‘What was it caused her to admit Perys wasn’t the baby’s father? I doubt if it would have been an offer of marriage from poor Esau.’
Again it was Harriet who gave her a reply. ‘As you know, Master Perys was up at Heligan House. When he heard from Polly what Eliza was saying about him he went straight down to Mevagissey to see her and get things sorted. He did, too. Since then Eliza has been at great pains to tell folk that Perys had nothing at all to do with the baby she’s expecting.’
‘I’ve never really believed he did,’ Annie said, ‘not in my heart of hearts. But you saw him kissing her, Pa, so he certainly had more to do with her than he wanted us to know about.’
Walter suddenly appeared ill-at-ease and Harriet said, ‘He explained that to us, Annie. When Eliza stopped him in the driveway up at Heligan, the time our Martin saw them, it seemed she was asking him to find out something for her. He did what she asked and when he met up with her to tell her what she wanted to know, she kissed him. He said it took him by surprise at the time. Your pa agreed that when he thought about it, that is what happened. She kissed him, and not the other way around.
As Harriet spoke, Annie was looking at her father in increasing disbelief. ‘But Pa . . . you said you saw them kissing. You made it sound as though they were kissing each other.’
‘Ah . . . well . . . I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I had to admit to Master Perys that it happened just the way he said it did.’
Annie was very close to tears. ‘How could you have led me to believe what you did. Pa? Everything I’ve done since then has been because of what you told me. I even went to the Rowe farm so I wouldn’t have to meet Perys again. He must be so hurt by the way I’ve behaved towards him. How could you do such a thing?’
‘You mustn’t take on so about it, girl. It’s all turned out for the best. If things had carried on the way they were you’d have been the one who would have ended up hurt. It’s much better for you to settle down with a nice young man like Jimmy. Someone who’ll have his own farm one day.’
‘What makes you think I want to be a farmer’s wife? What makes you think I want Jimmy?’ Annie began putting on the coat she had taken off only a few minutes before.
Alarmed, Harriet said, ‘What are you doing, child? Where do you think you’re going?’
‘To Heligan. To tell Perys I’m sorry for the way I’ve behaved and to explain why I wasn’t here to meet him when he called.’
‘Now you just stop there. I’ll not have you running off after someone who lives up at the big house . . .’
Walter started up from his chair, but he suffered from arthritic knees and was slow in his movements, while Annie was young and determined. She was running out of the farmyard by the time he reached the farmhouse door and his shouted demands that she ‘Come back!’ did nothing to slow her.
At Heligan House, the housekeeper was frostily disapproving when Annie called at the front door and asked to speak to Perys.
‘Master Perys is not here,’ she said, acidly. The door would have been closed in Annie’s face had she not asked, ‘Can you tell me when you are expecting him to be back?’
‘I doubt if he has any reason to return to Heligan. He has gone off to London again, to join the Royal Flying Corps.’
The housekeeper’s statement dismayed Annie, but before she could ask for his London address, the door had closed. There was nothing Annie could do except leave and make her way home.
She had hardly passed out of sight of the house when a figure emerged from a shrub-lined path at the side of the driveway. It was Polly.
‘I saw you from an upstairs window,’ the maid said by way of explanation for her presence. ‘I thought you might be looking for me.’ Suddenly fearful, she asked, hesitantly, ‘It’s not . . . it’s nothing to do with Martin . . . ?’
‘No, Polly, it has nothing to do with Martin,’ Annie hastened to reassure her future sister-in- law. ‘I came here hoping to speak to Perys, but I’m told he’s gone back to London.’
‘He went back this morning,’ Polly confirmed. ‘He was very unhappy, Annie. He came all this way specially to see you. When he heard you’d gone off to stay with Jimmy’s family and that you were going to marry him, he was very upset. He was able to sort Eliza out - and rumour has it that he laid into Esau too - but it was you he’d come to Heligan to see. He told me yesterday there was nothing at Heligan for him now. He’s gone back to London, but he’s not going to be there for long. He’s a pilot now and he’ll be in the RFC, same as Martin, as soon as Christmas is over.’
