‘Fattening me for the kill, is that it?’ I drank some wine and found that my head was spinning.
‘You’d better not drink too much of that stuff,’ Greyson said, smiling in a strangely carefree manner. ‘It’s very potent and goes straight to your head.’
‘Now he tells me!’ I laughed up at him, well aware that I was flirting. But it didn’t seem to matter any more. Nothing mattered any more, come to that. ‘Who cares who or what I really am, anyway? If I’m not here, does anyone stand to gain? No, of course not!’
I answered my own question, and Greyson’s eyes were suddenly serious.
‘No one wants me,’ I said, widening my eyes in mock tragedy. ‘No, I’m not wanted by anyone at all.’
I looked at Greyson, and his face seemed to blur before my eyes.
‘Charlotte, I think I’d better take you outside into the fresh air,’ he said, and caught my arm and led me out to the yard.
‘People say they want me,’ I continued. ‘Uncle Tom says he wants me, but that’s just because I’ll be company for him when you go to live at Winston. And Edmund tells me he wants me to be his wife, but I think he depends on me. He has ever since I beat him at running, when we were children.’ I laughed a little hysterically. ‘The most unwanted person in the world, that’s what I am.’
I fell crying against Greyson’s shoulder, and his hands were gentle as he brushed away my tangled hair.
‘Come on; back to the coach. We are nearly there.’
He had almost to lift me inside, and then I slumped back against the cushions and promptly fell asleep.
* * *
I became aware that something was banging insistently, and, startled, I sat up, straightening my dress around my ankles. Sleepily I looked out of the coach window to see Greyson knocking on the door of the tiny cottage. He disappeared around the back, and quickly stepped down into the hard, rough road.
‘Greyson, what is it?’ I shouted, and my voice was carried away by the wind.
He was leaning against the small window, and when I peered under his arm, I could see an overturned chair and pieces of broken crockery scattered over the floor.
‘What’s wrong?’ I said in a whisper.
Greyson turned on me, his eyes blazing and his arm uplifted as if he would strike me. I think I screamed and crouched back against the wall, and slowly he lowered his hand to his side.
‘Someone has gotten here first, to make sure she wouldn’t talk,’ he said, and the bitterness in his voice was like a knife turning inside me.
‘Greyson—’ I touched his arm, but he pulled away as if I were poison. ‘Greyson, I didn’t even know where we were going until this morning, and you’ve been with me all the time. How could I be involved in this?’
He didn’t appear to hear me, but walked away, and I had the feeling that if I didn’t hurry, he would leave me there alone on the barren hillside.
We spent the entire journey back sitting in silence, and I could almost feel the anger that was burning him up. I didn’t understand any of it, and furthermore, I wasn’t going to try. After this, I would have to leave. It was obvious that Greyson and I couldn’t remain together in the same house.
He didn’t help me from the coach. He walked away from me, his face set, and slowly I followed him, feeling more tired and despondent than ever in my life before.
Wenna came into the hall and put her arm around me.
‘Come up to bed, Charlotte. I’ll bring you something on a tray,’ she said softly, and I could see that even she was frightened by the mood Greyson was in.
‘Don’t worry, Wenna,’ I said. ‘I’m not hungry. But I’d like a drink; my throat is dry.’
When I was tucked into the sheets, Wenna held a cup to my lips, and gratefully I drank the hot tea. When I’d finished it there was a bitter taste in my mouth, and Wenna smiled reassuringly.
‘You’ll have a good sleep now, little one,’ she said.
* * *
Voices seemed to float above my head, and I lay quite still for a moment, trying to get my bearings. The bright sunlight struck against my eyelids, and suddenly a feeling of nausea almost overwhelmed me.
I sat up, aware that someone had just left the room, and I was angry that I was allowed no privacy in Plas Melyn.
Carefully I put my feet over the edge of the bed, and the room seemed to swing around me in large circles. I closed my eyes, but that only made it worse, and I forced myself to my feet and across to the bell.
Wenna brought me a tray of tea. I drank the steaming fragrant liquid, and after a few minutes the room returned to normal and I could sit up without feeling I was going to faint.
