The Dark Stranger (26 page)

“
Who could have done it?
”
asked Brownie, her little eyes bright with a rare emotion.
“
Who could have done such vandalism?
”

“
I don
’
t doubt maister could tell
‘
ee if
‘
ee thinks,
”
said Zachary and Craig exclaimed instantly:

“
Polrame!
”

“
Oh,
no!
”
cried Tina, horrified.
“
Adwen wouldn
’
t—no educated person would do such a thing.
”

“
There
’
s not a man in the district, fisherman, laborer, miner or factory hand, who would have done this to you, Craig,
”
said Brownie.
“
Those statues were known and respected for miles around. I think Zachary
’
s right.
”

“
Of course he
’
s right,
”
replied Craig.
“
The old grudge goes too far back to bear retaliation now, but there
’
s a more recent one. Yes, I think this is my cousin
’
s typical way of scoring off me because he failed in another direction, and I know just what I
’
m going to do.
”

Tina looked at him then, and in the dark pirate
’
s face she read something that made her afraid.

“
No, Craig,
”
she said, pulling at his sleeve.
“
You must have proof, and then you should prosecute. Violence will only put you in the wrong.
”

Anger was burning in his vivid eyes.

“
Do you think I need proof?
”
he cried.
“
Do you think I won
’
t repay violence with violence? I
’
ll not stand up in court and be made a laughing stock to suit your ideas of propriety.
”

The tears sprang to Tina
’
s eyes, but it was Brownie who unexpectedly said:

“
The girl
’
s right. Beating him up will do you no good. If you go and commit violence on Polrame property you
’
ll not be much better than a laughing stock if Adwen or his father brought a case, and they would.
”

“
Do you think I
’
m going to sit down under this?
”
he demanded furiously and Zachary interposed slyly:

“
Happen they
’
ll come back, whoever they was. Hadn
’
t
t
ime
it seems, to finish the job with they three little cupids nice and handy near the gate. A man
’
s entitled to defend his own property, Mr. Craig, sir. Better that way.

There was a little silence after he had spoken. The soft air of the February morning fell mildly on their angry faces and a robin perched on one of the defaced statues, inquisitive, indifferent to their problems.

“
Very well,
”
said Craig at last,
“
I
’
ll wait for three nights. If by then he doesn
’
t come I
’
ll take my own measures.
”

CHAPTER
TEN

I

IT was an uncomfortable day for everyone. Brownie went about the house stricken with a hurt which Tina thought must go back to the days when she had come to Tremawvan as a girl and admired so uncritically all that the rich Pentreaths possessed or did. Tina tried to comfort her but her pride of family was too much outraged to be consoled by offers of kindness.

Craig came home early from the cannery and Tina found him in the gun-room cleaning his gun.

“
Craig, you surely wouldn
’
t
—”
she began and when
he looked up she saw the anger still burned deeply in him.

“
I
’
m no killer,
”
he said grimly.
“
But I
’
ll wing any man who sets foot on my property after dark. Then we
’
ll be sure of marking our visitor.
”

Tina went away. In this mood she could not help him, neither did he want her. She could only hope that Adwen
,
if it was indeed he, would not return to finish his work! She had little experience of firearms, but it seemed to her that in the darkness it was as easy to hit a man mortally as to wing him, and if Craig killed someone...

“
Brownie, he musn
’
t,
”
she said, her eyes stretched with apprehension. Supposing he killed him by mistake supposing
—”

“
Is it Adwen
’
s skin you
’
re fearful for?
”
asked Brownie sternly, and Tina shook her head.

Of course not, don t you see ... if Craig was had up for manslaughter—even murder—I couldn
’
t bear it ... I couldn
’
t bear it
...
”

Brownie smiled reluctantly and patted her shoulder.

“
Don
’
t you fuss yourself, child,
”
she said, dryly.
“
Craig
’
s an excellent shot so you needn
’
t fret yourself on his account.
”

Tina was not reassured and went away to find Belle, who seemed the one person unmoved by all the disturbance.

“
Such a fuss about those hideous old statues,
”
she said when Craig discussed it with her.
“
If you ask me, someone
’
s done you a good turn. Now you
’
ll have to have them removed.
”

“
You wouldn
’
t happen to have known of this beforehand, would you?
”
he said, his eyes narrowing.

Her laugh was a genuine one of tolerant amusement.
“
Oh, really Craig! I may have played you a trick or two but even I wouldn
’
t hire an assassin to knock your horrible statues about!
”

He was inclined to believe her. She was too lazy and too concerned with appearances to encourage hooliganism.

“
Well, at any rate there
’
s no doubt who I
’
ve to thank for the business,
”
he said.
“
And he
’
ll get as good as he gives if he comes back.
”

“
Very primitive, darling, and awfully typical Pentreath, if you don
’
t mind me saying so. The tinners and the smugglers and all the full-bodied riff-raff who demanded an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
”

“
You
’
ll have to go back further than family history for that. The Bible isn
’
t to be sneered at if the Pentreaths are,
”
he said.

“
There speak your Methodist forebears,
”
she retorted, still amused.
“
I
’
m sorry, Craig, if I seem unsympathetic, but I could never like those statues and I think you
’
re taking the whole thing much too seriously. Poor little Tina looked frightened out of her wits after she found you cleaning your gun with such thoroughness. She
’
s not used to these dramas.
”

Tina did not know if Craig was up all night, but she slept fitfully herself, relieved when morning came that no shots had disturbed her. Craig went to work, as usual and Brownie seemed her normal self again. On the second night, Tina slept deeply from sheer exhaustion and did not dare to ask at breakfast if there had been any disturbances, but Brownie answered her unspoken inquiry with a shake of the head.

