amos Carew. Just go into his room. He might be dozing but he'll be wide awake at the sight of you and then he'll tell you what he wants of you, why he's asked you here ... but I don't think it's to get rid of Jessie ... he just does not want to say what he's got to in front of her."

"I'll go back to the house and to his room."

"Bit too early yet, mistress. Wait till she's in Carew's house. You can see it from my top window. On a bit of hill, we are. And I can see Carew's clear from my top window. When she goes in it's two hours clear afore she's out and she's generally there before two. We should be on the watch. Will you step up?"

There was a short staircase in the room to Jethro's bedroom which extended across the whole area of the cottage. There was a small window at either end of the room ... one looking out over Jethro's vegetable patch, the other across fields to the house.