Daughter of Satan (19 page)

‘Why do you tell me this?'

‘That you might join our meeting and perhaps find peace there.'

‘
I
. . . meet with
Puritans
!' She smoothed the rich stuff of her dress and looked down at it lovingly.

‘You would learn that it is folly to lay up for yourself treasures upon earth. You would learn that you should repent of your sins.'

She turned from him and hurried into the house. She knew that she would go and see their secret meeting place. She needed the excitement of new experiences now that Bartle, whose loathsome presence had provided them, had gone away.

Tamar went once to the meeting place. Such affairs were not for her. She was like a bird of paradise among sparrows. She sensed the hostility of the Puritans towards her. What, they were asking themselves, was Humility Brown about, to ask a witch to their meetings?

When Humility preached that night he said: ‘There is none among us who could not reach salvation, an that one wished it.'

That she knew was for her.

But she stood apart from them – apart from them as she had been from the people among whom she had lived during her childhood. Only Humility wished to befriend her. She listened to his preaching; she watched the earnestness of his expression. He was a bolder man here than in the gardens; There he seemed aptly named; here he was a leader.

She felt a new pride in the fact that she had saved his life. She could look scornfully round her now at the faces of his
followers and remind herself that not one of them would have dared to do for him what she had done.

She did not go again to the meeting place.

Simon Carter had now left Plymouth, and the crow-pecked bodies of several men and women hung rotting from the gibbets.

But for me, thought Tamar, Richard might have been one of them!

Then she must think again of that night which she knew would be the most memorable of her life because it was the most shameful. When she looked out to sea she thought of Bartle. Where was he now? Somewhere on the Spanish Main? Perhaps he had reached land; perhaps he was tricking some other woman to shame as he had tricked her. She might turn angrily away from the sea to the land, but the green grass and the trees reminded her of the day when he had found her naked on the grass and had pursued her. There was no escape from thoughts of Bartle.

Annis came to her room one day; it was easy to see that something was on Annis' mind.

‘What is it, Annis?' asked Tamar.

Annis cast down her eyes. ‘Trouble, mistress. That's what 'tis.'

‘I know,' said Tamar. ‘You are going to tell me that you are with child.'

Annis lifted her wondering eyes to Tamar's face. ‘You knew afore I did myself, I reckon, mistress.'

Tamar could not resist the pleasure of allowing her to think so.

‘That this should happen to
me
!' sighed Annis.

‘Well, Annis, there was many a meeting in the old barn, I believe.'

‘You took the spell off, then, did 'ee, mistress?'

‘You cannot do what you have been doing so often, with no result. You must tell John and he will have to marry you.'

Annis began to cry.

‘'Tis like this, mistress. John, he be sharing a cottage with Will Spears and Dan Layman. John couldn't marry a wife and take her to share with they two.'

‘But, Annis, John will have to ask for a cottage of his own now.'

‘There be no empty cottage.'

‘Your father and mother would let you live at the farm. They surely would when they know how things are.'

‘My mother said she'd break my neck if aught of this sort ever happened to me. Me father said he'd give me the whipping of me life.'

‘That's what they said before it happened, Annis. They'll know they will have to look after you now. They'll have to help you and John.'

Annis began to cry bitterly. ‘'Tis John himself, mistress. You see, I did tell him the charm would look after that there . . . and it looked as though I were right. It certainly looked as though it were. I dursen't tell him. That be the plain truth.'

‘Annis,' said Tamar in exasperation, ‘you are a little fool!'

‘That's what most of us women be, I reckon!' said Annis.

‘Please stop crying, Annis. I will think of something to be done.'

Annis knelt at Tamar's feet and embraced her knees.

‘You'll take it away, mistress. They do say 'tis a thing a witch can do.'

‘No,' said Tamar. ‘I cannot do that.'

All hope faded from Annis' face.

‘It would be wrong to do it. But never fear, I will make a plan for you. I will see that you come to no harm. You must trust me.'

