A Family For Christmas (14 page)

Fay gave her a long-suffering look. ‘I was
referring to the compost heap. You need to nourish the soil in order for it to produce
vegetables, herbs and flowers of the highest quality. That's the only way you can ensure
the excellence of the receipts you make.'

Feeling stupid, Eliza grabbed her shawl and
followed Fay outside. Digging the heavy earth was hard going and before long, she noticed Fay
was struggling. Her wrist and ankle were obviously still weak, despite what she'd
professed. Then Eliza saw her wince and the blood drain from her face and knew she had to say
something before the woman did herself a further mischief.

‘Phew, I'm not used to this hard
work,' Eliza said, rubbing the small of her back.

Fay grunted but put her fork to one side.
‘I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a break. What do you know about herbs?'
she asked, as they put down their tools.

‘Not much really,' Eliza
admitted.

‘Well, that bush over there is the rosemary
and it produces blue flowers,' Fay explained, going over and breaking off a stem. Rubbing
it between her fingers, she held her hand out to Eliza. ‘What does it smell
like?'

Eliza sniffed. ‘It's sort of sweet
yet slightly pungent at the same time.' She was going to say, a bit like the essence Fay
had nearly got wrong, but thought better of it.

‘It's extremely versatile. Mix it
with other herbs, pour on boiling water, inhale the vapour and you have a remedy
for colds, but mixed with vervain and taken as an
infusion it will help headaches. Rosemary oil is good for rheumatism but can be used to lift
fatigue and boost memory.' Eliza blinked in amazement then watched as Fay picked another
herb.

‘This is thyme,' Fay said, holding
out a leaf. ‘Mixed with aniseed it makes a good cough suppressant, with lavender it can
help insomnia, yet with this sage,' she said, snapping off another specimen, ‘it
makes a good gargle for sore throats. It's the synergy between them that's
powerful.'

‘The what?'

‘Synergy means the way they work together.
It's all about balance and harmony, and that's why it's important to get the
quantities exactly right, especially when it comes to essential oils.'

‘There's so much to learn,'
Eliza groaned, but her eyes were alight with interest. Fay chuckled.

‘People have been distilling plant
materials to extract their powerful healing essences as far back as the shamans.'

‘The shamans?'

‘They were wise men from early civilization
and they had the ability to heal using natural plants. Their knowledge has been passed down
through the centuries.'

‘So how do you do this distilling
then?'

‘First things first, girl. You need to
learn about the plants themselves because oils are distilled from specific parts of them. In
lavender the oils come from the flowers. Vascular plants such as flowering species and conifers
contain special tissues for the circulation of fluids. Oh, forgive me, that's way too much
for you to take in at this stage,' Fay muttered, as Eliza frowned.

‘It's much more complicated than I
realized.'

‘It is the complexity that makes it
interesting. However, it's the nose that's most important. This earth is made up of
all manner of aromas and it's a matter of discerning what they are. It will be high summer
before I can distil any plant material so the best thing you can do is spend your time exploring
the garden and moorland, smell everything and anything to really get that nose of yours tuned in
…'

Fay was interrupted by the sound of the gate
opening and Eliza's heart flipped as she saw Duncan loping up the path.

‘Come to empty the earth closet for you,
Fay,' he announced and couldn't understand why they dissolved into hysterics.

As the tears ran down their cheeks, Duncan
stared from one to the other.

‘Pleased to see I have such an uplifting
effect on you, ladies. A chap likes to spread happiness wherever he goes,' he said,
shaking his head.

‘Sorry, Duncan, it's just that we
were talking about …' Eliza began, but Fay cut in.

‘Never mind that now. How did you get on in
Dulvester?'

‘Sold all your remedies and here's
your money,' he said, drawing out a bulging purse from his pocket. ‘As you rightly
guessed, the riders at the Horn and Stirrup Cup were suffering from sore muscles along with the
excess from the night before. They eagerly snapped up everything they could get their hands on.
The promise of something to ease their throbbing heads made them generous with their payments,
too.'

‘See, Eliza, horses for courses,' Fay
chuckled.

‘I sold the rest in the market,'
Duncan continued. ‘That idea you had of giving a discount to people returning their empty
bottles and jars is proving popular. You have quite a following, Fay, and I was asked when
you'll have more supplies available.'

‘I suppose I could make some more now I
have a helper,' Fay said, taking the purse and weighing it in her
hand with a delighted grin. ‘You were certainly right about
Eliza's olfactory senses.'

‘Talking of which, I brought some pies back
with me. The smell of mutton's been teasing my nose all the way back.' Fay and Eliza
exchanged glances and burst out laughing again. ‘While it's good to see you getting
on so well, can we please go inside and eat?' he pleaded.

