The Angry Tide (24 page)

Jacka Hoblyn had been drinking steadily for two days.

There had been a terrible scene in his house on Sunday morning when he was told. He had thumped his wife and hit
Rosina across the head, as if th
ey were to blame; then he had rampaged off to find Drake and beat the skin off him with his belt. But Drake was nowhere to be found, the blacksmith's shop empty, the fire in the forge glimmering low, and only one scared young boy of twelve to answer his bellowing questions. Smith Carne had gone. Didn't know when he'd be back. No one did. No one home. Brother'd been a-se
arching for him. But Smith Carne
had went off last night and not been seen since.

In his frustration Jacka had kicked over a couple of pails and left, to be met halfway home by Art Mullet also seeking Drake. They had turned into Sally Tregothnan's kiddley and spent the rest of the day drinking there. Like Jacka, Art was for doing something to punish the skunk who had let Rosina down, but how punish him when he was not there? True, his Bible-thumping brother was still about, but even their gin-fuddled sense of justice could not rationalize the beating-up of one man for another's sins, on the strength of a blood relationship.

Also, they were annoyed to discover a mixed reaction to the news at Sally Chill-Off's. Everyone agreed that Drake had behaved bad, and though one or two reckoned he'd gone off to sniff round that wench in Truro who'd just been newly widowed, others thought he'd changed his mind about Rosina at the last moment and cleared off for a few days while the fuss died away. It was a crying pity it had to be Rosina, who had been so bad let down a few
years ago by Charlie Kempthorne
: a nicer purticr girl than Rosina never breathed, and she deserved belter of life than to have her heart broke twice, poor maid - not th
at she ever cared for Charlie Kempthorne
, they shouldn't wonder - but
...
but, though she'd been left at the church -or as near as made no difference - no one claimed that Drake had took any
advantage
of her; which was something to be said these days. All right, Jacka, we know what you d'mean - but there's advantage
and
advantage; and though he may have broke his word, no one's accusing him of having soiled the goods afore he bought them, no one's accusing him of having a finger in the pie afore it were put on the table. You got to say something for them
Carne
brothers, they be open and above board in all that they do do.

"Bove board!' said Jacka. 'I'll splinter him like a board if so be as I ever lay hands 'pon him!'

There were some, of course, who took Jacka's side more openly, but it was not at all unanimous. Demelza's fear that her brothers were regarded as strangers was true enough, and they would be till they died - five miles was the absolute outside radius of 'belonging' -but that they were her brothers and therefore Ross Poldark's brothers-in-law carried much weight. If they had been unpleasant, grasping, contentious characters this would have been quite a different matter: Poldark or no Poldark they would have been soon shut out. But no one in his right mind could accuse them of any of these things. It so happened unfortunately tiiat one of them had just let a nice good girl down. The tendency of the majority was to mutter and say, well, well, twas all a great, great pity.

By Monday Art Mullet's anger had also lost its edge. He had his goats to tend and his nets to
see
to. Couldn't spend all day and every day breathing threats over a gin. But Jacka's resentment was fed by his drink, which again needed more drink to appease it. As night came on he went into a kiddley at the top of Sawle Combe, known as Doctor's, and found in there Tom Harry and Dick Kent, both gamekeepers from Trenwith. The
Warleggan
men were generally unpopular, Tom Harry and Harry Harry being particularly disliked, and none of them ever ventured into Sally Chill-Off's, where their reception would not have been kindly. Doctor's, however, run by a mouse-faced man called Warne, was not so particular, and over the last few years it had become the drinking place for the Trenwith men when they had time off.

Jacka Hoblyn had now reached the stage beyond ordinary drunkenness where he had become sober again, wavcringly, grimly, soakingly sober; and he took no notice of the company and retreated with his drink to a stool in the corner. Tom Harry nudged Dick Kent and went over to Jacka, sat down on the next bench and began to talk. Kent was beckoned to join them.

Here at last Jacka found a full and understanding sympathy. He didn't normally like these men any better than his friends did; but he realized he had misjudged them. They saw Drake as he saw him; as a coward, a liar, a deceiver and as a casual breaker of innocent hearts. A man who cared nothing for his promises, a stinking fitcher, a cheating finaiging villain, a worm not worthy to be left to crawl on the earth, a disgrace to the name of
Sawle
. A disgrace to the name of Hoblyn.

'If I had my way,' said Jacka, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, 'I'd beat the life out of him. With a whip. With a horsewhip. I'd do him, I can tell ee that, and that's for certain!'

"E's back,' said Tom Harry.

'Back? When? Where? I never seen him! Where's he to?'

'Back at his forge, I 'card tell,' said Tom. 'Not's I've
seen
'im, mind. But I 'e
ard tell. Edn that so, Dick?'

'Well
...
I dunno,' said Kent.
'Did ee
hear that, Tom? Ah .
..
Well, mebbe
...
Ais, I reckon.'

Prcsentl
y the three men left the
kiddley and tramped off towards
Pally's Shop. It was a long, steep
descent, with one or two lights
winking in St Ann's on the other hill. No light at Drake's.
As they
got down Tom Harry went up to
the door and hammered on it. No
reply.

Jacka spat. 'Forge's out. There's no one here.'

'Reckon I 'card tell he were. Maybe 'e's skulkin' indoors afcared to show 'is face. Eh, Jacka? Eh, Jacka? Let's go'n see.'

The door to the house was locked, but it was a flimsy lock and burst at their third shove. They lumbered in, Jacka first, stumbling over a chair and cursing.

'Gor damme, tes black as a tinker's sack. If I had my way -'

'Are ee thur?' shouted Tom Harry. 'Come out
, Drake Carne! We want t'ave word with ee
! Come out, you.'

