HURRYING ALONG THE lane from the rectory, Alice had covered no more than half the distance to Trethevy church when she was suddenly confronted by a small but lively herd of young bovines and forced to dash back the way she had come, losing one of her shoes in the process.
She found safety before reaching the rectory by scrambling inelegantly over a five-barred gate into an adjacent field as the wild-eyed, jostling bullocks cavorted past, filling the narrow lane from hedgerow to hedgerow.
Following on behind was a concerned Jory Kendall, who had seen Alice’s wild dash for safety. Struggling to untie the rope securing the gate, his relief to see her standing in the field, apparently unharmed, was quite evident.
‘You had me very worried, Alice. I was in the churchyard when I saw you coming along the lane just as Percy was opening the gate to let the bullocks out. I shouted for him to close it again, but I was too late and when I ran out into the lane you had disappeared. I feared you might have been trampled!’
‘For a few moments I thought I was going to be, but by running faster than at any time since I was a young girl I succeeded in beating them to the gate.’
The length of rope securing the gate had been rendered stiff and hard to manipulate by long exposure to extremes of weather and, finally admitting defeat, Jory helped her to climb over it once more, lifting her to the ground in the lane with ease, surprised at how light she was.
Smiling up at him, Alice said, ‘That was far more ladylike than the manner in which I went over the gate when Moyle’s cattle were in close pursuit.’
‘I am sorry, Alice, I would never have allowed Percy to let them out of the churchyard had I realised you were in the lane.’
‘It was my fault, not yours. You and Percy did what you had gone there to do – and judging by the speed at which they were running, they will be miles away by the time Eval Moyle comes looking for them.’
‘Yes, but he certainly will come,’ Jory said, suddenly serious. ‘I believe he put the animals in the churchyard with the deliberate intention of provoking your brother. The decision to bury dead sailors there has gained much support from the parishioners, many of whom have family or friends earning a living from the sea. Having a parish priest who cares enough to ensure that unknown sea-going men are given a Christian burial, even though there is no profit to be made from it, has impressed them greatly. One of the reasons the established Church has lost so many followers to non-conformist groups is because of the perceived view that Church of England priests are appointed not so much for the salvation of ordinary people, but to take as much money from them as possible in order to benefit both Church and priest – and not necessarily in that order!’
‘That is a very cynical observation,’ Alice protested indignantly, ‘it is certainly not the way David feels about his work here.’
‘I know,’ Jory agreed. ‘That is exactly why he will find himself a target for Eval Moyle. The last thing Moyle wants is to have a popular Church of England cleric in the area. A great deal of his support comes from God-fearing people who are desperate to have someone lead them in their worship, someone they feel able to turn to in troubled times, providing reassurance and the promise of a better life to come. Eval Moyle is certainly not the right man for the job, but he is better than nothing! Reverend Carter rarely visits the parish and people have been unable to marry, have their children baptised, or even call upon a qualified priest to bury their loved ones. Despite this, the Church is swift to act if the tithes it demands are not forthcoming. The resentment this has built up against the established Church plays right into the hands of men like Moyle. The last thing he wants is to have someone like your brother appointed to the parish. You can be quite certain he will do everything in his power to drive him out, and Moyle is a dangerous and primitive man, both in his thinking and his adopted form of worship.’
Aware that he had been somewhat carried away in his fierce condemnation of Eval Moyle, Jory said, less heatedly, ‘Anyway, I think I should stay around for a while, at least until your brother returns, just in case Moyle puts in an appearance. He is going to be very angry about having his cattle turned loose.’
‘Thank you. I doubt whether Eval Moyle would physically attack me but he is a very volatile man and most unpleasant. When I have found my missing shoe we will return to the rectory and I shall make some tea for us.’
Alice recovered her shoe and although it had been trampled upon by the lively bullocks it was wearable and when they reached the rectory she decided they should have their tea in the garden. Leading Jory to where Eliza was seated beside a table in the shade of a gnarled and ancient apple tree she suggested he should remain with Eliza and chat to her while tea was being made.
Much to their surprise, Eliza declared that she would make it for Alice and the coast guard officer.
Concerned, Alice asked, ‘Do you think you are well enough yet, Eliza? You have been very ill, you know?’
‘I am feeling much better, thanks to you ma’am and if I’m to be your housemaid it’s high time I showed what I can do about the house. I probably won’t be able to manage everything right away, but you’ve been both patient and very kind towards me. Now I’d like to make a start on doing things for you.’
‘Well, if that is how you feel, I am very happy, but do not do too much right away.’
Eliza made her way to the kitchen, aware she had made a favourable impression upon her employer, but the truth was that she was relieved to have found a way to avoid being questioned by Lieutenant Kendall about the events leading up to the shipwreck.
At the moment there was no reason why anyone should doubt her story about being a passenger on the Balladeer. The ship had been wrecked on the rocks just beyond the nearby cliffs and she had been washed ashore in the cove, together with the bodies of those who had died on that vessel, but if she said something that did not ring true and it was suspected that her story was false…!
She would need to remain on her guard for a long time and, if at all possible, avoid any lengthy conversations about the ship on which she had been sailing, especially when talking to the coast guard officer.
It might prove difficult unless she made it clear from the beginning that she was a servant, a housemaid, and as such was expected to keep out of the way of her employers and their friends as much as was possible in a house the size of the rectory.