Rosa's Island (14 page)

‘But what about Delia? She seems very spirited and full of herself since she went to Hornsea.'

‘She does, doesn't she?' Rosa said thoughtfully. ‘I hope she's all right. You know that she's moved positions and is working at an inn?'

‘I didn't know.' Matthew seemed disturbed at the news. ‘I don't like 'idea of that.'

Rosa felt the cold wind on her face and she
shivered. ‘Let's walk a little, it's chilly standing still. Then I must go in and help.'

‘No,' he insisted. ‘You've done enough for today. There's always tomorrow.'

They walked down the track away from the farm and along the wide dyke which glistened in the moonlight. There were rustlings and splashing in the water as they approached. ‘Water rats,' he murmured. ‘Or water hens,' then added, ‘tide must be high, see how it flows.'

They heard the sound of singing. ‘Henry!' they both said. ‘He's drunk!' Matthew muttered. ‘He can't hold his ale.'

Henry came towards them, swaying on his feet. ‘Hello, Matthew.
Hello
, Rosa. What you doing out here then?'

He shook a finger at Matthew. ‘Jus' – jus' remember that Rosa isn't yours, so don't go thinking it jus' cos you're out in 'moonlight with her.'

‘Don't be silly, Henry,' Rosa protested.

‘I'm not being silly,' he blathered. ‘But if I can't have you then Matthew can't either, nor Jim, old misery Jim. Do you know what he said today after our Maggie's wedding!' He put his face next to hers. ‘He said – he said, that Da says he has to marry you.' He put his fists up to his face. ‘And I said that I'd flatten him if he even thought it.'

He hiccuped and turned towards Matthew. ‘And that goes for you as well. I'm going to marry Rosa. I gave her her first kiss when she was jus' a little lass. You remember, don't you, Rosa? And nobody else can have her. If I have to stay on this
blasted land for ever, I will, as long as Rosa's here.'

‘Get off to bed, Henry!' Matthew was angry but trying to contain his temper. ‘Where's Jim? Has he gone on?'

Henry nodded. ‘He's gone.' He belched. ‘Whoops, manners! He's gone on to light a fire across at Marsh Farm. I said I'd catch him up after I'd had another little drink.'

‘A few little drinks, I should think.' Matthew grimaced. ‘You've had plenty anyway.'

‘Finished off 'barrel.' Henry grinned, then patted his nose. ‘And a few more besides, that I had hidden.
And
a drop o' brandy that I found.'

‘Brandy!' Matthew said. ‘Where did you find brandy?'

‘Ah ha! That would be telling, wouldn't it? But somebody had hidden it away where it couldn't be found. Onny I found it,' he said gleefully. ‘Long time ago. Lots of it.'

‘Medicinal brandy!' Rosa said. ‘It's not that bottle we keep for if anybody's ill? Henry! How could you?'

Henry shook his head and laughed. ‘Not medicinal! This is real good stuff. Or was. I've drunk it now and thrown away 'evidence.'

‘You've drunk a whole bottle of brandy?' Matthew exclaimed, adding in a low voice to Rosa, ‘He'd better stay here tonight. He'll never get back to Marsh Farm in 'state he's in.'

‘Don't worry about me, young Matthew.' Henry started to stagger away. ‘I know my way across this island better than anybody, specially when I'm drunk.' He giggled. ‘I've done it more
times than I remember, and most times when I don't remember!'

‘I'll catch you up,' Matthew called to him. ‘Wait for me. I'll just say goodnight to Ma.'

They saw him put up a hand in a wave and then he turned back and came towards them. ‘Give us another kiss, Rosa. Just so's that I know you care for me a bit.'

She put her hand on his face, it was cold to her touch. ‘I do care for you, Henry,' she whispered. ‘But I don't want to marry you. I can't, can I?' She put her lips against his and gently kissed him. ‘You're my brother.'

She saw tears glisten in his eyes, but he nodded and turned away and seemed to be walking quite soberly.

‘I'd better go after him.' Matthew stared after Henry. ‘I'll see you inside first.'

‘There's no need,' Rosa said. ‘Go with him.'

He looked at her. ‘I'll go and say goodnight to Ma. She looked tired I thought, too much excitement.' He seemed reluctant to leave and continued to gaze down at her.

