I attempted a smile, but already the mists seemed to be returning before my eyes. I closed them, and the mist was still there, so I gave myself up to it.
After a few days, my strength returned, and Garth insisted on carrying me downstairs and seating me in the sun shining in through the window. I could see the Sea Witch, her paint somewhat dulled but as proud as ever, rising on the swell of the ocean.
‘It is a lovely day,’ I said softly. ‘I wish I could be out on the headland feeling the spray in my face.’
Garth sat beside me. ‘Too much of that has been your downfall. You just do not realise how treacherous the weather can be at this time of year.’
I looked up at him. ‘But I feel wonderful now. It was just a chill, after all.’
‘A chill perhaps, but it could have led to pneumonia if you had not been so well looked after.’
I was warmed by his concern, and he must have seen how I felt, because he looked down at his brown fingers.
‘Anyone would have done as much for you, Catherine.’ He moved away from me. ‘Do not allow yourself to read too much into my actions.’
My happiness burst like a bubble. He was telling me that he was motivated by duty, nothing more.
‘Thank you anyway,’ I mumbled. ‘I am indebted to you.’
He shook his head. ‘No such thing. Don’t be so foolish, Catherine.’
Weak tears sprang to my eyes. He was determined to make light of what he had done so that I would not feel obligated to him in any way.
Jonathon came into the room just then, a smile of delight on his face as he saw me seated in my chair.
‘Catherine, how well you are looking!’ He drew up a chair beside me. ‘How would you like it if we gave a small supper party for just a few guests?’ He was like an eager boy, trying hard to please.
‘That would be very nice.’ I tried to infuse a little warmth into my voice, but the thought of meeting people was almost enough to make me feel ill again.
‘Don’t you think it a bit early to encourage visitors?’ Garth asked flatly, and Jonathon stared up at him almost with dislike.
‘We will hold the party sometime next week,’ he said quickly. ‘All Catherine will have to do is to be her usual charming self.’
‘I shall enjoy it,’ I interrupted quickly before the cousins could start quarrelling again. ‘I shall have to wear my new dress if it is ready.’
I smiled at Garth. ‘The silk you gave me should look wonderful; I shall be the belle of the ball!’
He stared moodily over my head. ‘I still think it is too soon for Catherine to be subjected to the ordeal of facing your friends,’ he said pointedly to Jonathon. ‘Are you showing her off as your future wife perhaps?’
My heart twisted at his words, and I stared at him, hoping for a sign that he would object to such a course of action. After a moment’s hesitation, Jonathon took my hand.
‘I would be only too delighted to make the occasion a celebration if only you would agree to become my wife.’
He looked at me with such depth of feeling that it was hard for me to answer. He took my silence as encouragement and leaned forward to kiss me on my cheek.
‘I know I should have waited until we were alone to ask you, Catherine, but I have no objection to Garth being the first to know.’
Events seemed to be like a flood tide, lifting me and carrying me off my feet, and I felt too weak to protest.
I looked toward Garth, but he was staring out of the window as if none of it were any of his concern.
‘If that’s what you really want, Jonathon,’ I said quietly and allowed him to kiss me gently on the lips. It was a chaste kiss, more that of a brother than a lover, but somehow it moved me almost to tears.
Garth rose abruptly and smiled bleakly at me. ‘I suppose I may be allowed to congratulate you?’ He stepped forward, and then his lips were on mine, and for a moment I clung to him.
He moved away, and there was a strange look in his dark eyes. ‘Now I know how Judas felt,’ he said curtly, and went out, slamming the door after him.
Jonathan shook his bright head. ‘I can never make him out; he talks in riddles.’
I knew what he meant, however, and there was a deep pain of unhappiness lodged within me as I allowed Jonathon to take my hand once more in his.
Twelve
The pony trotted briskly, enjoying the sparkling warmth of the day, and I hadn’t the heart to curb him, in spite of the fact that the trap rocked perilously over the uneven road.
It was good to be away from the oppressive atmosphere of the Hall, where Garth spent most of his time avoiding me and Jonathon fussing over my health. It was a miracle that I had been allowed out alone.
