Clem pointed briefly at her. ‘She hasn’t accepted what’s happened yet, can’t bring herself to believe it. ’Tis awful, Jack. Her husband’s body has been seen, can never be got out, they said. Only been married a twelvemonth. I don’t know, some of these people were at the Bible class not so long ago. Were happy enough then, had no idea what was about to happen. How quickly things can change.’

‘First Perranbavah, now this,’ Jack said softly, with a low whistle between his teeth.

Clem turned his head to Jack. ‘Eh? What’s that?’

‘First the fishing boat tragedy, now this. ’Tis reckoned things, good or bad, but specially bad, do come in threes.’

‘Aye, my gran always used to say that.’

‘So does old Beatrice at the manor. After the Lowenek was torn asunder she said we haven’t seen the last of it yet. Looks like she was right. I just hope nothing else happens to tear our lives apart.’

The two men stood with their hands pushed down into pockets. They could think of nothing they could do to help but felt compelled to stay and wait.

A girl ran up to them and clutched Jack by the arm, whirling him around. ‘’Ere, you! Preacher wants ’ee, ’e’s over there by the engine ’ouse.’

Irritated by the girl’s action, Jack made to reproach her but instead he just stared. Her long hair was wild and brackenish brown, her eyes the same. They gleamed from a pert pink face that wore a rebellious expression. Her clothes were muddy and she filled them well. She had neither hat nor shawl.

‘Are ’ee blamed stupid or somethin’?’ she yelled at him.

‘Come on! Men are dyin’ below ground and the preacher wants yer ’elp!’

‘What can I do?’ Jack muttered, his thin face a blank statement.

‘Is ’e bloody daft or somethin’?’ she shouted at Clem.

Clem’s deep blue eyes widened but he said nothing. The girl blatantly studied him for a moment, she liked the sulky line of his mouth and wanted to kiss and tease it. It would be a hard challenge to take his mind off Lady Pengarron but no man had yet refused her charms. She couldn’t do anything about it now because she had been sent on an urgent errand to fetch the youth beside him and he was angering her with his idiotic stare. The next instant she became angered at Clem ignoring her.

‘You farmers is all bloody simple-minded,’ she screamed, adding another sentence pitted with foul words. They brought anger to Clem’s features and a bright redness creeping up Jack’s neck. She grabbed Jack’s arm again and began to pull him along with her. ‘You’ll find out what the preacher wants if you ask ’im,’ she snarled. ‘Come on! Or I’ll kick yer arse all the way there!’ Without protest Jack allowed himself to be dragged away.