She took out the three coins she had taken from under the thistle, and put them down on the table. The sunshine coming through the window seemed to make them sparkle.
The Earl looked at her in astonishment. Then he lifted the coins and turned them between his fingers.
“These are ancient,” he said. “Several hundred years probably. Where did you find them?”
“Underneath a thistle in your grounds. And I brought them to their owner, which is apparently you.”
He looked at her curiously. “Did you not think of keeping them for yourself?”
“I told you, my father was the parson here. One thing he never expected me to do was take possession of anything which did not belong to me!”
“My apologies. It’s very kind of you to bring me these coins. I’m sure they’re valuable. But you know, they won’t go very far. What we really need is a few thousand of them!”
“They may be there for all I know,” Rena told him. “That’s why I came at once to tell you. You should search as soon as possible, in case anyone does what I tried to do.”
“What you tried to do?”
“I was visiting the cross.”
“What cross?”
“It stands on your land. It was found years ago. They cleaned it up and Papa deciphered the words carved on it. They are an invitation to prayer, so people sometimes go there instead of the church. I found a thistle growing at the foot, spoiling the beauty of the kingcups, so I pulled it out. These were underneath.”
“Just these? No more?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t look further. But there might be, and that would solve all your problems.”
He was silently staring down at the three gold coins.
“Will you take me to where you found these? I can hardly wait to know what’s really there.”
“I don’t think you should hope for too much,” she said gently. “I have a feeling that the coins were placed there in gratitude by someone whose prayers had been answered.”
“Is that why you were there?”
Rena shook her head. “No, I went there to ask for something. Like you I am penniless because my father is dead and I have to find some way of making money,” she explained.
He stared. “You’re as poor as that? And you weren’t even tempted to keep them?”
“Oh yes,” she said quietly. “I was tempted.” She rose, to silence further discussion of this fact. “Shall we go now?”
He was about to make a light hearted comment, but something about her pale face silenced him.
“If you will be kind enough to show me the way,” he said, “I would be grateful.”
They left the house and climbed down to the woods and the stream, across a rough wooden bridge, grown somewhat precarious with age.
“Why is the cross on my land rather than in the cemetery?” the Earl enquired.
“Because this is where it was found, and Papa thought it should stay there. Look, there it is.”
Just ahead of them stood the cross looking strong, dark and impressive amongst the trees.
She walked quickly ahead, and when she reached the cross she knelt down and said a private prayer thanking God for letting her find the money, with all the good it might do for the man who owned it, for the villagers, and perhaps to her too, although she could not, for the moment, see how.
The Earl stood still, watching her in silent respect, wondering what was happening to him and to his whole world.
Only when she had finished praying did the Earl move forward. She lifted the thistle, which he took from her and flung away. Then he bent down and started to pull up the ground round the cross. It crossed Rena’s mind that perhaps he would find nothing. As the Earl pushed his hand lower and lower, she closed her eyes and held her breath.
Then she heard him make a sudden sound which was almost a yell of delight.
She opened her eyes. He was looking towards her, his hand outstretched. In it she saw a large lump of soil. Something in it was shining in the sunshine coming through the trees above them.
More coins. For a moment she thought she was dreaming.
“Your prayers have been answered,” he said jubilantly. “And there are probably more if we dig deeper.”
“It is true, it is really true!” Rena said almost beneath her breath.
The Earl lowered his voice. “Let’s get back to the house. No one must know what we’ve found or that we’ve been here. The rest need to be brought up by experts who know how to treat them so that they won’t be damaged.”
As he spoke he put the soil he was holding into the pocket of his coat. Then, putting his arm round Rena, he took her back the way they had come. Only when they reached the house and went in through the front door, did the Earl speak.
“You’ve saved me,” he said. “At least for the moment, you’ve saved me from feeling nothing but despair for this house and all it contains.” Then he shook his head like a man in a dream. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“It’s Papa you should thank,” Rena said. “Do you really think there will be enough money for you to restore The Grange?”
“I cannot believe our luck is as good as that,” the Earl answered. “But even a little money is a tremendous help. It gives me a chance to think. But this must remain our secret.”
“Of course,” Rena promised. “Once word gets out and you’ll have the whole village digging up your land.”
“And the only person I want to share it with is you.”
Smiling, she shook her head. “It belongs to you.”
“Miss Colwell, please tell me something. When you first went to that place this morning, what were you praying for?”
“For a job,” she said simply. “I’ve ‘eaten the bread of idleness for the past two months,’ and frankly it’s beginning to taste rancid.”
“Then let me offer you a job, as my housekeeper.”
She stopped and stared at him. “You mean that?”
“It’s not much of a job. You’ve seen the place as it is. It would take a brave spirit even to contemplate taking it on? And indeed you are a brave spirit.”
“Am I?”
“Everything you’ve done today – I’m filled with admiration. You could take that huge task on, and defeat it. Oh, wait!”
“What is it?” she asked anxiously, seeing her lovely new job vanishing before her eyes.
“Perhaps your family wouldn’t care for you to take such a post. They might think it beneath you.”
“Mama’s family probably would. They were Sunninghills, and very proud of it.”
“You’re a Sunninghill? There’s an Admiral Sunninghill.”
“My third cousin. Or fourth. Or fifth maybe.”
“He might object.”
She stopped and faced him. “My lord, are you still in the Navy?”
“No.”
“Then Admiral Sunninghill’s disapprobation is neither here nor there.”
With a slight dismissive gesture, Rena disposed of Admiral Sunninghill and all his works.
“But you?”