As I drew nearer the town, the houses on the seafront looked crisp in the sun, like icing on a cake. The tide, rolling gently into the harbour, was aquamarine under the cloudless sky.
I climbed carefully down from the trap, unwilling to admit even to myself that my legs were still a little weak from my illness, and fed the pony an apple. A group of ladies from the town walked past me, staring at me rather curiously, I thought, and looking away when I smiled at them.
With a shrug, I went into the store. I wanted some spices and a jar of peppers; that was all Jonathon would allow me to carry.
The chatter of conversation stopped for a moment as I entered and then, as if by a signal, started up again. I asked for the goods I required, and the rotund little shopkeeper hastened to serve me.
‘It is not right to give service to those who associate with thieves and murderers!’
I spun around quickly to see a small elderly lady, dressed from head to foot in black, staring at me with burning eyes.
‘Are you speaking to me?’ I asked in surprise, and she moved closer, staring into my eyes.
‘I don’t say it’s your fault; you look harmless enough. And Mr Jonathon, he’s a good man. But that half-breed brother of his, he’s a bad one all right!’
Shaking, I picked up my purchases and went outside, my eyes blinded for a moment by the dazzle of the sun. I stumbled toward the trap and climbed inside. What on earth was the old lady thinking of, calling Garth a thief and a murderer? I sat still for a moment, the reins idle in my hands. Perhaps that was what he was after all. Hadn’t he confessed to me that he plundered ships for their cargo? Might he not leave the stranded sailors to their fate?
I shuddered a little; the warmth had gone out of the day for me. Still, there was one errand that had to be done. That was to collect my gown from Mrs Perkins.
She answered my knock straight away, almost as though she had been waiting for me, her bulbous eyes darting around furtively.
‘Come inside,’ she said, and the moment I stepped over the threshold she slammed the door shut.
‘What on earth is wrong?’ I asked in exasperation. ‘Everyone is behaving so strangely.’
She looked at me vaguely. ‘I don’t know what you mean, miss,’ she said, the colour sweeping up from her thin neck to her forehead.
‘Oh come now, Mrs Perkins.’ I said impatiently. ‘Your husband works for Garth Llewellyn. Surely he knows something about the talk that is going on in the town.’
She sniffed nervously. ‘Mr Perkins has not been out with the ships for some time now, miss. There is no way that he can be blamed for any goings-on.’
She handed me a parcel. ‘Your gown, Miss Llewellyn. I hope it fits well, because I can do no more work on it.’ She ushered me to the door, opening it just enough to allow me to pass through and then closing it again in my face.
Shakily I sent the pony off at a trot up the hill. I looked back down the hill, and the clouds rolling in from the sea made the houses look dark and forbidding, very different from when I had approached them earlier.
There was a shout up ahead of me, and the pony pulled nervously at his reins. Four burly men blocked my way, shirt sleeves rolled above brawny elbows, an evil-looking bunch.
One came alongside me. ‘So this is
what Garth Llewellyn’s harlot looks like with her clothes on,’ he said, his blackened teeth showing in an evil grin.
‘I’ve only seen your likeness on the front of the Sea Witch, and I wondered if the real thing was as pretty.’ He burst into laughter, and the other men looked on with interest to see what I would do.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to be calm. ‘Would you please allow me to pass?’
For a moment, the man was so surprised that he almost moved out of my way. With a snarl, he caught my arm and twisted it.
‘Miss High and Mighty, is it? And who are you to order good honest seamen around?’
I tried to pull away from him, but he caught my face in such a grip I thought my jaw would break. He put his arm around my waist and swung me to the ground, pulling my bonnet roughly from my head and flinging it away.
‘See what pretty red hair she has!’ He caught a lock of it, twisting it cruelly so that my head was forced back and I had to look up into his face.
‘You wait!’ I said fiercely. ‘When Garth hears of this, he will have you flogged!’
