‘Let me show you something, Kelynen,’ he said. ‘It will require us having to steal past your harridan of a maid on the way up to the attics.’
On the first floor, Rafe picked up a single china candlestick and led her towards a long concealing drape, beyond which was a narrow passageway. She lost count of how many twists and turns and flights of stairs they climbed. All the while her exhilaration at being alone with him, coupled with apprehension, rose and spread. Where was he taking her, and why? Did he have a secret room up in the attics?
She knew a thrill of alarm when he finally ushered her into what seemed just such a place. Did he use this room for assignations? Then she saw it was rigged out as a reading room with shelves of books, furnished only with two armchairs. Long windows were incorporated in the wall, which looked out over the sea.
Rafe put the candlestick down in a dark corner and approached her with a telescope in his hand. ‘It’s a cloudless night and the moon is strong. You’ll get a good view all along the bay.’
She stood at a window and peered through the telescope, first in the direction of Trewarras Head. She could make out much of Mount’s Bay and the furthest dark shadow of land of Penlee Point. Not far in the distance were the dark, looming silhouettes of the chimneys and engine house of the Wheal Lowen. In the opposite direction, up-coast, were Mearnon Point and the final looming shadow of the Lizard. She saw the lonely twinkling lights of a ship out at sea, the tide creaming over faraway sandy inlets and crashing over rocks at the foot of cliffs and headlands. She leaned back to gaze up at the stars in the indigo sky, and with Rafe standing so close behind her it brought her into contact with his body. She was aware of the tantalizing warmth and strength of him.
‘Everything seems shrouded with a touch of the mystic in this nocturnal light. It’s beautiful. It’s awesome.’ She brought the telescope down and put it on the window ledge. Every inch of her skin and all her inner regions leapt with delight when he wrapped his arms around her and joined his hands over her midriff.
‘That description fits you perfectly, Kelynen.’
She did not reply. She closed her eyes and drifted into him, resting her head against his shoulder. The sense of his warmth and power was like nothing she had experienced before.
Rafe moved to bring the side of her face against his neck. He held her tighter and kissed her cheek, making it a soft and tender salute, a feathery touch, for he did not want to make the mistake of rushing her. He knew women. Kelynen was looking for romance and adulation. Her lips were only a fraction away. He could so easily get carried away with her. With the backs of his fingers he gentled a slow path down over the place he had kissed.
Enjoying the contact, revelling in it, Kelynen turned her face and placed a shy kiss on his hand.
Rafe turned her round slowly. ‘You’re so lovely, Kelynen, so perfect. I can hardly believe you have come into my life.’ He gathered her in and placed his lips with tender restraint over hers.
To be drawn in close to Rafe’s solid body, to feel his firm and knowing embrace taking charge of her, to have his mouth on hers, moving over hers, moving with hers, giving more and demanding more, made her aware for the first time of all the realms of life. She burst completely into being. And fell fully and marvellously in love.
Fourteen
Rafe was paying his monthly visit to the Wheal Lowen.
The stone engine house, with its arched upper windows, towering brick-topped chimneys and numerous ancillary buildings, were skilfully structured, but to him they were brutal, seeming to encircle and imprison him. The noise on the mine face was deafening, overwhelming the roar of the sea, and the air was choked with dust and grit. The constant rattles and clanks of the great draught bob labouring to pump up water from the lowest depths, the pounding of the stamp, the creaking of the giant-sized waterwheel, the hammering of the ore by the bal maidens, the comings and goings of the necessary tradesmen – from ropemakers to gunpowder manufacturers – all collided and made his head thump.
Here was a foretaste of hell. Heaven alone knew how the unfortunate wretches coped underground, sweating through their eight-hour core, struggling to work in the little ventilation that the cliff-face adits allowed, often bent over in inadequate spaces, risking life, limb and sanity, and certainly their health. There was no such thing as an old miner, rarely even a middle-aged one. Rafe did what he could for them and their families without offending their fierce sense of pride. He distributed blue drill cloth for work coats and trousers, scraps of leather from the tanner’s for boots, the occasional beast from his fields, blankets at Christmas, and kegs of ale on his birthday and the parish feast day. Many of his servants originated from here – at least some had a healthier occupation.