‘What is it?' she asked.

He shook his head. ‘I was wondering – well, if I was in my cups and maudlin, whether you'd kiss me like you kissed Henry?'

She gave a self-conscious laugh. ‘No. Of course I wouldn't.'

‘Why not?' His voice was sullen.

‘Because you're not Henry!'

She lay that night in Matthew's bed and thought about the three brothers. Dour Jim, never at ease with himself or anyone else, poor
unhappy Henry who couldn't pluck up courage to leave the farm, and Matthew, tall and strong and sure of himself, but not of her. She looked towards the window and saw the moon's rays pouring in and thought of how the waters of the dyke had rippled and shone beneath its beams as she and Matthew had stood there. The water had been flowing quite fast, the undercurrent from the river making the waters eddy and gurgle.

She curled up against Matthew's pillow. It smelt of him, of soap and horses, of hay and grain, and she smiled to herself. No, she wouldn't have kissed Matthew in the way she had kissed Henry. She would kiss Matthew quite differently. But not yet.

ROSA FELL ASLEEP
quite quickly even though the day's events muddled through her head: the wedding and how lovely Maggie had looked in her blue sprigged gown and pleated bonnet, the party afterwards, the food they had prepared and consumed, the music and the dancing, the laughter and the shouting. The shouting echoed through her dreams.

‘Henry!' The calls were loud and persistent. ‘Henry!' and she remembered in her dreams how sad Henry had been as she had kissed him. But then she was kissing someone else and he hadn't looked sad, but tender and romantic and he had held her close.

There was a rattle of stone upon glass. Someone was throwing pebbles up at the window! Or was she still dreaming? She sat up urgently, then climbed out of bed and looked out. The night sky was still bright and there was a hard frost riming everything with silver. Matthew was standing below in the yard, his shadow dark and long. He waved his arm for her to come and she
hurriedly draped a shawl over her night shift and ran downstairs.

She had to stretch to reach the top bolt which was stiff and awkward, and she made a mental note to put some grease on it in the morning.

‘What is it?' she said. ‘Why aren't you in bed?'

‘We can't find Henry! He wasn't with Jim when I got back to Marsh Farm. He hadn't seen him. Did he come back here?' His words were fast and breathless.

‘No!' she said, confused. ‘I don't think so. But I locked up before I went to bed, so he would have had to knock. Perhaps he's in the barn?'

‘Yes.' Matthew swung round. ‘I'll go and look.'

‘Matthew?' she said fearfully. ‘You don't think that something's—?' Her voice trailed away.

‘I don't know.' He ran towards the barn and pulled open the door. He quickly searched. There was little in there, they'd cleared it ready for the party. Only a few bales of straw which they'd sat upon, but Henry wasn't lying there drunk and asleep as he'd hoped.

She followed him in and saw the anxiety on his face. ‘Jim's still searching but I'll have to fetch more help,' he muttered. ‘Will you get Da up and I'll go and wake John Gore and some of his lads.'

‘Matthew—!' she began.

‘He'd been drinking,' he said brusquely. ‘And it's enough to freeze your ears off out here. If he's fallen and is lying somewhere – he onny had his jacket on!'

She felt sick and weak as she thought of a worse alternative. ‘Yes.' Her voice sounded faint
in her head. ‘I'll wake your da and then get dressed and help you look.'

He didn't tell her that she needn't, that the men would manage, and that increased her fears even more and she stifled a sob as she watched him run back down the track.

Flora got up and dressed. Delia said that she would stay with their mother, who shook with anxiety. Mrs Drew's sister's husband, Arthur Johnson, also got dressed and although he didn't know the area and might well have become lost himself, he volunteered to search with Mr Drew.

They didn't need lanterns as the night was so bright with moonlight, but they put on warm mufflers and mittens and Rosa took a blanket in case they should find Henry cold or wet and in need of warmth.

‘We'll spread out,' Matthew said, when he came back with John Gore and three of his farm lads. ‘I've been along this track to Marsh Farm twice already and haven't seen him. We'd best fan out across 'fields to each side of 'dyke. Rosa, you come with me, Flo, you go with Jim and Arthur, you'd better stick with Da so's you don't get lost.'

