The Black Rocks of Morwenstow

by John Wilcox

  ‘Oh no, Papa.’ Rowena bit her lip but her face was set grimly. ‘I know you think I say that because I am fond of Joshua,’ her face coloured, ‘and it is true, I am. But there are other reasons why I think he should stay, at least for a while longer.’

  The doctor sighed. ‘Very well. Let me hear them.’

  Rowena took a gulp of her lemonade, the bubbles of which tickled her nose and made her sneeze, very much to her annoyance. She blew her nose fiercely.

  ‘Firstly,’ she said, ‘for Joshua to set out alone on leaving this house – even at dead of night – would put him in danger. There are people out there, Father, and I do not just mean the silly mob who spat at us, I mean criminals who wish him dead. If you insist on him going, I will accompany him.’

  Josh squirmed in his chair. ‘Of course, I shall go, sir,’ he said, ‘and alone. I can look after myself and I wouldn’t think of putting Emma into danger.’

  Acland sighed. ‘You have other reasons, daughter?’

  ‘Oh yes. There is something terrible happening here and it is not of Joshua’s making. The people who are engaged with these strange happenings are trying to imply that this recent violence is all his fault. He is, after all, a foreigner to these parts and people don’t like strangers anyway …’

  ‘Particularly,’ the doctor intervened, ‘when this violence has occurred only since his arrival. It would be wrong to overlook this.’

  Josh leant forward. ‘But, Doctor, I am not – I repeat not – responsible for it. As Row—er, Emma has said, I am very much the innocent party. But in view of all that has happened, of course I must leave your house. I will do so immediately.’

  ‘And I will go with him.’

  ‘No, Rowena.’ Joshua stood and put a hand on her shoulder. ‘You will do nothing of the kind. I do not wish you to come with me. It will be a long journey and I cannot be impeded. You must understand that.’

  Tears were now trickling down the girl’s cheeks and she buried her face in her handkerchief.

  ‘Joshua is right, Emma.’ Acland struggled to his feet. ‘I will not have you put in danger. Now, listen. I am persuaded that, indeed, it would be unwise and, inhospitable to say the least, to throw you out of this house, Joshua, at this time, where, I have to agree, danger seems to stalk the land. So, if you wish, you may stay, but on one condition.’

  ‘What is that?’

  ‘That you spend as much time as possible indoors and don’t go poking your nose into the activities of the villagers here. Then, when things have quietened down, I must ask you to leave. In any case, I believe you have a fiancée waiting for you in Kent, do you not? A fact, which, it seems, Emma happily overlooks.’

  ‘Yes, it is true, sir, that I have a fiancée in Dover. But, although I have sent her several letters, she has not responded. I am, indeed, anxious to see her again,’ he stole a glance at a white-faced Rowena, ‘but I am concerned about the safety of both of you. There is undoubtedly something evil based here, Doctor, and I feel I must reveal it and, indeed, play a role in protecting both of you.’

  ‘Then you also must ignore that feeling, sir. I insist. Those are the terms on which you will either stay here or leave. Let me have your decision now.’

  Joshua took a deep breath. ‘Very well, sir. Then I must leave. I will go immediately, while it is still light.’

  ‘Oh no!’ Rowena put her hand to her mouth. ‘Where will you go?’

  ‘I don’t know. I will aim for Dover, but once I have sorted out my own affairs, I shall return. I promise. I will go and get my things now. Thank you for your hospitality, Doctor, and for your splendid work on my leg, which I think is virtually healed now.’

  A tearful Rowena murmured, ‘I will help you pack.’

  Bowing their heads to the doctor, the two of them left the room and climbed up to Josh’s bedroom. There, Rowena put her arms around his neck and said, ‘Don’t go. If they kill you, I die too.’

  ‘No one is going to murder me, my dear, be sure of that.’ He untangled her arms from his neck. ‘But you will appreciate that I must leave here, but I shall not leave the district. Now, listen to me. If my plan succeeds, I will remain in the vicinity, but I want you to tell your father – and indeed, I would like you to spread the word – that I have left to ride to Dover to meet Mary.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘But you won’t really go there, will you?’