‘You look awful this morning,’ Wenna said bluntly. ‘Why don’t you stay in bed for a while?’
‘I think I will.’
Wearily I lay back against the pillows. One thing was certain: I couldn’t face Greyson this morning.
I slept a little and awoke feeling slightly better, but when I got out of bed, my legs were still weak and trembling. One of the maids brought in fuel for the fire, and I asked her for warm water so that I could bathe my face. I don’t think she understood me until I went through the pantomime of washing; then she smiled and nodded her head.
After I’d dressed I sat near the fire, wondering what I should do next. Should I write to Edmund and ask him to come and take me home? The thought was very tempting, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to spend my life with him. I suppose Greyson had made him seem just a little dim-witted and dull. I pushed the disloyal thought away quickly and went to the window. Perhaps a little fresh air would clear my mind.
I pulled aside the curtains that covered the glass door and, to my amazement, saw that bars had been placed over it. I peered out and saw with a shudder that the gaping hole in the floor boards hadn’t been repaired. I sighed. No doubt the bars there merely as a protection, but I had the unpleasant feeling that I was a prisoner.
Later, when Wenna brought me some food, I managed to eat a little, though the feeling of nausea still persisted to some extent.
‘I must leave here, Wenna,’ I said desperately. ‘I just can’t live in such an atmosphere any longer.’
Wenna sat down beside me. ‘Don’t talk of leaving, not yet a while.’
She was almost pleading with me. I looked at her in surprise. Since the day when she’d talked to me about my mother, she had reverted to her usual serene aloof self and had paid me only as much attention as was necessary. In fact, I had begun to doubt that the conversation had ever taken place at all.
‘Have patience, Charlotte. Everything will turn out for the best, you’ll see. Greyson is upset at the moment, but he’ll understand everything one day.’
I had no idea what she was talking about, but I was too tired to argue.
‘Soon,’ I said softly. ‘I’ll have to go soon.’
Suddenly I felt sleepy again, and my eyelids were too heavy to keep open. Wenna was leading me to the bed and tucking the clothes around me as if I were a child, talking to me soothingly in Welsh, and I relaxed and slept.
There was a loud knocking on the door, and before I could wake properly, Greyson was standing at the foot of the bed.
‘What is wrong with you, Charlotte?’ he said, his face angry and empty of any warmth.
‘I don’t know what’s wrong,’ I said, feeling as if I were swimming through a bowl of honey.
He stared at me for a long time, then came and took my hand. ‘My God, Charlotte, you are painfully thin. I think I’d better get a doctor for you.’
I struggled to sit up. ‘All I want to do is go home.’ I began to cry. ‘Please, Greyson, let me go to Winston for a few weeks. What harm can it possibly do?’
After agonising moments of indecision, he nodded. ‘All right, as you are so set on it; and you really do look ill.’ He came and sat beside me and sighed heavily. He looked so boyish and worried, with his dark hair ruffled, I had the strangest feeling that I wanted to protect him.
�
��Something is very wrong here, Greyson,’ I said. ‘You must find out what it is before it is too late.’
He stared at me for a moment, then put his arms round me and held me close. For a moment neither of us spoke, and I think he was almost as surprised by his action as I was. Slowly I reached up and touched his thick dark hair, and he pressed his cheek against mine and held me for several moments.
‘I think I’ve fallen in love with you, Charlotte, but the terrible thing is, I don’t trust you.’
I withdrew gently from his arms. ‘I know you don’t, but I can’t help that, Greyson. And I don’t even know what it is you suspect me of.’
He stood up and crossed the room, his eyes closed wearily as he stood before the fire. The only sound in the room was the fall of the logs in the grate as he considered what I had said.
‘All right.’ He spoke so suddenly that I jumped. ‘I’ll take you back to Winston. It’s obvious to me that you are ill, and I can’t watch you growing worse, that’s certain.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘I’ll make arrangements immediately, and we’ll see what a few weeks in your old home will do for you.’
Tears of joy came to my eyes, and impatiently I brushed them aside. I was going home; what more could I ask?
