Realistic or Modern Quartering of Soldiers (redletalis x Will)

[redletalis]

She stuffed I'm uncultured into the bread oven, pushing it in and piling it on. There was a lot of bread to bake today and she needed all the heat she could get from the stones once the fire had heated them up. Once the oven was full with all manner of twigs that couldn’t be used for anything else on the farm, Elizabeth shoved a handful of dry hay in under the pile. Anne, the servant girl, handed her the lit candle and Elizabeth carefully led it to the hay and let it stay there until the flames caught properly. Anne blew on the flames and they watched as they rose and licked at the twigs and, finally, caught fire properly.

“There we go.” Anne smiled as she picked up the heavy metal plate and blocked the opening of the oven. She was barely fourteen years old, and she was a godsend around the farm. “What now, mistress?”

“Now we work the dough.” Elizabeth smiled back and led the way. She exited the room where the oven was, and barely had to take two steps outside before entering the other building and the kitchen. “And I’ve told you before to just call me Lizzy.”

“Yes, mistress.” Anne replied. Her grin was mischievous.

“Silly child.” Elizabeth chuckled and lifted the trough with the dough down from the high shelf she had placed it on to keep it away from rats and mice. There was only the door and one window to let light into the kitchen, so they had to use tallow candles to get some more light. In the relative darkness Elizabeth cut the dough in equal parts and handed one off to Anne who had already thrown some flour on the rough bench table.

Then came the kneading of the dough.

“Push a little harder, Anne.” Elizabeth said a few minutes into the work. Anne quickly picked up the speed again, but Elizabeth kept an eye on her and she noticed when the girl started to flag once more. She briefly stopped in her own work and turned to face the girl properly. “You’re unusually silent this morning. Is something the matter?”

“I’m sorry, mistress. It’s nothing.”

“It is very clearly something.” She nudged the other gently with an elbow since her hands were caked with flour and dough. “What’s wrong, dear girl?”

Apparently, it wasn’t a very serious issue, because that was all it took to convince the younger woman to start talking. Anne looked around furtively and she even checked outside the door to make sure that no one would hear them. Then she came back and leaned in closer to Elizabeth even as she went back to kneading her dough.

“He is set to arrive today.” She whispered quietly.

Elizabeth blinked. “Who is?”

Anne looked around once more and leaned in even further. “The redcoat.”

She said it so quietly that it was barely audible, but it was enough to make Elizabeth’s lips press together and for her to dump the dough back into the tray with a bit more force than was strictly necessary. The redcoats. By order of the king in England any house and farm of a certain size and up had to provide lodgings for those disliked redcoats. Peter had spent more than one evening quietly cursing and bemoaning it, and he wasn’t the only one.

“Do you think he is going to be handsome?” Anne asked, apparently not catching on to the mood at all.

“I don’t know.” Elizabeth said curtly. She took Anne’s part of the dough and kneaded it a bit more to make sure that it had been properly done, and then dumped it in the trough as well. “And it matters little if he is. We have work to do and there is no time for daydreaming. Come now, back to the oven with us.”

“But what if he is?”

“What if he isn’t?”

Anne shook her head. “No, he must be. I heard from Maria that all redcoats are gentlemen and that they have a lot of money, and that if you catch one’s attention he will take you back to England and make you a duchess.”

“You and Maria have spent far too much time listening to Miss Catherine read her silly romantic tales to you.” Elizabeth sighed and rolled her eyes slightly, but she couldn’t help but feel slightly fond. She had been just as bad at that age before her marriage to Peter had been arranged. After that she had quickly learned to be more pragmatic, and to be content with what she had. It had been a tough lesson no matter how much she had thought that she was prepared for it, and it was going to be a tough lesson for Anne as well – although hopefully that would come in the far future and would be with someone Anne actually liked.

Elizabeth still promised herself silently to keep an eye on Anne and her infatuation with anything wearing a red coat. The last thing they needed was for her to commit a sin and end up pregnant. Winters were hard enough as it was, and they were almost impossible for lonely pregnant young women without jobs. Because that was what would happen if (or when) Peter found out about it, he would throw Anne out and Elizabeth didn't want that.

