Chapter XI
It had been a full week since Anne woke up in bed with her memories gone. This morning she was finally allowed out of bed, downstairs, but only if she promised to be honest and tell Ann if her head began giving her much discomfort and if she became faint. Ann promised in return not to use the word faint but light-headed, as Anne argued she wasn’t the fainting kind of lady.
Ann held Anne under her arm, leading her downstairs, though Anne had persisted as they stepped foot out of her bedroom, that she could make it on her own. The other occupant’s around the table looked up and smiled as they saw her,
“Good morning.” Ann greeted,
“How are you feeling dear?” Aunt Anne inquired as Anne sank down in her usual seat around the table, reaching for the bread, but Ann swatted her hand lightly, helping her so she needn’t be caused any pain by her slightly bruised ribs, or by accidentally moving her head in a way that would upset her wound.
“I’ll be better in no time.” Anne assured her aunt, and Marian rolled her eyes at her, for Lord knows what reason. Perhaps Marian thought her sister too glib, as she was evidently not recovered.
“There was a note come for you this morning.” Marian began and Anne craned her neck to look at her,
“From whom?”
“Mr Washington, he wondered if he might have a word with you.”
“You read it?” Anne sneered annoyed but Marian brushed it off for once,
“You should tell him you can’t see him.”
Anne was infuriated with Marian for reading her letter and for then trying to tell her what she should do.
“Joseph,” Anne called, and he came bustling to serve,
“Ma’am?”
“Pen and paper, I need to pen a word to Mr Washington which I want you to make sure he gets after I’ve written it.” Anne ordered and he bowed his head and went to fetch her things.
“You won’t see him, right?” Marian looked at her insistently, but Anne didn’t grace her with a look, merely took a bite of the piece of toast Ann had helped prepare for her.
“What I do or not do regarding my estate affairs – is none of your business and I would love for you to not stick your nose in it.”
“Why must you always be so stubborn?” Marian complained but Anne, who clearly had no want to neither fight nor talk more with Marian, ignored her and accepted the things Joseph had fetched for her. Writing down a quick reply, giving Joseph the note before returning to her breakfast and the company.
“I thought I’d embark on a short walk this afternoon.” Anne announced and Aunt Anne looked worriedly at her,
“Is that wise? What if something happens?”
“Ann has offered to take me. We will stay near the house, but if I do not get fresh air soon, I shall perish.” Anne gave her aunt a smile to reassure her, and she calmed a little but didn’t seem entirely convinced it was a good idea. If Anne collapsed, her aunt didn’t think Ann alone could carry her back inside.
“Where’s Catherine?” Anne looked around the table, realising she hadn’t seen the woman since waking up.
“Oh, she went home that same day – I should have told you.” Ann replied,
Anne gave a nod before continuing eating her breakfast, just enjoying being downstairs – out of bed.
After breakfast, Anne was again helped, quite unnecessarily she thought, upstairs to get dressed a little more properly with Eugenie’s assistance, she needed to at least be fully dressed for the meeting with Washington that she had agreed to merely to spite Marian.
Anne was now seated in the drawing room, waiting for Mr Washington to arrive, and he was always timely from her remembrance.
Nothing seemed to have changed there, he arrived on the dot,
“Mr Washington to see you, ma’am.” Joseph announced him and Anne sat up a little straighter,
“Show him in.”
Mr Washington came in, hat in hands and greeted her warmly,
“Miss Lister, ma’am, how are you? I heard you’d been in a bit of an accident.”
“Mm, I’m on the mend.” Anne replied courtly, and she motioned for the seat opposite of hers,
“Please sit down.”
Mr Washington sat down in the seat she pointed to,
“I wanted to discuss the pits.”
Anne ran a hand over her eyes in a moment’s agitation, surely, they weren’t still on about that. They must have got somewhere in three years.
“What exactly?”
“Well, since they opened, we have been making a fair amount of profit from them, and I wondered if, and this was just suggested to me by the coal merchant, might you get another pit sunk?”
“Wait, I have two coal pits?” Anne was stunned for a second, “Up and running?
“Um, well, yes? Are you alright, ma’am?” Mr Washington eyed her with caution and Anne gave a nod,
“I’m fine…”
This was great news, and she supposed Ann must’ve borrowed her some money. It had all gone according to her plan. Anne wanted to know though, if they had managed to prove the trespass; the fact that the Rawson’s had been stealing her coal.
“If you’d consider sinking a new pit, that would be most advantageous at the ---, and unlike last time, there wouldn’t be a risk…” Mr Washington trailed off, he seemed to realise that it might be a mistake to bluntly point out the fact that Miss Lister’s finances had improved vastly since then. Anne let it be, though she understood in what direction he was heading, she was struck suddenly by an image in her head, of a collapsed pit,
“It’s recoverable. It just needs more money throwing at it.”
“The pit collapsed.” Anne murmured, and Mr Washington raised an eyebrow,
“Yes. But we made a great recovery and it wouldn’t entail the same risk this time. But it’s just a suggestion, Miss Lister.”
Anne wasn’t hearing what he said, all she could think about was that feeling, that memory – of standing over the pit, struggling not to cry as she realised that she had no money left, no hope and no one – she had gambled Shibden.
“Ma’am?”
Anne startled from her thoughts, looking up, giving a slight nod,
“I need to look it over, but no it isn’t impossible, and if it’s profitable then it might well do.”
“Excellent, I will look into it in more depth if you like?”
“Mm. Thank you, Washington.”
Mr Washington stood up to leave but Anne opened her mouth and he stopped as he focused on her, but she decided against it. She didn’t want it to become known everywhere that she had lost some of her memory.
“Was there something else, ma’am?” Mr Washington inquired,
“No, I will see you again when I have looked into the possibility of sinking another pit.” Anne told him and then she rang the bell signalling that the meeting was over.
Ann came into the room as soon as he had left, and greeted Anne with the warmest of smiles,
“How did it go?”
“I just blurted out ‘I have two pits?’” Anne told her, sharing a laugh with her wife, who sat down next to her on the sofa.
“Did you tell him? About your memory loss?” Ann observed her, and Anne shook her head,
“No, I don’t want everyone to know, I played it down. I did remember the pit collapsing though!”
“Oh really? That’s excellent news. Do you know, that’s where I found you, you were standing at the top of that hill, shouting at the top of your lungs...”
“When you came back from Scotland?” Anne asked and Ann smiled,
“Yes. I have never been happier to her your screams.”
“Was it about the pit?”
“Hm, I think it was everything gone wrong.” Ann replied,
“Did I manage to prove the trespass?” Anne questioned, eying Ann closely, and she beamed,
“Well, yes. But Jeremiah Rawson offered to pay for it if you didn’t press charges against them.”
“And did I press charges?”
“No. You allowed them to pay for the coal they had stolen, which I think was just as good considering Christopher’s on the bench. They might’ve sneaked their way out of it then.”
“I’m happy so long as they have learnt that I’m not one to be messed about, and that they won’t try to cheat me out of anything again.” Anne said then and Ann placed her hand on her arm,
“Yes, and I bet they have learnt their lesson, but now I think it is time for you to come with me upstairs to rest your poor head for a bit before we go outside.”
“Are you patronising me?”
“Me!? Why I would never!” Ann told her with a wink, and Anne groaned but knew better by now than to argue against Ann on this, and she was feeling hopeful as her memories seemed to return quicker and more frequent. Maybe all would be well?