Forged In Love

Chapter Six

The first thing Henry noticed about the village was that it was a decent size. There were over a dozen different families and not all the men worked in mines. That was very good. Should any of those mines run dry, he needed to know that these people wouldn't starve. There were fishermen, farmers, a tanner, a blacksmith, a miller and a few others. He knew the bulk of the wealth came from the coal mines, but one needed to plan ahead and not just for the profitable times. Hope for the best and plan for the worst. Another thing he noticed was that the people seemed healthy and happy. Again, this pleased Henry. He wouldn't be walking into a bunch of headaches and problems right from the beginning. Running an estate always had problems, but having to completely overhaul the village so as to turn a profit and take care of the people's needs wasn't something he was looking forward to. There were also plenty of children running around and healthy livestock. Yes, Henry thought to himself, this would do nicely. And, of course, he noticed the stares of a few people he passed by. They would get used to him, he told himself. Now that he had taken stock of the village, it was time to find Charlotte. There was a lot to discuss before they actually got married in two days. He didn't want there to be any uncertainties between them, and he knew she was going to have questions for him. Likewise, he had questions for her. Henry realized that he probably should have asked her where in the village she was going to be. He wasn't a shy fellow, he would just have to ask around. Henry spotted a young man and stopped him.

"Excuse me, would you happen to know where I could find Lady Charlotte?' The boy eyed him suspiciously, and locked eyes with him.

"That really depends on who is asking. I don't know you sir. How do I know you mean her no harm?" Henry almost laughed. Of course, no one knew who he was. Henry stuck his hand out to the young man and said "How rude of me not to introduce myself. I am Lt. Lord Henry Whitestone of Southampton, and may ask your name?" The boy's eyes widened with understanding.

"I am so sorry, my Lord. I didn't know who you were and we must keep Lady Lottie safe. I am Arthur Winslow."

"Well, Arthur Winslow, I am glad to see that Lady Charlotte has such a dedicated bodyguard. I agree that we must not let anything happen to her. Now would you be so kind as to tell me where I can find her?" Before Arthur could answer, a plump woman in her late forties rushed up to them.

"My Lord!" She called.

"Please, my Lord, I am sorry for anything this boy has said. Unfortunately, the village hasn't been introduced to you and most of us don't know you. Please, sir, don't be too hard on the boy." Clearly, this was her son, or she would not be having this reaction.

"I assure you, ma'am, that I hold no ill will against Arthur. He has just shown himself to be of good character. Can I ask your name?"

With a curtsy, the woman answered, "I am Mary Winslow, this boy's mother."

" I am glad to have made both of your acquaintances. I do need to find Lady Charlotte. Would either of you know where she may be?"

Both of the Winslows looked at each other, then back at Henry. They clearly weren't sure if they should tell him and once again proved their loyalty to their mistress. Loyalty was a quality that Henry could appreciate in people. Too often, it was a rare thing. This wasn't helping him find Charlotte though and that was a bit irritating.

"My Lord, could I offer you a cup of tea?"

"Mrs. Winslow, I understand that you think you are protecting your Lady, but I can assure you that there is nothing to protect her from. I am not a villain that seeks to lock her away or mistreat her. I have an important matter to discuss with her, and it is best to get it all out now. So again, I ask if you know where she is?"

With a defeated sigh, Mary finally answered him, " You can find her up at the smithy, but please don't be angry with her, My Lord."

Henry nodded his head and walked off toward the smithy. Now he wasn't sure what he was going to find. They seemed so sure he was going to be upset, or even mad. Either way, they believed Charlotte was in danger if he found her. Henry walked faster, trying not to think of what he might find when he got up the hill to the smithy. Halfway up, he started calling her name. He could hear the hammer blows and hoped that she could hear him.

"Charlotte"

"Charlotte!"

"CHARLOTTE?!"

Then Henry finally saw her...at the forge. She had the hammer in her hand and hitting a piece of white hot metal. She was wearing a plain brown gown with her sleeves rolled up past her elbows. Over top of the gown she wore a leather apron. The top of her gown was open to the very top of her breasts. Henry could just spy the top of her cleavage. There were short flyaway hairs stuck to her face with sweat. Her cheeks were red, and her forehead was wet with sweat. With every hammer blow he could see the muscles in her arms ripple. She was marvelous. At that moment, he called her name one more time and her head finally popped up. Charlotte's eyes met his and she stopped mid-blow. The expression on her face went from recognition to something akin to shame. Then she stood up straight and squared her shoulders, almost like she was readying herself for a fight. Charlotte placed her hammer on the anvil and took two steps toward him and clasped her hands in front of herself. She held her chin high, and her eyes never left his.

"Lord Henry. I see you were able to find me. Good. You wanted to discuss our marriage arrangement further?"

Charlotte tried to act as though she hadn't been doing manual labor. Henry was not about to just gloss over her apparently being a blacksmith.

"Yes I did, Charlotte. However, I think we should discuss your activities here first."

"I will not play coy with you, I am the blacksmith for this village. I have been, for some time. I needed to finish this order and I needed to tell you somehow. I decided this way was more efficient."

"Why are you the blacksmith?"

"The previous blacksmith, Peter, said I was the only one with any talent and would only apprentice me."

"And your father approved of this?'

"My father could give a rat's ass about me. I grew up in this village. They were the only ones, besides Anne, that ever cared about me or showed me any kindness. My father stopped taking care of these people and this land a long time ago, and I wasn't about to let my family starve. I excelled at this craft for them, and we have prospered."

"I see. I take it that the Winslows are very close to you?"

"Yes. They are the closest I have to parents and siblings. I love them."

"I ran into Arthur and Mary on my way to see you. They were very protective."

"There is more I need to tell you."

"Go ahead then." Henry was very curious about what else she had to confess.

" My father stipulated that after he died I wouldn't be allowed access to the wealth of the estate until I was married and even then it was for my husband to control. Without money to take care of the people, I had to continue to work at the forge. And since I have no idea what kind of man you are, I have to finish my work. This order will help see my people through the planting season." Charlotte turned around and walked back to the anvil and picked her hammer back up.