‘He’s passed his pilot’s exam? Oh, Polly, why hasn’t he written to tell me what he’s been doing? None of this mess would have happened if he had.’
Polly showed her surprise. ‘But he has written, Annie. He told me so himself. He wasn’t quite sure whether there were four or five letters, but he was definite about writing and I don’t think he was lying.’
‘No . . .’ there was a break in Annie’s voice. ‘No, Polly, I don’t think he was . . .’
When Annie arrived back at Tregassick Farm it was already dark and both her parents were once more in the kitchen.
Harriet was the first to speak. ‘You shouldn’t have run off like that, Annie. It upset us - your pa in particular.’
‘I was upset too,’ Annie retorted. ‘I still am. Perys has gone back to London. He’ll be in the RFC immediately after Christmas and he’ll go to war thinking I’m going to marry Jimmy.’
‘That’ll be best for everyone,’ Walter said. ‘Jimmy’ll make a good husband. No good could possibly come from you throwing yourself at the likes of Perys Tremayne.’
‘How would you know?’ Annie demanded angrily. ‘Would it be because you’ve read the letters Perys sent but that never reached me?’
‘Annie! How dare you accuse your pa of doing something like that? You just say you’re sorry - this minute!’
‘Well, someone has the letters and I’ll find out who it is by checking with Postmaster Gilbert tomorrow.’
Before Harriet could say anything more, Walter said, ‘There’ll be no need for that. Yes, I took the letters because I guessed who they were from, but I didn’t read any of ’em. They’re upstairs locked in the deed box, still unopened.’
‘Walter’ This from a shocked Harriet. ‘I’d have staked my life against you doing anything like that. It’s . . . why, it’s unforgivable!’
‘I thought it was for the best,’ Walter said, not meeting his wife’s shocked look. ‘After what I’d seen going on between him and Eliza Dunn.’
‘After what you thought you saw,’ Annie said, tearfully. ‘Or was it what you wanted to see? It seems to me Eliza didn’t need to spread any lies about Perys - you’ve done a good enough job of it for her.’
‘I’ve told you, I did what I thought was best for you.’ Walter repeated, doggedly, well aware he was in the wrong.
‘I’ll never, ever trust your judgement again!’ Tears were running down Annie’s cheeks now. ‘I’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done, either. Perys came all this way especially to see me, now he’s gone back believing I’m to marry Jimmy. Jimmy’s family think so too . . .’ Trying hard to maintain control of her voice, she said, ‘I’ll have my letters now and go off to my bedroom to read them. I don’t want to have to look at you any more.’
Walter took a key from one of the pockets in his waistcoat and handed it to her, saying, ‘You know where the box is kept.’ The guilt he felt made him speak far more gruffly than he intended.
When Annie had left the room, Harriet rounded on her husband. ‘Walter Bray, we’ve been married for a very long time and I felt I knew you. I never thought the day would come when you would behave in such an underhand and dishonest way - and towards your own daughter, too. I’m thoroughly ashamed of you.’
Harriet rarely showed anger, and on the infrequent occasions when there had been a difference of opinion within the family, she had invariably taken her husband’s part. Her strong criticism
of him on this occasion increased the misery that gripped him now.
In truth, the decision to keep Perys’s first letter from Annie had been taken on the spur of the moment. He never expected there to be more than one. But having kept the first he felt that subsequent letters might have referred to earlier ones, thus causing questions to be asked about them. However, despite his decision, he could not bring himself to destroy the letters. They had gone into the deed box, for which he held the only key.
‘I did what I thought was best for our Annie,’ he said, miserably. ‘I didn’t want her getting hurt by someone who was just out to have a bit of fun with her.’
‘So you decided you'd be the one to hurt her,’ Harriet commented. ‘It’s going to take our Annie a very long time to forgive you. It’s going to take me a while too, even though I think I understand why you did it. Not that I agree with you. You should have said something to me before deciding on such a thing. You’ve split this family as nothing ever has before, Walter Bray.’
