Dream Catcher

by Iris Gower

  Maura pressed her hands together until her knuckles gleamed white. ‘I must find out about Binnie or I’ll go mad,’ she said.

  Eynon could see she was confused and hurt. ‘Look, why not speak to Watt Bevan?’ he suggested. ‘Watt has been out to America, he might just have heard something.’

  Maura nodded slowly. ‘That’s a good idea, I will speak to him.’ She rose to her feet. ‘Thank you for listening to my troubles when you’ve got enough of your own. Can I get you something else?’ She was speaking now like the girl she used to be, not the frozen iceberg she had become since her husband left her.

  Eynon smiled at her. ‘No, no thank you, Maura.’

  ‘Can I just say how sorry I am, about your wife.’ Maura winced as another scream rent the air. ‘She’s having a bad time of it to be sure.’

  Elizabeth came flying into the room almost knocking Maura off her feet. ‘Come quick, Eynon, the baby is born.’ Her glance was anguished, two spots of colour burned in her cheeks. ‘As for my poor girl, I think . . .’ Her voice trailed away and she rushed from the room, her skirts flying.

  Eynon was loath to go into the bedroom. His mouth was dry, his breathing rapid. He knew it was cowardly of him but he did not want to see Annabel suffering. He took a deep breath and opened the door; the room smelled of blood, and a feeling of nausea swept over him.

  ‘Here’s your baby, a girl,’ the midwife handed him the child and Eynon looked into the tiny crumpled face with something like trepidation. He saw the tiny nose, the closed eyes and the waving fists and experienced an immediate feeling of tenderness for the tiny scrap of life in his arms.

  The baby blinked and stared upward for a moment and Eynon looked into pale grey eyes and saw the fall of pale hair and knew that she was his own.

  ‘She’s small but strong. She’ll live,’ the midwife said. She leaned closer. ‘As to your wife, it’s all in the hands of the gods.’

  Eynon handed the baby back to her. ‘Take good care of my daughter.’ His voice was thick with emotion. He moved to the bed and sat beside his wife, taking her pale hand in his.

  ‘You did well, my love,’ he said quietly. ‘You’ve given me a wonderful daughter.’

  A small smile parted her lips but only briefly. ‘I’m sorry, Eynon.’ Her voice was a thin whisper. ‘I’m sorry for everything.’ She sighed. ‘Take good care of our child and be kind to Mamma.’ She closed her eyes as though too weary to keep them open and with a long drawn out sigh her life ebbed away.

  Martin began to pray and Elizabeth to cry. Eynon stared at them both and then at the pale, still face of his wife. He was in a state of numbness, he could not accept what was happening. Annabel had given him the greatest gift any woman could give her husband and now she was dead. In that moment he hated himself for never having loved her.

  Elizabeth’s sobs became a wail of grief. She fell across the bed and tried to clasp her daughter in her arms. Eynon felt moved to his bones. Whatever she was, however badly she had behaved, Elizabeth was a mother who had lost her child. Eynon knew then that he would keep Elizabeth in comfort for the rest of her life, however much it cost him. He hung his head and tears rolled down his cheeks as, slowly, he left the room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  LLINOS WAS IN the drawing room with Charlotte, both women staring silently into the warmth of the fire. Joe was upstairs with Samuel who was feeling poorly and had gone to bed early.

  ‘I’m worried, Llinos,’ Charlotte said at last. ‘Sam is not himself, he hasn’t been right for over a week now. Do you think we should call out the doctor?’

  Llinos dragged her thoughts back to the present; she had been thinking about Eynon and about the sudden and tragic death of his wife. She knew he was beset by feelings of guilt and yet his pride in his daughter was wonderful to see. She had spent as much time with him as possible over the past days. So much so, she thought, that she was neglecting her own family.

  ‘I’m sorry, Charlotte, I’ve been preoccupied with Eynon. Perhaps I should have sent for the doctor sooner, but I’m sure it’s just a chill,’ she said comfortingly. ‘It’s the time of the year for colds and fevers.’ She shivered as a gust of fierce rain hit the windows as though to add emphasis to her words.

  ‘No,’ Charlotte said, ‘it’s not just a chill, it’s something more serious. I don’t like the colour of his skin and he is in constant pain so that he scarcely eats anything.’

