A Captive Heart

by Patricia Scott

  What was he doing in here on his own unprotected in the cave? The answer came quickly to her. Of course, he’d escaped capture and death that very day from her father’s Royalist troopers. He had nowhere else to go.

  So how had he known about the existence of the Piper Hole? He must have spent quite some time on the island beforehand, studying it well. Days, perhaps, before fighting commenced on Tresco that morning. He must be a Cromwellian spy!

  Should I leave him alone in this cave now? Leave him to his almost certain fate - death from discovery by my father’s men or death from his wounds and starvation? Her conscience fought with her fear as she saw the signs of suffering in his face. No - no, I cannot do it.

  Tamsin, battening down her fears bravely, held the flickering candle stub high above her head, which revealed to her immediately that the man’s torn blood-stained linen jacket was not that of a trooper but the fine cloth and cut of a gentleman. So what had been his real business here?

  As she came in closer towards the stranger she gazed long and hard down at him and could see that he was young with a strong, handsome face, and thick dark curling hair. He seemed so familiar to her. Her heart beat all the faster when she saw that there was an ominous dark stain on his torn cream linen shirtsleeve running from his shoulder to his wrist which betrayed that he was indeed badly wounded. His face was deathly pale, drawn in pain, his eyes still closed tight as a groan escaped him again.

  How long had he been lying there? Hours? All day? Perhaps since the early morning battle? Tamsin leant closer over his dark head and the flickering candle threw a golden aura around her copper ringlets falling loose about her shoulders.

  He had heard and felt her movement beside him. His eyes flickered, once, twice, then opened wide when he saw her brown eyes looking down at him.

  ‘Who in God’s name are you? What has brought you in here lad?’ he exclaimed loudly.

  He struggled to raise himself up but he groaned and fell back heavily against the cave wall, leaving a fresh a trail of blood from his injured shoulder.

  ‘What do you want with me, boy?’

  Her heart fluttered wildly as the candlelight shining on his face revealed that his eyes were as vivid a sea green colour as a Merman’s eyes were reputed to be. His hair was thick and dark, curling long into the nape of his neck.

  ‘Are you in much pain, sir?’ she asked him.

  His dark brows frowned back at her and he asked her again hoarsely, ‘And who the devil might you be? Are you a bold fisher lad come to save me or are you perhaps an angel sent down from Heaven?’

  His harsh laughter startled her and the candle shook in her trembling hand, casting long dancing shadows across the cave walls around them.

  She drew herself up bravely and spoke out boldly. ‘I’m no fisher lad. I am a girl, sir. I-I am Tamsin Trevenian, Richard Trevenian’s daughter, sir. And you are?’

  Shock chased the look of alarm quickly across his face when he heard this. He struggled once again to raise himself up onto one elbow to study her more closely with those keen green eyes. ‘I am... a man of peace, an artist and a man of letters. And you say you are Tamsin Trevenian! Tamisin Trevanian, by all that’s wonderful! And what chance brings you here, my lady in this cave?’

  She hastened to reassure him quickly. ‘I can see that you are badly wounded, sir. I would like to help you if you will only allow me to do so?’

  He attempted once again to pull himself up, his pale face registering sharp pain as he did so, then said quietly, ‘You are Colonel Trevenian’s daughter? I ask you again what brings you here? It is not safe. You must leave this place immediately.’

  ‘I can perhaps offer you some help.’

  His eyes were on her still, registering the determined look in her brown eyes. He frowned back at her. His voice had the cadence of an educated man and the firm authority of an officer when he spoke out again, ‘No! You must leave here at once. It can only do you harm if you are found here alone with me by your father’s men. Conversing with the enemy is forbidden for both sides. As you must well know.’

  She knew then that her worst fears could be confirmed. ‘You are here to spy on us. And you think you will be shot if you are found here, sir!’ she replied sharply with a determined tilt of her small chin. ‘Did you then choose to hide in here away from the battle?’

  He was watching her closely now. He nodded slowly but said with a grave smile. ‘I did. But it was only done to give me time to recover better from my wounds. I am no coward! I have to get back to the Cornish mainland at once. It is most important that I do so, my lady!’

  She stared back at his handsome, equally determined face, flushed with anger now. So he chose not to hide his true purpose from her. The candle trembled unsteadily in her shaking hand as she stared him out with anger plain to see in her eyes.

  ‘I’m sure it is for Cromwell! You wish to give away our position here. Betray us all. You are a Cromwellian spy I’m sure of it, sir.’

  He laughed. ‘What if I am, my lady? Oh - I shall not seek to deny it. As a soldier’s daughter you must well know that your own side has its agents. They have worked well here for you also. Your men were ready and waiting for the Parliamentarians here today. And they gave us little mercy. I was shot as I left the inn in the harbour. But I tell the truth when I tell you that it is my intention to sketch and record the flowers, herbs and flora of the British countryside before it is lost to us for ever in the battles raging on it. I have my work and sketches there in the pouch that my head lies on. Examine it if you will and you will discover that I am not lying.’

  She fell silent for a moment. He perhaps spoke the truth. She saw also that in attempting to sit up to address her, the movement had served to aggravate his wound - it was now bleeding afresh and it could be dangerous indeed for him to waste more time in anger and argument.