Rising to his feet, Walter said unhappily, ‘I’ve got animals to bed down for the night. I’ll be back in for supper.’
‘You’d better hope there’ll be some on the table for you,’ Harriet said, unfeelingly. ‘I’ll be going up to see our Annie between now and then. She’ll need some comforting, I’ve no doubt.’
Harriet waited for a full half-hour before going upstairs. A ribbon of pale light shone from the gap beneath Annie’s bedroom door, but when she knocked there was no reply.
Knocking again, Harriet said, ‘It’s me, Annie. Can I come in?’
When there was still no reply, Harriet lifted the catch and pushed open the door. The lamp was turned low and Annie was lying fully clothed on the iron-framed single bed, her face turned to the wall.
‘Annie, my love, you shouldn’t be up here on your own like this. Come down to the kitchen and we’ll have a talk, just you and me. Your pa is out in the yard. He’ll be there until supper time.’
Annie made no reply. Unhappy to see her daughter so distraught, Harriet sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair, something she had often done on the occasions when Annie was ill as a small girl.
‘What your pa did was wrong, girl, very wrong, but he thought he was doing it for the best. He’ll likely be proven right in the end. Young Master Perys is a Tremayne. He’s none the worse for that, but when it comes to choosing a wife he’ll be looking among the wealthy families in the county. Gentlemen only look to young country girls for what they can get from them. A bit of fun, that’s all you’d be to him. Your pa and I have seen it all before, Annie, too many times. We both want more for you than that.’
Annie shifted on the bed. Turning a tear-stained face up to her mother she thrust a bundle of letters at her. ‘Read these. Take them down to the kitchen and when you’ve read them make him read them. When you’ve both done you can come back up here and tell me that what he’s done is for the best. Until then, I just want to be left alone.’
Chapter 34
When Walter returned to the house later that evening there was no smell of cooking in the air. He entered the kitchen and found Harriet huddled on a chair beside the window. Five letters were scattered on the table beside her.
‘What’s going on?’ he demanded. ‘Have I upset everyone so much I’m to be starved?’
When Harriet looked up, her eyes were red-rimmed and watery. ‘I’m sorry, Walter, I just didn’t feel like cooking. Sit down and get warmed up. I’ll put a pasty in the oven and make up the fire - it won’t take long.’
Pointing to the sheets of paper on the table, he asked, ‘Are those Annie’s letters?’
Harriet nodded, unhappily. ‘She wanted us to read them. I already have. You can look at them while you’re waiting for your supper. In the meantime. I’ll make you a cup of tea.’
‘I don’t want to read no letters from that young man!’ Walter spoke emphatically. ‘He’s caused enough trouble in this house. Anyway, he’s gone away now. The best thing we can all do is forget about him.’
Harriet shook her head. ‘I doubt we’ve heard the last of him, Walter. As for causing trouble in the house - I think it’s us who’ve done that. Annie certainly thinks so and I’m inclined to agree with her.’
It seemed Walter would continue the argument, but Harriet said, ‘Just read the letters before you say any more. We’ll do any talking that’s needed afterwards.’
Walter’s education had been minimal and he was a very slow reader. He had not completed the first letter by the time a cup of tea was placed on the table in front of him. The tea was still untouched when he finished reading the last.
For some minutes he remained silent, seated with the fingers of his hands locked together on the table in front of him, chin sunk on his chest.
The letters had been an outpouring of Perys’s happiness that Annie had given him a half-promise that she would wait for him. The happiness had changed to concern when he received no reply to any of his letters. The final letter had informed her of his intended visit to Heligan. In this, Perys had spoken of all the arguments that might be used to prevent them from marrying. They were the very arguments that Walter - and Harriet, too - had used to try to convince Annie that nothing could ever result from their relationship.
In this letter Perys had written at some length of the fact that he would never be fully accepted by the family whose name he bore. Because of this he believed his future lay in his own hands. He told her that for the first time in his life he had felt comfortable - at Tregassick Farm, with Annie and her parents.
