They had stopped for the night beside the field where the first fair of the season was to be held on the following day. Leon had suggested Yasmin could entertain the people with her singing, and she was now ready to do this. Rosina laughed scornfully.
'It will bring us ill fortune to use a
gaujo
!' she declared.
Leon flushed dully. He seemed discomforted and for a moment did not answer, then he glanced across at his father who was really the leader of the tribe, and spoke.
'Yasmin is no
gaujo
, though her mother was not a Romany. Her father was a true Romany and she is half so.'
'And we disobeyed the
Kriss
when he was allowed to remain with us. He should have been driven out of the tribe, and so should she!' Rosina replied angrily, looking across at Pedro for support.
Leon's father spoke, glancing around the group, their faces weirdly reflected in the ever changing glow from the flickering flames of the camp fire.
'What Rosina says is in a way correct. Michael should have been driven away, for he married a
gaujo
. But she was prepared to leave her own people and come with us, and the
phui dai
advised that in such a case we could accept them.'
Another man joined in. 'The
phui dai
was too greatly influenced by the fact Michael was her son, and she loved him too well. We respected her wishes while she was alive, because we admired her so greatly, but it is not right we should continue to disobey the Kriss now she is dead. What do you say?'
He turned towards the oldest woman present, who had taken Mrs Boswell's place as the
phui dai
, or wise woman of the tribe, and she looked round, trying to gauge the feelings of the group.
'Yasmin is neither
gaujo
nor Romany, and in strict accordance with the
Kriss
she should be excluded. But she has no other home, and has just suffered the loss of her greatly loved grandmother. I think we should for the time being accept her as one of us, and allow her to work with us if she will. Later we can discuss this again. As to ill fortune, Rosina, I do not think so. Yasmin will be an attraction for us because of the unusual colour of her hair. Who has heard of a golden gypsy before?'
She smiled gently at Yasmin, and the others broke into small groups to discuss her advice. For the moment Yasmin was alone, but she was oblivious, unheedful of them or the discussion that had just taken place, for the last words had recalled to the girl the voice of Ned saying precisely the same when he had described her as the golden gypsy. Suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to see him again, Yasmin shut her eyes the better to recall his face, though in fact there was no need, for his features were as clear in her memory as if he had been before her that very minute.
She looked up in surprise when Leon took her arm and led her a short distance away. She had completely forgotten him. He led her towards his mother's van, where she was now living, and they stopped beside it.
'I am sorry, Yasmin. I feared once my grandmother's influence was removed there would be some who resented you.'
'If it is the law of the Romanies,' she replied slowly, 'I shall have to go some day.'
'If it can be broken for your mother, who was a
gaujo
, it can even more be broken for you, for you are half a Romany!' he said fiercely.
'They will never accept me.'
'They will, in time, especially if you marry me. Yasmin, you know I love you. Let us face them together. My parents are willing it should be so, and it is what grandmother herself wished.'
Yasmin shook her heard. 'No, Leon. It would mean the tribe discarded you too.'
'I am willing to hazard that, and I think it unlikely. But even if they do, I will make a new life together with you, anywhere you wish.'
'Oh, Leon, you make me feel so churlish and ungrateful to refuse such love! But I cannot accept, for although I like and respect you so much, it is not love!'
He persisted for some time, but she was firm in her refusal, for she knew that, hopeless as her love for Ned was, she could marry no one else.
* * * *
The following day Yasmin made her debut singing at the fair. She was much applauded, and the money she earned did a great deal to restore her to the favour of the tribe. Rosina sulked angrily whenever anyone spoke kindly to Yasmin, and Leon, proud of her triumph, made certain everyone knew how much money she had earned, and how successful she had been. Pedro, somewhat to her puzzlement, remained aloof from the whole affair. This made Yasmin rather uneasy, for she did not trust him and wondered what devilment he planned. She could not believe he was as disinterested as he appeared to be. He no longer attempted to catch Yasmin in quiet corners, but often she sensed his brooding eyes following her as she moved about the camps, helping with the cooking and the other tasks.
