The Lost Years (36 page)

‘That’s what I keep telling myself,’ Polly said, ‘but it doesn’t make me miss him any the less.’

Suddenly and unexpectedly she broke down and began to cry. For a few seconds Perys was at a loss about what he should do, then he crossed to the weeping housemaid and, feeling awkward and slightly embarrassed, put his arms about her.

After a few minutes Polly moved away from him. Making a determined effort to regain control of herself, she said, ‘I’m sorry, Perys. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I just don’t know what came over me.’

‘It’s all right, Polly. I understand - and so would Martin. He’s a lucky man to have someone like you care so much about him.’

‘Thank you.’ Polly avoided looking directly at him. ‘But, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go and tidy myself up before I finish your room.’

‘Of course . . . and I do understand, Polly, I really do.’

When she had gone, Perys thought that women like Polly, who had their men fighting in the war, carried a heavy burden as they went about their daily lives.

Now his leg was virtually healed, Perys was anxious to get back to his squadron. He had recently received a letter from Thomas Kemp, commiserating with him over his injury, but hoping he would soon be back in action.

He also informed Perys that he was to bring the Spad back with him. The French plane would be their principal fighter aircraft until more Spads, or perhaps Sopwith ‘Pups’, were delivered to the Royal Flying Corps in sufficient numbers for fighter squadrons to be formed.

It was what Major Kemp and other commanding officers had been advocating with increasing conviction as the war progressed, and all were convinced it would pay immediate dividends.

Perys had been awaiting the arrival of a medical board at Heligan to assess the convalescents. He intended asking them to examine his leg and pronounce him fit for duty.

Unfortunately, word reached the convalescent home that the board would be delayed. All available army doctors had been sent to France, where the British army was fighting a futile and costly offensive in the region of the Somme. Rumour had it that the British had suffered disastrous casualties throughout the course of the fierce battle.

Perys decided to return to the Central Flying School right away. Once there, he would make a couple of flights in one of their aircraft to confirm his leg would stand up to the rigours of operational flying, then have the School medical officer certify him fit for duty. He hoped to fly the Spad back to the squadron in time to take an active part in the present fighting.

When he told the Heligan housekeeper he would be leaving the next day, word was quickly passed around to the staff.

That evening, before she left for home, Polly came to his room. His luggage bag was half-packed on the bed, with clothes lying about it, and she said, ‘So it’s true then, you are leaving Heligan?’

‘There’s nothing to keep me here now, Polly. I’ve done my duty as best man at your wedding and my leg is better. It’s time I was back with the squadron.’

‘Were you going without saying goodbye?’

‘Of course not. I would not have left before seeing you in the morning, but I haven’t said anything because . . . well, I didn’t want to make a big thing of it and set you off worrying about Martin all over again.’

‘I never stop worrying about him.’ Polly was quiet for a few moments before asking, ‘Will you be seeing Annie to tell her you’re leaving?’

Perys shook his head. ‘She’s a married woman now, Polly. She has her own life to lead.’

‘It’s not very much of a life, Perys. Jimmy either can’t - or won’t - do anything for himself.’

‘It must be very hard for her,’ Perys agreed, ‘but she chose to marry him. She didn’t have to.’

‘I’d be happier if that were so,’ Polly said, ‘but she felt she did have to. She’d actually gone to Jimmy’s house to tell his ma and pa she wasn’t going through with the marriage when they heard about him being wounded. When she saw how bad he was hurt she felt she couldn’t hurt him even more - so she married him, even though she doesn’t love him.’

Perys looked at her in disbelief. ‘You’re just surmising this, Polly. It probably wasn’t like that at all.’

‘What I’m telling you is the truth, Perys. We talked about it a lot. Annie didn’t want to tell Jimmy when he was in the trenches having a dreadful time, so she went to tell his ma and pa first. She hoped they might be able to think of some way of letting him know, without hurting him too much.’

‘But . . . that’s appalling, Polly. To be tied for life to someone as severely disabled as Jimmy would be hard enough if she loved him. If she really doesn’t. . .’ He stopped, suddenly lost for words.

‘So will you be saying goodbye to her?’ Polly persisted.

