Arian (26 page)

Fish was cheap, coming up from Swansea Docks but there were only so many ways of making fish appetizing and today, Arian had declined to eat with Eline and Will. Now she was sorry.

Still, she had no cause to complain. At least she had a roof over her head and a job to do and, more to the point, she was well away from the sight of Gerald Simples.

She had, at the first opportunity, taken the wedding ring from her finger and thrown it into the sea, as if by that act she could break the ties that bound her to him. When she had come to Clydach she had reverted to her maiden name, unwilling to be called Mrs Simples a moment longer.

Arian still burned with anger when she thought of how Simples had coerced her into marrying him and, worse, had tricked her into going into his bed. She shuddered as she recalled his embraces and her cheeks flamed as she remembered doing his bidding, helping him to take his pleasure of her. Well one day he would pay dearly for what he had done.

She stopped at the cottage on the edge of the hillside and knocked at the door which was standing slightly ajar.

‘
Bore da
, Miss Smale.’ Jono Morgan was smiling down at her; a big, beefy man who had worked on the planning of the new nickel works that were coming to Clydach. Already he was an admirer.

‘Good morning, to you too, Jono,’ she replied. ‘I’ve brought your boots back. Worked hard on them, I did, mind.’ It was with amusement she realized she was falling into the Welsh pattern of speech, influenced no doubt by the people in the village.

‘Come in,
merchi
. Have a sit down by here in the kitchen. Look fagged out, you do.’

Arian followed him into the warm kitchen that smelled of meat freshly roasted and she swallowed hard as she set down her basket.

‘
Duw
, there’s pale you are,’ Jono said gently. ‘I’ll make us a nice cup of tea, shall I?’

‘Please. Something smells nice.’ Arian glanced towards the oven beside which a bright fire burned. ‘Just about to have your supper, were you?’

‘Aye, I was that. Like to take food with me, Miss Smale? Honoured I’d be, mind.’

Arian hesitated and Jono; seeing her hesitation, spoke quickly. ‘It’s settled. You’ll stay. Miserable, it is, breaking bread alone.’

Arian felt soothed and rested as she sat in the cosy room watching Jono deftly cut the roast meat into slices. Beside the meat, he spooned a mound of vegetables and Arian smiled.

‘I’m a woman, not a horse,’ she said in amusement. ‘I’ll never eat all that.’

‘Well do your best,
merchi
, and what you don’t want you leave, right?’

It was strange and rather nice being called a girl by this big Welshman. Jono was not handsome. His face was rugged, pitted with blue scars that betrayed his past. Sometime, Jono must have worked the mines, his cuts and grazes becoming impregnated with coal dust but now he was to be something high up in the works.

‘Know me next time, will you?’ Jono was smiling and Arian became aware that she was staring at him. She returned his smile.

‘Aye, I’ll know you, Jono the Mond. How could I forget such an ugly face then?’

‘Oh, a pretty compliment, I must say!’ Jono pretended indignation. ‘And I thought I was winning you over with my charm.’

‘Winning me over with your cooking, more like,’ Arian said. ‘This meat is done to a turn. You’ll make someone a fine wife one day.’

‘I can cook when I have to but I’d rather have a pretty young girl in my house, serving my food.’ Jono had stopped smiling and Arian realized she’d led him into what was becoming a far too personal line of conversation.

‘I’m sure you’ve had more than your fair share of those,’ she said briskly. They ate in companionable silence and then Arian sat back in her chair with a sigh of gratification. ‘That was lovely. Now then, about your boots.’ She pushed away her empty plate. ‘I think you’ll find them satisfactory, though try not to wear them down quite so much next time. You’d gone through to the uppers.’

Her attempt to change the subject fell on deaf ears. Jono leaned across the table and imprisoned her hand in his. ‘I’ve had my fair share of young ladies, yes, more than my fair share if the truth be told, but never a girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.’

Arian sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Jono.’ She knew she would have to be honest with him. ‘I’m not a single girl, I’m married.’

He jerked back from her, his eyebrows raised. ‘Married? Well where’s your husband, then? What’s he thinking about, letting you run about the countryside alone?’

‘It was a mistake,’ Arian said. ‘The marriage, I mean. I didn’t love him and when I found he’d cheated on me, I left him.’