The tribe moved gradually eastwards, and Yasmin's spirits rose. She was recovering from her grief at the loss of her grandmother, and the tribe seemed to have accepted her again, though occasionally there were resentful looks and spiteful remarks from Rosina and a few of the other young girls. But above all her mood was becoming lighter because they were daily getting nearer to the village where she had seen Ned, and she longed desperately to see him again. Attempting to be calm, she told herself how unlikely it was he would again visit the fair. The quality did not always do so, as the lower orders did, for they had other ways of entertaining themselves. He could merely have been visiting the area, or might easily be away when the fair next came to his village. She firmly told herself all of this, but it made no difference to her longings, she knew that if she failed to see him she would be in the depths of despair, but resolutely pushed these thoughts away, thinking if she had to be unhappy she would delay it for as long as possible.
On the day when the gypsies reached the village Yasmin could scarcely remain still for excitement. They set up camp in a small clearing about a mile from the fairground, and the evening meal was prepared. Afterwards they sat about the fire as it was allowed to die down to a dull glow and sang, playing the guitars and violins and other instruments, for nearly everyone in the tribe played something, and later the younger ones danced.
This was exactly suited to Yasmin's mood. She was wild with anticipation and threw herself into the dancing with great abandon. She had always been a graceful dancer, though as a child she had not greatly enjoyed the dancing classes she had attended with the rectory girls, and the sedate movements they had had to learn for the stately court dances. When they were allowed to learn the more lively country dances Yasmin had often been reproved for the way she had romped through them, and her pleasure had thus been dimmed. The gypsy dances were ideal for her, and she was in her element that night. Some magic gripped her and she excelled herself, so much so that the others gradually drew aside and stood clapping their hands in time to the music as they encouraged her to even greater efforts.
Yasmin was so lost in the thrill of the movement she did not notice the horseman who rode silently out from the dark woods and into the clearing. The first she knew of his presence was when, exhausted at last, she had laughingly refused to dance again and had thrown herself down beside the embers of the fire to rest. Leon sat beside her, and she could see Pedro on the far side of the fire watching her, but even his silent gaze did not disturb her that time.
'Bravo, golden gypsy,' his voice came out of the darkness beyond the fire, and Yasmin froze, tingling at the unexpected sound of the so-well-remembered voice. How long had be been there? She felt she ought to have known of his presence by some sixth sense, and then wondered if her wild exhilaration had been because, unconsciously, she had known.
Slowly she turned and saw him come into the circle of light thrown by the fire to stand beside Leon's father. She stared for what seemed hours at him, unable to speak, but drinking in the sight of that ever-to-be-remembered face, and then belatedly she murmured her thanks, scrambling to her feet as she did so. But he had finished with her and was deep in conversation with Leon's father. Yasmin flushed with mortification. What had she expected? It was mere politeness had made him speak to her, and now he obviously had more important business. But what sort of business could a man like Ned have with gypsies? She was puzzled, but he and Leon's father had drawn back into the shadows, and one of the girls began strumming her guitar, while Leon had put his arm about Yasmin's shoulders. The gypsies were singing, sad, quiet songs now, and they matched Yasmin's new mood. She had to join in, for fear they wondered at her silence, and by the time they had finished there was no more sign of Ned. He must have gone away as silently as he had arrived, and once more she had not known.
* * * *
Yasmin hardly slept that night, for she was in a strange turmoil. She was enthralled by this further and unexpected sight of him, and thrilled in anticipation of seeing him again at the fair, for she was convinced he would be there. Yet she was overcome by a deep sadness, since what could she ever hope for? He did not seem to have any interest in her apart from his comments on the rarity of her colouring. She did not know who he was, but it now seemed probable he lived in the area. She did not know, even, and her heart almost stopped at the thought, whether he was married. Bitterly she chided herself, for what difference could it make to her if he was or not? With great thoroughness she forced herself to enumerate all the difficulties that would have to be overcome before he might come to know her any better than he did already, and admitted they were insuperable. But a stubborn part of her refused to abandon the veriest shred of a dream that he would, like the prince she had dreamed of long ago, carry her off to his castle so they would live happily ever after.