  ‘No. And I shall find a way of getting in touch with you. You remember the hanging tree, of course?’

  She pulled a face. ‘Of course.’

  ‘When I looked at the ground near the tree, I noticed that there was a hole in its trunk, away from the path. I will leave messages for you there, every third day after I have found somewhere to hide. It will be an ideal place for communicating, because the villagers, I would think, would be too superstitious to linger there. Will you look for them, because I shall need your help?’

  ‘Oh, of course I will, Josh.’ She forced a smile. ‘I am so glad that you are not really leaving, but am worried now that you will get into more trouble.’

  ‘Well, I think that Cunningham and his thugs will roam the countryside looking for me, but if my idea bears fruit, he will not find me. Now, there is one more thing, Rowena.’

  ‘Yes, yes?’

  ‘I feel that something is brewing here in this village, maybe another landing. I don’t suppose you would know anything about that, would you?’

  She immediately looked at the floor. ‘Of course not. Why ask me?’

  ‘Never mind that. But I would like you to put your ear to the ground here, so to speak, to see what you can discover. If there is to be a landing, then I feel Tom Pengelly will be involved so, my dear,’ he forced a smile, ‘be nice to him and see if you can get any idea when it might happen. But be very discreet.’

  ‘Of course I will.’

  Joshua began throwing garments into a soft bag that they had given him when he was taken into the house. ‘Oh, Rowena.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Do you think you could make me a sandwich and give me a flagon of water. I have a feeling that I am going to be hungry.’

  ‘Yes, of course. And there is something else. It could be difficult for you to go on foot everywhere. You are so recognisable here, now, Josh, and, as you say, the Preventers will be looking for you, so …’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘You may remember me telling you that I have a little pony that Father gave me. It is kept in a small stable behind Father’s mare, but I have hardly used it since you came here. You will find a saddle and harness hanging in the stall. Take it. He will graze on grassland. And I have an old hat of Father’s and a cloak of his that I have been meaning to give to the poor. You must take them also to give you some sort of disguise. Now, I will make your sandwich, but don’t be long. The light goes quickly at this time of year.’

  ‘Oh, Rowena. You are a splendid young woman – and damned resourceful.’

  Within fifteen minutes he had left, Rowena waving sadly to him from the doorway. Tied from the saddle pommel was a bag containing what seemed like a huge number of sandwiches, half a meat pie and some cheese, plus Josh’s treasured waterproof bag containing his savings, now sadly depleted. The pony was skittish, after his long stretch of inactivity, and Joshua was not the best horseman in the land, but he guided him successfully up what seemed to be a little-used track that wound up back from the hamlet, so that he would not have to pass the barracks. At the top, crouched under the doctor’s old cloak and with his hat pulled well over his face, he altered direction and headed for Morwenstow.

  He did not want to attract attention by galloping but he urged the pony into an occasional canter and it was not long before he had reached the cluster of dwellings set above the Reverend Hawker’s house. He had passed no one on the way and he turned into the little track that led down to the vicarage and there, under the cover of some trees, he halted and sat thinking.

  He did not want to attract attention to himself by calling at th
e door of the big house, so how to find the vicar without making a fuss? His question was answered when he heard Hawker’s voice, humming a hymn, as he climbed up the steep path astride his horse.

  ‘Good gracious, Weyland. You startled me.’

  ‘Oh, I am sorry, Reverend, but I am so glad to have met you here. Sir, I am in urgent need of your help.’

  ‘Really? Well, of course, I will be happy to help if I can. Won’t you come into the house? My wife has made some tea and I was just getting a little exercise. What can I do for you?’

  ‘Well, sir, I suppose you could say that I am appealing for sanctuary.’ With a rueful smile, Joshua explained the doctor’s decision to ask him to leave and his own determination to stay for a while longer in the area between the two villages to observe the happenings there.

  ‘What happenings, my boy?’

