Chapter 8

The next morning, immediately after breakfast, Thomas and I were driven to Captain Holman’s farm. Abrahams was waiting outside the door with a brougham - no doubt he feared that it might rain. The vehicle looked very smart, being quite new and painted in claret and with black fittings. We clambered in and with a few flourishes of the coachman’s whip we were trotting along the drive at a smart pace.

Our destination was about seven miles away and for the first time I was able to get a good impression of the Norfolk countryside. My original journey from Wymondham had of course been after dark and since then I had seen only the region around Southwell Hall. As we bowled along the highway I was able to get a more general view. We passed small scattered cottages, all well-built in red brick and usually reed-thatched. There were few people about in the chill weather and although I saw the occasional farm worker, the fields were in the main bare and empty now that the growing season was over.

It took little more than half an hour to arrive at our destination. Captain Holman came out personally to greet us.

“Welcome to Manor Farm, Miss Greencliffe,” he said warmly as he helped me to alight from our vehicle. “And a very good morning to you, too, Master Thomas,” he continued, lifting the little man out of our vehicle in his arms. He smiled down at us, being at least six inches taller than I. He was, I guessed, in his early thirties and he was quite handsome enough to be a ‘gallant captain’. He was dressed in a riding coat and breeches; not new, but obviously well-tailored.

“It is a great pleasure to see you both,” he continued. “I am sure it will not take long to make a fine horseman of Tom, but we will start with a quiet pony and advance from there. Please come this way and we will get everything prepared.”

I looked about me. We were in a large cobbled yard in front of the main house. This was in the style of the last century; built of brick and flintwork with a roof of pantiles. To my right I saw a large barn of similar construction facing which was what I surmised to be the stabling, as the building had numerous large doors and windows set high up near the eaves. Captain Holman led the way to this latter building. Opening one of the great doors we entered into a large expanse, floored with brick and having the warm smell of dung and animal sweat. He walked over to one of the stalls. Peering over the top of the half-door was an adorable grey pony who looked at us inquisitively.

“This is Blossom,” the Captain announced. “Let us see how she is feeling today.” Picking up a bridle which was hanging on a peg outside the stall, he opened the door and walked in. He fondled her head roughly but affectionately before slipping the bridle straps over her ears and the metal bit into her mouth and buckling straps about her neck and muzzle. “Out you come, old girl,” he said at last and led her out of her enclosure.

“Now,” he said. “A true horseman would saddle his own steed, but I think it is a little heavy for one so young. Miss Greencliffe, would you be so kind as to hand me the small saddle you can see on the rack over there?”

I did as he asked, and Captain Holman fitted it to the pony, ensured that it was comfortable, then bent down to secure the girth strap. We followed as he led the animal into the yard, where he picked Thomas up bodily and seated him on the saddle. The pony stood stock-still as he shortened the stirrups to the boy’s little legs and checked that he was comfortably seated.

“Now we are ready, Tom!” he said, showing him how to hold the reins. “Your legs are too short to squeeze as you should, so kick a couple of times with your heels and say firmly: ‘walk on!’”

Thomas did as he was instructed and the pony began to walk forward. He smiled delightedly, showing more animation than I had seen in him up to that date. “That is good!” exclaimed the Captain. “Be sure to keep your back straight and your elbows in! Now we will try a turn; pull gently on the left rein.” Thomas instead pulled on the right rein and the pony began to wheel away from us.

“He is still not quite sure of his left and his right,” I laughed, as we followed him.

The Captain also laughed. “Well, I know grown men who sometimes get confused on that matter, so we will not blame a small boy! I will try to remember to say ‘towards me’ or ‘away from me’ in future.”

We circled the stable yard a few times at a walking pace, Thomas gaining increasing confidence as we did so. “Now I think you are ready for the paddock,” said Captain Holman. “Harry!” he called to a stable lad, “come and give us a hand.”

