Arian

by Iris Gower

  Simples shrugged. ‘We can do without histrionics, Miss Smale. I did the correct thing by my own standards. If that upsets you then there is nothing I can do about it.’

  The door of the drawing room swung open and Calvin Temple stood framed in the soft light from the gas mantles on the walls. He was looking down at Arian, his expression stern. ‘Your voices are raised,’ he said evenly, ‘I can’t allow my guests to be disturbed in this way.’

  ‘I must speak to you, sir,’ Arian said quickly, and Calvin lifted his hand to silence her.

  ‘In the morning, Miss Smale, I will be in my study waiting at nine o’clock. In the meantime, I would appreciate a little order in my house.’

  He turned away and then paused, ‘Simples, I need another bottle of port, if you please.’ Then the door was closed firmly and Arian sighed in exasperation.

  As she turned to go, her head high, Simples followed her into the passageway and caught her arm. ‘You are a proud little madam, aren’t you?’ he said. ‘You need a good husband to tame your temper, young lady.’

  Arian’s eyebrows lifted in astonishment. ‘And you are offering yourself for the position, is that it?’

  ‘You could do a great deal worse,’ Simples still held her arm, ‘and if we were betrothed, I’m sure I could sort out the small matter of the missing five guineas.’

  Arian was speechless for a long moment – a sign, Simples seemed to think, of encouragement. He put his arm around her waist and drew her close to him.

  ‘I could make you a fine husband. I could give you respectability, something you have lacked these last few years. It’s an offer not to be tossed away lightly.’

  ‘You must be insane,’ Arian gasped, pushing at his chest, aghast at his assumption that his attentions would be welcome.

  ‘I wouldn’t marry you if you offered me the world on a silver platter.’

  He released her abruptly and Arian hurried upstairs to her room, breathing heavily in distress, anger and fear beating at her with dark wings.

  For a moment there, in the darkness of the passageway, she had been a captive again, at the mercy of a man who had no conscience, a man who was unhinged. She had felt the pain of his violence, felt the horror crawl within her at the thought of him possessing her against her will. Somehow, in her mind, Simples had become synonymous with all the bad memories that haunted her past, and in that moment she hated him.

  To Arian’s chagrin, the meeting with Calvin Temple had to be postponed because he was suddenly called away on family business. Arian fretted about the delay but there was nothing she could do but get on with her plans for taking up the position with Craig Grenfell. Now more than ever, she wanted to get away from Stormhill. True, she would be distancing herself from Calvin but he, like all men, never looked below the surface but took events at their face value.

  She would have to look for lodgings, that would be the first move in her bid to make a new career for herself in the leather business. To do that, she needed money. She must see Calvin, have him pay the wages he owed her. She knew that he would be generous and would doubtless let her go without too much trouble. Perhaps he would be relieved to have her off his hands.

  She smiled wryly to herself. Fortunately she had worked for him long enough to repay the outlay on her clothing. And the wages she would receive as a buyer would far supersede those she had earned as a dogsbody.

  But that was unfair of her. Calvin had never treated her as anything but a lady; she had been very fortunate that he had taken her in to his home, helped her find some measure of self-respect. Suddenly, her throat was constricted, ‘Calvin, Calvin, my love, if only things were different.’

  It was later that night when she heard strange sounds coming from the bedroom below. There was the crash of china and the noise of a masculine voice cursing.

  Arian opened her door, the landing was quiet. She had the bedroom nearest the stairway. It seemed no-one else had heard the commotion. The other servants, with the exception of Simples, slept in the attic rooms, and of Simples there was no sign.

  She made her way down the stairs and along the corridor towards Calvin’s room. She heard him blundering about and then a thud as though he had fallen.

  She opened his door cautiously. The lamp was lit and Calvin was sitting on the floor, a heap of bedclothes around him. He was holding his hand and Arian gasped as she saw the trail of blood running down his arm.

  ‘You’re hurt, what’s happened?’ She hurried towards him regardless of the fact that she was wearing only a nightgown. It became instantly clear that Calvin had supped too freely of wine – his hair was tangled and his shirt was open to the waist.

