Authors: Iris Gower
Firebird (52 page)
âLlinos, my little Firebird, how can I resist you when you look at me like that?'
The pounding of horses' hooves at first seemed to be the drumming of blood in his head. Joe felt the prickling of the hair rising at the back of his neck. A sense of danger hung heavily in the air.
Then he saw him: Eynon, his hair flying, was riding his horse as though the demons of hell were after him. The animal was foaming at the mouth, eyes rolling. Eynon was heading the animal straight for the rocky headland that fell away into a wide gorge.
Joe measured the distance with his eyes, the flying hooves were coming closer. He was all native now, his senses alive. As he sprung towards the crazed animal, he heard Llinos scream. He caught the reins and held on, dragged across the ground close to the pounding hooves, too close. The world dissolved around him and he was drawn through a tunnel of flashing lights that faded abruptly into complete darkness.
Llinos stood for a moment, paralysed with fear. She saw Joe being dragged along the ground, watched horrified as the animal lashed out, hooves flying. Joe rolled sideways and lay quite still.
The horse, crazed with fear, tried to turn away from the abyss, the creature reared, mane streaming, then fell heavily, slender legs beating the air. Slowly, the horse rolled over, crushing Eynon beneath its broad back.
Llinos started to run, she cried out and the wind took her words and tossed them over the mountainside. She could scarcely breathe as she fell onto her knees beside Joe.
âMy love!' She drew his head to her breast and rocked him as though he were a baby. âJoe, Joe!'
As if in answer to her voice, she felt him stir against her, a small trickle of blood was making a rivulet along his forehead.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked as though to clear his head.
âI'm all right,' he said. âDon't cry, Llinos.' He sat up, rubbing his hand across his eyes. âGo and see to Eynon.'
âJoe, I don't want to leave you.'
âI'm just dazed, I'll be all right in a minute.'
Reluctantly, Llinos left him and hurried to where Eynon was lying spread-eagled across the grass. His arms were flung outwards across the ground, his leg was trapped beneath the body of his horse.
Llinos bent over him, fighting a sense of unreality. It was like living in a nightmare. âEynon!' There was a gash across his jaw and his eyes were beginning to swell. Llinos tried to pull him free of the animal and he groaned in pain.
âHe's alive,' Llinos called over her shoulder. Joe was already on his feet. He limped across the intervening ground and knelt beside the fallen horse.
He took out his knife and began to dig the earth away from beneath Eynon's trapped leg. Feeling the movement, Eynon opened his eyes and groaned. He tried to get up but Joe put a restraining hand on his shoulder.
âMy grey,' Eynon said. âIs he . . .?'
âHe feels nothing. Lie still, I'll have you free before you know it.'
As Joe dug away the earth, Llinos held Eynon's hand, talking quietly, encouraging him to keep up his spirits.
The sun was dying in the sky by the time Joe was able to pull Eynon free of the dead horse. As he did so, Eynon cried out in agony. From the angle of his foot it was clear a bone was broken.
Joe worked rapidly. He found two stout branches and bound the injured leg with the reins he had taken from the dead horse.
âYou stay here with him, Llinos.' Joe rested his hand on her shoulder. âI'll go and fetch help.'
âJoe, are you sure you're all right?' She looked up at him anxiously and he smiled.
âI'm not ready to die, Llinos, not just now.'
She watched as he walked away, still limping, and then she sat on the ground, edging closer to Eynon. She lifted his head into her lap and caressed his cheek.
âSilly, Eynon, riding like a mad thing,' she said. âYou could have killed yourself!'
Eynon sighed heavily and after a moment looked up at her.
âI'm a bastard, Llinos, illegitimate.' The words fell into the silence and hung there for what seemed an eternity.
âWho told you that?' Llinos said at last. âNo, don't tell me, Georgina has been talking to you, hasn't she?'
He nodded.
âAnd you believed her, just like that? Didn't you think to find out the truth, Eynon?'