The man flung back his head and laughed. ‘Hear that, lads? She’s threatening to tell on us!’ He leered down at me. ‘And what do you expect Llewellyn to do? We have enough on him to send him to prison for many a long year.’
‘Liar!’ I shouted, beating at him with my fists. ‘He has done nothing wrong.’
I was no longer sure about anything, but I was compelled to defend Garth against these thugs.
‘Give me a kiss and I’ll tell you all about your fine lover,’ the man said loudly, and I tried to twist away from his thick, revolting lips.
‘All right!’ he said with venom. ‘I’ll tell you anyway.’ He smiled unpleasantly. ‘Garth Llewellyn has brought opium into this country, selling the stuff down the coast of Wales as if it was no more harmful than sugar sticks. He has even made his own brother a victim of his greed.’
‘It’s all lies!’ I said. But inside me there was a terrible dread as I remembered Jonathon’s strange bout of illness and the casual way Garth had treated it.
The man pressed me to him. ‘I like spirit in a woman; it adds spice to the dish.’ He pushed me down into the grass and caught at my bodice with rough hands, tearing the material easily. He laughed as I struggled beneath him; his hands were at my throat.
‘We’ll show you what we do with loose women in Swantown,’ he said harshly. Suddenly I was frightened. I felt his weight upon me and realised that my struggles were in vain. I looked up at the face above me and knew that appeals for mercy would be useless. I lifted my head and screamed with all my might. Then I saw his huge fist beat down upon me, and everything became a whirling blackness…
When I regained consciousness, I saw that I was lying in the trap, and Jonathon was bending over me, covering my torn bodice with his cloak.
‘What happened. Where have those men gone?’ I asked hysterically, and Jonathon patted my shoulder reassuringly.
‘I heard you scream,’ he said, ‘and when they saw me coming they turned and ran.’
I stared at him in disbelief. The men who had accosted me certainly didn’t seem the sort who would run away from one man alone.
He must have sensed my thoughts, for he drew a pistol from his belt. ‘I think this helped to persuade them!’ he said with a smile.
He climbed onto his horse and took the reins in his hand.
‘You just rest,’ he said. ‘I’ll lead the pony for you.’
I struggled to, sit up and winced a little at the pain in my face. I put a tentative hand to it and felt that it was swollen.
‘Have the townspeople all gone mad?’ I said, speaking with difficulty, and Jonathon turned to look at me.
‘Don’t think about it any more,’ he said gently. ‘You’ll soon be safely home.’
As I stared in silence at his slim back, I wondered if it was true that he could be taking opium. I shuddered. Surely Garth would never harm his own brother.
Suddenly I felt ill. I lay back as Jonathon had advised, trying to overcome the waves of faintness that threatened to overwhelm me.
The journey seemed never-ending, but at last the pony and trap came to a halt outside the Hall.
Garth hurried out and exclaimed in horror when he saw my face.
‘My God! What has happened to you?’ He cradled me in his arms and carried me indoors, and tears came to my eyes at his gentleness.
‘Some men from the town set about her,’ Jonathon said. ‘It was very fortunate that I heard her screams; otherwise who knows what would have happened?’
‘Is this true?’ Garth demanded, and I nodded my head without speaking.
‘But why should anyone do this to you’ He looked at me in bewilderment, and I sensed the seething anger.
‘They were angry with you,’ I said at last. ‘They think of me merely as your woman.’
He set his lips in a hard line, and his knuckles were clenched so that the skin shone white.
‘I’ll kill them!’ he said between his teeth. ‘Just tell me who they were, Catherine.’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t know, and in any event you cannot fight the whole town. They have all turned against you, it seems.’
I stared at him. ‘They say you are a peddler of drugs. Is there any truth in that?’
His face seemed to pale beneath the tan. ‘Do you have to ask me that?’ he said bitterly. ‘I am a lot of things, most of them bad, but I do not prey on people who are too weak to protest.’
He held my eyes, and it was I who turned away. Just then Lucy bustled into the room with a tray of tea.
‘Master Jonathon tells me you had a fall from the trap, miss,’ she said. Then her eyes became round with amazement. ‘Oh, my good Lord!’ she said.
