The Dark Stranger (14 page)

“
Some of them have,
”
Brownie replied judiciously.
“
Young Adwen
’
s brother married against his father
’
s wishes and went to Canada where I believe he
’
s very happy, and Ruth, Belle
’
s mother, was in love with the man she married, but the older Pentreaths—well Zion wanted to better himself, and have sons with good blood in them to carry on the business, and his Brother, Adwen
’
s father, married a slut of a farmer
’
s daughter to spite the rest of
them.
Keverne
would have married Belle only she thought herself too good for the Pentreaths, though she
’
s one herself, and Craig—well, there
’
s no telling how he
’
ll choose when the time comes.
”

Tina shivered in the warm afternoon sun. Was there, she wondered, no tenderness in these Pentreaths? Did they all marry for betterment, or spite, or to acquire a fortune, and would even Craig, when the time was ripe, take what he wanted like his pirate ancestors of old?

His voice, breaking in on such a turmoil of thought at that moment, sent the hot blood to her face.

“
Why, Brownie, what a surprise to find you here,
”
he said gently, then his eyes rested on Tina
’
s face and he smiled a little wryly.
“
You
’
re looking at me as if I was an ogre. Has Brownie been giving me a bad character?
”

Without a word, Tina sprang suddenly to her feet and ran out of the clearing.

“
What on earth
’
s the matter with her?
”
asked Craig, frowning.
“
It
’
s unlike Tina to have no welcome for the returning bread-winner.
”

Brownie got stiffly out of her chair.

“
Oh, I reckon I
’
ve been gossiping too much,
”
she said.
“
This place made me garrulous after all these years and I minded the times when I came here with Jessie and listened to her troubles, poor soul. Is tea ready?
”

“
Yes. I came to tell you. Why should mother
’
s troubles worry Tina?
”

“
Well,
she got the idea that the Pentreath men are a hard, unscrupulous lot, and in some ways it
’
s true, Craig. She asked me had they no fondness in them for their womenkind.
”

“
I see. I suppose you told her I took after my father.
”

“
Ah, well, and so you do in the only way that matters. You
’
ve inherited his grit and shrewdness without his stubbornness and lack of kindness.
”

“
Did you tell her that, too?
”

“
No, but she
’
ll learn it for herself in time, and if it
’
s important to you.
”

He folded up the deck chair and tucked it under his arm.

“
We
’
d better go up to the house. Belle
’
s waiting,
”
he said and stood aside to allow her to pass.

Tina liked to explore the narrow cobbled streets of Merrynporth when she got the chance to go alone. She was familiar now with all the steep lanes twisting down the
hill
to the harbor, the curio shops and the fish bars which sold lobster teas so cheaply, and the models of ships in bottles in the junkshop on the waterfront. There were even penny slot machines which told fortunes, a nostalgic reminder of those hungry lunch hours on the pier. If Zachary had errands to do in the shops or cannery, he would drop her at the top of the town while he completed his business, and if not, she would walk the two miles or so to the Spanish Inn which the Merrynporth bus passed twice a day.

She chose this method of transport one morning towards the end of August, anxious to find a boat which would take her out to Merrynporth Cove for an hour or so. Craig was still insistent that she should not go alone and she walked down to the harbor looking for a boatman to take her. A blue dinghy with rust-colored sails caught her fancy and she stood admiring it for some time before she became aware of a young fisherman standing watching her.

“
Would you be free
—”
she began, then stopped and
said:
“
Oh!
”
rather blankly.

It was not one of the usual boatmen, but Adwen Pentreath in stained, faded slacks, a fisherman
’
s knitted cap pulled rakishly over his black head.

“
So it
is
my indiscreet partner of the spring festival,
”
he exclaimed.
“
How charming you
’
ve become, Miss Clementina Linden.
”

She felt herself blushing with the old, easy betrayal, and stood a little awkwardly, not knowing what to reply.

“
What were you starting to ask me?
”
he said, his dark eyes running appreciatively over her slender body.

“
I was going to ask you if you were free to take me out in the cove. You see, I mistook you for a boatman,
”
she said shyly.

“
Well, isn
’
t that fortunate?
”
he laughed.
“
I and my boat are entirely at your service and what
’
s more it won
’
t cost you a penny.
”

“
You have a boat?
”
she asked.

