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5.Soldier of the King
Edward had many adventures.
He made new friends, and the King was very pleased to learn that the children of Colonel Beverley were alive and well.
But the time was not yet right for King CharlesII.
Cromwell's army was still very strong,
and by autumn 1651 the King's soldiers were either dead, or running away, back to Scotland.
The King himself escaped alone— no one knew where.
Edward returned secretly to the New Forest, wearing the uniform of a dead Roundhead soldier.
He arrived at the cottage late at night and frightened his family and Pablo very much.
Then they heard his voice, and in a minute Edward was in the arms of his brother and sisters.
Early the next morning Edward rode across the forest to see Mr Hetherstone, who was very pleased to see him.
He listened to Edward's news, then said: ‘So, we must wait a while longer before we see a new King,
‘and we must still pretend to be Cromwell's friends.
‘We'll say that you went to fight for Cromwell.
‘It was clever of you to come back in a Roundhead's uniform— that will help to keep both of us out of danger.’
For some days Cromwell's men searched the forest for the King.
Then came news that the King was now in France, and at last the soldiers left the forest.
Edward returned to his job of secretary to Mr Hetherstone.
Patience was very pleased to see him again, but Edward felt uncomfortable.
He now wanted to tell Patience that he loved her, and he wanted to tell her father the secret of his name.
But he was still a young man, and he did not know how to do either of these things.
One evening he found himself alone in the garden with Patience.
For a while they talked of his adventures with the King,
then Edward said: ‘While I was away, I was always thinking of you.
‘And now I have seen you again, I know that I must speak. I love you. Patience, and want to be with you always.’
Patience looked away. ‘You saved my life, and I can never forget that, Edward,’ she said quietly.
‘I know that you're my friend, and I thank you for your kind words. But I'm young and I must talk to my father.’
Edward did not understand her answer. What did she mean? Did she love him, or didn't she?
‘Do you think that your father will say no because I'm only a poor forester?’ he began.
Just then Mr Hetherstone came out into the garden and called to them.
‘Edward, I was looking for you. A letter has just arrived from Parliament. Look.’
The letter said that Parliament was giving Arnwood and its land to Mr Hetherstone.
Edward's face turned white and for a minute he could not speak.
‘We'll ride across tomorrow and look at Arnwood. I want to rebuild the house,’ said Mr Hetherstone.
‘But Arnwood belongs to the Beverley family,’ Edward said carefully.
‘Perhaps not all the children died in the fire. And if some of them are still alive...’
‘I'll give Arnwood back, of course. But for now Arnwood belongs to me,
‘and when Patience marries, it will belong to her husband.’
Edward was silent. He could not tell Mr Hetherstone his secret now, or that he wanted to marry his daughter.
That night he went to bed early, but could not sleep.
‘Patience is rich now,’ he thought, ‘and many men will want to marry her. And I don't think that she loves me.
‘And if I say I am Edward Beverley, I'm sure that Parliament will take Arnwood back, and I'll still be a poor forester.
‘I can't stay here any more. I shall leave England, and go to the King in France.’
Very early the next morning, while everyone else was still asleep,
Edward left the house and rode across the forest to the cottage.
There he made plans with Humphrey and his sisters.
They were very sorry to see him so unhappy.
‘It's time for Alice and Edith to leave the forest too,’ Edward told Humphrey.
‘While I was in the north with the King, I met the Conynghame family, who knew our father very well.
‘They will be happy to take the girls and look after them. Our sisters will have a better life there.
‘And you, Humphrey— why don't you come with me?’
‘No,’ said Humphrey. ‘It will be good for the girls to get away, but it's better that I stay here.
‘Pablo and I can look after the farm together. Also, I can watch and see what happens to Arnwood.
‘One day you'll come back, and who knows what will happen then?’
Edward left that night, and Alice and Edith cried very much.
It was an unhappy time for them all— the end of their life together in the forest.
Edward left a letter for Mr Hetherstone.
‘You have been very kind to me, and I thank you,’ he wrote. But he wrote nothing to Patience.
When Mr Hetherstone got Edward's letter, he rode over at once to see Humphrey. He, too, was very unhappy.
‘All my plans have gone wrong,’ he told Humphrey. ‘Edward has gone, and my daughter is very unhappy.
‘I've known for a long time that you were the Beverley children. I wanted Patience to marry Edward.
‘She loves him, but she wanted to talk to me first, because she thought that Edward was a poor man.
‘And I asked Parliament for Arnwood because I wanted to rebuild the house and then give it to Edward.
‘Will you help me, Humphrey, to rebuild the house?
‘One day the King will come back to England, and Edward will come back too.
‘I want Arnwood to be ready for him.’
Edward was away for nearly nine years, fighting with the French army in France and Holland and Spain.
But in May 1660, after Cromwell died,
CharlesII came back to be King of England, and Edward Beverley was with him when he rode into London.
Those were happy times in London.
But the happiest day of all was the day when the Beverley childern of the New Forest were together again at last.
‘The farm at our cottage is now very large,’ Humphrey told Edward.
‘Mr Hetherstone rebuilt Arnwood and says that it belongs to you. He'll be happy to see you again.’
‘And what about Patience?’ Alice asked. ‘Do you still love her, Edward? She's here in London, you know.’
‘Yes, I saw her one day in the crowds at the King's house,’ said Edward.
‘She's more beautiful than ever. I still love her, but I'm sure that she has forgotten me.’
‘You were very unkind to her,’ Edith said. ‘She was very unhappy when you went away.
‘But she hasn't married anyone in these nine years, and lots of men have asked her. So I think that she still loves you.’
Edith was right, and about a year later Edward married Patience and they lived happily together at Arnwood.
Oswald Partridge came to work for Edward there.
Humphrey married the daughter of a friend, bought a bigger farm, and gave Jacob Armitage's cottage to Pablo.
And Alice and Edith, now beautiful young women, married soldiers of the King.
And there we will say goodbye to the Beverleys.