Roscarrock Read online

  Roscarrock

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Next in Series

  Copyright

  Roscarrock

  Gloria Cook

  To the joy and delight of my life, my little granddaughter, Kerenza

  Prologue

  ‘Why don’t we go take a peep at Roscarrock?’ Hannah Spargo suggested to the six other children sitting on the curved stone quay of Porthellis. They had just come out of Sunday School and were debating what to do for the rest of the afternoon. ‘We haven’t been up there for ages.’

  All except one boy looked up across the fishing village where behind the tips of a small wood on the cliff top the long slate roof and tall chimneys of a large house could be seen. The house was set well back from the cliff face but seemed to overshadow Porthellis. It had been there for centuries, the original occupants once owning the village and surrounding land and beaches. A gull was wheeling above the house and the children watched fascinated to see if the bird would rest on the roof. They weren’t surprised when it flew away; Roscarrock was rumoured to be greatly haunted and only the bravest children had ever dared take a step on its land.

  Six pairs of eyes then zoomed in on the uninterested boy. Daniel Kittow, the oldest of the group at fourteen years, and four years Hannah’s senior, was rough and ready and almost fearless, qualities which were reflected in his bold features and striking red hair. He had led them on many an adventure, often receiving the belt across his broad back for his troubles; they wouldn’t be afraid if Daniel went with them.

  Daniel was throwing pebbles to skim expertly over the grey-green waters slapping against the high wall on a full tide. He watched the passage of a smooth grey pebble as it leaped between the boats riding on their moorings until it sank and disappeared, then he scowled. He was in a dark mood. Sunday afternoons were always boringly quiet owing to the village’s staunch Methodism and the adults’ desire to nap in peace, but today his grandfather had made him attend Sunday School, a mortifying experience not least because he’d had to sit with boys two years younger than he was. It had not been because the old man cared for Daniel’s soul but as a punishment for catching him swigging from his whisky bottle. Daniel took the next pebble from the supply Hannah was feeding him. Because of her pretty fair face and sunny nature she was the only girl he would tolerate near him.

  ‘We could’ve played on the beach if the tide wasn’t in,’ Eileen Gunn said from her perch on a granite mooring stone. Although it was winter, the air was fresh and warm, the sky clear and pale blue, the waters of Veryan Bay inviting.

  Daniel had no time for anyone who stated the obvious and he threw the pebble at the mooring stone and Eileen shrieked and gathered in her silk petticoat.

  Hannah turned her lively blue eyes sternly on Daniel and it stopped him hurling verbal abuse at Eileen to add to her fright and indignation. Daniel swore often and if a grown-up heard him swearing on the Sabbath they would all be ordered home in disgrace. ‘What do you want to do then, Danny?’

  ‘I’m thinking of taking my grandfather’s tosher round Slate Rock and on to Hidden Beach.’

  There was a hushed silence, then Mitch Spargo, Hannah’s brawny, twelve-year-old brother, said in awe, ‘But we’ll be skinned alive for taking out a boat without permission, specially on a Sunday.’ Added to that, the tosher was prized by Rufus Kittow who had won it off a rival fisherman from Mevagissey in a poker game.

  ‘You scared, Mitch?’ Fred Jose, who was leaning his scrawny back against Mitch’s, asked a trifle scornfully. Fred was scared at the very thought of such blatant mischief. He was a coward by nature, it showed in every inch of his pale startled-looking face, and he was even more scared of this idea than going up to ‘peep’ at Roscarrock. But Fred was confident that Daniel was only trying to impress them and this gave him a rare opportunity to sound braver than Mitch, his closest friend.

  ‘Course I aren’t scared,’ Mitch said, embarrassed. ‘But it’ll take even more courage to go up to Roscarrock at the moment. My gran said old Jago was heard wailing up on the cliff the other night.’ He added ominously, mimicking his grandmother’s solemn voice, ‘And we all know what that means, don’t we? Someone is going to die.’