Finally, Perys had asked Annie if she would consider making the arrangement between them more permanent and public. If she agreed, he would tell his family that he intended marrying Annie as soon as he reached an age when their consent would not be needed. He was aware he was able to offer her little in the way of security immediately, but he felt certain there would be a commercial use for his skills as a pilot once the war was over. He was also convinced they could be very happy together.
It was apparent to anyone reading the letter that it was from a sincere and honest young man who genuinely loved Annie.
Walter Bray did not doubt Perys’s sincerity. Nevertheless, when he spoke, it was to say, ‘He’s too young to know his own mind, Harriet. Why, he’s hardly out of school!’
‘And how old were you when you asked me to marry you, Walter?’ Harriet retorted. ‘He’s old enough to pilot an aeroplane and fight for his country. Not only that, he’s willing to tell the world how he feels about our Annie. That’s why he came to Heligan, all the way from London.’
Walter fell silent again for a long time before saying, ‘Our Annie . . . does she feel the same way about him?’
‘You don’t need me to give you an answer to that question, Walter. Of course she does. That’s what all this fuss is about.’
‘What of Jimmy? He’ll have to be told.’
Tight-lipped, Harriet shook her head. ‘That’s where our interference has caused the biggest problem of all. Annie doesn’t love Jimmy, but she likes him well enough. He’s gone off to France to fight in this war thinking he’s left a girl back home who’ll marry him when he returns. Our Annie won’t disillusion him while he’s out there fighting and likely risking his life every day. She says she’ll wait until he comes back and she’s able to explain it to him face-to-face. I admire her for that, Walter. It makes me very proud of our daughter. Far more proud than I am of you right now for getting her into this mess in the first place.’
Walter was upset, both by his wife’s words and by what he had read in the letter from Perys. ‘What if I go and speak to Jimmy’s folk? Tell them what I’ve done and how she really feels about things?’
Harriet shook her head. ‘We’ve interfered quite enough in our daughter’s future.’ Heaving a big sigh, she added, ‘We’re living in the past, you and I, Walter. When we were Annie’s age we did what our parents told us. They ordered our lives in a way that isn’t acceptable to the you
ng people of today. We must leave this to Annie now. Leave her to do things her way. If she wants our help she’ll ask for it.’
‘And if she doesn’t?’ he asked.
Harriet shrugged. ‘If she doesn’t then we’ll need to stand back and bite our tongues.’
‘That isn’t going to be easy for me to do, Harriet. I care for her far too much.’
‘Be certain she knows that, then step back and leave her to make her own decisions about her life. She’ll make mistakes, as everyone does, no matter what their age, and they’ll hurt us quite as much as they do her. Yet if we interfere again and are proved as wrong as I believe we are over this affair, everyone will be hurt a whole lot more and we might lose our Annie for ever.’ Her expression softened and she gave her husband a sympathetic half-smile. ‘It’s going to be hard for both of us, but we have to accept that our Annie is not a young girl any more, Walter. She’s a woman.’
Chapter 35
For a number of days after his return to London, Perys found it difficult to settle at Maude’s Knightsbridge home. Aware that he was unhappy about something, Maude and her two daughters encouraged him to take part in their preparations for Christmas.
The two girls were still nursing, but France was experiencing atrocious weather, which meant that troops in the opposing armies now faced a common foe. Both were preoccupied with the problem of survival.
Spasmodic fighting still erupted along the network of opposing trenches which extended on a line almost six hundred kilometres long, but no major offensives were planned for the immediate future. As a result, the tidal wave of casualties which had threatened to overwhelm hospitals during the late autumn had slowed to a trickle. Morwenna, Arabella and their friends were able to resume a normal working routine once more.
This Christmas had assumed particular importance to Maude. Morwenna had told her of her acceptance by the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service - the QUAIMNS - fully expecting her mother to be horrified. Instead, Maude told her daughter she was proud of her spirit and courage in wanting to work where she could most help wounded soldiers, regardless of the dangers she would face.
The Lost Years Page 17
