The Tale of Holly How Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Historical Note

  Resources

  Recipes from the Land between the Lakes

  Glossary

  “A new, lighthearted series inspired by the charming

  children’s author Beatrix Potter.”

  —Library Journal

  The Tale of Holly How

  “Vivid descriptions ... charming.” —Publishers Weekly

  “A most ingenious blend of fact and fiction.”

  —Judy Taylor Hough, author of Beatrix Potter: Artist, Storyteller and Countrywoman

  “[An] adorable amateur sleuth tale.” —The Best Reviews

  “Hard to resist, especially on a sleepy, sunny afternoon.”

  —Booklist

  The Tale of Hill Top Farm

  “A perfectly charming cozy, as full of English country loam, leaf, and lamb as could be desired . . . as full of pinched schoolmistresses, vicars’ widows, and good-hearted volunteers as any Barbara Pym novel.” —Booklist

  “There is an historical essence to the tale . . . fans feel they are in a quaint English village, circa 1905 . . . Fabulous.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Beatrix Potter fans will welcome the talented Susan Wittig Albert . . . similar to [the works] of Rita Mae Brown.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Endearing . . . The English country village resonates with charm and humor, and sleuth Beatrix positively shines.”

  —School Library Journal

  Don’t miss the new Cottage Tale of Beatrix Potter,

  THE TALE OF CUCKOO BROW WOOD

  Praise for Susan Wittig Albert’s

  China Bayles Novels

  “Albert’s characters are as real and as quirky as your next-door neighbor.” —Raleigh News & Observer

  “[Albert] improves with each successive book . . . artful”

  —Austin American-Statesman

  “Albert’s dialogue and characterizations put her in a class with lady sleuths V. I. Warshawski and Stephanie Plum.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “The denizens of Pecan Springs are sympathetic and insightful, grand livers with flinty wit—a combination of the residents of Lake Wobegon and the Texas villages in Larry McMurtry’s novels. Albert’s writing and outlook suggest Molly Ivins, while China’s independence and sunbelt sleuthing will appeal to readers of Earlene Fowler’s Benni Harper series and Allana Martin’s Texana Jones novels.”

  —Booklist

  “A marvelous addition to the ranks of amateur detectives.”

  —Linda Grant

  China Bayles Mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert

  THYME OF DEATH

  WITCHES’ BANE

  HANGMAN’S ROOT

  ROSEMARY REMEMBERED

  RUEFUL DEATH

  LOVE LIES BLEEDING

  CHILE DEATH

  LAVENDER LIES

  MISTLETOE MAN

  BLOODROOT

  INDIGO DYING

  AN UNTHYMELY DEATH

  A DILLY OF A DEATH

  DEAD MAN’S BONES

  BLEEDING HEARTS

  With her husband, Bill Albert, writing as Robin Paige

  DEATH AT BISHOP’S KEEP

  DEATH AT GALLOWS GREEN

  DEATH AT DAISY’S FOLLY

  DEATH AT DEVIL’S BRIDGE

  DEATH AT ROTTINGDEAN

  DEATH AT WHITECHAPEL

  DEATH AT EPSOM DOWNS

  DEATH AT DARTMOOR

  DEATH AT GLAMIS CASTLE

  DEATH IN HYDE PARK

  DEATH AT BLENHEIM PALACE

  DEATH ON THE LIZARD

  Beatrix Potter Mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert

  THE TALE OF HILL TOP FARM THE TALE OF HOLLY HOW THE TALE OF CUCKOO BROW WOOD

  Nonfiction books by Susan Wittig Albert

  WRITING FROM LIFE

  WORK OF HER OWN

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada

  (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

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  (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

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  (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,

  South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Frederick Warne & Co Ltd. is the sole and exclusive owner of the entire rights titles and interest in and to the copyrights and trademarks of the works of Beatrix Potter, including all names and characters featured therein. No reproduction of these copyrights and trademarks may be made without the prior written consent of Frederick Warne & Co Ltd.

  THE TALE OF HOLLY HOW

  A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2005 by Susan Wittig Albert.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eISBN : 978-0-425-20613-3

  BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME

  Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  The name BERKLEY PRIME CRIME and the BERKLEY PRIME CRIME design

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nbsp; are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  Acknowledgments

  I am especially grateful to Dr. Linda Lear, Senior Research Scholar in History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Research Professor of Environmental History at George Washington University, who has generously shared the results of her research into the life of Beatrix Potter. Her forthcoming biography (its working title is Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature) is eagerly awaited.