He shook his head. ‘No, Polly, it wouldn’t be a good idea, especially after what you have just told me. You know what people are like. They’d only have to see me heading towards Annie’s cottage and the rumours would begin. The last thing I want is to have her talked about in the way folk around here used to talk about Eliza.’

‘Annie is going to be very upset when she knows you’ve gone,’ said Polly. ‘But mention of Eliza reminds me . . . You know she has a little girl now and is married to Esau Tamblyn.’

‘I knew about her marriage,’ Perys replied, ‘but I wasn’t aware her baby was a girl.’

Continuing her story, Polly said, ‘Esau joined the Royal Navy before conscription came in because he didn’t want to get called up for the army. Just before Christmas his ship was sunk. Fortunately, Esau wasn’t hurt, but he’s a prisoner in Germany. To give Eliza her due, she’s behaved herself and not gone back to her old ways - at least, not until Edward Tremayne came back to Heligan. They’ve been seen together a couple of times. The last time was on the path that runs from Mevagissey to Heligan Mill . . .’

Perys remembered the hay barn and Eliza’s liaison with the Heligan gamekeeper . . . but Polly had more to say.

‘Esau has always been a simple soul, Perys, but he’s well-liked in Mevagissey. The fishermen who haven’t gone off to war are angry that Eliza should be carrying on while Esau is a prisoner. Most of their anger is directed against Edward. I think you should warn him, Perys.’

‘Edward will be leaving once a medical board has visited Heligan.’ Perys was reluctant to commit himself to talking to his second cousin if it could be avoided. ‘He’ll be invalided out of the army and return to his family home.’

‘A lot could happen before then,’ Polly warned. ‘There are some hotheads in Mevagissey who don’t share the respect of Heligan servants for the family.’

‘All right, I’ll try to warn him off,’ Perys said, with some reluctance, ‘but I can’t promise anything, Polly. I am not exactly Edward’s favourite relative.’

‘At least you will have tried to warn him,’ Polly said, ‘and I really do think you should.’ Suddenly becoming brisk, she said, ‘I must go now or I’ll have the housekeeper searching for me. Thank you for being Martin’s best man - and please, take care of yourself. I’m going to say goodbye to you now because I wouldn’t be able to do this in the morning.’

Stepping closer, she gave him a hug and a kiss. Then, scarlet-cheeked, she hurried from the room, leaving behind her a slightly bemused Perys.

He smiled to himself at the thought of how horrified Aunt Maude would be had she witnessed the display of affection shown to him by a Heligan maidservant.

* * *

Perys’s meeting with Edward served only to confirm to him how obnoxious his second cousin was.

Edward was in his room and in response to Perys’s knocking called out for him to ‘Come in’.

When Perys opened the door and entered the room he found his relative lying on his bed, reading a book. At sight of his unexpected visitor, Edward put down the book, sat up slowly and swung his feet to the ground.

‘What the hell are you doing in my room?’ he demanded.

‘I am here to do you a favour,’ Perys said, ‘although I really don’t know why I should. I’ve come to pass on a warning I was given - about you and Eliza Rowe.’

Edward was startled but replied belligerently, ‘I don’t know what you are talking about. Even if I did, what I do is none of your business.’

‘That is what I told my informant you would say,’ Perys agreed, ‘but I promised I would pass on the warning anyway. It seems that folk in Mevagissey know what is going on between the two of you and are not happy about it.’

‘They can mind their own business too,’ Edward declared. ‘And just who is this informant - that little farmer’s girl of yours?’

It was Perys’s turn to be taken by surprise.

Observing this, Edward sneered, ‘Oh yes, I know all about her. As far as I am concerned this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. It must be most convenient for you both that her husband is unable to see what is going on around him.’

Perys knew Eliza must have told Edward about Annie, but he was no less angry with him for the manner in which he had repeated her gossip.

‘I knew it would be a mistake to come and talk to you, but if anything happens I will at least have a clear conscience.’

‘Tell that to the husband of your farm girl.’ Edward was enjoying what he regarded as a verbal victory over Perys. ‘And kindly close the door on your way out . . . Cousin.’

Chapter 57

Perys arrived back with his squadron just in time to take part in their relocation to an airfield close to the French town of Albert.

