Morwen stood up, almost knocking over the garden chair. Her voice was surprisingly calm, considering how much her stomach churned so sickeningly.
‘It’s time I went, Mammie. I didn’t realize how late it was getting, but I’ll see you again soon.’
She left Bess in the garden, blissfully unaware of saying anything amiss. And Morwen climbed into the little trap and jerked the reins, her heart like stone, with the insidious thought drumming in her head that Ran might only want to marry her to gain control of Killigrew Clay.
Chapter Twenty-Five
A wedding had been arranged for the end of the month. June was the traditional Cornish bride-month, so it was only fitting that half of Truro should turn out to watch this one, between Freddie Tremayne, the well-liked chandler along the waterfront, and the pretty young woman with the unusual name, Lady Venetia Hocking.
Venetia’s father had decided to do things in style. What was the use of having money if you didn’t enjoy it? He’d put the question to Hal in his thick, booming voice, insisting on having an outdoors reception at his new country estate, catered by the best chefs in the County, so that the servants of the house could become honoured guests for the day, and the rest of them could like it or lump it.
Families and friends were invited, together with the elegant acquaintances that formed Truro’s social set, and if it was a stranger mixture than usual at a wedding, nobody seemed to mind or to notice overmuch.
There was a time, Morwen marvelled, when her family would have felt miserably out of place amidst all this grandeur. Time had changed all that. Even her Mammie and Daddy seemed to be enjoying themselves, slightly swished on Lord Hocking’s champagne, but confident that they looked as good as anybody in their new wedding clothes.
Venetia, of course, looked dream-like in her cream silk and lace, and Freddie could hardly take his eyes away from her. All through the service, Morwen too had been misty-eyed as the couple repeated their vows. Primmy and Charlotte had stood, ramrod-stiff in their flower-girls’ roles behind the bride, and on either side of Morwen, the two younger boys had tried not to fidget. Walter had sat slightly apart from them, next to Hal and Bess, but flashing his mother a slight smile now and then, and never far from her heart.
Ran had joined Jack and Annie and the small girls in the pew behind them, and while the ancient words were being said and the rings exchanged, Morwen could feel him watching the back of her head. She didn’t want to look at him. She still felt brittle inside, wondering if the doubt her mother had so innocently put into her head could possibly be true. It would break her heart if it were… and there was no way she could tell for sure.
For the first time in her life, she hated Killigrew Clay. It had brought her and Ben together, but it could just as easily split her and Ran apart.
* * *
‘Why have you been avoiding me?’
She heard Ran’s voice with a little start, and took the glass of champagne he was holding out to her without thinking. She took a large swallow, feeling her head spin at its fire as it slipped down her throat.
‘I have not,’ she said in a low voice. Wedding guests were laughing and chattering, and the smaller children were rushing about the lawns in delight, knowing that none of the grown-ups would reprimand them on such a day.
‘You know that’s not true. When did you start telling lies as well?’ he said insolently.
She looked into his face, flushing at the brutal words, and felt a stab of anger.
‘When I met you, I suspect!’
They were standing on the edge of the lawns, and to any onlookers they must look like any two guests holding a normal conversation. Only between themselves was the feeling that the air was as brittle as glass, the tension almost unbearable.
Ran stared at her, seeing the shadows beneath her lovely eyes. He had thought they were dispersed for ever since they had made their own private avowal to one another several weeks ago.
‘Are you going to tell me what’s troubling you, Morwen?’ he said at last.
‘Nothing’s troubling me—’
‘Good God, don’t go all little-womanly on me!’ He seethed with impatience. ‘It’s perfectly obvious that something’s happened to make you so frigid towards me, and I demand that you tell me what it is.’
‘Demand?’ she said sarcastically. ‘What right do you have to demand anything of me?’
‘I thought love gave me the right. Tell me what’s wrong before I wring it out of you.’
She wanted to, desperately. She wanted to scream out at him to say it wasn’t true – that it couldn’t possibly be true – that his reason for marrying her was to gain power. To be in control of Killigrew Clay as well as Prosper Barrows. He had wanted power. He had seized the opportunity to stay in Cornwall when he had seen the growing prosperity in the clay-stone works…
She wanted to scream at him and pummel him and beg him to deny it… because she hated deceit and lies, and despised herself for every lie she had ever told in her life… but how could she ask him? If he denied it, she still couldn’t be sure… he might be so shocked by her question that he would leave her anyway and the heartbreak would begin …
Had she already hurled all the accusations at him? In her mind, she was already screaming… she blinked against the sunlight, as though she had been momentarily in the grip of an hallucination, yet all around her the wedding guests still smiled and gossiped, and the children still screeched with laughter…
‘Well, Morwen?’ Ran’s voice had hardened, wondering if he was ever going to get through the mask on that lovely frozen face. He cursed this wedding of Freddie’s, thinking it had probably brought back that damnable conscience of hers, remembering Ben, remembering too much of the past.
He burned to take all the troubles away from her, to restore her to the beautiful serenity that had so charmed him on that first meeting with her. He had fallen in love with her then, and was even more in love with her now, but for some reason she was treating him like a stranger, and it tore at his gut.