Despite her restless night Yasmin was up early, and impatient for the time they would be starting for the fairground. When they reached it she looked eagerly about her, but of course he was not there. While she helped to set up the stalls and booths she watched ceaselessly, but only the farmers and the villagers had by that time arrived.
Yasmin performed in a tent which she shared with several of the others, and they sang gypsy songs, played instruments, and danced for the audiences who paid their money and filed in every half hour. Once these performances had started she could contrive to slip outside only for a few minutes at a time when she was not needed, and after several hours she had not seen him, and was distraught, thinking he had been and she had somehow missed him.
But it was not so. At last, when Yasmin was taking the money at the entrance to the tent, she saw him approaching. The same girl who had been with him before clung to his arm, and they were followed by the other girl, whose name was, she remembered, Maria, walking with another man who seemed slightly younger than Ned. However, as her whole attention was for Ned, Yasmin did not take a great deal of notice of the others.
To her chagrin he did not even appear to notice her, giving her an abstracted glance as he handed over the money. They entered the tent and she stared after them, then was recalled to her duties by the loud demands of a fat farmer's wife for tickets. Yasmin dealt with her and those that followed then, when the tent was full, closed the flap and went to the far end where the performers were waiting. She could see Ned in the front row, and her heart contracted as she saw with what close attention he was listening to Charlotte, who was prattling away merrily while he smiled down at her in a manner that seemed to Yasmin's jealous eyes most loverlike.
Her performance that day was not up to its usual standard. When she played her guitar she struck several wrong chords, and her dancing, she knew, was wooden. When it came to her turn to sing she made a great effort to pull herself together, for she was on her own with no one to help her or cover up mistakes. Yasmin could see the others looking at her oddly, wondering what was the matter, and as she walked onto the platform and sat on the stool placed ready for her, she shook herself angrily, determined to redeem her reputation.
Normally she sang a mixture of both sad and lively songs, but she knew herself incapable of singing merrily today, and selected the most mournful songs she knew. That was almost her undoing, for she was so affected by the melancholy ballads she felt her voice breaking on a sob more than once. Yasmin seemed to have conveyed her feelings to the audience too, for she could hear some suppressed sobs coming from them as she finished. As she attempted to smile, and then walked off, one of the men passed her, carrying a lute, and struck up a lively air, and she realised he was anxious to change the mood of the audience to a merrier one before they could leave the tent and discourage further custom by their doleful faces.
Leon met her as she slipped through a gap in the canvas and out of the tent.
'My dear, I have never heard you sing like that before,' he greeted her.
'I am sorry,' she began to apologise, thinking he was chiding her, but he laughed.
'There is no need. It was magnificent, the feeling you put into those songs! I'll swear they have never before been sung so movingly!'
Glancing at him, Yasmin saw he was not simply trying to console her, but was genuinely enthusiastic, and her spirits revived a little. She was fond of him and his praise meant a great deal to her. She smiled, and he took her off for a drink at one of the refreshment tents, for there was a break in their own performances for a while.
* * * *
For the rest of that day Yasmin's mood fluctuated between hope and despair, hope she would see Ned again, and despair when she did not. He and the rest of his party had vanished, and although she made as many excuses as possible to roam the fairground, she saw none of them. There was still, however, a chance of seeing him again on the following day, for the fair this time lasted for two days. Yasmin dressed carefully in the gold dress she had made from the material she had bought earlier, on the day she had seen Pedro in conversation with a strange gentleman, and went to the fairground with hope in her heart.