  I am also indebted to a great many people whose biographical research into the life of Beatrix Potter has made it possible for me to write a fiction that is true to the facts of her life. Their names and the titles of their studies are listed in the Resources section at the end of the book.

  Author’s Note

  The Cottage Tales series explores the life of Beatrix Potter, beloved children’s illustrator, countrywoman, and conservationist. The books (The Tale of Holly How is the second in the series) cover the years between 1905, when Miss Potter purchased Hill Top Farm in the village of Sawrey, and 1913. If you know something about her life, you will no doubt recognize her, her family, and her friends (including her animal companions), for I have tried to represent them all as accurately as I can. And if you have visited the Lake District of England, you may recognize villages, houses, roads, lakes, and fells, for I have chosen many of these lovely and very real places as settings for The Cottage Tales. Other characters and settings are entirely imaginary, although I’ve bent every effort to make you believe that they’re real, too—yes, even the animals who share their thoughts with us. I believe that Miss Potter would have approved.

  Susan Wittig Albert

  Bertram, TX 2004

  Cast of Characters

  (* indicates an actual person or creature)

  Beatrix Potter*, children’s author and illustrator, is the owner of Hill Top Farm, in the Lake District village of Near Sawrey. While the farmhouse is being renovated, Miss Potter stays with the Crooks at Belle Green. She has brought four animal companions to the village with her: Josey and Mopsy Rabbit*, Tom Thumb Mouse*, and Tuppenny , an orange guinea pig.

  John and Becky Jennings operate Hill Top Farm for Miss Potter. They have three children and a cat named Felicia Frummety.

  Dimity Woodcock and Captain Miles Woodcock live in Tower Bank House, a large house overlooking the road to Hawkshead. Dimity volunteers for parish activities; her brother Miles is Justice of the Peace for Sawrey District and a trustee of Sawrey School. Elsa Grape keeps house and cooks for the Woodcocks.

  Lady Longford lives at Tidmarsh Manor, a large estate at the edge of Cuckoo Brow Wood. Her twelve-year-old granddaughter, Caroline, has recently come to live with her. Also at Tidmarsh Manor are Maribel Martine, Lady Longford’s secretary and companion; Mrs. Beever, the cook-housekeeper; Mr. Beever, the gardener and coach-man; Emily, the upstairs maid; and Harriet, the kitchen maid. Ben Hornby farmed Holly How Farm, one of the farms belonging to Tidmarsh Manor.

  Sarah Barwick has recently opened a bakery in Anvil Cottage.

  Frances and Lester Barrow own the Tower Bank Arms, the village pub and inn, which is located at the bottom of the hill, below Hill Top Farm. Ruth Safford helps Mrs. Barrow with housekeeping and waits tables in the pub.

  Mathilda and George Crook board guests in their home, Belle Green, at the top of Market Street. George owns and operates the village forge. Also in residence at Belle Green: a Jack Russell terrier named Rascal and the senior village cat, Tabitha Twitchit*.

  Grace Lythecoe is the widow of the former vicar. She lives in Rose Cottage and plays an important role in village affairs.

  Lucy Skead is the village postmistress. She and her family live at Low Green Gate Cottage, which is also the village post office.

  Margaret Nash is Acting Head Teacher at Sawrey School. She lives in one of the Sunnyside Cottages with her sister, Annie, a piano teacher.

  Dr. Harrison Gainwell is Lady Longford’s choice for the position of Head Teacher at Sawrey School.

  Bertha Stubbs and her husband, Henry, live in the lefthand cottage in the row of Lakefield Cottages. Bertha cleans Sawrey School; Henry is a ferryman. A gray tabby cat named Crumpet lives with the Stubbses, but spends most of her time observing and commenting on people’s behavior.

  Jeremy Crosfield lives with his aunt in Willow Cottage, on Cunsey Beck. Jeremy, twelve, is an artist and naturalist and spends as much time as possible in the woods and fields.

  Rose and Desmond Sutton live with their six children in Courier Cottage. Dr. Sutton is the veterinary surgeon.

  Lydia Dowling is the proprietress of the village shop, located in Meadowcroft Cottage (which will later become famous as the Ginger & Pickles Shop in one of Miss Potter’s books). Lydia is assisted by her niece Gladys.

