Warleggan (44 page)

the corners of the
globe
our campaign in Flanders is bogged
in mud. The
e Vendeans have asked for our help in vain. This would bring about Pitt's downfall if there were anyone to replace him, But Dundas, Grenville, Richmond, none of them have the parliamentary command.

Elizabeth saw the door open just behind
the manservant and Ross come
in. So certain was she that it must be another servant with the wine that for a second she disbelieved h
er
eyes. Then George saw her face and turned.

He instantly pushed back his chair.

Ross said quietly "I have not come to
make a disturbance this time
-
unless you force it,'

George did not move his chair any farther.

`And you,' said Ross, as the manservant, catching some glance
from his master, moved towards the bell pull. `How did you get in?' George said.
‘
I want a word with you, George! The servant said:
‘Shall I’

'No,' said
George, watching Ross l
ike a snake,

`That's wise. There's no need to wreck, your dining-room I have committed
enough violence in this house,’

Nobod
y spoke. Ross's eyes flickered
across to Elizabeth, She met his gaze with bitter hostility It was the first time they had seen each other
since thenight in
May. He looked at
her a moment longer, in surprise, a little in assessment. 'I am sorry to upset you, Elizabeth.'

`You don't upset me,' she said.'

`I'm glad of that.'

`You may be glad or sorry. I'm not interested.'

George, gratified, said: `Pray forgive me for exposing you to this intrusion, Elizabeth.'

'It need never happen again,' Ross said. `I have no ambitions here. But I'm tired of our relationship, George Whenever we meet, we snarl like dogs
-
and every, now and then it, comes to the point of a scuffle, but inconclusive even then. It seems now we're to be neighbours, close neighbours perhaps, for years to come. A disagreeable prospect for me, but not one that I can alter. There are really only, two ways out of
it,
and I have come to suggest that we should choose the better one.'

`Is there a better one?'

'Well, I think so. I'd suggest that we agree to avoid heedless provocation and live as peaceable as we can. What is your view'

George looked down at his fingers. 'I should have thought your visit tonight a very heedless piece of provocation.'

'No, for I came to put the alternatives before you. I am law
-
abiding now,, George, and prosperous. Think of that. Prosperous. That must gall you. But never mind. It surely must be in the interests of both of us that we should make the civilised choice.'

'And what other do you suggest exists?'

Ross listened to
the sound of footsteps in the
hall, 'I'm a little unsure as to details, because my wife would not supply them, but I believe an insult was paid her while I was away.'

'No insult was, paid her that she did not invite.'

'I understand you're claiming the cliff path as your property between Sawle and Trevaunance.'

`It is my
property'

`I'm not sufficiently interested to dispute it, though there may be others who will.'

`I have
already made sure
of the legal position?

'I thought you would have. But the possess
ion of property doesn't entitle
you to be affrontful to people innocently using a
footpath which has been public
for years'

`Your dog was straying. In what way was your wife harmed?'

`She
has left me
in no position to
argue about it. But I suggest that you take care she's not molested again.'

`The remedy is in her
hands not
mine.'

`That is where we differ, and differ beyond the point of peaceful enmity. As I say, I have no
wish to come here again
;
’

`
You will not, I'll see to that.' George took out his watch. `You
may have three minutes more.’

Ross said: `I am trying very hard to put the choice intelligibly before you, and you asked me as to the other alternative.

Well, that is
it
. Age has mellowed us both; but you must know of my ability to incite miners, for you once tried to get me convicted for doing so. It would not be difficult to bring three hundred, and you know what they are like. I don't wish to threaten or to dramatise a simple promise but they would trample across your lawns and pull up your trees, and
in a night it would look as if
a hurricane had blown. And any bloodshed caused by trying to keep them out would certainly lead to more bloodshed. The, law will not protect you; for it knows no way
of offering
protection except with a
company of infantry,
and soldiers now
are scarcer than battleships.'

George turned as the door opened and Tom Harry put his head in.

`Begging your pardon, sir. Th
e cook - Ah.’

He had seen Ross. Ross did not move. Harry sidled in and
another man stood in the doorway.

Ross said: ‘T
hat's an alternative you'll have time to think
over. The present alternative is before you.'

George hunched his shoulders, 'You've finished what you
came,
to say?’

'Yes.'

Tom Harry said 'Now, see 'ere
’

`Wait,' said, George. 'Let him go.'

There was a pause. Harry's hands dropped to his sides.

Ross said : 'It is Christmas tomorrow and believe me, I have come in no carping spirit. We cannot be friends, but it's tedious to spend all
one's
life with one's hackles up. I cer
tainly
don't want to; and I hope you don't want to. In coming to live in my district, you have vastly annoyed me; but you have also offered up certain hostages for your own go
od behaviour.'

He glanced at Elizabeth. Seeing her had upset him in a new way. `Explain to Geoorge, will you, that I'm in earnest.'

