Porthellis

by Porthellis (retail) (epub)

  Daniel didn’t move. It looked as if he wouldn’t be able to talk her into taking a walk along the cliff with him now, but maybe another time. ‘I wouldn’t have taken you for a servant You’re not from Porthellis, are you?’

  ‘No, from Gorran Haven. Do you know it?’

  ‘I’ve been there once or twice. I’ve just walked the cliff path from Porthellis and I’m going back by the road.’ He glanced up at the pale blue sky, scattered with light clouds. ‘It’s a lovely day to be outside stretching your legs.’

  ‘Yes, it is. Listen, I don’t mean to be rude but I really must go.’

  ‘Perhaps I could ask you to go for a walk with me some time, Lily.’

  ‘Oh, no,’ and as his face darkened she explained quickly, ‘You see I have a boyfriend. He lives in Porthellis. He’s a fisherman, his name’s Jowan Rouse. You might know him.’

  ‘I was only thinking of a little company, Lily,’ Daniel said, moving closer so he towered over her. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t mind that.’

  Lily was out of her depth here. The stranger was staring at her. He might be a friend of the Opies and she didn’t want to offend them. Desperation made her add to her excuse. ‘But his cousin Mrs Penney wouldn’t like it. She brought us together and she comes to Roscarrock ever such a lot and Mrs Opie treats her like one of the family and if Mrs Penney thought I was being forward with men and told Mrs Opie, I could be dismissed.’ She finally stopped for breath, close to tears, fearing she might have upset someone of importance.

  ‘I completely understand,’ Daniel said in a polite voice. ‘I won’t keep you any longer.’ He moved aside and opened the gates for her.

  Lily rushed through them and ran halfway down the drive before stopping and trying to calm herself. She didn’t know who the man was but thought it best not to mention him to anyone.

  Daniel strolled along the way she had come from Porthellis. He looked casual, a man enjoying the fresh air and quiet lane, but his brain was busy turning over everything the girl had said. He had assumed that Mrs Opie would have wanted nothing more to do with Hannah when she learned she was pregnant and must marry quickly. How very strange that Hannah went often to Roscarrock. Her shy little sister might have married the arrogant grandson, but that wasn’t what Lily had meant when she said Hannah was treated like one of the family. He’d seek Lily Andrews out again, but not for his original reason. He wanted to know what was going on at Roscarrock.

  * * *

  At the end of the following week Hannah was awakened in the early hours by the sound of loud boots marching down the street. It sounded as if an army was on the move. She met the owners of the boots a little later on when she went outside to fetch milk from Farmer Teague’s horsedrawn cart A group of men spilled out of the new house. Daniel was striding in front of them.

  Hannah couldn’t help staring at them, her jaw sagging. There were four strangers, all hard and mean looking, roughly dressed, generally unkempt. One was of huge proportions, a human barn door of solid muscle, his head too large for the rest of him, hands like sledgehammers. The breath caught in Hannah’s throat. Had Daniel invited demons into the village?

  ‘Mornin’, m’dear,’ a toothless man with a flat nose and torn ear roared raucously at her, encouraging his companions to make lewd noises with him. ‘You look like you’ve never seen a stranger in yer life before. Give ’ee a ’and with that milk can, shall I? A pretty maid like you shouldn’t—’

  ‘Shut up!’ Daniel snapped. ‘Don’t talk to her.’ He turned on all the men. ‘I don’t want any of you talking to her, not ever, understand?’

  The huge man mumbled, ‘Yes, Skipper,’ and his companions echoed his words.

  A shiver ran up Hannah’s spine. Daniel was clearly in charge of this band of rogues. What on earth was he up to? She forgot the milk and scampered back to the door. Daniel swept his eyes over her, possessively, she felt, as if he was telling her that if anyone was going to insult her or be familiar with her it would be him.

  ‘Rum-looking lot,’ Henry Teague said, coming for her milk can.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m not surprised you ran for cover, Hannah. They gave me the jitters too. What d’you think they’re doing with young Kittow?’

