AS THE KENDALL carriage neared Trethevy Eliza found herself becoming excited at the thought of seeing Tristram again. It was something she had never experienced before and it gave her a warm feeling. It was a realisation that she belonged to someone, and had someone who belonged to her.
Suddenly, the carriage slowed and the groom hauled his pair of horses to a halt. Looking out of the carriage window at Alice’s request, Eliza found herself looking at Eval Moyle. He was standing in the centre of the lane close to an open field gate and looking up to talk to the groom.
They had been brought to a halt because Moyle’s brother, accompanied by a dog, was driving a small flock of sheep along the lane in the opposite direction to that being taken by the carriage.
Pulling her head back quickly, Eliza said, ‘It’s Eval Moyle and his brother. They’re putting sheep in the field just here.’
‘At least it is not a bull,’ Alice commented, adding, ‘Did Eval Moyle see you?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Well, we will keep quiet until we move on again to avoid any possible nastiness from him.’
The two women maintained a silence inside the carriage, but Eval Moyle had seen the crest on the door of the vehicle and, not recognising it, they heard him say to the coachman, ‘I haven’t seen you before, you’ll not be from these parts.’
‘No, this is Lord Kendall’s carriage, I’m bringing their guest and her maid back to the rectory at Trethevy.’
‘Are you now?’ Moyle replied, with unexpected interest. ‘Well, I won’t keep you waiting any longer than can be helped, there’ll be folk happy to see them back in Trethevy, I don’t doubt.’
Listening from inside the carriage, Alice whispered to Eliza, ‘Is that really Eval Moyle, I cannot believe what we are hearing?’
‘I think that listening to him behaving so politely worries me even more than when he’s being himself.’ Eliza replied.
The two women remained silent then until they heard Eval Moyle’s voice once more, ‘That’s all the sheep in now, so you be sure and get them two women to the rectory, safe and sound.’
The next moment the coachman flicked his reins over the horses’ backs and the carriage jolted into motion. As they passed by Eval Moyle there was a smile on his face and Alice said, ‘That is certainly not like the Moyle we know of old.’
‘Do you think he might have turned a bull loose in the churchyard again?’
‘He knows better than to do that. Besides, the bad-tempered bull was sold off soon after he went to America, but his behaviour has made me feel uneasy. I hope Reverend David is alright. He has always felt a need to prove himself against Moyle.’
David Kilpeck was well, but he was greatly relieved to see Alice and his first words were, ‘Thank the Good Lord you are back home, I have never been so hungry in all my life. I might have accepted it had it been Lent, that is a time of fasting, but not when one should be fattening oneself to face winter! The only saving grace is that it brought home to me, albeit in a small way, just how much Our Lord must have suffered from fasting day and night for forty days in the wilderness. For me, a week was far too long. Of course, I had food, but, unfortunately, most of it was inedible when cooked by Nellie, the young kitchen-maid found for me by Percy. She is no cook, bless her. When I tried to voice my feelings as kindly as I might, she brought me a meal prepared by her mother and I realised then that poor Nellie’s lack of cooking skills is inherited! However, now you are back all is well with my world once more.’
With this, he kissed his sister on the cheek and beamed at her happily before saying, ‘You will be delighted to know I have had a wonderful letter from Windsor – from Ursula. You and I have been invited to spend a week or two with her and Dean Fitzjohn. She and her father paid a visit to Trethevy before leaving Bodmin to return home. They thought our little church absolutely charming and Dean Fitzjohn is most impressed with what we have achieved there. He said we have worked wonders.’
Suddenly self-conscious, David shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously before saying, ‘I was also able to have a chat with Ursula when we were left alone for a while. We … we came to a tentative arrangement. She said she would speak to her father, but feels he would have no objection to marriage with me – after a suitably lengthy engagement, of course, and she is confident Dean Fitzjohn will recommend me for a more lucrative living when one becomes vacant.’
‘David! I am delighted for you, and for Ursula too. She is a lovely person and I know you will be so happy together. Oh, what wonderful news! But why did you take so long before telling me about it? It is the most important thing that has ever happened.’
Alice flung her arms about her brother and hugged him and he said, happily, ‘I am so glad you approve, Alice. I was worried about how you would react to the news, although I was hoping that perhaps you and Lieutenant Jory … Were you able to spend some time with him? When Tristram returned to the rectory he said he had been called away to the Admiralty in London. Did he return to Cornwall before you left the Kendall’s home?’
‘Unfortunately, no, but Lord and Lady Kendall and Jory’s sister Lowena – especially Lowena – made me feel very welcome at Pendower Manor, which is a truly magnificent house, David. Before I left, Lowena and I had a long walk around the gardens and she told me that Lord and Lady Kendall both approve of me.’
‘That too is exciting news, Alice, when do you think you and Jory might be married? I expect they will want you to marry in their family church, but I hope I will be allowed to have some part in the ceremony.’
‘You are being rather presumptuous, David, Jory has not yet asked me to marry him, and he is the one I would be marrying, not his family, no matter how much we may think of one another.’
‘Of course, but in great families like the Kendalls parental approval for a marriage is always of great importance.’
‘Well, we will have to see what transpires when Jory returns from London, but the Kendalls are a truly lovely family and terribly proud of Jory. They believe that while he is in London he is going to be promoted to the rank of commander.’
‘More splendid news! Actually, while you were away I met with Reverend Tyacke, the vicar of St Petroc, in Padstow, where they have seen a great deal of Jory. He also spoke highly of him and said he was extremely well thought of in the coast guard and fishing communities. He predicted he will go far in the service. But mention of London reminds me, we had a visit here yesterday from two London policemen.’
‘What on earth for, why should London policemen come to call on us here, at Trethevy?’
‘One of them was the sergeant who was hired with a couple of London constables by the magistrates at Camelford to come to Cornwall and ensure there was no trouble at the fair. It seems they arrested a woman who was seen by Eliza to steal Tristram’s purse and pass it to an accomplice. I believe the policemen want to speak to her about it.’
‘Neither Eliza nor Tristram has said anything to me about it, I find that most surprising.’
‘Not really, Alice, they both had far more important things to think about.’
While they were speaking, Eliza had entered the room from the kitchen carrying a tray on which was tea she had made for them and she heard much of their conversation.
Hurriedly putting down the tray, she queried, ‘Why should policemen want to come here? Tristram and me told them all we knew and they gave Tristram back the purse the woman took from him. I can’t tell ’em any more than I already have.’
‘Well, I haven’t seen them since, although I believe they were going to Bodmin to talk to the two people involved in the theft who were both sent to the gaol there by the Camelford magistrate. The policemen have probably learned they are wanted for a great many more crimes.’
After relating brief details to Alice and her brother of what had occurred at the Camelford fair, Eliza returned to the kitchen deeply troubled that London policemen should have called at the rectory asking for her.