“That’s just it. I can’t tell you. He asked that it remain confidential. Do you think the fact that he is dead changes that? I mean … is one still bound to a promise to a dead man?”
“An interesting question. It probably depends on the individual case. Are other people involved?”
Percy nodded.
“Could they be hurt if you divulged what you and Roderick talked about?”
“It’s possible.”
“Then it seems to me that you must honor your word as long as possible. It may in time become necessary to speak more openly. If it reaches a point where you absolutely have no idea what to do, we can rethink it. Perhaps you will need to tell me later. But for the immediate future, I think the safest policy is for you to keep your own counsel.”
“I would give anything to tell you about it.”
“The time may come when you will feel it right to do so. The Lord will show you what to do.”
“Do you think I ought to begin immediately and take a leave of absence from school?”
“How urgent is the matter?”
“It didn’t strike me as especially urgent. Actually, he never really said anything about when. Knowing he was dying, he simply wanted me to take care of it.”
“Could it wait until you graduate?”
“I suppose. That would also give me time to consider how best to carry out Uncle Roderick’s commission.”
“And as well, if you are to be married, it seems in everyone’s best interest for you to graduate first. That is another argument in favor of waiting.”
“I see what you mean. Because of what’s happened, though, I do think I ought to remain here for the summer. I wanted to ask your advice … what would you think of my writing to Mr. Snyder and telling him it will be impossible for me to apprentice with his firm this summer?”
“I think that is a wise decision,” replied his father. “You are needed here. Florilyn and her mother are your primary responsibilities now. And I’ve heard Courtenay talking about taking a trip.”
Father and son glanced up to see Florilyn, Mary, and Katherine approaching. They had come out of the house together.
“Hello, ladies!” said Edward, greeting them with a smile. “How are you managing, Katherine?” he said, walking toward her and embracing her affectionately.
His sister sighed and smiled sadly.
They all now turned and walked toward the garden.
“It will be hard for some time,” said Katherine after a moment. “It was so sudden. But your message at the funeral helped more than you know. Sometimes I need to be reminded how good God really is. It is easy to forget. How do you do it, Edward—always put your finger on the exact point of truth needed?”
Her brother laughed.
Florilyn glanced toward him, struck suddenly at how very much like Percy’s his laugh sounded.
“As I remember, you found that annoying when we were growing up!” Edward chuckled.
“Not anymore. Whenever I hear it now, it reminds me of Father.”
“It is easy for us all to forget,” said Edward after a moment. “I am trying to remember what our father taught us, too, Katherine. His vision of God is so much larger than mine. I am still learning. The natural human tendency is to doubt God rather than trust Him. I don’t know why. I must constantly remind myself that God is on our side in this struggle we call life.”
“That is just like what Father would say! At seventy-five, he is still hungry to know more about God.”
“I hope you will be saying the same of me when I am seventy-five,” rejoined Edward.
Florilyn walked between the men and slipped her hands into their two arms. “Percy speaks very highly of you, Uncle Edward,” she said. “I have never seen a son honor a father as he does you. I feel that I know you almost as well as I know him.”
“I am aware of it, Florilyn.” The vicar smiled. “I am a man most fortunate to have such a son. And such a niece!”
“Now it looks as if you will be a father to me, as well as an uncle.”
“It is an assignment I look forward to, my dear.”
The five continued to walk about the grounds, speaking of many things. Not the least of which subjects that came up was the future of the two young people.
Percy shared with Katherine and Florilyn that he had decided not to return to Aberdeen for the summer apprenticeship, but to remain with them … with their permission, of course. Both were overjoyed and relieved beyond words. He then explained his conviction that he and his father felt it best that he return to complete his fourth year at the university so as to graduate before pursuing matrimonial plans.
Everyone agreed that it was a wise course of action. The other considerations that were on his mind, Percy kept to himself. Many questions remained.
