The Folly by Irina Shapiro Page B

cleaned and ready.  They would shoot pheasant , and w hatever they killed would be turned over to Cook to make for dinner . The two men slung the guns over their shoulders and headed into the woods.  Jeremy began to relax as the sounds of nature replaced the sound of cannon in his head.  The forest was filled with birdsong , and diagonal shafts of sunlight sliced through the dim light of the track.  The grass was still wet with dew, drops of water sparkling in the morning sun.  Jeremy didn’t care if they didn’t shoot a single bird.  He was just happy being in the woods with Silas.  It brought back bittersweet memories long buried by his psyche . 
    **
    Jeremy sat down on a fallen log, his kill at his feet.  The dead birds stared at him accusingly , and he pushed them away with the tip of his boot, accepting a pewter cup of ale from Silas.  The old man wisely brought some sandwiches and ale, knowing they would be ready for a break by noon.  Jeremy took a long pull of ale, watching Silas settle himself on the log.  His movements were awkward , forcing Jeremy to realiz e that the man was tired.  He was close to seventy now and probably arthritic to boot.  His sparse, white hair was ruffled by the breeze , and his skin looked leathery in the afternoon sun. 
    “What do you say we call it a day, Mr. Manson?”  Jeremy asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.  “We have enough birds to satisfy Cook.”
    “ As you wish, Master Jeremy.”
    Jeremy could see the relief in Manson’s face and felt sorry for him.  Life had certainly changed for Silas since the last time they saw each other.
    “I ’ m very sorry about Mrs. Manson.  How long has it been?”
    “It’s been nearly four years now.  She suffered terribly at the end.  It was a mercy when she finally went.”  Silas looked away for a moment, trying to hide his grief.
    “Could the doctor do nothing to ease her suffering?”  Jeremy asked.  He remembered Adele as she was when he knew her.  She ’ d been plump and pretty, in an earthy kind of way, always a smile on her face.  He sometimes wished his mother had been more like her ; kind and generous. 
    “The doctor tried, but the pain was excruciating at the end.  The tumor had spread from her belly to other parts.  It was eating her up from the inside, poor woman.  She was skin and bones by the time she finally passed.”
    “Did she get to see Simon before she died?”  Jeremy felt awful about not seeing his own mother before she died , and he hoped that Adele had at least had the comfort of saying goodbye to her only son.
    “That, she did not.  It would have made her happy to see him one last time.  She was that fond of him, feebleminded idiot that he is .”  Silas shifted on the log, taking another sip of his ale.
    “Why do you say that, Mr. Manson?”
    Silas sighed, refilling his cup and taking another sip.  “Simon was always a hothead , mind you, but he had no malice in him .  You remember that, surely?  He would have had a good living had he taken over from me as gamekeeper, but he would have none of it.  Wanted to join the Navy, see the world.  Well, the Navy is no place for the likes of him.  He did well enough for the first couple of years, but then the trouble started.  Fell in with the wrong crowd. 
    There was a mutiny on his ship , and Simon was arrested and court-martialed.  Thankfully, he wasn’t one of the organizers , so he got off with a flogging, but the lot of them were hanged.  He was dishonorably discharged from the Navy , and started sailing with the Merchant Marine.  Last I heard he was in Newgate for stabbing some poor sod in a tavern brawl.  If the man dies, Simon will be tried for murder and executed.  I am glad his mother did not live to see how low her son has come in the world.”
    “I ’ m sorry, Mr. Manson.  I wish there was something I could do.” 
    “Thank you, Master Jeremy , but t here is nothing anyone can do.  Simon made his bed,