Beyond the Storm (7 page)

‘D
O YOU THINK
Eliza is well enough now to answer a few questions about the shipwreck?’

It was almost a fortnight after the storms that had caused havoc to shipping in the Western Approaches and Lieutenant Jory Kendall was paying a visit to the Trethevy rectory. In response to his report on the ships wrecked along the North Cornwall coast on that eventful night he had received a letter from the Admiralty, requesting more details in respect of the loss of the
Balladeer
.

‘She is
physically
well enough,’ Alice replied, ‘but she becomes quite upset if the shipwreck is mentioned and there are great gaps in her memory of all that happened to her on that night.’

‘It’s hardly surprising,’ the coast guard officer said,
sympathetically
. ‘She is only a young girl and it was a horrific and terrifying experience for her. She is very, very lucky to have
survived
at all, only a handful of people were rescued from the ships lost that night. Three went down with the loss of everyone on board. I wouldn’t be asking her any questions at all but the master of
Balladeer
was related to a senior officer at the Admiralty who wants to know whether it is possible one of the bodies found might possibly be that of his relative. I don’t know whether Eliza saw any of them?’

Alice shook her head. ‘She was terribly confused and far too ill to attend the funeral … but I saw the bodies and the men were all
young, far too young to be master of a ship. Is that all you wish to speak to Eliza about?’

‘Yes … well no, actually, but it is nothing important. For some reason, probably purely because of the interest someone in the Admiralty has in the ship, they have sent me a list of passengers and crew. The name of Eliza Smith isn’t among them – although I have to admit there is nothing particularly unusual in that. The passenger lists of most ships are notoriously inaccurate, mostly through sheer inefficiency on the part of those making them, although sometimes it is because someone has taken the fare and kept it for himself. However, I thought I might mention it.’

‘You may, if you wish, she is sitting out in the sunshine at the back garden, but I believe I can give you an answer. A lady booked passage on the
Balladeer
for herself and a maid. At the very last moment the maid decided she did not want to leave England and the woman found Eliza to take her place shortly before the ship set sail for America. She probably did not even think about changing the name on the passenger list for a servant travelling with her. I have spoken to Eliza about the ship itself and she is very vague about it, but that is hardly
surprising
either. She went on board in the dark and the vessel set sail the same night, running into such bad weather when it left the Thames that she and her employer never left their cabin before the ship ran into trouble. At some stage when the ship was in distress she and her mistress were put into a boat in a vain attempt to reach safety. I think we both know what happened afterwards.’

Jory Kendall nodded sympathetically. ‘I have experienced a great many storms at sea, some can be thoroughly alarming, even for a sailor. I can only imagine how Eliza must have felt. The poor girl would have been terrified. I don’t need to trouble her right now, if at all, but what is going to happen to her when she is well? Will she return to London and her parents?’

‘She is a poorhouse girl with no parents but as she has
experience
of being in service David and I thought we would take her on trial as a housemaid. If she proves satisfactory – as I am
convinced
she will – she will remain at Trethevy with us.’

‘That would be a very acceptable arrangement for everyone. I hope the girl will be duly grateful to you….’

Before he could say any more there was the sound of hurried footsteps along the passageway from the front door and a moment later Percy burst into the room, his face above the greying beard ruddier than normal.

Before Alice could reprove him for not knocking at the door, the old man asked breathlessly, ‘Where’s the Reverend? I just went up to the church to fetch a rake I’d left there yesterday and there’s a whole lot of young bullocks been turned loose in the churchyard. They’re trampling over everything! It’s Eval Moyle’s work, no doubt about it.’

‘Reverend Kilpeck went to Tintagel earlier this morning. He walked there because it’s such a fine day.’

‘Are you talking of Moyle the Ranter preacher?’ The question came from Jory Kendall.

‘You know him?’ Alice queried.

‘We’ve met,’ Jory said, tight-lipped, ‘He had shares in a
fishing-boat
we caught smuggling. The boat was ordered to be broken up and Moyle kicked up a rumpus about it. He is inclined to believe the laws of the land don’t apply to him. But how do
you
know him, I wouldn’t have thought he had much time for anyone associated with the Church of England.’

‘Before David and I arrived at Trethevy Moyle had been using the churchyard, indeed, the church itself, as somewhere to keep his animals. He had not paid rent to the previous owner for years but was very annoyed to learn the property had been given back to the Church. I had better go there to make quite sure the cattle do not go inside the church itself now that it has been cleaned,
but I can’t think of anything else that can be done until my brother returns from Tintagel.’

‘I can,’ declared the young naval lieutenant, firmly, ‘We’ll simply turn his cattle out of the churchyard.’

‘But then they might go anywhere!’

‘No doubt they will, but that will be Moyle’s problem, not yours. Come on, Percy, you can help me.’

‘You two go ahead,’ Alice said, ‘I will follow as soon as I have told Eliza where we are going. She might panic if she comes into the rectory and finds no one here.’

When Alice went to the back garden and found Eliza, the young girl asked immediately, ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

Alice had become quite attached to the young prospective housemaid during the brief time she had spent recuperating at the rectory and she smiled at the question. ‘I suppose you could come up to the churchyard and frighten Eval Moyle away should he return. You are so pale he might imagine you are a ghost, coming to haunt him for his sins. No, Eliza, stay here and let the sun put some colour into your cheeks. I will put the kettle on the fire before I go. If we are not back soon perhaps you could pop into the rectory kitchen and move it to the hob. Lieutenant Kendall will be with us. He is here to have a brief chat with you about the shipwreck.’

Her words alarmed Eliza but, unaware of the true reason for the young girl’s fearful expression, Alice placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ‘Don’t think about it too much, Eliza, it’s purely routine. It seems he has received a letter from a relative of the captain of the
Balladeer
, asking if you could say whether any of the bodies we buried in the churchyard might have been him. I told Lieutenant Kendall you had not seen the bodies but I had and they were all far too young to be a ship’s master.’

‘I wouldn’t have known him anyway,’ Eliza said uneasily, ‘I
don’t think I ever saw him during the short time I was on board. If I did, I certainly can’t remember what he looked like … but the weather was so bad I never left the cabin.’

She was genuinely fearful at the thought of being interrogated and caught out by the lieutenant’s questions, but Alice said, ‘There is no need to look so worried, I have already told Lieutenant Kendall you are unable to remember very much about the ordeal you have been through and he is a very understanding man. But now I must go to the churchyard and learn what is
happening
there. Only deal with the kettle if you feel up to it – and don’t worry about anything.’

When Alice had left the garden Eliza
did
worry. She realised the tragic consequences of the storm had given her an unexpected opportunity to build a new life in a manner she could never have believed possible – and such a chance was not likely to come her way again.

Despite her conviction in a London criminal court, Eliza was a basically honest girl and given such kindly employers as Alice Kilpeck and her brother she felt confident she would be able to put the unhappy past behind her and serve them both loyally and happily.

Eliza had no ambitions beyond her present station in life. Work as a servant in a stable household was all she wished for. All she had ever wanted. Fate would be cruel were this to be taken from her by the questions of Lieutenant Kendall, however kindly and well-meaning he might be.

In her mind Eliza went over the story she had told to Alice and her brother, determined not to give Lieutenant Kendall the
slightest
reason for doubting it was the truth.

H
URRYING 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.