Page 41 of The Demons of Wychwood

CHAPTER 23

THE RECKONING

The third day at Penhelligan was a much quieter affair as Mr. Beckett spent much of the time penning the witness statements from the notations he had made during the interviews with servants. This would be done in triplicate as copies were to be sent to Napier’s lawyer and to the district judge Sir Edgar Hawthorne. I went with Mrs. Trelawney to visit my Ma’s grave, ashamed that I hadn’t done so before. I left three spring flowers on the gravestone, one each from me, Elowen and Bess.

Later in the afternoon when I got back to the hall Kit called to me as I strode towards the stairs.

“Felix, would you please come in,” I paused and backtracked. Kit and Beckett were in the study and all of the affidavits were laid out across the length of the large desk.

“I know it is an unenviable task, but—could you please read the statements and then sign each as a witness?”

I held a hand up stopping Kit’s next words from leaving his mouth. “I told you; I’ll do all I can to help get justice for Elowen and the other girls and boys. This ain’t no imposition.”

And so, for the next three hours until dinner was served, I sat in the study by the fire reading through the grim retellings of how General Napier had terrorized the servants of Penhelligan.

After dinner we three men took glasses of port and sat together in a grand smoking room that overlooked the rear of the house. It was strange that although I wasn’t of Kit’s or Mr. Beckett’s class I didn’t feel out of place, or less worthy. We three had done a good deed these past few days and we were on our way to a reckoning against a beast. I silently sipped port as I looked out into the darkness of the cliff top garden at night. The lawn appeared to drop off the edge of the world. The roar of the roiling sea below was strangely soothing. Another storm was upon us, which, for those of us born and bred in Devon was par for the course. It’s in our blood to batten down and keep warm until the storm has passed. Memories came to me, of being curled up in bed with mum and Elowen during countless storms, and they gave me a comforting feeling. I was pulled from my memories by the deep voices of my compatriots.

“Do we have enough?” Kit had asked Beckett as he puffed on a cigar. I was more than happy with my glass of port, but I was not fond of the smoke.

“We have verified affidavits from the families of the deceased maids, two missing stable boys, and statements from current members of the household that tell of Napier’s misdeeds. Some of the statements could be dismissed as hearsay, but the list of witnesses is compelling and I would be surprised if the judge dismissed the case after reading the documents we’ve collated. The arrest warrant was sent on the mail train and should have reached London this morning. There is nothing left to do until we hear word that an arrest has been made.”

I was glad to hear this, for I wanted the cruel General Napier to be wiped off the face of the Earth.

“Very well. We will begin our journey back to London tomorrow and await news. Tickets for the ten o’clock train have been purchased.” Kit informed. “I’ll need to speak with my mother as soon as possible and provide the evidence to her. I don’t know if she’ll believe me. She always chooses Edward over me,” Kit said mournfully.

“A mother’s job is to protect her kiddies. I’d say that if you tell her of your sister, and why you forced her hand to send Georgia to college out of London, your Ma might change her tune pretty sharpish! If she don’t then she ain’t worth your time.”

“I do hope that is the case. Once the court has these affidavits the scandal will soon be public knowledge. I would hate to cut mother off for siding with her cruel husband in this matter.”

****

I spent another warm comfortable night sharing a huge bed with my lover. Kit was different from the skittish shadow I’d met at Wychwood. Now he reached for me without fear, caressed and cared for me with such tenderness I thought I must be dreaming. How did little Felix Lazarus land on his feet like this? I had no answers to the questions tumbling around in my head, and listening to the howling wind I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke in the darkness at hearing a hammering boom. Again, the booming sound made me jump and I turned to the nightstand to light a candle. Kit stirred then. “What the devil is that racket?” he said sleepily. The reverberating boom came again, and again. It was as if someone’s was fist pounding on the front door of the hall. Kit appeared as terrified as I felt. What the bleedin’ hell was going on? Who was banging on the door in the middle of the night? Then I heard the demanding roar of an angry male voice. I knew that voice all too-well and it chilled me to the bone. I turned to Kit and he knew that voice too.

“How the hell did Napier know we was here?” I scrambled out of bed and into my clothes as the roaring demands continued. Then a light, sharp knocking came on the bedroom door.

“Milord, milord, it’s the General. Whatever shall we do?” Mrs. Trelawney shrieked.

“A moment my dear.” Kit pulled on britches and a shirt. He opened the bedroom door with me behind him. The cook was standing there in her night dress, a candleholder lit. The candlelight danced across her face and made her appear ghostly.

“Wake up young Joseph. Tell him to go down the back stairs and out to the stables, lock the door behind him. He should take a horse; he needs to go to Exeter and inform the Police of trouble at Penhelligan. I’ll do my best to keep the General outside.” The cook nodded and scurried away.

Napier continued to hammer on the door. Both Kit and I donned our boots and made our way towards the staircase.

“I know you’re in there Havelock,” Napier roared, his voice filled with hatred. The sound made Kit still with fear. I was always good in a crisis, so thinking on my feet, I asked, “Do you have any weapons?”

“Of course I do, the Long Hall has walls full of them.”

“Stay here,” I ordered leaving Kit in the hall at the top of the staircase.

I hurried down the stairs with just a candlestick to light my way. The violent pummeling on the front door made my body quake. I entered the room they called the Long Hall which was indeed a long room where in the olden day’s residents would walk and gossip. I saw the prizes of warfare taken from battles by members of the Havelock family displayed as trophies. I put the candle down on a table and then removed a sword and shields from the display. Retrieving the candle, I returned to Kit and gave the weapons to him.

“Gods, what the hell am I going to do with these, run the blaggard through?”

“Yes, if you have to. He sounds mighty pissed. You know someone told him what we were doing. I don’t think there’s a long list of names as to who that could be! That bastard Quintrelle double-crossed us!”

We stood on the landing as the sound of approaching footsteps brought the doddery old butler Mr. Jenkins into view as he came down from his room in the attic.