  Vicar Samuel Sackett is the vicar of St. Peter’s Church in Far Sawrey, and serves as a school trustee.

  Dr. Butters, the much-loved family doctor, lives in Hawkshead. He serves as a school trustee.

  William (Will) Heelis* is a solicitor with an office in Hawkshead and a school trustee. He is a good friend of Captain Woodcock’s.

  Isaac Chance operates Oldfield Farm, located just to the north of Holly How Farm.

  Jack Ogden builds stone walls and digs badgers for farmers in the Lake District.

  Professor Galileo Newton Owl, D.Phil., is a tawny owl who lives in Cuckoo Brow Wood. He studies celestial mechanics and the habits of small furry creatures, and makes it his business to know everything that goes on in the neighborhood of Sawrey.

  Bosworth Badger XVII lives in Holly How, in The Brockery, the oldest badger sett in the Land between the Lakes. Bosworth is responsible for The Brockery Badger History and Genealogy. A wide assortment of residents and guests lives in The Brockery.

  Primrose, Hyacinth, and Thorn are three badgers who are kidnapped from their sett at Hill Top Farm.

  Tibbie, Queenie, and their lambs are Herdwick sheep living on Holly How, under the care of Ben Hornby, of Holly How Farm.

  1

  Miss Potter Becomes a Farmer

  NEAR SAWREY, JULY, 1906

  It was high summer in the Lake District. The green meadows and hills were drowsy under the July sun, and there had been so little rain that even the nettles in the lane were limp and parched. The cloudless sky arching over the lakes and fells was the deepest blue, and the wandering breeze was laced with the fresh, sweet scent of wild rose and honeysuckle and the call of the skylark. It was the sort of warm summer day that Beatrix Potter loved, and a great relief after the chilly London spring that made her nose run and her joints ache.

  But this morning, Beatrix was not thinking of the lovely weather. She was surveying her pigs.

  “Well, now, Miss Potter,” said the farmer. “Wha’ dustha think? Will they do?”

  Beatrix folded her arms and regarded the newly repaired pigsty and the six recently purchased Berkshire hogs, black and white and promisingly plump. “I think,” she said after a moment, “that they will do very well. And that they ought to be quite content in their new pigsty.” She added dryly, “It isn’t pretty, and Mr. Biddle certainly charged us enough, but I daresay it will do, too.”

  “At least they woan’t be runnin’ up and down t’ Kendal Road, underfoot of t’ horses,” John Jennings replied in a practical tone. He rubbed his brown beard. “T’ auld fence was rotten reet through, top t’ bottom and all round. Had to be rebuilt, like it or not.”

  That was undeniably true. Hill Top Farm, at the edge of the Lake District village of Near Sawrey, had been in the Preston family for half a century before Beatrix purchased it the year before. The buildings had been allowed to run down, the livestock had been sold when Mr. Preston died, and the whole place wore a sad, neglected look that begged to beg for a cleaning and fixing up. In fact, there seemed to be an endless amount of replacing, repairing, rebuilding, and restocking to do—and to pay for. Beatrix was new to farming (“nobbut a reet beginner,” the Sawrey vi
llagers liked to say with a sarcastic chuckle), and every day seemed to bring a different and more costly surprise. Beatrix loved her new farm, but the expenses were certainly beginning to add up.

  “She’s calculating how much those porkers are going to cost before they’re bacon,” said Tabitha Twitchit, the senior village cat. Tabitha, a calico with an orange-and-white bib, lived at Belle Green, but, like most of the other village cats, went pretty well anywhere she pleased.

  “A pretty penny, no doubt,” Crumpet commented authoritatively. “Things always cost more than Big Folks expect.” Crumpet, a sleek, smart-looking gray tabby with a red leather collar, was an observant cat who made it her business to know everything that happened in Sawrey and considered herself an expert in practical psychology, and the way Big Folk thought and acted.

  “Wait until she finds out that pigs never stop eating,” Tabitha Twitchet went on with some disdain. “That’ll make her think twice.” Tabitha liked most barnyard animals—horses, cows, chickens, ducks, and even sheep. But she detested pigs, who in her view were greedy, smelly, lazy lay-abouts who deserved their ultimate fate: served up at the holiday table with an apple in their mouths, or made into rashers and tasty Cumberland sausages.