She just hoped that the girl was careful and that the redcoats wouldn't stay long. Or create much trouble in the village. Elizabeth didn't have much faith in either of those things. With the mood of the village she wouldn't be surprised if things turned bad, but she certainly hoped that they wouldn't. That was all that she could do: hope and pray for the best.

 

[pointmango]

It was by order of the Crown. That is what every officer told him upon arrival in this New World. He did not see what was so bountiful and great about this land everyone raved about. Thomas Dalton stood in line with his other soldiers. Each allowed a bag to take with them to their new homes for the time being. Thomas stuffed his with casual clothes, as he learned he was going to a farm, and books. The Crown had ordered too many of them to go to America. So many in fact, if his math was correct, it was one soldier in the Northeast for every every four people. He best not complain though, others were sent down south in the lower half of the Georgia confederacy to keep the spanish at bay due to the agreement in the Treaty of Paris.

He boarded the wagon with other soldiers who would be taken in the area he was headed, and they were off. He watched at the dinged city moved further away from them, joy, he would have a wonderful trek to work in the morning. But that was all it was. He had the morning shift at the Common House. This was because there were so many soldier, he’d have to make something of the rest of his time, perhaps his Quarter master could teach him a trade. Although he knew it was unlikely his quarter master would even talk to him unless otherwise obligated. He knew the colonists were upset with their arrival. They were warned, but when they arrived in the Harbor some threw rotten fruit and trash at them.

He was dropped at the end of the road where he would be staying, he picked his bag and carried it to the smaller farm house. He knocked on the door as he pulled up, and a young girl, no older than fourteen or fifteen opened the door. “Good afternoon miss.” He said nodding to her with a slight bow, he did not know much of the family he was staying with, other than his quarter master’s name, Peter Flanagan and his age of forty. Maybe this was his daughter? “Is the master of this house present?” He asked. The young girl just stared at him, he cleared his throat a bit, “Uh miss.” He began, and the younger girl shook her head. Then another woman moved into view, this woman also decently young, certainly not any older than him, and her beauty was radiant. He removed his hat now, offering a nod as his hello to the new woman. But again, this woman was clearly not the master of this house. “Hello miss, I am looking for Peter Flanagan.” He said to her as he had a small parchment of paper in his hand, his quartering papers. He had a copy for himself in his bag, but he also had a copy made for Flanagan, as they both would need to provide proper documentation in the events of a dispute.

 

[redletalis]

It was amazingly how fast the fire in the oven got going when the chimney worked properly. Elizabeth and Anne hardly had to wait before the I'm uncultured had burned completely down. In the time that they did wait, they sat right outside the door to the bakery and mended socks or – as in Elizabeth’s case – made a couple of thick, woollen hoses for the upcoming winter.

Once the oven was ready they had to rake out all the ash and the remaining embers, and it had to be done quickly so as not to lose too much of the heat. While Elizabeth worked on that and making sure that nothing caught fire, Anne was taking lumps of the dough and forming them into round loaves on two large wooden paddles.

“Ready!”

Elizabeth quickly got out of the way as Anne lifted the first paddle and pushed it into the oven. She went as far in as she could before she shook and angled the paddle so that the dough would slide off. Then she repeated the same with the second paddle while Elizabeth was putting the remaining dough on the first. Once the third paddle had been unloaded inside the oven, the metal door was lifted back into place.

“Here, use this. Push it in as well as you can, but mind your fingers. You don’t want to get burned, and there’s a lot to do.” Elizabeth said as she used a thick, gooey paste made of flour and water to seal the edges. This would help keep the heat in as long as possible as well as regulate it to a certain degree.

“There, looks good to me, mistress.” Anne looked down at her hands, and grimaced. “I’ll just pop over into the kitchen to wash my hands.”

“Just dry them off on your apron- Anne!” Elizabeth was too late; the girl was already halfway into the house. Rolling her eyes and praying silently for some patience, Elizabeth followed the girl while mentally planning out exactly what had to be done today.

The knock on the door hardly registered – Anne hurried to answer, drying her hands on her apron – but the quite proper voice and Anne’s lack of response made her come out of the kitchen to look. A young man stood in the doorway, blond and handsome and cleanshaven. He was quite the sight to look at, it was no wonder that poor Anne was struck dumb.