  ‘I hate to think.’ She watched as a woman, her face concealed under a large headscarf, slipped inside the new house. It was Nan Trebilcock, an attractive widow in her early forties, beguiled by the generous amount of money Daniel was rumoured to be paying her as cleaning woman. Working for Daniel was harming her reputation but people remembered she had been a ‘flighty piece’ before her marriage. She was now shunned by some, treated with suspicion by others, considered unwise by the most charitable and pumped for information about Daniel Kittow, his habits, his home, by the nosiest. Henry Teague handed Hannah her milk. She thanked him and went inside quickly.

  The news spread round the village faster than a gorse fire on a dry summer’s day. Daniel Kittow had installed the four ruffians in his old cottage. A workman and his son from St Austell had been renovating the interior and two of the men living at the cottage were put to work on the exterior, whitewashing the walls, repairing the slate roof, painting the doors, while the other two worked on the boat with Daniel. Their conversation made it clear that the four outsiders were to be the Sunrise’s new crew.

  Hannah was worried about Prim having these rough men as next-door neighbours and she called on her later in the morning. She winced at the bad language passing between the two men whitewashing the cottage. Neither of them spoke to her but she felt some of their talk was meant for her ears.

  ‘What d’ya think of this place then, Brinley? Think we’ll get much fun out of it?’

  It was the toothless, torn-eared man who had spoken and Hannah was surprised that the gentle sounding name of Brinley belonged to the giant.

  He threw back his thick bull neck and laughed loudly. ‘Skipper says we can, Eric.’

  ‘We’ll drop in the pub later on, wet our whistles,’ Eric guffawed, slapping whitewash about with abandon, ‘after we’ve seen what the women are like. So far they don’t look bad.’ He made a crude gesture. ‘Skipper said most of ’em are ready ’n’ willing and he should know.’

  ‘Watch where you’re sloshing that bleddy whitewash,’ Brinley boomed at him. ‘Skipper said he wants a proper job done. We’ll forget the women till the work’s done. I want t’get this over and help on the boat.’

  Eric howled with laughter. ‘The day you forget women, you bleddy old goat, will be the day you turn up yer toes.’

  ‘Have you heard them out there?’ Hannah demanded from Prim the moment she was in the shabby dark kitchen where not one thing had been changed or updated since her childhood expulsion; there had been no money for improvements. She was burning with indignation. ‘They’ve got the foulest mouths I’ve ever heard. To think he’s brought those creatures to live next door to you. Where’s Josh? They had just better not tease him. I’m not bringing Nathan here while they’re about. Goodness knows what Matt will say.’

  ‘Calm down, Hannah,’ Prim said, ‘or you’ll make my bread drop. There’s a postcard from Leah on the mantelpiece. Anyway, I’m used to living with swearing inside this house with your father, and outside with having old Rufus next door for so many years. That huge fellow mended my washing line just now and he said he’ll cut down all my brambles when he’s got a spare minute. They probably aren’t as bad as they look.’

  ‘Mother!’ Hannah looked at Prim as if she was a turncoat. She took the bowl of dough from Prim and put it on top of the oven to prove, covered it with a tea towel then watched with mounting anger as Prim poured out tea in two extra mugs. ‘Mother!’

  ‘I have to live next to ’em,’ Prim said quietly. ‘Most of the time it’s just me and Josh here. When your father’s not working he spends most of his time with Maggie Curnow. I’d rather be on friendly terms with them than at loggerheads.’

  Hannah declined to help Prim carry the mugs of tea out to t
he men and sat down grumpily at the table. Her mother couldn’t see it but she was certain that Daniel was going to pick the village up in his fist and shake it to its foundations.

  Chapter 6

  ‘Your crew are making a frightful noise again, Daniel,’ Grace said, holding out the cherry cake she had bought at the bakehouse to him. Jealous of Nan Trebilcock becoming his cleaning woman she was at the new house more often than before, trying to appear useful to him.

  ‘None of your business,’ he replied bluntly. He smiled to himself as he thought about what Brinley and the others were currently up to. There was no work for them to do this afternoon and he had told them to make a nuisance of themselves in the village. He despised its inhabitants. They had shown no forgiveness over the way he had tried to pitch Matt Penney into the harbour, after Matt had been missing at sea for several hours and believed dead; the day of his arrest when Hannah had publicly humiliated him as she’d protected Penney from him. Daniel was deliberately appearing to live a faultless life in Porthellis but through his crew he’d show these self-righteous people he had no pity. He was on his way out but glanced at the cake and said harshly, ‘I don’t like boughten cake.’

