Clay Country

by Clay Country (retail) (epub)

  ‘I won’t let you down, Father,’ Ben said quietly.

  ‘I know that. The pity of it is you can’t win this day on the throw of the dice, or I might feel a bit happier at the outcome,’ Charles retorted.

  Ben laughed. ‘I don’t think my skills with the dice would help much today, especially as I haven’t used them for so long!’

  Not since the night he had gambled everything he had to win Killigrew Clay from this pathetic old man and enable him to run the clay works single-handed.

  Instead of being controlled by Charles Killigrew and his reluctant partner, Richard Carrick, Jane Askhew’s father, Killigrew Clay had come into the hands of a young and energetic new owner who had made it prosper. God help him if all that ambition was now going to be its downfall.

  He felt Charles’s thin hand cover his in a claw-like grip.

  ‘God go with you, Ben. I’ll be waiting for the news when you get back.’

  ‘You promise? You won’t run away?’

  Impulsively, Ben leaned forward and kissed the tired cheek. He swore he saw the glint of a tear in Charles’s eyes as he left the room, and shouted to Nurse Wilder that his father was ready for his breakfast.

  Time was when Charles would have been shouting for it himself, and Ben could only feel anger at the frustration the old man must feel every single day of his life.

  He ran down the stairs to find Morwen hovering near the drawing-room door.

  ‘We should be leaving, Ben. Mr Carrick has been here some little while, and is getting anxious.’

  ‘We’re not due to make an appearance until early afternoon, but don’t worry. The public will still get their pound of flesh, dar.’ He smiled a little to let her know he was joking.

  * * *

  Some hours later, Morwen remembered those words. There had been an initial outcry when it was discovered that Engineer Prole was not present in the courtroom, and at first the case was going to be postponed. But the crowd would have none of it, and rather than risk the Assize court being wrecked, the visiting and impartial Judge Manley decreed that a constable should be sent to the Engineer’s rooms nearby without delay and bring him to court immediately.

  There was more uproar in the Assize court as one and then another gave evidence against Ben Killigrew, and just as many sprang to his defence. When the cat-calls had turned to nothing short of pandemonium, the stern-faced Judge Manley rapped furiously for order and threatened to clear the place if this undignified disgrace continued.

  Morwen tried to smile encouragingly towards Ben, completely unsure how it was all going. The lawyers had glib tongues, using words she couldn’t always understand, and some of the accusations seemed so damning. They bewildered and shocked her. Surely this wasn’t what it was all about?

  It had seemed a simple matter, to decide how much compensation Ben Killigrew should pay to those families who had suffered hardship, and Morwen knew for a fact that he was doing more than enough already.

  ‘Do you have any more witnesses for the defence before we hear your client speak for himself, Mr Carrick?’ the Judge said finally, after what seemed like hours of arguing and back-biting.

  Richard Carrick said that he had not. Richard Carrick had already spoken up for Ben’s character and integrity. Clayworkers who wanted to be heard had spoken awkwardly and inarticulately, unnerved by the occasion and the awesome dark surroundings.

  Morwen could have wept for them, and also for herself for growing so far away from them. But seeing them here, like fish out of water, she finally realised it, and knew that she had made the choice long ago. And Ben had been right. She was his wife, and should behave accordingly.

  She clasped her hands tightly together as she saw Ben take the witness-stand. Her father sat beside her, as grim-faced as anyone there. Jack was there to lend his support. Sam was dead, and there was no helping him, but Ben was their family, and they resented seeing him made a scapegoat.

  As Ben cleared his throat, there were a few boos and cheers from the various factions, quickly called to order by the clerks of the court. Ben had elected to give his own evidence, and he spoke clearly and concisely.

  ‘I’m still not sure of exactly what I stand accused.’ He paused until the shouting died down. ‘I took instruction to re-open my railway from the surveyors’ office in Bodmin, and in particular from Chief Engineer Prole, who is conspicuous by his absence today. Wouldn’t you take that as some indication of his own guilt in this matter?’

  Judge Manley banged for order as the crowd erupted in response, and spoke curtly to Ben.