Several days after the funeral, Rhawn Lorimer surprised everyone by appearing at Westbrooke Manor. Her son was with her, and a look of compassionate humility was on her face. She asked to see Florilyn and Katherine. She expressed her sympathies then added that she would like them to meet her son. Her tone was so gentle and her demeanor so changed, that they invited her to stay for tea—though it proved a somewhat rambunctious affair with a youngster about. From that day forward, she and Florilyn began a wonderful new friendship together.
Katherine consulted in private with Steven Muir, as she always called him. With quiet and humble gratitude, he accepted her offer. She added, however, that no announcement of it should be made until she made it herself. He must say nothing even to his mother.
After a few more days, Mary and Edward Drummond left on the coach for Blaenau Ffestiniog where they caught the train that, after several connections, took them back to Scotland.
Two weeks later, declaring himself in need of a holiday, Courtenay Westbrooke left for the south of France, expecting at the end of his hiatus to find the weight of his father’s responsibilities falling to his shoulders.
He did not return for three months. By then Percy had resumed his studies in Abereen. To Courtenay’s great surprise and smoldering fury, Stevie Muir was confidently and capably in charge as Lady Katherine’s factor at Westbrooke Manor.
No one quite knew why from the very day of the viscount’s funeral the hammer and anvil of Kyvwlch Gwarthegydd’s smithy were thereafter silent on Sundays. Nor did a soul ever know his dark secret—that when his wife and Chandos were occupied at church, he crept to his son’s room to snatch peeks inside the Bible on the shelf, hoping to discover more about who God really was.
Percy’s plans and what came of them will require another book.
A Look at: The Treasure of the Celtic Triangle: Wales (The Green Hills of Snowdonia 2)
BEST-SELLING AUTHOR MICHAEL PHILLIPS BRINGS ROMANCE AND MYSTERY TO THE RUGGED WELSH COAST.
Join Percy Drummond on a search that takes him from Scotland to Ireland and a treasure that is closer than imagined.
Having accepted his uncle’s dying request, Percy begins an unforgettable quest to solve the hidden mystery of the Westbrooke estate. Meanwhile, circumstances in Wales threaten his success—and the future. As the key to the mystery seems to slip further from him, will Percy discover that treasure is closer than he imagined?
“This story is heart wrenching and beautiful, running the gamut of emotions!” – Glenajo Shambeck, Eclectic Reading
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Michael Phillips
About the Author
Michael Phillips is one of the most versatile and beloved authors of our time. His widely diverse novels and fiction series are set
in Scotland, England, Wales, Germany, and Russia, as well as the United States. Though primarily known for his sweeping historical sagas, he has also written many contemporary novels, four fantasies, and even one murder mystery.
In addition to his reputation as a best-selling novelist, he has penned many devotional and theological titles that illuminate biblical and personal themes with insight, clarity, and wisdom. He describes his life’s vision as the desire to use the genres of both fiction and non-fiction to help readers toward greater intimacy with their Creator through a deeper understanding of God’s nature, character, and forgiving Fatherhood. Commenting on one of his books, Bishop William Frey wrote: “Michael Phillips offers a much-needed corrective to…superficial descriptions of the Christian life. He dares us to abandon all candy-coated versions of the gospel.” About another, Eugene Peterson adds, “Michael Phillips skillfully immerses our imaginations…he takes us on an end run around the usual polarizing clichés.”
Phillips is also known as one of those who helped rescue Victorian Scotsman George MacDonald from obscurity in the 1980s with his new publications of MacDonald’s works. He has produced more than eighty new editions of MacDonald’s books which have introduced thousands the world over to MacDonald’s transformative writings. He is recognized as possessing deep insight into MacDonald’s heart and spiritual vision, and his efforts continue to contribute to a worldwide renewal of interest in the man C.S. Lewis called his master.
Michael Phillips’ corpus of more than a hundred titles is praised across a wide spectrum of readership. The impact of his writing is perhaps best summed up by Paul Young, author of The Shack, who wrote, “When I read…Phillips, I walk away wanting to be more than I already am, more consistent and true, a more authentic human being.”
From Across the Ancient Waters- Wales Page 43