  ‘More money,’ he slurred the words. ‘Another old uncle has passed away, God rest his soul.’ He looked up at Arian, ‘What do I want with more money, tell me? Money I’ve got plenty of but what about love, tell me that?’

  Arian knelt beside him and moved the pieces of broken wash-basin out of harm’s way.

  ‘Let me have a look at that cut,’ she said softly. ‘Here, let me see.’ She took his hand, conscious of its warmth as his fingers curled around hers. ‘It’s not so bad, is it? I’ll get a clean handkerchief from your drawer.’

  She bound up the cut and helped Calvin untangle himself from the bedclothes. ‘Come on, let’s get you to bed. Sleep is what you need now.’ She put her arm around him and half dragged him to his feet.

  ‘Lie down, I’ll go and get Simples. He can help you undress.’

  Arian hurried along the corridor and up the stairs. She knocked lightly on Simples’s door and after a moment, opened it. The room was empty. Shrugging, Arian returned to Calvin’s room.

  ‘Let’s get your boots off, Calvin,’ Arian urged, using his name without thinking. ‘You’ll feel better in the morning, I promise you.’

  She drew off his boots, struggling breathlessly, knowing he was in no fit state to help her. Panting, she pushed him over on his side and tried to pull the bedclothes over him. His arm flew out and caught her, she staggered and fell down beside him. She laughed, leaning on one elbow to look down at his face. He was breathing easily now, his eyes closed, his lashes incredibly long, sweeping his face.

  Arian had a sudden impulse to kiss him. She bent down and touched her lips to his. He stirred slightly and she raised her head, and it was then she became aware that she was being watched.

  Simples was standing in the doorway, a strange look on his face. His eyes met Arian’s briefly then he was gone. Arian scrambled from the bed, realizing she was wearing only her nightgown. She looked around her, the broken china on the floor, the bedclothes in a heap and she knew how the situation must have appeared to Simples. He doubtless thought that she had been involved in a drunken orgy with her boss.

  She considered rushing after him and trying to explain, but then she shrugged. Why should she bother about him? She’d been doing nothing wrong.

  She glanced back at Calvin. He was sleeping soundly and as she watched him, Arian was unaware of the soft contours of her face and the smile that curved her lips.

  It was the next day when Simples asked her to come to his room to talk.

  ‘Is that wise?’ Arian asked. ‘Won’t the servants gossip if we are alone in your room?’

  ‘They might gossip a great deal more if they get to hear about you and his lordship.’ Simples’s words were loaded with meaning and Arian felt a tingling along her spine. She raised her head and looked Simples in the eye.

  ‘Are you thinking of blackmailing me into coming to your bed?’ she asked. He flinched almost visibly.

  ‘Nothing so crude, Miss Smale but I do suggest we discuss this privately. Shall we say after we’ve had supper this evening?’

  ‘Very well.’ Arian was tight-lipped. She didn’t trust Simples but at least he couldn’t get up to much with a household full of servants, not to mention Calvin who was remaining at home for dinner.

  She swallowed hard. She would have to speak to him soon, talk to Calvin about t
he error in the books, convince him that no-one –at least not she – was trying to cheat him. Her heart sank. She must also tell him that she wanted to be free to work for Craig Grenfell.

  She drew a ragged breath. Since the night before when she’d pressed her mouth to his, she’d been strangely shy in his presence.

  Her opportunity came suddenly. Calvin was crossing the hall just as she was making her way upstairs. He paused and smiled down at her.

  ‘I believe I have to thank you,’ he said, his eyes full of laughter. ‘I have a vague recollection of you playing the ministering angel, binding up my wounds and putting me to bed. It was very kind, thank you.’

  ‘There’s nothing to thank me for, sir,’ she said quickly, aware of the colour in her cheeks. ‘It was nothing.’

  ‘Well, I’m very grateful,’ he said, ‘though I must admit that when I woke, the bedclothes were in rather a heap around me.’

  Arian laughed suddenly at the recollection of Calvin sitting on the floor in a tangle of bedclothes, his hair tousled, his shirt open.

