Frenchman's Creek Read online

  "It is all very different from the winter," he said. "When I came then, the covers shrouded the furniture, and there were no flowers. There was something austere about the room. You have changed all that."

  "All empty houses are like sepulchres," she said.

  "Ah, yes-but I don't mean that Navron would have remained a sepulchre, had anyone else broken the silence."

  She did not answer. She was not sure what he meant.

  For a while there was silence between them, and then he said, "What brought you to Navron, in the end?"

  She played with a tassel of the cushion behind her head.

  "You told me yesterday that Lady St. Columb was something of a celebrity," she said, "that you had heard gossip of her escapades. Perhaps I was tired of Lady St. Columb, and wanted to become somebody else."

  "In other words-you wished to escape?"

  "That is what William told me you would say."

  "William has experience. He has seen me do the same sort of thing. Once there was a man called Jean-Benoit Aubery, who had estates in Brittany, money, friends, responsibilities, and William was his servant. And William's master became weary of Jean-Benoit Aubery, and so he turned into a pirate, and built La Mouette"

  "And is it really possible to become somebody else?"

  "I have found it so."

  "And you are happy?"

  "I am content."

  "What is the difference?"

  "Between happiness and contentment? Ah, there you have me. It is not easy to put into words. Contentment is a state of mind and body when the two work in harmony, and there is no friction. The mind is at peace, and the body also. The two are sufficient to themselves. Happiness is elusive-coming perhaps once in a life-time-and approaching ecstasy."

  "Not a continuous thing, like contentment?"

  "No, not a continuous thing. But there are, after all, degrees of happiness. I remember, for instance, one particular moment after I became a pirate, and I fought my first action, against one of your merchant ships. I was successful, and towed my prize into port. That was a good moment, exhilarating, happy. I had achieved the thing I had set myself to do, of which I had been uncertain."

  "Yes," she said. "Yes-I understand that,"

  "And there have been other moments too. The pleasure felt after I have made a drawing, and I look at the drawing, and it has the shape and form of what I meant. That is another degree of happiness."

  "It is easier then, for a man," she said, "a man is a creator, his happiness comes in the things that he achieves. What he makes with his hands, with his brain, with his talents."

  "Possibly," he said. "But women are not idle. Women have babies. That is a greater achievement than the making of a drawing, or the planning of an action."

  "Do you think so?"

  "Of course."

  "I never considered it before."

  "You have children, have you not?"

  "Yes-two."

  "And when you handled them for the first time, were you not conscious of achievement? Did you not say to yourself, 'This is something I have done-myself'? And was not that near to happiness?"

  She thought a moment, and then smiled at him.

  "Perhaps," she said.

  He turned away from her, and began touching the things on the mantelpiece. "You must not forget I am a pirate," he said; "here you are leaving your treasures about in careless fashion. This little casket, for instance, is worth several hundred pounds,"

  "Ah, but then I trust you."

  "That is unwise."

  "I throw myself upon your mercy."

  "I am known to be merciless."

  He replaced the casket, and picked up the miniature of Harry. He considered it a moment, whistling softly.

  "Your husband?" he said.

  "Yes."

  He made no comment, but put the miniature back into its place, and the fashion in which he did so, saying nothing of Harry, of the likeness, of the miniature itself, gave to her a curious sense of embarrassment. She felt instinctively that he thought little of Harry, considered him a dolt, and she wished suddenly that the miniature had not been there, or that Harry was in some way different.

  "It was taken many years ago," she found herself saying, as though in defence; "before we were married."

  "Oh, yes," he said. There was a pause, and then- "That portrait of you," he said, "upstairs in your room, was that done about the same time?"

  "Yes," she said, "at least-it was done soon after I became betrothed to Harry."

  "And you have been married-how long?"

  "Six years. Henrietta is five."

  "And what decided you upon marriage?"

