by Rosie Harris
Lloyd and Lorna were both utterly astonished when Sarah told them what Stefan had said. Their shock turned to anger and both of them were absolutely incensed that he could have done such a thing.
Lorna’s first concern was about what would have happened if Sarah’s baby had survived.
‘Perhaps under the circumstances things have turned out for the best,’ Lloyd sighed as he put his arms round Sarah’s shoulders and stroked her hair in a comforting gesture.
‘Oh, Dad, it’s all so hopeless,’ she said tearfully. Then as all the fury and bitterness that had overwhelmed her from the moment Stefan had told her reached its peak she gave way to her grief and broke down and sobbed as though her heart would break.
Lorna was incensed. Although her hysterically voiced opinions reflected precisely what Sarah was feeling Lloyd frowned and shushed her to silence.
‘He was an evil man, a very clever and convincing rogue, but upsetting ourselves will do no good at all,’ he warned. ‘The important thing now is to extricate Sarah from this terrible mess with the minimum of scandal.’
‘I’d like to shout it from the housetops and let everyone in Cardiff know what a swine he is,’ Lorna declared heatedly. ‘And believe me, I would do if it wasn’t that it would mean dragging Sarah’s name through the mud.’
‘I know, I know, cariad.’ Lloyd reached out and patted her shoulder. ‘What about making us a cup of tea and then we’ll all sit down and try and work out what is to be done for the best.’
‘I’m not going back to Tydfil Place ever again,’ Sarah declared vehemently, pulling herself free of her father’s embrace and angrily scrubbing away her tears.
‘Of course not; we wouldn’t expect you to do so; there’s no question of that,’ her father told her.
‘It’s going to be lovely having you back here again,’ Lorna affirmed. ‘We’ll be able to go shopping together like old times.’
‘As soon as you feel capable of doing so I think you should look for another job and try and pick up the pieces of your life again,’ Lloyd said gravely. ‘It’s important to plan your future, not brood about what has happened.’
‘Perhaps, you’re right, Lloyd, but there’s no rush; all in good time. It’s easier said than done,’ Lorna commented.
‘I know that, but being positive and looking forward will be for the best,’ Lloyd insisted.
‘I wish I could go back to my old job at the City Hall,’ Sarah said wistfully.
‘I’m sure you do, but that’s completely out of the question. For a start, they don’t employ married women—’
‘I’m not a married woman, remember?’ Sarah interrupted bitterly.
‘No, cariad, I am well aware of that, but if you try to explain the situation then you will have to incriminate Stefan.’
‘Surely that’s the best thing that can happen. He deserves to be shown up for what he is,’ Lorna said heatedly.
‘I agree but it will not only blacken his name but also Sarah’s as well and I very much doubt if they would give her back her job once they found out the truth.’
‘I’ll go and make that tea,’ Lorna said a trifle huffily. ‘I can see that you’re determined that she does things your way.’
‘I want things to be handled as judicially as possible so that Sarah isn’t implicated in any way,’ Lloyd said firmly.
‘Sarah, you do want me to take care of things for you, don’t you?’ he asked quietly the moment they were alone.
‘No, Dad, I don’t expect you to do that. I think that with all my training I ought to do it myself, but not yet. I’d prefer to leave it for a while; I need to come to terms with everything. Somehow I can’t believe that I could let anyone take me in like this.’
‘I know, I know. He fooled us all, not just you. He’d convinced me that he was an honourable, upright sort of chap. I admired his integrity and his breadth of knowledge, but he’s obviously a blackguard. In some ways it’s as well that you know the truth and things have turned out as they have, because you are better off without him. It all could have been a lot worse, you know,’ he added awkwardly.
‘Well, have you two sorted everything out and planned what you are going to do?’ Lorna asked as she brought in the tray of tea things and placed them down on the table.
‘Sarah must concentrate on getting her life back to normal again and that means the very first thing she must do is find a new job,’ Lloyd emphasised.
‘I don’t think she’s in any fit state to do that,’ Lorna argued as she poured out the tea and passed a cup across to him. ‘She’s had some terrible shocks, remember.’
‘I know, I know, cariad, but what useful purpose will it fulfil if she simply mopes around the house brooding about what has happened and working herself up into a state about what she’d like to do to Stefan Vaughan?’
‘I think Dad is right,’ Sarah told her mother. ‘It’s probably much better for me to put the past behind me and try and forget what has happened. I’m not even sure if the sort of bigamy he has committed can be considered a criminal offence.’
‘Oh, Sarah, it must be,’ her mother protested. ‘The wretch should be tarred and feathered and paraded from the City Hall all the way down to St Mary’s Street.’
‘I know how you feel, Mam, but I think if it went to court it would make me into a laughing stock. Also what else would come out if we tried to expose him? Everyone would know all about my past as well as his and some people might feel I only got what I deserved.’
Lorna stirred her tea angrily. ‘Don’t talk such nonsense, why should they think that?’
‘For quite a few reasons. Before I married him I was well aware that Stefan not only drinks like a fish but also likes to party and live it up in all sorts of ways; some of which would shock both of you if I told you about them.’
