The Black Moon (12 page)

give me his letter to her about this, and I said I would faithfully return it in a week or so. I'm sure she will not mind if you read it, if you have the time.'

Ross and. Demelza read it together standing by the window. `Dearest heart,' it began, `you will ere now have received news of the successful action which we fought against the French on the 21st and 22nd last. A full report has gone to the Admiralty, and you may know many details, yet I feel I should give you what information I have with my own pen.

`On the Monday afternoon aboard the Nymphe we were, about fifty leagues off Ushant and beating into a southwesterly wind when a sail was discovered to the north-west
of
us and we gave chase. At first we supposed the stranger to
be a frigate, for the weather was so thick tha
t it did not suffer us to get a
good view of her for upwa
rds of an hour.
Then we saw her, to have
no poop and could clearly make
her out as a French two-decker. With her was a frigate as yet barely visible but closing the distance. The French clearly desired not to come to action but we bent all sail in pursuit. I had with me the Travail and the Mermaid, though the latter had fallen behind and was only just in sight. The wind by now had increased to a gale, and the sea was fast rising. At half past four the larger enemy carried away her fore and main topmasts in a squall and so we were able to come up with her and see she was the Heros, commanded, I found later, by Commodore, ci-devant
Baron
Lacrosse. The frigate was the Palmier, I do not
yet know her captain. At three
quarters after five we shortened sail to close-reefed topsails and poured in our first broa
dside as we crossed the stern of
the Heros. The enemy returned it from some
of the upper, deck guns and by
showers of musketry from a company of troops, of whom I believe there were some two hundred on board. So close were we that some of our crew tore away the enemy's ensign which had become entangled with our rigging. We then tried to pass ahead and gain a position on the enemy's bow, but the Heros avoided this and attempted but without success to lay herself on board, actually grazing the Nymphe's spanker
-
boom in doing so.

`Thereupon began a long and bitter fight between our frigate and this French ship of the line. A half league away the Travail and the Palmier were similarly engaged, and I grieve to have to tell you that early in that encounter my dear friend and comrade Captain Ernest Harrington was struck in the chest and thigh with musket balls, and expired shortly thereafter. He will be much missed, for a finer man never breathed. The command of the Travail was taken over by Lieutenant Williams, who handled his ship throughout the action with great skill and courage.

`The gale and the, action continued a
ll night with a very heavy sea,
and the violent motion of the ships made the labour of the crews most excessive. On our Nymphe the men were often up to their
middle in water, and some of
our guns broke their breechings four times. But all did their duty nobly. The Mermaid, by having come later on the scene, suffered less extensively than we did; but the Travail
continuing her engagement with the smaller, French ship; was in worse case than either, her masts and rigging being, very much damaged, her mizzen topmast being shot away, as was also her gaff, spanker
-boom and main
topsail yard. This we were able to see as these engaged ships drifted more closely to our own. We could also see that she was answering sluggishly and lying heavily as if there were some feet of water in her hold.

`At four o'clock in the morning one o
f our sailors spied the French
coast, and immediately the tacks were hauled aboard and we broke off the action, wearing to the northward. Night signals of danger were sent to both the Mermaid and the Travail. As we bore away the Heros discharged a final and most destructive broadside into us, the three lower masts being all wounded and the larboard main topmast shrouds shot right away. It then required great activity and coolness to save the topmast which if lost would surely have meant the loss of our ship.

By now all five ships
were drifting rapidly towards the French shore, close in with the surf, a heavy gale dead on shore and a, tremendous sea rolling in. We were carrying four feet water in our hold, and to beat off the land would have been a difficult undertaking even for an unwounded ship. We saw the Palmier strike and heel over and the Heros drifting unmanageably towards the beach. The Travail with all her principal sails shot away was in like case, but the Mermaid hazarded herself for some time trying to get a rope aboard. For our part we were in such grave danger that we could only stand to the south until we saw breakers on the lee bow and then wear ship in eighteen fathoms and stand to the north until land was again seen close ahead on the weather bow with breakers under the lee.