She said: `I know' nothing of
any insult
to Demelza. But
I've complete faith in my husband's capacity to order his life as he thinks best'

Ross stared at her. 'Then see to it that he appreciates the choice.'

He went out, pushing past Tom Harry, who only shifted an inch or so. The man in the doorway retreated more quickly, and Ross walked across the hall, half expecting some attack from behind. He glanced round that great hall which had been a part o
f his life ever since he was a
child. Here he had come with his father and mother
when he was just old enough to
walk. He had played here in a corner with Verity and Francis while words from the sober elders grouped round the fire had floated across to his half-attending ears: Chatham's illness and the Wilkes controversy and the repeal of the Stamp Act. Here, returning from America, he had found Elizabeth celebrating her engagement to Francis. `Here,
he had come for the christening
of Elizabeth's child, for his uncle's funeral. . . . Something belonging intimately to his family, had, existed in this room.

But not any longer. The familiar wood and glass and stone were not enough.

Warleggan ground. George's influence was all-pervasive.

The bitterness
of Elizabeth's tones and looks had only surprised Ross in their degree. He had expected her enmity. But he did not suppose all of it derived from the
ninth of May. He was not proud
of his adventure then, n
or ever a man given to passing
off his own
behaviour with an easy excuse;
but aft
er the initial resistance that night there had been no
particular indication that sh
e hated
him. Her attitude towards him during a number of years, and particularly the last two, was more
than anything else responsible
for what had happened, and she must have known it. Her behaviour that night had shown that she knew it.

But there
ha
d been other - and later
-
sins on his part; Over and
over again during those fir
st weeks following he had known
he should go and see her and thrash the whole thing out in the light of day. It was unth
inkable to leave the situation
as he had left it; but that was precisely what he had done. He had behaved abominably first in going, then in not going; but he did not know what to say, and the impossibility of explaining himself had stopped him. If the history of the last ten years had been the tragedy of a woman unable to make
up her mind, the last six months was the history of a man in a similar case. For a long time he had been quite unsure of his own feelings; then they had crystallised; and from that moment a private meeting with Elizabeth was impossible.

Now it was too late,

He was back in time to soothe Demelza's fears, and just before eight Dwight and Caroline came,

Caroline had been sobered by her visit to her uncle's. In spite of what they had agreed, she had been determined to tell him at once of her meeting with Dwight; but sight of her uncle had shown her how ill he was, and she was silent.

Demelza was nervous and excited too; and as dinner wore on, her attitude helped Caroline to an easier frame of mind.

Demelza said : But how long shall you have to be away, Dwight? Have you not heard yet? It is a matter of some importance to us all'

`The naval surgeon is neither fish, flesh, nor fowl
-
but
I'm told my appointment can be considered to be for two years
or for the duration of the war, whichever is the shorter.' `And if the war go on after that?'

Dwight hesitated. Caroline said : `He will stay. I feel it
in my bones he will not reconcile it with his conscience to
retire.'

Dwight smiled. 'For once you overrate my conscience. Since Caroline came, my patriotism has been running out fast.'

Demelza said
: 'But you will n
ot have to
wait until then, until you are o
ut of it
-'

`No. I think
she will marry me -
I believe she will
-
on my first shore leave. That may be in three months or six, no one knows. . .

`And until then?' Ross said to Caroline. 'What shall you do in the meantime?'

`Stay
with Uncle for a time. Then
perhaps go back to London.'

`I'd prefer you to stay here,' Dwight said. 'The air is good and London, hasn't suited your health.'

`Oh, yes, do you know,' Caroline, said to Demelza, 'he spent the
first
morning of our reconciliation sounding my chest. Faith,
I
found it more embarrassing than any conjugal endearmeant'

Dwight went very red. Nonsense, Caroline, you make It sound much worse than it
was.
I was less than half
an
hour, and your maid was present-'

`Oh, yes, my maid was present, which made it even more overfacing. What allurement can a woman hope to have
for
a man who has already examined her tonsils and her teeth and has counted her ribs the harsh light of day?'

Dwight took a
gulp of
wine. 'Well, if you want to know that, l
et me tell you! You have every
possible allurement for me. I love you and am fascinated by everything you do, and no amount of medical attention, either on you nor on myself, will ever cure me of
that
!'

It was a change to hear C
aroline; getting more than she
asked for, and to save them both Ross said
'When Dwight has gone, so long as
you
stay with your uncle, I hope you'll come and sup with us once or twice
a week. It will help
the time to pass.'

`After Dwight has gone, I shall wake up sometimes and wonder if all this week has been a, dream. I think I shall
have to come here for reassurance. I hope my uncle Improves -
so that
I can tell him the truth.'

`If you are in any difficulty, come straight here,' Ross said.

"We will put you up for as long as necessary.'

