17: Machinations and Experiments

Chapter 17 of "A Grail for Eidothea"

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Jasper’s experiment of traveling inland is agreed to, with caveats. Having decided that Bath is the first place to seek the Greal, plans are made to leave on Easter Tuesday. Eidothea worries that Lord Tregallas might find them out. At church on Palm Sunday, the Pendyrs are ostracised by the congregation and Eidothea overhears a conversation between Jasper and his father…

Would Jasper betray me or prove his loyalty?

“It is her only remembrance of her mother!” Jasper protested. “She will not give it up easily.”

“She doesn’t know its significance?”

“I did not know of it until you told me just now. As she’s also half dreigiau môr—“ Jasper lowered his voice. “How would she know?”

“Her mother—“ Lord Tregallas coughed. “Yes, Mr. Smythe,” he said, in a far politer tone, “of course we will come in.”

“There must be another way,” Jasper protested. Lord Tregallas shushed him and their steps faded into the church.

Knowing I could not be late, I turned the corner and ascended the few steps into the chapel. Mr. Smythe barred my way.

“Forgive me, Mr, Smythe. I went to see my mother’s grave.”

He stepped to one side. “Hurry inside, child.”

My wish to slip in unnoticed was thus dashed and I faced with the collective brunt of the congregation’s stares.

Except Jasper. His head ducked forward, focused, I presumed, on his prayer book, or at least the pretense of it. I found my seat next to Father.

After the first hymn, Mr. Smythe declared: “As we enter into this holiest of weeks. it gives me great joy to confirm Miss Eidothea Pendyr as a member of good standing in this church.”

Considerable muttering rose in response to this, the volume increasing.

Mr. Smythe held up his hand for silence. “It is customary to announce the banns for a marriage seven days after I have been approached. As Mr. Jasper Tregallas met with me yesterday evening, there will be no reading of the banns today, but it will be another joy to celebrate on Easter Sunday.”

The muttering faded, not entirely satisfied with this turn of events.

After the service, Mr. Smythe took my hand at the door. “I look forward to meeting with you and your intended to discuss a date for your nuptials.”

I smiled. “Surely not this week Mr. Smythe. We are in no great haste, merely clearing my reputation.”

“That is just as well, Miss Pendyr,” Mr. Smythe replied. “For Mr. Tregallas must write to his London parish to have the banns published there also, as he has only recently returned to us. It will take time for a letter from them confirming the banns have been successfully read there.”

I nodded and moved on to allow other to speak with the reverend. The Misses Williams and their parents came forward to congratulate us, a generous act that inspired a few others to do the same.

Lord and Lady Tregallas stopped to offer their felicitations. “Who knew that a little boat outing would cause such a stir?” crooned Lady Tregallas. “Miss Pendyr, you have certainly secured a fine match for yourself. The two of you are well-suited.” At my raised eyebrows, she added: “Because of your breeding.”

I tried not to gape at her disdain. Did she mean the plan to breed grandchildren from two dreigiau môr? Or that neither Jasper and I were fully dreigiau môr and thus not worth her attention?

“You have made our son very happy.” Lord Tregallas acted as if he hadn’t heard his wife’s words, smiling over my hand, kissing the air above it. Did he look for the Grealseeker ring? I felt its weight against my sternum.

Jasper winced, essaying a small smile in my direction.

Lord Tregallas clapped his hand onto Jasper’s shoulder, while leering at me. “We must have you to dinner to celebrate and plan this momentous event.”

I had no desire to spend another minute in the Tregallas home, even for a brief visit. I ducked my head, hiding my sour expression.

Aunt Norah came to the rescue. “Perhaps in a few weeks, my lord? It is a most holy week after all.”

Lord Tregallas seemed confused at first and then nodded, waving weakly as he and wife walked toward their waiting carriage.

Jasper remained behind. With his father gone, his expression lightened. “The week is not too holy for a long drive in the countryside?”

“Of course not!” Aunt Norah exclaimed. “How could I deny you? The services are not until later in the week.”

“Tomorrow morning then. As it is a full day’s drive to Newcastle Emlyn and back, we must make an early start.”

“Why so far?” Aunt Norah asked.

Jasper, Father and I exchanged looks.

“Aunt, I would like to know him a little better. We have such a short time before our wedding.”

