Edward’s face brightened. ‘I need to have money as soon as possible,’ he said. ‘Otherwise we are ruined. All this’, he gestured around the plush bedroom, ‘will be taken from us. You will be destitute, Alice.’
She had no intention of being destitute. ‘I’ll do what I can,’ she said. ‘Now go, before anyone starts prying into your business at the bank.’
‘It’s all that woman’s fault,’ he said moodily. ‘What sort of woman marries a half-breed? And then she couldn’t keep him. He ran off and what else could you expect from an ignorant foreigner?’
Alice closed her eyes. ‘Go away, Edward,’ she said. ‘I need to rest if I’m to do battle with Father.’
Mercifully he went then, closing the door firmly behind him. She had helped Edward out of his last escapade; she would not help him again. She could hear him banging about in the hallway, raising his voice, berating Rosie for something that was not her fault. Poor girl, it was a wonder she put up with it. The front door slammed; Edward had left for work.
Alice rang the bell and Rosie came at once, her face flushed, her lips tightly closed.
‘Take no notice of Edward.’ Alice pushed aside the bedclothes. ‘He’s a fool.’ She slipped out of bed. ‘Fetch my travelling clothes, Rosie,’ she said. ‘And pack up a few things for both of us.’ Alice smiled. ‘You and I are leaving at once. To all intents and purposes I shall be convalescing at my father’s house but if I have any say in the matter we will never set foot in this place again.’
She saw Rosie hesitate and knew at once what was bothering her.
‘Daddy does not live very far, Rosie, it’s just a carriage ride away. You can visit your brothers as often as you like, I promise.’
Rosie nodded. ‘Thank you, Mrs Sparks.’ She pulled the travelling bag out of the wardrobe and neatly packed into it the clothes that she knew would be needed. That was one thing about Rosie, she could think for herself, she did not have to be told every little thing. And she did not ask questions. She was prepared to go with Alice, to trust her, and that made Alice warm towards Rosie as she had never warmed to anyone before.
‘I’m very fond of you, Rosie,’ she said. ‘I wouldn’t have managed without you these past weeks.’
Rosie smiled. ‘Well, I could say the same.’ She straightened. ‘I had nowhere to go, I couldn’t live with Watt once I knew he didn’t love me.’
‘There, then, the arrangements I’ve made to go home to my father should suit the both of us.’
‘What about Mr Sparks?’ Rosie said tentatively. Alice smiled widely and put her hand on Rosie’s shoulder.
‘Mr Sparks is not worth a moment’s consideration.’ She allowed Rosie to help her dress. ‘He has made a mess of his life and now it’s up to him to sort it all out.’ She shrugged her bodice over her still full breasts. ‘He can rot in jail for all I care, I’ve helped the man as much as any wife could and he still can’t manage his affairs.’
When she left the house Alice did not even look back. That part of her life was over for good. Her father would take her back; he would have to or she would threaten to expose him to all his friends as a man who would turn a sick daughter away from his door.
‘Come on, Rosie,’ Alice said. ‘There’s a better life waiting for us and you and I are going to enjoy it to the full.’
‘The week you allowed Sparks is almost up, Llinos.’ Watt was looking worried; he approached the table where she was busy writing. His eyes were heavy as though he had not slept. ‘I think we should go down to the bank again, find out exactly what’s happening.’
‘I’ll leave you two alone.’ Charlotte put down her sewing and got slowly to her feet. Llinos tried to smile cheerfully. ‘No, don’t go, Charlotte.’
‘I need my afternoon sleep,’ Charlotte said. ‘I’ll speak to you later.’
When the door closed behind Charlotte, Llinos sighed. ‘Look, Watt, wait until tomorrow. If Sparks can put matters right then he will. I’m sure he has no intention of going to prison.’
‘Did you know that his wife has left him?’ Watt persisted. ‘I went over there to see Rosie but she wasn’t there, neither was Mrs Sparks. The maid, Beatie, couldn’t say where they’d gone. Perhaps Mr Sparks intends to join his wife once he’s milked the account dry.’
‘And perhaps not,’ Llinos said. ‘I don’t think he will run away, I have a feeling that even now Sparks has something up his sleeve, some way of replacing the money he’s pilfered.’
