Bonds of Earth, The (25 page)

W
HEN
N
ESSA ARRIVED
at Roach Farm with Father Michael the following morning, Mabel Trebartha was also there. Goran had told her the night before that the two would be visiting Agnes that morning and she was determined not to miss them. She was curious about the reason Agnes wanted to speak to him, and also wanted to see Nessa's vicar for herself.

She met the two visitors when they arrived at the farmhouse and was able to assess Father Michael before showing them into the room where Agnes was seated by a window that looked out over the farmland, a blanket tucked about her legs.

After introductions had been made, Mabel remained in the room, but her presence did not suit Agnes.

‘There's no need for you to stay here, Mabel, nor Nessa, neither. Take her off to visit Goran at Elworthy, but before you go tell the girl in the kitchen to make some tea and bring it in here with some of those saffron buns she made yesterday.' Waving a gnarled arthritic hand dismissively, she added, ‘Go on, away you go – the both of you.'

When they had gone, Father Michael, who had been amused by Agnes's imperious manner towards Mabel and Nessa, said, ‘I was told you wished to see me, although I can't think what it could be about, unless it's in my capacity as a priest?'

‘I can't be bothered with all that nonsense! I've lived my life by Christian principles and when I meet my Maker I'll be able to look him in the eyes and declare with all honesty that I have never knowingly done anyone a bad turn.'

Father Michael thought it highly probable that Agnes would do as she said … but she was still talking. ‘I've asked you here because I understand you started a very successful school for poor children, in London.'

‘It has been more successful than I ever dared hope, yes.'

‘That's the reason I want to speak to you. I'd like to do the same here, down in the village and want you to tell me what's involved; what I need to do – and to draw a plan for me of how you think the school should be built.'

Taken aback, Father Michael said, ‘Opening a school is a very ambitious project, Mrs Roach, and to actually have it built for the purpose is most exciting, but such a scheme would take a great deal of money—'

He saw the imperious gesture once more, this time to silence him. ‘I prefer being called Agnes, not Mrs Roach, and I am in the fortunate situation of having more money than I need for the few years I can look forward to on this earth. Goran's hard work and enterprise and Captain Pyne's mining dues have seen to that. My only family is a brother who has the mind of a child, unable to look after himself, let alone control the money I have and I can't take it with me, so I would like to leave a school here as my memorial. It would give me a great deal of satisfaction. Will you help me?'

‘You are a remarkable woman … Agnes. Yes, I will be delighted to help you in any way I can – but I think this is the tea arriving and we will have need of it, there is a great deal to discuss….'

Knowing nothing of what Agnes and Father Michael were planning inside the Roach farmhouse, Mabel and Nessa walked together to Elworthy Farm and, on the way, the older woman did her best to discover more of the relationship between Nessa and Father Michael, but she learned little other than of the success he was making of the ragged school in the Old Nichol.

They had almost reached the farm when they saw a girl coming down the slope of the moor from the direction of Wheal Hope and, waving to her, Nessa explained to Mabel, ‘That's Sally, one of the girls who started at the ragged school at the same time I began teaching there. She is a lovely girl but has had a great deal of unhappiness in her life. An orphan, she was cared for by her brother until he died in unfortunate circumstances and left her alone in the world. I have more or less adopted her and my uncle and aunt allow her to live in their home. I told her to meet me at your farm. I didn't think Michael and I would be at Roach Farm for very long, but it would seem Agnes is going to keep him there for a while so it's just as well she sent us off when she did.'

Sally met up with them before they reached the farm and when Jenken came out of the stable where he and Goran had been attending a riding-horse mare while it gave birth, he saw them approaching. Running back inside the stable he snatched up a curry-comb. As he used it to rake his hair into some semblance of order, he cried excitedly, ‘Your ma's on her way here and Nessa and Sally are with her.'

‘Is
that
why you're taking such a sudden interest in your hair? Well you're not doing it for Ma or Nessa, so I will need to have a look at this Sally.' As he was speaking, Goran hurriedly swilled blood from his hands in a bucket of water before trying hurriedly to bring some order to his own hair. ‘They couldn't have arrived at a better time, go out and bring them in to see the foal, it's a little beauty!'

Nessa and Sally came to the stable while Mabel went on to the house to make tea for them all and the two girls agreed the foal was indeed charming. Sally in particular was utterly enamoured of it and after they had all spent time admiring it, Goran said, ‘You and Sally stay here for a while, Jenken. Perhaps Sally can help you to make the mare and foal comfortable while I take Nessa into the house. When you've done that you can show Sally around the farm if she'd like to see it.'