  She stared back at him, at a loss for a moment; his question was so unexpected. And then, because he spoke so quietly, with such composure, as though he were asking why she had chosen a certain dish for dinner, caring little about the answer, she told him the truth, not realising that she had never admitted it before.

  "Harry was amusing," she said, "and I liked his eyes."

  As she spoke it seemed to her that her voice sounded very far distant, as though it were not herself who spoke, but somebody else.

  He did not answer. He had moved away from the mantelpiece, and had sat down on a chair, and was pulling out a piece of paper from the great pocket of his coat. She went on staring in front of her, brooding suddenly upon Harry, upon the past, thinking of their marriage in London, the vast assembly of people, and how poor Harry, very youthful, scared possibly at the responsibilities before him, and having little imagination, drank too much on their wedding-night, so as to appear bolder than he was, and only succeeded in seeming a very great sot and a fool. And they had journeyed about England, to meet his friends, for ever staying in other people's houses in an atmosphere strained and artificial, and she-starting Henrietta almost immediately-became irritable, fretful, entirely unlike herself, so unaccustomed to ill-health of any kind. The impossibility of riding, of walking, of doing all the things she wished to do, increased her irritation. It would have helped could she have talked to Harry, asked for his understanding, but understanding, to him, meant neither silence, nor tenderness, nor quiet, but a rather hearty boisterousness, a forced jollity, a making of noise in an endeavour to cheer her, and on top of it all great lavish caresses that helped her not at all.

  She looked up suddenly, and saw that her guest was drawing her.

  "Do you mind?" he said.

  "No," she said, "of course not," wondering what sort of drawing he would make, and she watched his hands, skilful and quick, but she could not see the paper, for it rested against his knee.

  "How did William come to be your servant?" she asked.

  "His mother was a Breton-you did not know that, I suppose?" he answered.

  "No," she said.

  "His father was a mercenary, a soldier of fortune, who somehow or other found his way to France, and married. You must have noticed William's accent."

  "I thought it Cornish."

  "Cornishmen and Bretons are very much alike. Both are Celts. I discovered William first running barefoot, with torn breeches, about the streets of Quimper. He was in some scrape or other, which I managed to save him from. From then he became one of the faithful. He learnt English, of course, from his father. I believe he lived in Paris for many years, before I fell in with him. I have never delved into William's life history. His past is his own."

  "And why did William decline to become a pirate?"

  "Alas! For a reason most prosaic, and unromantic. William has an uneasy stomach. The channel that separates the coast of Cornwall from the coast of Brittany is too much for him."

  "And so he finds his way to Navron, which makes a most excellent hiding-place for his master?"

  "Precisely."

  "And Cornish men are robbed, and Cornish women go in fear for their lives, and more than their lives, so Lord Godolphin tells me?"

  "The Cornish women flatter themselves."

  "That is what I wanted to tel
l Lord Godolphin."

  "And why did you not?"

  "Because I had not the heart to shock him."

  "Frenchmen have a reputation for gallantry which is entirely without foundation. We are shyer than you give us credit for. Here-I have finished your portrait."

  He gave her the drawing, and leant back in his chair, his hands in the pockets of his coat. Dona stared at the drawing in silence. She saw that the face that looked up at her from the torn scrap of paper belonged to the other Dona-the Dona she would not admit, even to herself. The features were unchanged, the eyes, the texture of the hair, but the expression in the eyes was the one she had seen sometimes reflected in her mirror, when she was alone. Here was someone with illusions lost, someone who looked out upon the world from a too narrow casement, finding it other than she had hoped, bitter, and a little worthless.

  "It is not very flattering," she said, at length.

  "That was not my intention," he replied.

  "You have made me appear older than I am."

  "Possibly."

  "And there is something petulant about the mouth."

  "I dare say."

  "And-and a curious frown between the brows."

  "Yes."

  "I don't think I like it very much."

  "No, I feared you would not. A pity. I might have turned from piracy to portraiture."

  She gave it back to him, and she saw he was smiling.

