Sweet Rosie

by Iris Gower

  Llinos looked up challengingly. ‘So you are not sleeping with my husband then, is that what you mean?’

  The colour swept into Sho Ka’s face and the last vestige of hope faded from Llinos’s heart.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Sho Ka said. She paced around the small patch of lawn, walking silently, as Joe did. The shawl slipped from her shoulders and Llinos felt her stomach twist into knots.

  ‘Sho Ka, you’re pregnant!’ Llinos felt sick. For a moment she was blinded with jealousy. She wanted to hit the Indian girl, to hurt her as she had been hurt.

  ‘You have ruined my life!’ Llinos said. ‘You have stolen my husband from me. How can you face yourself in the mirror?’ She turned away blind with anger and walked through the kitchen past the startled maid.

  Kenneth was waiting patiently, his hand smoothing the mane of the nearest horse. He looked up when he heard her footsteps. ‘All ready to go, Mrs Mainwaring?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes please, Kenneth, take me home.’ He helped her into the coach and she sat back against the hard leather, her hands covering her face. She felt diminished, defeated. She longed to scream out her anger, to confront Joe with a torrent of abuse. She closed her eyes, wondering if she would ever erase from her mind the sight of Sho Ka, beautiful with child.

  By the time she reached home, Llinos felt as though all her senses had been blunted by pain. She went directly to her room and fell onto the bed, fully dressed. ‘Joe,’ she whispered into the pillows, ‘I hate you for what you have done to me.’ But she did not hate him, she loved him and if he came to her now and asked her forgiveness she would take him back without hesitation. But she was fooling herself, he was not coming back. She had lost Joe for ever.

  ‘So Binnie, you’re back.’ Dan McCabe looked heavy-eyed, his hair was whiter than Binnie remembered and he seemed to have lost weight. ‘I’m glad to have another man about the place and I don’t deny it.’ He sank down into the chair on the porch and waved to Binnie to join him.

  ‘I’ve lost one of my girls,’ he said, ‘and nothing in the world is going to bring her back but I still have my grandsons and that’s thanks to you, Binnie my boy.’

  ‘I’m sorry for all that’s happened,’ Binnie said. ‘I feel I’ve added to your worries.’

  Dan waved his hand. ‘You did wrong not telling us all the truth right up front, but I can understand that. You had a wife, a wrong ’un for you as it turned out, and then you found my Hortense.’ He half smiled. ‘I think I’d have shut my mouth too, if I was in your place.’

  ‘I do love her, Dan,’ Binnie said. ‘I’d lay down my life for her if I had to.’

  ‘I know that, son.’ Dan touched his arm. ‘You’re not cut from the same cloth as that bastard Pendennis!’ He looked up, his brow furrowed. ‘You know he ran off with a bag full of my money, don’t you?’ He slapped his hand on the arm of his chair. ‘The low-down skunk caused a whirlwind of trouble in my family and then robbed me into the bargain. I hope he rots in hell!’

  ‘Where’s he gone?’ Binnie asked.

  ‘As far away from me as he could run,’ Dan said. ‘He knows I’d have a noose waiting over a tall tree for him if I ever came across him again.’

  He fell silent as Josephine came out of the house. She was pale and subdued. The brightness, the laughter in her eyes that had been her charm had gone.

  ‘Hello, Binnie.’ She sank limply into the seat beside him. ‘Glad you’ve come home.’ A little warmth came into her face. ‘At least our Hortense is happy now.’

  ‘Jo,’ he said, ‘I’m so sorry.’ He rubbed his hand through his hair. ‘I feel it’s my fault somehow, I brought John here.’

  ‘I knew he was no good from the moment I married him,’ Jo said softly. ‘I fooled myself into thinking everything would be all right when there was a baby on the way. Now,’ she spread her thin hands wide, ‘now I have nothing.’

  ‘Don’t say that, honey,’ Dan said. ‘You’ll meet someone else, you’re young yet.’

  ‘Sure I will, Daddy,’ she said. ‘Don’t you go worrying about me, now.’ She gave Binnie a swift look and he knew that Josephine was too damaged to ever trust a man again.