When they were alone, Nessa said to Goran, ‘That was very kind of you to suggest Jenken show Sally around the farm, Goran. This is the first time she has ever left London and has never seen either live sheep or cows before. It's all new to her and she's loving every minute of it.'

‘It will be no hardship for Jenken. I realized last night when he told me you were here with Sally that he was smitten by her. I think it's probably the first girl of his own age he's ever really come into contact with.'

‘Wasn't that very much the same for you, when you met up with Morwenna, Jennifer and me?'

Memories of that first meeting came back to both of them and there was brief moment of embarrassment before Goran succeeded in mumbling agreement and Nessa said hastily, ‘I expect you've met a great many girls since that day, after all, you must be one of the most eligible bachelors in this part of Cornwall now.'

‘I haven't had time to meet girls,' Goran said honestly. ‘It's only since I've taken on extra workers on the farm that I've had any time at all to myself. Before then there weren't enough hours in the day to do all that needed to be done.'

She wanted to ask him about the girl she had seen him with in the field that was being ploughed just before she left Cornwall for London, but bit back the question.

Goran also had a question. His was about her relationship with Father Michael, but he, too, said nothing, not wanting to hear what her answer might be just yet. Instead he showed her around the farm until they were joined by a flushed and happy Sally who said excitedly, ‘The baby horse got to its feet and walked around! It was wobbly, but it did it, even though it had only just been born – and Jenken let me stroke it. It … it's
lovely
!'

Jenken stood back, beaming because he had been able to make the young London girl happy. Just then Mabel called to say there was tea and cake for them in the farmhouse.

They all chatted happily for about an hour until Harriet came into the farmhouse to join them. They were all still talking about the latest addition to the Bolitho family – another boy – when Father Michael arrived, having found his own way from Roach Farm. He reminded Nessa that she had promised to take him to a stables in a nearby large village where he hoped to hire a pony and gig, in order that he might take Nessa and Sally to Bodmin to meet with his brother and parents.

The fact that Father Michael wanted Nessa to meet the members of his family, just as he had met Nessa's, tended to confirm that his visit to Cornwall was for the couple to meet each other's families and it added to Goran's misery about the situation.

Nevertheless, he declared it would not be necessary for them to have the expense of hiring such a means of transport, they could instead borrow a pony and trap he had on the farm which he would not be using in the foreseeable future.

There was a small reward for him when Nessa squeezed his arm and said, ‘Thank you, that is very kind of you, Goran. It's nice to know you haven't changed from the person you were before I went away.'

He could have told her there were a great many things about him that had not changed, particularly his feelings for her, but he realized that with marriage to the London priest seemingly imminent, it was something he could never tell her.

W
HILE
N
ESSA WAS
visiting Father Michael's parents and brother, Goran was summoned to Roach Farm by Agnes. It was not unusual for her to send for him, she liked to be kept informed of all that was happening on the combined farms. However, on this occasion she had some surprises for him.

Seated on a chair in her kitchen, facing Goran across the table, she asked, ‘What do you know about the strip of Spurre land that extends into ours up on the slope to the moor?'

‘Not much, gamekeeper Grimble made sure of that, it's just a nuisance having it there, that's all.'

‘Is the soil any good?'

‘No better and no worse than ours, I'd say – at least, it would be if they put in some work on it, but why do you want to know?'

‘Because Sir John came here and offered to sell it to me.'

It was surprising news and Goran said, ‘I thought he was looking to get mining dues from it!'

‘He was, but after Captain Pyne's man was shot by Grimble he told Sir John he no longer intended following up the lode beneath his land – and Sir John's becoming desperate. He's decided to pass the estate over right away to the nephew who would one day inherit it anyway, but he needs money immediately.'

‘How much is he asking for the land?'

‘A thousand pounds. He asked for more but would settle for that.'

‘It's far too much, the land isn't worth half that.'

‘It would be if Captain Pyne changed his mind about working the copper lode that's beneath it – and I don't doubt that he would if
we
were to benefit from it and not Sir John. Another thing … there's a very nice little cottage on the land. I used to visit it a lot when I was a girl and was friends with the daughter of the gamekeeper who lived there then. This farmhouse is far too big for me now and it seems arthritis might run in the family, because it's beginning to affect Elworthy. We'd both be more comfortable in that little cottage. The garden is large enough to keep him busy and with a few chickens and a pig or two he'd be happy enough.'

‘I still think you'd be paying Sir John too much, but I suppose that if the price includes mining rights and Captain Pyne
does
extend his workings in that direction it would prove a good investment, and it
would
make working Roach Farm easier.'

