story, he did so no longer. Whatever had gone on between Harry and Morwenna that morning, this was her response to the realisation that their love had killed Nathaniel. This was an end to it.
Josephine got back from the stables to find that Archie had left the cottage and was headed towards Loe House. She left the car this time and hurried off in the direction pointed out to her, keen to catch up with him and make sure he was all right; he might have escaped the fire without harm, but she knew that his emotions would not be similarly unscathed by what had happened.
She saw Archie first, and Morwenna a split second later. He was kneeling on the ground, his head bowed, and she knew that he was examining the scene, but, from where she stood, the action held a much deeper poignancy: it was a moment of great peace and respect and, at the same time, an acknowledgement that however hard Archie had tried to save Morwenna, in the end, it had not been enough. The sun shone through the leaves, gentle and diffuse like light through stained glass, and she stood for a second, caught between an instinct to go to him and a horror of intruding on this most private of scenes. Morwenna was beautiful, even in death – still isolated, and more distant than ever, but suddenly immune to the shadows that had cursed her for so long. Slowly, Josephine walked forward through the bluebells.
‘I’m so sorry, Archie,’ she said.
He had been too deep in thought to hear anyone approaching, but he turned now and walked quickly over to her, shielding her as best he could from the sight of Morwenna’s body. ‘Come over here,’ he said gently. ‘You don’t need to see this.’
She allowed herself to be led a few yards away, and they sat down for a moment on a fallen tree. ‘I went to the stables. Shilling’s still there – but you obviously know that.’ Archie nodded. ‘This must be a shock for you… are you all right?’
‘I don’t know how I feel,’ he said. ‘Morwenna and I have known each other for so long but I didn’t really understand her until yesterday, when she talked about Harry – and part of that understanding was accepting that there’d be no happy endings. So I suppose it
‘So much love and so much misery. How on earth did it all come to this?’
It was a rhetorical question, but Archie surprised her by his answer. ‘I think Morwenna knew she had to be strong enough for both of them,’ he said, ‘and I think she started the fire this time, not Harry. He must have told her that he killed Nathaniel – I found a dead jackdaw over there by her feet. There’s a group of them strung up on the fence.’
‘Yes, I saw them.’
‘They’re Jacks’s trophies. She knew all this had to stop and she took things into her own hands. If she needed a sign to justify her decision, I can’t think of anything more appropriate.’
Josephine tried to imagine the utter desolation that Morwenna must have felt when she realised what she had to do – and the strength that was required to see it through. ‘I told her she was using her love for Harry to keep the world at arm’s length and to hide from reality,’ she said sadly. ‘I could hardly accuse her of that now.’
Wearily, Archie rubbed his eyes. ‘At least it’s over for her now – her
Josephine hesitated, remembering all that Morveth had said to her about protecting Archie and wondering if his acceptance of Morwenna’s death was as final as he thought it was. ‘Shall I fetch someone while you stay with her?’ she asked.
He smiled at her gratefully. ‘Thank you. At least I can make sure that she’s looked after now. It’s ironic, isn’t it?’ he added sadly as she walked away. ‘You always said that Morwenna had killed Harry, and I’m sure you’ve turned out to be right.’
Chapter Twenty
Josephine sat by her bedroom window, looking out into the darkness. Loe House was not visible from the Lodge but she imagined that, had she been able to see beyond the curve of the lake, several lights would be in evidence despite the lateness of the hour, mirroring her own restlessness across the water. The jumble of lives and events in her head weighed her down with a claustrophobic intensity, and she was glad of the cool night air and the sense of absolute peace, disturbed only now and again by the screech of an owl from the woods behind the house. Most of all, though, she thought about Loveday – safe at Loe House, with the best of care from William and his household, but with her own demons still to face: Harry and Morwenna dead; Christopher’s fate still uncertain; and no more hope of refuge in her friendship with Nathaniel. When the harsh sound of the telephone cut through the stillness, Josephine welcomed the distraction.
‘Did I wake you?’
‘No, Archie, of course not. Where are you?’
‘Still at the station. I’m waiting for some reports from the fire and the post mortems, and I know I’ll get them quicker if I’m here to breathe down people’s necks. Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine. I was just thinking about Loveday and everything she’s got to come to terms with.’
‘And there’s something else, I’m afraid.’
‘Oh God – Christopher. Is he…?’
‘No, no – he’s absolutely fine. The Falmouth force picked him up this afternoon from the description we circulated. He’d got himself a job on the docks, of all things.’
‘So he did run away – but why now?’
‘You know he was in the churchyard on Sunday night?’
‘Yes.’
‘So was Harry. Christopher saw him come out of the church and go off into the woods.’
‘Good God – I’m not surprised he decided to disappear, then. He must have known how Harry would react to finding out that his little sister was pregnant. But surely this is good news for Loveday?’
‘What? That Christopher deserted her? There’s not much comfort in that. I can’t help thinking that Christopher could have saved everyone a lot of heartache if he’d been just a little bit braver.’
‘Oh Archie, he’s young – you can’t blame him for that. And let’s face it – being brave might have got him killed. Who knows what sort of state Harry was in? At least this way he’s still around to make it up to Loveday.’
‘Not exactly. From what the sergeant who questioned him told me, he’s got no desire to hurry back home. I think Harry Pinching unwittingly gave Christopher a taste of freedom. Falmouth’s hardly the other side of the world, but it must feel like it to someone who’s never been away from the Loe estate. And that will be such a blow for Loveday on top of everything else.’
‘She’s stronger than we think, though,’ Josephine said after a moment’s consideration. ‘And this could be the making of Christopher. There may still be a time for them to be together, but, if there is, I’ve no doubt it will be on her terms. If anyone’s going to be destroyed by Christopher’s new life, it’ll be Jago rather than Loveday.’
‘I know. And he blames himself, of course. I spoke to him earlier, and he’s torn between relief and regret. If he hadn’t been so set against Christopher and Loveday, things might have been very different – but he was making too many assumptions.’
‘Do you think he’ll ever tell Caplin or Christopher the truth?’
‘I’ve no idea, and that’s between them now. I feel I’ve interfered enough in the lives of people here.’ He spoke drily but it did not quite mask the tiredness and sense of regret in his voice, and Josephine wondered again how difficult he would find it to get over what had happened; unlike Loveday, Archie did not have the resilience of youth on his side. ‘Anyway, I’ve let William know about Christopher and he’s going to tell Loveday in the morning,’ he continued. ‘She’s sleeping now and she needs to rest.’ He paused for a moment and Josephine heard someone else in the room with him; when he spoke again, the vulnerability had vanished. ‘Sorry – I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later if you’re still awake – if not, we can talk in the morning.’
Josephine left the hall lamp on and went back upstairs. Determined to be awake when Archie finally got home, she settled down in a chair to read. When a faint smell of smoke drifted in through the open window, she
