by Rosie Harris
As their eyes locked, she felt relief and happiness, and her joy increased as she sensed he felt the same.
Oblivious of the curious stares, Kate flung herself into the welcoming arms stretched out towards her.
For several moments she was unable to speak. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Then she pulled back and stared in disbelief.
‘David… is it really you? I’ve dreamed of seeing you again so many times that it’s hard to believe you’re real.’
‘Oh, Kate!’ He pulled her back into his arms, pressing her to his chest, burying his face in her tousled curls.
‘You’re so thin, so gaunt,’ she whispered. ‘For a moment I hardly knew you. I thought I must be having one of my hallucinations… seeing you even though you weren’t there, like I did at Newport.’
‘Newport?’ He looked puzzled. ‘What were you doing in Newport? What made you leave Bramwood Hall?’
‘Oh, David, so much has happened since then…’ her voice quavered with pent-up emotion.
‘Hush. You’re safe now,’ he consoled her gently.
‘But what has happened to you, David?’ Her fingers trailed over the livid mark that scarred his face.
‘Is anyone going to eat this cawl if I dish it out?’ interrupted Megan. ‘A minute ago you were all dying of hunger!’
‘We still are, Megan. We’ve both had a tremendous shock, though,’ explained David contritely.
‘Well, a good hot meal is an excellent cure for shock,’ Elwyn Pugh told him. ‘Time enough for all the talking and explanations when we’ve eaten our fill.’
* * *
They talked until late into the night. There were so many stories to be told and plans to be made for the future.
David’s relief when he found he was not a murderer, mingled with his delight in having Kate by his side, made him the happiest man in the room. During his incarceration his memories of Bramwood Hall and Kate had filled his thoughts and he had determined that no matter what happened he could never marry Penelope Vaughan.
Owen Jones, though still weak, was anxious to be reunited with his dead brother’s wife and children.
‘I owe it to our Ieuan to look after them,’ he said earnestly. ‘After all, if I hadn’t changed shifts with him then I would be dead now anyway!’
‘Not much you can do for them, boyo, not for a while at any rate, not the way you are,’ commented Prys Howell.
‘Don’t worry, Owen,’ David said quickly. ‘I’ll see you have a job above ground… and wages that will make it possible for you to support them.’
‘Daro! Almost worth fighting you for, mun,’ grinned Owen. ‘Mind, I’m not at all sure that I could ever again go back underground. Like a nightmare to me now, see. All that blackness and fetid air…’ he shuddered.
‘Stay here with the Howells for a few more days and get your strength back, and then Prys or Megan will let your family know you are still alive,’ Dr Pendric told him.
‘Break it to them gentle, like, you mean. Just in case they think I’m a ghost.’
‘Well, mun, it’s bound to be a bit of a shock, after all this time!’ exclaimed Prys Howell.
‘They mightn’t want me back. Might resent the fact that I’m still alive and our Ieuan is dead,’ Owen Jones muttered gloomily.
‘There’s silly you are. They’ll welcome you with open arms, boyo,’ Megan told him firmly.
‘Right. That is settled then,’ Rhys Pendric pronounced crisply. ‘Owen Jones to stay here for two or three days and then return to his family.’
‘Won’t people think it strange that we’ve not said he was here all this time?’ challenged Megan.
‘They probably know.you’ve had a sick man here in the house,’ Dr Pugh observed.
‘No one has mentioned it, or asked any questions.’
‘What about Roddi Llewellyn and the men who carried these two back here after the accident?’ asked Rhys Pendric.
‘Not a murmur from any of them,’ Prys Howell affirmed.
‘None of them want to be mixed up in it, see,’ Megan said briskly. ‘They’ve known something was going on, though. What with the doctor calling two or three times a week and so on.’
‘Roddi Llewellyn washed his hands of the whole affair. He said there’d been enough trouble and as long as the men were willing to return to work, and the owners to say nothing, then the dust should be left to settle.’
‘Well, there you are, this incident will probably end just as quietly,’ prophesied Rhys Pendric, a smile of satisfaction on his rotund features.
