Rather an odd question. It made me worry about what was coming next. But I said, “I do, Father.”
“Good. Now then, is ityourwish that the wedding be conducted as soon as possible? You’re not being forced in any way?”
“No, Father. We made the decision between us.”
“And you feel you know him well enough to commit yourself to him for the rest of your life, perhaps even beyond? You are possibly the only person in the village who knows Mr. Tregarrickat all. One of the few who’ve even glimpsed him.”
What was I to say? As far as Harker and I were concerned, we had already committed ourselves beneath the oak trees on his estate. And the reasons had not been the usual ones that caused people to marry. I could hardly explain this to Father Kelly, yet I was certain it must be the worst kind of sin to deceive a priest.
But there was a truth Icouldtell him.
I looked at Harker. “I love him, Father.”
Harker’s spectacles had slipped down, and I saw his eyes widen, then go soft. His lips parted, as if he would speak, but then he glanced at Father Kelly.
“I would ask the same of you, son,” said the priest. “You’re sure of your reasons for this decision?”
Harker’s eyes came back to my face, and he said, “God knows I have never been a religious man, but Mina has made me believe in angels. She has brought light where there was only darkness. I love her, Father.”
My heart sang, and the blood hummed in my veins. I longed to feel his arms around me.
This answer clearly pleased the priest, too, who closed his eyes and nodded. When he opened them again, he said, “I will read the banns this Sunday. I feel I must ask, however—have you and Jack quarreled over your engagement? I’m sure you’d prefer that he not speak against you in church.”
This brought my feet back to solid ground. “Jack doesn’t know yet, Father. In fact, we haven’t seen him since yesterday, and we wanted to ask whether you had.”
The priest frowned. “I have, in fact.” My breath caught. “Yesterday evening, after dark, I saw him cross the churchyard. I wouldn’t have known him but for the moon and his red hair. I called after him, but he slipped into the shadows.”
Harker and I exchanged uneasy glances.
“I’ve been worried about Jack since last he was here,” continued Father Kelly, “and since you and I talked about the rumors in the village.” His gaze brushed Harker.
“We intend to look for him today,” I said, “but if you see him again, will you tell him I’m worried about him?”
“I will. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
Tap, tap, tap.
The sudden noise drew all our gazes. A couple of yards away from where we stood, a very old Cornish cross, about the height of a man,had been planted in the churchyard. A magpie perched on top of it, knocking a hazelnut against the carved stone.
“That’s a medieval wheel cross, is it not, Father?” asked Harker, eyeing it with interest.
“It is indeed,” replied the priest as the magpie flitted away. “A very early one. In fact ...” He thought for a moment, rubbing his beard. “That cross originally came from your family’s estate, if memory serves. It’s carved from the same black granite. It may have been a last remaining marker of a much older church.”
Harker and I both stared at him. I recalled how we’d wondered whether Goosevar’s burial place might have been disturbed during the chapel’s construction.
“Well,” said Father Kelly, “I shall see you both Sunday, then, for the reading of the banns?”
“You shall,” replied Harker. “Thank you, Father.”
The priest gave us a slight bow. “Good day to you both.”
We watched him walk to the church entrance and step inside. As soon as he was gone, Harker said, “So maybe this cross served as a kind of grave marker over Goosevar—or even a guardian—after he was killed.”
“I was thinking the same. The priests killed and then buried him right there, on what would later become your family’s estate.”
Harker glanced at the bell tower. “Shall we go have a look?”
The fog, moving and changing like a living thing, formed a patchy veil over the old structure. One moment I could make out only the arched doorway, the next only the upper section with its arched window and parapet.