  Mrs McCabe bustled out onto the porch with a maid behind her carrying a tray of cool drinks. ‘Welcome home, Binnie.’ She looked at him with narrowed eyes. ‘I’m a plain-speaking woman and I don’t agree with what you did to my girl. You lied and you cheated and you made her unhappy. But I knowed you loved her from the first.’ She nodded, her chins trembling. ‘I’m prepared to forgive and forget but don’t you be doing anything else sneaky or I’ll take a gun to you myself, do you hear?’

  ‘I hear,’ Binnie said.

  ‘Now, we’ll say no more about it. Welcome back into the family, Binnie Dundee, you are the man of the house after my Dan and I know you’ll take the responsibility should you be called upon.’

  As she sipped her drink, she looked grey and beaten and Binnie felt his heart contract with pity. What if his sons grew to manhood only to give pain to their mother? It did not bear thinking about.

  He stayed a little while longer and then, with a sense of relief, took his leave of the McCabe family. They were good people, honest souls who did not deserve the treatment that both he and John had handed out to them.

  As he rode back along the street towards his own home, Binnie thanked God in his heaven for allowing him a second chance. He would worship Hortense; he would never look at another woman so long as he lived.

  As he neared his house, the light was fading and the gleam of lamplight in the windows welcomed him home. He found Hortense in the parlour and when she saw him her eyes lit with happiness.

  ‘Well, what did Mamma and Daddy have to say?’ She put down the shirt she was mending and came to him. ‘Have they forgiven you?’

  ‘They have.’ He kissed her. ‘Even your mother welcomed me back after giving me the sharp end of her tongue!’

  ‘Well,’ Hortense wound her arms around him and nestled her head against his chest, ‘if Mammy gave you the sharp end of her tongue, I’d say you were well and truly one of the family now.’ She kissed him and her eyes closed as he touched her breast. Binnie’s heart overflowed with happiness. ‘I want to take you to bed, my love,’ he whispered.

  ‘What’s stopping you, hon?’ she asked.

  Binnie carried her upstairs and into the bedroom and, his heart beating with desire for his wife, he kicked the door shut.

  Llinos sat alone in the drawing room staring unseeingly at the flicker of the candlelight. Sho Ka was having a child, Joe’s child. After they had lost their own little girl, how could Joe betray her in that way? She clenched her hands together in a burst of anger; she had adored Joe, she had never looked at another man. She had borne Joe a fine healthy son and none of it had been enough for him.

  Perhaps, in the Indian culture, it was acceptable for a man to have more than one woman but it would not do here in Swansea. The whole town must be talking about Llinos Mainwaring, the woman who had been abandoned by her husband.

  Llinos looked up sharply, startled by the sudden rapping on the door.

  ‘Mr Morton-Edwards is here to see you, Mrs Mainwaring.’ The maid bobbed a curtsey.

  Eynon crossed the room in rapid steps and took her hands.

  ‘Llinos, my dear girl, I came as soon as I got your message. What’s wrong, are you sick?’

  She shook her head. ‘Sit down, Eynon, and talk to me.’ She took his hand. ‘It’s Joe, he’s taken a mistress, she’s expecting his child and I can’t bear it.’ She leaned against his shoulder. ‘What did I do wrong? You are a man, can you tell me why Joe went away?’

  Eynon shook his head and his pale golden hair fell over his brow. For a moment, he looked like the young boy Llinos had first met on the road to Swansea. She had been in trouble; he had helped her then, perhaps he could help her now.

  ‘You have done nothing wrong, get that idea out of your head right now!’ He sounded angry. Llinos took a deep breath.

>   ‘You knew he’d left me for another woman?’

  ‘I had heard gossip but it was all very vague.’ Eynon was not about to commit himself. Even if he knew the whole story, he would not hurt her by telling her so.

  ‘Her name is Sho Ka.’ Her voice broke. ‘She’s a beautiful Indian girl and Joe must love her very much.’

  Eynon put his arm around her. She leaned against his shoulder and, though he was her dear friend, it was not Eynon she wanted to hold her but Joe. She could close her eyes and feel the silk of Joe’s hair against her cheek, breathe in the scent of him. She drew away from Eynon.

  ‘What can I do to get him back, Eynon?’ Even to her own ears her voice sounded weak, pathetic.