  ‘I don’t know. But my instincts tell me that something is going to happen shortly – most likely a smugglers’ landing – and, if I can, I want to observe what happens and who is involved.’

  Hawker frowned. ‘You are playing a dangerous game, young man. I could not describe spying on folk as the most Christian of pastimes. And it could be dangerous. Don’t you think you should leave?’

  ‘I am sorry, Reverend, but I don’t. Apart from anything else, I am concerned about the safety of Emma and even, perhaps, the doctor, for they have been linked to me recently. I want to be here to protect them if anything happens.’

  ‘I see. But I fail to understand how I come into this. Pray explain.’

  ‘Of course, yes. I am most concerned about Captain Cunningham, for I know he has told deliberate lies recently. He sees me as an enemy and his men will be combing the coast and the moor looking for me. So I must remain under cover, stealing out probably at night.’

  ‘Under cover? Where?’

  ‘Mr Hawker, the last place they would look for me would be in your little hut-cave, whatever you call it, here on the cliff. Would you allow me to hide in there, for, say, the next two weeks? I have some food for the next few days but would appreciate it if I could buy some sustenance from you after that. But Mrs Hawker and your servants should not know I am there.’

  The frown on the vicar’s face gradually merged into a slow smile.

  ‘What a shame,’ he said, ‘that we don’t have a pond or river with bulrushes. You could emulate Moses there and we could replay what I have always considered to be one of the most exciting stories in the Bible.’

  Joshua grinned. ‘I fear I might catch cold, with winter coming on. But do you think you could help me in the way I have described?’

  The vicar thought for a moment. ‘You mentioned sanctuary and I suppose I must regard your request as seeking that. In that case, I certainly cannot turn you away. But, my dear fellow, do be careful in whatever it is you are planning. You must not bring disgrace or harm to this little community.’

  ‘I fear that evil already exists here, sir. But the last thing I would want is to extend it. I will be most careful, I promise.’

  ‘Very well. There is precious little room in my outdoor study and you might find the smell of opium to offend your nostrils – ah no, you told me that you had inhaled in the East, so that should be no problem. But it can be frightfully cold in there at night, I would think …’

  ‘Emma has given me two good blankets, sir.’

  ‘Very well. You may take over my little cave, but not for ever. It would be unfair to deny its use to me for longer than, say, three weeks. Would that be fair?’

  ‘Very fair, sir. I promise to leave it at the end of three weeks, if not before.’

  ‘Now you wish me to conceal your presence there from my servants and even my wife?’

  ‘I am afraid so, sir. If the word got out, the Preventers would be swarming down here within minutes. I promise you that.’

  Hawker ran his hand through his thinning hair. ‘Well, I have to confess that I don’t like the underhandedness of it all. I cannot be asked to lie on your behalf. That would be going against my principles – you understand?’

  ‘Of course, sir. All I would ask is that if you have to tell anyone, you let me know to give me time to get away. Oh, by the way, may I graze this pony – it is Emma’s – with yours? I am told he will graze on grassland.’

  ‘Not necessary. He can be stabled with mine. There is room and only I go there.’

  ‘Thank you very much, sir. I am truly grateful.’

  ‘I shall pray for you, Joshua. And you, of course, must say your prayers every night. I hope you do.’

  ‘Of course, sir. Every night.’

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The Reverend Hawker was right, the hut-cave was damned cold, confining and, all in all extremely uncomfortable for anyone who was not a hardened opium smoker. Joshua shivered and squirmed inside it, trying to find a position that didn’t induce cramp. As he lay contemplating his future, he could not but come to the conclusion that he was a fool for staying on in this Cornish–Devon corner, hanging like some seabird on this precipitous cliff face. Why hadn’t he taken to his heels immediately after the enquiry to find his fiancée in distant Dover and demand to know why she hadn’t written to him?

