Authors: Iris Gower
Sweet Rosie (35 page)
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 Lloyd?
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.
Alice felt a sense of relief when she thought of her meeting with Eynon. She hoped he would hand her a bag of money as well as the deeds to the house but he was a cautious man. But at least she’d succeeded in convincing him the children were his. That was a step in the right direction.
Edward put his hand to his eyes. ‘Dear God in heaven what can I do?’ he said and Alice pursed her lips in disgust.
‘You can do what any other man does in this life and work harder.’ She saw him take his hands away from his face and for the first time she realized how sick he looked. Sweat beaded his face and his cheekbones stood out prominently in his drawn face.
‘Edward, is there something more, something you are not telling me?’ she demanded. Her hands resting on her stomach felt the babies kick as though in protest that their mother was being worried in this way.
Edward sank into the armchair facing her. ‘I am ruined!’ he gasped as tears poured down his face. ‘You, Alice, have ruined me.’
‘What have I done?’ she asked. ‘Only provide you with a comfortable home worthy of your position in the bank.’
‘You have spent money we haven’t got!’ He spat out the words. ‘You have put me in a debtors’ prison, that’s what you have done.’ He stared at her as if he hated her.
‘Good God, woman, just look at your own foolishness. Remember the day you bought seven new hats, hats I could not pay for?’
Alice felt uncomfortable; she had forgotten about the hats, they had been bought in a spirit of bravado. But then she had no choice; she could not allow herself to be bested by that common piece who was no better than she should be.
‘You worry too much, Edward,’ she said flatly. ‘Surely a few hats will not break the bank but if it’s such a big problem I’ll return them to the shop.’
‘Try to understand what I’ve been telling you, woman!’ He was almost whispering. ‘You know I have been taking funds from the customers’ accounts to pay our bills.’ He rubbed his hand through his hair. ‘I thought I could replace the money, I felt sure your father would help us out. You convinced me of it.’
Alice really was not interested in Edward’s petty pilfering; even that he had failed to do effectively. ‘Edward, you’re a fool. Haven’t you thought of a way to cover up the discrepancies? Why not transfer funds from the richer accounts?’ She leaned forward, all pretence of respecting her husband gone.
He looked at her with haunted eyes. ‘Tell me how?’ He was pleading with her to help him. She was silent for a moment, annoyed that she had to do Edward’s thinking for him.
‘Surely you can divert incoming funds to clear the deficit? People expect delays when money is being transferred or bills being paid.’
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