‘And in the meantime our creditors are banging on the door wanting to be paid. This isn’t doing your reputation any good, Llinos.’
She looked at him, her eyebrows arched. ‘And when have I ever worried about my reputation, Watt?’
‘This is your livelihood we’re talking about, Llinos,’ he said. ‘I remember the days when we ran the pottery on a shoestring; we don’t want to go back to that, do we?’
‘What are you going to do about Rosie?’ Llinos deliberately changed the subject.
‘What can I do? She’s gone off without even letting me know where she’ll be staying.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Llinos said. ‘But then you shouldn’t have married her, you’ve never really loved her.’
Watt thrust his hands into his pockets; his face was turned away from her and Llinos was ashamed of her spiteful remarks.
‘You think that makes the situation any better?’ he said in a low voice.
Llinos tried to think of a reply but was saved by a sudden rapping on the door.
‘Someone to see you, Mrs Mainwaring,’ the maid said. ‘John Pendennis is asking can he speak with you?’
‘All right, let him come in.’ Llinos looked at Watt. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘I should mind my own business, your private life has nothing to do with me.’ She paused. ‘I wonder what John wants.’
‘Want me to stay while you talk to him?’ Watt asked. ‘I think I should especially if it concerns the pottery.’
John came into the room just then and glanced at Watt and it was plain he was not pleased to see him. Watt stood his ground and John ignored him and spoke directly to Llinos.
‘May I speak privately with you?’ he asked, his voice genial. ‘I won’t keep you long.’
‘All right.’ Llinos smiled. ‘I’ll see you later, Watt, thanks for your concern and please don’t worry, we’ll sort it out.’
John was not dressed for work. He was wearing a fresh linen shirt and good breeches. His boots were of rich polished leather. Llinos wondered where his sudden wealth had sprung from. When he first came to her, he had nothing, so he claimed.
‘I understand the business is in bad shape,’ John said easily. He seated himself close to her and Llinos stared at him.
‘I don’t know where you have got your information from but my business is no concern of yours.’
‘I think it might be,’ John said. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and looked down at it for a long moment. ‘I came across this, I thought you would want to see it.’
He pushed it across the desk and Llinos felt a prickle of apprehension. There was something in John’s tone she did not like.
She looked down and gasped in shock as she saw the cartoon pencilled boldly across the paper.
‘Where did you get this?’ she asked. She bit her lip in anger as John shook his head.
‘That’s not important,’ he said. ‘What matters is that tomorrow, unless you and I can come to some arrangement, this will be in the newspapers.’
She looked at the drawing again, studying the caricature more closely. Her features had been exaggerated. She was depicted with a fierce mop of hair and huge, woeful eyes. Her clothing was in rags and she had a sign with the words ‘Debtors’ Prison’ around her neck.
‘What is the meaning of it all?’ Llinos asked.
‘I want to take over your business,’ John said. ‘I know that your account is in trouble, your creditors not paid. I will bail you out and buy the pottery at a fair price.’
Llinos rose to her feet. ‘You can go to hell!’ She tore the paper into shreds and John laughed.
‘That is only a rough copy,’ he said evenly. ‘I think you would be advised to think things over carefully before you come to any decision.’
‘So you and Sparks are in this together,’ Llinos said sharply. ‘He is stealing money from me and your role is to step in and buy the property at rock-bottom price. Who are you working for?’
‘I have backers, of course,’ John said, ‘but I am the one in charge. You have no money to operate the pottery, your competitors are too big to fight, so why not give in gracefully?’
She shook her head. ‘So Jem Boucher is behind all this? He’s always wanted to get my pottery for the consortium.’ She stared at John defiantly. ‘Well your blackmailing tactics won’t work. I intend to report the matter to the owner of the bank who happens to be a friend of the family. He will see that everything is straightened out.’
‘So, what will happen then?’ John said. ‘Sparks will languish in jail for filching money from your account and you will still be penniless.’ He smiled. ‘I could suppress this.’ He tapped the pieces of torn paper. ‘Save you the humiliation of being pilloried in public.’
‘I don’t care about the drawing, hasn’t that sunk in yet?’ Llinos demanded. ‘Whoever did this cartoon will be the one to suffer.’ She walked to the door and opened it. ‘Haven’t you heard, John? Everyone sympathizes with the underdog. Your spiteful little cartoon will bring me nothing but offers of help.’