Harry trotted over and opened a gate for us. With a little assistance, Thomas rode the horse onto the grass, which was much rougher than the yard, being tussocked and, especially around the gate, trodden and muddy.

“I would not want you to spoil your shoes, Miss Greencliffe. Let us allow Harry to take Tom around a few times. Harry,” he said to the lad, “walk alongside Tom and Blossom here and see they come to no harm. We are just ambling today- nothing faster.”

“Very good, sir,” said Harry with a grin. “I’ll take good care of the little fellow.”

Captain Holman and I walked back to the stable block. “Do you ride, Miss Greencliffe?” he asked.

“Sadly, not, Captain,” I said. “I never had the opportunity to learn.”

“Well, as you are here why not try a few minutes on horseback?”

“Indeed, sir,” I said with some alarm. “I am not attired for it.”

“No matter for a short trial. Come: let us see what might suit you.”

We went back into the stables and I was led to a stall housing a black horse, rather taller than I was. “This is Blackberry,” he announced. “A favourite mare of mine. She is quiet and obedient but has a very good turn of speed when necessary. If you will excuse me for a moment I will get appropriate harness for you.”

He walked over to an area at the end of the row and came back shortly holding a heavy-looking saddle together with a bridle and a long cane. As he had done before, he opened the door to the stall and fitted the bridle then led the animal out before placing what I saw was a side saddle on the horse.

“This is for riding aside, as all the ladies do in England. Let us take her to the mounting block.”

He led the horse outside and up to a pair of steps placed beside the stable wall. I followed with some trepidation.

“Now, Miss Greencliffe, may I invite you to mount your horse? You see these two pommels here?” He slapped a pair of horns towards the front of the saddle, the upper bending to the right and the lower to the left. “Your lower limbs grip them when you are in place. May I invite you to put your left hand on my right shoulder and place your left foot here.” He linked his hands together as he spoke.

As I have said, I am not the sort of faint-hearted woman who refuses to even attempt a task that has anything of difficulty about it and I was determined to do my best. I climbed up the steps and placed my shoe between his hands. He lifted me firmly but without haste as I turned and sat on the saddle. I found that my right thigh slipped naturally under one horn and my left under the other. The Captain arranged my left foot into a stirrup and the result was to make me feel completely secure on the horse, and as my skirt covered everything, the whole effect was perfectly decorous. To the onlooker, side-saddle appears very precarious, but to the rider, as I found to my relief, it is not so.

Captain Holman handed me the cane. “As you are riding aside, you must use a different method from Tom to start your horse moving,” he said. “You have only your left knee, so you must press in with that and at the same time gently touch the horse on the right with your cane. As you and the horse get to know each other better, she will also respond to voice commands.”

Gingerly I did as he instructed and to my delight Blackberry began to move forward at a slow pace. We travelled around the stable yard at a walking pace. I found that a very light tug at a rein was sufficient to guide the horse.

“Well done!” said the Captain. “You have a good feel for your mount. Now let us try to come to a halt. Pull gently back on the reins until she stops moving.”

I did as he asked and again the beast responded well. I felt quite giddy with the knowledge that I was able to control and subdue this great creature that was vastly larger and more powerful than I.

“Come then, Miss Greencliffe. As your shoes are no longer in any danger of getting muddied, let us join Tom in the paddock. Start Blackberry again and guide him to the gate.”

A short time later, Thomas and I were walking our steeds alongside each other, to the glee of us both. The Captain and Harry strolled alongside, both smiling at our pleasure.

After about half an hour the Captain suggested that we had done enough for the first day and helped us guide the horses back to the stable. When we were back in the yard he said, “Please sit sideways in the saddle, Miss Greencliffe.” I did so, unhooking my legs from the pommels and shaking my foot free of the stirrup. “Now,” he continued, “take my hands and jump!” I followed his instructions and landed on the ground tolerably lightly, I thought. We smiled at each other a little bashfully at this minor intimacy.