  ‘Mr Killigrew, you are not to appeal to the court in this way. It is for your lawyer to appeal on your behalf. You are merely required to give a direct account of yourself and your actions and no more. If you do not adhere to these rules, I will have you removed from the witness-stand at once.’

  ‘Perhaps you would prefer it if I stood here mute and let the crowd stick pins in me, since this seems to be little more than a witch-hunt,’ Ben said angrily.

  ‘I would prefer you to keep a civil tongue in your head,’ Judge Manley said coldly. ‘And I would remind you again, Mr Killigrew, that it only takes a nod of my head to have you removed forthwith.’

  ‘He’s being grossly unfair to Ben!’ Morwen said fiercely from her seat right behind Richard Carrick. The lawyer turned his head and whispered back to where she sat between her father and brother Jack. Freddie had not been allowed to come, despite his complaining.

  ‘My dear girl, Ben is digging a grave for himself, and he should have the sense to know it! Judge Manley is harsh but fair enough, and he won’t stand for any arrogance in his courtroom. I warned Ben before we began.’

  He signalled to Ben to remain cool, and Morwen could see by the heavy way her husband breathed that it was a tremendous effort for him not to slate these fools who couldn’t see that all this was none of his doing.

  Once Ben had said what he had to say, Lawyer Princeton’s skilful, probing questions began to rile him anew. They went over and over the same things. No, he hadn’t known there were rogue tin shafts beneath the moors, since no evidence had been found to prove it. Yes, he had demanded that his railway be re-opened, but God knows he would have built a new one rather than let such a disaster happen!

  ’God won’t help you in this court, Mr Killigrew,’ Lawyer Princeton said, smooth as silk.

  ‘Really? Do you set yourself up higher than God then?’ Ben said sarcastically.

  Judge Manley thumped for order as the laughter rang out.

  ‘Facetiousness won’t help your case either, Mr Killigrew,’ he snapped.

  ‘I’m beginning to wonder if anything will,’ Ben said angrily. ‘You’ve got it cut and dried as far as I can see. I’m guilty as hell, and the Honourable lady and her leeches have decided I’m not good enough for St Austell—’

  ‘That’s not true! And anyone who says so should remember what happened four years ago, when Ben Killigrew was your champion!’

  There were gasps in the courtroom as Morwen leapt to her feet, her face scarlet with fury.

  ‘Morwen, sit down and don’t make a spectacle of yourself.’ Hal caught at her arm, but she shook him off as though he were a troublesome fly. Richard Carrick half-rose, but she pushed past him and rushed up to the Judge, her blue eyes wide and blazing, her voice impassioned.

  ‘We all know what happened on the day of the accident, Sir. I know it only too painfully, since it was my own brother who died, but if I and my family don’t condemn my husband for wanting to take the children on their outing to the sea, why should these fine townsfolk who can go there any day of the year if they wish? They have no idea of the lives of the clayworkers’ families, and how important such an outing was to them. Do you really think a man like Ben Killigrew would knowingly have put those people at risk for the sake of his own prestige?’

  ‘Have you quite finished, Madam?’ Judge Manley said icily. Richard Carrick had leapt forward and was trying to restrain Morwen forcibly.


  She liked the man well enough, but she was miserable that he was the one Ben had chosen to defend him because Carrick knew the Killigrew family character’s history so well, but it was another link with Jane… and to Morwen it seemed their two families were still as close as threads woven into the same weave… However, right now it was her last consideration as she resisted Richard’s plea for her to remain silent. Her eyes blazed at him.

  ‘Will you please put me in the witness-stand?’

  ‘Morwen, for God’s sake, sit down!’ Ben raged at her amid the furore. ‘It’s not your place to behave like this—’

  ‘Why not? Doesn’t a wife know her husband’s character better than anyone else?’

  ‘A wife is naturally biased in her husband’s favour—’ the Judge bellowed out.

  ‘Then put me up as a witness for Sam Tremayne and his family. There are three orphaned children as a result of Ben Killigrew’s railway disaster. Let me speak for them, and let Mr Tregian report to his newspaper whether you dared let a woman speak up or not.’

