The Good Squire

De: S G Read

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Robert Carnforth returned to take over from his womanizing father but had a lot of work ahead to drag the family name out of the mud. His father and grandfather saw to that. He appointed a poacher as gamekeeper and sacked the incumbent gamekeeper. That was the first change. When he knew that there was no school, he started one and found a teacher. The teacher an old friend from his school days was barred from teaching by the rich miller and that led to a dual. The miller thought he was better than Robert. He soon learnt that he had made a mistake when Robert shot him dead. Robert was wounded in the process but as he had the local doctor as his second, it helped. On his return to the manor the miller’s wife arrived on his doorstep wanting refuge. The miller’s brother now considered her his wife. He looked at her and was taken aback by her beauty and as it was a forced marriage without love of prodigy, he gave her sanctuary.
The school thrived and loved blossomed between Robert and the miller’s wife, but the miller’s brother was not happy and tried to kill Robert. The staff were on hand to intervene, all of them, they liked the new squire. This led to the miller’s brother’s trial. He should have hanged but Robert showed leniency, sentencing him to a fortnight in the stocks and then banishment. When morning came after his first night in the stocks the miller’s brother was dead, stoned to death. The village had spoken.
Wedding bells followed and Robert was happy but being a squire is not an easy task as he was to find out. He allowed his wife to take ownership of the mill…