From Across the Ancient Waters

by Michael Phillips

  Mistress Chattan continued to do a brisk trade on the reputation of her ale.

  Madame Fleming had not made closer approach to the Bible that sat with the books on her bookshelves. She kept it almost as a talisman to insure that no aspect of the spiritual and occult was omitted from her repertoire of hidden knowledge. In truth, she was a little afraid of it. She had not opened it in fifty years. But she was terrified at the thought of discarding it. With every year that passed her soul grew darker.

  When things were put back in order, Grannie eventually returned to her cottage in the village. She still sensed that her end was near.

  Codnor Barrie made slates and prospered in the greatest commodity of life, his own character.

  Rhawn Lorimer, who had not paid sufficient attention to the growth of her character, continued to decline. The soil was being tilled, however, in preparation for that greatest of all invisible seed-birthings deep within the human garden. She gave birth to a baby boy. Though speculation ran rampant about whom the father might be, none was man enough to step forward to claim either a wife or a son. She remained under the roof of her parents. The magistrate and his wife were mortified at the disgrace that had befallen them.

  At Westbrooke Manor, Roderick Westbrooke, viscount Lord Snowdon, completed his stables but quickly grew restless again. His dream of racing horses withered for lack of funds. His wife remained unwilling to finance the venture. Her tenderness toward her husband grew as she observed many changes that seemed taking place within him, including an increased attentiveness toward the people of the region and a new warmth and affection toward her. Neverheless, she did not feel it right to allow him to squander money on vain pursuits like yachts and race horses. It would do him no good to pamper such indulgences.

  She had always known that he was running away from something, that there were memories haunting him from his life before she knew him. She had sensed it even when, as a young woman, she had fallen in love with the sensitive and quiet Welsh aristocrat eight years her senior. His grandiose schemes through the years, she was certain, were but attempts to flee from that past. She hoped that his new awareness and tenderness toward those around him signaled that at last he was finding the peace within himself that had so long eluded him.

  Meanwhile, Katherine Westbrooke, like her brother and sister–in–law, continued to read every new book released from the pen of the Scotsman. Her recent readings had included the otherworldly tale At the Back of the North Wind and a new fantasy called The Princess and the Goblin.

  The viscount and his wife took to visiting a few of the villagers. They also rekindled their love of riding together in the hills. On one such ride, the viscount led his wife to the cottage he had visited with Percy and introduced Katherine to Mrs. Muir and young Stevie. A warm and unexpected friendship sprouted between Katherine and Adela Muir, with whom Lady Snowdon began sharing her MacDonald books. The two women found within one another kindred spirits of the heart that completely transcended differences of station.

  The viscount also took to walking in the village, visiting with the villagers as he went, even enjoying an occasional pint of Mistress Chattan’s ale. More and more in consequence his wife accompanied him to town and visited the shops and made as many of her purchases for the manor as she was able to from them.

  Courtenay Westbrooke returned to Oxford. His studies interested him less and less. He managed to struggle through another year. As he began his fourth year in the fall of 1871, however, knowledgeable parties questioned how much longer he would last.

  In the hills, Stevie Muir tended his sheep and other animals, cared for his mother, took seconds in the next two shearing contests, and was touted as the young man to watch in coming years. In consequence of their occasional visits, both Lord and Lady Snowdon took a liking and developed a great fondness for Stevie’s gentle spirit. The viscount was especially taken with his skill with animals. The result was the offer of a job at the manor—for two days a week only owing to the distance he had to travel and the extra work required in the matter of his own animals—as an assistant and apprentice to Hollin Radnor, whose step had begun to slow.

  At Burrenchobay Hall, unable to land the Scot of her dreams, young Davina Burrenchobay was now engaged to the eldest son of Baronet Rasmussen of Blaenau Ffestiniog, a devilishly good-looking youth of twenty-two years, rich and as full of himself as Davina was of herself and destined for triumphant mediocrity in all things to which he set his hand.