Mining was entering a slump. He knew he should sell the mine. Smuggling was more profitable. He would go away soon, to London, but in this year of 1780 there was anti-papist unrest on the capital’s streets; bloodshed was sure to follow. The whole country was steeped in discontent. Taxes were high, the realm was drained and exhausted by its many successive wars, and he, a realist, saw there was no hope for victory in the American colonies. England was about to lose one of its empires. He wished he could hand over his. Chenhalls was a burden and a bore. He must leave these shores and go overseas, before the restlessness inside him drove him mad. Only one thing still fed him entertainment and hope. Kelynen. He tried to conjure up the impression of her sweet young body clasped in his arms.
He finished business quickly inside the gloomy claustrophobic shack that served as an office. Josiah was with him, taking a minor role while he consulted the mine captains. All were elevated from the ranks of the working miners, having been chosen as trustworthy, intelligent and loyal.
‘Losses?’ Rafe demanded, expecting to hear about loss of life before that of yields or equipment or machinery. He sighed at hearing that a boy had ‘fallen away’ from a ladder on his way up to grass and that a tributer – one of the more skilled miners – had been blinded in one eye from flying debris while driving down to the new level of eighty fathoms. ‘Is that all?’ Mining was a dangerous occupation, accidents frequent.
‘Aye, Sir Rafe,’ he was told by Captain Mordecai Lambourne, a hard-faced, sometimes belligerent giant, who was the lander of Rafe’s highly efficient smuggling team, responsible for arranging the men and beasts of burden, and the hiding places that were not on Chenhalls land. ‘The boy’s body can never be recovered but minister came and said a few words for him. Sol Rumford reckons he can manage just as well with only one eye. Put on a patch the next day, he did, and went back to work.’
Rafe put some silver on the rough wood table. ‘For the boy’s family and Sol Rumford as compensation.’
‘Very generous of you, sir.’ All the captains agreed. Neither Rafe nor Josiah had any idea who Sol Rumford was. He did not figure among those who smuggled, and it was hard to keep account of all the hundreds of men and boys who worked below grass, or the women and girls who worked on the surface, cobbing the ore to be taken by mule train to Hayle, to be smelted by the Cornish Copper Company.
After studying the cost sheets and profit ledgers, Rafe dismissed the mine captains. ‘Why are some of the accounts still outstanding, Josiah?’ He stared at his nephew, who was drinking gin and looking bored.
Josiah shrugged, but a bright flush spread up from his neck to his hairline. ‘I pay everything late to build up interest in the bank.’
‘That does not concern me. The honour of the Tremayne name does. See to it that the older debts are settled at once, particularly for the Pengarron timber and the horses from their stud. I have a care for Kelynen Pengarron and I do not wish contempt for Sir Oliver.’
Josiah now stared, deducing. ‘You desire more than seduction?’
‘It’s been a pleasant surprise to me and I’m confident she’ll succumb all the way to the marriage bed. I need the very thing that Kelynen has a bounty of – freshness and a quick mind. I cannot be doing with another airheaded femal
e. Neither of your late aunts had a thought beyond their next new dress. Now, Josiah, I have a matter of some seriousness to discuss with you. Gabriel has made it clear he does not want Chenhalls. He’s requested that I sign it over to you. I shall do that if I don’t produce an heir.’
‘No! Don’t do that, Uncle.’ Josiah’s blush deepened. ‘Chenhalls is unlucky. I’ve no wish to follow the fate of some of our forebears. Wait a few years to see what happens. I have my own plans to travel.’
‘Really, Josiah, what a strange fellow you are with your superstitious beliefs. You are not a common labourer or a gipsy. I shall leave things as they are then. Be assured of the money I have settled on you.’
‘Your generosity, as always, moves me deeply, Uncle.’ Josiah bowed in respect. When he straightened up his eyes were shifty. ‘Uncle, I have something to tell you. I need your help.’
‘What is it, Josiah? I’ve noticed you’re not as nonchalant as you’d have me believe. Be quick; I have something I greatly desire to do before preparing for my overnight guests. Do not forget I want you at my table tonight.’