‘Good, then I'll go ahead and when everything's settled you can take me up to the cottage and we'll see what needs doing to it to make it comfortable for Elworthy, me and a couple of live-in servants. It will leave this farmhouse free for you to move into when you decide to marry.'

‘Then it's likely to stay empty for a long time. I doubt if I'll be marrying in the foreseeable future.'

‘Don't be too certain about that,' Agnes said, enigmatically. ‘There's none of us can look into the future, and life has a habit of coming up with surprises.'

Deciding that the subject of his marital status had been debated for long enough, Goran said, ‘Well, I suppose having the extra land would also add value to the farm in the long run.'

‘As I have no intention of ever selling up that's not a consideration, but I'll let you know when everything is settled.'

Goran left Roach Farm still convinced that the price Agnes was paying Sir John for the strip of land was too high, but once he had accepted that she was going to buy it anyway, he spent the remainder of the day making plans for the addition to his two farms.

Sir John Spurre's solicitor arrived at Roach Farm a few days later, accompanied by the lawyer who managed Agnes's legal affairs and Goran was called in to act as a witness to her signature. When the legal formalities were completed, Agnes's lawyer remained behind and she asked Goran to stay too, explaining, ‘If anything were to happen to me right now everything I own would go to Elworthy and there is no telling what would happen to it, so I have had a will drawn up. I would like you to read it.'

The lawyer passed a number of sheets of parchment to Goran, each filled with neat but bold handwriting and he read them with increasing astonishment. Before he had finished reading the whole of the document he looked up and said, incredulously, to Agnes, ‘You've left everything to
me … everything
! Why?'

‘Who else should I leave it to? You've been the closest thing to a son I've ever had, but it doesn't come to you without conditions for taking care of Elworthy, if necessary.'

‘Ma and me would care for him anyway, Agnes.'

‘I know you would – and that's another reason why I'm making you my beneficiary.'

‘I … I'm absolutely flabbergasted! I just don't know what to say!'

‘Then don't say anything – to anyone. If news of it gets around you'll have every mother in the area throwing her daughter at you in anticipation. Now, I've kept you here long enough. Away you go, you have a farm to run.'

Acting on impulse, Goran did something he had never dared do before. Crossing to where Agnes was seated, he put his arms about her and kissed her. Then, standing back, he said, ‘I'll never be able to thank you enough, Agnes …
never
, but may it be many, many years before the farm becomes mine.'

Pink with pleasurable embarrassment, Agnes said, ‘Now you're being almost as foolish as Elworthy. Away with you now before I have second thoughts about it all.'

Goran had reached the door before Agnes called him back. ‘Goran…?'

When he turned back to her she said, ‘Don't waste your kisses on old women. There's a certain young lady you ought to be charming with them before she gets away from you once again!'

Goran left Roach Farm scarcely able to believe that one day both Elworthy and Roach lands would belong to him, but he was bewildered by Agnes's parting words. She could only be talking of Nessa, but how could she possibly know of his feelings for her? Not that it made any difference to anything, she obviously did not know of Nessa's intention to marry Father Michael.

Nessa returned to the Wheal Hope the next day, having met Father Michael's family, and she immediately went on to Morwenna's house, where Alan had developed a fever which the doctor declared was probably caused by one of the pellets fired by gamekeeper Grimble having infected him.

The doctor was confident the pellet would not cause Alan long-term problems, but for now it was an anxious time for Morwenna and Nessa was giving support to her sister.

While Nessa was there Sally remained behind at the Wheal Hope but spent most of each day at Elworthy Farm where she thoroughly enjoyed working about the farm, being quite happy to take on the most menial and mucky tasks – especially if it was helping Jenken.

Watching her one morning as she was helping Jenken clean out the stables where a number of horses were kept for work about the farm, Goran was joined by Harriet Bolitho, who said, ‘Jenken is going to miss Sally when she returns to London. It's a pity she can't remain here, especially as things are going to be difficult for her there when Nessa is married and she needs to make her own way in the world.'

The thought of Nessa being married to someone else was something Goran constantly tried to push to the back of his mind and her words jolted him. ‘Do you think Nessa and Father Michael
will
marry?'

He asked the question in the faint hope that Harriet might express a doubt that might give him a glimmer of hope that such a marriage would not take place. Her reply did nothing to fuel such a hope.

‘Sally seems to think so. It seems Nessa got on so well with his parents that Sally thinks they might well announce a date before they leave Cornwall.'