Penmarric Jan's narration 2

 Jan renews his affair with Rebecca, Jonas' mother but he is not sure if he wants to marry her.  She has always been reluctant to marry him, claiming that Hugh was the one she really care for.  Jan finds her exasperating at times partly because of her mixed social heritage.  She is awkward with the Castallacks because of her farmer father's background. 

Jan also finds Jonas spoiled and tiresome.  But he continues with the affair for a time.  Then another tragedy strikes.  Philip is killed while exploring old mines with Esmond.  His death at only 41 comes as a shock to Jeanne, who is now remarried and having a baby, and she dies giving birth to a stillborn child.  Jan is very shaken as he has grown much closer to his brother.. but he now has inherited Penmarric. He has achieved his ambition.  However when Rebecca finds that he has cut her son out of the estate, she is furious and breaks off with him. 

Jan is lonely after this, since his mother does not want to live in Penmarric and remains at Roslyn farm.. and while he is busy with the estate, he feels that he and Rebecca will never get over this break up.  Soon afterwards, he meets a young woman, some years his junior, who is the daughter of a former army officer, and who is very beautiful.  She is engaged to another man but Jan beleives that she is only marrying him to get away from her parents.   He persuades her to break off her engagement and marry him instead.  

Janna is a little wary of Isabella but decides that she genuinely loves Jan and will make him happy.  They get married and settle down at Penmarric but war is looming,  now... Jan is very happy with his new wife but he does find on their wedding night that she was not a virgin, and this worries him a little that she might be unfaithful if  she is not kept busy and happy.   

The couple are busy running the estate and visiting London at times, but then Rebecca reappears in Jan's life.  She tells him that she's pregnant, that she had a brief affair with a schoolmaster who had been staying as a summer guest in her farmhouse, and became pregnant.  The man has deserted her and she needs help.