‘It will be a pleasure to feast my eyes again on the delectable Mrs Lanyon. Now there’s a lady who needs to be brought to a full flowering, and then there would be no end to the pleasures – for a while.’
‘Josiah, you tire of women as quickly as a dandy does a suit of clothes. I take it this is why you need my help?’
‘I’m sorry, Uncle Rafe. I’m having problems with one of my former amours. She won’t accept the fact that our time together is over and she’s causing trouble.’
‘I take it you’ve offered to pay her off?’
‘I have, of course. Nothing sways her. She’s getting violent and I’ve had to resort to keeping her restrained.’
‘Josiah, when will you learn to restrict yourself to married mistresses? They rarely become bothersome when it’s time to disentangle oneself. Where is she?’
‘I’ve kept her at an isolated farmhouse for some weeks, but she is now not far from here. Will you come and talk to her? You are more effective at persuasion than I.’
Rafe was expecting to take a short ride, but Josiah led him to a disused shed on the outskirts of the workings. It had been stripped of its planked floor and previous storage and smelled of musty oil and damp, and there was only what looked like a bundle of blankets in a corner. ‘Lordsakes, Josiah, you mean you’ve actually brought this woman here, and so close to home? Why, in heaven’s name?’
‘I didn’t know what else to do. She seems to be going mad and is refusing to eat. Her guardians could no longer keep control of her. They’ve been paid to keep silent. Mordecai Lambourne helped me. He’s willing to do the same again, in reverse, but where to?’
In the dimness, Rafe could just make out an inert form within the blankets, lying on its side. He shot Josiah a furious look. ‘Why didn’t you tell me before things became so serious?’
‘You’ve been preoccupied with Gabriel, Uncle, and I thought she would see sense eventually.’
Rafe strode up to the blankets, prodded them with the toe of his riding boot. ‘Woman, sit up. I want to speak to you.’
The person under the blankets did not move.
‘Her name, Josiah?’
‘Adelaide. Adelaide Trevingey. She’s sister to the unapproachable Mrs Wilmot Carew. I’ve implored her to go to her sister, but she refuses. I’m afraid it’s been necessary to tie and gag her,’ Josiah whined like a child complaining that his playmates were cheating at some game.
‘Adelaide Trevingey.’ Rafe reached down and wrenched her round to lie flat, pulling back the blankets. He winced. She looked as pale and as ill as Gabriel had been when Kelynen had discovered his plight. She had not washed or put a comb to her hair in weeks. Her dress was filthy but might once have been pink. ‘You cannot stay here. Accept that your association with my nephew is finished and let us see you on your way. You may go anywhere you wish.’ He pulled out the handkerchief, one of Josiah’s, gagging her mouth.
‘He promised me everything,’ she hissed, her voice cracked and weak. ‘I had his baby, which he took from me. He ended it with me before I even gave birth.’
‘Adelaide, you lie,’ Josiah snarled, aggrieved. ‘You never wanted the child. I could not stand your ill tempers and possessiveness and that is why I ended it with you. I ensured that you were well cared for during your confinement. I’ve offered you money. I owe you nothing. I want to be free of you.’
‘Don’t think I’ll make anything easy for you,’ she spat, struggling to sit up.
Rafe calmly put his hand over her throat. He used firm pressure. ‘There’s nothing you can do to cause trouble for Josiah. I won’t tolerate it. No one knows you are here. You have a choice. Do you understand?’
Adelaide Trevingey’s eyes widened, glittering in dread. Unable to struggle against him, she kept a tense silence. Then her voice came harsh and bitter. ‘If I don’t go away quietly I won’t leave here at all. Is that it?’
‘If you do not leave here quietly, what other course would I have?’
She studied the hard grim face above her. ‘I’m not scared of your threats! But I will cooperate with you. Take me to my sister. I want every farthing of the hundred pounds he promised me!’
‘We’ll get you away after dark. No doubt that was how you arrived here. So be it.’
‘Let me sit up,’ Adelaide demanded, sulky and indignant.
‘I’m glad you’re seeing reason, Adelaide. I’ve brought you something to eat.’ Josiah was smiling now. He took a small cloth-wrapped parcel out of his pocket.