  At that moment Bella walked past, her apron crackling stiffly. She bobbed a curtsy and looked curiously at Arian – she obviously couldn’t understand the lack of deference Arian showed their boss.

  Calvin stood for a moment as though uncertain what he should say and Arian knew that if she didn’t speak up now, she never would.

  ‘I’ve been offered another job,’ she said in a rush. ‘It’s working for the Grenfells in the leather business. It’s what I have always wanted to do.’

  Calvin gave the impression that he might take a step backwards though he didn’t actually move. ‘I see,’ he said slowly. ‘Well, in that case, you must feel free to do what you wish.’ His voice was formal, there was no sign of laughter now. ‘I take it you will work till the end of the month?’

  ‘Oh, yes, of course.’ She was going to speak about the missing money but the words stuck in her throat.

  ‘Very well. I’ll have Simples make your wages up to the end of the month, then.’

  ‘Thank you, sir.’ Arian felt strangely as if she’d been given a reprieve. She was not leaving yet, not until the end of the month.

  In the silence, Calvin stared at her, his eyes unreadable and then, abruptly, he nodded and turned away.

  Arian moved upstairs. She might as well get the meeting with Simples out of the way. In any case, once she left Stormhill, he would be no more trouble to her. And yet even that knowledge somehow failed to raise her suddenly flagging spirits; the end of the month wasn’t that far away.

  ‘Come in and close the door, Miss Smale,’ Simples said when a few minutes later she stood on the landing outside his room. When she hesitated, he took her arm and drew her inside.

  ‘What is it?’ Arian stood against the closed door as though ready to flee and Simples smiled thinly.

  ‘It’s all right, Miss Smale, I’m not going to attack you,’ he said. ‘I am far too subtle a man for that sort of approach.’

  ‘What do you want?’ Arian repeated her question and Simples sank into a chair.

  ‘I’ll come straight to the point, Miss Smale,’ he said, placing his fingertips together and looking at her intently. ‘I have come to a decision. I intend for us to be married.’

  Arian stared at him as though he had taken leave of his senses. ‘You must be out of your mind.’ She bit her lip. She had blurted out her thoughts, put them into speech and she saw Gerald Simples’s face darken with anger.

  ‘Not out of my mind, Miss Smale,’ he said with a dangerous quietness, ‘I simply mean every word I say. I will marry you. Make up your mind to it. You and I are meant for each other. In time you will come to appreciate the truth of my words.’

  ‘I’m leaving here,’ she said desperately, ‘taking up another position. I’ll be far away from you, out of your reach. Just forget all your ideas about me. I’m not going to marry anyone, ever.’

  He smiled thinly. ‘Oh, yes, I think you will, Miss Smale.’ He stepped a little closer and she flinched. He rested his hand on her cheek so briefly that she wondered if she’d imagined his touch.

  ‘I will know your charms, believe me, I will possess your sweetness.’ He touched a curl of her hair. ‘I will tangle my fingers in your glorious locks and will taste my fill of your lips.’

  He looked, she thought, like a predatory animal, his eyes were alight, his mouth close to hers and in that moment, she feared that somehow he could make his desires come true.

  ‘Then you will have to take me by force,’ she said harshly. ‘I’ll never come to you willingly, you can count on it.’

  ‘Don’t you count on it, Miss Smale,’ his voice was soft, menacing. ‘You will come to me when and as I want. You will give yourself to me – I do not rape and plunder, I wait and get what I want in my own way.’

  His mouth was inches from hers. She thought of screaming but somehow knew she would be made to look foolish. ‘Keep away from me, Gerald Simples,’ she warned, ‘just keep away.’

  He moved at once and stood looking down into her face. ‘My silly, pretty child,’ he said, ‘don’t try to fight me, for I’ll have you, you’ll see.’

  She opened the door and left the room hurriedly, her breathing harsh, her hands trembling. In her own room, she sank onto the bed, her hands over her face. She must run, now while she had the chance, for Gerald Simples’s words suddenly seemed prophetic.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Eline looked around the small room with a feeling of regret. Now that she was leaving the old house, it suddenly felt safe and sheltering. Small and inconvenient though it was, it had been her first home with Will and here they had been happy.

