WHEN ALICE RETURNED to Trethevy that evening her face was flushed and warm, in sharp contrast to her brother’s unnatural pallor and haunted expression.
When Eliza brought cool water and toiletries to her mistress’s room, she learned the reason why.
‘Captain Trevelyan is an absolute madcap!’ Alice said, laughing merrily, ‘He took the reins of the pony for the journey back from Tintagel and drove home at a breakneck speed that had me clinging to the seat like a leech for much of the time. I don’t think the pony has ever galloped so fast – not even when she bolted with me.’
Aware that this was not the moment to mention Lieutenant Kendall’s warning about the charismatic captain, Eliza said, ‘You are lucky the poor animal didn’t drop dead, it’s not used to going at such a speed twice in a couple of weeks. By the look of Reverend David’s face when he came in through the door he never enjoyed it very much, either.’
‘He actually called upon Captain Trevelyan to stop, but it only made him drive even faster and poor David seemed to lose his voice! Mind you, I am not saying I actually enjoyed it, but it was very exciting and I never doubted that the Captain was in control the whole time. After all, he is a cavalryman.’
Eliza kept her opinion of Captain Trevelyan to herself. She realised he had been showing off in order to impress Alice, and it would seem he had succeeded, but she did not argue with her employer. Instead, she said, ‘You missed a very special visitor while you were out. Lieutenant Kendall brought his ship into the cove and came up here with a present of two huge sea bass for you. I’ve gutted them and put them in the dairy. He also wrote a letter for you, I have it in my apron pocket. I thought you would prefer me to give it to you here, in your room.’
Taking the letter from her pocket she handed it to Alice.
The letter comprised of two sheets of Reverend Kilpeck’s writing paper and had been sealed with red wax on which the crest of the Kendall family had been impressed by Jory’s signet ring.
Eliza was relieved at the disappointment displayed by Alice at not being at the rectory when Jory Kendall called. She had been concerned that her mistress might have become so infatuated with the army Captain that he had replaced the naval lieutenant in her affections.
Alice began reading the letter eagerly but her expression gradually changed and when she reached the end of the second page she looked up and said angrily, ‘How dare he tell me how I should behave and with whom! What right does he have?’
Gaining control of herself, Alice said, ‘I have seen almost nothing of him for absolutely ages, and now he writes to me as though he owns me.’
Trying hard to hide her dismay, Eliza said, ‘Lieutenant Kendall was very disappointed you weren’t at home, Miss Alice. He said he will soon be based on shore once more and hopes to be able to see far more of you. He also mentioned that he’d like to take you to meet his family.’
‘Yes, he says as much in his letter, but that excuses nothing.’ Folding the letter, Alice added, ‘For three years I have been closeted in Trethevy leading an almost nun-like existence, now, in the course of a few hours I have two men wanting to take me off to meet their families.’
‘Two men?’ Eliza asked the question although she had no doubt about the identity of the second man.
‘Yes, Captain Trevelyan has invited me to spend a few days at his father’s manor on the edge of Bodmin Moor. He invited Reverend David too, of course, but David has to officiate at a wedding this weekend, and has his services to attend to, so will be unable to come.’
‘So you won’t be going,’ Eliza said with some relief, ‘You can’t go with him on your own.’
‘Of course not, although I have no doubt he would behave with the utmost propriety should I do so, but I fully intend going – more than ever after reading Lieutenant Kendall’s letter – and you will be coming with me, Eliza, as both companion and personal maid. Captain Trevelyan has offered to take us in our own pony and trap, tying his horse behind the trap.’
‘When will we be going?’
Eliza was not at all certain she wanted to visit the home of Captain Trevelyan but she was relieved her employer had not considered travelling on her own with the dashing East India Company cavalry officer. She did not have the same faith as Alice in his gentlemanly behaviour.
‘Captain Trevelyan will be leaving on Saturday, Eliza, that gives us two days to make ready to go with him. It will only be a weekend visit so we need not take too much, but we will discuss it at more length in the morning. In the meantime we must prepare dinner. We will use the fish brought by Lieutenant Kendall, if there is sufficient to feed us all….’
*
Lying in her bed that night, Alice thought about the events of the day and tried to analyse her feelings about the two invitations she had received.
She had always found it rather hurtful that Jory had never invited her to his home, or asked her to meet any members of his large family. She had sometimes felt it might be because his was one of the great families of Cornwall, while she was a newcomer to the county and sister of a rector who held the living of what must be one of the smallest parishes in the whole of the diocese. In other words, that she would not be considered ‘suitable’, either for Jory, or as a guest in the Kendall home.
Alice had tried to tell herself many times that this was not the way Jory thought of her and the letter she had received from him today should have put her mind at rest on the matter, but his warning about becoming too friendly with Hugo Trevelyan had angered her, perhaps far more than was reasonable.
She believed the warning was the result of jealousy, although even that did not excuse him from writing to her as though he had a right to tell her how she should behave, or be perceived to be behaving.
At the same time, she was sufficiently intelligent to realise that she probably wanted to be angry with Jory. Angry enough to give her all the excuse she needed to justify going off to spend a weekend with the dashing captain and his father. Hugo Trevelyan had already explained that his father lived alone, Hugo’s mother having died many years before.
Had she received invitations from both men for the same weekend, she had no real doubts about which one she would accept. She had wanted to meet the Kendall family for a long time and until very recently had even nursed a hope that one day she might become a part of it.
Nevertheless, the thought of travelling to the manor of the dashing cavalry officer and staying at his home, excited her. She had led a very sheltered and humdrum life until now. She believed it was time she did something that might not necessarily meet with the approval of everyone who knew her.