  ‘There really have been some strange goings-on at Roscarrock, you know,’ Jowan Rouse chipped in. He was Hannah’s cousin, a quiet, studious boy who took a deeper interest than most in what went on around him.

  ‘We all know the rumours,’ yawned another of Hannah’s cousins, little sprightly Lizzie Spargo. She went on hastily, for Jowan was given to lengthy explanations, ‘Jeremiah Jago was gardener to the Bodinnicks who had Roscarrock before the Opies, and one of the Bodinnicks was s’posed to have murdered old Jago and at certain times of the year he can be heard wailing in torment because he won’t rest in peace until justice is done, but no one knows what justice it is he’s looking for.’

  ‘And don’t forget that when old Jago wails, terrible screams are heard coming from Roscarrock,’ Jowan grinned.

  ‘Right then,’ said Fred, clambering up on his gangly legs and rubbing at his numbed bottom. ‘Let’s go up and listen for the screams.’

  The other five children looked at Daniel for confirmation. With an expression of grim determination he was looking at his grandfather’s tosher, moored between the old man’s lugger and the steps leading down to the beach. ‘I’m going to take out the Wynne.’

  The tide was still coming in and there would be plenty of time to row out of the cove, skirt round Slate Rock, the tall outcrop of rock that sheltered and formed part of the natural harbour opposite the quay, arrive at the long narrow strip of pale golden sand which Slate Rock hid from view, stay for a couple of hours and row back. No doubt his exploit would be discovered and his fractious grandfather would wield his belt again, but what was life for if not for taking a few risks? Daniel displayed the welt marks he’d already received on his back and legs like badges of honour, and he was getting smug in the knowledge that he was now bigger and stronger and could be fiercer than Rufus; one day he would stay the old man’s whipping arm for good. Daniel got to his feet.

  ‘So,’ he said, somewhat arrogantly, ignoring the girls and looking into the avid faces of Mitch, Fred and Jowan. ‘Who’s coming with me?’

  ‘I am,’ Mitch said at once, eager now to go along with Daniel’s decision.

  ‘Me too,’ echoed Eileen, springing to her feet and clapping her hands coquettishly.

  ‘You’ll get into trouble,’ Hannah cautioned Daniel, staying put on the granite-paved quay. ‘Someone’s bound to see you.’

/>   She was feeling uneasy. Among the row of pink and whitewashed cottages, fish cellars and workshops behind them was the pub; she thought she had glimpsed a face at an upstairs window. It had looked like her father but Jeff Spargo had said he was going to spend the afternoon in his shed busy at his hobby, making a ship in a bottle, and woe betide anyone who disturbed him. Hannah seemed to be her father’s least favourite child, often receiving punishment when she had done nothing wrong and unfairly taking the blame for her brothers’ and sisters’ misdemeanours. She would take the full brunt of her father’s fury if he knew any of his family had gone with Daniel.

  ‘Do you really think you ought to go, Danny?’

  Daniel looked warmly into Hannah’s eyes for a second, then gave her his disarming smile. ‘You girls can either walk along the cliff path and meet us on the beach or go home and help your mothers get the tea.’

  ‘Oh, that’s not fair,’ Eileen grumbled, fussing with her dress. ‘Why do we always have to be left behind?’

  ‘You couldn’t go anyway in that stupid frilly dress,’ Daniel taunted her, stretching his long legs and flexing his thick arms.

  Eileen bit her bottom lip and looked away, something she always did when her feelings were hurt.

  ‘But I want to go with you,’ Lizzie angrily interjected. ‘I’m not afraid to get into trouble any more than you are, Daniel Kittow, and Eileen won’t get her dress wet or dirty if we’re careful.’

  ‘Go on, Danny, let the girls come,’ Fred pleaded. He would feel safer with the girls on the boat; Daniel was less likely to do anything foolhardy. His next statement was true. ‘Hannah’s always sensible, she’ll keep Lizzie and Eileen in check.’

  Jowan didn’t have the aversion to girls that most boys of his age did and also spoke up on their behalf. Mitch said nothing, leaving the decision to Daniel, but hoping he would send the girls away as they were likely to spoil the fun.