‘Oh, I do, mistress,' said Annis fervently, ‘with the very soul of me!'

Richard said to Tamar: ‘Do you know what that fool Humility Brown is doing? He is arranging meetings of the Puritans. Moreover, he is going about the place converting people to his faith. It is a highly dangerous thing to do!'

‘He is a very brave but very foolish man, I fear,' said Tamar.

‘I will speak to him. Ring the bell and ask one of the maids to fetch him.'

‘I will go myself and bring him to you,' she said.

She went into the garden.

‘Humility Brown, your master wishes to speak to you. You may well look startled. He has discovered that you are holding meetings and, not content with putting yourself in danger, you go about asking other people to do the same. He is very angry with you.'

‘If they wish to save their souls, it is of no concern to any but themselves,' he said. ‘The life of the body is transient; that of the soul eternal.'

‘Well, you must now come and give an account of yourself. I would have you know that I have not betrayed you.'

‘I did not think for one moment that that was so.'

‘Thank you,' she answered. ‘Now come this way. Your master does not care to be kept waiting.'

She could not held thinking how noble the man looked as he stood before Richard, how cleverly he answered the questions put to him. A brave man . . . this Humility Brown! She compared him with Bartle, and her mouth tightened at the recollection of that which she had tried so hard to forget.

‘You are, I know,' said Richard, ‘convinced that you are right. But you are defying the law of this land, and how can that be right?'

‘I know of one law only, sir . . . the law of God.'

‘It would seem,' said Richard coldly, ‘that whether God is on your side or on that of the Church of England is a matter of opinion. But I did not send for you to discuss that. What I wish to say is this: You, my good man, may be made of martyr's stuff, but think you that you do right to involve others?'

‘If they wish to save their souls alive, they must worship God in the only true way,' said Humility. ‘The Carpenter's Son preached simplicity, but in the Church of England ceremonial rites are practised which are little short of popery. Where does the Church of England differ from the Church of Rome? It would seem in this only: One has a King at its head; one a Pope.'

‘You attach too great an importance to the method and ritual of worshipping God. I have little patience with those who would send to their death men and women who have a way of worshipping God which differs from their own. It
seems to me the utmost arrogance to say, “You are wrong because you do not as I do!” Arrogance is a sin, is it not? And one Catholics and Puritans are guilty of . . . and all other sects with them. Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth
the will of My Father.” Are you not guilty of the sin of pride when you continually thank God that you are not as other men are? What if I informed against you and your meeting?'

‘If you feel that is your duty, then you should do it.'

Tamar said: ‘Richard, you have always declared that men should be free to worship God in whatever way they wish.'

‘I have said that and I believe it.' He turned to Humility. ‘All I wish to do is to beg you to have a care.'

‘I will, sir. And I think you would benefit if you came to our meetings.'

‘What!' cried Richard. ‘You dare ask me!'

‘You have a soul to save, sir.'

‘He is a better man than you will ever be, for all your piety!' cried Tamar.

‘I did not say that he was not,' said Humility.

‘But you thought it. I saw it in your eyes.'

They made a striking contrast – Tamar and Richard in their gay garments; Humility in his sombre attire.

‘It is not sufficient for a man to have a kind heart,' said Humility. ‘It is not sufficient to be courageous and tolerant. It is imperative to worship God in the right way.'

‘You mean in the Puritan manner,' said Richard with a touch of sarcasm.

‘That is so, sir.'

‘You may go now. And remember my warning.'

‘I thank you, sir.'

He bowed gravely to Tamar and to Richard; but as he was about to leave he turned to Tamar.

‘Repent,' he said. ‘I beg of you, repent before it is too late. I shall pray for your souls, for you are both in need of salvation.'

As he went out Tamar looked at Richard.

‘I never knew a man so sure,' she said.

‘A fanatical fool!' said Richard.

‘Yet I have a certain admiration for him.'