I got to my feet unsteadily and looked at myself in the mirror over the fireplace. The entire side of my face was one black bruise, and my eye was almost closed.
Lucy came to my side. ‘I’ll bring some witch hazel for you; that should ease it a bit.’
I sank back into my chair, holding my cloak self-consciously around my bare shoulder.
‘Help me to my room, Jonathon,’ I said unsteadily, ignoring Garth, who was standing near the window. ‘I’ll have my tea there, Lucy, if you don’t mind.’
It was a relief to climb into the comfort of my bed. I ached all over, as if a horse had stepped on me.
Lucy held up my torn dress, a strange look in her eyes. Without a word she folded it up.
I closed my eyes, aware that my head was pounding, and pressed my hand over my eyes, trying to stop the ache.
‘I’ll bring you some herb tea, miss,’ Lucy said with compassion, and silently left the room.
Lucy’s potion really did work. I slept like a baby and awoke the next morning feeling well rested and almost back to normal. I looked in the mirror and saw that, though my face was still bruised, the swelling around my eye had almost gone.
Garth and Jonathon looked at me in surprise when they saw I was dressed and up and about. The aroma of toast made me realise suddenly how hungry I was.
Garth rose to his feet and held out a chair for me. ‘I’m going down to the docks in a moment or two,’ he said, and my heart missed a beat with fear for him. ‘I don’t want you to go into town under any circumstances, do you hear me?’
I nodded meekly, and Jonathon put his arm around my shoulders.
‘I’ll look after Catherine,’ he said quickly, and there was a sudden shadow on Garth’s face.
‘Oh, excuse me,’ he said sarcastically. ‘I forgot that you two were betrothed.’
He stamped out of the room, and Jonathon shrugged his shoulders.
‘Garth cannot help his surly manners,’ he said in a tone that was meant to be comforting. But in the mood I was in, it merely irritated me.
‘In any event,’ Jonathon continued, ‘we will not have to put up with him for very much longer.’
‘What on earth do you mean?’ I asked in sudden fear, p
utting my hands around my cup as if to draw warmth from it.
Jonathon looked up quickly, his blue eyes narrowed as he searched my face.
‘I just mean that he will be returning to sea within the next few days. What on earth did you think I meant? For a moment you looked at me as if you had seen a ghost!’
There were beads of perspiration on his face, and he brushed his hand across his eyes as if he couldn’t focus properly.
‘Are you all right, Jonathon? You are terribly pale.’ I moved toward him, but he shook my hand away.
‘Of course I’m all right.’ He stumbled to his feet. ‘I just need a little air.’
Anxiously I stood at the window and watched him stagger out onto the lawn. He looked like a man who had drunk too much wine.
I clasped my hands together, trying to think what I should do. I wondered frantically if Garth was still at the Hall. It did not seem likely, as he had said he was going down to the docks.
Jonathon was out of sight now. He had rounded the shoulder of the building, and I thought with a sudden pang of fear that he might make his way down to the cliff road and, in his unstable frame of mind, stagger over the edge to his death.
I hurried outside. The sky was overcast, and the air carried rain with it.
‘Jonathon!’ I called, and my voice seemed to be carried away thinly on the wind.
I came upon him suddenly. He was slumped against the wall, a peaceful look on his face as if he were asleep, although his eyes were wide open.
‘Are you all right?’ I touched his sleeve carefully and waited with bated breath to see what his reaction to my interference would be.
He said nothing, and I could see that his eyes were uncomprehending.
‘Come with me, Jonathon.’ I slipped my arm around him, almost dragging him to his feet, and with difficulty made my way inside.
Lucy put her hand to her lips when she saw us, staring a moment before coming to Jonathon’s other side and helping me take him to his room.
Neither of us spoke, and I knew that the same dreadful thought was in both our minds. Had Jonathon been taking opium?
I returned to the sitting room and sat in the window seat, my spirits so low I was almost on the verge of tears. My body ached from the rough treatment I had received from my unknown assailants on the road, and my head pounded.
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