The Oak Apple by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Author:Cynthia Harrod-Eagles [Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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Though Edmund had made more concessions to Richard and his wife and servants than pleased him or anyone else at Morland Place, Katherine and Richard were very unhappy with their progress. At night, when they had retired behind the curtains of their bed and their three servants were reassuringly snoring on the other side of the room, they would pray and talk over their situation, before going to sleep. Though they slept in the same bed, their bodies never came into contact, for Katherine slept under the sheet and Richard on top of it, so that there was always a fold of the Linen between them. It was Katherine who had taught Richard that the pure in heart never had carnal relations, and that carnal thoughts were sent by the Devil.

'Our marriage is ordained by God for a higher purpose,' she had said often and often, and she praised Richard for resisting his base nature until Richard, not liking always to be the inferior member of the partnership, denied any more having any urges to resist. It was largely true. He had fallen in love with Katherine for her mental qualities rather than her physical ones, and if he sometimes felt hot and uncomfortable and had strange dreams, he did not trouble to seek out the reason. Feeling uncomfortable and unhappy was so much a part of his life by now that he would have missed the feelings had they changed.

'Husband,' Katherine said on this particular night, 'we are not drawing this household any closer to God. All the months we have been here, not one single soul has seen the light of the true religion. Not one soul saved, Richard!'

Richard shifted restlessly. 'Well I don't see what we can do about it,' he said. 'The servants all hate me - they hardly even speak if I ask them a direct question.'

'You are starting at the wrong end,' Katherine said severely. 'The servants in a house will do pretty much what the master does. Your father, Richard, must be persuaded to close the chapel. You must save him! Once he has been reborn, we can begin on the others. The children - that heathen priest must be got rid of. And your stepmother -though,' she added thoughtfully, 'I'm not sure that she might not be more difficult than your father.'

'Well, I still don't see what more I can do,' Richard muttered. 'I try to talk to Father, but he never listens to me. It's as much as I can do to get a moment with him - it's always "Not now, I'm busy" when I go to him.'

'I know,' Katherine said more kindly, 'and I have been thinking about the problem. I know that you do your best, but the truth is you do not have much influence with your father.'

'It isn't my fault,' Richard began to protest, and in the dark Katherine reached out a hand and patted his shoulder.

'I know, husband. That is why I have been thinking how we can increase your influence.

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