Changeling

I hope you are feeling a little better. I think you did right to get away—and in any case it was necessary for Belinda. It has been sad for us here. Pedrek is leaving Cornwall. I think it is best really. I think we all need to get away from that terrible time … to try to see things in proportion.

He is going to Australia. There have been discoveries of tin in New South Wales and they are asking for mining engineers to go out there. Of course, Pedrek has not finished his course at the college but he has attained a degree of knowledge and there are of course his grandfather’s connections in the mining field and that will stand for a good deal. He needs to get away. We simply could not go on as we have been after all that has happened. He will be leaving almost immediately and I don’t know how long he will be away.

The Pencarrons are very upset. They don’t know what it is all about. They think there has been some big quarrel between you and Pedrek and they are very sad.

Your grandfather and I have felt very uncertain. We could not bring ourselves to tell them. I think it would have killed his grandmother … and what Josiah would have done, I cannot imagine. They worship Pedrek. Then we wondered whether we should have done something about it … whether it was our duty to. It is such a terrible thing … What if some other child …? On the other hand we could not really believe it somehow. As I said to your grandfather even suppose he lost control for a moment he would have learned his lesson.

He looks so unhappy … so terribly sad and bewildered in a way. It is such a wretched business and I know, my darling, how you must be suffering. It is best for you to be right away from it.

We can only wait and see. Try not to grieve too much. Perhaps there will be some explanation some day. However it was best that you should leave here and I think that he should get away, too.

I only wonder whether we have done the right thing …

The letter dropped from my hands. Gone away! To Australia! As my parents had in search of gold. My grandmother had gone there too and met tragedy … and now Pedrek had left to look for tin and get away from a situation which had become intolerable.

Who would have believed that in such a short time life could change so drastically?

I should have written to him before. I should have told him that I loved him and would go on doing so no matter what had happened.

But it was too late now.

He continued to haunt my thoughts. Where was he now? Had he left Cornwall? I could imagine the heartrending farewell between him and his grandparents.

Morwenna came to see me. She was distraught.

“What does all this mean between you and Pedrek?” she demanded.

“We decided we couldn’t marry … for a while.”

“But why? You were so happy … so looking forward to it … why, you had almost got the house.”

“I know … but it changed. We realized that we had made a mistake and it would be wrong to … to er … rush into it.”

“I can’t believe it.”