‘I’m still in mourning for my husband,’ she said stiffly. ‘You should remember that, Ran. I can’t forget it, even though everyone seems able to.’ She met his eyes and then had to look away.
‘It’s more than that, and we both know it. When you’re ready to tell me, perhaps I’ll be ready to listen.’
To her disbelief, he turned away from her, to be triumphantly captured by one of the Truro dames, anxious to introduce her two daughters to him. And why not? Randell E Wainwright would be quite a catch. He was handsome, successful, and extremely attractive to women. It didn’t need a clairvoyant to know that. It was obvious from the way some of the unmarried girls had been eyeing him, wondering who he was.
Her father’s gentle voice spoke right beside her. ‘Are you in some kind of a dream, my love? You’ll be missing Ben on such a day, and ’tis only to be expected.’
She hugged his arm, loving his simple conclusion. Never in a hundred years would Hal Tremayne think that his daughter was at that moment eaten up with jealousy on account of Randell Wainwright smiling into the provocative eyes of another girl!
‘I was just thinking, Daddy,’ she said huskily.
He tucked her hand in his arm and held it there. ‘Aye, love. Weddings make the best of folk look to their own lives in some peculiar way. Weddings and buryings both. You’ll be all right, I have no doubt of it.’
She smiled wanly. ‘Of course I will. I was just being silly. And Daddy, while we’re on our own for a minute, I want to say something.’
‘What is it?’
She said it quickly, before she could change her mind. Hal had been half-swayed already by Daniel Gorran’s words, and it only needed Morwen’s agreement to tip the balance.
‘I think we should accept Ran’s offer. It will put Killigrew Clay back on its feet again, and will save us the worry of dealing with things I don’t really understand – and no more do you, I suspect!’
‘That’s true enough. B
ut you’re quite sure on it, Morwen? You’ve given it enough thought?’
‘Oh, I’ve given it more than enough thought.’ She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, not wanting to blight this lovely day. ‘But let’s leave it a few more weeks before we tell Ran of our decision. Ben always said it didn’t do to appear too eager to accept a business offer, and it won’t hurt Ran to think we’re managing well enough and don’t need him.’
Hal laughed, not seeing the irony in her words. God knew that she needed him. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see him flirting with the two Pendewy girls, and it hurt. If he was doing this merely to spite her, he was succeeding. If he did it because he enjoyed it, that only deepened the hurt.
‘You’re right, love. No one need know of it but we two for the present. No more’n a month though, before we bring him in. We’ll be due for payment to the shipping company by then, despite the loss of the clay, so ’twill be a good time – so long as he hasn’t backed out in that time.’
Morwen felt a burst of fright. ‘You don’t think he will, do you, Daddy?’
He remembered Bess telling him that Ran and Morwen were thinking of getting wed, and if he thought it odd that the man should be sporting with two other young women at the present, he assumed it was with Morwen’s blessing, for propriety’s sake.
‘I’m sure he won’t,’ Hal said confidently. ‘When a man’s made up his mind he wants summat badly enough, he’ll stick to it, no matter what.’
He was meaning his daughter, but all she saw in his words was Ran’s desire for Killigrew Clay. And if he got what he wanted, would there still be any reason for him to marry the widow of Ben Killigrew? It was a thought that only occurred to her as her father moved away to rejoin Bess, and Morwen felt suddenly afraid and alone. But surely it would prove something? If he still wanted to marry her, then she must believe that what he felt for her was love.
* * *
A wedding had an effect on people. It made soft-centres of those who didn’t normally have a romantic bone in their bodies. It sent the children wild with excitement, because the older ones seemed more indulgent for the day.
It made Walter Tremayne long for something out of reach. He knew he was far too young to be thinking of marriage, but there was a bond between him and Cathy Askhew that was too precious to discuss with anyone. Fifteen wasn’t too young to be in love, and he and Cathy had made a secret vow to be faithful, and to tell each other the truth if their feelings should ever change. Their letters constantly reassured each other that such a happening was an impossibility.
But he was growing up. He knew that people’s feelings did change, through no faults of their own, just as their bodies changed. Walter was discovering himself in ways that were almost frightening. He knew the power that was in a man’s body, and was aware of new and pleasant sensations within him that made him curious about a woman’s.
One day, he kept reminding himself, when he and Cathy were old enough to defy their parents’ wishes, they would be together, as they were always meant to be.
Unwittingly, he echoed Morwen’s own philosophy. Things that were meant to be, would be, however long the waiting.
* * *
Hal and Bess were more than content that their youngest had found himself a good wife. There had been a money gift from Matt and Louisa that would help them with furnishings, once they had found the house they wanted, and for now, Venetia was happy enough to move into Freddie’s rooms above the shop and to blazes with what folk thought.
Jack wished his Annie wasn’t so hugely pregnant that there was hardly room for both of them in the bed, let alone make love to her. They had seen the gynaecologist just before today’s wedding, confirming that Annie was well enough to stand the excitement, and he strongly believed now that the baby was due in August, a month earlier than they had thought.
‘A month less to wait until I can get my arms around ’ee again,’ Jack had teased her, when they were all done up in their wedding finery.