Rosa was trembling, not with cold, but with fear as she stood by Matthew's side. Matthew had a stout stick with him and a rope slung around his shoulders. She put her hand to her mouth and dared not ask him why he carried them.

The water in the wide dyke that she and Matthew had walked beside earlier was much higher, as the tide reached across from the estuary and ran into the marshland and
mudflats, filling the ditches, dykes, sluices and drains of the island.

‘Another half-hour and 'tide'll be on the turn,' Matthew muttered. Then he raised his voice. ‘Go careful, everybody, and shout if you find him. This way, Rosa.' He led her back to the farm gate and across the brick bridge which crossed the dyke, and climbed the fence to the other side. He held out his hand to help her over. She clung to his hand as she stepped down. ‘You think he's fallen in, don't you?' she said in a low voice.

‘I'm thinking on 'worst possibilities so that I can give him a tongue-lashing when he turns up nursing a hangover,' he said, not very convincingly, then added, ‘Don't worry, Henry'll turn up all right. He always does.'

Only he didn't, and although they searched and shouted his name, it was as dawn was breaking, when the moon and stars slid away and white streaks appeared in the sky over the river and the land was white with frost, that Rosa pointed to a dark shape in a dyke, half hidden by a clump of tall reeds, and knew that they had found him.

She screamed his name. ‘Henry!' The others turned at the frenzied sound which carried across the still and silent land, and as one they ran towards them. Rosa sank onto her knees at the side of the dyke and reached out unavailingly towards him.

‘No!' Matthew pulled her away. ‘No! I'll get him.' He edged down the side of the dyke and someone took hold of the other end of the rope whilst Matthew eased it out, for the water, though
having gone down, was still deep enough to cover a man.

‘Too late!' Matthew choked back a sob as he turned his brother over and pulled him towards the steep bank. ‘I'm too late!'

John Gore slid down the bank and took charge. ‘Ease him this way, lad. Come on now, bear up, we've got to get him out.' He took the rope from Matthew and slid it under Henry's inert form and knotted it, then signalled to the men who were standing at the top of the dyke. Mr Drew stood as if made of stone and Flo clutched his arm. Arthur Johnson knelt down and prepared to pull on the rope.

Gradually they eased Henry out of the water and up the bank and laid him on the grass. Rosa and Flo knelt weeping over him, patting his face to try to revive him, but Matthew and Jim just stood and stared in shocked disbelief.

‘What'll we tell Ma?' Jim whispered, and turned to his father.

‘We'll tell her,' his voice grated, ‘that this is what happens when drink gets 'better of a man! A life wasted!' he censured, and turned towards home.

They all stared after him, then Matthew urged, ‘Don't let him tell her! Flo! Rosa! Go after him. Get there first, before he does.'

‘Aye,' Jim muttered. ‘Cos owd bugger'll say it's her fault that this has happened. He'll blame anybody but himself.'

Flo and Rosa both rose to their feet and, gathering up their skirts, raced after James Drew and overtook him to break the news to Henry's
mother, leaving Matthew and Jim to bring their brother home.

Mrs Drew, though ashen-faced and trembling, was stoical in her grief, at first not comprehending the disaster which had befallen them. As awareness overtook her she countermanded her husband's insistence that they pray for Henry's lost and wandering soul by her supplication to God that He should give them strength to understand that His need for Henry's life was stronger than theirs.

Messages were sent and Maggie came back to the home which she had left so full of happiness and was returning to in such grief and sorrow. Flo stayed and the twins came back, but Delia escaped to Hornsea as fast as she could, unable to cope with the trauma of death, with the weeping and recriminations.

Matthew blamed himself for not following Henry more swiftly, and his conscience troubled him for being angry with him over Rosa. ‘I should have known it was only the drink talking,' he muttered, when Rosa, looking for him to come for his supper, found him sitting morosely in the barn where previously there had been such jollity.

‘It wasn't only the drink,' she said quietly. ‘I told you before that he had asked me to go away with him. He was very unhappy, Matthew, yet he wouldn't leave on his own. If anyone should have a conscience it should be me.'

‘No.' He rose to his feet and took hold of her hand. ‘He wouldn't have made you happy, Rosa.'

‘No, he wouldn't,' she agreed. ‘Besides, I can't leave Sunk Island.'