  The Judge’s eyes narrowed. The court had become little more than a rabble, with the noisy clayworkers demanding that Morwen be heard. He stared into her beautiful, defiant eyes, and knew when he was beaten. But to be beaten by a woman, however resourceful, was something he couldn’t forgive.

  He gave a short nod to the lawyers to let the woman be brought to the stand, and that Ben Killigrew should be returned to his seat. As they passed one another, Ben muttered despairingly to his wife.

  ‘You shame me, Morwen. This is not how a lady should behave.’

  She flinched visibly. Then her chin went high. Perhaps a lady wouldn’t fight with every weapon she had to save her man’s skin, but Morwen Tremayne would, and she had every intention of doing so.

  That Judge Manley was extremely irritated with her was never in doubt. That he looked upon this whole case as a pointless exercise between a townslady hoping to make a small stir in the county and a wealthy young clayworks owner, was just as obvious.

  Someone was going to pay for this utter waste of time, when cases more deserving of his expertise were kept waiting. He had every intention of cutting this one as short as possible. He snapped at the lawyers, and threatened that the court would be cleared of spectators if there was any more disturbance while the girl spoke up.

  He needn’t have bothered. They wanted to hear Morwen. She stood up straight in the dock, thankful for its protection so that none would realise how her knees shook as she looked out on a sea of faces. Thankful, too, that none would guess at her condition, hidden as it was beneath her full skirt and the wooden partition in front of her.

  The crowd was hushed as her clear soft tones began, and more than one man wished he had someone as beautiful and fearless as Morwen Killigrew to defend him.

  ‘My family have all worked for Killigrew Clay. We knew the Killigrews long before I became Mrs Ben Killigrew. We knew them for fair bosses, and we were as loyal to them as every other clayworker—’

  ‘What about the strike a few years back? Some on ’em weren’t so loyal then!’

  The Judge let the man’s cat-call pass when Morwen answered it immediately.

  ‘The strike was over pay rises, and I freely admit that Charles Killigrew was at fault in delaying them. But who was it who got your pay rises for you and put an end to that strike? Who believed so deeply in the future of Killigrew Clay that he gambled on his own inheritance to gain control of the business? It was my husband – and one of the first things he did was to put money back in the clayworkers’ pockets. Is this the man you accuse of being irresponsible?’

  ‘You’re meant to be giving evidence for your brother and his orphaned family, not extolling your husband’s virtues, young lady,’ Judge Manley sternly interrupted her impassioned speech.

  Morwen turned to him, her hands gripping the edge of the dock, her knuckles white as bone.

  ‘The two things are interwoven, Sir. I’m trying to show my husband’s integrity. My father was a pit captain at Clay One works for many years, until he became Works Manager. My brother, Sam, succeeded him, as he had always wanted to do. It was Sam’s proudest day when he became pit captain of Clay One.’

  Her voice wavered a little, but she didn’t stop.

  ‘My brother, Sam, was a simple, loving family man, but if he had ever put it into words, I think he’d have said he would die for Killigrew Clay. And that’s what he did, taking children for an outing to the sea. Killigrew’s railway is still the proudest achievement in the story of Killigrew Clay.’

  There were mutterings of agreement from some of the townsfolk as well as from the clayworkers.

  ‘Why should you demean that achievement because of this terrible accident, when those who loved Sam the most don’t condemn the man who built that railway? If the people of St Austell want their moment of glory, let them look to their consciences and visit the clay folk and their children still in hospital and give them as much comfort as Ben is trying to do!’

  The unrestrained cheers and applause stopped any further words. But Morwen had said enough anyway. She felt utterly drained, and shaken now at what she had dared to do here. Richard Carrick helped her back to her seat, and she felt Ben’s hand grip hers before he took her place in the dock.

  His face was set, and she couldn’t tell his reaction to her words. The clayworkers acclaimed her as their champion, but the accusing lawyer hadn’t done with this chit of a girl who threatened his entire brief, and his legal tongue was more than ready to reply.