‘You’ll just have to curb your impatience, Jack,’ she had said, blushing.
‘I know, but ’tis not the easiest of things to do when a man loves his wife the way I love mine.’ He spoke lightly, because such words didn’t always come easy to him.
Knowing it, Annie hugged him tightly. Between them they both felt the baby stir, and smiled at each other as if they guarded a royal treasure.
Freddie was in a high old state of jubilation by the time he and Venetia made a move to leave the celebrations. They were to spend a few days in the small fishing village of St Ives, where the sands were golden and the sea would be warm, and they might even risk dipping in a toe or two, as reckless as two children on a spree.
But there was nothing of the child about either of them as he took his wife in his arms on that first night of their new life, and felt the desire in him rise up and meet hers. Neither felt the need to prolong the sweet preliminaries, and Venetia pulled her husband into her as Freddie covered her body with his own, and each knew that fulfilment was theirs for the taking, for all the rest of their lives.
* * *
Lord Hocking urged his guests to remain as long as they liked once the newly-wedded couple had gone. He was red-faced and amiable. He liked his daughter’s new in-laws, and saw no reason for them to rush off. Hal and Bess weren’t so anxious to stay, and since Charlotte was almost dropping with sleep by now, they decided to take her home with them for the night.
‘Uncle Ran said we can stay at his house if we like, Mother, instead of going all the way home,’ Justin shouted joyfully. ‘Say that it’s all right, please!’
‘Oh no, I don’t think that’s such a good idea—’
‘Why not?’ Ran’s voice said. ‘The children are tired, and you’ll all be fresher tomorrow for not having to go all the way to St Austell.’
His eyes clashed with hers. You know why not, she wanted to shout at him. You know I don’t want to sleep under the same roof as you… How could she bear it, knowing they were just doors away from each other, when her feelings about him were so disturbed?
‘Haven’t you other business to attend to, rather than bother with us?’ she spoke freezingly, her meaning obvious to him, if not to the children. She saw a tiny smile pull at the corners of his sensual mouth, and was immediately angry with herself for letting her jealousy show.
‘Not tonight.’ He spoke with careless unconcern. ‘I’ve told Mr Pendewy I’ll call and see him in his offices tomorrow when I’ve tried to sort out a few things in my mind.’
Morwen caught her breath, feeling the ground sway beneath her feet. He couldn’t mean what he was implying.
He surely didn’t intend asking George Pendewy’s permission to court one of his prissy daughters! They were a colourless family. Pendewy owned a modest little clayworks to the west of Killigrew Clay. Ben had always referred to it scathingly as a piddling little business, and not worth the moorland it covered.
‘It’s of no interest to me what you do tomorrow,’ she retorted.
‘In that case, stop being so obstinate and stay the night at New World. The children have enjoyed this day, and it’s good to see them happy again. Don’t spoil it for them, Morwen.’
She looked at their beaming, hopeful faces. It was true. All of them were happier than she had seen them in a long time, even Walter, who seemed to have come to terms with being parted from Cathy Askhew.
As for the others, Ran was right. It was more than good. It was almost miraculous to see them behaving like children again, instead of looking so lost and afraid since Ben’s death.
‘All right. We accept, and we thank you.’
Why did she have to sound so stilted, as though she had never lain in his arms and known the glory of his love? What devil held her in such a grip that she couldn’t unbend towards him and beg him to tell her that what she suspected wasn’t true?
As the children hooted with delight all around her at this unexpected treat, Morwen saw the Pendewy family approa
ching them to make their goodbyes to Ran, and as he was momentarily surrounded by them, she was drowning in misery.
‘Mother, it will be all right,’ Walter said quietly. ‘There’s nothing to rush home for, and the morning will do just as well. I know you must be missing Father, but if it helps at all – well, I do understand.’
Tears pricked at her eyes. He took on a man’s role so effortlessly. He was strong for her, thinking she needed his strength. He was ready to shoulder any burden she put on him. And it only added to her guilt to know that it wasn’t him that she needed, nor Ben. She nodded quickly, blinking away the tears.
‘I know, my love. I’m just being foolish. Weddings sometimes make people act in a silly way.’
‘You’re not silly, Mother. You’re special.’
He turned away quickly, choked at his own impulsive words, and from his brilliant colour Morwen knew at once that Walter had been drinking a little champagne too. She pretended not to notice, and fussed around, telling the children they must make their proper goodbyes to Lord Hocking for providing them with such a splendid day.
Several hours later, she was saying goodnight to all four of them as they settled down for the night in Ran’s lovely new home. Then at last there were only the two of them, Randell Wainwright and herself, and she felt an acute embarrassment at being here with him, where once she would have felt so relaxed and welcome. He leaned against the mantelpiece, tall and elegant, and very much in control of himself. So much so that it added to Morwen’s nervousness.
‘I think perhaps I should go to bed too.’ She put down the glass of wine he had poured for her.
‘I think not, until we’ve talked,’ Ran said evenly.
‘There’s nothing to talk about —’
He gave a heavy sigh. ‘Morwen, give me credit for knowing when a woman’s avoiding me —’
Family Ties Page 34