She forced a smile. ‘Oh, a few people might chuckle over the cartoon but I am a deserted wife, remember? Most of the other wives out there will be angry for me, imagining themselves in my place. You are not a very good judge of human nature, are you?’
‘I’ll give you until tonight to change your mind,’ John said. ‘I’m offering a fair price for the pottery, you must see it would be a good option for you. Face it, you are no longer interested in running the place otherwise you wouldn’t be in such a mess, would you? You would have sorted a pipsqueak like Sparks out long ago if your heart was in it.’
‘Just leave,’ Llinos said. ‘If I see you near my property again I’ll have you horsewhipped. Do you understand?’
He left the room and strode across the hall. At the door he turned. ‘I would think about it, Mrs Mainwaring, if you turn down my offer, you have everything to lose.’
‘Not everything,’ she said. ‘I will still have my integrity. Goodbye, Mr Pendennis.’ Llinos felt her courage desert her; now she was alone, she could see again the drawing of herself being led to a debtors’ prison. How her father would have hated the disgrace of it. She swallowed hard. She had come to the lowest point in her life and she had no where to turn for comfort.
Rosie looked around the room: it was a large, elegant hall with high windows facing the sea. Alice’s father must be a very rich man indeed to own such an impressive house.
He had not met his daughter with open arms and he looked askance at Rosie as she stepped into the house carrying the bags. After a moment, he beckoned his daughter into the privacy of the library. Alice had been shut in there for over an hour now while Rosie sat staring around her, the bags at her side, wondering what was going to become of her.
Perhaps Alice’s father would throw his daughter out into the street. He looked just the sort of man who would do such a thing without a qualm. It was no wonder Alice had grown up to be selfish, impatient with the failings of others.
At last, Alice emerged looking triumphant. ‘We are to have the east wing to ourselves, Rosie,’ she said briskly. ‘My father doesn’t want to be troubled with our presence, so we’ll keep out of his way.’
Rosie carried the bags upstairs, walking slowly behind Alice. Alice paused for breath on the huge landing. ‘I’ll be glad to get into bed, I feel so damned weak.’ She pointed. ‘Go along there, you can choose any room you fancy. Father’s servants can make up the beds for us with fresh linen.’
An hour later, Rosie sat beside the newly built fire in the large bedroom and stared down at her hands. Alice had fallen asleep in the next room, giving Rosie time to take stock.
Did she really want to live in an enormous mansion miles away from Swansea? She could not lower her pride and live with Watt but she would miss her brothers and she would not be able to visit them so easily now. But she had made her choice and that was to stay with Alice. Well now she must live with it. She kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the silk counterpane. She was tired; she would follow Alice’s example and sleep.
John Pendennis left the noisy atmosphere of the Castle Inn, his hands swinging at his sides, his head high. Filled with good meat and even better wine, he was confident, pleased with the direction in which his life was moving. He would win the day, he was sure of it. Once Llinos Mainwaring thought it over and accepted the fact that he meant to make the drawing public, she would capitulate, sell him the pottery at any price he chose to mention.
Polly was waiting for him in the bedroom of the house she had rented for him. He had not expected her and for a moment he was angry at her intrusion. She smiled up at him and leaned forward, exposing her breasts to full view. She wanted him. She was insatiable. He smiled. He might as well give her what she had come for.
When at last Polly lay gasping at his side, a glow of bliss bringing colour into her face, he stretched out beside her.
‘What surprise have you got for me this time, Polly?’ he said, his hand trailing across her breasts. She rolled away from him and walked casually towards the dressing room, unashamed of her nakedness.
John heard the sound of water running into the bowl and smiled; Polly was fastidious about her cleanliness. Or was she worried her doting husband might suspect her of allowing another man to taste her delights?
She returned to the bedroom and pushed back her tangled hair. She was not a beautiful woman, her nose was slightly too large and her mouth wide. But she had a sensuality that was hard to resist.
She dressed quickly and he guessed she was needed at home. Normally, Polly would dally around the house in a silk robe, padding about the rooms on bare feet. He watched as she delved into her bag and brought out a leather pouch.