“I am now.” Ben moved over and leaned down, and his mouth found Jonah’s for a soft, sweet moment. “Thank you.”
Jonah’s hand clutched his hair, drawing him closer, just as footsteps clattered along the stone passageway. Ben pulled away, leaving Jonah sitting on the bed, as Agnes burst in without knocking.
“Ma says company’s here and where’s Jonah?” she announced shrilly.
“I’m here.” Jonah rose gracefully. “And this is for you.” He handed Agnes one of the bags of sweetmeats. Her eyes opened wide, and she flung herself at Jonah in a hug that caught him off balance and sent him staggering back onto the bed, laughing helplessly.
Then it was a glorious night. The Green Man was full of company, more than Ben had seen there before, or Mrs. Linney had seen in a long time, judging by her reaction. Jonah shone as he drew the ale, that was the only word for it, with a glow of happiness that forced Ben to avoid making eye contact in case they gave themselves away altogether. Half the village seemed to be here, and Jonah was ready with a witty remark for anyone who wanted it, charming them all. Ben, in his shirtsleeves, acted as potboy, clearing the tables of tankards and keeping an eye on who was drinking too much. Mrs. Linney did the same, plus an eye on Bethany, who was mostly ignoring her duties to whisper in the corner with a well-built young man.
“Everything all right?” Ben asked, coming by with a tray of tankards for washing.
“That girl.” Mrs. Linney frowned. “Billing and cooing with young Aaron Tapley. A good boy, I dare say, but still a boy, and you know what that means.”
“I do,” Ben agreed. “But there’s no harm to be done while they’re in here under everyone’s eye.”
“Aye. So you make sure they stay there while I wash these, will you?”
That proved to be prescient, as Bethany and Aaron took immediate advantage of her mother’s absence to slip out. Ben gave them a couple of minutes, for the sake of youth, before he followed, coming through the door with a meaningful cough that made the young lovers spring apart.
“Just taking the air,” Bethany said defiantly.
“Very fresh it is, too,” Ben agreed. “Fresher than inside, and a lot darker.”
“Did Ma send you to get me in?” Bethany sounded mulish. “I shan’t. I’m a grown girl, I can take a turn with my young man if I please and you’ve no say in it.”
“Indeed I don’t,” Ben agreed. “Carry on.” He rested his shoulder blades on the damp wall, giving the impression of a man prepared to play gooseberry forever.
Bethany gave him a puzzled look. “Are you just going to stand there?”
“I’m a grown man,” Ben pointed out. “I can stand against a wall if I please and you’ve no say in it.”
Aaron gave a snort of laughter. “’E ’as tha thurr, Bethy.” His accent was almost impenetrably thick, unlike Mrs. Linney’s. Ben’s ear was still adapting to the Cornish speech. “Whyn’t ee go in an’ us follow drekkly?”
“Drekkly,” Ben said. “Does that mean in about twenty minutes, when you think Mrs. Linney is likely to be out of the kitchen?” Aaron’s grin suggested that was what he did mean. Ben sighed. “You can have precisely two minutes and then I’ll haul you both in by the ears because Jonah needs some help in there. How’s that?”
It sufficed. Bethany was not so lost in romance as to ignore the needs of business altogether, and after her two minutes’ grace, she set back to work with a will. Aaron looked after her with a fond, if not overbright grin, but it was Ben he came to some half an hour later.
“Bill Penrose there,” he whispered, with a clutch on Ben’s sleeve. “Bit fuddled, un.” He made a “watch out” sort of face. Ben looked in the direction indicated and saw a big man with a face like crumpled hide weaving his way to the bar. Jonah glanced at him, and over at Ben, who shook his head as he began to make his way through the chairs and tables. He noticed that people were edging away from Bill Penrose, holding their drinks protectively.
“Ale.” Penrose thumped the blackened oak bar with a hand that was scarcely less tanned with age than the ancient wood.
“I think you’ve had enough,” Ben suggested mildly, coming up behind him, and wasn’t surprised to see the big fist clench. He readied himself to dodge, grab and twist, but even as Penrose turned, Jonah’s hand had come out to touch his leathery skin.
“Listen to me, you’ve had enough.” Jonah spoke with sublime confidence. “You’re tired. It’s been a long day for us all, and you’ll feel better if you call it a night now and sleep it off.”
“Good advice,” Ben chimed in, hoping nobody had noticed anything peculiar in that. “You’ll feel much the best for a sleep.”