  "Women do not like to hear the truth about themselves," she said.

  "Does anyone?" he asked.

  She would not continue the discussion. "I see now why you are a successful pirate," she told him, "you are thorough in your work. The same quality shows itself in your drawings. You go to the heart of your subject."

  "Perhaps I was unfair," he said. "I caught this particular subject unawares, when a mood was reflected in her face. Now if I drew you at another time, when you were playing with your children, for example, or simply when you were giving yourself up to the delight of having escaped-the drawing would be entirely different. Then you might accuse me of flattering you."

  "Am I really as changeable as that?"

  "I did not say you were changeable. It just happens that you reflect upon your face what is passing through your mind, which is exactly what an artist desires."

  "How very unfeeling of the artist."

  "How so?"

  "To make copy of emotion, at the expense of the sitter. To catch a mood, and place it on paper, and so shame the possessor of the mood."

  "Possibly. But on the other hand the owner of the mood might decide, on seeing herself reflected for the first time, to discard the mood altogether, as being unworthy, and a waste of time." As he spoke he tore the drawing across, and then again into small pieces. "There," he said, "we will forget about it. And anyway it was an unpardonable thing to do. You told me yesterday that I had been trespassing upon your land. It is a fault of mine, in more ways than one. Piracy leads one into evil habits."

  He stood up, and she saw that he had it in his mind to go.

  "Forgive me," she said. "I must have seemed querulous, and rather spoilt. The truth is-when I looked upon your drawing-I was ashamed, because for the first time someone else had seen me as I too often see myself. It was as though I had some blemish on my body and you had drawn me, naked."

  "Yes. But supposing the artist bears a similar blemish himself, only more disfiguring, need the sitter still feel ashamed?"

  "You mean, there would be a bond between them?"

  "Exactly." Once more he smiled, and then he turned, and went towards the window. "When the east wind starts blowing on this coast it continues for several days," he said. "My ship will be weather-bound and I can be idle, and make many drawings. Perhaps you will let me draw you again?"

  "With a different expression?"

  "That is for you to say. Do not forget you have signed your name in my book, and when the mood comes upon you to make your escape even more complete, the creek is accustomed to fugitives."

  "I shall not forget."

  "There are birds to watch, too, and fishes to catch, and streams to be explored. All these are methods of escape."

  "Which you have found successful?"

  "Which I have found successful. Thank you for my supper. Good night."

  "Good night."

  This time the Frenchman did not touch her hand, but went out through the window, without looking back, and she watched him disappear amongst the trees, his hands thrust deep into the pockets of his coat.

  Chapter VIII

  THE AIR WAS STIFLING inside the house, and because of his lady's condition Lord Godolphin had commanded that the windows should be shut, and the curtains drawn across them to screen her from the sun. The brightness of midsummer would fatigue her, the soft air might bring a greater pallor to her already languid cheeks. But lying on the sofa, backed with cushions, exchanging small civilities with her friends, the half-darkened room humming with heavy chatter and the warm smell of humanity eating crumbling cake -that could tire nobody. It was both Lord Godolphin's and his lady's idea of relaxation.

  "Never again," thought Dona, "never again will I be persuaded forth, whether for Harry's or for conscience's sake, to meet my neighbours," and bending down, feigning an interest in a little lap-dog crouching at her gown, she gave him the damp chunk of cake forced upon her by Godolphin himself. Out of the tail of her eye she saw that her action had been observed, and horror upon horror, here was her host bearing down upon her once again, a fresh assortment in his hands, and she must smile her false, brilliant smile, and bow her thanks and place yet another dripping morsel between her reluctant lips.