  ‘We’ll have the doctor tomorrow,’ Llinos said decisively. But it would not be Dr Jones. With the thought came a wave of fear that was purely selfish. If anything happened to Samuel, Joe would be blamed, it was inevitable. There had been so much hostility shown to Joe since the death of her father and the attitude of the townspeople seemed to be getting worse. Only yesterday someone had thrown a stone at the horse Joe was riding, almost causing an accident. But nothing was going to happen to Samuel, she was becoming hysterical.

  She looked up as Joe entered the room. His expression was grave and her spirits plummeted. ‘What is it?’ she asked, careful not to show her fear.

  ‘I think Sam needs a doctor,’ Joe said. ‘He’s not too poorly at present but neither is he showing any signs of improvement.’

  Charlotte put her hands to her face. ‘Oh, dear, I knew he wasn’t well.’ She rose shakily to her feet. ‘I must go to him.’

  When Charlotte had left the room, Joe came to sit on the deep sofa, slipping his arm around his wife’s shoulder. ‘I can’t make it out, it’s almost as though Sam is being poisoned.’

  ‘How could that be possible?’ Llinos asked, fear constricting her throat. Joe shook his head.

  ‘I don’t know. His symptoms are those of an overdose of the medicine I used to make up for Lloyd.’

  ‘You have none of that here now,’ Llinos protested. ‘It was all taken away when my father died.’

  Joe took her hand and raised it to his lips. He did not speak and she stared at him anxiously, trying to read his expression. The silence seemed to drag on, punctuated only by the shifting of logs in the fire.

  ‘Where did the medication land up, that’s what I want to know,’ Joe said at last. ‘In the wrong hands, it’s lethal. But then, who would want to harm Sam? Could I be the target?’

  ‘Samuel’s son hates him,’ Llinos said flatly. ‘And Saul Marks is capable of anything.’ She frowned thoughtfully. ‘How would your medicine get into the food or drink though, who could be doing it? It has to be someone in this house.’

  Joe nodded. ‘I agree. The medicine, if added in large amounts to food or drink, could prove deadly. But if that’s been the case, why aren’t we all sick?’

  Llinos rose to her feet and paced across the room, her hands clasped together. She trusted Cook with her life. The woman was too lacking in guile to do anything like adding medicine to the food. In any case, Cook knew she would be the first one to be suspected. Llinos paced back across the room. One of the maids then, Meggie perhaps. She had never liked Joe. But why, what could the girl hope to gain?

  Joe answered her thoughts. ‘Yes, I must be the real target. If there was another suspicious death in this household who would be held responsible?’

  Llinos slipped her arms around his waist. She closed her eyes feeling the beat of his heart against her own. She would protect Joe with her life. Might she have to do just that?

  She sat back on her heels. ‘In the morning I’ll have all the servants assembled in the hall so that I can speak to them. You could take the opportunity to search the kitchen for anything suspicious.’

  Joe’s face relaxed as he smiled down at his wife. ‘You are such a little Firebird, aren’t you? Spitting fire, breathing fire, defending what is your own with every nerve in your body. I love you, Llinos, do you know that?’

  He kissed her and she felt joyful and fearful at the same time. But Joe would not be taken away from her a second time, she was determined on it.

  ‘Come on,’ he said, ‘let’s go to bed, there’s nothing we can do tonight.�
��

  They climbed the stairs hand in hand and Llinos paused outside Charlotte’s bedroom. A small voice called for her to enter and when she opened the door, it was to see the elderly couple lying in each other’s arms. Llinos forced a smile.

  ‘I’m sorry to intrude but I just wanted to know how you were feeling, Sam.’

  ‘Not so bad, you ladies worry too much.’

  On an impulse, Llinos took the glass of milk from the side of the bed where Sam was lying and sniffed at it. ‘I think this is a little sour,’ she said. ‘I’ll change it for you.’

  Sam shook his head. ‘No need, really, Llinos, don’t trouble yourself.’

  ‘No trouble.’ Llinos left the room. Joe was waiting outside on the landing and she handed him the glass with a meaningful nod and then retraced her steps down the stairs.

  In the kitchen the maids were clearing up the last of the cooking pots. The fire burned low in the grate and the candle flames hissed in the pools of wax at the bottom of the holders. Llinos ignored the strange look that Meggie gave her and walked into the coldness of the pantry.