  ‘Mrs Killigrew has painted a charming picture of the clayworkers’ plight, helped by a husband who is apparently an ambitious gambler! Not the most respected of persons, perhaps, but we’ll let that pass—’

  He went on, glibly undermining all that Morwen had said. And in the end, Judge Manley’s own irritation with this case, and the weight of the townsfolk, backed by their Member of Parliament, whose interested letter he had in his pocket, decided him. Ben Killigrew could not be allowed to get away with building a railway that had collapsed into the so-called porcelain earth.

  As he was preparing to make his final judgement, there was a flurry of activity at the courtroom door, and a young man rushed in waving a note, too shaken to stand on ceremony.

  ‘If you please, Sir, Engineer Prole’s fled the county. This here’s a note found in his rooms saying he holds himself responsible for the tragedy, and he can’t face the enquiry. By the time you read this, he says he’ll either have left the country in disgrace or shot himself in his remorse.’

  If there had been uproar before, it was doubled now. Engineer Prole had damned himself and the surveyors’ office too, by his actions. Morwen was too weak with relief to feel real sorrow for the man. But once order was restored, it was obvious that Judge Manley did not accept the note as lessening Ben’s own responsibility.

  ‘Neither Engineer Prole’s cowardly action nor your wife’s intervention has tempered my decision, Sir. You will pay due compensation to the town of St Austell. Some of its streets have been badly damaged by your own clay waggons in the past. They will be renewed at your expense. The town is in need of a new administration building. You may have your name set to it when you have provided it. Your present railway will be dismantled immediately. If another is to be built, it must pass the most stringent tests. Apart from that, the injured must have full compensation. You will pay the costs of this court case.’

  The voice went on and on, the mounting costs unbelievable to Ben’s ears. It was impossible. The future of Killigrew Clay seemed gravely in doubt as he stumbled outside into the grey November day, and wondered just how he was ever going to pay for it all.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ben insisted that Morwen went straight to her mother’s house with Hal and Jack. The children had to be collected, and he and Richard Carrick were to go directly to St Austell for a consultation with the Killigrew accountant, no matter how late the hour when they arrived there.

  Danie
l Gorran had naturally been in court to hear the proceedings. He was incensed that the surveyors’ office in Bodmin hadn’t been heavily fined as well, but as Richard Carrick was quick to point out, the case had been the town of St Austell against Ben Killigrew.

  At least when Ben had done what the Judge demanded, he would once again be redeemed in the eyes of the town. It was small comfort to any of them, and on hearing the Judge’s outrageous demands of Ben, Daniel Gorran had suggested an immediate interview with him and his lawyer back at his chambers.

  To Ben, this sounded ominous. If Daniel Gorran was going to say there was simply no money to meet all the court’s requirements, then there would be no option but to sell up.

  There had been more than a hint lately of a wind of change in the hitherto prosperous clay business. Orders had begun to dwindle a little, and if the current receipts had to be shown to prospective buyers, who would be interested in a declining business that might go the way of the tin-mining?

  He tried to push the thought from his mind while he was surrounded by well-wishers and gawping bystanders. They crowded him, when all he wanted was to get away from here… Morwen caught at his arm as he went to push through.

  ‘Ben, are you very angry with me?’ She tried to stop the catch in her throat as she asked. It had never been her intention to stand up and defend him so vehemently, but when the moment came, she had been totally unable to resist it. He saw how her mouth trembled, and forgot his anger. It wasn’t directed at her any more, anyway. He squeezed her hand tightly.

  ‘I was, but I’ve such pride in you, Morwen, that it would turn your head to know it,’ he said quietly instead.

  ‘And I in you,’ she said. ‘We’ll weather this storm, Ben, as we’ve weathered so many others.’

  And she had something momentous still to tell him that would restore their world to rights… but she couldn’t tell him here, with so many folk jostling them about. Many still wanted to shake Ben’s hand and wish him luck, and as many others watched every emotion on his face to see how the court’s decision would affect the mighty Ben Killigrew. Morwen’s news must still wait.