The fresh air and exercise had made Eliza hungry
as a horse and she finished before the others.

‘Goodness, little un, 'twas only a
few weeks back you barely had the appetite of a sparrow,' Duncan teased, but she could
tell he was pleased.

While Duncan and Fay discussed the latest
happenings in Dulvester, Eliza pored over the receipt book. She found the pages relating to
rosemary and thyme and studied them with renewed interest. Fay was obviously a clever woman, she
thought, seeing all the different remedies for those two herbs alone. Suddenly she was filled
with a longing to learn more but before she could say anything, Duncan got to his feet.

‘Right, I'll get on and empty the
closet.'

‘And Eliza can finish preparing the ground
ready to dig in all that nutrient-rich excreta to make the plants grow,' Fay said.

Eliza wrinkled her nose and reluctantly set the
book aside.

‘Don't worry, little un,
there'll be wet days when you can stay indoors and try out those receipts,' Duncan
assured her.

‘Not if we haven't anything grown to
use, we won't,' Fay grunted. ‘It's a means to an end, child. Sooner
it's done the sooner we'll have something to distil.'

Eliza nodded; after all, she wanted to learn how to make
curatives and essences, didn't she?

The weather stayed dry for the rest of March and
well into April. While Duncan carried out the necessary repairs to the roof, then ensured the
enclosure was secure from wild animals, Eliza dug and Fay planted, making the most of the
lengthening daylight hours. Each evening Fay carefully covered the ground with hessian to
protect the new plants from frost and Eliza couldn't help likening it to the woman tucking
her babies up for the night.

Although she'd much rather be exploring the
moors and finding specimens for her box than planting potatoes, Eliza worked hard. Then they
moved onto the herb and flower gardens, and as Fay began pointing out their various properties,
Eliza's excitement mounted.

‘You mean you can use flowers as
well?' she asked in amazement.

Fay clicked her tongue. ‘Don't you
remember me showing you that lavender?'

‘Yes, of course, but it looked more like
that herb bush,' Eliza said, pointing to the rosemary. ‘And there aren't any
other flowers here that I can see.'

‘Only a few survive the winter this high up
the moors where the climate is so harsh. That's why at the end of each summer I harvest
the seeds to plant out in spring. You just wait, Eliza. Come summer when they blossom and bloom
you will have so many to choose from, you'll be spoiled for choice,' Fay
announced.

‘I can't wait,' Eliza said,
clapping her hands in delight.

‘Calm down, girl. Once this little
lot's planted, there's the spring cleaning to be tackled and new mattresses to be
stuffed. Don't look like that,' she
berated as Eliza pouted. ‘Now it's warmer and we won't have to sleep virtually
on top of the fire each night, Duncan's promised to rig up a curtain that will give us
both a bit of privacy.'

Eliza's heart soared. That must mean the
woman wanted her to stay.

‘But what about the plants?' she
pointed out.

Fay laughed. ‘They'll still be busy
growing while we're working. On the moors, spring cleaning's a celebration of winter
passing as well as a necessary chore.'

Duncan duly arrived early and began clearing the
room of furniture. Eliza watched in fascination as he clipped the top off a nearby holly bush,
climbed up onto the roof and dropped a rope down the chimney. Heedless of his warning, Eliza ran
inside to find the holly disappearing upwards and soot cascading down onto the hearth, sending
clouds of inky dust billowing around the room. As the thick smog engulfed her, she ran coughing
and spluttering out into the fresh air where Duncan and Fay started laughing.

‘Why 'tis the wee black bogey boy
from down the pit,' Duncan shouted from above. Stung by his words, she hurried back
indoors, followed by Fay.

‘I'll sweep and you wipe,' the
woman said, holding out a damp cloth.

Methodically, they worked their way around the
hobble. When that was done, Fay handed Eliza an enormous white feather.

‘Here, you can use this for dusting the
cobwebs and top of the dresser.'

‘Surely it's too beautiful to
use,' she commented, running her fingers along the plume.

‘It's from the goose we had on Christmas Eve. I saved
it specially,' Fay explained with a shrug.

‘You had a whole goose?' Eliza cried,
thinking of the frugal meal she'd shared with her parents and siblings.

‘Well, I didn't eat it by myself.
Duncan had his fair share. You did as well, come to that,' Fay said, making a start on the
window.

‘Me?'

‘Oh, yes. I smeared so much of the grease
on your front, Duncan thought I was basting you for another meal,' she chuckled. As Eliza
stared at her in horror Fay's roar of laughter rocked the room. ‘Blimey, girl, he
never saw you, if that is what's worrying you. Now start high and work down. My poor stag
looks like a new species with those black-tipped antlers.'