  "If you could only persuade Harry to forsake the pleasures of the Town," observed Godolphin, "we could have many of these small informal gatherings. With my wife in her present state, a large assembly would be prejudicial to her health, but a few friends, such as we have to-day, can do her nothing but good. I greatly regret that Harry is not here." He looked about him, satisfied with his hospitality, and Dona, drooping upon her chair, counted once again the fifteen or sixteen persons in the room, who, weary of each other's company over too great a span of years, watched her with apathetic interest. The ladies observed her gown, the new long gloves she played with on her lap, and the hat with the sweeping feather that concealed her right cheek. The men stared dumbly, as though in the front seats at a playhouse, and one or two, with heavy jovial humour, questioned her about the life at Court, and the pleasures of the King, as though the very fact of her coming from London gave her full knowledge of his life and of his habits. She hated gossip for gossip's sake, and though she might have told them much, had she the mind, of the froth and frivolity from which she had escaped, the artificial painted London, the link-boys with their flares tiptoeing through the dusty cobbled streets, the swaggering gallants standing at the doors of the taverns laughing a little too loudly and singing over-much, that roystering, rather tipsy atmosphere presided over by someone with a brain he would not use, a dark roving eye and a sardonic smile, she kept silent, saying instead how much she loved the country. "It is a great pity that Navron is so isolated," said somebody, "you must find it wretchedly lonely after town. If only we were all a little nearer to you, we could meet more often."

  "How kind of you," said Dona. "Harry would greatly appreciate the thought. But, alas, the road is exceedingly bad to Navron. I had great difficulty in coming here to-day. And then, you see, I am a most devoted mother. My children absorb nearly all my time."

  She smiled upon the company, her eyes large and very innocent, and even as she spoke there came a sudden vision to her mind of the boat that would be waiting for her at Gweek, the fishing-lines coiled on the bottom boards, and the man who would be idling there, with coat thrown aside, and sleeves rolled up above the elbows.

  "I consider you show remarkable courage," sighed her ladyship, "in living there all alone, and your husband absent. I find I become uneasy if mine is away for a few hours in the day-time
."

  "That is perhaps excusable, under the circumstances," murmured Dona, quelling an insane desire to laugh, to say something monstrous, for the thought of Lady Godolphin languishing here upon her sofa, and aching for her lord, with that distressing growth upon his nose so wretchedly conspicuous, moved her to wickedness.

  "You are, I trust, amply protected at Navron," said Godolphin, turning to her, solemnly. "There is much licence and lawlessness abroad these days. You have servants you can trust?"

  "Implicitly."

  "It is as well. Had it been otherwise I should have presumed upon my old friendship with Harry, and sent you two or three of my own people."

  "I assure you it would be entirely unnecessary."

  "So you may think. Some of us believe differently."

  He looked across at his nearest neighbour, Thomas Eustick, who owned a large estate beyond Penryn-a thin-lipped man with narrow eyes--who had been watching Dona from the other side of the room. He now came forward, and with him also was Robert Penrose, from Tregony. "Godolphin has told you, I think, how we are menaced from the sea," he said abruptly.

  "By an elusive Frenchman," smiled Dona.

  "Who may not remain elusive very much longer," replied Eustick.

  "Indeed? Have you summoned more soldiers from Bristol?"

  He flushed, glancing at Godolphin in irritation.

  "This time there will be no question of hired mercenaries," he said. "I was against that idea from the first, but as usual was overruled. No, we propose dealing with the foreigner ourselves, and I consider our methods will be effective."

  "Providing enough of us join together," said Godolphin drily.

  "And the most capable amongst us takes the lead," said Penrose, of Tregony. There was a pause, the three men eyeing one another in suspicion. Had the atmosphere, for some reason or other, become a little strained?

  "A house divided against itself will not stand," murmured Dona.

  "I beg your pardon?" said Thomas Eustick.

  "Nothing. I was reminded suddenly of a line from the Scriptures. But you were talking about the pirate. One against so many. He will be caught, of course. And what is the plan of capture?"

  "It is as yet in embryo, madam, and naturally enough cannot be unfolded. But I would warn you, and I rather think that is what Godolphin meant just now when he enquired about your servants, I would warn you that we suspect some of the country people in the district to be in the Frenchman's pay."