By now we had almost given ourselves up for lost, and I thought much of you and of ray dear children, consigning my own body and soul to God; but by some miracle the masts and rigging which had suffered so much hurt withstood the fall fury of the gale and after working and tacking for five hours more we passed a mile to windward, of the Penmarche and gained the open sea.

`We had seen the Heros lying on her broadside in the surf and the Travail a half mile further on in like state, but could not raise a finger to help. I know not the loss on the Travail or how many of her brave men, got ashore. But a Cornish fish
ing smack with whom we had
communication
said' that three days later there were men still
on'
the Heros and still unable to be rescued because of the heavy seas.

`My love, I have written much of this, but know you that I am thirsty for news of home and hope you will write again soon. Your last letter ...'

As they rode away Demelza said: `That house. That terrible old man. It is too bad, Ross. She looks old herself.'

'I know it is too bad.'

After the woods around Killewarren they again climbed up to moorland, with the track bare and stony, abounding with gorse bushes and heather and at times so overgrown that it was difficult to follow. It was a desolate area, worse than the north coast, windswept and treeless. There was a squat cottage here and there, a mule working a windlass, a tethered goat. They disturbed a hare,
a fox, and two
wizened half-naked children, all of whom ran away with the same speed and anxiety. Then over the spur of the land they rode down into trees again. Here and there the track became so deep set between hedges that one rode almost through a tunnel.

Demelza said : `Let me ride Judith for a change. I am sure I can manage her. She is really very docile,'

`Be content where you are.' -

'Oh, I am content enough. And comfortable enough. But you don't look right on her. Your legs are too long.'

`If you attend the way you are going you will not need to be concerned for my legs.'

They crossed the turnpike road and reined up for a few minutes while Ross made sure of his direction.

Demelza said: `That letter. I do not think if I was Caroline that I should be at all comforted by it. In so long a, battle there must have b
een many killed. And then to be
wrecked in such a storm.'

`So far as the battle is concerned a surgeon should be less at risk, since his p
lace is between decks attending
to the wounded. But Dwight may not have kept his place, being the man he was -or is. Still, I would have thought t
he shipwreck the worst of it.
This way. The other track will lead us too far south.'

They went on. His choice was the right one, After another couple of miles they began to descend a narrow valley which led to glimpses of t
he blue river: then they turned
in at some fine new entrance gates and discovered a large square
mansion, built of
brick and stone, with, tall windows looking over slanting sun-shot meadows towards the Fal.

Demelza said `Do you know this is the first time I have not been nervous, Ross. Going into company like this.'

`You're growing up.'

`No, I think it is carrying your child that makes the difference. I feel wi
th him to help me I am somehow
more confident.'

Ross said: `In that case -
I think it is going to be a she.'

Ralph-Allen Daniell said: `Of course I shall not live to see it, but these trees we have planted in the meadows will break up the prospect and give it an added elegance. At the present it is all a trifle new and un-mellow. We plan gardens before the house and a folly in the wood to your right.'

`However unimproved you may think it,' Ross sa
id, `the prospect is one of the
finest. What is that path?'

'It leads down to the boathouse. The advantage of living on a river is that one has a broad highway at one's disposal. On a fine day now I would not think of riding to Truro or to Falmouth; and several great houses are within a few minutes' rowing.

`You make my thoughts of improvement seem miserable.'

`To Nampara? I have never been there. It is near Werry House?'

'A few miles. It was built by my father while my mother was alive. Then when she died he lost interest and it was never quite completed. Since then there has been no money for maintenance, let alone improvement.'

`That has changed now, I gather.'

`Modestly speaking. But of course the house is small by any standards. To give it any of the elegance of this house we should have to pull it down and begin again.'

`You're too kind. But in a few years, who knows, you may have that choice. The Bassets have built Tehidy on the proceeds of their mines. As indeed the Pendarves and many others.'

