“And he didn’t marry again.”
She gazed at the picture. I could not understand the expression in her eyes.
She shook her head firmly. “It would have been the best thing,” she said. “The right thing…”
“Well,” said my mother. “It has all worked out very well. You look after them beautifully.”
“I do my best. If we take this staircase we come to the upper rooms.”
There were several bedrooms—one in which Charles I slept during the Civil War.
It was an interesting morning.
Our visit, which was to be of a week’s duration, was nearly over. During the day a strong wind blew up and by the evening it had become a gale.
We had heard them speak of the ferocity of the gales and during the morning my mother and I had gone into Poldown.
It was a charming place with the small river cutting the little town in half, so there were East and West Poldown.
In the harbor the fishing boats were tethered; they were bobbing up and down because of the rising wind. The Saucy Jane, The Mary Ann, The Beatrice, and Wonder Girl.
“Why,” I asked my mother, “are boats feminine?”
“Not all,” she answered. “Look. There’s The Jolly Roger.”
Seated on the stones the fishermen were mending their nets; overhead the gulls screeched, swooped, and rose again; the wind caught at our skirts and pulled at our hair.
Although we had been here such a short time, some of the inhabitants of Poldown seemed to know us. I had heard us referred to as “They folk up to Tregarland’s.” We walked through what was a sort of high street with shops on either side in which were displayed souvenirs…shells, ashtrays with “Poldown” printed on them, crockery, glassware, and little figures of strange creatures which I understood were piskies. There were buckets, spades, nets, and swimming gear. A smell of baking bread and cooking pervaded the air. We saw Cornish pasties and cakes for sale. It was a busy little place.
We bought a few things for the sheer pleasure of hearing the people speak.
“How be enjoying Poldown?” we were asked.
We told them very much.
“Ah, it be grand up there in the big house, certain sure. There be a real gale working up. I wouldn’t want to be out on the sea as it’ll be tonight…not for a farm, I wouldn’t. Old Nick himself ’ull be out there, looking for them as ’ull keep his fires going.”
We listened and thought it was all very quaint. Then we walked back to the house. It was hard going uphill against the wind which was blowing in from the south-west, and we were quite breathless when we reached the house.
Matilda said: “I’m glad you’re back. It’s no day to be out. I was afraid you might be blown off the cliff.”
That night we heard the full force of the gale. I looked down from my window on a sea which had become a seething torrent. The waves rose high and flung themselves against the house with such fury that I felt it might be battered to pieces. I could not believe that this raging fury was the same sea which a few days before had been so calm and pellucid…reflecting an azure blue sky. It was possessed of a maniacal anger and seemed intent on destruction.
I could not sleep. I lay listening to it and it was not until the dawn came that it started to abate.
The first thing I noticed when I awoke was that the wind had dropped. I went to the window. There were still frothy white horses riding the waves and I saw debris on the shore—broken pieces of wood and seaweed.
I dressed and went into Dorabella’s room.
“What a night!” she said. “I thought it was going to blow the house away.”
“We’ve now experienced one of the gales which they are always talking about.”
“It’s all right now, though. Dermot is going to take me into Plymouth today…for a special reason.” She looked a little arch.
“Ah,” I said. “The ring. Is that it?”
“How did you guess?”
“You know I always guess your thoughts. I detect that acquisitive look.”
“Our engagement ring! Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Yes,” I said. “Life can be wonderful.”
“What will you do?”
“I’d rather like to go for a ride this afternoon.”
“With whom?”
“I rather fancy my own company.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“Yes. I would like to take dear old Starlight. That’s her name, isn’t it?”
“You mean the chestnut mare?”
“Yes. I like her and I don’t think she is averse to me.”
“I daresay no one will object.”
I did not think they would, either.
We breakfasted at odd times so that we could have it at our convenience to fit in with our plans.
My mother and I went down to the town in the morning. We saw that some of the fishing boats had broken their moorings and had drifted out to sea.
“These October gales can be something cruel,” Miss Polgenny, who ran the wool shop, told us. “We had warnings enough, I will say. Sometimes there be none. That can be terrible, I can tell ’ee. Why, Tommy Yeo was lost out there…him and his brother Billy. ’Twas said that they did meet parson on the way to the boats. Everyone do know that to see a parson before you sail be unlucky.”
My mother and I exchanged a glance. We should take a long time to learn all that must be done to escape the forces of evil.
My mother was buying some wool and Miss Polgenny gave her attention to that.
“ ’Twas three ply then, was it? And what a pretty color. You be going to enjoy work on that.”
She put the wool into a bag. I leaned forward to take it and in doing so dropped my glove. I stooped and picked it up.
“Oh,” said Miss Polgenny, looking at me with horror. “ ’Ee shouldn’t ’a done that. That means a disappointment before the end of the day.”
“What should I have done?” I asked.
“You should ’a left it there, me dear—and let someone else pick it up.”
“What sort of disappointment?” I asked.
“ ’Twill be someone you’ll meet and maybe ’twere better you didn’t. Now, if someone had picked it up for ’ee…that would have meant it would be someone it would be good for ’ee to meet.”
“Can we go back and do it again?”
“Oh, no, me dear. The die be cast. ’Tis done and there be no going back.”
My mother and I were laughing as we came out of the shop.
I said: “They must be constantly on their guard for fear of upsetting those influences which decide their fate.”
“Do you think they really take it seriously?”
“Deadly so.”
We went back to the house and lunched with Matilda alone. Dermot and Dorabella had gone to Plymouth and would be lunching there, and my father had gone off with Gordon to look at some damage which had been done to one of the gates on the home farm.
“What shall you do this afternoon?” asked my mother, and I told her I should either take a walk or a ride.
“Don’t bother about coming with me. I’m quite happy to go alone.”
“Well, we’ll meet later on.”
I decided to ride. I enjoyed ambling along through the narrow winding lane with little danger of getting lost because once one found the sea one knew where one was.
I went to the stables. One of the grooms came out at once.
“You be wanting Starlight, Miss?” he asked.
“Yes, please. I thought I’d take her for a short ride.”
“She’ll like that. Get on well with ’er, do ’ee, Miss? Her’s a good little creature, that ’un.”
“Yes. I like her very much.”
“I’ll get her ready for ’ee if you give me a minute.”