Aunt Norah tsked. “What need is there of that when you have the whole of your married life ahead of you?”

“Newcastle Emlyn is very special to me, Mrs. Bowen,” Jasper replied. “I would like to show it to Miss Pendyr.”

“I cannot spare Jenni for a whole day, nor can I go.” Aunt Norah fretted.

Father intervened. “Let us walk. We are attracting stares. Mr. Tregallas, you and my daughter may stroll ahead of us. Not too far, if you please.”

Jasper tucked my arm in his and we set off. Behind us, we heard an urgent whispered conversation between the two of them and the occasional sob from Aunt.

“I hope your father is persuasive,” Jasper murmured. “We must be under way and find the Greal before my father gets wind of our plans. He will find out sooner than we like.”

“Because of his agents across the country?” I asked. “Including the one you plan to stay with?”

“Yes, and that’s why our ruse must be convincing.”

“Then perhaps you should scowl a little less.”

“The same could be asked of you, Miss Pendyr.”

“Your father makes it blessedly easy to scowl.”

Jasper barked a laugh. “Yes, he does! If you had heard—“ He stopped. “Well, it was typical of him.”

As I had overheard most of the conversation, I did not pursue the topic. I glanced over my shoulder to find my family had stopped following us and stood talking with Mrs. Smythe, the minister’s wife.

We paused, waiting for them. I gazed at the green hills. Beyond them waited the sea—the steep cliffs hidden from our view. The wind blew icy cold. I shivered and stepped closer to Jasper. He attempted to block the wind for me, his back bearing the brunt of it.

I looked up and saw his gaze affixed on me. “Eidothea.” His soothing tone warmed me even though it should not. “Eidothea, I would protect you from more than just the wind.”

“Acting as a wind break will suffice for now,” I murmured.

He brushed a wind-caught curl from my forehead, his kid gloved fingertip soft against my skin.

I would not be distracted. “Could you even protect me from your father?”

“I am doing so now. I will continue to keep you safe from him, whether we wed or not.”

My father hailed us. We retraced our steps. “Mrs. Smythe will go with you tomorrow. She needs to visit some outlying families on the way.”

Mrs. Smythe smiled. She was not much older than I and had come to the valley just two years ago with her husband. She had a sturdy frame, with a very pale face and large dark eyes. She would never be a diamond of the first water, but then, neither would I. I found her kind, attentive, and a little wistful.

“Your expedition is an unexpected benefit to the parish,” Mrs. Smythe murmured. “And I have not had such an outing in a long time. It shall be wonderful to marvel in God’s creation.”

We made the arrangements before going our separate ways.

My gaze followed Jasper’s departing figure. It did not go unnoticed. Aunt nudged my arm. “What is there to make sure of, Eidothea? You are already sighing after him.”

“I am not sighing.” My relationship with Jasper was too complicated for that. “Are we doing the right thing, aunt? It seemed like an only choice, which is no choice at all.”

“If he had not accepted responsibility, I would worry for you, and if Lord Tregallas had been absent today, thus refusing to give countenance to the match, that would give me concern. But Mr. Tregallas did not run off and His Lordship beams. I would have thought as mere gentry, and not well off at that, that we would be beneath any consideration. The match is the right thing to do, but it is not a time to lower our guard.”

“Oh?” I considered my aunt’s thoughtful expression. Had she intuited something about the Tregallas family? “Why is that?”

“He could still seduce you, my dear, and leave you. It is not the man who gets a battered reputation in such matters. And if your father felt the need to call him out, you would end up an orphan without a soul to champion you,”

I shivered. “Not even you, aunt?”

Aunt Norah sighed. “What could a woman do in such a situation? We would have to leave, go somewhere where nobody knows us … and if there was a child—“

I held up my hand, hoping to forestall the waterfall of woe. “Dear Aunt Norah, you have thoroughly made your point. I shall spend the afternoon reflecting and be very careful tomorrow.”

4th April, 1814

I spent a lovely day with my fiancé and Mrs. Smythe. She turned out to be the most pleasant company. She is so sweet, even after seeing so much of this world.

Jasper took us all the way to Newcastle Emlyn, a small market down along the river Tievy. It has its own ruined castle!

Alas our day was darkened by nefarious actions at the end. There is so much to clean up.

