Cullen - Bartlett Dynasty Collection

Chapter 15

‘I’ve never seen any creature more frightened and yet headstrong in my life,’ Cullen said to the convict assigned to him as a farm labourer. ‘She’s with child. Her story will be interesting. No doubt we’ll learn more about Miss Elizabeth Bartlett over supper.’

The house was quiet and the fire out when Cullen and his labourer returned for supper. Obvious to both men that the new addition was asleep, they fell into their familiar routine and prepared the evening meal.

‘Make enough for the new miss?’ asked the convict. Cullen nodded.

The mainstay of the evening meal since Anne Coombes had left was bread, often stale, corn, dried beef or pork and a big mug of sweet tea. ‘I hope she can cook,’ Cullen said as he put the plates on the table.

‘Yes, I can cook. Is that all you want me for? To cook and clean?’ Elizabeth said as she sauntered into the kitchen.

Almost choking on a piece of dry bread, Cullen laughed at the young woman’s bravado. ‘That’s a start.’ He noticed how different her appearance was to that of Anne Coombes when she arrived on the farm: her hair fought with her hands as she tried to brush her long locks off her face, her dress looked as if she’d slept in it with one sleeve rolled up and the other down. ‘Come and sit down, Elizabeth. You must be hungry. This is my farm labourer, Edward. You can call him Ed.’ Cullen watched Ed’s eyes follow Elizabeth’s walk from the doorway to the table. Something to monitor.

Cullen didn’t ask Elizabeth questions about herself while she devoured her food and devour it she did. He wondered when she last had a decent meal. He didn’t like the way Ed looked at her, and would wait until the convict had retired to his small cottage between the house and the stable before engaging the young woman in conversation. Offering her another corn cob and more dried beef, Cullen filled up a mug with tea and asked Elizabeth how many spoons of sugar she wanted. She swallowed the food she’d been chewing and looked at Cullen with eyes that pierced his soul. ‘How many sugars?’ he asked again.

‘I, I, I, don’t know. I’ve never been asked if I want sugar and no man has ever made be a mug of tea.’

‘I’ll put in two. That should be enough.’ Cullen stirred the tea with a spoon larger than should have been used, and put it in front of his new house guest.

‘Thanks be to you,’ Elizabeth said as she put her hands around the hot mug and sipped the contents gingerly. ‘Is Ed a convict?’ she asked after the first few sips.

‘Yes.’

‘Where does he sleep then?’

‘There’s a small cottage between this house and the stable. That’s his quarters. He usually eats with me; it saves us worrying about him having enough food in his place.’

Cullen noticed Elizabeth eyeing Ed up and down.

‘Don’t you get any nasty, funny, ideas Mr Ed. I’s might be a convict too, and even though I’m with child, I’m no w***e, and you won’t be thinkin’ you can treat me like one. Got it?’

Ed nodded, bade Cullen goodnight and left for his cottage.

‘Sorry Mr Cullen. Don’t mean to be rude, but I didn’t like the way he was lookin’ at me. Gave me the creeps.’

‘I noticed.’

After helping Cullen clear the table and wash and dry the dishes, Elizabeth asked if she had permission to go to bed.

Seeing the dark rings under her eyes he told her to sleep well.