But he was also dressed in a bright red uniform, and Elizabeth had to bite her cheek to keep herself from frowning. Instead Elizabeth walked over to the door proper, and put a hand on Anne’s shoulder, gently nudging the girl out of the way.

“Go get my husband, girl, he ought to be in the triangle field with Alex and James. Go.” As soon as Anne was out of sight, she turned to the young man. “My husband will be here shortly. Please follow me and I shall show you to your quarters.”

She stepped out and walked around the house. Their farm was small, but they had two buildings – one of which doubled as a barn, hayloft and where the bread oven was located. There was a small room in this second house, right next to the bread oven, and that was where the redcoat had been quartered. Elizabeth indicated the door to the room and stepped back to let him explore it himself. It was small, but it was clean and the window had proper shutters. The bed was as good as they could afford to make it, with fresh straw and clean sacks for the mattress. Being right next to the bread oven it would be quite a warm room most of the time. Hopefully the rest of the time the redcoat wouldn’t be here on the farm.

 

[pointmango]

Thomas watched the exchange between the women, a bit shocked to hear the young woman before him reference Flanagan as her husband, probably twice her age, old enough to be her father. But then again he was in no position to judge, he knew how marriages worked in many cases. He supposed as long as the man was respectful of her, it could not be that terrible.

Thomas nodded, “Thank you ma’am.” He spoke, a slight accent in his tone as it was always present when he spoke. He followed her around the back of the house carrying his things and keeping in pace with her, he walked into the room with her, honestly it was what he was expecting. A straw bed, in a small room, either in the most secluded part of the house or a separate area. He set his bag on the the bed and then he stood his gun in the corner of the room. “I know part of the agreement is meals, and I can help tend to meals, and the farm if needed.” He told her. He knew he would discuss this in further detail with Flanagan, but for now he wanted to state to her, as she likely helped handle the meals, that he could help if needed.

In training they were told to be friendly to those they were staying with, offer to help about the house and such, but he knew most did not even offer. He knew often after shifts most men would spent the rest of their days at a local pub. Thomas noted how hot the room was, he had seen the bread oven he walked in, now it would be difficult likely when the oven was on and in the warming or cooling stages, but perhaps in the winter it would provide comfort. But in his thick coat he already felt like shedding it, but he didn’t dare undress, and certainly not before a woman.

He looked to the woman again, “I’m Private Thomas Dalton.” He told her outstretching his hand. He hoped him and the tenets of this home would grow to call him Thomas and live in peace, but some of the other soldiers told him some of the quarter masters and their families barely even addressed the soldiers. That they all ate in silence together and some pretended as if the soldier were not there. Thomas knew he was not there to make friends, but he did not want his living conditions to be hostile either.

 

[redletalis]

“My husband will speak to you about what you can and cannot do.” Elizabeth replied. The women of the village had spoken together and had decided to act cool but neutral to the redcoat soldiers. They didn’t want any trouble with them, nor did they want to give the men a reason to attack the redcoats for whatever perceived slight. It was going to be bad enough when people got a bit more comfortable and into their drinking cups, there was no need to add even more problems to that.

Unfortunately not everyone had been at the meeting. Anne and other young girls would have to be kept a close watch on just in case.

For a moment she contemplated his outstretched hand. If she didn’t take it he could take offence and she was right now a lone woman with a totally strange man. If he decided to take umbrage then she didn’t stand much of a chance against him. On the other hand, if she did take his hand it could bring on a whole other slew of troubles for her.

In the end she decided for the middle ground and nodded in return. “A pleasure, Mr. Dalton. I am Elizabeth Flanagan.”

“’Beth!” the shout came from somewhere outside. “’Beth!” the second shout was closer.

Elizabeth’s lips pressed together in dislike of the shortened version of her name, but she exited the room and walked in the direction of the shouting. She passed around the corner of the building nad in the distance she saw Peter striding back towards the house. Following him were Alex and James – both big and burly farmworkers – and finally Anne in the back. The poor girl had to hitch up her skirts and jog to keep up with the men, but she was determined that this confrontation was something that she wasn’t going to miss.