‘Duw,’ Jono said, ‘that took a bit of guts.’ He stopped in confusion. ‘I don’t suppose I should be so familiar seeing as you are a married lady, but I can’t think of you as anything but a pretty little girl.’

Arian was flattered. Jono was an honest man and she felt able to trust him with the truth. ‘He’ll be back from France some day, I suppose, and I don’t want him to find me, so please, Jono, don’t talk about this to anyone.’

‘A man who cheats on you with another woman must be a real waster,’ Jono said misinterpreting what Arian had told him. ‘Deserves a good hiding, does a rat like that.’

Arian decided to let him believe what he wished, it was far too complicated to explain matters to him. She rose to her feet.

‘Well, thank you for a lovely supper.’ She looked longingly at the big piece of beef standing on the table. How Eline and Will would love to get their teeth into that.

‘Why don’t you take this with you?’ Jono said, quickly wrapping the meat in a muslin cloth. ‘I don’t want any more of it and I can’t be bothered storing the stuff.’

Arian bit her lip. Jono’s kindness touched her deeply. She rested a hand on his arm.

‘I wish I could have fallen in love with a man like you, Jono,’ she said softly. ‘I know you would have cherished me and cared for me …’ she smiled to relieve the intensity of the moment, ‘and kept me well fed into the bargain.’

‘Well if ever you need me, I will be here. That is a promise,’ Jono said softly.

Arian was aware of him watching as she moved away up the valley road. At least, she thought warmly, because of Jono she was able to take a fine supper home to Eline and Will.

She sighed heavily. This period of hardship was only temporary, she felt it in her bones. There must be better than this in her future. She hoisted the heavy basket higher and taking a deep breath, walked forward with her head high.

Gerald Simples stepped down from the gang plank, glad to leave the unsteady deck of the
Marie Clare
behind him. The master was beginning to get on his nerves. Paul Marchant asked too many questions.

He stared around him, drinking in the familiar scents of Swansea Docks. The salt air and the smell of tar mingled with the acrid stench of fish being unloaded from one of the ships. He thrust his hand into his pocket, staring around him uncertainly. He wondered if he should go to Arian’s office on the quayside or take the road straight to Stormhill.

He was slightly uneasy about his reception. It was more than probable that Calvin Temple would still be in ignorance about the way his funds had been diverted but there was always that unlucky chance that, over the past weeks, the books might have been properly scrutinized.

He smiled to himself. He was worrying about nothing. It was unlikely that there would be any hitches in his plans. In all probability, he would continue quite happily investing Temple’s money. From now on, he would be careful to take only the occasional ‘commission’ from the funds. It didn’t do to become greedy.

The French end of things he’d managed quite well – a few pockets lined, a bribe here and there, and his connection with the fraudulent company was hushed up. Money usually did the trick, he found, whatever country he was in. The fact that he spoke fluent French also helped oil the wheels on this occasion.

He sighed. It would be good to see his wife again. Arian had submitted most sweetly to his desires and if she wasn’t entirely enthusiastic about the marriage, he could put up with that. How many wives were eager in the bedchamber? Not many, if bar-room gossip was anything to go by.

He decided to go by the office first and set out briskly along the quayside. Soon, he thought warmly, he would hold Arian in his arms, take possession of her lithe young body. And if he could never own her soul, so be it.

The office was closed and, peering into the windows, Gerald saw that the desk was covered in dust. It was quite obvious that no-one had occupied the place for some time.

His uneasiness growing, he made his way out of the docks and along the huddle of crowded streets that flanked the harbour, wondering if anything could have happened to Arian. He could only hope that she’d remained in ignorance of what he’d done. If she ever found him out, he could kiss goodbye to her co-operation. She would have nothing more to do with him.

On the hillside, the air was cooler and fresher, the breeze coming in from the sweep of Swansea Bay sweet and clean. It was here on the grassy slopes of Mount Pleasant and the Uplands that the rich of the town had their big houses, fine houses built for style and elegance, built to withstand the ravages of time.

Stormhill stood out from the other buildings, the sheer size and elegance of it dwarfing the surrounding houses so that they shrank into insignificance beneath the crenellated towers and sprouting chimneys of the manor house.

Gerald walked around the back of the building and entered through the kitchen door, breathing in the familiar smells with a sudden, unexpected sense of home-coming. Gerald had never had a real home – he had been little more than a tolerated guest wherever he’d lived.

