Chapter 16

We walked through the wood and down the hill toward the estate, as we did so we were joined by tenants and estate workers. Many of them remembered me and came forward to shake my hand.

As we got nearer the house, we saw a large group of horsemen trotting up the track toward the house, Bryn called out for all the men to reload. There must have been thirty or forty horses.

It was only when we got neared that I saw Charles Brashleigh, he was riding next to his father and behind them rode Father Crilly. The staff from the house came out, including Mary. She dropped to her knees as I walked up the steps.

“John, forgive me, he deceived me, he told me you were a fake, a charlatan “she cried, tears rolled down her face.

“Get up Mary “I ordered, “Go and pack your bags and leave the estate before I change my mind”

“But John...” she started to say but I cut her short.

“Mary, you should leave my estate now or I will have you flogged,” I said, she looked at me and her eyes were filled with fear. Then she turned and ran into the house, minutes later she came back and walked up the track that led to the main road.

Charles Brashliegh and his father, Sir Charles Brashleigh, walked up the steps and greeted me like long lost friends. Crilly shook my hand and stood with Charles. They both asked me how things had gone since they had last seen me, it was obvious Charles had not told Crilly about our little adventure or about the killing of Cuthbert.

The Charles introduced me to his father, he told me he remembered me from when I was a child and I had gone to his house with my father, he passed on his condolences for my fathers’ death.

While we had been talking more villagers and estate tenants had arrived and a crowd of around three hundred people stood at the steps of the hall. Even Old George Treglown and his daughters Sally and Emily had to come to see what all the fuss was about.

Charles and his father came to stand beside me. It was Sir Charles that took over.

“Right John let me put all this trouble to bed for you,” he said.

He and his son walked to the top of the steps and called out for the crowd to be quiet, it took a good ten minutes for the crowd to come to order, and I am sure without the ship’s crew they would have at all.

“Right, many of you know me, I am Sir Charles Brashleigh, and this is my son Charles “he shouted, “I am a Lord of this land, I am the local justice of the peace!”

He paused and many of the crowd shouted out they knew of him; he raised his hand to stop them

“I am telling you now that the man next to me is the real Squire Trelawny, he is the son and heir of the old squire. “he shouted, “Arthur Jacobs was an imposter and he tried to have John Trelawny killed”

There were some murmurs from the crowd, but they soon settled down.