Craig was very silent and looked grimmer than usual and when he rose to go she ran out with him as far as the car.

“
Craig, give it up,
please
,”
she urged.
“
It
’
s all so—so childish and unnecessary. If it
was
Adwen, it
’
s far more dignified to take no notice. Don
’
t you see he
’
ll be expecting retaliation. It
’
s probably what he
’
s hoping for.
”

He stood looking down at her thoughtfully before he got into the car.
“
My behavior
’
s an example of the family lack of breeding, you think?
”
he asked wryly.

“
Of course not,
”
she said quickly.
“
It
’
s just tha
t—”

“
You
’
re probably right,
”
he cut in,
“
but perhaps you don
’
t altogether understand. To you it
’
s just a matter of some unimportant and not very handsome statues, but to me it goes very much deeper. If it wasn
’
t for you I
’
d most likely adopt your counsel once my temper had cooled down.
”

Her chin lifted and her clear eyes met his firmly.

“
Craig, I refuse to be a bone of contention. You took me from Adwen in a sense so can
’
t that satisfy your—your pride? His retaliation is just a little boy
’
s—the sort of wanton destruction people do who don
’
t know any better. It really doesn
’
t warrant this desire for—for bloodletting.
”

He smiled reluctantly.

“
You
’
re very persuasive, Tina,
”
he said.
“
In fact I
’
m not at all sure you aren
’
t trying to put me in the same category as Adwen.
”

“
If you shoot him in the pants to pay him out, you will be,
”
she said and he laughed outright.

“
Well, if he doesn
’
t come tonight, we
’
ll see,
”
he said and got into the Lancia and switched on the engine.

She put a pleading hand on his shoulder through the open window.

“
No,
”
she said,
“
that
’
s not a real promise. If he doesn
’
t come tonight you
’
ll leave it alone—please, Craig. I don
’
t think I have ever asked you for anything before.
”

He looked at her quickly and his eyes were surprised.

“
No, I don
’
t believe you have,
”
he said.
“
Very well,
T
ina, I
’
ll give you that promise. We
’
ll
i
gnore the whole thing and be dignified.
”

“
Including tonight?
”

But he would not commit himself any further.

“
We
’
ll leave tonight until it comes, if you don
’
t mind, and I
’
m warning you now, if more damage is done tonight or any other night, I
’
m taking back that promise. Now you must let me go, I
’
m late as it is.
”

She was obliged to be content with that much. One could not, she supposed, blame Craig for wanting to take action, but she hoped with great intensity that Adwen would keep away from Tremawvan. She told Brownie and her stepmother of Craig
’
s decision, expecting approval for her intervention, but Brownie pursed her lips and observed as Zachary had done that a man was entitled to defend his property as he saw fit, and Belle lifted an eyebrow and drawled:

“
Quite the little helpmeet, aren
’
t you, darling? But don
’
t run away with the idea that any Pentreath will listen to you for long. Even a man who
’
s in love can be taxed too highly.
”

Her implication was plain to Tina and she avoided Brownie
’
s eyes hoping that she would misunderstand.

“
Well, I only hope he doesn
’
t come back tonight,
”
she said, and Brownie remarked with a sidelong look at Belle:
“
You
’
d best send him a message to keep him away, since you
’
re still on terms with Polrame.
”

But Belle was quite undisturbed, though she caught a puzzled glance from Tina and wondered how soon Craig would get to hear of her dealings with Polrame.

“
Certainly not,
”
she replied.
“
That would just be a challenge for him to come and possibly bring a gun himself. Do you want a slaughter of Pentreaths in the garden, Brownie?
”

Brownie snorted and left the room and Tina, after a doubtful look at her stepmother, wandered off to find some occupation that would keep her unruly thoughts busy. As the day wore on she found herself becoming childishly convinced that Adwen would come because it was the third night. Didn
’
t most superstitions go in threes, she argued? You bowed three times to the new moon, counted three magpies as lucky, had three wishes and three guesses
to a riddle. Had she not herself as a child turned round three times for luck at a wishing well, repeated a magic formula three times to ensure success, knocked on wood three times because once did not seem enough? Cornishmen were superstitious, Craig had said. Might not Adwen regard the third night as propitious for his purpose, and, having left three cupids undefaced, return tonight to finish the job?

She had no means of judging from Craig
’
s manner in the evening what he meant to do, but his gun still lay in readiness on a chest in the hall, and Zachary, doubtless, was posted outside to give the signal should it be necessary. Tonight she determined she herself would watch. Her bedroom window commanded a good view of the gates and the sloping terrace of lawn where the cupids stood. Should she see Adwen in time, she would run out and warn him before the alarm was given and Craig committed to some hasty action.

It was a lovely night. A moon hung bright and clear in the sky, bathing the lawns in light, and only in the alleyways and groves of rhododendrons could a man move unobserved. Too bright, thought Tina with a sigh of relief, but even as she sighed, she heard the sound of a sports car breasting the hill, and as she listened, it stopped a little way up the road and its lights went out.

Before she had time to think she was out of her room and down the stairs, her feet bare so that she could not be heard, and in the hall, she stood for a moment, her heart thumping, listening for any sound to show that others in the house had heard the car. Craig
’
s gun still lay on the chest, and the hands of the grandfather clock stood at a quarter to midnight. The oil lamps were burning in their sconces, which meant that someone was still up, but not a sound came from any of the rooms and Tina let herself out of a small side door and ran across the moonlight lawns, the thin rime cold on her naked feet.