Page 79 of The Cornish Inheritance

“He was buried under a roof fall that let the water in from an old, blocked up adit. We were further down than this and the sea came rushing in. All the miners who were trapped on the far side of the fall drowned. I don’t know if the fall killed my father or the water. Gryff Casworan was with me. He dragged me out. I wanted to stay and dig my father out, but he made me leave. Forced me to. He saved my life.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

He shrugged. “I know that now, but then it felt as though I’d abandoned him to die. It took me a long time to get over it. A long time.”

If he ever had.

He licked his lips as though unsure whether to go on.

She patted his hand. “You can tell me anything.”

His eyes met hers. “Somehow, I want to tell you everything. I don’t know why. I’ve never told anyone before. I feel… as though you understand.”

“Tell me, then.”

“I joined the army and met a girl. In London. A beautiful girl. Her name was Julia. We married young. I was twenty-one and she only nineteen. She…” His voice trailed off and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “She was with child. We were so happy. We had a small house in Town, near to her parents.”

He fell silent and she squeezed his hand again.

The darkness, suddenly companionable, pressed in close to her. “I wondered.”

He nodded. “I thought you did. No one at Roskilly knows about Julia. She died. The baby as well. My son. I never thought I could feel anything again. Not after that. It was my fault. The birth of the baby killed her. I did that to her.”

Oh God. No wonder he was so cold and distant. Life had not been kind to him.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

He shook his head. “It was, and so was what happened in Spain.”

Yves stirred in his arms and snuggled closer.

“What happened in Spain?” Surely it must be doing him good to finally speak about his demons?

“I was leading my men through a mountain pass. Just a small group of us on patrol. The road clung to the side of the mountain, and up ahead someone had dug a short tunnel through the rock. We didn’t reconnoiter but rode straight into it. The French had set explosives. The roof came down on us. My best friend was killed. The man who used to play chess with me every night. Captain John Carnegie.”

“How was that your fault? Surely it was the fault of the French who laid the trap?”

“I was their Major. I led them into it. I should have foreseen the danger.”

She shook her head. “Nonsense. It was warfare, plain and simple. You had no way of knowing what would happen. It wasn’t your fault.”

Yves stirred again. “What wasn’t my fault?”

“Nothing,” Caroline said. “Nat and I were just talking. That’s all.”

Nat grunted. “Enough of that. We’re not out yet. Up you get, Caroline. We have the steepest bit to do next. Do you think if I put you on my back, young Yves, you could put your arms around my neck and hold on? I could climb better that way.”

The little boy’s eyes, so like those of his big cousin, filled with doubt. “I don’t know. I’m not feeling very strong.”

“I’ve nothing to tie you on with, I’m afraid.”

Caroline stood up, shoving aside thoughts of Nat’s dead wife and friend. “I have. My skirt. I’ll tear it off at knee height. I’ve still got my petticoat, so I’ll be fine. I’d use that, only I think my skirt will be stronger fabric.”

Thank goodness Nat didn’t argue. How refreshing to meet a man who realized what was necessary. She stood up and managed to rip a strip of fabric about two feet wide from her gown, long enough to tie around Yves and secure him on Nat’s back. This took a bit of doing, as they had so little space, but at last Yves was fixed in place, with his small hands locked around Nat’s neck.

They set off again, climbing steadily in the narrow space of the stope, a space not meant for more than one small miner at a time. Once again, the thought that it was no wonder the mines employed children rose to the surface. Neither she nor Nat were built for cramming themselves into tight spaces.

“Keep your head down, young Yves,” Nat said, right after she heard him bang his own head and swear.