  He knew the answer, of course. He was in love with this young woman, half-Romany, half-respectable doctor’s daughter, who taunted him with her sexuality and stirred his admiration for her courage. He had undoubtedly kicked a hornet’s nest in these two villages, Hartland Quay and Morwenstow, and she had become linked to him. He could not walk away and leave her to the mercy of Cunningham and his Preventers – and whoever else was involved in the criminal acts that he was convinced lay under the seeming rural domesticity of both places. There would be time to confront Mary when all this had been brought to an end.

  In the meantime, as he pulled both blankets up to his chin, he was cold. Hadn’t he been impetuously foolish to hide away and hope to unravel some of the mysteries of this bleak coast by springing out from his eyrie and catching the wrongdoers in the act? Which posed the question: what act? Presumably smuggling, for both villages had been under too much public scrutiny recently to allow a landing to take place. But the smugglers earned their real living by slipping in contraband. They must be needing a landing about now, he pondered.

  He stayed in the reverend’s ‘outdoor study’ for three days, only leaving it to scramble up and down the cliff at Morwenstow as the light faded each day. Just as what was left of The Lucy was fast disappearing, he hoped that if there was a hue and cry for him, it would have abated by the fourth day. In any case, he was too bored and uncomfortable to stay in the hut any longer.

  As dusk was falling, then, on that fourth day, he saddled up the little pony and set him out on the clifftop path to Hartland, taking a detour inland for a while to avoid meeting anyone on the path.

  By circuitous route and in semi-darkness he found his way to the hanging tree. Cautiously, tying the reins to a sturdy bush, he approached the tree – and was startled almost out of his life when Rowena suddenly materialised from behind it.

  She threw herself into his arms. ‘I’ve been so worried,’ she said, her face white in the moonlight, ‘because you said you would leave a message every third night and this is the fourth night since you left – and nothing. Are you all right?’

  Josh nodded and disentangled her arms from around his neck – and it fleetingly occurred to him that he seemed to have spent much of the last month doing just that.

  ‘No, I am fine, thank you. Did anyone see you come this way?’

  ‘I am sure not. I was very careful and walked here, looking behind me all the way. Where are you hiding, then?’

  He told her. She grinned. ‘Very clever. No one would look for you there.’

  ‘Well, it is damnably uncomfortable. But do you have any news for me?’

  She nodded, looked around her and then drew him into the bushes that fringed the path. ‘Yes, well, I think so. You seem to have an instinct for knowing something is going to happ
en. How do you do it?’

  ‘I don’t know, just an intimation. But for goodness’ sake tell me. What is afoot?’

  ‘Well, I can’t be sure, but I think there is going to be a landing.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  She hesitated, looking at the ground, then lifted her eyes to look into his. ‘I am sorry, Josh, but I don’t think I can tell you that and I can’t be sure, but I think it will be tomorrow night at about midnight. And at the quay.’

  ‘Ah! Splendid.’

  She seized his arm. ‘What do you propose to do? It would be terribly dangerous to try and interfere with it – and you mustn’t tell the Preventers, for there could be violence if you do.’

  He grinned. ‘They would be the last people I would tell. No. Don’t worry. I just want to observe what goes on and, particularly, note who is in charge of the landing – who is leading the smugglers, if you like.’

  A silence fell between them for a moment and Josh resisted the desire to take her in his arms and cover her frowning face with kisses.

  ‘And then what will you do?’ she asked.

  ‘To be honest, I don’t really know. I just know that I have to find out who is behind this smuggling ring – and, well, see what ramifications there could be …’ He finished lamely and felt distinctly uncomfortable to confess that he had not the faintest idea what he would do next.

  ‘I want to be with you, then.’

  ‘Oh no. I am sorry, Rowena, but I couldn’t allow that.’

  ‘Why not? It is I who gave you the information. And, anyway, you can’t stop me creeping up to look at what is going on.’

  Josh frowned. He remembered he had prompted her to ‘be nice’ to Tom Pengelly. Presumably he was her source – and he felt, ashamedly and ridiculously, jealous. He cleared his throat gruffly. ‘Very well, then. Is there a place we can perhaps look down on the quay without being seen?’