  ‘Do you need anything, Mrs Mainwaring?’ Meggie was at her side as Llinos took up a small jug. ‘I just felt like a drink of milk, Meggie. Would you bring me a glass?’

  ‘Don’t drink that milk!’ Meggie said and took the jug away from Llinos. ‘It’s been there too long, the flies will have got into it.’

  She took up a large pitcher and poured a foaming glass of milk, handing it carefully to Llinos. ‘There, that’s nice and fresh, do you a whole lot of good, miss.’

  ‘Thank you, Meggie.’ Llinos returned to the landing where Joe was still standing. She lifted the glass of milk and followed Joe into the bedroom, closing the door securely behind her.

  ‘We must compare the taste of the two glasses of milk,’ Llinos sank onto the bed. Joe nodded.

  ‘I can do that myself by simply tasting the milk.’ He took and sniffed one of the glasses and then took a small sip of the milk. ‘This has been tampered with, no doubt about it.’

  ‘Oh my God!’ Llinos said. ‘Then Meggie is involved in whatever is going on. She practically pushed me aside so that I wouldn’t touch the jug of milk on the shelf.’

  Joe was busy tying a ribbon around the suspect glass of milk. ‘No-one else could tell the difference,’ he said. ‘That’s the benefit and the danger of the medicine. Take Sam his drink and let’s go to bed, we’ll sort this out in the morning.’

  Later, as Llinos lay in the circle of her husband’s arms, she knew she would not get much sleep that night. Thoughts were rushing around her head like roaches caught in a trap. Someone was out to harm Joe through Sam and it did not take a great deal of imagination to guess who was behind it. That son of his was wicked, evil, but how on earth had he managed to involve one of the servants? She sighed heavily and closed her eyes wishing only for morning to come so that she could do something positive.

  The sun was warm on his face as John sat on the porch of the McCabe house. Beside him Josephine was swinging her dainty feet to and fro, her dress fluttering in the breeze. He wondered briefly where her sister was. Melia usually kept a close eye on him, thinking him her property, and it was beginning to irritate John. He glanced at the girl beside him, she was not as pretty as Melia nor as vivacious but she was practical, down to earth and more importantly she shared John’s sense of humour. She was a good listener and did not simper the way her sister did.

  ‘What are your ambitions, John?’ Josephine asked quietly. He heard the swing creak as she turned to look at him.

  ‘I suppose I want to make my fortune,’ he said. ‘And then go home to Cornwall to have my revenge on the man who ruined my father.’

  ‘That’s an honest answer,’ Josephine said dryly. ‘I half expected you to say that you wanted to marry my sister and settle down and have a brood of young uns the way Binnie did.’

  ‘That sounds enticing enough,’ John said. ‘But I’m not sure I know my mind, perhaps I don’t know what I want.’ He took Josephine’s hand in his. ‘I think your sister has got the wrong idea about me.’

  ‘Oh, dear.’ Josephine’s voice held a smile. ‘That’s going to dampen my dear sister’s ardour, isn’t it?’

  John laughed with her, she too had been aware that Melia had been panting after John from the moment she saw him.

  ‘It’s sure strange how a man never wants that which comes too easy.’ Josephine’s voice was soft. ‘I think I should learn a lesson from that when it’s my turn to look for a husband.’

  John took a deep breath and leaned across to take Josephine’s elfin face in his hands.

  ‘I’ve got a feeling you don’t have to look very far.’

  Josephine rose abruptly. ‘Look, honey,’ her voice was sharp, ‘we girls are not cookies on a plate to be picked up, examined and thrown aside. In any case, what makes you think you are such a great catch? Goodnight to you, John.’

  John stared up at the star-studded sky. The air was balmy, the breeze soft. He smiled to himself. Josephine was not going to be a pushover and that made the chase so much more interesting.

  ‘Evening, John.’ The figure of Binnie Dundee loomed up out of the darkness. ‘Dan in?’

  ‘He’s down on the estate, somewhere.’ Both men smiled, knowing what that meant.

  ‘I don’t know how the old goat keeps going,’ Binnie said. ‘I hope I’ve got half his energy when I’m that age.’ He sank down beside John and leaned back, his feet stretched out before him.

  ‘How are the plans for opening up in Albany going?’ Binnie asked.

