Scarlett Meadows, March 1899
Amelia sat at the kitchen worktop as Cook was prepping the day's food. It was still early, and the sun had not yet risen as they enjoyed each other's silent company in the low light.
The rhythmic chop of onions and potatoes hit the wood as Amelia pushed around the fruit and ham on her plate.
She had slept restlessly that night, still fraught with the events of the previous night. The attempted robbery had shaken her deeply, and she stared at the table surface where Luke was just hours before.
He had since been moved to his quarters and the blood had been washed from the worktop, as though the shot man had never even been there. But it hadn't erased the memory of the bullet hole or the fear of what could have happened if Luke hadn't been so quick with his gun.
The house was beginning to stir slowly as she heard the odd footfall or door close.
Mr Jameson had already brought the sheriff to the estate to collect the bodies and Amelia, who had seen little of death in her life, decided to remain inside whilst the men did their duty.
Cook came over with a pot of coffee and set it down next to Amelia's plate.
'You look like you need some,' he said.
'Thank you,' Amelia answered in a quiet tone.
She had prepared the letter to her uncle, informing him of the incident, the men that had been killed and Luke's injury, requesting that additional security be provided.
Her mind circled, trying to find an answer as to how the robbers knew the horses were there. Had they been watching the property? Was it just an opportune strike? She hoped that the sheriff could provide her with some closure on the matter, but she had little hope.
The sheriff was an incompetent drunk at best, and she was reluctant to get him involved in the affair. However, the law was the law, and she had no desire for either her or any of her staff to be charged with murder.
The sun started to rise as she took a sip from her cup, savouring the rich taste before letting out a sigh.
She finished as much as she could of her breakfast and helped clean up, feeling strangely numb from everything that had happened the night before.
Once cleaned, she went back to her room, put on fresh clothes, and sat by herself for a moment.
She thought about the previous night's events and found comfort in knowing the safety of her staff. Even with Luke's injury, she and the others were confident he would make a strong recovery as long as the wound was kept clean, which Bertha had immediately taken charge of.
The men who had attacked them had seemed intent on stealing something rather than killing anyone. She knew little of such crimes - although she had always taken precautions to prevent them - from the information she had been provided of the events, there was not much certainty about anything.
Amelia felt, however, that it was likely not a random robbery, though.
She shook the thoughts from her head. They would not solve anything right now, and she still had her duties to attend to.
Amelia stood whilst she stretched her legs, unsure of what to do first with her time, as she made her way to the office upstairs.
Mr Jameson and Talako had taken charge of the situation, the cleanup and the delegation, and it didn't feel like it belonged to her anymore. The sheriff needed to handle the rest of it, even though she was doubtful he would carry his role out with any competence.
The sun was now rising as the metallic hues of pink and orange were cast across the sky as the beams trickled through the windows. She picked up the pile of papers on the desk and shuffled them together.
It was almost seven and she could hear the hustle and bustle of activity downstairs as everyone got ready for the day. She sighed and began the process of organising the letters and bills, placing the ones which needed immediate attention at the top. She sorted the rest in order of importance and filed them away.
The sound of boots on the wooden stairs broke her from her musings as a light knock rasped on the other side of the door.
'Come in,' Amelia said in a weary voice.
The door opened and Mr Jameson came into the room, dressed in his usual attire. His face was pale and tired, much like hers. He sat down in front of the desk.
'How is Luke?' Amelia said as she took a seat.
'I've put him to bed with some medicine,' he replied. 'He's still asleep but should recover with no ill effects.'
Amelia smiled gratefully as he spoke, picking at the side of her nail.
'Do you think they will come back again?' She asked.
'It's possible, I suppose,' Jameson answered in a grim tone as he looked down at the desk.
'I'll talk to Talako and the others,' she mumbled. 'We'll put more guards around the house.'
Mr Jameson nodded without much response.
'Hopefully, we can sort this mess out,' Amelia sighed heavily.
'You'll end up with splinters, ma'am,' Talako said with a slight mockery in his voice.
Amelia raised her eyebrow at him as she knelt down towards the wooden plank.
'Well, I'm hardly going to stand around and watch. I might as well make myself useful,' she said as she wrapped her hands around the plank, waiting for him to join her.
He did so, and together they lifted it onto the table.
It was not a large table, nor one of fine quality. It had been made from a single piece of wood, but that had probably been the best part of a hundred years ago. The wood was worn smooth by age and use, and the finish on the surface was almost completely gone. But it would do.
'Didn't know you were proficient in woodwork, ma'am,' Talako said with a slight chuckle.
Amelia put her hands on hips, annoyed by his constant sarcasm.
'You know very good and well that I'm not,' she said, trying to stop the smirk that crept to her lips, 'but help is help.'
Talako nodded, looking at the two ends of the table. He looked over at Amelia, who shook her head slightly.
'We need to make a crosspiece here, to connect these two pieces together,' he explained, pointing to the ends.
Amelia frowned, thinking for a moment before nodding slowly. She grabbed the two pieces of wood and placed them side-by-side, then placed her hands on either end of the table and pushed them together. The two pieces of wood slid into each other easily enough, and when she let go, they stayed in place.
She grinned at Talako's look of surprise.
'That wasn't hard, now was it?' she asked, arching an eyebrow.
'No, ma'am, it most certainly wasn't,' he replied with a laugh. 'I'm just surprised you know what a crosspiece is, is all ma'am.'
The two of them worked together, Talako using his own tools to cut a length of wood that would serve as the crosspiece, whilst Amelia picked up a spare saw and began working through the rest of the plank.
