Moments of Time

September of 1849

 After the respectful period of mourning for Edward, I set to work, determined not to let my late husband's hard work and vision be destroyed by negligence. Leaving the children under the supervision of Mrs. King, I found some old cotton dresses and had the barn hand saddle Edward's horse. I was not a very enthusiastic rider. Whilst I could manage a horse, walking or going in the carriage was a much more preferable method of travel. Regardless, I would have to learn, I told myself, heaving my body weight over the horse. The horse was huge, I felt a dozen feet up, I could feel my breath getting shallow. The barn hand walked the horse to the yard, before let him go. I could feel the muscles of the horse tensing underneath me. Motioning for the horse to move on, I walked slowly, gaining confidence with every step. We turned the yard a few times, getting use to each other. Edward's horse was midnight black, with four white socks. He had been one of the first purchases when we had moved to the house. The horse, called Buddy, had been a constant companion to Edward during his work, and had virtually been neglected, whilst I decided what to do. Buddy turned again, making our way into the driveway. I started to trot, feeling a sense of freedom as the horse built up speed. On the horse, I wasn't a mother, or a woman found by respsonilsiblies, just a young girl on a horse. My hair ran free, wind blew in my face as the warm morning sun beamed down.

My aim of the morning was to do laps around the land, to learn what existed and how the land was being used. The land was mostly flat, with the house sitting on the highest point of the land. One side was bordered by a little creek, whilst the other was by the first row of cottages, marking the start of town. I did two laps, drawing a rough map of each of the landmarks. Apart from the barn and out buildings, the land was virtually empty. The sheep and cattle were rotated around, before being sold each season at market. The cows were milked each day, with the milk sold in town and exchanged for other goods. Making my way to the outhouse, I decided that I should inspect the buildings as well. I was surprised, the work man kept the place clean, each bed was neatly kept and the men had put their belongings in a number of handmade cupboards. I had very little to do with the men, they mostly associated with Edward, only acknowledging me if they passed me in the yard. In absence of Edward, the men had gone to Jesse if they required anything, but as far as I knew, they had been completing jobs that had been assigned prior to his death. The barn seemed to also be fine, with barn-hand doing a good job caring for the horses. Overall I was glad. I had a small fear that I wouldn't be able to handle any of it, but was surprised at how well organised the estate was. I retired for the afternoon, taking a pen and paper, determined to figure out a plan.

Later that afternoon, Jesse and Tom made their way into my sunroom. They were cautious, slightly unsure as the nature of our informal meeting. I wanted their help, they knew more than I do and as only slightly younger than me, just over five years, were very much young men that could help run the estate. Tom laughed when I said I had toured the estate that morning, whilst Jesse had sat there shocked, before a large smile crept on his face. I knew that it would take a bit of convincing, but I was determined to become a respected land owner. The men were impressed with my plan. I wanted to continue to breed live stock on the land, but knew that I would have to gather the support of the work men. I also wanted to make use of the land closer to town. It was useless for cattle, with little grass growing and was too close to town for much else. Instead, I proposed that we build a series of cottages, enough for each of the older work men to live in, and some of the younger man to share. Jesse and Tom could not understand why I wanted to build the cottages and it took much convincing. I felt in debt to the men how had gone to defend my husband on the night of his death. They had shown a loyalty that I could not question and that they should be recognised. Building the houses would also allow the men to find themselves in a better position to get married and have families, something nearly impossible in their current position, without me losing the workmen. The following morning I called a meeting, with the workmen, Tom and Jesse, determined to start off on the right foot. I was anxious as I made my way out to the yard, confronted with twenty odd men, Jesse and Tom, who had been off checking a fence first thing that morning. Mrs. King, my beloved friend, had organise pots of tea. The men were roughly dressed, their breath visible in the cold morning. The men varied in ages, some fellow immigrants and some of the younger ones had be born in Australia. I felt bad, looking across at them, I barely knew their names or anything about them. Jack was one of the oldest men in the group. He lead the men in their daily task, and had been the spokesmen for the group to Jesse and Tom. He stood in the centre of the group, wary of my actions. He was the main one I had to win over. If I could convince him I was the boss and was serious about taking charge of the estate, my plan might actually work.

"Good morning gentleman", I called out, soundly aware of how loud my voice was. I trembled a bit. It was cold, but my nerves were wary. What was I doing? I kept telling myself, why should they listen to me?. The men nodded and grunted in reply.

"I have asked for you to be here this morning, to let you know" I glanced at Jesse and Tom, who nodded support in my direction, with little smiles on their faces. "I have decided that after the death of my husband, that the best course of action is for me personally to take his position over managing the estate, with the help of my cousins". I paused, letting the information set in. Jack was staring intensely, clearly surprised by the announcement. "I do not intend to make any large changes, and very much have faith in how my cousins and yourselves have been running the estate in my period of grieving, and for that I am very thankful". Then older men in the group looked pleased at the recognition. Some of the younger men looked restless. Tom step forward,

"Men, this changes very little, Mrs. Fortiscorde will be the overseer of the estate and the daily running of the farm will be by Jesse and myself. We intend on recognising you for your loyalty and support over the last few months, but those plans are yet to be finalised". The men muttered agreement and nodded. Jack stepped forward, his Irish accent very thick under the morning sun. He was a tall man, with broad shoulders and a very thick red beard.

"Ma'm, it will be a honour to work for you and to continue the late master's legacy".

"Thank-you Jack, you are very kind". I was relieved, the meeting had gone great. The men seemed relieved that I had announced that I wasn't selling the property or firing anyone, and I was glad they had not refused to work for me. "That is all gentleman, thank-you for coming this morning". The men nodded in my direction. Jack turned and started towards the paddocks. The men broke up into groups as they moved off towards their chores for the morning. I smiled at my cousins, before turning and making my way back into the house. Mrs. King was waiting for me, tea in hand and a fresh cake in the other, ready to celebrate my small victory. Sidney and Elizabeth had helped her decorate the cake, it was covered in squiggles of icing, the rest of the icing was covering my children. The brought a smile to my face. Thats why I had taken on the estate, for the future of my children. 

---------Two chapters to go!--------