  ‘Slowly,’ John replied. ‘I think I’m being kept here as girl fodder at the moment.’ He smiled into the darkness. ‘It’s a hard life choosing between two lovely girls, don’t you think?’

  Binnie laughed out loud. ‘Lucky bastard!’

  ‘But are you happy with Hortense?’ John asked, curious to know if the other man had settled for a convenient marriage in return for a life time’s security.

  Binnie leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. ‘I love the girl so much that it drives me to distraction to think of losing her.’ He spoke with deadly seriousness.

  ‘Why should you lose her, she’s not sick, is she?’ John asked.

  Binnie shook his head. ‘No, she’s not sick, Hortense is never sick. She’s a strong, healthy American girl.’

  ‘Well then?’

  ‘I have secrets, John, just as everyone else does, things from my past that I would prefer to remain there.’

  ‘I suppose most men have,’ John said. ‘But no-one expects a man to be pure as the driven snow when he marries, do they?’

  Binnie looked up and, for a moment, it seemed he would speak. Then he dropped his head. ‘No, I suppose not.’

  ‘Oh there you are, John.’ Melia’s voice startled the two men. ‘I’ve been looking for you, hon.’

  She sat beside John, resting a proprietary hand on his arm. ‘Evenin’, Binnie, looking for Daddy are you?’

  ‘Aye, I was but it was nothing important, it can wait. I’ll just sit here for a while, see if he comes back.’

  ‘Oh, I see.’ Melia sounded disappointed and John smiled to himself: he had been given a reprieve, he would not have to be alone with Melia, suffering her cloying attentions, at least for a while.

  ‘Hortense brought the boys over today,’ Melia said. ‘The baby is a sweet thing, so good and cheerful. I can’t wait to have babies of my own.’

  John raised his eyebrows and saw Binnie hiding a smile. ‘Well, Melia, you have your pick of all the lads in town,’ Binnie said. ‘Any one of them would give his eye-teeth to have you for a wife.’

  Melia preened, touching her soft curls. ‘Your lips have tasted the honey pot, Binnie, but I know you keep your sweet talkin’ for my big sister.’ She rested her hand on John’s arm in the proprietary way that used to amuse him but now only irritated him.

  ‘He’s an old happily married man, isn’t he, John?’

  ‘Seems lik
e it,’ John said. ‘Perhaps he got the pick of the bunch, lucky man.’

  Melia withdrew her hand, pouting and John laughed, taking her hand and kissing the palm. ‘Just teasing, little girl, just teasing.’

  ‘Oh, you!’

  ‘Hey!’ Dan McCabe loomed up out of the darkness, smelling strongly of drink. ‘This a reception committee or something?’ He slumped into the rocking chair and stretched his legs out before him.

  ‘Go and get your daddy something to drink, honey, and don’t show your mother.’ He waved his hand and Melia rose reluctantly, flouncing from the porch, her skirts flying.

  ‘Well then, John, my boy, are you going to speak out for my girl or not?’ Dan sounded a trifle impatient.

  John took a deep breath. ‘I do want to speak out but perhaps what I say isn’t going to be what you expected.’

  ‘Don’t talk in riddles, boy!’ Dan said. ‘Come on, spit it out before my girl comes back. Don’t do to let the wimmin folk know everything that’s going on.’

  John leaned forward. ‘I was drawn to Melia at first, she’s by far the prettier of the two girls.’ He sighed. ‘But I’ve spent a lot of time with Josephine and I think I’m falling in love with her.’

  ‘Well then,’ Dan said, ‘for heaven’s sake put us all out of our misery and ask for her.’ He chuckled. ‘Knowing her, she might refuse you though.’

  John took a deep breath. ‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’

  As Melia returned, Dan rose to his feet and took the pitcher from her. ‘I’m off to bed, I’ll leave you young uns to sort yourselves out.’

  ‘Daddy’s drunk,’ Melia said. ‘And he stinks of the sheds. He’s been with those girls again. I don’t understand Ma, I wouldn’t have my husband cheatin’ on me that way.’

  ‘I’m going home.’ Binnie rose and stretched his arms towards the sky. ‘I’m happy with my lot, don’t want any other woman, but then men are not all the same, are they?’

  He rested a hand on John’s shoulder. ‘Good luck, mate.’ He strolled easily down the porch steps and out onto the open ground. It was only a short walk to his house and John watched him with a feeling of envy.