Page 112 of The Armor of Light

Spade said: ‘I agree with that.’

Spade and Midwinter were the two most respected men in Kingsbridge liberal circles, and the congregation accepted what they had said.

The meeting broke up, and Amos approached Jane Midwinter. She no longer had new clothes every few months, now that her father was a simple pastor rather than a cathedral canon; but she still managed to look irresistible in her coat of British red and a military-looking hat.

For once she had not hurried away after the service. Normally she contrived to be crossing the square just as the Anglican congregation came out of the cathedral, so that she could flirt with Viscount Northwood. But he was at Earlscastle. ‘Your friend Northwood missed the riot,’ Amos said.

‘I’m sure there wouldn’t have been a riot if the viscount had been in charge of the militia,’ she said. ‘Instead of that fool Riddick.’

Riddick was a fool, Amos agreed, but he was not sure Henry or anyone else could have prevented the riot. ‘Why did he go to Earlscastle anyway?’

‘I expect he wanted to tell his father that he does not wish to marry his horsey cousin Miranda.’

‘Did he say that to you?’

‘Not in so many words.’

‘Do you think he wants to marry you?’

‘I’m sure of it,’ she said gaily, but Amos did not believe her.

He looked into the silver mist of her eyes and said: ‘Do you love him?’

She might reasonably have said that it was none of Amos’s business, but she answered the question. ‘I will be very happy married to Lord Northwood,’ she said. The defiant note told Amos that she was asserting something she was not sure about. ‘I shall be a countess, and my friends will all be noblewomen. I will have beautiful clothes and wear them to marvellous parties. I will be presented to the king. He will probably ask me to be his mistress, and I will say: “But your majesty, surely that would be a sin?” and pretend to be regretful.’

Jane had never embraced the Methodist virtues of modesty and self-denial, so this kind of talk did not shock Amos. She followed her father’s religion without serious commitment. If she married Northwood she would go back to the Church of England in a heartbeat.

He said: ‘But you don’t love Northwood.’

‘You sound like my father.’

‘Your father is the best man in Kingsbridge, and the comparison honours me unduly. But I still say you don’t love Northwood.’

‘Amos, you’re a sweet man, and I’m fond of you, but you don’t have the right to badger me.’

‘I love you. You know that.’

‘How miserable we would be together, a worker bee married to a butterfly.’

‘You could be the queen bee.’

‘Amos, you can’t make me a queen.’

‘You’re already queen of my heart.’

‘How poetic!’

I’m making a fool of myself, he thought. But the fact remains that Northwood hasn’t proposed to her. He hasn’t even invited her to meet his father.

It might never happen.

*

Sal and Jarge got married in St Luke’s Church on a Saturday evening after work. They had no money for a celebration, so they took only Kit and Sue to church with them. However, to Sal’s surprise Amos Barrowfield and Elsie Latimer showed up and signed as witnesses. Then Amos surprised her again by saying that a gallon of ale and a small barrel of oysters was waiting outside.

Sal said: ‘Would it be all right if we shared them with Joanie?’

‘Perfectly all right,’ said Amos. ‘I’ll give Gil Gilbert a shilling and offer him a cup of ale and he’ll be happy to let us in.’