  ‘Come on, Eline,’ Will said softly, his arms creeping round her waist from behind. ‘You’re going to love our new place.’

  She leaned back against him. ‘I know, it’s beautiful – a big kitchen, a workshop and a separate bedroom for the baby when he’s older, it’s just what we want. Still …’ her voice trailed away wistfully.

  ‘Still, nothing,’ Will said firmly. ‘We’re moving on to better things. Thanks to your talent.’ He turned her round to face him and kissed the tip of her nose.

  ‘Don’t look so worried. Soon you’ll be free and then we’ll be married. You’ll be Mrs William Davies, how does that sound?’

  ‘Wonderful,’ Eline sighed softly, ‘like a dream come true, but you know how people will react when the divorce is made public. I’ll be the centre of attention again, tongues will wag and people will point a finger and stare at me, the scarlet woman.’ She bit her lip. ‘Life is not fair at all. Calvin is seeing another woman, it might well be that he wants to marry again.’ She spoke softly. ‘It seems he’s been to the Assembly Rooms and the theatre with her, so the gossips in the grocers were saying, but no-one condemns him for it.’

  Will rested his hand on her shoulder. ‘Does it matter what people say? Forget Calvin Temple, put him right out of your thoughts. It’s you and I and our child.’ We are important now, not the past.’

  ‘I know I behaved much worse than Calvin,’ Eline said, ‘but he is forgiven for taking a woman, no, not forgiven, he’s expected to have a lover just because he’s a man and very rich, while I …’ She paused and took a deep breath. ‘Yesterday, a woman in the street actually moved her skirts aside when she was passing me. You’d think I was a paid harlot the way she looked at me. It seems there’s one law for Calvin and another one for me.’

  ‘That’s just ignorance for you,’ Will said and there was an edge of impatience in his voice. ‘As for Temple, I’m glad he’s resigned to the fact that he’s lost you for ever.’ His tone softened, ‘Look, love, folks will soon forget the matter and find something else to talk about.’

  ‘Will they?’ Eline said doubtfully. ‘We are shunned by some people as it is. There are those who wouldn’t come to us if you were the only cobbler in Swansea.’

  ‘We can do without them then.’ Will kissed her lips lightly. ‘There are many potential custom
ers outside Swansea’s boundaries – we’ll go further afield if need be but we will make a success of our business.’ He led her to the door. ‘Already, your shoes are beginning to sell to the rich customers who expect only the best. They want to know that they are wearing something exclusive, that they won’t see the same shoes on anyone else. Be happy with the way our future seems to be working out, Eline. Please don’t keep worrying about things that are not important.’

  Eline squared her shoulders as Will picked up their son and walked out into the street. She paused, unable to resist one last glance back into the small room. She saw the fireplace, dead and black now without flames or coal to warm it. She saw the thin curtains and the worn mats on the floor. It was a bare room, almost an ugly room, but she had made it home. Here she had come to live with the two people she loved most in all the world – William and their son. Tears misted her eyes as she saw even the damp stains on the walls with a feeling of loss.

  ‘Goodbye,’ she whispered, and then she left the safety of the small room with the feeling that she was embarking on uncharted, dangerous seas.

  Simples cornered Arian on the landing outside her bedroom. She had been avoiding him ever since his fatuous declaration that he was going to marry her. She looked up at him in the soft glow from the lamp and he smiled down at her with a smugness that at once set her hackles rising.

  ‘We must talk, Arian,’ he said softly. ‘If you value Lord Temple’s good name, you’ll come to my room after supper this evening.’

  ‘And what if I don’t?’ Arian responded. ‘There’s every chance I might go to Calvin Temple and tell him all about your demands and threats.’

  Simples shrugged. ‘Well then I would likely be dismissed. If that were to happen it would make my story all the more credible. I would be a martyr to the altar of his lordship’s shameful dalliance with you. Such gossip about the rich is meat and drink to the lower orders.’

  He leaned closer to her and there was the scent about him of power, as though he had her just where he wanted her. His next words sent a chill down her spine.