  ‘Well, never mind, I’ll give it to Aunt Adela.’

  Daniel shook his head wryly. He liked Grace’s responses; she never let him put her down. ‘I’m about to go to Mevagissey to buy some new oilers. Fancy driving me there?’

  ‘I’d love to,’ she smiled enthusiastically. ‘Just give me a minute to get rid of this cake.’

  He took it from her. ‘Leave it here. I daresay I can force down a few crumbs later.’

  Aunt Adela tutted in disapproval as they got into Grace’s car outside the Manse, but Grace didn’t care. To show Daniel she wasn’t stilted in any way she drove far too fast for safety along the lanes. They reached Mevagissey unscathed, however, and knowing Daniel would prefer to be alone among the fishing fraternity while he visited a chandlery, she spent time in a tea shop. On the way back she drove slowly, wanting to spend as much time alone with him as possible.

  Daniel was quiet. Grace would have been pleased if she knew he was thinking about her. He had appreciated her thoughtfulness at the fishing port, and because she didn’t chatter unnecessarily he rather enjoyed her company. Keeping her around was one way of getting back at Hannah; it had spoiled their friendship, and he loved the way it shocked the villagers. He trusted Grace, he was sure she would prove useful in looking after his interests at Porthellis when he wasn’t there.

  He followed the actions of her trousered legs on the clutch and accelerator. Her perfume was strong and feminine in the confines of the car. Her complexion glowed, her eyes sparkled, and she looked younger than her thirty-three years. In his arrogance he knew it was himself who was having this positive effect on her. She probably thought she was in love with him. He didn’t doubt that with a little persuasion she would go to bed with him. At times he had touched her innocently and she’d liked it. He had liked it. When they got back a slice of the cherry cake and a large helping of Grace would round off the little outing nicely. But as they neared Porthellis he decided against it, still considering it best to keep his sexual encounters – and he had been making up for lost time – out of the village.

  As they pulled up outside the Manse he thanked Grace for the use of her car and insisted on going home alone. He was still thinking about her.

  * * *

  Feena sent Patrick to collect Hannah, Matt and Jeff for Leah and Greg’s homecoming dinner. Hannah was as excited as a child when they drew up outside Roscarrock, hopping out of the car, running up the steps and into the house. She rushed into the drawing room and there was Leah, looking radiant after her four-week honeymoon.

  Leah sprang up from the sofa and they hugged. ‘It’s so good to see you.’ Hannah clasped her hands. ‘You look superb. You must have had a wonderful time.’

  ‘Of course she did. Don’t I get a welcome?’ Greg said, feigning a small, lost voice. He looked most attractive in his dinner jacket and black tie. He kissed Hannah’s cheek. She kissed him back. ‘How’s Nathan? Bet he’s grown like a weed since we last saw him.’

  ‘He has, he’s walking around holding on to the furniture and has his hands in everything,’ she replied proudly. ‘It’s so good to have you both home, Greg.’

  ‘She’s been like a cat on hot bricks all day,’ Matt said, kissing Leah and shaking Greg’s hand. ‘Anyone would think she hadn’t seen Leah for ten years. Glad to see you enjoyed your honeymoon.’

  ‘It was the greatest success,’ Greg said, winding his arms round Leah’s tiny waist. ‘I’ve got the loveliest bride in the world. It’s a good thing Patrick’s gone back to Porthellis to collect Miss Treloar or he’d be terribly embarrassed by all this romantic talk.’ He started to serve drinks. ‘Grandmother will be down in a minute. Good evening, Mr Spargo. I’m pleased you could come.’

  ‘Dad!’ Leah ran to Jeff. Engulfed in his big arms, her small pink face pressed against his chest, the image of a mature woman left her and Hannah was reminded of how childlike she was. ‘Why didn’t Mum come?’

  ‘You know your mother, my handsome,’ Jeff said. ‘She never was one for socializing.’

  Greg was studying Hannah. ‘That’s a lovely frock you’re wearing, Hannah.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She gave a pert curtsy. ‘Mrs Opie had it made for me.’

