Midsummer's Eve

He looked at me earnestly. "But it will... if they make it so. You see what I'm getting at. Now this young man in Cornwall-you've known him all your life. I remember hearing that as a child you were his devoted slave. And then you grew up and were in love with him. Yes, you are. Don't think you can deceive me. And you turn him down on some whim ... just because, my dear, you are immersed in your tragedy and not making the effort to grow away from it. You allow yourself to suspect he is marrying you for your possessions. He wants Cador. So? He would be a foolish young man if he did not. Of course, he wants Cador; and for that very reason he will make a good thing of it.

If he didn't want Cador I should have a very poor opinion of him. How could he help you manage it satisfactorily if he didn't feel delighted in having a share in it?”

"You have a certain way of reasoning ...”

"I have a realistic way of reasoning. You want to feel that he would marry you if you were a little match seller. But you are not a match seller and if you were it is hardly likely that you would have met this young man. No. He wants to marry you.

He loves you but that need not stop his loving Cador as well. Get rid of those romantic notions. Look at life as it really is ... as I always have. And you see me as I am.

I have ridden the storms, haven't I? That is what you have to do in life, believe me.”

If it were only Cador that stood between us he might be right. But my thoughts went back to that Midsummer's Eve.

I said: "When I was a child, I thought Rolf the most wonderful person on earth ...

at least one of them. He shared that honour with my father. Red-letter days were when he came to Cador which he did often with his father. Then something happened.

It was Midsummer's Eve in Cornwall. They celebrate it there with old customs going back to pre-Christian days. There was a woman who lived in the woods. People said she was a witch. On Midsummer's Eve they burned down her house. There was one there ... the leader in a kind of Druid's robe. I believe it was Rolf because I had seen that robe in his house. It changed everything between us. It occurred to me that I did not know him at all. I felt I could not trust anyone any more, not even Rolf.

And early in the morning of the day which was lo have been our wedding day, I realized that it was Cador he wanted ... and I just could not marry him.”

"Did you talk to him about it?”

"On the ship when we were coming home we had talked. He said he wasn't there. He was in Bodmin.”

"Well?”

"I couldn't quite believe him. Oh, I did at the time ... but later I had so many doubts. And then I thought that he was marrying me for Cador.”

"And all because of that escapade.”

"Escapade! It was such cruelty as I had never seen before. If my father had been there he would have put a stop to it.”

"Let's suppose the worst: that he lied about this. He was young.

Young men have high spirits. Perhaps they drink a little too much They do foolish things. They do things they regret afterwards. You must understand this. You have to forgive the sins of youth.”

"This was no ordinary little peccadillo. You should have seen that woman's face ... the terrible things they did to her.”

"People get carried away. He is a man now ... and you are in love with him. The best thing you can do is marry him. I am sure the man who is looking after the place is good. He must be for your father was prepared to leave him in charge while he was away. But I daresay he had means of knowing what was going on and he would have been advised from afar and gone home if it had been necessary. The best manager in the country needs a guiding hand. You have to give that. It's a great responsibility ... all those tenants, people who depend on Cador. You've got to do your duty by the land; you have to make sure that all goes well with what your father and his forebears have built up. And Rolf is the man to help you. Go back and marry him if he'll have you after what you did to him. He will ... for Cador's sake.”

"Uncle Peter," I said, "you are the most amazing of men. I never thought I should be talking to you like this.”

"Sinners are far more lenient than saints. That's another lesson you'll have to learn.

I know all the temptations, good people don't. Therefore I understand how easy it is to fall into them. Take my advice. Go back. Talk to him. Tell him of your feelings ... as you've talked to me. I'd like to see you settled. I tell you, I feel a responsibility towards you because I was fond of your mother. I'm fond of you, too.”

He smiled and lifted his glass.

"To the success of Annora. May everything that is good come to her. And let me tell you that if she makes up her mind to get it, she will. That's a law of nature. Think about what we've said. And now I am going to take you back because I have a meeting to attend.”

I said: "Thank you, Uncle Peter. You have helped me quite a lot.”