Eliza grimaced at the head. Why on earth would
Fay have such a monstrosity on her wall, she wondered, standing on a chair to reach it.

‘Don't you glare at my pet, young
lady, he safeguards all my secrets,' Fay admonished.

There was no accounting for taste, Eliza thought,
as Duncan came in, dragging a mattress under each arm.

‘Just stuffed you a new one each.
You'll sleep like babies tonight with these singing lullabies beneath you,' he said,
throwing them down onto the swept floor.

Finally, order was restored and they collapsed
thankfully onto the chairs.

‘I reckon my little room has never looked
so clean,' Fay announced, staring around in satisfaction.

Eliza smiled delightedly, then noticed Duncan
watching her, a grin tugging his lips.

‘You look like you've been scoffing whortleberries,
little un,' he chortled.

Still smarting from his earlier jibe, she ran her
fingers over her mouth, then grimaced at the purple-black smears on them. After all the quips
he'd made about her appearance, she wanted him to see her looking her best and without
saying anything, ran outside to wash.

As she stood sponging herself down with the icy
water, she wondered why it mattered that Duncan should approve of how she looked. His teasing
had never bothered her before but now it rankled. In the privacy of the shed, she brushed out
her hair then changed into her spare clothes. Satisfied, she made her way inside, only to hear
the sound of angry voices.

‘I insist on paying my way, Duncan, you
know that,' she heard Fay say as she hovered on the doorstep.

‘If I can't help a friend without
taking their money then it's a pretty poor show,' Duncan muttered.

‘But you got me a good price in
Dulvester,' Fay insisted.

‘Aye, and you'll be needing the
money, what with little un to look after. Put your purse away, Fay. You'll not be able to
do as much now and …' His voice trailed off as he spotted Eliza.

‘Well, that looks better,' Fay said,
and Eliza could have sworn the woman looked relieved to see her.

Duncan, however, was shrugging into his coat.
‘I'll be helping out with the lambing so it'll be a while till I next see
you,' he muttered, and with a tight grin he was gone.

Why, he hadn't even noticed she'd
changed, she thought, staring after him.

Fay looked quizzically at her. ‘I told you
before, Eliza,
Duncan's a free spirit.
While you were outside, he rigged up that curtain so at least we can each have some privacy now,
eh?'

As spring turned to summer and the flowers began
to blossom and bloom so did Eliza. One morning she was tending the garden when she heard Fay
call from where she sat sketching under the shade of the gorse. Going over, she noticed that,
seemingly overnight, the bare bushes had burst into a riot of flowers, enclosing the garden in a
fragrant gold curtain. In spite of their beauty, she knew that, underneath, the thorny needles
were like steel giving protection against the rabbits and other wild creatures intent on raiding
the vegetable plot.

‘Tell me what you smell, Eliza?' Fay
asked, crushing one of the yellow blossoms and holding it out.

Eliza inhaled then wrinkled her nose. ‘Sort
of sweet,' she said.

‘And?' the woman persisted.

Eliza held the flower to her nose.
‘Spicy?'

‘I would go further and say it smells like
sweet peas with the pungent tinge, befitting a wild flower. If you want to learn how to distil
essence then you must always go deeper, Eliza. Get your nose right in, for there's more to
perfume than the first scent you encounter.' She winced and put her hand to her head.

‘Are you all right, Fay?' Eliza
asked, noting the woman's pallor.

‘Feel a bit hot and my eyes are playing
up,' she commented, throwing down her pad in disgust. ‘Why don't you take
yourself off over the moors and see what you can
find for that box of yours?' Then when Eliza hesitated:
‘Go on, away with you and leave me to rest.'

Happy to be free from the seemingly endless
gardening and weeding, she changed into her cotton skirt, snatched up her basket and took
herself onto the moor. The black thorn trees were now smothered in creamy white May blossom,
their heavy sweet scent hanging in the air. A swathe of bluebells spread out like a carpet
beneath her feet as she bent and inhaled their sweet, dusky fragrance.

Enjoying her freedom and the feel of the warm sun
on her bare arms, she wandered on. The cries of cuckoo and blackbird mingling with the bleating
of sheep reminded her of Duncan. She wondered how he was getting on with the lambing. She missed
his gentle presence and it was only now she was stronger that she realized how much he had done
for her and Fay.

Ahead the river shimmered under the hot May sun
and she could see a blaze of yellow-gold kingcups on the bank. Remembering she'd seen a
receipt for them, she decided to pick some but as she drew nearer, she heard the sound of
splashing. Her eyes widened in amazement for there was Duncan in all his glory diving and
swimming like a fish in the crystal-clear waters.

Seeing her approach, he waved.

‘Come on in, little un,' he called
but she shook her head and, kingcups forgotten, scuttled away.