‘I hope so. The strain has been chronic,’ grumbled Prys Howell. ‘Every knock on the door I was afraid it was someone to say Owen had died and they’d come to arrest David for his murder, or me and Megan for harbouring him.’
‘Right, you’ve no more worries now and since there’s nothing more I can do, I think it’s time I returned to my own sick bed,’ announced Dr Pendric.
‘Just a minute! What about me?’ questioned David.
‘You’re certainly exonerated from any suspicions of murder now, so I suppose you’re free to return to your home the same as Owen Jones intends to do,’ Rhys Pendric told him.
‘And Kate?’ put in Dr Pugh swiftly. ‘Are the military still interested in her whereabouts?’
‘I have no idea. The Chartists are not my concern. You are more likely to know the gossip in that connection than I am,’ Pendric said tetchily.
‘All I know is that the trial of those taken after Westgate Square is to be at Monmouth early in the new year.’
‘January 16th is the exact date,’ confirmed Prys Howell.
‘Until then they probably will be on the lookout for anyone who was in any way involved in the uprising,’ admitted Dr Pendric.
‘Then I think it might be best, Kate, if you came back to Newport and stayed with Iestyn and Morag Lewis,’ Elwyn Pugh told her.
‘No! Kate is coming back to Llwynowen with me,’ David announced, putting his arm around her shoulder protectively.
‘Oh, David!’ Her sharp intake of breath was one of mingled excitement and enthusiasm.
Her obvious pleasure silenced the others. She brushed back her dark hair with a trembling hand and her long-lashed blue eyes were bright with joy as she gazed at him.
‘You’ll need time to prepare your father… to acquaint him with the reason for your absence…’
‘Has he been searching for me?’ He studied their faces, a sardonic smile twisting his mouth as one by one they shook their heads or shrugged negatively.
‘His instructions were for me to settle the dispute and then stay on at Fforbrecon until things there were running smoothly. My initiation into being an owner,’ he added grimly.
‘Duw anwyl!’ breathed Owen Jones. ‘He’s as great a tyrant at home as he is a boss.’ He suddenly looked shame-faced. ‘I shouldn’t have said that,’ he laughed awkwardly. ‘Letting my tongue get me into trouble again, see.’
‘What you said is perfectly true,’ David assured him.
‘Then prepare the way, handle him diplomatically,’ warned Dr Pugh. ‘Wouldn’t do to cross him, now would it.’
David made no reply but braced his shoulders. His chin jutted and there was a gleam of determination in his brown eyes.
‘If you’re ready then, Kate.’ Elwyn Pugh pushed back his chair and stood up.
‘She’s coming back to Llwynowen with me… right now!’ David said firmly. ‘I know it would be taking you out of your way, Dr Pugh, but if you could give us a lift there in your trap I would be greatly indebted.’
‘At this hour! In your condition,’ interposed Rhys Pendric heatedly. ‘You’re still a sick man, David Owen! Going out on a freezing cold night might bring on pneumonia!’
‘Owen Jones is a sick man, yet you didn’t hesitate about bringing him out into the night air,’ mocked David.
‘Perhaps we should ask Kate what she wants to do,’ Megan said gently. ‘She could always stay here for a while.’
&
nbsp; ‘I want to be with David,’ Kate replied with quiet dignity. ‘If he is ready to go back to Llwynowen right away, then I’ll go with him.’
Chapter 39
The sound of a carriage grinding its way over the gravel roused Tudor ap Owen from his reverie. Frowning, he walked over to one of the windows overlooking the front of the house and parted the dark red velvet drapes.
Was Tomos Vaughan returning already to dispute some clause in the contract, he wondered, as he peered out into the night.
His frown deepened when he saw it was not a carriage with the Vaughan coat of arms emblazoned on the side and drawn by two fine greys, but a two-seater trap with a Welsh cob between the shafts.
His curiosity aroused, he decided to investigate what was going on. Before he reached the hallway, the manservant who had shown Tomos Vaughan to his carriage, and who was still waiting impatiently for his master to retire so that he could go to bed himself, was already unbarring the front door.