‘All the more reason why everyone should know what a terrible sort of man he is.’
‘I would be shown up as well and when people heard that at one time I was living in Tiger Bay, think what conclusions they would draw from that. There’s bound to be some who would say that I was no better than I should be.’
‘That’s all water under the bridge and has nothing to do with what happened between you and Stefan Vaughan.’
‘Maybe not, but other people might see it differently to you. Let’s face it, Mam, the whole episode might end up with people actually feeling that Stefan was the one who deserved sympathy, not me.’
‘You’re talking absolute rubbish,’ Lorna declared as she collected up the empty teacups.
‘Not really, Mam. You see, I never told Stefan that I’d been living with Gwyn or anything about poor little Cladylliss,’ she added with a catch in her voice.
‘Does anyone need to know those things?’ Lorna argued.
‘Once I make it known about Stefan all the rest of it is bound to come out,’ Sarah warned.
‘Quite; so forget all that has happened and concentrate on building a new life for yourself,’ her father stated sombrely.
‘This false wedding business . . . surely you need to do something about that, cariad?’ Lorna persisted. ‘Supposing you ever want to get married one day, properly married, I mean, wouldn’t you have to say you are already married?’
‘Don’t worry about it, Mam. The ceremony wasn’t legal and in time I’ll find out what I need to do to sort it out. From now on I shall be calling myself Sarah Lewis and hope that no one questions it.’
‘Well, you probably know the law better than we do, so let’s hope you’re right, but do look into it and make quite sure so that there are no complications later on,’ her father warned.
Chapter Twenty-One
Although Sarah was determined to make a new life for herself, she found it increasingly difficult to clear her mind of all that had happened. Memories of how she’d been deceived by Stefan and let down by Gwyn Roberts haunted her.
Her heart ached whenever she thought about poor little Cladylliss and she wondered if her death and that
of the baby that had been stillborn was some sort of punishment for her waywardness.
She knew that the sooner her mind was occupied by other matters the better, but so far she’d not been able to decide what sort of job she wanted to do from now on.
She’d thoroughly enjoyed working in the Housing Department at the City Hall and there were times when she felt she’d give anything to be able to turn the clock back to those days.
It was so much on her mind that one afternoon she took the risk of going back there. She felt it might break the spell the place seemed to have over her if she could simply walk through the main hall visualising what it would be like to be working there again.
She knew she was taking a risk going there because there was the possibility that she might be seen by someone she’d worked alongside or who knew her. She was pretty sure she wouldn’t bump into Stefan, however, because he worked in a separate part of the building. Thinking back she could never remember him coming into the main public area where the Housing Department was sited all the time she’d worked there.
As she strolled in through the door and made her way towards the far end of the main hall she was startled to hear someone call out her name. For one awful moment she froze, afraid that it might be Stefan, but as she turned round she saw to her relief that it was Bryn Morgan, the owner of a large building contractors with whom she’d dealt on several occasions in the past.
‘It’s good to see you again, Miss Lewis,’ he greeted her, holding out a podgy hand, a warm, friendly smile lighting up his plump face. ‘I heard you’d left?’
‘Yes, about three months ago,’ she murmured and felt the hot colour rush to her cheeks as they shook hands.
He frowned in disbelief. ‘It seems longer. I’ve missed you because you were always so helpful and you seemed to understand my problems whenever I had any. Nowadays . . .’ He shrugged and left the sentence unfinished.
‘Look,’ he pulled out a watch from his waistcoat pocket and consulted it, ‘I was about to go for a cup of coffee, would you care to join me? I would enjoy talking about old times.’
Sarah hesitated. The very last thing she wanted to do was go to the canteen where there was the possibility that she might bump into Stefan.
‘I know a very nice coffee shop not too far away in Queen Street,’ Bryn Morgan went on, replacing his watch and tugging the points of his waistcoat back into place over his rotund stomach. ‘So will you come along with me?’
‘Thank you, that would be very nice,’ Sarah agreed.
She found him an easy companion to talk to but it was not until they were sitting drinking their coffee that he touched on anything to do with the City Hall.
‘Incredible old carry on, wasn’t it?’ he remarked. ‘You must have heard about it,’ he went on as he saw her frown in bewilderment. ‘One of the top men, a chap called Stefan Thomas.’
‘Stefan Thomas? No, I don’t know anyone by that name, only a Stefan Vaughan from the education department,’ she said, her colour deepening.
‘That’s the fellow. It seems his real name was Thomas; Stefan Vaughan Thomas.’
Sarah felt her heart racing. ‘What happened?’
‘Well, it appears he was a lively sort of chap, very good-looking, enjoyed partying and living it up; something of a rascal, though, by all accounts. It turns out that he had a wife and children who are living up in the Valleys but he was more or less separated from them and had his own flat here in Cardiff. Apparently, or so the story goes, he went on a wild drinking spree and afterwards took a lady he’d met up with during the course of the evening back to his flat, presumably intending for her to stay the night there.
‘They’d only been back about half an hour or so when some chap burst in and accused him of seducing his girlfriend. The upshot of it was that there was a terrible argument that ended in a fight and this Stefan fellow was knifed by this other man. Dead as a doornail before the police even got there.’
