by Iris Gower
Arian felt the cold steel against her skin, saw the madness in Gerald’s eyes and she was afraid.
‘You are coming home with me,’ he ground the words out between clenched teeth. ‘I’m going to show you that I am master of my own wife, do you hear me?’ He shook her and the blade of the knife drew a line of blood across the whiteness of her skin.
She knew then what she must do. ‘Yes, I’m coming home with you, Gerald, let’s get out of here, shall we?’ It was obvious that he was not answerable for his actions, if she didn’t get him away others might be hurt.
‘No,’ Calvin made a move towards her but Gerald lashed out and a patch of red appeared on the pristine white of Calvin’s shirt. Some women screamed and Gerald stared around him, his expression fierce.
Arian addressed the crowds. ‘Please be calm, we’re leaving now, we’re going home. To my house.’ She flashed Calvin a warning look as she took Gerald’s hand. He still had the knife raised, he was looking round him, his head moving from side to side like a caged beast but he allowed Arian to lead him across the room towards the door.
She was frightened, very frightened but she forced herself onwards towards the carriage that was waiting for one of the guests.
‘Driver, take me to the Hollies, Mount Pleasant Avenue please.’ She tried to warn him with her eyes but it was dark and the driver couldn’t see what was going on.
‘Sorry, madam, I’m waiting for Mr and Mrs Grenfell. I’m their driver, not for hire.’
Gerald growled and held the knife high. The man started back in his seat and Arian spoke quietly, trying to calm him.
‘Please, just take us home and no-one will be hurt.’
In the carriage, Arian tried to talk to Gerald, offered to take the knife away from him but he shook his head. He slumped against her, his energy seemed spent and she sat still at his side, praying that he would fall asleep.
Just as she was about to take the knife from his hand, the carriage jerked to a halt. ‘We’re here, madam.’
The driver remained in his seat, unwilling to help, watching in silent fear as Arian led Gerald from the coach. The streets appeared silent, the carriage was fast disappearing, she was alone with a madman.
She led him inside the house wondering just what she would do next. He slumped into a chair, his eyes were ablaze with a strange light but it was as though he didn’t recognize her.
‘You’re my wife.’ His voice was thick and she saw him lift the knife and look at it and then look at her as though he was debating what to do.
‘Come here,’ he ordered and she moved towards him, clenching her hands together to stop them from trembling. ‘Shall I kill you or shall I take you to bed?’
He reached out and drew her down onto his knee and held the knife against her breast. She felt the steel hard against her flesh, cutting through the thin cloth of her gown. She was going to die, she thought, die and not know what it was to enjoy life.
Gerald pushed her down onto the floor and slumped down onto his knees beside her. ‘I don’t think you’ve ever loved me. You hate me, don’t you, Candida? You didn’t bring me the laudanum, you let me down, betrayed me to my enemies. You think I don’t know what your little game is but I know all right.’
Arian felt real fear then. He didn’t even recognize her, he was lost in some nightmare world of his own. She saw the knife poised above her, she reached up and caught hold of the blade to prevent Gerald from plunging it into her. She didn’t feel the knife cut into her hands but she saw the blood run down her arms, staining the silk material of her sleeves.
The sight seemed to madden Gerald. ‘You bitch, get me laudanum, get it now or I’ll kill you.’
‘Yes, I’ll get it, Gerald, just let me get up then.’ She struggled to her feet but he caught her round the waist and hauled himself up beside her, leaning on her heavily. He was breathing unevenly, his chest heaving.
‘You haven’t got any laudanum. You think I’m a fool, but you won’t escape me. I thought I’d finished it in the hotel room but you were pretending to be dead. Very good, my dear, but now I’ll do it properly.’
‘Gerald, what have you done?’ her voice trembled with horror. The blade was near her neck. Arian looked into Gerald’s eyes. He was unseeing, crazed. He twisted so that her back was to him, he lifted the blade deliberately until it was beneath her ear. ‘I’m going to cut your throat, you’ll really be finished then, you bitch.’
She closed her eyes, she couldn’t move, he was gripping her so tightly. It was over, he would do it, nothing on earth could prevent him now from killing her.
The door burst open, the rush of cold air bringing her eyes wide open. Suddenly she was released. She fell back against the wall and she saw Calvin grasping Gerald by the throat, dragging him away from her.
Calvin held Gerald’s arm in a lock behind his back, the knife fell to the floor with a clatter and Gerald winced in pain.
‘Calm down now, Gerald,’ Calvin spoke soothingly as Gerald heaved and strained to be free. ‘Everything is under control, don’t you fret now, you’re going to be all right. We’ve got some medicine here for you, just be still now.’
The calm monotone of Calvin’s voice seemed to have the desired effect and Gerald stopped struggling. ‘Laudanum, I need laudanum.’
