The Heart is Torn (2 page)

Beth looked up guiltily to find herself confronted by her brother, Nick. He was older than she by three years, but his habitual activities since gaining manhood had aged his appearance tremendously. The death of their mother had changed him from a hard-working, sober youngster into a hard-drinking profligate whose reputation caused the community to regard him with doubt and suspicion.

‘Nick, what are you doing here? I thought you would stay in London for at least a month.’

‘I got back last night, too late to come home.’

Nick Farrell was unsteady and smelled of rum. His apparel was dishevelled and his blue eyes were bleary.

‘I didn’t have any luck in the city. It’s a bad time of the year, I heard. Father will have to wait until the new year before he can have hope of selling anything at a profit. But you know what those London traders are like. They can steal the shirt off your back without your knowledge, and have the nerve to come back for your coat.’

‘Father will be disappointed. He had set great store on raising money from the mine. I was thinking he had begun to rise above his grief, but this news will surely knock him back.’

‘He’ll never recover. Mother’s death dealt him a fatal blow. He’s still alive and kicking, but he’s dead inside and won’t admit to it.’

Bitterness sounded in Nick’s voice.

And you’re doing your utmost to travel that road with him,’ Beth accused. It’s time you pulled yourself together, Nick. I could do with some help watching Father but I have to look out for you, too.’

‘Don’t start that again. I’ll manage my own affairs without your help. I was talking to Adam Traherne on the coach last night. He offered me a job, which I refused, even though I think I did wrong to reject him. But I feel the need to sample a change of scenery and I’m thinking of moving to London. It’s a fine life in the big city, I can tell you. There’s so much to do, and the people there are more friendly.’

Nick turned away and lurched towards a nearby inn but Beth seized his arm, dragging him to a halt.

‘What did you say?’ she demanded, her fingers digging into his flesh.

‘Say? These days, I don’t remember half of what I think, let alone say. Leave me and go home. If you bother me I shall tell Father I saw you here.’

‘You said you talked to Adam Traherne last night,’ Beth persisted. But his ship is overdue. Everyone is thinking that
Seagull
must have foundered.’

‘
Seagull
put into Falmouth yesterday afternoon, and lucky to make it, so Adam said. She was badly damaged by bad weather. But the Trahernes have always had good fortune on their side. Adam boarded the London coach and we had a high old time when we arrived here. He’s not a bad sort, is Adam, when you get to know him. I never had much to do with him in the past, but we got along fine last night, I can tell you. Now go home, Beth, and leave me to my business.’

Beth stood transfixed by Nick’s words as he departed. Adam was home! He was safe! She clasped her hands together and gazed around the waterfront, hoping to get a glimpse of the man she loved. She longed to set eyes on him, to allay the fears that had built up in her mind. But surely he would have gone home to Traherne Court directly to report to old Jeremy. The Trahernes always put business before pleasure.

She turned at once to fetch her horse from the stable, intent on riding to Traherne Court, which stood atop the crest of a hill on the promontory overlooking Polgarron Bay to the south. But a figure emerging from an inn farther along the street attracted her attention and she halted in shock. It was Adam, and he sprang into a coach that was evidently waiting for him. The coachman cracked his whip and the vehicle lurched forward, wheels churning in the ruts of the street. Before Beth could move, it went quickly along the street.

Beth remained motionless, gazing at the fast-moving vehicle. Her impulsive cry of pleasure at the brief sight of Adam stilled in her throat and she hurried along to the stable to fetch her mare, intent upon catching up with the coach and declaring her presence. Business could not compare with the love she felt for Adam, and she needed to speak to him, to reaffirm her love, and to hear from his lips that he still loved her.

2

‘Great news!’ Jaime Spencer exclaimed, rubbing his hands together when Beth entered the stable. ‘I heard that
Seagull
put into Falmouth yesterday for urgent repairs. Adam Traherne was just here. He came from Falmouth by the night coach, and no-one knew he was here until he chose to show himself on the street this morning. He’s gone home now, and in a great hurry.’

‘He couldn’t have been in much of a hurry if he spent the whole night visiting the inns,’ Beth observed tartly, her relief at Adam’s return tempered by his sense of priority.

Her first priority would have been to visit him.

‘He was occupied by business most of the time. He needs to turn
Seagull
around as quickly as possible and get her back to sea.’

Beth fetched her horse and departed, frowning as she paused to gaze along the street in the direction Adam had taken. But the knowledge that he was intent on business affairs weighed against her impulse to follow him. He was planning to put to sea again as soon as possible, and yet they had planned to marry at the end of this trip. She turned reluctantly in the opposite direction and rode homeward, suddenly filled with gnawing doubts.

Riding along the top of the cliffs, she no longer gazed at the distant horizon. Adam was home at last and now she had no need to wonder about him. She left the cliffs eventually and followed a meandering path that led into the trees surrounding Sedge Manor until she reached the main road coming from the town. She passed between black iron gates and cantered with clattering hoofs along a gravelled driveway towards the large sandstone house standing foursquare and solid, silhouetted against the bright blue sky. A heavy oak door guarded its entrance.