  Matt frowned. He did not like the way Feena showered Hannah with gifts but looking at her now, he realized with a familiar longing how beautiful and desirable she was in the low-backed, full-length satin gown that was closely moulded to her body. Most women wore their hair short and he was glad Hannah kept hers shoulder length. Whenever he could he brushed it for her – he had done so tonight as they’d got ready. He had put the row of pearls round her slender neck, and wished the night was already over and he could take her in his arms. Hannah knew his mind and a secret look passed between them.

  ‘How are things in the village?’ Leah asked Jeff, her eyes, too, on Hannah, envying her sister her tall figure and natural grace.

  ‘Aw, a lot’s happened since you’ve been away, maid. We’ve got a houseful of rowdy louts living next door.’

  ‘Where? Surely you don’t mean the Kittow cottage? Has a new family moved in?’

  Jeff explained about Daniel’s release from prison and his boat’s new crew, perfectly at ease in the plush surroundings. ‘They don’t bother me, your mother and Josh much but they’ve been terrors to the Joses. Broke Fred’s model yacht, the one he made himself and was so proud of, and Mrs Jose is at her wits’ end with they throwing rubbish in her garden and making rude remarks. They’re drunk as lords down the pub nearly every night then they make a hell of a racket on the way home. The Reverend Skewes called on ’em and asked ’em to behave. They said, well, I won’t mention what they said t’he. John Jacobs had to warn one of ’em off for hanging around Lizzie. I thought the bloke was going t’break John’s jaw, but John’s a good fighter, laid un out on the quay like a jellyfish. Course, you won’t know either that ’tis Daniel who owns the new house. Arranged it all in prison, he did, bold as brass. Got that fancy piece, Grace Treloar, eating out of his hand too. You remember her at your wedding? Well, she’s with him at every whip ’n’ turn, so they say. Mind you,’ Jeff said with an element of pride, ‘a good-looking man never has any trouble drawing women to un.’

  ‘Crumbs,’ Leah said. ‘Nothing happens for years and the first time I go away I miss all the excitement. Lily’s told me she’s courting with Jowan. I’ll go down to see Mother first thing tomorrow.’

  ‘Be careful of those men,’ Hannah warned grimly. ‘They aren’t at sea yet. Someone stole some vital parts of the Sunrise’s engine while Daniel was in prison and they’re waiting for new parts to be delivered – she won’t be seaworthy until next week apparently. With nothing to do, they’re hanging around trying to cause trouble. Mrs Trudgeon swears they’re stealing cakes from the bakehouse. Constable Burt has been calle
d into the village nearly every day for one thing or another but he can’t find anything to prove against the men.’

  ‘And you’ve got Daniel living in your street, Hannah?’ Leah said, her eyes wide. ‘What’s he doing while all this is going on?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Hannah replied bitterly. ‘He goes about his business on the Sunrise as if he was a law-abiding citizen. He rarely speaks to anyone and never goes to the pub. But it was him who brought those men into Porthellis; he hates all of us and they’re doing his dirty work for him.’

  ‘Crumbs,’ Leah said again.

  ‘Let’s forget him,’ Matt said sternly. The atmosphere was getting sombre. ‘We’re here to celebrate your homecoming, Leah.’

  Lily appeared to ask Greg to help Miss Benson escort Mrs Opie down the stairs. Then Grace, well-groomed in blue silk taffeta, arrived with Patrick and after the formal greetings were over there were a few awkward minutes of small talk. Grace asked the newlyweds about their honeymoon. Patrick engaged Matt in talk about the gardens. Feena beckoned Hannah to sit beside her on one of the sofas by the fire.

  ‘Your mother wouldn’t change her mind about coming, I take it.’

  ‘No, but she wouldn’t come to this sort of thing anyway.’ To avoid Feena’s keen gaze Hannah sipped from her glass of lime cordial. Feena must have known Prim wouldn’t come to Roscarrock again; they would loathe each other all their lives, but Hannah had not been prepared for Prim’s violent reaction.

  ‘I had to go there on Leah’s wedding day so I wouldn’t look a blooming fool in front of the village but that’s the last time! I’ll not give that bitch another chance to lord it over me. How could you have thought for a moment I’d go, Hannah? You can tell her to stick her invitation up her perfumed bottom!’ Prim was hurt and angry that Jeff had gone tonight. Hannah regretted passing on the invitation to her parents but her father seemed to be enjoying himself.