  Daniel eyed Hannah. ‘Do you want to come?’

  ‘Yes,’ she answered. If she was to get into trouble because Mitch and their cousins were going on the adventure, she might as well be in on it too.

  ‘Be quick getting into the boat then,’ Daniel snapped and the group pattered towards the stone steps. Painted white, nineteen feet, eleven inches long, the tosher was usually taken out by one man and driven by a three and a half horsepower Kelvin engine which Rufus had stowed in his shed. Daniel took a pair of oars from another boat.

  Afraid of being seen and ordered home, Daniel and Mitch quickly helped the others into the boat. Mitch was about to free the mooring rope when there came a breathless shout. ‘Wait a minute, wait for us!’ It was seven-year-old Leah Spargo, tearing along the granite slabs towards them, her long skirt flying, one hand on her straw hat, the other clutched by her toddler brother, Edwin.

  ‘Tell your sister and brother they can’t come, Hannah,’ Daniel said impatiently. ‘I’ve got enough in here already.’

  Hannah made to leave the boat. ‘Edwin will make a din if he’s left behind. I’ll get out and run along the cliff path and meet you there.’

  ‘Stay where you are,’ Daniel ordered sternly. He didn’t care for Edwin Spargo, the youngest child of the large family and a thoroughly obnoxious brat. ‘They can walk.’

  He motioned for Mitch to sit down beside Fred and dipped the oars in the water. Edwin began to wail, his handsome dark features distorting into the expression that preceded a violent tantrum.

  ‘You can’t leave us behind,’ Leah muttered indignantly as she carried Edwin down the top steps. ‘I’ll go back and tell Dad what you’re up to and he’ll tell old Rufus.’

  ‘She means it,’ said Lizzie. ‘Talk Danny round, Hannah. Leah’s only little and won’t make much difference and Edwin can sit on your lap.’

  ‘Danny?’ Hannah glanced nervously up at the pub window. There was no one to be seen but the longer they stayed and argued, the more likely their departure would be discovered. Her father was one of many in the village who saw Daniel as a ‘bad lot’ who would no doubt grow up to be like his rogue of a grandfather. Jeff Spargo had warned his children that if there was any more trouble involving Daniel, he would ban them from even talking to him. Hannah would hate that.

  ‘Me come, me come,’ Edwin was chanting as Leah carried him down another step.

  ‘Oh, let them come, for goodness sake,’ Lizzie said in a huff. If they didn’t go soon they’d end up going nowhere at all, except perhaps to bed with no tea to look forward to.

  ‘Get in then,’ Daniel scowled, but he was uneasy at having so many children crowded in the boat.

  Mitch helped Leah into the boat then lifted Edwin onto Hannah’s lap. Edwin shifted about as if in protest and glared up at his sister; he had two more older sisters who had stayed quietly at home, Sarah and Naomi, and a grown-up brother, Josh; he loved them as he did the other family members in the boat, lapping up the way they spoiled him, but Hannah could never do anything right for him and he seemed to despise her.

  When Leah was settled beside Lizzie and Jowan, Mitch released the mooring rope and took his seat, and Daniel used an oar to push the boat away from the quay. The children kept their heads down until they had passed all the luggers and punts and were too far away to be called back. When Daniel eased the boat round to head upcoast, they broke into excited chatter and Hannah relaxed. Mitch was an unrelenting practical joker and he made Fred splutter and giggle at what he was whispering into his ear.

  With powerful ease Daniel rowed round the towering outcrop of Slate Rock which vessels kept well clear of to avoid the underlying treacherous rocks. Playful breezes, reflecting the children’s mood, cooled the sweat on Daniel’s back and sifted through the girls’ hair. Eileen squealed when Mitch and Fred tugged on her ringlets.