The British army’s offensive extended north of the River Somme and the squadron’s aeroplanes were kept busy recording the progress - or lack of it - for the benefit of the generals at army headquarters.

Meanwhile, German fighter planes were reaping a grim harvest among the slow-flying reconnaissance aircraft.

Nevertheless, Perys and the French pilots who were also flying Spads proved their aircraft were a match for the much-feared Fokkers of the German air force, even though they were greatly outnumbered.

During the ensuing months they fought against daunting odds to enable the BE2cs to obtain the information required by Field Marshal Haig and his staff at General Headquarters.

Then, towards the end of the campaign, when the onset of winter was adding to the appalling discomfiture of the ground troops, another of the aircraft Perys had evaluated - the Sopwith ‘Pup’ - began arriving in France in rapidly increasing numbers. It quickly established itself as the equal of the Fokker and, at last, the dream of Major Thomas Kemp was realised.

The first fighter squadrons were formed, their sole purpose being to shoot down enemy aeroplanes and establish Allied superiority in the skies above France. Command of the squadron formed at Arras was given to the delighted Major Kemp. Perys, now a substantive captain, became his senior pilot and a flight commander.

The popular commanding officer’s elation was of a tragically short duration.

The squadron came into being on a Wednesday. By Friday Thomas Kemp was dead, killed in a collision between the aeroplane he was flying and that piloted by a young second lieutenant flying his first operational mission.

It came as a severe personal blow to Perys, who greatly admired Thomas Kemp, both as a man and as his commanding officer. He doubted whether there was another flier in the Royal Flying Corps capable of taking his place, but he was given little time to mourn the man who had been a friend and a much-respected senior officer. For ten days, while they awaited the appointment of a new commanding officer, Perys took over the squadron.

It was a difficult time. The pilots of the newly formed fighter squadron were largely unknown to each other. The only thing they had in common was that they were all young, this and a burning ambition to shoot down German warplanes.

Although not the oldest of the squadron’s pilots, Perys had more flying hours than any of the others and his leadership was readily accepted by them. Even so, the main subject of conversation in the mess each evening was of who would be appointed as the new commanding officer.

Ten days after taking temporary command, Perys returned from a morning sortie in which he and his flight had downed two German reconnaissance aeroplanes, to find the new commanding officer awaiting him on the airfield.

It was Rupert Pilkington, now a major.

The two men greeted each other warmly and Rupert said, ‘I have just spent half-an-hour being briefed by your acting adjutant. He tells me I have been given command of a crack squadron. I hope you won’t resent me coming here and taking over from you?’

‘I couldn’t be more pleased,’ Perys replied, honestly. ‘It’s a relief to be handing over responsibility and I am thrilled that it should be you who is taking over the squadron. I am also thankful not to have lost any pilots during my brief tenure.’

‘You have done a splendid job,’ Rupert said. ‘It has not gone unnoticed at RFC headquarters.

As they walked together to the squadron administration office, Perys asked after Morwenna.

‘She is fine,’ Rupert said. ‘We met up in London only a couple of weeks ago and I was able to catch up on all the family news.’ Glancing at Perys, he added, ‘You have heard about the tragedy involving Edward, of course? It was a damned peculiar business.’

‘I have had no family news for months.’ Perys replied. ‘Aunt Maude usually keeps me up-to-date on what is going on but, as you know, she has been in America for some time, fund-raising for one or other of her many war charities. Tell me, what has happened to Cousin Edward?’

Remembering the warning he had tried to pass on to Edward, he feared the worst and was not as surprised as he might have been when Rupert replied, ‘Edward is dead.’

Amplifying his blunt statement, he explained, ‘It must have happened soon after you left Heligan. He was found dead in the harbour at Mevagissey. There was some mystery about his death at the time. The landlord of one of the Mevagissey public houses swore in the coroner’s court that Edward had been drinking heavily there for much of the evening, but one of the convalescent officers who had also been drinking in the village said none of the officers from Heligan had seen him there. Whatever the truth of it, the verdict was accidental death. It was a tragedy, really. I know neither of us liked Edward very much, but he had been wounded fighting for his country and was within a few days of being invalided out of the army.’