âI have. I spoke to Timothy Beresford, he confirmed it. My mother' â he laughed shortly â âthe woman I thought was my mother, took me from a poor family and brought me up as her own. She did it just to get back at my father.' He sighed.
âI believe her money is mine, she's willed it to me,' he said, âbut that's not important, it's just the thought that nobody cared enough to love me for myself. Not my real mother who gave me away nor my adopted mother.'
He glanced remorsefully at his horse. âI should have been lying there dead.'
Llinos touched his cheek. âI love you and I'm sure your mother must have loved you, too. Things are not always as simple as they seem. When you are poor, a great deal of what you do is forced on you.'
He sighed. âDo you know, Georgina actually smiled as she smashed my life into pieces. How can people be so unkind, Llinos?'
âGreed, spite, fear. Any number of reasons.'
The darkness was creeping round them, spreading shadowy fingers over the uneven ground and turning the rocks below into a chasm of blackness. Llinos was relieved when at last she heard the sound of carriage wheels coming towards them.
Joe was riding a wagon across the uneven land and Ben and Jim Cooper were with him, both men holding lanterns.
As he drew in the reins, Joe smiled down at her and in the dim light she saw the heavy bruising on his temple and fear caught her by the throat. How easily she might have lost him. He turned to the men at his side.
âHelp me to lift Mr Morton-Edwards into the wagon, carefully now, Jim, you don't know your own strength.'
Eynon bit his lip as he was lifted bodily and placed on a blanket, his broken leg stretched before him.
âSoon have you back in civilization, Eynon,' Joe said. He put his hand around Llinos's waist. âClimb in.' She rested her head for a moment on his chest, feeling his heart beat rapidly beneath his shirt.
âGo on, get in. I'll see you later.'
âLater?' She looked up at him.
âI'll stay behind, deal with the horse.'
Llinos sat beside Eynon and he caught her hand, grimacing in pain. âI think the fall has jarred the big bone in my leg, the one I broke before,' he said through clenched teeth.
âIt won't be long now, we'll have you down at the doctor's house in no time.'
She stared over the edge of the wagon. Joe was beside her, looking into her face, his hair flying loose in the breeze. They touched hands briefly and then the cart jolted into movement. When Llinos looked back, Joe was a distant figure on the horizon.
When at last Llinos was able to take Eynon home, Maura was standing in the doorway, the candles behind her filling the hall with light.
âOld Ben rode over to tell me what happened.' She ignored Llinos and spoke directly to Eynon. âI've got a bed set up in the side room. It will be light in there and you can look out onto the garden. If it's fine, I can open the French doors for you to get a breath of fresh air.'
Eynon forced a smile. âThank you, Maura, I appreciate your kindness.'
âGo away with you! I'm doing what I'm paid for and nothing more.'
âIf that's a reminder that you haven't been paid for weeks, point taken.'
âLooks like the doctor took good care of you,' Maura said drily. âIf you can smile and joke you must be feeling better.'
Maura's back was turned deliberately, shutting Llinos out. Maura had always been impertinent and yet now there was something sad and lost about her. She turned to Llinos abruptly as if sensing her thoughts.
âYou'll be getting married soon, I hear.' Maura looked at her with hooded eyes. âThe half-breed, is it?'
âDo you have to be so unpleasant? Can't you just wish me luck, Maura?'
âAye, maybe so but then I don't hold with marriage. Married one day and deserted the next, fine judge I am of men.'
Llinos turned away. âIf you don't mind, Eynon, I'd better get back home,' she said. âI'll come and see you tomorrow.'
He held up his hand. âLlinos, thank you and Joe, tell him . . .' His words trailed away and Llinos smiled.
âI know. Now, don't worry, everything is going to be all right.'
She stepped out briskly along the roadway, glad of the breeze against her hot cheeks. She was exhausted, the accident had upset her more than she was willing to admit.
Llinos reached the banks of the river Tawe and paused for breath. The walk was much longer than she had anticipated. She sat down on a fallen log and looked at the swiftly flowing river, the water was rising, it must be high tide. Llinos closed her eyes, feeling the calming effect of the rushing water drain away her tension.