‘That’s really terrible,’ Sarah gasped, the colour draining from her face.
He stared at her in concern. ‘Oh dear, I didn’t mean to upset you. I take it you knew him, then?’ Bryn Morgan commented.
‘Yes, I did,’ she murmured non-committally. ‘I knew him as Stefan Vaughan, of course.’
‘So did everyone else at the City Hall by all accounts. It was only when the police needed details and started looking into his background that all these revelations came to light. As I’ve said, he was quite a wild character by all accounts; mad on dancing, indulged in drugs and drank like a fish. Seems he’d had another woman living with him for the past few months but no one was sure who she was. In fact, some people said they’d thought she was his wife, but she’d disappeared and it seems that this blonde he’d picked up with was intended to be her replacement. Apparently, from the account I read in the papers, she was no saint either. In fact, from what the police implied, they’d already had dealings with her in the past.’
Sarah sensed that Bryn Morgan was prepared to go on talking about it for ever so she said quickly, ‘I’m sure it will all be in the paper again when the case comes to court.’
‘Bound to be,’ he agreed and, much to her relief, changed the conversation to enquiring about her. ‘So where are you working now?’ he asked.
‘I’m not working anywhere at the moment; in fact, I’m looking for a new job.’
‘I see!’ He frowned. ‘What about coming to work for me? At the moment I use a local solicitor to deal with our legal problems but we are expanding so rapidly that we could do with someone of your calibre actually working for the company.’
Sarah stared at him in astonishment. ‘Do you really mean that?’
‘Of course I do; I think it would be a very good arrangement. When would you be able to start?’
‘I’m free now so I could start at any time that suited you; immediately, in fact.’
Bryn Morgan stood up. ‘Look, if you have the time, why not come back to the office with me now. I can show you around and explain what sort of work you would be doing and then you can let me know if you are interested.’
Sarah felt she was walking on air as she accompanied Bryn Morgan back to his office. She could hardly believe that he was actually offering her a job.
She knew he was the managing director of a prosperous building company but she was surprised to learn that he had over a hundred employees.
‘I take an active part in the running of the company,’ he told her, ‘but I also rely a great deal on my general manager. He’s been with me ever since he was invalided out of the army with a damaged leg and he really is my right-hand man now. You’d be working closely with him but I think you’d get along fine together.’
Owen Phillips looked as though he was in his mid- to late twenties and Sarah liked him as soon as they were introduced. He was tall and broad with thick fair hair and light blue eyes. Although he had the firm, square jaw of a prize-fighter he also had an air of gentle calmness and when he spoke his voice was soft and rather studied.
‘You two would be working in close cooperation a great deal of the time,’ Bryn Morgan told them, ‘so it’s important that you see eye to eye over things.’
‘I don’t think there will be any problem over that,’ Owen said with a reassuring smile. ‘However, if Miss Lewis would like to come along for a day and see exactly what goes on here, it might give her a better insight into what is involved. I’d be more than pleased to show her around and tell her how we run things.’
Sarah agreed that it was a good idea. ‘It will also give you the opportunity to see if you are confident that we can work together,’ she pointed out.
There was only one problem, she thought as she said goodbye to them both after agreeing to be there at eight o’clock the next morning; how much should she tell Bryn Morgan about her association with Stefan Vaughan?
She was still trying to make her mind up when she sat down with her parents for their evening meal.
‘You’re ver
y quiet tonight,’ he father commented. ‘Worn out with all this job hunting, cariad?’
‘No, not really. As a matter of fact, I think I’ve found the ideal situation.’
Her father listened in silence as she told him about Bryn Morgan’s business and how he had offered her a job.
‘I’ve heard of Morgan Builders, of course,’ he stated when she had finished. ‘They have a very high reputation but I had no idea it was quite as large a concern as you say it is.’
‘Apparently it is growing all the time. The general manager has promised to show me around tomorrow and give me some idea of what my job would entail.’
‘So you haven’t exactly got it yet?’ Her father queried.
‘No, but as far as I can tell it is mine if I want it. The idea of spending a day with the general manager is to see if we get on all right as I would be working very closely with him. He seems to be an extremely nice person, though, so I don’t think that is going to present any problem at all.’
‘Well, don’t rush it, cariad. I can see you have doubts of some kind because you seem to be brooding about something.’
‘Yes, it’s to do with Stefan, as a matter of fact,’ Sarah told him worriedly.
‘That scoundrel! I thought we’d agreed never to mention his name again,’ Lloyd said angrily.
‘I know, but I was told something today that I think you both should hear.’
They listened in silence as she repeated what Bryn Morgan had said.
‘I did read something about it a few days ago,’ her father commented when she finished, ‘but because the name was Thomas I didn’t mention it; I hoped it wasn’t the same chap,’ he added lamely.
‘Well, like I’ve just told you, it seems his real name was Stefan Vaughan Thomas but here in Cardiff he dropped the Thomas.’
‘So the fact that he was calling himself Vaughan when he married you meant that he wasn’t legally married to you anyway,’ Lorna said, shaking her head in disbelief.