  She reached her hand out to him quickly ‘Your arm, sir, how badly are you wounded? May I not see it?’

  ‘It need not trouble you further, my lady.’ His voice was ice cool and enigmatic; he was not prepared to give much away of his true state.

  She attempted a different tack now. ‘Are you hungry? When did you last eat, sir?’

  He groaned and made a brave attempt to chuckle, ‘How can I tell? I cannot remember, it seems so long since a morsel of food made its last acquaintance with my lips. I will be glad if you can find my horse; he is somewhere on the cliff above. I took him from the Inn stables. He must need care and attention.’

  She shook her head. She was not going to be fazed by his scornful, arrogant manner, however young and simple he might believe her to be. She must not show her fear to him. She would ease his pain as best she could, if he would only allow it. But she knew that she should tell her father and soon. He would not allow a wounded man to die. He was their enemy but badly needed their help.

  ‘You have not told me your name; you can at least tell me this.’

  He laughed softly his green eyes studying her face closely. ‘My lady, on such a very short acquaintance if you should choose to do so you may call me Adam,’ he said then added quickly. ‘There is a lead musket ball that has dwelt far too long for comfort in my left shoulder, I think. And I stupidly fell from my horse afterwards.’

  He studied her face again and even more carefully this time. There was a look of sympathy now in her lustrous honey brown eyes that replaced the look of alarm he had first seen mirrored in them. Would she remember him soon too? He thought it possible now she knew his first name.

  ‘Then we must do something about it immediately, Adam,’ she said with a sweetly, curving smile that warmed the bitter cold chills out of his body, and speedily uplifted his heart and set it beating.

  ‘You can do little else than report me, Tamsin Trevenian,’ he said with a grave smile.

  ‘I should do so, but for the moment until I can do something about your injury you must trust me. I will find someone to get the shot from your shoulder. I cannot promise more than that
, sir.’

  Trust her! I can do little else. For the moment. Adam thought to himself. This brave young girl who believed he was the enemy and the devil incarnate no less. He saw her leave the cave swiftly now, her mind made up. He couldn’t go with her. So what had she decided to do about him?

  What else could he do now but to leave his fate entirely in her tender hands. He had no other choice. His position for the moment was desperate; he knew she may well reveal his presence to her father. It could lead to his instant capture and trial in the Star Chamber held at St Mary’s Castle and almost certainly execution as a spy. If death didn’t come before then.

  He knew only too well that the searing pain in his shoulder meant that the musket shot was doing its worst and without its swift removal it could soon lead to his death. Without food and assistance from her he could and would most certainly die alone in the cave.

  He could do nothing else but accept her help, if she was willing to give it. Though he had no wish to force Tamsin Trevenian to do something she abhorred or it could put her life into grave danger for not obeying the rules of war.

  He’d recognised her immediately - hers was a face that he’d known from their happy childhood days when they had played together as small children at Treganna. He had teased her often because she’d wished only to be a boy like him, like her dear cousin Jago and his younger brother Benedict. How he wished now that those good days could come back for them all.

  Perhaps in another happier time they would have spent their days out together riding and he would tell her how much he adored her for every precious moment he spent in her company.

  Adam knew he had fallen in love with her since the moment he first saw her bending over him with the lighted candle wax in her trembling hand, moved by the great concern he saw in her beautiful golden brown eyes. She hadn’t recognised him as quickly as he would have liked, even though her father had been and was still his father’s best childhood friend.

  He had used his knowledge of the Piper Hole to save himself but it could also now prove to be his undoing and hers too. She would have little choice if they were discovered there together but to surrender him to her father. The unexpected arrival of so young a girl in the cave was like a gift from heaven itself for him at first. But was she as naive and innocent as she first appeared to be? She could unwittingly give him away.

  Perhaps she wouldn’t come back. She might think better of her offer to help him once she arrived back at home.

  He had never thought that his hiding place would be discovered by Tamsin who sought her own retreat from the ugly scenes of the battle that had taken their toll on the island earlier. He remembered then that she had lost her cousin Jago Trevenian at Oxford not that long ago.

  Perhaps he was dreaming, hallucinating even. In the candlelight Tamsin was beautiful enough to be an angel in disguise, or a water sprite. He chuckled weakly. When his eyes first lighted on her, she had seemed to him unreal but she was most certainly not a Mermaid, dressed as she was in the boy’s brown fustian jacket and brown breeches which did little to disguise the curvaceousness of her young body.

  Chapter Five

  Tamsin had left Adam alone in the cave to think. She was determined that she would not be swayed by his vulnerability, however much it affected her. After he said his name, she had suddenly realised why she recognised him. He was Adam Carey, a boy she had known from her early childhood, though he had changed a lot since then. This man was once a friend but she must remember he was now their enemy and her prisoner and he should only be treated as such. But she could not let him die.