‘That may be because you are also fanatical, also foolish, my dear.' He smiled grimly. ‘He the Puritan . . . and you the Pagan. And who should be bold enough to say one is right and one is wrong? A cleverer man than I am.'

‘You are cleverer than any of us and you are the one with doubts.' She paused reflectively. ‘I shall be a little angry if he comes to harm. I did not save his life to have him throw it away.'

‘If he comes to grief, it is his own fault. My sincere hope is that he does not bring trouble to others in this place.'

Tamar went to her own room and had not been there for many minutes when there was a knock on her door.

It was Annis, looking happier than she had for a long time.

‘I did see Humility Brown coming from master's study.'

‘What of that?'

‘I was wondering . . . be master saved?'

‘Saved from what?'

‘Be his soul saved? Has Humility saved it for him?'

‘Your master's soul has long been saved. He is the best man in the world, and as such will enter the Kingdom of Heaven before any preaching Puritan!'

Annis would not contradict her; but Tamar saw disbelief in the girl's eyes.

‘You, Annis, have been taking a good dose of Mr Humility Brown, I do believe.'

‘Oh, mistress, I did mean to tell 'ee. It did happen these several days gone. We'd been to the meetings, John and me together like . . . and then . . . we found we was saved.'

‘You and John . . . Puritans!'

‘That be the size of it, mistress.'

Tamar was angry. She had always felt Humility to be a rival, and Annis belonged to her. She could not help looking upon this as desertion.

‘So,' she said with a sneer, ‘you and John are safe for Heaven, eh?'

‘Yes, mistress, we be safe. We only has to worship God as 'tis laid down we should and we be saved.'

‘As laid down by Master Humility Brown, I suppose.'

‘That I wouldn't know, mistress. 'Tis as laid down . . . that's all I do know.'

‘You will not wish to continue to serve me, then.'

Annis paled. ‘Mistress, I would never wish to be parted from you.'

‘Puritans should have naught to do with those who are in touch with the Devil.'

‘Oh, mistress, 'tis not so. You be good . . . though not saved yet. I do pray you'll be saved . . . every night I do. Why, I'd rather not be saved than leave 'ee. Nobody ain't ever been so kind to me as you have. I'll give up they meetings if you do forbid me to go.'

Tamar laughed in triumph. ‘No, Annis. You may continue to be a Puritan if you wish it. It makes no difference to me. I am still your friend.'

‘Well, mistress, 'tis John really. He went to the meeting and got himself saved. He did come to me and say, “Annis, I be saved, and you'd better be saved too. I shouldn't like to think of your soul in eternal torment, that I shouldn't.” And I said, “Well, John, 'tis share and share alike with us, and if you be saved then saved I'll be.” So he took me along to the meeting and there I was saved too. Mistress, Master Brown do talk so beautiful . . . he do carry you away, he do. But John says what we've been doing in the barn is sinful like, and now we'm saved we mustn't do it any more.'

‘You'll have to marry at once, Annis. Puritans must not behave as you've been behaving.'

‘I know, mistress, but I think the dear Lord will forgive us, for He will know how for the life of us we couldn't say no to it afore we was saved.'

‘Did you tell John you were with child?'

‘In a roundabout way, I did. I said, “John, if we be saved, we should marry, for we've been sinful and marriage is the only way out of sin like ours.” But John said, “'Tis so, Annis. 'Tis fornication that we've been at, and Master Humility Brown did say bitter things about fornication. 'Tis a big sin all right.” “'Tis only marriage, John,” I says, “that'll put us right and save our souls from torment.” John said, “Aye, 'tis
so, but I've been sinful with two others, Annis, so 'tis a terrible problem which the Lord has set before me.”'

‘But did you not tell him that there was to be a child?'

‘I couldn't find it in my heart to do it, mistress.'

‘You must do so, Annis, and when John says he'll marry you I'll see what I can do for the pair of you.'

‘Mistress, you be very good to me. I do hope you'll get saved, for I'm wondering what Heaven will be like without you.'