A horse was tethered at the bottom of the steps leading up to the smooth terrace, and Beth was relieved to observe that it was not Jonah Peake’s grey stallion. It was Dr Lampard’s black mare, and Beth frowned as she dismounted beside the animal and tethered her own mount. What was the doctor doing here? He never visited socially. Was her father ill?

She hurried up the steps and into the house, filled with an unaccustomed urgency, and halted almost in mid-stride when she saw the doctor talking to her father at the foot of the wide staircase. Both men glanced around, disturbed by her somewhat noisy entrance. The doctor smiled immediately, but Beth was struck by her father’s harsh expression, although he was not in the habit of smiling or laughing these days.

‘Hello, Doctor,’ Beth said and went forward more slowly. ‘When I recognised your horse outside I feared something was amiss.’

‘You’re looking well, Beth,’ Lampard replied.

He was a short, portly man dressed in a dark green riding cloak, his weathered face showing pleasure.

‘It’s merely a social visit, but I have to be leaving now. Widow Belham is not expected to survive the day and I have need to be present for her last moments.’

Henry Farrell held Beth’s gaze when she looked at him. He was tall, heavily built, his face bearing evidence of his present grim outlook on life. His height was somewhat diminished by the slumping of his shoulders, which he was now accustomed to doing. His features were sharp, the skin stretched tightly over his cheekbones, and his eyes were lack-lustre, dark-circled and showing strain.

‘Wait in the library for me, Beth,’ he said. ‘I have need to talk to you.’

Beth nodded, frowning. She bade the doctor goodbye and entered the library as her father escorted his visitor to the door. Sensing that something was amiss, she feared that it had to do with Jonah Peake’s visit. She desperately wanted to see Adam, but he was putting business before pleasure and she had to accept that, no matter how it hurt. A strange sense of unreality gripped her and she sighed heavily.

The door was closed noisily, and Beth turned away from the window as Henry Farrell walked to his desk.

‘What’s wrong, Father?’ she enquired. ‘Jonah Peake always seems to bring trouble when he visits you. And why does he come so often? There was a time when you and he had nothing in common. Now he is always calling here, and his arrogance has grown with each visit.’

‘How did you know Peake has been here?’

Henry Farrell gazed unblinkingly at Beth, his hands busy with the decanter on the desk. He poured himself a liberal drink and raised the glass to his lips, his eyes never leaving Beth’s intent face.

‘I met him on the cliff top. He said he was coming to visit you.’

‘Have you been into Polgarron alone, against my wishes?’

‘Yes, and I saw Nick there. He returned on the London coach last night.’

‘Then why hasn’t he returned here? His business in London was urgent. Can he not do anything right? Have I to do everything myself?’

‘It is not good news from London.’ Beth’s face betrayed nothing of her thoughts.

‘What did he tell you?’

‘That nothing can be done before the New Year. You have chosen the wrong time to sell.’

Farrell slumped in his seat and lifted a hand wearily to his head.

‘Then I am finally ruined,’ he said. ‘I must do as Peake demands if I am to save anything at all.’

‘What do you mean? What kind of a hold has Peake on you? Why is he always coming here? You never had any time for him in the past. He is not the kind of man you would mix with. What has changed you?’

‘Times have changed, and your mother’s death started the decline. I have been out of my mind since that awful day she died, and my life has been a nightmare ever since.’

‘I’ve seen the changes wrought in you, but Mother died three years ago, Father, and you should be well recovered by now.’

‘It was a blow I could not overcome. It caused me to drink too much, and I gambled in the hope that the interest would enable me to cope. But all I’ve managed to do is squander my fortune, and now there is nothing left, no money and no business. My last hope was to raise money by offering shares in the mine, but it seems that even that avenue is closed to me.’

Beth stared aghast at her father, trying to take in his bitter words.

‘Oh, Father, what have you done?’ He smiled wistfully, shaking his head. ‘You don’t know the half of it,’ he rejoined. ‘If only I could spare you the agony that I have made for us.’

‘It’s Jonah Peake, isn’t it? He’s at the bottom of it.’

‘I owe him more than I can repay, Beth, and I’ve come to my senses much too late. Peake came this afternoon determined to collect his pound of flesh. I realise now that he was following a vicious plan while pretending to be my friend. He always intended to oust me from Sedge Manor and take over my business interests, and he’s finally accomplished that. I’m penniless and in debt up to the hilt, and there’s only one way I can escape the consequences of my foolishness.’

‘One way? Then you must take it, Father. You can’t throw away everything you’ve ever worked for. What on earth would you do if the estate passed out of your hands? What does Peake want?’

‘I can hardly bring myself to tell you. I’ve been the biggest fool in Christendom, and fear that I have come to my senses too late.’

Beth shook her head uncomprehendingly, her mind blank with shock. She had seen her father suffering the loss of her mother, but had no idea what he was doing. His drinking had been bad enough, but turning to gambling, and with a man like Jonah Peake, would be the height of folly. She walked around the desk and placed an arm around his neck, greatly concerned.

