Old Joseph's Last Secret

Old Joseph had worked at Shannon since before Daphne was born. He had worked at Shannon since before her father bought Shannon. He had come with the land, in the way that some things come with the land — the windmill, the weeping willow by the south gate, Old Joseph.

He was sitting in his usual chair outside the tack room when Daphne found him. He had been sitting in that chair for so long that the ground underneath it had a particular quality of pressed earth that no rain ever quite undid. He looked at her for a long time before he spoke. 'You found the letters,' he said. It was not a question.