âLlinos, what are you doing here?' Philip was beside her suddenly, his face shadowed in the moonlight.
Startled, she looked up at him. âI'm fine, thank you. I've walked a long way and I'm tired, that's all.'
He sat beside her, his booted feet jutting out before him. He looked older than she remembered, his hair was thinning and the lines had deepened around his mouth.
âPhilip, there's been an accident.'
âWhat sort of accident?'
âEynon had a fall from his horse. He's got a broken bone but the doctor says he will make a complete recovery.'
He frowned. âWhen did this happen? Why am I always the last one to know what's going on?'
âJoe and I were on the spot,' Llinos said. âEynon is all right, there's nothing to worry about. He's very upset, of course. Philip, did your wife have to be so cruel breaking the news about his birth the way she did?'
âIf the truth hurts, so be it,' Philip said harshly.
She looked at him closely. âGeorgina was wrong about one thing, Eynon is not penniless.' She smiled. âHis mother made a will, it's all legal, the lawyer told him so.'
âWell, I shall see about that! In any event, Eynon is not my son, and I'm glad, do you hear me, glad! Now I know why I have never cared for him.'
âYou never cared for him because you are a cruel, sadistic man and greedy to boot,' Llinos said angrily.
Philip seemed to slump sideways and suddenly he was leaning heavily against her. She touched his shoulder.
âPhilip, are you all right?'
âNo, I don't think I am. Will you walk to the house with me, I feel quite ill.'
Llinos hesitated but she had no choice but to comply. Already tired, she found progress over the uneven ground was intolerably slow, and Philip was breathing heavily. He must be very sick indeed to ask her for help. The sooner she got him home the better.
It was a relief when the grounds of the Tawe Pottery came into sight. Llinos guided Philip towards the door and, as it swung open, the maid looked at them with raised eyebrows.
âCall your mistress,' Llinos said. Philip grasped her arm and drew her into the sitting-room. Georgina rose to her feet, staring in open-mouthed surprise at them.
âPhilip is not feeling well,' Llinos said abruptly. She helped him to a chair and he held on to both her hands. To her surprise, his grip tightened, became stronger and when she struggled to pull away, he held her fast.
âShe is a meddlesome nuisance.' He glanced at his wife. âBut she has reminded me of some very interesting information.'
âWhat information is that, darling?' Georgina stared at Llinos as though she was little more than a creature to be trampled underfoot.
âThere is a will made by my conniving first wife. Her brothers were involved in all this and Timothy Beresford, too, for if I'm any judge he always did have a soft spot for my wife.'
âLet me go!' Llinos said, trying to free herself, but Philip's grip became cruel, his nails biting into the flesh of her wrists.
âI'm afraid you are not going anywhere,' he said reasonably, though his eyes seemed to burn like coals in his head. âAt least not until we've dealt with these wills, if they exist at all.'
âWhat's to stop me talking to people when you do release me?' Llinos said hotly.
âOnce I've attended to the matter, you can do your worst, my dear. No wills, no proof. I'm sure you understand.'
He looked up at his wife. âI'll take her down to the disused shed and lock her in there. She can scream her head off and no-one will hear.'
Llinos saw Philip lift his hand. Saw it clench into a fist. And then the world exploded into a myriad of colours that slowly faded away into blackness.
âGood work, men,' Jim said. âThat's the explosives in place.' He was waist deep in river water. âIt's high tide tonight,' he said. âWith luck it will flood all the buildings of the Tawe Pottery. We'll show Philip Morton-Edwards that we can play dirty tricks just as well as he can.'
He looked across the narrowest part of the river. The bank rose to a height of about ten feet. The blast, he judged, would cut a swathe in the earth and allow the water to gush into the pottery. The water would eventually find its own level but it would flood landwards just long enough to cause trouble for that bastard Morton-Edwards.
The best part of it was that no-one would be harmed. The houses were too high to be flooded. After an hour or two the tide would be on the ebb and the river would return to normal.
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