Rafe pulled Adelaide up to sit against the damp wall of the shed. He untied her hands, took the parcel from Josiah and tossed it to her. She flexed her aching limbs then opened the parcel with scrabbling fingers, biting into the bread and cheese.
‘Could the child be traced to you?’ Rafe whispered to Josiah.
‘No. Mordecai took it away and left it outside a church.’
Suddenly there was a shrill scream and Josiah was hurled to the ground. In her rage, Adelaide had found the strength to get up and she was kicking at him, shrieking threats and obscenities. Rafe got an arm round her throat, cutting off her cries. She fainted. He dragged her to the blankets, located the gag and tied it tightly round her mouth. Then he trussed her up. His face was harsh. Josiah joined him, brushing dirt off his coat.
‘She was given the chance to start a new life,’ Rafe said without emotion. Josiah was gazing down on her in the same manner. ‘She’s a heartless creature. She’ll cause us much trouble if she’s allowed to leave. She deserves her fate. Mordecai Lambourne will do anything for the right reward. I’ll speak to him. She will leave here after dark but via the old disused shaft. Now, let us get out of here and attend to more pleasant things.’
A short time later, while on his way to Marazion, Josiah was attending to something much more pleasant. Something that made him forget the worries about his personal debts, and about how he was going to juggle the money left in the estate’s business accounts to pay off, at least, the Pengarron sums, and the real reason why he did not want to be heir to Chenhalls, something he would once have prized beyond all things. He came across a stranger, a pretty young woman of lowly birth, who turned out to be more than friendly.
* * *
Over the last few days, Luke had lingered in the coffee shops and hotels of Helston, Marazion and Penzance. He had lingered at gaming tables and had even made discreet, expensive enquiries in the brothels where the clientele was select. He had been everywhere that gentlemen gathered and might lay claim to their mistresses, but so far his search for information on the likely whereabouts of Adelaide Trevingey had been unsuccessful.
‘I’m afraid I’ve again encountered no one who has a close acquaintance of someone bearing Adelaide’s description.’ He delivered his latest report to Sophie in her parlour. Sophie had shown him a miniature of Adelaide. She bore similarities to Sophie, but her hair was darker, her figure fuller an
d she had a touch of commonness in her audacious features. From the evidence of her flirtatious pout, she was not a lady in any sense. Luke, however, thanked heaven for her existence and her character, and Sophie’s anxiety over her. It had brought Sophie to ask graciously for his help. She was grateful, truly grateful, for all his time-consuming efforts, and she seemed to depend on him now and even to respect him a little. Pray to God, she would soon come to like him.
‘What shall we do now? What can we do?’ Sophie rose from her chair, twisting her hands together.
Luke followed the movements of those soft pale hands. He followed everything she did, down to the tiniest grimace. ‘Try not to worry, Mrs Carew. We shall look further abroad. There are certain people being watchful for me. Tonight I am invited to stay at Chenhalls. I shall have a careful word there. It’s possible one of the Tremaynes is or was linked to Adelaide.’
‘No, Mr Pengarron, I would rather you say nothing to the Tremaynes. I do not trust them. Do give Kelynen my best regards. I miss her very much.’
‘Mrs Carew.’ Luke frowned. ‘I should be interested as to why you don’t trust the family. Sir Rafe has requested that Kelynen stay on until his nephew is fully recuperated. I have her welfare to consider.’
‘I suppose I may be speaking out of turn.’ Nonetheless, Sophie outlined her beliefs about Sir Rafe and Josiah Tremayne.
Luke gazed at her with sympathy and compassion. ‘Mrs Carew…’
‘You have something to tell me?’ Sophie had come to find herself interested in anything he had to say. Albeit reluctantly, she enjoyed his company, and was even beginning to like this meeker side of him, which, to her pride, she felt her virtues and frankness had drawn out of him. People would have to take notice of how she, an impoverished widow of no standing, had somewhat tamed the irrepressible Luke Pengarron, heir to a title and a fortune. If only he was interested in her for the right reasons. She could never forget she was vulnerable to cunning, callous men and must not drop her guard. Grateful for his help, she was, but he had done nothing yet to lead her to trust him.
Pengarron Rivalry Page 11