‘Of course you do, it will take away the sickness.’ Calvin paused and glanced warningly at Arian. ‘Tell the doctor he can come in, slowly now.’
Eddie Carpenter came into the room. His face was grey; he looked like an old man. He gave Gerald a liberal drink from the bottle in his hand and slowly, Gerald slumped downwards, his eyes closing.
Other men entered the house and Gerald was lifted onto a stretcher. Eddie took Arian’s hand, his eyes were anguished. ‘She’s dead, my lovely daughter’s dead. They wouldn’t listen to me, no-one would believe the man was dangerous.’
Arian held Eddie close, knowing the hell he must be suffering. He moved away from her. ‘I must see that he’s never allowed to be free, not ever again. I’m sorry Arian, so sorry.’
He left the house and Arian heard the sound of the carriage wheels move away down the road and she closed her eyes, feeling a sense of unreality. She must get out of the house, breathe in some air.
Outside in the cool of the night air, Arian felt tears on her cheeks. She had been inches from death and she’d realized suddenly that she wasn’t immortal.
Calvin took her in his arms. ‘I knew you’d bring him here.’ His arms were supporting her and Arian leaned against him gratefully. She began to cry, the tears were hot and bitter.
‘I’m taking you home to my place,’ Calvin said decisively. ‘You can’t stay here, not now. Don’t protest, we can think it all out in the morning.’
Arian slept that night in Calvin’s arms. When nightmares woke her, he was there to hold her close and reassure her that nothing would ever harm her again.
The next day, she woke late and Mac was there, sitting on the edge of the bed, a newspaper in his hand.
‘Mac, what are you doing here?’ Her voice was heavy with sleep.
‘I wanted to be the one to tell you. The paper’s a smash hit. We broke the story of a lifetime, or at least I did.’ He looked a little shame faced. ‘If we hadn’t done it the other papers would have.’
He held the paper towards her and she saw the headlines covering half the page: MURDERER LOOSE ON THE STREETS OF SWANSEA.
‘Mac, you didn’t …’
‘Read on, boss then throw the book at me.’
But she didn’t need to, she knew what Mac would have written and any reporter worth his salt would have done the same thing. She returned the newspaper to him.
‘It’s all right,’ she said. ‘It’s news, you had to print the story. Go away now, you’ve got a paper to run.’
‘What do you mean, to run? You are the owner, you run it.’ Mac rose from the bed and moved towards the door. ‘Sure I’ll fill in for you until you’ve had a break, I grant you deserve that mu
ch. Right, don’t say any more, I’m on my way.’
Arian fell back against the pillow. It smelled of Calvin’s pipe tobacco and she turned her face breathing in the very essence of him. He came into the room, his eyes alight.
‘I love you, Arian. I’m not going to leave your side, not ever, so don’t ask.’
‘But there’s Ellie,’ Arian said weakly, ‘and there’s Gerald. I’ll never be free of him, you know that don’t you?’
‘Shut up, let me talk.’ He took her face in his hands. ‘Have faith in me, Arian, and in our future together. You very nearly didn’t have a future so let’s be wise and decide what is important, shall we?’
He kissed her mouth with infinite tenderness. ‘It’s easy. Just say one little word. Just say, yes.’
Arian put her arms around him and pressed her head into his shoulder. It was so good to feel alive, so good to know that Calvin would always be there to take care of her. Suddenly, the world was filled with hope, with life. Achievement, success they were empty things if there was no-one who cared enough to share them with you. Nothing had changed, and yet everything had changed, now that she’d faced death she knew how precious life was.
There would be problems, always there would be problems for her and for Calvin but there was nothing they couldn’t overcome so long as they were together. She burrowed closer into his arms as though she could never get close enough. She breathed in the scent of him and joy flowed through her.
The sun was warming the earth. Outside the birds were singing in the trees. The world was beginning anew.
‘Yes.’ The word fell softly into the sunlit room and it was the most beautiful sound in all the world.
About the Author
Iris Gower was born in Swansea to an Army family. Married early, she was a mother of four and a well-published author by the time she was in her mid-twenties. She still lives in Swansea with her husband in a house on top of a Welsh hill facing the sea she loves. She is the author of the highly successful Sweyn’s Eye, Cordwainers and Firebird series of novels.
Also by Iris Gower
PROUD MARY
THE LOVES OF CATRIN
THE SHOEMAKER’S DAUGHTER
THE OYSTER CATCHERS
HONEY’S FARM
SEA MISTRESS
THE WILD SEED
FIREBIRD
DREAM CATCHER
and published by Corgi Books
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ARIAN
A BANTAM BOOK: 9780552140959
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781446465011
First published in Great Britain
in 1994 by Bantam Press
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Corgi edition published 1995
Copyright © Iris Gower 1994
Iris Gower has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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