There was a knock on the door, and Wenna let herself in, glancing anxiously at me as she went to stand beside Greyson.
‘How is she?’ she asked quietly.
Greyson looked down at her and smiled. ‘Charlotte feels better already. I’ve promised to take her home.’ For a moment I thought Wenna would faint, and then somehow she pulled herself together.
‘Well, in that case I’d better see to everything,’ she said smoothly. And with her head high, she left the room.
Greyson grimaced. ‘I don’t think she wants you to leave,’ he said. ‘She doesn’t think you are well enough to travel. Perhaps she’s right.’
‘No!’ I said. ‘If I don’t go now, I’ve the feeling I’ll never see Winston again.’
He laughed. ‘A bit dramatic, my dear Charlotte.’ He sat near the bed once more and took my hand.
‘Greyson, will you take me out somewhere, please? I feel I must have some fresh air.’
He looked at me doubtfully. ‘I don’t know if that’s wise. I’m sure Wenna wouldn’t like it.’
‘Never mind Wenna. I’m asking you, and I remember saying I’d never ask you for any favours again, so you can see how much it means to me. I must get out of the Plas for an hour or two.’
‘All right. Get your things, and I’ll take you into Graig Melyn. Perhaps a change of scenery will do you good.’
As the coach rocked along the sea road, I breathed in the clean salty air, and at last my head began to clear. By the time we had walked through the gardens and looked into the shop windows, I felt ravenously hungry.
‘Come with me.’ Greyson smiled. ‘I know where we can get the crispest bread and the most mellow cheese in the whole of Wales. And afterwards we’ll have the creamiest cake we can find. ‘I’ll fatten you up!’
Laughing like children, we hurried through the streets, and as the sun shone warmly on my back, I wished the day could last forever.
* * *
‘Charlotte, are you awake?’ It was Wenna, and I glanced down at the cold tea in my cup and hastily tipped it into the plant bowl; then I lay on the bed and turned my face to the wall, pretending to sleep.
‘Poor little mite.’ Wenna was obviously standing over me. ‘I wish I could help you to be with your loved ones more quickly. Poor little Charlotte.’
She bent down and pulled a shawl over my shoulders, and her hands were gentle. How could I even suspect her of doing me harm? All the same, I kept quite still and listened as she moved around the room, opening cupboards and moving my possessions about.
Perhaps she was packing my clothes for me. I turned over onto my back. Hearing the movement, she glided over the floor and let herself out quietly.
I went to the cupboard and looked inside. There among my dresses was a box, and around it Wenna had tied some bright ribbons. Curiously I opened it and gasped in astonishment. Inside the box was the most beautiful gold and sapphire pendant I had ever seen. I picked it up and held it to the light, and a thousand candles might have been glowing behind the large stones.
There was a knock on the door, and quickly I hid the pendant behind my back.
‘Oh, you are awake now. Wenna told me to call you for tea,’ Greyson said as he came into the room, looking at me anxiously. ‘Is anything wrong, Charlotte? You look quite pale. I hope you are not feeling ill again. I had hoped you were improving.’
‘Look at this, Greyson. Wenna just put it in my cupboard.’ I held the gleaming trinket out, he came and took it from me.
‘Are you sure?’ he said in bewilderment. ‘Wenna has never owned anything as valuable as this, not to my knowledge, anyway.’
‘Of course I’m sure,’ I snapped impatiently. ‘I saw her put the box in my cupboard.’
‘Why didn’t she give you the box directly?’ Greyson sat down on the bed and examined the pendant closely.
For a moment I didn’t know how to answer. How could I tell him I had been feigning sleep?
‘I was half asleep, and I saw her put the box in the cupboard,’ I said. ‘I suppose she didn’t want to wake me.’
Greyson looked at me. ‘If you were half asleep, then you couldn’t be sure it was Wenna.’
I shrugged. ‘Of course it was Wenna. I heard her voice.’ As soon as I spoke, I realised how silly I sounded.