  ‘Stop it,’ Leah shouted at them. It greatly irritated her that her big brother and his soppy friend always tormented Eileen, often to the point of tears. It wasn’t Eileen’s fault if her mother thought she was a cut above the rest of the villagers and didn’t let her beloved only child get grubby and have tangled hair and run about in bare feet like the rest of the girls.

  Fred snickered and tapped Hannah on the shoulder. She shrugged his hand off. The movement annoyed Edwin and he elbowed her in the stomach, making her wince. To mask her hurt, and the same sinking feeling she experienced when her father was belligerent towards her, she looked out across the sea – miles and miles of Channel water. There wasn’t a ship, big or small, to be seen, no sea birds bobbing on the water or hovering above it; it seemed everyone was enjoying a lazy Sabbath afternoon. The gentle waves, topped here and there with white foam, stretched up ahead to the Dodman Point and to Zone Point behind them.

  Hannah loved the sea. She watched it a hundred times a day. She might be just a child but she understood the words grown-ups used to describe it – a vast force of nature, a magnificent living creature with colours and moods to match anything manmade. It excited her and awed her, and although it could be savage and threatening, it also gave promise, hope and a balm of peace like nothing else could. She felt she belonged beside it, had a right to live wherever it was. The smell of sharp tangy sea air, the feel of salt water spray on her skin, the sound of the waves were as important to her as the air she breathed.

  She lowered her gaze and saw that Daniel was watching her. He gave her a wink and a smile. He had seen Edwin’s spiteful act and as usual sought to comfort her.

  As soon as they were round Slate Rock they could see Hidden Beach, for generations a favourite playing place of Porthellis children. It was known as Hidden Beach because of the mass of rock and gorse which hid its access from the cliff path. Only the locals knew how to reach it. The sea was running a little higher in this exposed part; the boat swayed and Daniel had to pull harder on the oars.

  There was a loud splashing and Eileen squealed as Mitch batted sea water over her back.

  ‘Oh, stop it and grow up,’ Lizzie muttered crossly at her cousin, much to everyone’s surprise. She had
a happy-go-lucky approach to life coupled with bags of energy; usually she found Mitch’s pranks funny, but the anguish on Eileen’s scrubbed face made her feel Mitch was going too far this time.

  Mitch took his big hand out of the water and looked shamefaced, for a moment. He put his wide jaw on Fred’s shoulder and soon they were giggling again.

  As Daniel turned the boat to approach the beach, Hannah said, ‘I think we’d better walk back, Danny.’

  Edwin immediately bellowed his discontent but Daniel agreed that it was a good idea. He had already resolved it was too much trouble taking out small children and girls, except for Hannah.

  Suddenly the tops of Eileen and Hannah’s dresses were pulled down, and, feeling their backs on fire, they screamed in unison and shot to their feet, making the boat rock precariously. Edwin, who had pushed away Hannah’s grasp on him a moment earlier, tumbled on to the deck.

  ‘Sit down!’ Daniel shouted urgently.

  Hannah obediently fell down on the seat and despite a pain searing a red-hot path down her back tried to grab Edwin, but Eileen kept screaming and was doing a frenzied dance. Edwin was sent forward, banging his face on the seat between Daniel’s legs and knocking an oar out of his hand. The boat rocked crazily. While Daniel and Jowan tried to retrieve the oar and Hannah attempted to pick up Edwin, Fred cowered in a tight ball, refusing to move so Mitch could grab Eileen and yank her down to stop her putting them all in peril.

  In a rage over the pain he was in, Edwin kicked away Hannah’s hands and clung to Daniel’s leg, biting it viciously between his wails. Daniel left the retrieval of the oar to Jowan and the other girls and fought to get the child back on Hannah’s lap. Mitch cuffed Fred round the head in exasperation then stood up to grab Eileen, but his weight made the boat lurch heavily to one side. The next moment there were frantic screams as the Wynne, hit by a large roller, spilled her contents into the sea.

  Hannah closed her mouth as she hit the water. Her first instinct was to search for Edwin. All the children could swim except for him and she hoped the others would make the shore safely. She swam about but could not find the little dark-haired boy.