The pool of St Branok

"Of course. It is good of Ben Lansdon to have offered us rooms in his house. It will be much more comfortable there."

"Oh yes," he said. "Oh, Angelet, I want it to be over ... I long for our son to be born."

"It may not be a son."

"No, I hope it will but what I want is for Morwenna to be all right. If she comes through this I shall think very seriously about taking her and the child home."

"I think it may be in Gervaise's mind too," I said.

"You are always hoping ... Next day will come the big find ... and if you went back for the rest of your life you'd be thinking, 'What did I miss?'"

"I know. But you could go on through your life thinking of missed opportunities."

"It's true. But when the child is born ... I shall seriously think of leaving. I feel this is not the place in which a child should be brought up. Do you agree, Angelet?"

"Yes," I said. "I do."

"And all that housework you and Morwenna do ... It is not what you are accustomed to."

"We are getting accustomed."

He was thoughtful. Then he said: "If this works out, I'll go and do something. I'll change, Angelet, I will, I will."

I looked at him questioningly. He saw my intentness and he laughed suddenly. "I'm a bit overwrought," he said. "I'm worried about Morwenna. Angelet, promise me you will be with her."

"All the time ... if they'll let me. Don't worry, Justin. Babies have been born in places like this before."

"I know."

"The sooner we get her to Ben's house, the better."

"It is good of him."

"We owe a great deal to him, Justin. It would have been even more primitive without him."

"Yes ... we owe a lot to him."

"Don't worry. Morwenna is so happy. You have made her happy, Justin. And this baby ... well, it just means that with you both she will have everything she wants."

He stood up abruptly.

"I'm afraid I've talked too much."

"Of course not. I'm glad you came. She has good friends around her, Justin."

He nodded agreement and gave me a rather uncertain smile as he went out.

I thought a good deal about how fervently he wanted a son. Most men did. He really cared for Morwenna. I felt my distrust of him slipping away and I realized that I had not before been aware how deep that distrust went.

Mrs. Bowles had predicted the time the baby was due to arrive. Ben suggested that a week before we should move into Golden Hall where rooms had been prepared for us.

I was very glad for Morwenna was experiencing the usual discomforts and a little luxury was what she needed.

Meg was delighted at the prospect of having a baby in the house even though it would be only a temporary arrangement. Gervaise and Justin would go back to the shacks after their day's work, change there and come on to Golden Hall to dine.

This seemed to work well.

"This is the life," said Gervaise. "What a good thing it is to have friends in high places."

He was not envious. That was not in Gervaise's nature. In fact he was a very good man. If only he had not had that one overwhelming weakness, how different our lives would have been!

The day which had been calculated for the baby's arrival came and went. Morwenna seemed quite well but there was no indication that the baby was ready.

Two days passed and when the third came we began to get anxious.

Mrs. Bowles said: "Nothing to worry about ... yet. Babies are funny things. No use telling them to hurry. They come in their own good time."

Morwenna was very tired. She was longing for the ordeal to be over. She slept a good deal.

One afternoon when I was by her bed and she was dozing, there was a gentle knock on the door. I went out to find Ben standing outside. He drew me into the corridor.

"Angel, you ought to get out for a while. Come now."

"Suppose it happens while I'm away?"

"There's no sign. Meg's here. She'll send Jacob for Mrs. Bowles. I'll warn her. Come on. You need a little change or you will be ill. Just for an hour or so."

I looked at Morwenna. She was sleeping.

"All right," I said. "But we must put Meg on the alert."

"We'll tell her."

"Perhaps she could come up and sit here."

"All right. She shall."

Meg was only too delighted.

"I'll see she's all right ... and at the first sign Jacob or Thomas will be off. You get out, Mrs. Mandeville. You'll be the one who's ill if you don't. You look as if you need a bit of fresh air."

So I rode out on Foxey, with Ben beside me.

We came to that spot where we had sat before. It was quite pleasant. One could see the flat land right to the horizon. We tied our horses to a bush and sat watching the dappled sunlight in the creek close by.

Ben said: "I worry about you, Angel."

"About me? Whatever for?"

"This life out here. This township ... Those little shacks ... You're nothing but a housemaid."

"It's no different for me than for any of the others here."

"You must long for home."

I was silent. I couldn't deny it.

"How long can you stand it, Angel?"

"I suppose for as long as it has to be."

"You're a stoic."

"No. I am very impatient sometimes."

"Morwenna ought not to be here either."

"You don't think anything will go wrong?"