Yawning heavily, Tudor ap Owen watched in disbelief as David, looking gaunt and distressed, was helped inside.
The two people supporting him were strangers to Tudor ap Owen. One was a tall, middle-aged man enveloped in a dark cloak, the collar pulled up around his ears; the other, a young woman, was also muffled up against the cold night air.
‘Duw anwyl!’ he muttered as they helped David on to the velvet couch that stood against one wall of the hall. He drew in a sharp breath. ‘What has happened, have you met with some sort of accident?’ he gasped, suddenly noticing the fiery, purple blemish that scarred David’s face.
‘Didn’t you know your son was injured at Fforbrecon?’ asked Elwyn Pugh curtly.
‘The only report I received was that the dispute had been settled and that the men were back at work,’ blustered Tudor ap Owen, pulling at his white beard. ‘There were rumours of some minor incident, but then I hardly expected them to accept that the gallery was being sealed off without some kind of confrontation.’
‘And you’ve not been concerned because he’s been absent from home for more than three weeks!’
‘Why should I be? It was agreed that he would stay on at Fforbrecon and learn how things were run there. If he was injured then why wasn’t he brought home immediately? Someone will pay for this!’ threatened Tudor ap Owen angrily.
‘The man he’d been fighting with was in a coma!’
Tudor ap Owen frowned uncomprehendingly.
‘If the other man had died your son would have been guilty of murder.’
‘What a load of nonsense!’ scowled Tudor ap Owen. ‘And who the devil are you, may I ask?’ he challenged.
‘Dr Elwyn Pugh from Newport.’
‘And this is Kate Stacey, Father, who was nanny to Helen’s two girls. I told you about her before I went to Fforbrecon, if you remember,’ interrupted David.
Tudor stared at Kate hostilely. He felt a pounding in his temples and a restriction in his throat. His eyes narrowed as he met the warmth of her brilliant blue gaze. Involuntarily, he found himself comparing her heart-shaped face, framed by its cloud of dark hair, her small straight nose and soft full mouth, with the bold features of Penelope Vaughan, and understood how David had become enamoured of her.
A pretty face is unimportant when it comes to marriage, he reminded himself. Penelope with her breeding and strong character is a far more fitting match.
As if she read his thoughts, and sensed his disapproval, he saw the girl’s mouth tighten, her chin rise and jut proudly. The friendly warmth in her eyes was replaced by a cold stare.
‘You had the audacity to take this person to Fforbrecon with you!’ Tudor ap Owen growled fiercely, his lips curling with distaste.
‘No… no. Kate wasn’t at Fforbrecon. Not until last night, when she and Dr Pugh brought Owen Jones back to the Howells’ house.’
‘Explain yourself!’ demanded Tudor ap Owen.
‘Perhaps I can acquaint you with what happened better than David can,’ intervened Elwyn Pugh. ‘Dr Rhys Pendric from Abergavenny, who was attending Owen Jones, the man found lying unconscious with your son, was taken ill and asked me to deputize for him. At my request, Miss Stacey agreed to help nurse him…’
‘How very opportune!’ Tudor ap Owen made no attempt to hide his rising wrath. He visibly trembled with anger. After George Sherwood had sacked the girl, as he’d ordered him to do, she must have come looking for David. How she had met up with this doctor fellow he’d no idea, but it was easy to see she’d turned it to her advantage.
‘I can assure you that neither Kate Stacey nor I knew the identity of either man,’ Dr Pugh continued. ‘Not, that is, until I informed Dr Pendric that Owen Jones had regained consciousness. Then he explained about the other man who had been involved and it was decided we would bring Owen Jones back to Fforbrecon, to the house where your son was in hiding. David and Kate met and…’
‘And I persuaded Dr Pugh to bring us both here immediately,’ declared David.
‘An amazing story,’ murmured Tudor ap Owen. His mind moved rapidly. If their account was true, and it seemed likely that it was, then at all costs he must get rid of the girl as quickly as possible.
