CHAPTER 21: A FARMER’S RIGHT
Caleb Wynn arrived at the old forge with a faded contract folded inside his hat.
His family had boarded two horses at Willow Creek for nearly a decade.
Richard’s steward had increased the boarding fees twice without changing the written agreement.
Caleb had protested, and Vane responded by threatening to seize a portion of his next harvest.
He listened carefully as Rusk explained the disputed land and the suspected documents inside the stable.
Daniel said he would not ask Caleb to pretend he had permission to conduct an investigation.
Caleb replied that he needed to collect his horses and inspect the condition of their stalls before removing them.
That ordinary task gave him a lawful reason to enter the stable.
He asked whether Daniel could accompany him as a hired blacksmith to examine a loose shoe.
Daniel said he could, provided that the visit remained limited to the horses unless Richard granted further permission.
Rusk advised them not to touch the concealed iron without a court order.
Caleb agreed and said he wanted only to establish that the object remained where they believed it was.
The next afternoon they approached the Willow Creek gate in Caleb’s wagon.
A guard asked why Daniel had returned after his dismissal.
Caleb displayed his boarding contract and explained that he had hired Daniel to inspect a horse he intended to take home.
The guard sent for Vane, who appeared carrying his familiar notebook.
Vane said Daniel was not welcome on the property.
Caleb answered that the contract allowed him to use a qualified smith for the health of his animals.
Vane examined the agreement and saw the relevant clause.
He said they could enter the stable under supervision.
Daniel nodded and kept his tools visible.
Inside, the horses stamped against the boards and raised their heads at the familiar sound of his voice.
Caleb led the first animal into the yard while Daniel inspected the second.
Vane watched from the stable doorway.
Daniel noticed that the feed-room floor had been disturbed.
A new layer of straw covered several fresh scratches near the old iron axle.
He asked the stable hand whether the floor had been repaired.
The man said two workers had moved heavy timber during the previous night.
Vane interrupted and said the repairs were ordinary maintenance.
Daniel examined the horse’s hoof and made a note in Caleb’s contract.
He did not approach the axle.
Caleb quietly asked whether the iron was still visible.
Daniel answered that he could see the outer collar beneath the straw.
He also noticed a new iron brace bolted across the feed-room entrance.
Someone had tried to make the chamber harder to reach.
They finished the inspection and returned both horses to Caleb’s wagon.
Vane watched them leave with obvious relief.
At the gate Caleb said he had never imagined collecting two old horses would require so much courage.
Daniel replied that courage often began with insisting on ordinary rights that powerful people preferred to ignore.
They rode toward Ashford to report the visit to Abigail Mercer.
Mercer had arrived that morning from Staunton with a junior clerk and several certified copies of land records.
She listened to their account and explained that the disturbed flooring might justify a request to preserve the site.
She could not guarantee the judge would grant it.
Nevertheless, the copied survey and Hannah Cole’s accounts created a substantial dispute that required examination.
She prepared a petition seeking a neutral inspection before further alterations took place.
Caleb signed a statement confirming what he had observed in the stable.
Daniel signed his own statement describing the axle and the new brace.
Neither claimed to have seen documents they had not actually recovered.
Mercer thanked them for that restraint.
She said careful truthfulness was often stronger than a dramatic accusation that could not survive questioning.
