LXII- The Canden Council

Several days had passed since the joint funeral of Anne Hawthorne and Samuel Reed. The hollow, empty feeling still resonated throughout the village, and the startling madness of William Reed was concerning many of the local Canden residents. There was not a sign of a return to normalcy in the small village, as there was still the question of what to do with the man who had confessed to burning the Hawthorne infirmary to the ground, killing Anne and Samuel. 

Robert, the blacksmith, brought together a council of men in the village to decide what to do with the criminal chained to the anvil in his forge. He had wanted his friend William to have a say, but his friend's emotional anguish and declining mental state meant that he was not a good candidate for this council.

Henry Yarrow, the man responsible for the deaths of Anne and Samuel, was becoming better able to communicate, his jaw healing poorly, but healing nonetheless. In the presence of the elderly Oliver Quill, he confided that he was an alcoholic, and had taken the job to pay for his habit. Undergoing the withdrawals from the alcohol, he decided Ravenna had to pay; in his mind, it was her fault that he was unable to feed his habit. He thought by destroying her home, they would be even. Over the days of his imprisonment and forced sobriety, Henry had come to terms with his inner demons, and come to regret his actions.

Oliver reported what he had heard from Henry, but the damage to Canden was irreversible. The village healer was gone, and Samuel Reed had died as well. The village needed its young men, and Samuel was the sole heir to the Reed name and estate. The men that Robert had gathered as a council had been determined that Henry must be punished, but were torn on what that punishment must be.

As leader of the council of Canden men, Robert also brought up the Hawthorne home. He looked at the six men sitting in the parlor of his home, and stood before them. "Men, I believe we have a responsibility to our village. To Canden. I know we initially gathered to discuss the fate of Henry Yarrow after the murders of Samuel and Anne. However; I believe our responsibility goes further than that. What say you men about rebuilding the Hawthorne home? Ravenna Hawthorne will not be missing forever, and when she returns, I believe it is likely that she will step into her grandmother's role, to carry on her grandmother's legacy."

A murmur broke out among the men in Robert's home, and he patiently waited for them to discuss his proposal. He felt it was right to rebuild the Hawthorne home, as it had always doubled as the village infirmary, and the Hawthorne women were always open to having villagers stay in the infirmary room as long as it took to recover from anything that ailed them. The rebuilding of the Hawthorne home was the first step toward healing their village from the tragedy that struck it.

Alfred Sorrel, the local butcher, was first to speak up. "I believe you are right, Robert. The Hawthorne home was not just another building in Canden, it was the heart of our village. Rebuilding the infirmary will put the spirit back in our village, and will allow us to heal properly. I believe Ravenna will be back soon. I just wish someone knew more about what happened to that girl."

Oliver Quill shifted a little in his chair; he knew his wife's suspicions from what Teresa had told her when the young woman returned to Canden after the birth of her daughter. But Teresa had told his wife Audrey these things in confidence, and he was not sure whether he should speak up about these things. He did notice that Peter Jones had not been seen in Canden since Ravenna had disappeared, but that man did also live close to Graenwood as well, so it would not be right to tarnish the man's reputation if he was not certain of such things. 

"Oliver? Is everything alright?" Robert's voice was firm but concerned for the elderly man.

"Oh, yes. These old bones! But I do agree with Alfred, I think we should rebuild the Hawthorne home. It will heal the community to know it is there, and when Ravenna returns, it will be one less shock to her to be able to return to a home. She is already returning to the loss of a grandmother and a suitor, she does not need to return homeless as well."

Robert blinked a couple times. He had not considered that Ravenna would be returning to all of these things; his mind was on his community. That poor girl. She was going to be heartbroken. 

"Father?"

Elijah appeared in the doorway to the parlor, a leather book in his hands. "Father, I do not wish to interrupt, but when we were fighting the blaze at the Hawthorne home, this was found. It looked like Anne had thrown it through the window before she died. One of the merchants had placed it with her body. Please do not be mad with me, but I took it from Anne. I have been keeping it safe in my room. It looks to be many of the cures that the Hawthornes have discovered over time. I think Anne threw it, intending for someone to find it so Ravenna could have it."

Robert felt pride wash over him. He gestured for his son to join the council of men in the parlor, and allowed him to sit between Alfred and Oliver. "Elijah, son, you are fifteen now. You are going to be a man soon. What do you think, should our community rebuild the Hawthorne home?"

Elijah gripped Anne's book. "I think it would be wrong if we did not. Anne sacrificed so many things for us, and we should give all that we have to honor her. She helped with my burns, I want to help rebuild the infirmary in her honor, Father."

The men in the parlor chattered in agreement. They were proud of Robert's young son. It was settled. The following morning, the men in the village would gather to use their crafts to rebuild the infirmary in Anne's honor. Robert would use his blacksmith skills, the potters would begin to craft the jars for remedies. Teresa had already began preparing her textile crafts to resupply the infirmary in hopes that the village would rebuild the Hawthorne home. The woodworkers of Canden would get to work in the morning. 

Anne's honor would be restored.