A Woman of Honour

Chapter 10

Helen had been given another afternoon off, and it had all been down to Alice's clever manipulation. Somehow, Alice had persuaded Lady Helford to join a party of guests to visit the famous cathedral in the nearby city of Exeter. Apparently, according to Alice, there would be no room in any of the carriages for her companion. To appease Lady Helford's displeasure, Alice had offered her services as her companion for the afternoon.

Helen was grateful for Alice's intervention. She would have liked to have seen the famous cathedral for herself, but an afternoon of solitude was a far more attractive prospect. Once Lady Helford was safely inside the carriage, Helen could, at last, relax and decide how she would spend her precious free time. Most of the other guests had decided to go on the outing, and she had no one to please but herself. She changed into her blue muslin dress and donned her straw bonnet and set out to walk to the nearby village.

It was a beautifully warm and sunny late summer afternoon. The sun's light was a rich, warm yellow, and its rays reflected off the ripe golden barley that shimmered as the gentle breeze sent glittering waves through its long stalks.

Once she had reached the outskirts of the village, she saw the impressive Norman church that towered over the nearby thatched cottages. It brought back memories of her childhood. Her father's parish church had almost been identical to this one and had undoubtedly been built at the same time.

As she walked up the pebble path that meandered its way through the graveyard, it felt like she had been transported back in time. Only the family names on the old grey gravestones near the entrance to the church were different.

She had not intended to walk to the church. She had just gone to the village to enjoy the sunshine and spent a little time by herself. However, now she was here; she could feel the voice of her past beckoning her inside. As she walked through the gabled porch, she was struck by the familiar musty smell that she always associated with her childhood. As she walked through the door, into the nave, she could hear the gentle tones of an organ being played. The soft but precise tune seemed familiar, and she realised that she must have heard it many times before.

Helen walked around the side of the nave and examined the memorials that were calling to the present the names of the past. Most of them bore the Fallbrook family crest, and the most ornate of these belonged to the previous Earl, who had died eleven years ago in 1809.

The church was cool. The heat of the late summer sunshine had failed to penetrate the medieval limestone walls. Helen sat down on one of the wooden pews. They had not been designed for comfort, but to prevent whoever sat down on them from drifting off into a daydream while the preacher delivered his lengthy homily.

She looked past the altar at the large arched stainless glass window that pointed in the direction of the rising sun. Even though it was mid-afternoon, and the sun no longer streamed through the glass, the light still illuminated the scene it depicted. Helen saw St Peter, the patron saint of the church, guarding the pearly gates with the keys clasped tightly in his hand.

As Helen sat quietly, listening to the atonal drone of the organ, she closed her eyes and was transported back into time. She could hear the voice of her father booming through the nave, reminding the congregation of their many sins. Her father had always used this place to put fear into the hearts of his flock. And, he had certainly succeeded with her.

Helen was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice that she was no longer alone.

'It's very peaceful,' she heard a familiar voice say.