‘Perhaps it isn’t as bad as it seems, Father,’ she consoled. ‘Tell me about it. I’m sure we shall find a way around your problems.’

‘There’s no way out,’ he said despairingly. Peake has won his game of deceit and I’ve lost everything. We shall have to leave Sedge Manor, and I’ll have no business left.’

Beth frowned as Martin Cresse’s words returned to her. He had intimated that the Farrells were about to fall into great misfortune. How had he known that? Her mind teemed with conjecture.

‘You said there was one way out.

What is it? Why can’t you take it?’

‘The only decent way out is not forthcoming if Nick’s trip to London has failed. I was counting on him to succeed, but it is not to be. I am at the end of my wits, Beth. I’ve sacrificed all to my grief.’

‘You said there is one way out,’ she persisted. ‘Tell me, Father. We must take any step that offers a solution.’

Henry Farrell leaned his elbows on the desk and buried his face in his hands, groaning. Beth patted his shoulder, horrified by the depth of his distress. He was beside himself with grief and she was powerless to help.

‘Peake says he will refrain from pressing for repayment of my debts if I agree to give him your hand in marriage, Beth. That is his only concession. He wants to marry you before Christmas, and if I refuse then we shall be evicted from Sedge Manor and I shall be publicly disgraced.’

Beth sighed long and hard as she considered her father’s words, and the last of her hopes died within her. She had always been aware that Peake wanted her and would stop at nothing to satisfy his craven desires, but to strike at a grieving man through his sorrows in order to gain mastery over him was the work of the devil himself.

‘I cannot do that, Father,’ she said faintly. ‘Even though I would willingly suffer anything to help you, there is one thing I cannot do, and that is marry Jonah Peake.’

‘I am not asking you to, Beth. I know Peake for what he is, and I would rather lose everything than condemn you to a life of misery with that foul specimen of manhood. Leave me now, for I have much to ponder. I must find a solution to this problem or die in the attempt.’

‘You wouldn’t contemplate doing anything foolish, would you?’ she demanded.

He straightened and looked into her face, smiling wistfully.

‘The coward’s way out?’ He grimaced. ‘But it may yet be the only way for me. I have sacrificed a great many things since your mother died, and, in truth, there is nothing left. Perhaps I shall have to consider that final solution. I have no right to bring further distress upon you. I’ve been foolish and weak these past three years, and I have accomplished nothing by my perversity. Leave me, dear Beth, and I will attempt to come to terms with the stark reality of my situation.’

Beth turned away reluctantly, aware that no amount of pleading would alter the situation. She was numbed with fear as she left the room and went instinctively to the outside door. There was only one man in the whole world she could turn to for help, and she needed to see him urgently. Adam would know how to handle Jonah Peake. A strong man would have no fear of such a deceitful individual.

She mounted her horse and rode away from Sedge Manor, pausing once to turn and gaze at the familiar silhouette of the house where she had been born. Her roots there were buried deep, but she could not bring herself to contemplate marriage to Peake, even if that were the only way to save the estate. Peake was a contemptible man, arrogant and pitiless, and the very thought of consorting with him made her flesh crawl.

She cantered along the road to Polgarron until a lane appeared on the right, and, turning into it, she soon encountered a path that meandered to Traherne Court. Passing through a copse, she was startled when a rider suddenly barred her way, and reined in swiftly, thinking that perhaps Adam had changed his plans and could no longer wait to see her. But distaste filled her when she recognised Jonah Peake.

‘I had a feeling you would make for the Trahernes as soon as you learned the reason for my visit to your father this afternoon.’

Peake’s rasping voice lashed at Beth, and she detected triumph in his sharp tone. He was obviously certain that his plot was evolving in his favour, and the memory of her grieving father’s helplessness whipped up a strand of resistance in Beth’s mind.

‘Father told me about it,’ she replied. ‘But if you can threaten him and get away with it then you’ll find a much bigger obstacle in me. I would not contemplate marriage to you, Jonah Peake, even if my life were at stake. I would rather die than be tied to you.’

Peake leaned forward and grasped the reins of her mare, his face taut with fury, his eyes ablaze with passion. Beth raised her riding crop and lashed at him, fear and anger lending her strength. A livid mark appeared on his left cheek where the whip caught him, and tiny drops of blood appeared. Peake uttered a curse and released his hold on her reins.

He reached out to grasp her, but Beth wheeled her mare and urged it into flight, eluding his clutching fingers. The mare almost blundered into a tree, and whirled sharply to avoid an impact.

Beth lost her seat and fell heavily. She was dazed, and heard the rapidly fading sound of her horse as it bolted.

Before she could recover, a strong hand grasped her shoulder and pulled her into a sitting position. She opened her eyes to see Peake’s angry features thrust close to her own.

‘When we are married, I shall take great pleasure in teaching you how to behave in my presence,’ he said harshly, his lips pinched and cruel. ‘You have been permitted too much freedom, my girl, but all that will change when you come to me.’

‘I will never marry you!’

Beth shrugged herself out of his grasp and attempted to scramble to her feet, her senses reeling at the rough treatment she had received.