Peter was just as big as Alex and James. In fact, they were his sons from a previous marriage, and together the three of them looked more like a wall rather than three human beings. While Alex and James were brown of hair and beard, Peter’s hair and beard had turned grey. Still, he had lost none of your youthful vigour as he stalked up to the house.

“Well?” he demanded. “Where is the redcoat?”

 

[pointmango]

Thomas understood, her husband would be the one giving him tribute of what to do and not to do. He wouldn’t have much say in any of it and neither would she. Oddly enough he was grateful for the hospitality he was being shown, despite the shoddy conditions they would do. Course he had heard horror stories of the New World and the filth in which it entailed, and somehow he did not see any of that. In fact in many ways London felt much more dirty, he supposed it was the city versus the countryside. Perhaps in his trips to Boston it would be more dirty.

But when he outstretched his hand and she clearly rejected the shake, but did not to him introducing herself. Elizabeth. But before he could speak again a commotion came.

When Thomas heard the commotion and the woman’s name being called in the shorthand he stayed behind. He would not intrude, but the man’s voice who approached seemed quite burly and demanding. When he heard the word redcoat he stepped out of the smaller house and nodded to him and the two younger men. “Good afternoon sir, “Private Thomas Dalton.” he said and outstretched his hand yet again and he watched as the man before him disregarded it completely. The older one, whom he assumed was Peter Flanagan looked him over, but the younger two, who looked very much like their father, again an assumption, but a right on one, both met him with deep scowls. “I want to thank you for your hospitality sir.” He said with a nod, he did not understand why these colonists were all so rotten. Before he never believed the men who came back and told stories of how nasty they were, but now, looking at these men, he believed every word. “I know the agreement states quartship, and meals. But my duties in the city only last in the morning. I can help about the house and farm if need be in the afternoon and evenings.” He told Mr. Flanagan.

Thomas was trying to be as formal as possible, he knew other men who spoke with a nasty tongue, he had a feeling if he showed any hint of any negative tone this man would ring him up and hang him in his sleep.

 

[redletalis]

The three Flanagan men looked the redcoat over. He was younger than Alex by a few years, and the same age as James. But the two were much bigger and broader than he was. Peter also had the weight of age and wisdom, of someone who was used to being the lord of his house and his family. Not a single one of the Flanagan men were impressed by the redcoat they were forced to house, and the expressions on their faces made it painfully clear.

“Hospitality. Hah.” Peter spat to the side, crossing his large arms over his broad chest. Then he seemed to remember himself, to remember that he could end up in serious trouble if he wasn’t careful, and cleared his throat. “I’m not certain what use a redcoat will be on the farm, but we’ll see.”

“Probably doesn’t know a scythe from a sieve.” James muttered. He was only making a token attempt at keeping his voice down, not really caring one way or another. Alex nudged him with an elbow, but it was at most half-hearted.

“I assume ‘Beth has shown you your room, eh?” Peter scratched his beard. His eyes were never leaving the redcoat. It was as if he was expecting the man to go stark raving mad, and attempt to kill them all right where they stood.

“Of course I have.” Elizabeth nodded.

“Good.” Peter didn’t sound as if he thought it good, as if the word was pulled from him by torture. “I suppose you’ll want a brazier or something when winter sets in?”

It didn’t sound much like an assumption at all.

 

[pointmango]

Thomas noted how the men were looking over him. Like he was a wild stallion horse that needed breaking. They’d have quite the time getting to know each other, he was sure. But when Peter spat on his thanks, and then his son made comments on his knowledge and Thomas frowned slightly.

“Yes your daughter has been very helpful.” He said. He knew this woman wasn’t his daughter, he knew who she was, the woman had informed him earlier. But in the tensions he couldn’t help but make the most innocent pass, as if nothing wrong. His only hope the woman would not rat him out later.

Thomas nodded again, “Yes, suppose a brazier would be appropriate for the winter months. Though if you bake bread often enough I won’t need too much.” He said nodding to the woman he understood was Elizabeth Flannagan. “Like I said, I will return from work in the early afternoon. I don’t see the use of me sitting around here reading day in and day out. Even if I’m not like one of these….” He spoke looking over Flanagan's sons, “Young men.” He decided was the nicest way to put anything.