  Eynon read her thoughts. ‘Is this my little Llinos, my dear friend who ran a pottery single-handedly?’ He shook his head. ‘It is not. You were strong then, draw on that strength now and be dignified about all this. As a man I can tell you that there is nothing worse than a woman clinging like a vine.’

  ‘Do you think I should just let Joe go then?’ Llinos felt ill; her last hope was vanishing before her eyes. She had wanted answers from Eynon, answers he clearly could not give her. Eynon looked away from her without answering.

  ‘You’re right,’ she said forcing a cheerful note into her voice. ‘There is nothing worse than a woman holding on to a man who no longer wants her.’

  ‘I didn’t say that exactly,’ Eynon spoke softly. ‘And I know you’re not the sort to indulge in self-pity. I just want to see again the spirited Llinos I’ve always known and loved.’

  ‘Right then, that’s enough about my troubles. Tell me what you are up to now, are you still involved with the insatiable Mrs Sparks?’

  Eynon nodded. ‘In a way,’ he said. ‘While I am no longer enjoying the sins of the flesh with her, I am still involved.’ He ran his hand through his hair. ‘She claims she is having twins and that I am the father.’ He looked directly at Llinos. ‘I am inclined to believe her, don’t ask me why.’

  ‘Because you are as vain as all the rest of the male population!’ Llinos said. ‘You like to think you’re a real man about town and what more proof do you need than to be the father of twins!’

  ‘Maybe.’ Eynon smiled wickedly. ‘I would love a son and two would be even better.’

  ‘So, what are you going to do about it? Marriage is out of the question, Mrs Sparks already has a husband.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Eynon said truthfully. ‘But if the twins are mine I want to provide for them.’ He sighed. ‘I don’t think Edward Sparks is capable of looking after himself let alone a family.’

  ‘You could be right.’ Llinos smiled as she tried to imagine the miserable bank manager coping with children running round him. ‘So Mrs Sparks wants money from you, I take it?’

  ‘That’s the idea,’ Eynon said.

  ‘And you’ve given it to her?’

  ‘No fear!’ he said emphatically. ‘I’ve bought the house she lives in. I will give her the deeds so she can pass the property on to her children. Call it a gift for services rendered.’

  ‘I see.’ Llinos sank back in her chair thinking about Mr Sparks. He had not approached her lately; he must have dropped his idea of getting her to sell the pottery. Perhaps whoever was behind the venture had lost interest in it. Still, it had made Mr Sparks inordinately angry when she had dismissed the idea out of hand. He must have lost a handsome bribe because of her refusal to sell.

  ‘He’s an odd man, Mr Sparks.’ She voiced her thoughts out loud. ‘There’s just something about him I don’t like.’

  Eynon looked at her questioningly. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean I don’t trust him with financial matters.’ Llinos leaned back against the cushions and rubbed her forehead thoughtfully. ‘He is not astute enough to run a bank. His advice to me to sell the pottery was foolish. The price offered was a good one but not good enough.’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t think he’s capable of handling large transactions and I would certainly never trust him with anything of mine.’

  ‘In that case why don’t you move your assets elsewhere?’ Eynon said sensibly. ‘There are other banks in Swansea you know, beside the one Sparks manages.’

  ‘I know. It’s just that my father always dealt with that bank, it’s a sort of loyalty, I suppose.’

  ‘Well, don’t take loyalty too far, that’s my advice. Think of yourself first in all matters financial.’

  ‘I might just do that.’ Llinos smiled. ‘But come on, what will you do if Mrs Sparks has these babies and they are the image of you?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Eynon said. ‘I hadn’t thought that far ahead.’ He rubbed his eyes. ‘Anyway, let’s change the subject.’ He grinned. ‘I’m going to be a real gossip monger now and tell you about Lily, you know, the girl who—’

  ‘I know Lily!’ Llinos said. How could she ever forget the girl who had caused so much trouble in her life? ‘I picked her up when I was travelling back to Swansea a few months ago. What’s she done now?’

  ‘She’s become the mistress of one of the town’s richest men, Matthew Starky. You may know him, he’s a tea merchant.’

  Llinos shook her head. ‘I’ve heard of him but I don’t know him personally. I met his wife once and she seemed to be a very sweet old lady.’