  Not much was heard about Colville Burrenchobay. He was still unmarried, though rumors about his entanglements continued. He returned to university, graduated without distinction, and had taken to traveling a good deal.

  Young Ainsworth Burrenchobay took his brother’s place in the gossip registers, was reportedly even better with a gun and with young women than his brother, and was preparing to enter Cambridge. To what purpose, however, would have been interesting to inquire.

  Rupert Wilkes, the occasional visitor to Mistress Chattan’s inn, was still no nearer the discovery of the treasure of Dolau Cothi.

  And on the moor rising behind the village, Gwyneth Barrie took care of her father, Grannie, and her animals, in that order, while continuing to work three days a week at Westbrooke Manor. Her outward growth continued, albeit slowly. If she would never attain the stature of her peers, her late start had the advantage of keeping her adding an inch a year long after most of them had reached their final height. In that far more important kind of growth, that of inner stature, the life of grace and quiet peace within her continued to deepen and expand, adding not mere inches but cubits to her character.

  Walking in Llanfryniog one day, the viscount saw approaching him a young woman of indeterminate age. She was short enough to be a child, but her countenance and the features of her face were those of a woman. He was arrested by the sight.

  He grew more transfixed as she came closer. His steps came to a halt. He continued to stare at the face and snowy white hair as she walked toward him.

  Slowly his face went pale. It was almost as if … but it could not be … not here! He shook his head, as if trying to wake from a dream as she stopped in front of him.

  “Good morning, Lord Snowdon,” she said sweetly.

  The voice brought him once more awake to the present. But the smile that accompanied it nearly undid what little equanimity remained in the man’s carriage. “Yes, uh … hello, er … what are, I mean … “He fumbled, as if he were the stutterer and she some princess that had stepped out of his dreams—as well she might be. “You, uh … I believe … that is, I know you, don’t I? Your face is unaccountably familiar.”

  “Yes, sir,” smiled Gwyneth. “I work for you, at the manor, Lord Snowdon. For your wife and daughter, that is.”

  “Ah, yes, of course … that explains it,” he said. His voice revealed profound relief. “For a moment my brain was playing tricks on me. I knew there had to be some reason why … that is—but it is not important. So how are you this fine day?”

  “Well, sir … very well.”

  “You are not working today?”

  “No, sir. I work three days a week.”

  “Ah, right … I see … very good, then. What is your name, young lady?”

  “Gwyneth Barrie, Lord Snowdon.”

  “Barrie … ah, right. Capital! Barrie, is it, then?” he replied. Again he appeared relieved. “Well then, Miss Barrie, good day to you.” The two parted, though the viscount glanced back a time or two as he continued down the street.

  Gwyneth stood staring after him for a few moments. She had found the interview almost as strange as he found it unnerving.

  For days after, the incident haunted Roderick Westbrooke.

  From his factor he discovered what he could about the name and learned all he could about Codnor Barrie, the girl’s father. Barrie was a local man who had gone to Ireland seeking work as a young man. No one knew other than that when he returned to his native Snowdonia some years later, he had a daughter wi
th him. It was rumored that the girl’s mother had been tragically lost at sea, but no one knew more than that. There had at one time been suspicions about the girl, Heygate added, associating her with nature’s darker side, rumors that had possibly originated with an old woman in the village, Barrie’s great-aunt. They had largely died down in recent years, the factor said. No one had any charge to bring against any of the three.

  The viscount took in the information with interest. Eventually came a day when he knew he must pay a confidential visit to the Barrie home.

  All this time, Florilyn Westbrooke grew quieter, if possible more beautiful and stately. She seemed oddly content with the domestic life of the manor. She took on the increasing countenance of a woman, resembling her mother more and more. She mixed with the maids and staff far more than she ever had early in her life, even helping them with their duties from time to time.