‘Arriving like this in the middle of the night, without any warning, comes as something of a shock,’ he commented, struggling to regain his composure. He snapped a finger at the manservant, who was still hovering in the background.
‘Rouse cook,’ he ordered. ‘Tell her to heat some soup and lay out cold meats or whatever else is to hand for these people. Then prepare Master David’s room, and put a warming pan in his bed. Make sure someone is on call at all times to see to his needs.’
‘That will not be necessary,’ intervened Kate quickly. ‘I can attend to him.’
‘Not in this house, you won’t!’ Tudor railed, once more on the point of losing his temper. ‘Your responsibilities are over. I will see that you are adequately paid for your services and then you can be on your way.’
‘Father! To offer Kate money is insulting in the extreme,’ gasped David, his face white with anger.
‘We have no further need of her ministrations. She can leave with the doctor, and I must insist on rewarding both of them for their work,’ Tudor ap Owen insisted stiffly.
‘If Kate is sent away then I shall go too,’ David told him heatedly, struggling to his feet.
‘Don’t talk nonsense!’ roared Tudor, his white beard quivering with fury. ‘This is your home and here you will remain until your wedding.’
‘Wedding?’ David regarded his father balefully.
‘Earlier this evening I agreed the details with Tomos Vaughan and arranged for contracts to be drawn up.’
‘No, Father! This is a matter on which I will not take orders from you,’ David told him angrily. His face was flushed, his brow beaded with perspiration.
‘We’ll have an Easter wedding,’ stated Tudor ap Owen, imperiously. ‘Three months should be ample time to make all the necessary arrangements.’
‘Since I’ve been at university I’ve grown accustomed to making my own decisions,’ seethed David, his face contorted with fury.
‘I sent you there to be educated, ready to take my place as head of our family. I hoped you would become as astute as I pride myself in being,’ stated his father pedantically. ‘Already, you have failed the basic test.’
‘I may not be as astute as you, or as conniving, but I have been taught to stand by my principles,’ David replied heatedly.
‘Then you must know that what I say is right and that you are honour-bound to go through with what has been arranged,’ declared Tudor ap Owen triumphantly. ‘Your marriage to Penelope Vaughan was agreed when you were both still in your cradles. Our pact stands. Her father expects it… and so do I.’
‘I’ve never wished for any sort of alliance with the Vaughan family.’ David’s eyes blazed, his mouth tightened, the scar bn his face flared. ‘This marriage is your idea, a scheming move to amalgamate our coal with their iron to give you greater po
wer and wealth.’
‘Penelope will make you an excellent wife. Your wedding will bring benefits to all concerned! That is the end of the matter,’ decreed Tudor ap Owen authoritatively.
‘She may have agreed to this marriage from a sense of duty, but in truth she is more interested in her horses than she is in marriage!’
‘That’s a slanderous statement!’ Tudor’s face turned an apoplectic puce. ‘Your head has been turned either by your accident or by the company you keep.’ He pointed an accusing finger at Kate. ‘I will not have this woman in my house a moment longer,’ he barked, pointing towards the door.
When Kate didn’t move, but remained standing beside David, Tudor grabbed at her shoulder as if to remove her physically.
‘No, Father! Kate stays here… I need her,’ David exclaimed, his voice hoarse with strain.
Kate placed a restraining hand on David’s arm, aware from the way he was trembling how upset he was. The wounds on his face glowed an angry red as his temper rose.
Gently dislodging her hand, David sat down on the couch again. His temples were pounding, his throat tight. He knew he should have taken Dr Pugh’s advice and waited until he felt stronger before returning to Llwynowen. He felt so incensed by his father’s manner towards Kate that his eyes misted with tears and that made him angrier still.
‘David has come here straight from a sick bed, and is in no fit state to take part in a heated discussion of this sort,’ she protested, fighting to keep her own voice steady.
‘Our deliberation concerns a family matter, and I have already indicated I wish you to leave. His prospective bride will be more than capable of taking care of him,’ Tudor ap Owen told her icily.
‘For the last time, Father, I am not marrying Penelope Vaughan!’ David exclaimed. ‘We are not suited. We don’t love each other!’