  She had to get assistance from elsewhere immediately. She needed someone she could trust to keep silent, as Adam could be killed if he was discovered. She knew that she had her answer in Reuben Ellis, her foster brother and childhood playmate. He was her Nurse Martha’s son. Born deaf and mute, he conversed most ably in sign language and would serve her loyally and keep his silence. Big, dependable and strong, he could help her deal with Adam’s shoulder. He would know how to cut out the lead musket shot in his arm and stem the bleeding before it could endanger Adam’s life still further. But would he be willing to help? She didn’t know. Perhaps not, but she could not lie to Reuben - he had to know the truth about Adam.

  Her father she knew would be kept busy all that day at the King Charles’s Castle, their home on the Isle of Tresco for the past two years. He would talk to the wounded from both sides; arrange for the boats to take prisoners over to St Mary’s Star Chamber and for clearing up generally on Tresco.

  She found Reuben in the stables, awaiting her return anxiously because she had saddled her chestnut and ridden off without a word that morning. He had been worried for her safety ever since.

  Although it had been only a small skirmish in the south of the island between the two sides it had taken its toll on the defending Royalist force on Tresco, despite their victory. The enemy already knew that it was more than probable that they would win next time, and there was possibly the danger of some still left in hiding on Tresco who might seek to take her as a hostage. Reuben would know this.

  Tamsin knew that Reuben wished that she would listen to reason and go back to live at Treganna House. He too wished to return there with his mother to live. But Tamsin had been determined to stay on with her father on Tresco as long as he needed her. He missed her dear mother as much as she did.

  ‘Reuben, it’s important. I need your help,’ she said quickly dismounting her mare in the stable, and she signed to him with her hands the problem she had found awaiting her in the Piper hole.

  He looked shocked when he realised what she wanted him to do.

  ‘It is most important; someone’s life is at stake here. I found a wounded man hiding in the Piper Hole. I know him, Reuben, he’s Adam Carey and he could die if we don’t assist him.’

  His sharp bright blue eyes showed his alarm immediately. He shook his head and signed back to her instantly. ‘You cannot do this. You must tell your father.’

  ‘No! I cannot not yet.’

  ‘You must!’ He emphasised this by shaking his head but she insisted that he heard her out.

  ‘Reuben, he is young, badly wounded and a gentleman. And I knew him when we were both children. I played with him. His father is my father’s friend. I cannot allow him to suffer any longer in there than necessary. Without food and care he will most surely die. I shall tell my father about him when he is well enough to be moved and not before.’

  She really believed that she would be able to do this all with his help.

  Reuben tried hard to make her change her mind, but he could see by her face that she was determined, and no matter how difficult, she would do it with or without his help.

  This man she told him about could take her hostage if he chose to hold her there by force. She was much too trusting. So he agreed at last to go with her and see what could be done for this wounded man whose welfare worried her so.

  Chapter Six

  Out of sight in the stables they packed the provisions on a pony; blankets, food, clean clothing; she brought one of her father’s clean linen shirts, and another one Reuben had to spare. They rode out quickly over the Downs and cliff tops to the cave, Tamsin praying inwardly that Reuben would do his best for Adam as he had promised.

  Reuben brought a fresh candle and a lantern for them to see by in the cave. It was growing late in the day and quite soon now all natural light would be gone so they had to act quickly.

  It would not take Reuben long to see that the wound needed immediate attention. If the lead musket shot was not removed and fast then infection would set in and if amputation threatened it would be impossible for them to handle it on their own in the cave without a surgeon’s skills.

  They left the horses tethered safely on the cliff top and Tamsin clambered down while Reuben lowered the provisions carefully on a strong hempen rope over the cliff side to where Tamsin waited to save them from the venturesome waves lapping the seashore around the
rocks below.

  Reuben followed quickly and joined her safely at the bottom. They then entered the cave slowly together. She could well imagine how apprehensive Adam would be feeling when he first heard their arrival.

  She warned Adam of their approach, calling out softly, ‘Adam. It is I - Tamsin. Trevenian - I have brought along a friend of mine, Reuben, to help you. He is deaf but can lip-read so he does know what you say to him. He is my most dear childhood friend and can be trusted. He is going to remove the lead shot out of your shoulder and will do his best not to hurt you any more than necessary.’

  Then much to her relief he said, ‘Thank you, it is better than I deserve, Tamsin Trevenian.’

  When they came closer into the cave Adam struggled to sit up and greet her as she walked towards him and then, gritting his teeth and wincing with pain, he fell back on the ledge and groaned heavily as he did so.

  ‘I have to warn you now, Adam Carey, I will have to inform my father soon of your presence here on the island.’

  Reuben’s keen blue eyes stolidly took in Adam’s presence on the ledge in the cave. His hand lay on the hunters knife he wore in his leather belt as he came up to the wounded man, but he could see plainly now that Adam was badly in need of attention and if sensible would not attempt either to attack them or escape.

  After Tamsin introduced the two young men she held up the lighted lantern while Reuben carefully examined the raw, weeping flesh wound. The musket shot remained deep in the bloodied flesh. Tamsin, following Reuben’s quick instructions, soaked some of the linen sheeting she’d brought with her into the fresh water from the pool and washed the bloody, suppurating wound carefully and gingerly. Adam then drank down the mug half filled with French brandy which Reuben offered him from the food and provisions.