  The relationship between her and Gwyneth blossomed into a full, rich friendship, such as only two young women can share. That they once loved the same young man—the one openly, the other secretively—in no way interferred with their friendship. Their affection for one another was too selfless to let anything come between them, even a man.

  The alternate days when Gwyneth did not come to the manor seemed drab and dull to Florilyn. The tedium had this benefit, however, that those were the days she learned for the first time in her life to love books. Many afternoons found her in the library. She had even begun to discover the stories of MacDonald, a fact that delighted her mother and gave mother and daughter endless opportunity for lively talk together.

  In Aberdeen, meanwhile, after a rewarding remainder of the summer of 1870 tutoring two young boys, Percival Drummond was soon caught up again in his university studies. By the end of the school term, he and his father had all but settled on law as the profession most suited to his temperament and interests. When an opportunity arose the following summer to apprentice as a clerk in one of Abereen’s prestigious law firms, he leaped at the chance to get a foot into the door of the legal community of Scotland.

  Thus it was, as before, that he was prevented from returning to Wales as soon as he might have liked. The same position was made available again the following year, his Semi and Tertian terms behind him as he prepared to embark on his fourth and final Magistrand year at the university. But, he told the solicitor who had taken such an interest in him, he could not let the summer pass without a visit to Wales. If it meant giving up the opportunity, it was a price he would have to pay. There were friends he simply had to see, and one or two personal situations he had to resolve in his own mind, before any more time went by.

  The man understood. He said his post would be waiting for him when he returned.

  And so it was, in late June of 1872, after three weeks with his parents in Glasgow, that once again Percival Drummond prepared to travel south to Wales for a visit of undetermined length.

  For reasons of his own, he told no one in Llanfryniog of his plans.

  SIXTY-EIGHT

  Inns, Anvils, and Special Places

  Percy Drummond again returned to North Wales by train, followed by the southbound coach to the small coastal village of Llanfryniog on Tremadog Bay.

  Three years in the university were behind him. At the age of twenty-one he was preparing to embark on a career in law. It was his hope to follow in the footsteps of his father, though with different letters behind his name and through distinctive professional means but with the same end in view—to open the eyes of his fellows to the love of their Father-Creator.

  A flooded stream caused several hours’ delay in his journey. Wales, like his homeland farther north, could have weather any time of the year!

  By the time he arrived in Llanfryniog, the afternoon was well advanced toward evening. He could walk to the manor and easily be there in time for dinner. One of the reasons he had decided to come unannounced, however, and had enjoined his parents to hint at nothing by letter, was in hopes of getting the lay of the land, as it were, with regard to how things stood in the community. If there was information it would be well for him to possess, he hoped he might get wind of it at the inn or with a visit either to Grannie or Chandos Gwarthegydd.

  He chastised himself the entire journey for not keeping in closer touch with those he loved. But his studies and apprenticeship at the law firm had proved so demanding that even the deep spiritual correspondence with his father, which he treasured, had suffered. And he still had at least two, perhaps three more years ahead of him before certification as a solicitor would be possible.

  In spite of this, however, he had in recent months begun to ponder and pray about his personal future, not merely his professional career. With such thoughts making themselves more importune on his heart, how could Wales not beckon him again? He knew this was where that personal future must begin. He had not been in a position to declare himself openly before. It would still be a good while before he would be capable of supporting a wife and family. But at last he was ready to begin making plans, even if still distantly … if she would have him. Before that, however, he must know how things stood.

  He walked into the inn with his bags, wondering if he would be recognized. He now stood a full inch over six feet, with all the features of a man, lanky but filled out in shoulders and chest, his face showing strong lines above a firm chin, with a forehead overlooking both that spoke of wisdom developing behind it. If anything, his brown hair had lightened a shade and was full and thick as it fell around his ears. His smile was just as eager to brighten a room and his laughter no less spontaneous, though perhaps slightly more bass when it exploded from his mouth. His eyes were the same hazel, but their visage shown with a far-seeing light that had only been foreshadowed in his youth but whose potential was now becoming fully realized in his young manhood. His study of law and justice, along with mercy, had done much to deepen the intensity of his eyes.

