Page 20 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage
Nonsense! ’Tis still a good place fer him to see even if he has seen plenty o’ nice fields before.With that thought in mind, Briony shoved her fear into the tiniest crevice of her heart and set off for the inn.
After she’d arrived and Mr. Mendes had invited her in, she immediately asked, “Do you like the outdoors much?”
“Indeed, I love being out in nature. It’s a glorious gift to witness the Lord’s creation with my own eyes,” he said as he took her proffered arm.
Mr. Mendes leaned on her a bit more readily this time than he had on the first day. Briony smiled as she noted that, in her effort to be friendlier since then, they’d also avoided any further arguments.
Briony led him outside and turned right to go up the hill. “I’m glad you think so since we’re going to Cramer’s Field today. ’Tis one o’ the most beautiful places in all Everton. At least, I think so.”
“Then I’m sure I’ll agree.”
After a few minutes, Briony said, “’Tis just up here,” and the two of them stopped to gaze at the sight before them.
Acres of green ocean waved back and forth in the breeze. The sun was bright that morning, making the dewy grass glisten. Bees and butterflies flitted through the air about their business. Flowers were spattered sporadically through the grass, creating a brilliant array of colors. It was truly a sight to behold.
They stood there drinking it in for several minutes in a warm silence, broken only by the bees’ gentle hums. Briony held Mr. Mendes’s arm, bearing most of his weight so that he could remain standing.
But then Mr. Mendes drew in a quick breath. “I do believe I need to get off this leg for a bit.”
“O’ course! We can head back to the sitting room.”
“Nay, let’s not head back just yet. If you take me to that spot over there with the stones, I can still enjoy the view while I rest.”
“If yer sure.”
Once Mr. Mendes nodded, Briony helped him over to the large rocks at the edge of the field. They were a popular source of amusement for the village boys, who often jumped from the tallest ones to prove their bravery to each other.
As Briony took a seat on an adjacent stone, she asked, “When you traveled to all those far-off places, did you miss home, or was it too thrilling to get homesick?”
“Honestly, I never did suffer much from homesickness. I’ve never understood people’s attachment to a piece of land or a particular town. I consider my ship more of a home than Aveiro.”
“But what about the people you left behind—yer friends and family?”
“Well, I always got to travel with my fri—” Mr. Mendes broke off for a moment. “I was never fortunate enough to have good friends. I…I’m actually a visconde back home.” He rubbed the back of his neck and turned his eyes from her to the field.
“A what?”
“I believe the word in English is ‘viscount.’ After my parents died three years ago, I gained the title.”
Briony’s eyes nearly fell out of her skull.A viscount? Actual nobility here in Everton?Her first conversation with the man ran back through her mind, and, suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach.
“But you said you were a merchant…”
Mr. Mendes nodded. “Aye, and that’s true. I never felt like being a visconde was the right thing for me, and after my parents died, there were too many painful memories in my childhood home, so I bought a ship and started my own merchant business. In fact, I’ve been considering renouncing my title entirely.”
“Why would you renounce it?”
“Because everyone who has ever tried to get close to me was only after my influence!” His voice shook with emotion. “I don’t even know what it means to have a true friend.”
Someone hurt this man deeply. He may na be saying it directly, but his tone is practically shouting it.Briony’s heart ached with sympathy.
“My parents and sister are the only ones who really cared about me. And now Lucia is all I have left.”
Briony put a hand on the man’s arm and said, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Mendes. I know what ’tis to be alone in the world. And I know what ’tis to lose someone you care about.”
“Then you understand why I’m cautious about letting anyone else close—one way or another, it always ends in pain.” Mr. Mendes gently pulled away from her touch and grasped a stray dandelion that had landed near his leg.
“I understand why you feel that way, but I don’ believe it should keep you from trusting people. Aye, death separates us from our families, and people can betray us, but na everyone is false. My friend, Adaira, is like a sister to me, but we weren’ always like that. Ichoseto take a risk by letting her get close, and ’twas one o’ the best decisions I’ve ever made. My life is so much fuller than it would have been if I’d kept her at a distance. I’d take a hundred betrayals over giving up a friend like her.”
