‘So you will not be back until late?’
‘No.’ His gaze softened as if seeing her anew, before she had betrayed him. ‘I don’t like to leave you alone. Perhaps you could write an advert for a new companion and I will submit it to the newspaper.’
Amelia nodded, knowing in her heart she would not. Content she had agreed, Talek briskly strode to his study to collect some paperwork for his solicitor. Amelia stared at her breakfast and pushed the slice of bacon about her plate. She was anxious for him to leave, but determined not to show it. Finally the sound of the front door closing signalled that her brother had finally left. Amelia abandoned her breakfast and moved to the window to watch Talek leave. He had hardly spoken a word to her since rising and she could not blame him. She had let him down, no matter what his reassurances to the contrary had been. Amelia watched as his frisky horse was led out to him. Talek mounted the glossy, black horse and rode away from Roseland with the morning sun on his back. Tears pricked her eyes as she savoured the sight of him. She had always felt proud to be able to call him her brother. She burned the last image of him into her mind, knowing that she would never see him again.
As soon as he was out of sight, Amelia withdrew the letter she had written from her pocket and left it for him to find on his desk. She summoned the housekeeper and asked for the oldest horse to be harnessed and brought around to the front of the house. The creature was arthritic and not long for this world, but it was calm to drive and Talek would not miss it. She dismissed the housekeeper and waited alone outside for the driver to bring it to her. Considering it had been a long time since she had travelled by trap without Talek, Henry or Grace by her side, she felt unusually calm. Strange, she thought, how determination could dull anxiety. She looked about her. The garden looked particularly vibrant for this time of year and she would miss thesuntrap dreadfully. Who needed a house with a view when the garden was so splendid?
The horse and trap arrived. She had specifically asked for Rundle to take her. He was a new driver to the staff and did not have the confidence to question her decisions. The long sleepless night had given her time to plan and the driver was, unwittingly, part of that plan. However, he was still a little taken aback when he realised she intended to travel unaccompanied, but after only a slight hesitation, he did as she instructed and lifted her into the trap.
Amelia thanked him. ‘Leave the wheelchair. I intend to stay in the trap for much of the day. I’m meeting a friend at the Wheatsheaf Inn on the outskirts of St Austell. Do you know it?’
Rundle told her that he did and climbed on board to sit beside her. He held the reins and glanced nervously at her. She smiled reassuringly. He reluctantly took up the slack. Amelia braced herself and clutched the sides of her seat as the familiar fear gripped her. The horse moved forward and after some moments she felt her body relax. She still found horse travel unsettling, but it had improved greatly since her accident and she was determined to arrive at the Wheatsheaf Inn on time. Amelia turned in her seat for one last lingering look at Roseland. Its welcoming ambience reached out to her, embraced her for one final time, then disappeared from sight.
* * *
The journey passed without incident, although Amelia was still glad when it finally came to an end. She had clutched her seat throughout until her fingers ached from the tension. She slowly released her hold as she glimpsed the white painted walls of the Wheatsheaf Inn peering through the small gaps in the trees. The old inn sat back from the road, almost hidden from view until one was virtually upon it. Towering trees shielded itsback against the icy north-easterly winds, whilst at the front was a spacious courtyard where weary travellers could dismount. They left the road and turned into the yard. The small, black framed windows and swinging sign was familiar to her, as she had passed the inn many times. However, today was the first time it had been her destination and the familiar turned to the unfamiliar as the trap drew closer. Two men stood by the main door, passing the time of day. Their heads turned briefly in her direction as she arrived. She could not blame them for looking as a woman of her standing visiting an inn without a male escort was an unusual occurrence. However they had lost interest and disappeared inside by the time her horse and trap came to a rocking halt.
Amelia remained seated and looked about her. A woman, with a stained apron, emerged briefly from a rear entrance and threw peelings onto a nearby compost heap. She disappeared as quickly as she had appeared, returning inside to continue her chores. She realised Rundle was speaking to her, but she had not heard a word. She asked him to repeat it.
‘What would you like to do, Miss Danning?’
Amelia straightened in her seat. What if Henry didn’t come?
‘We will wait here. I’m meeting someone.’ Time dragged, as seconds felt like minutes and minutes refused to end. Amelia looked down at her lap and began to rearrange the folds in her dress with fidgety fingers. The minor task was soon completed, each fold of material neat and even as if she had been laid out to rest. A shiver passed through her at the macabre thought. She was in the midst of destroying her neat arrangement when the inn door opened. Her head jerked up. Henry stepped out into the sunshine, unhurried and unflappable as he always appeared to be. How long had he known she was waiting? Was he testing her commitment? Her heart lurched in her chest as he lifted his hatin greeting and smiled at her. Relieved he had come, she smiled back.
Henry walked towards her; his golden hair glistening in the sun. A sharp reminder of the time she had dared to run her fingers through it. This man had taught her how to feel loved and give love. He made her feel like a woman again rather than a cripple ignored by society. Talek had understood and tried to help, but a brother cannot make a woman feel like a woman again. Only being loved by the man you love can do that. How had it come to this? Yet Henry seemed unaware of the anguish he had caused to Talek, to Grace, and to her. While she had barely slept, he looked well and in good spirits, but for his bandaged arm and eyes dosed with laudanum.
‘I wasn’t sure if you would come,’ he said, looking nervously at the driver. ‘I hoped you might when I heard from Grace you had sided with me. However, promising you will meet me is one thing, travelling here is quite another. Is that driver new?’
‘Yes he is. Shall we go for a drive so we can talk?’
Henry’s blue eyes softened and he smiled. ‘If that is what you want.’
He was about to climb aboard when she offered him a shilling. ‘Let’s go alone,’ she whispered.
Surprised at first, Henry’s smile slowly deepened. He took it, walked briskly around to the other side and gave it to the driver.
‘I’ll take Miss Danning for a drive. Get down and have something to eat and drink while you wait for us.’
The driver looked suspiciously at the coin, then glanced at Amelia. ‘Miss, I couldn’t—’
‘Take it,’ she soothed. ‘Mr Ward and I have known each other for years and I am quite safe with him. Besides, there is not enough room for the three of us to sit comfortably.’
The driver rubbed the back of his neck nervously, before eventually dismounting. Henry immediately took his seat and the reins in the hand of his good arm.
‘I thought he was going to refuse,’ said Henry as they watched him walk towards the inn.
Amelia touched his arm. ‘I’m glad we are alone.’
He turned his gaze on her. His pupils seemed abnormally small as he flicked the reins and turned the horse and trap round. Strangely Amelia felt unusually calm and had no need to grip the seat. Henry was next to her, just as they had planned and soon everything would be all right.
The road towards St Austell and the nearby harbour was unusually quiet for the time of day.
‘Where would you like to go?’ asked Henry, urging the horse into a brisk trot.
Amelia closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the passing breeze that caressed her face.
‘I would like to see the sea. There is a road that navigates the cliff above Porthpean Beach. It has a fine view and we won’t be disturbed there.’