‘Whom was she speaking to, if you were half asleep?’ Greyson said quickly, and I had the feeling I was being cross-examined for some reason that I didn’t understand.
‘Why all this,’ I said, ‘just because Wenna left me a present? I wish I hadn’t shown you now.’
He threw the pendant at me. ‘There is an inscription that should interest you,’ he said. ‘That was one of the pieces of jewellery given to your mother from the Plas Melyn estate. It’s rumoured that there’s a great deal more of it hidden around the Plas, worth an awful lot of money.’
I stared at him. ‘I see. And that’s what you think I’m after, is it? You are afraid I might be entitled to my mother’s belongings, and you want them for yourself!’
He flushed a dull red. ‘They haven’t even been proved to exist yet, but if they do, I intend to make sure the right person gets them.’
‘It is obvious they exist.’ I went to the cupboard and brought out the emeralds; then I slipped the locket from my neck. ‘There is some of it; and you are welcome to it and to anything else that turns up. All I want to do is get away from here – as far away as possible!’
I sat down and began to cry, and after a while Greyson gently placed the jewels in my hands.
‘Take them,’ he said softly. ‘They will buy you a home as lovely as Winston, and more.’
I looked up at him hopefully. ‘Then you won’t consider letting me have Winston and keeping them for yourself? Look how much you could do to the Plas with all that money.’
He shook his head. ‘You mustn’t push your luck, Charlotte. Won’t you ever learn that?’
Chapter Eight
For a few days Greyson avoided me, but at last I managed to track him down in the library. He was sitting quietly in the firelight, his feet stretched out before him.
‘I must speak to you,’ I said quietly. ‘It’s about me going to Winston. You did agree, didn’t you?’
‘Sit down, Charlotte,’ he said, and his voice was filled with sadness.
Reluctantly I sat beside him, waiting for him to tell me what was wrong.
‘It’s my father,’ he said at last. ‘He’s very ill.’ He sighed and stirred the fire so that it flared for a moment, revealing his face, strained with worry and looking even thinner than usual.
‘Poor Uncle Tom,’ I said. ‘I’m sorry, Greyson.’
‘He’s coming home,’ he said. ‘The journey will probably do him more harm than good, but he wants to
be here.’ He looked at me. ‘You should understand the feeling, Charlotte; you love Winston so much.’
I bent my head, fiddling with the embroidery on my skirt and not knowing what to say.
‘You can go back to Winston, of course,’ Greyson said slowly, ‘but I’d appreciate it if you would stay here for a while. My father sets such store by you.’
Disappointment hung like a stone around my neck, but how could I refuse such a request?
‘I’ll stay as long as Uncle Tom needs me,’ I said quietly. ‘When will he arrive?’
Greyson moved a little in his chair. ‘Sometime tomorrow, I think. William will travel with him. I’m sure he’ll look after him very well.’
‘Yes, of course he will.’
The hot colour came to my cheeks as I remembered confronting Greyson with Will’s suspicions about him, but Greyson didn’t seem to notice.
‘I’ve come to a decision,’ he said suddenly. ‘You can have Winston. I’ll make the deeds over to you.’
I stared at him in surprise. ‘But what about all the talk of me being an impostor? Surely you couldn’t give the house over to someone who isn’t entitled to it?’
He waved his hand in the air. ‘I don’t think it really matters any more,’ he said, and leaned his head back wearily against the cushions.
It was only later, when I sat alone in my room, that I understood the reason for Greyson’s generosity. Once my uncle died, he would be the sole owner of Plas Melyn and anything that might be found on the grounds. I would be shut up with the gift of Winston and would he neatly out of his way.
In the morning Wenna knocked, and I jumped out of bed quickly to open the door for her. She wasted her effort every day by bringing me up a tray, because I never drank the tea now for fear it might be poisoned.
As I climbed over my dress that had fallen to the floor, I noticed something shining in its folds. Icy fingers tingled down my spine as I realised that it was another piece of jewellery.
‘How on earth did that get here?’ I whispered, and hurried around the room, checking the window catches. Then, as Wenna banged impatiently, I went to the door. It was locked, the key still in place.
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