Mrs Bob was working as usual, rolling pastry, sleeves pushed up above plump elbows. Gerald nodded to her, aware of the curiosity in her glance but, without pausing, he climbed the stairs to the back hallways. The sooner he saw Temple the better.

‘Bella!’ Gerald called to the young maid, and after a moment she appeared from one of the large rooms, her eyes wide.

‘Bella, is his lordship at home?’ he asked, his eyes shrewd as he saw the flustered look on the girl’s face. Something had happened in his absence, but what?

‘He’s in the study. Shall I tell him you’re here, Mr Simples?’ Bella sounded breathless.

‘Wait a moment,’ Gerald said. ‘Where is Arian? Is she at home?’

‘Oh, she’s gone away, Mr Simples.’ Bella clasped her hands together in an agony of embarrassment. ‘Went off sudden-like, she did. Don’t know where, mind.’

Gerald felt cold. It was clear that his plans had gone awry but how much did his lordship know?

‘Go and announce me then, what are you waiting for?’ he said abruptly.

Lord Temple was seated at his desk, a pen in his hand, some open books on the table before him. Gerald knew then that the worst had happened – the fraud had been discovered. He mentally shook himself, nothing could be proven. So he had made a mistake, it happened.

Temple was silent, waiting for Gerald to speak. He cleared his throat. ‘Is anything wrong, Lord Temple?’ he asked solicitously.

‘I should have thought you would know better than to ask that, Simples.’ Temple sounded as though he was making an effort to contain his temper.

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ Gerald’s composure held. ‘I realize that the entire operation has failed. The French calf company was not the sound investment I thought it was. I can only apologize and try to make it up to you.’

‘It seems
any
investment you made on my behalf was doomed to failure. It’s clear you’ve embezzled large amounts of money.’

‘Not embezzlement, surely, sir,’ Gerald said calmly. ‘I, and Arian too, made those payments and investments in good faith. It was never possible to know that this company was shaky.’

Calvin Temple rose to his feet then, his face red. ‘I could forget the matter of the money,’ he said icily, ‘it might indeed have been an ill-advised move on your part.’ He paused as if to gain control. ‘What I can’t forgive is that you coerced Arian into marriage, a marriage she didn’t want. You used her regard for me to blackmail her into your bed.’

Gerald feigned astonishment. ‘Is that what she told you?’ he asked.

‘Are you denying it?’ Temple moved a pace forward as though to attack him but Gerald stood his ground.

‘I did Arian a favour,’ he said calmly. ‘I married her to save her from a French jail. At first the authorities were holding
her
responsible for the whole débâcle. Then, sir, they turned their attention to your part in all this.’ He shrugged in what he hoped was a self-deprecating manner.

‘I had to work damn hard to get the charges against us dropped, believe me.’

‘Arian said nothing about any charges.’ Temple sounded uncertain now and Gerald felt a moment of triumph.

‘Where is she?’ he asked. ‘I shall ask her to tell you the truth, all of it.’

‘How can I believe you?’ Temple rubbed at his hair. ‘How can I believe either of you?’

Gerald sighed. ‘Go to France yourself, sir. Look at the police records, if you wish. Arian was held in custody until I took responsibility for her. It was only because I took the step of marrying her that she was set free. The police practically stood over us until the ceremony was performed. It was what she wanted, what we both wanted.’

‘Get out of my sight.’ Temple turned away. ‘You deserve each other. I don’t think either of you would know the truth if it bit you. Go, leave my house and be thankful you are not facing charges here in Swansea.’

Gerald left the room. This was not the outcome he had hoped for but at least he was walking away a free man. He packed his few possessions and left Stormhill, if with some regrets then with a sigh of relief too. All in all, things had not worked out too badly.

He retraced his footsteps down the hillside. He would find good clean lodgings, make himself comfortable. It would need to be somewhere modest, at least for now – wouldn’t do to be seen splashing money about.

Money he had, quite a lot of it; all he wanted now was to find his wife and bring her home. In this, the law of the land was with him, he had the right to bring her to his home whatever her protests. Arian might not come willingly to his bed now, as she’d done in France but she was his wife and as such, she would have to learn obedience. He smiled in anticipation, he would very much enjoy teaching her.