  A few heads glanced toward the door as he entered. Most paid him little heed. In truth he only recognized about half the men gathered for their late afternoon pint. But Mistress Chattan knew every customer who walked through the doors of her establishment, if not by name certainly by sight. And Percy had been in often enough that, notwithstanding the changes that had taken place upon his outer man, she knew him instantly. “Well, young Drummond,” she said. “You’re back, are you?”

  “Hello, Mistress Chattan,” said Percy with a smile. “I don’t suppose there’s any slipping into town unrecognized by you!”

  “I heard nothing about your coming.”

  “No one knew.”

  “You didn’t let those up at the manor know?” Percy shook his head.

  Mistress Chattan nodded with significant expression but revealed nothing.

  “Why …?” said Percy slowly. “Is there something I should know?”

  “Nothing to speak of. Nothing for me to speak of. So you don’t know about your cousin?”

  “Florilyn?”

  “The young man—Master Courtenay.”

  “No, what about him?”

  “Came home from the university in midyear. There was talk of a scandal. Expelled is what I heard.”

  “What is he doing?”

  “The same thing rich young men always do, sponging off his father waiting until his time comes to inherit.”

  “He will have a long wait!” laughed Percy.

  “Not as long as most young men in his position,” said Mistress Chattan in a cryptic tone.

  “How do you mean?”

  “Just that his father’s older than most fathers of twenty-three-year-olds.”

  “Ah, I see … but not that old. My uncle is still in the prime of his life.”

  “It all depends on what you mean by the prime of life,” remarked Mistress Chattan. “I’ll warrant you’ll notice more gray on his crown than you expect. And his shoulders are starting to sag. He’s not far off from sixty, I’m thinking.”

  “What are you talking about!” laughed Percy. �
��My own father is only forty-five.”

  “That’s as well may be,” rejoined the innkeeper. “But I’m telling you that Lord Snowdon is nearly old enough to be your grandfather rather than your uncle.”

  She paused, glanced about, then leaned over the bar separating them and reached out with a fleshy hand and pulled Percy toward her. “You do know, don’t you?” she whispered in a conspiratorial tone.

  “Know what?”

  “About your uncle’s past.”

  “No, what about it?” said Percy, unconsciously lowering his voice in response to Mistress Chattan’s suddenly peculiar manner.

  “Just that the sins of the fathers follow the sons, as the Book says.”

  “What sins? What are you talking about?”

  “Sins of the flesh, young Drummond. What other kinds of sins do young men commit? There was another woman … before your aunt.”

  “You have been drinking too much of your own ale, Mistress Chattan,” said Percy, though suddenly he felt very cold.

  “I’m only telling you what they say, though I never laid eyes on her,” the woman went on. “No one around here ever laid eyes on her, for it wasn’t here that it happened. Across the sea, they say. When he came back, he was lovesick but alone. There was a child, they say. Now do you see why I say that the sins of the sons follow the sins of the fathers?”

  “Why are you telling me all this, Mistress Chattan?” asked Percy. “Not that I believe a word of it,” he added with a laugh that betrayed more anxiety than humor. “You are the most tight-lipped woman in Llanfryniog. Why suddenly confide in me?”

  “I don’t know, young Drummond. Maybe because I like you. Maybe because your fortunes may be more linked to that family on the hill than you realize, and you ought to know who you are involved with. Someone ought to know the truth because none of them do except the man himself, and he’ll never tell. Maybe because I figure that you will do right by me one day. Maybe because I’ve taken a liking to the old blighter since he began coming around. Maybe because I figure he deserves a better friend watching over him than that no-good son of his. I don’t know why I told you, young Drummond. There’s your answer.”