They worked quickly, and soon enough, they had the two ends of wood joined, leaving only the middle section left to do.
'I think we're done,' Talako said after a few minutes, reaching for the hammer and nails.
'What are you doing?' she asked, eyeing the hammer.
'This,' he replied, picking up the nail with the hammer.
'Don't tell me you're going to nail this to the table,' she said with a laugh.
'Nope, just holding it for you,' he replied, holding out the nail.
Amelia took the hammer, as Talako pinched at the nail in place, twisting it slightly into the wood.
'Now you hit it with the hammer,' he replied, grinning.
'I understand the principle, Talako,' she snapped. 'What if I hit your thumb?'
'You won't,' he said with a nod.
'Very well,' she said, lifting the hammer.
She swung the hammer, hitting the nail squarely on the head. It made a loud thunk, and Talako laughed.
'Not bad,' he said with a grin. 'Let's see how many more times you can hit it.'
Amelia grimaced at him, but she swung again. This time, she struck the nail on its edge, making another loud noise.
Amelia shrugged, dropping the hammer and picking up the nail. She tried three more times, striking the nail on the edge each time. Then she stopped, frowning.
'I've seen men do it a thousand times,' he commented.
'Fine. As the expert, I'll leave you to it then,' Amelia retorted with a slight huff.
'Ain't no need to take it personally, ma'am,' Talako said, crossing his arms. 'You're just not used to doing it.'
Amelia rolled her eyes, but she swung the hammer again.
After the fifth strike, she smiled, pleased with herself, finally managing to hit the darn thing.
'Fast learner,' he commented, 'here, practice with these and I'll finish this up.'
Amelia nodded as Talako handed over the hammer and a pair of nails. Just as the frustration of her lack of handy work was wearing on her, she heard a gallop hooves behind her. She turned around with a slight bite of adrenaline at her side as her heart quickened, expecting the worst.
Thankfully, however, that was not the case.
'Uncle! What are you doing here?' she called out, glad to see that he had returned before her nerves got too bad.
'My dear!' He called as he leapt from the saddle, walking to her with open arms.
She could have cried there and then. She was so relieved to see him, if not slightly confused by his timing, as she hadn't even sent her letter to him yet. He wrapped her in his arms, placing a small kiss on her forehead. His affection caused her to unravel as tears hit her eyes unexpectedly.
Josiah pulled away slightly, his face troubled as he cupped her cheek.
'Amelia, what is it?' His voice was low and full of worry.
She looked up at him, his face warm and concerned as she tried to sniff back the tears.
'There was an attempted robbery,' she said, wiping away the moisture with the back of her hand, drawing in a deep breath as regained her composure. 'It was utter chaos, Uncle.'
Josiah placed her hand on her shoulder, staring her in the eyes.
'Was anyone hurt?' He asked.
'Luke was shot, but he will be okay,' Amelia sniffed again as a chill wind picked up, breezing over her. She rubbed her hands together, trying to stop herself from shivering. 'Thank God.'
'That is good,' Josiah replied. 'Was anything stolen?'
Amelia shook her head. She could feel herself becoming short of breath. As though her anxiety was building inside of her.
'Good, now come, my dear,' his tone remained calm, despite the obvious concern, 'let's go take a walk.'
Amelia nodded weakly, allowing her uncle to lead her away from the stables.
They made their way back to the property in silence, as Amelia kept her eyes downcast in fear she would start crying again. Amelia was not someone who took to tears easily, but the exhaustion and frustration had taken its toll. She had been at work for what felt like hours, and all she wanted to do was sleep.
They stopped beside the old well and climbed up to one of the large stone benches that had been placed there to allow for a more comfortable seat. Amelia sat down with her uncle, watching the sun hit the treetops in the glorious pink hue of the late afternoon.
Josiah leaned back on his elbows as he watched his niece quietly. He gazed at her as if waiting for her to speak, his brow furrowed slightly.
Amelia was quiet as she looked out across the land. It was so beautiful, but she was struggling to appreciate it. Instead, she could only think about how exhausted she felt. She was almost asleep on her feet. She glanced at her uncle, hoping he could read her thoughts.
'Tell me what happened, Amelia,' he said quietly, leaning forward.
She swallowed a lump in her throat.
'I didn't see it all. I woke up to the gunshots. We went outside and Luke had been shot and Mr Jameson and Talako dealt with the rest, with a few of the others.' Her voice cracked as she spoke, unable to hold in her tears any longer.
Josiah reached over and placed his hand on hers. 'Did they catch the robbers?'
'Yes,' she said meekly as she sobbed, 'two got away, but the rest were…' She paused, wiping the tears from her face. 'They are dead.'
Josiah nodded, pursing his lips, seemingly pleased to have found some sense of relief.
'Well, that is something, at least.'
Amelia pulled at her collar and ran a finger underneath the lace neck of her dress. A light breeze brushed against her cheeks, blowing her hair back in front of her eyes.
'Leave it to Uncle, my dear,' Josiah said with a small smile. 'I know of some associates who very well may be able to help us with the matter. They're very good, I assure you.'
'What sort of associates do you mean?' Amelia said, wiping away the last of her tears with a small sniffle.
'It's best not to get into it now. Allow me to make the arrangements first,' he said, standing and offering his hand out to her. 'Now come, let's go inside. You look tired.'
She was utterly exhausted and looked forward to crawling into bed and shutting out the world for a few hours. With a nod, she stood up and took his arm as they walked back down towards the house.