They stumbled in the dark again, and then Dick Kent struck flint on tinder and they fit a candle. The simple kitchen showed up, some bread on the table; a leg of rabbit beginning to mould. A jug of water, a tin mug full of tea. Harry gave the table a kick, overturning it with a mighty clatter.

"Ere, 'ere,' said Kent nervously. 'Folk'll think there's a war.'

'So th
ere es,' said Jacka, glowering round like a bull goaded by flags and not sure which way to charge. 'But the damned skunk bain't here to fight.'

'Well, we can spoil 'is love nest!' said Tom Harry, shouting from the tiny par
lour a few steps up. "And me th
at candle, Dick!'

"Ere, 'ere, take care what you'm doing! Tcs dangerous wi' that flame!'

'I'd burn un to ground,' said Jacka through his broken teeth, swaying. 'By God, I'd burn un to ground, so I would.'

'Les do 'im,' said Tom Harry. 'Te
s no sort of trouble 'tall. Lcs do 'im, then. Come on, Jacka, you be the one to think on it. Lcs
see
if your bite's so good as your bark!'

The candle wavered and guttered as it was put into Jacka's hand. He cursed as the hot grease ran over his fingers. Shadows ducked and dipped about the room, and then he thrust the candle at one of the cheap curtains. It caught quickly, went out, caught again.

"Ere, I'm 'avin' none o' this!' said Kent. 'Ye can leave me out o' this. Tcdn going to be none o' my business!' He stumbled out of the house.

Jacka was staring at the licking flame, half scared, half defiant.

'Now, then,' said Tom Harry. 'Make a job of 'im. Finish 'im off. Down wi' skunks and cheats and liars. Eh, Jacka? Eh?' He thrust a cloth at the other man, and when the candle nearly fell he steadied it with his other hand until the cloth had caught alight. Then he carried it up to the small parlour and laid it where it would lick the planking below the thatch.

They stayed another couple of minutes, making sure it caught. Dick Kent had already gone. Then they stumbled out after him and climbed the hill towards
Sawle
. At the top of the bill they sat down, panting for breath. Looking back, they could see that Pally's Shop was no longer quite in darkness. A yellow glow was rising and falling in one of the windows. They thought it better not to stop and watch for more.

Morwenna first saw Drake on the Tuesday afternoon. She had been ill all night, living with and trying to escape from monstrous nightmares. Ossie was constantly beside her bed in his winding sheet. 'Let us first say a little prayer,' he kept urging her. 'Let us sow in corruption, let us be as the beasts of Ephcsus, let us indulge in evil communication; the first man Adam was made a living soul, the last man Adam was made a quickening spirit; but let
us
quicken the flesh by the
indulgence
of flesh! Come, Morwenna, let us say a little prayer, and then you shall show me your
feet .
..' Twice she had found herself out of bed and trying to find a door that did not exist in a wall that bricked her in with the living corpse of
Ossie
. Twice she was sick with the fright and the fear. As day came Garlanda had crept in from her own room and shared her bed. It was Garlanda who finally prevailed on her to get up and face the intolerable day.

Drake came in through the french doors that had blown ajar, dripping out of the rain.

'Drake!' she said, her voice breaking.

'Morwenna!'

She stared at him, wide-eyed, wild-eyed, scared, scared of him, scared of what he stood for. After a moment he made a move towards her. She shrank back.

'Don't
...'

'Morwenna. I been here - here and around ever since Sunday. I tried to
see
ee but there was always folk about -' 'Drake,' she said. 'Don't
...'

'Don't what?' He picked the wet hair off his forehead. 'Touch me. Come near me. I - I can't b
ear it!' 'My dear, I know how ee
must feel -'

'Do you?' She laughed harshly. 'No, you don't! Nobody docs. Nobody docs. All I know is that what has happened to me has con-con-contaminated me. I'm not for you. Nor for anyone. Ever again.'

'My dear -'

'Keep
aw
ayl'
She shrank as he made another half movement. 'And please
go!’

He stared at her, and she looked back at him wildly, with wild hostility in her eyes. He could not believe what he saw. She was a stranger and she was looking at him as if he were an enemy.

'I came,' he said, stumbling now with his words, cold dread in his heart where minutes ago there had been nothing but high hope. 'I came so soon as ever
I
heard. A - a man told me Saturday morning.
I
went to see Mr Odgers to see if twas the truth.
I
'm sorry - was sorry that it happened; but when
I
knew you - when I knew you must be on your own I dropped everything and came.' He put a hand again to his hair, trying to straighten it.
'I
- been sleeping rough,
Morwenna
, so you'll -
I
beg cc to excuse how I d'look. I've tried to
see
cc alone every day but there's been so many folk
...
I thought I -could help. Perhaps - later - if so be as you're still too upset
...
I can come back.'

She took a breath that stifled the vomit in her throat.
'Never
come back, Drake.
Never
come back
...
if what you want is
...
Drake, it ended years ago. It can never begin again. I'm sick, sick, sick. It's over. It's
over,
finished,
done
with! Go away and forget me! Leave me, leave me, leave me
alone!.

His hands began to tremble, and to control them he clenched them; half turned back towards the window and then stopped again.

'
Morwenna
, we can't part like this -'

The door opened and an ugly, powerful old woman with pouched eyes and a tight mouth came into the room.

'Who?' she said, and stopped. 'Who are you? Morwenna, who is this person?'

Morwenna put a hand up to her eyes. 'Someone - someone
I
used to know. He's - just going. Will you - will you get someone to show him
out.'

^{Chapter Eight}