Car
oline looked at Demelza before
replying. 'Your husband's committing you very deep.'

Demelza said: "Well, no deeper than I'd want to go or be willing to go tomorrow.'

It was Caroline who eventually smiled and glanced away: `I
have told Ross. It was just a
whim. Anyway, perhaps this
war will be over
next week and then I shall not need your kindness. In Plymouth the landlord's wife was whispering news of some sacrilegious feast the French have been celebrating in Notre Dame. It all sounds very, decadent, and I trust their
armed forces will be corrupted by
it
-
especially the Navy.'

Next year will see a change when I am at sea,' said Dwight. 'The lice at least
will notice
the difference.'

At half past nine the carol singers came from Sawle Church, and Demelza thought
of the many other Christmases. Six, years ago at Trenwith,
the Trenegloses had come unexpectedly with George Warleggan, and Elizabeth had sung and she had sung, and she had tasted port wine for the first time and had
loved
the flavour of it and what it did to you in spite of feeling sick with Julia four months forward. And then two years later, when she was alone here and the same carol singers: as tonight
-
though a much depleted stock
-
and she had asked, them in and had sympathised with them over their ailments, nervous: only for her new status and anxious to behave well, not thinking or dreaming that two weeks more Julia would be dead and she a drawn and wasted invalid. And the wrecks that had come in on the great January gale, and Ross, like
herself only worse, spiritually worse, bitter and lost, going
down to the shore and the teeming, struggling
miners.

The choir was at full strength tonight and in, good forma Uncle Ben Tregeagle was in charge, ageless and gipsylike with his thin black curls, and Mary Ann Tregaskis, and Char Nanfan and Johnny Kimber and Betty Carkeek, whose husband had been killed in the tussle with the gaugers; and even Sue Baker got through the singing without
going
into one of her fits,
When they had gone, the four sat round the fire
for another half hour drinking
tea and eating' homemade cake., Then Demelza excused herself and presently
Ross
followed.

He went up to the mine and was gone some time. When he returned, Demelza was still in the kitchen and told him that Caroline, had
just gone
to bed. He went into the parlour and found Dwight about to leave too.

Ross said : `We thought you might like a few minutes alone., 'Thank you.... And for so much else besides.' 'Little enough.'

`It isn't often that one man can retrieve anothers mistake
s for him. I want to tell you –‘

'Don't try. Sometimes to be able to growl. and bully is a signal advantage. And really it is very easy learned. Make the most of your happiness while
it
is here.'

`That I will do. Caroline ...'

'The more I see of
Caroline, the more I esteem her.' Ross'
poured brandy into a glass for himself and then put it down untouched. He wanted
no more. `Not until this week did I
begin to understand her You'll have a lifetime to do it, and that I imagine will not be too long. Always she will disguise her goodness as if ashamed of it. I congratulate you on your acumen in picking so exceptional a wife.'

Dwight shook his head. `I only wish she were my wife. I'd give years of my life for a month ashore now. But she could not be rushed into it this time
-
in this way
.
Demelza likes her, I think?'

`Of course!'

'I asked for a particular reason. I
hope it will not be so, but it may be that I shall not have a lifetime in which to appreciate Caroline. In war it
’
s not uncommon for people to get hurt. I don't propose to sentimentalise on the possibility, but it might be that she will need all your fr
iendship and the help you could
give-ever if we
marry, then as a young widow.’

'And do you suppose we should fail to give, it?

'No
no'

The, fire was burning low and, needed more wood. Presently it would be made up for the night..

`There are many, things on which I could not answer for Demelza. But in this I can.'

He went for the big logs into the storeroom after Dwight had gone. When he
returned to the parlour with the logs
he found that Demelza had come
in again. She was standing
before the mirror, pinning up her hair.

She saw him in the glass. `'They're both
settled?'

`Yes. All's well'

'I hope. Caroline won't want for
anything. John left plenty of wood for her fire, but I
expect she will not need it. Did you find,
London likeable?’

'Likeable enough for a visit. You must come with me next
time.’

She lowered her arms and moved aside to let him put on the
logs.

`I wonder why the weather is colder in London. It is four
years since
we had snow Here. . . If Julia
had lived, she
would
have been near on six.'

He took up the poker and began spreading out and flattening
the remnants of t
he evening's fire. 'I know.
And you.... Barely yet in your midd
le twenties! 'Do I
look that much older?'

'No
. Often younger. But you began
living so young,
have experienced Sometimes.
I feel you're as old as I am. Already in six and a half years we've shared so much.'

`And lost so much'

`We've lost Julia. -Nothing else irreparably.'

She lifted; her shoulders. It was a
shrug half abandoned, for
she was
watching him. This they both suddenly knew was the moment when he was going to force past the casual guards of companionship.

She said: 'So you came, away from Trenwith without a
..’

`Yes.... In recent weeks, more particularly, since I
went to