Captain Holman instructed Harry to return the beasts to their stalls and took us into the farmhouse for tea. A young and pretty maid set the table for us. Our host poured the tea himself and we were also offered bread-and-butter sandwiches and some small cakes. Thomas disliked his tea at first, but I had the solution which I had garnered from family friends with young children and added an excess of milk which made it more palatable to him. The Captain kindly applauded this.

“I see you have a good touch with young children, Miss Greencliffe. No doubt it is the same as with horses: punishment makes them stubborn but treats make them anxious to cooperate.”

“I could never be unkind to any child, Captain,” I replied, “and certainly never to such a charming child as Thomas.”

“Of course. Please tell me more about your home and your family. It must have been a wrench to leave them at such a young age.”

“Indeed sir, I am eighteen and can no longer cling to apron strings. Much as I love my home I wished to gain more experience of the wider world and of course to support myself as an individual.”

I could see that he would like to ask if I had any prospects, but of course it would have been improper on such short acquaintance. In fact, as an only child I would one day inherit my parents’ property and various investments my father had made, so even if I remained unmarried I would be comfortable if not well-off.

As children will when they cannot follow a conversation, Thomas interrupted here.

“Did you know, Captain, that horses cannot be sick?”

Captain Holman looked at him in astonishment. “You are quite correct Tom,” he said, “but how did you know?”

“Miss Catherine told me. So you can make them swallow eels.”

The Captain looked at me in amused bafflement, and blushing I was forced to explain how I had described the gypsy trick to enliven a tired horse.

He laughed uproariously. “I hope that my friend Thomas Uttridge the elder does not hear that you are teaching his child the best methods of gulling a purchaser! He might feel your tuition is not suited to a gentleman’s son!”

I blushed further and changed the subject. “I take it you were an officer in a cavalry regiment, sir?”

“I was. I served for some years in the Tenth Dragoons. At one time the regiment saw much action in the Peninsular War and later had the honour to serve at Waterloo. That of course was many years ago, and since Boney has been defeated this country has happily seldom been at war. I found therefore that most of my time was spent in manoeuvres and training and so following. It was a pleasant time of good comradeship and invigorating exercise but after seven years or so I decided to retire to civilian life.”

“And now you breed horses?”

“Exactly. Horses of all types but principally the Norfolk Roadster breed which is a powerful horse of the cob type with good stamina. It is very popular in this part of the world where the roads are often not of the best. They are famed for their ability to carry a heavy man for great distances.”

“I can see the attraction of an open-air life surrounded by the beasts you love.”

“It suits me well. Can I offer you another cup of tea? Or perhaps some cake?”

“You are very kind sir, but I believe we should return home. It gets dark early at this time of year and I would prefer to be back at Southwell Hall before sunset.”

“I understand. Please remain seated for a short while and I will summon your coachman.”

A little while later, we were all out in the yard again, and Captain Holman handed me into the brougham.

“Goodbye, Miss Greencliffe,” he said, “It has been a great pleasure to meet you and I look forward to continuing your lessons next week.”

“You have been very kind, Captain,” I replied. “Thomas and I have both had a most instructive and entertaining time.”

Abrahams whipped up the horses and we drove away. Thomas was his usual silent self on the journey and that suited me well as I was able to muse over the incidents of our day. It seemed to me clear that the Captain admired me and, as is the regrettable habit of young women everywhere following the slightest acquaintance with a single man of some means, I allowed my thoughts to dwell on the possibility of marriage. The prospect did not seem unpleasing. He was a handsome and active man and although he was in trade it was a most respectable one and he had the friendship of at least one squire and probably more. He was clearly quite well-off and I could expect a comfortable life. The only drawback was the distance between Norfolk and my own parents but, I reasoned, the advent of the railway had made that much less of a problem than heretofore. I diverted myself with such dreams until, rather too soon for me, we arrived back at the Hall.