CHAPTER 43 Beltane And so,
In the blink of an eye,
The years pass.
Cornelius and I were grown.
The days of our childhood,
But distant memories.
Resurrected with affection at times,
But otherwise pushed beneath the clutter of work and everyday life.
Neither of us moved away from the area.
I lived in a little cottage in the village,
Which had been left to me when Cornelius's parents passed away,
And still made up stories for pleasure.
And if I felt something was missing from my life,
It was a feeling I had always been familiar with,
And so thought little of it.
Cornelius inherited the farmhouse and the land,
Which he continued to farm,
So it came as a shock when he called one day to tell me he was planning to sell everything.
But,
Words failed as I stared at him sitting casually opposite me,
As if he had not just given me the biggest surprise ever.
It was May,
Everything was bursting into life around us,
And we were relaxing in the pleasant warmth of the afternoon.
The scent of wild roses drifted through the partly open window,
And I could see the rosemary hedge,
From which I could never resist taking a sprig to chew each time I passed.
I had planted honeysuckle outside the window,
And its delicate scent mingled with the roses to create a magical perfume.
The cottage had been in Cornelius's family for generations,
And I loved the cool slate floors,
And the wooden staircase with its one creaking stair,
Leading to the two tiny rooms above.
When I moved in,
I had found a small earthenware bowl tucked away at the back of the cupboard beneath the stairs,
And this now rested on the mantelpiece,
A link with time's pass.
You can't,
I finally stammered feebly,
Knowing full well he had every right to do exactly as he wanted,
And I had no business telling him what to do at all.
I have to,
His voice was low,
But I perceived a note of quiet determination.
I know it will hurt you,
Me,
Us,
To see the house and the land in the hands of other people,
But I simply can't make a living of it on my own.
And you know very well I was never cut out to be a farmer,
It's just a burden to me now.
I want to start again,
Even though I'm almost forty and it might seem a bit late in the day.
In fact,
He drew a deep breath,
I want to join the clergy,
I'm going to take a theological degree,
Then go into training.
I can come back for weekends and during holidays while I'm at university,
And moving into one of the cottages will be much better than the farmhouse.
Mother and father would never have understood it,
But my decisions can't hurt them now.
He paused and my heart went out to him,
Realising this was the first time in his life he was free to do as he pleased.
It's been alright for you,
He continued,
As if reading my thoughts.
You've always been settled here with your job and your writing,
And you've been able to make ends meet by doing what you enjoy.
I haven't.
I nodded,
Wondering if he had any idea how many times over the years I had longed for parents with expectations of me,
Rather than being left to my own path in the world.
I do understand,
I whispered.
A thought occurred to me,
But what about the little chapel?
Surely you aren't going to sell it?
Cornelius smiled,
Looking relieved now he had dropped his bombshell and the worst was over.
There's something else I have to tell you,
He continued.
You see,
When I started sorting everything out and was going through all the paperwork and old deeds,
I remembered you asking me years ago who the little chapel belonged to.
Well,
With a bit of searching around,
I discovered there was something of a mystery surrounding it.
Apparently,
One of my ancestors,
Named Charles,
Gave it to someone called Rachel,
And one of her descendants then married into his family,
And it returned to us once again.
So you see,
It was ours after all.
I nodded,
Wondering where this was leading.
I felt sad as I had forgotten to visit for months.
If I no longer made the effort,
How could I expect anyone else to?
Anyway,
He continued,
I do feel slightly ashamed I haven't taken more notice of it over the years,
Especially in the light of my recent calling.
But now.
.
.
Cornelius paused dramatically as his face broke into a smile.
I'm going to give it to you,
He finished.
So you see,
Even though I'm selling up,
You still have the chapel and field.
They're yours.
He grinned and I glimpsed the boy he once was.
Caring,
Gentle and protective of his little sister.
And I suddenly understood he was exactly right to pursue his dreams and search for the answers to all the questions he had ever asked.
I gasped,
Not knowing what to say,
Tears pricking my eyes.
Of all the things I could have thought of,
I never expected this.
You cared for it in your own way,
By simply keeping it safe,
I assured him,
As I took his hand and gave it a squeeze.
Something tells me you're going to do a much better job than me,
He replied.
Thank you,
I whispered,
And you're going to make a great vicar.