“
You
’
ve just been admiring her. She
’
s really a very nice little craft.
”

“
That one?
”
Tina pointed to the blue dinghy eagerly.
“
She lovely. I
’
ve always wanted to sail, but I
’
ve never got further than being rowed round the point in a pleasure boat.
”

“
Dear me, how unenterprising! Doesn
’
t my august cousin from the cannery allow you a place in his own boat?
”

His eyes were mocking her and she said sedately:

“
He hasn
’
t been doing much sailing this summer. He works very hard, you know.
”

He pulled a solemn face.

“
Of course. The guardian of the shekels can
’
t afford to slack like me. I wouldn
’
t mind owning his sloop all the same. She
’
s a honey, but like all things belonging to the rich Pentreaths, not for
hoi polloi
.”

Her chin lifted slightly in distaste.

“
I
’
ve always found your cousin very generous with his possessions,
”
she said, and his face became charmingly humble.

“
I apologize,
”
he said quickly.
“
We
’
ve never had much more than a bowing acquaintance with the Tremawvan Pentreaths so perhaps I
’
m naturally prejudiced. Now ar
e
you ready for that sail in the cove?
”

“
Oh, I don
’
t think I
’
d better. I mean
—”

“
You mean that the master of Tremawvan has forbidden any dealings with the Pentreaths of Polrame, don
’
t you?
”

She looked embarrassed.

“
Well, not exactly. He did say I wasn
’
t to visit Polrame, but he didn
’
t say I wasn
’
t to speak to you if we happened to meet.
”

“
Well, the old quarrel is with my father, not with me,
”
he said easily.
“
So if you don
’
t set foot in Polrame you
’
ll be conforming rigidly to the letter of the law. Come on, you
’
re only young once.
”

She wanted to go badly. The younger Pentreath with his gay, buccaneering looks and his brightly painted boat was a strong temptation after the isolated weeks at Tremawvan. Craig might not approve but he scarcely had the right to forbid an acq
u
aintance with his own cousin.

“
All right, I
’
ll come,
”
she said recklessly and laughed with pure delight as he picked her up in one easy movement and carried her through the few feet of water to set her in the boat.

CHAPTER
SIX

I

IT was the beginning of a friendship which, to Tina, was all the sweeter because she had found it for herself. She sailed with Adwen, leaning quickly to handle the dinghy, she ate lobster teas with him, and drank cider in the dark little saloon bar of the Spanish Inn. At Tremawvan no one questioned what she did with her time. Belle had never troubled about her, and Craig, working late these evenings, was seldom inquisitive about the happenings of the day. Sometimes Brownie would notice the new brightness in her face and observe a little dryly that it was a change to find a young girl so content with the simple pleasures of the countryside, but only Zachary suspected that Tina
’
s days were not always spent alone.

“
Best have a care, m
’
dear,
”
he said to her one morning
“
Tongues wag in country places.
”

“
But I
’
m not doing anything wrong,
”
she protested and he shook his head, observing her with melancholy Cornish reticence.

“
Maybe not, but maister wouldn
’
t be pleased.
”

For the first time Tina experienced a faint feeling of guilt. She had not tried to keep her meetings with Adwen secret but also she had made no effort to disclose what she was doing.

“
You can tell him if you like, Zachary,
”
she said a little defiantly.
“
I
’
ve nothing to be ashamed of.
”

“
Nay, it
’
s none of my business,
”
he replied dourly.
“
But there
’
s bad blood between Themawvan and Polrame. You
’
d not want to be the cause of trouble, would you?
”

“
Would Craig really mind that we know each other?
”
she asked Adwen at their next meeting.

He looked amused
.

“
So you haven
’
t told him? No, I didn
’
t suppose you had,
”
he said.

“
But would he mind?
”

“
What would it matter if he did?
He
’
s not responsible for you and you
’
re old enough to choose your own friends.
”

“
He
’
s responsible for giving me a home,
”
said Tina slowly,
“
I owe him consideration.
”

His eyes mocked her.

“
Ask his permission then to go sailing with his disreputable cousin and see what he says.
”

“
Are you disreputable?
”

“
It all depends on your point of view,
”
he laughed teasingly.
“
The Pentreaths of Tremawvan were very respectable, my father always told me, a reaction to the good old smuggling days. Now me, I
’
m the buccaneering type, a gay life and a merry one.
”

She looked at him thoughtfully. All the Pentreaths took what they wanted, Brownie had told her, and Adwen was probably no exception. They were very alike and she did not yet realize that the young man charmed her principally because of his resemblance to his cousin.

“
What was the old quarrel about
?
”
she asked curiously.