Mrs. Smythe must have sensed awkwardness between Jasper and I because she most carefully engaged us in a conversation of discovery. She now knows more about us than ourselves, although we were both very careful not to make any mention of the dreigiau môr.

Jasper is smart, bookish … and a little lost in a way that called to my own buried sense of loneliness. I would never have called myself lonely, but having lost my mother early, our ladies maid Jenni was the closest I had to a friend, given my home’s rather remote location.

Shortly before we reached Newcastle Emlyn, Jasper ordered the coachman to halt. He leaned forward. “Miss Pendyr, how do you feel? Are you well?”

Mrs. Smythe looked on in some perplexity. “Mr. Tregallas, she is the picture of health!”

“You will speak up?” He left the sentence unfinished but he knew his concern regarding this secret experiment.

“I promise not to endure in silence.” So far, I felt no ill effects from being so far from the ocean.

Reassured, he called to the coachman to drive on.

“Miss Pendyr,” asked Mrs. Smythe, “do you fall ill when you travel? Not everybody can travel easily.”

I smiled at her. “I have never traveled far out of our village, except once when I was quite young. Mr. Tregallas knows this. It is so sweet of him to think of it now.”

Jasper blushed, which sent Mrs. Smythe and I into teasing merriment for the last few miles into town.

Very little of the old Norman castle remained, much of it buried under mounds of earth. We sat on one such bank, shaded by large umbrellas that Jasper had thought to include. We watched the River Tievy rush by as we ate the luncheon Aunt Norah had packed for us.

When we had finished our meal, Mrs. Smythe waved us off. “Why not go for a short walk? I will wait for you here and enjoy the quiet.”

We strolled along the fallen castle wall. It overlooked the roaring Tievy. We remained in sight of Mrs. Smythe, at least for a little while.

“Still feeling hale? No nausea? Headache? Pains?”

I smiled sidelong at him. “None. From what Father has said, Mother collapsed suddenly. With the state of the road, I feel only a little rattled.”

“I hope I was sufficiently discreet in checking on you.” Jasper glanced over his shoulder. We could not see beyond the remnants of the castle gate. Beyond that point, coachman and carriage waited for us. “Robert is my father’s man, even though he is human.  He will be reporting in at the conclusion of this excursion, I am sure of it.”

“We convinced Mrs. Smythe.” I looked back at the gates and saw his coachman lounging on some fallen masonry. “But perhaps—“ I could not bring myself to say the words.

“Perhaps we should convince the coachman of our love?” Jasper’s cheeks pinked. From the heat of my own face, I knew it did not colour from the cold alone. “If I took your hand …”

I placed my hand in his. “I promise you I am not this forward, but if we were closer…”

Jasper chuckled as we awkwardly stepped toward each other. “You are an untamed spirit, Eidothea.” His voice dipped in murmuring my name. “I do not mean that in a loose way, you understand. In our short acquaintance you have faced every challenge head on. I esteem you highly.”

I smiled. “I am not offended. I understand perfectly what you mean.”

“Good.” He lifted my hand to his lips, letting his kiss linger.

I reminded myself this was a ruse, not real. Despite this, a delicious tension coiled in my body.

“Whatever happens,” Jasper continued, straightening. “I will protect you and stay by your side. That is, if you will permit it.” He gazed at me with unabashed longing.

“Your coachman cannot hear you from here.” I forced lightness into my voice.

“I mean it.” He tucked an errant curl back into my bonnet. “Bringing us together may be the only good thing my father has done for me, even if his motivations are less than honourable.”

I frowned at him. “Like taking the Grealseeker ring from me?”

Jasper’s eyes slightly widened. “You heard?”

“I cannot say if I heard all of your conversation, but I heard enough.”

“I will not let him have it,” Jasper vowed. “‘Pon my life, Eidothea, he will not take it from you. Nor will I.” He gathered both my hands in his. “I know all my protestations will not make you trust me, but you must know I believe we must stop your vision from coming true. I hope I will soon be able to convince you with my actions.”

I hoped so too. I wanted to trust him as unthinkingly as I did Llyr. Thinking of Llyr, I stepped back and slipped.

Jasper reacted, pulling me to him by my waist. I stared up at him, surprised by our sudden proximity. His face showed shock also, but softened into … something else. My heart pounded.

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