  How could these men do such things? How could a man claim to love his wife and then sleep with another woman? Eynon read her thoughts.

  ‘It happens, Llinos,’ he said softly. ‘Look at me, I love you with all my heart but I have needs and so I go to bed with other women.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s the nature of the beast, Llinos, face it.’

  ‘But Joe had me, why did he want Sho Ka as well?’ It was a plaintive cry and suddenly, in spite of all her resolutions to be strong, she broke down and sobbed on Eynon’s shoulder.

  He held her gently and wiped away her tears with his fingers. ‘Come on, Llinos, love, let it all out once and for all and then get on with your life. It’s a harsh world where not many of us get what we want.’

  She nodded; she knew that only too well. After a while, she moved away from him and stood before the window staring into the garden. The kilns shimmered and a heat haze danced around the yard. This was her world, a world she had saved from bankruptcy. Eynon was right, she must pull herself together and get on with her life.

  He came and stood beside her. ‘Look,’ he said gently, ‘why don’t you put your heart into the pottery again? Start a new, line perhaps, expand the business?’ He touched her shoulder. ‘The china clay was always part of you, in your blood. You were never half hearted about it as I was.’

  ‘You’re right, Eynon but it’s so hard to be without Joe.’ She looked up at him. ‘I thought we would be together for always, how could I have been so wrong? Anyway.’ She smoothed down her dress. ‘I think I’ll start going out and about more. Perhaps you will escort me to the symposium at the Assembly Rooms next week?’

  ‘I would be honoured, my dear Llinos,’ Eynon said. ‘But you do realize our appearing in public together will give the gossips a field day?’

  ‘Well, Eynon, what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, isn’t that what they say?’

  Later, when Eynon had gone, Llinos thought over the things he had said. He had not actually told her she was indulging in self-pity but that was what he meant and he was right. Where was her spirit, her dignity? She was not the first wife to be scorned for another woman and she would not be the last.

  Llinos went to the drawer and took out her sketch pad and pencil. It was time she began to take a real interest in the pottery again; it was her livelihood and her son’s future. If Joe decided to stay with Sho Ka and have another family Lloyd would take second place.

  The thought angered her. She could just about accept that Joe would leave her but how could he abandon his child? He knew only too well the damage that was done by such a rejection. It had taken him years to be reconciled with his father; was that the future he wanted for L
loyd?

  Resolutely, Llinos pushed all thoughts of Joe out of her mind and began to make rough sketches on the paper. She drew a picture of a jug and basin and sketched a woman at a well drawing water. All was quiet in the house. Llinos looked around the room; it was growing dark, candles would need to be lit soon.

  She sensed the emptiness of the house, the silence, the absence of the man she loved and her head sank down onto the sketch pad in front of her. Tomorrow she would face life, she would be strong, but for now she wanted to grieve for the love she had lost.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Alice waited until Edward had closed the drawing room door. He had come home for lunch but he would not have much appetite once he heard what she had to say.

  ‘I’m sorry, Edward, I just couldn’t get a penny from my father, he flatly refuses to help me.’ She had not even seen her father; she was reserving that option in case of an emergency. ‘I shall ask him again, of course, if I can find him in a better mood but, as of now, I’m afraid you’re on your own.’

  ‘Alice, your father is Dennis Carrington, he is very rich and very influential. He imports and exports large cargoes every day, he’s not going to want a son-in-law who is serving time in prison, is he?’

  He smiled at her obvious discomfort. ‘You see, Alice, if I’m lost then so are you, Alice, please remember that.’

  She shrugged, the deeds of Highmoor were safely stowed in her drawer and she felt protected from the worst that fate could throw at her. Whatever Edward did now, if he lost everything, even if he went to prison, she and her children would always have a roof over their heads. Still, he had a point, her father would not like a scandal in the family that’s why he had urged her to marry Sparks in the first place.

  ‘And don’t shrug your shoulders at me, madam,’ Edward said. ‘Remember I am master in my own house.’

  ‘Really?’ Sarcasm laced Alice’s tone. ‘My father says that any man worth his salt should make a good living for his wife and family.’ If she ever did ask her father for money it would be for herself not for Edward. On the other hand, she would have to try to put matters right if only to preserve the good name of the Carrington family.