They were standing on the terrace looking down towards the river; and just then they were called in to dinner. It was rather a grand affair, grander than Ross had associated with Ralph-Allen Daniell, and quite the smartest dinner-party Demelza had ever been to. She was more than ever glad that she ha
d brought her best day frock to
wear. The principal
guests; appeared to be a Viscount and Viseountess Valletort,` who were English in spite of -their name. With them were four French emigres, a. Viscomte de Sombreuil, the Comte de Maresi (whom Ross had met briefly in Looe), a Mlle de la Blache and a Mme Guise. Others in the party were Ross's, cousin, St John Peter, a Lieutenant Carruthers, Miss Robartes, who was an old friend of Verity's, and Sir John Trevaunance
-
Unwin having returned to London. Both St John Peter and Lieutenant Carruthers had danced attendance on Demelza at one of the earliest balls,
and this made her feel more at
home in the distinguished company.

It was a young party, for apart from the host and hostess and Sir John Trevaunance, everyone was under forty. Lord Valletort was about Ross's age, and his wife a year or two younger. She was very pretty but quite the thinnest young woman Demelza had ever seen. Yet she contrived not to look frail. It was as if she had been specially bred tall-and thin-boned to mother aristocrats. The four French people were a little overdressed for a country dinner-party
-
although in Demelza's opinion underdressed would have better fitted Mme Guise. She had startling black hair and wore a gown of white lace over an astonishingly decollete under-bodice. It was very bard for the men not to look through the lace. Mlle de la Blache was about twenty years old and altogether more dignified.

As for the two Frenchmen, Demelza thought they were probably the handsomest men she had ever seen. De Sombreuil was in his middle twenties, tall, slim, dashing, with a presence and a manner that impressed without any sense of display. De Maresi; whom she had the ordeal of sitting, next to all through the long dinner, was about ten years older, short, slim, dashing, if an
ything even more handsome, but
altogether more aware of his looks. The ordeal for Demelza lay in the fact that de Maresi spoke English fluently but with so strong a French accent that often it was just as if he were talking in his own language. He smelt so strongly of scent that he spoiled the flavours of the dinner, and had an arrogance which might, Demelza thought, go some way to explaining the French Revolution.

Her other companion at the meal was Sir John Trevaunance, an old friend ever since she had cured his cow, redfaced and of a jovial disposition so long as money wasn't involved.

They ate and they drank and they ate. Boiled cod with
fried soles and oyster sauce; roast beef and orange pudding; wild duck with asparagus and mushrooms;, fricandeau of veal with sage stuffing and high sauce. After this there were syllabubs, jellies, apricot tarts, lemon puddings and sweet pies. And madeira and claret and Rhine wine and port and brandy. The French count addressed most of his early conversations to his other partner, Mrs Daniell, leaving Demelza free to talk to Sir John about his cattle. A nice homely unexacting conversation which suited her well. But presently de Maresi turned his brilliant eyes on her and made a speech that she found completely unintelligible:
`Please?' she said.

He began again, ending: `... and vy is ver burtiful.'

`Yes,' said Demelza experimentally, passing a tip
of tongue over her lip
s.

Th
is agreement pleased him and he
continued speaking. In the next sentences she caught words that sounded like: `English fass, Cornish fass, rainy vezzer, complexeeon.'

She did not answer this but, assuming some compliment, smiled at him brilliantly.

He said : 'Assfor zis sayings sat ser English vomens is cold, eaten my experiences sat all. Ivor deen
form you, M'dame - I haf, not catch your nom
-
satin twelerfth mont my experiences hafperswarded me to serve you oak ontraire. Tooser mans francais ser women anglaise is hart to begin puteesy after. Toonot lie to me, M'dame, I beg you, vortis no good.'

`What we use,' said Demelza, `as I have been saying to Sir John, is tar water, for it is good for anaemia and the consummations both in animals and in human folk. Where I lived when I was little there was a man who, when he felt the consummations coming on, would jump in a cold pond up to his neck then he would take a half-pint of gin and, sleep for three hours and be greatly recovered.'

'M'dame,' said de Maresi, 'pressey no more. A woman hoodisombles vis so grandsharm riv-eels so clear where her tort sardir-ected, so pressey no more. Alfas, I leave vis ser Valletorts of terdinay. So ser rendezvous vilbyard to orange today. Put latter in ser wick I haf ser two day clear, anve could learn more feach osser in ser ways most delicieuse.'