by Rosie Harris
‘Yes, you’re quite right, I would have done, and that would have been a great pity.’
‘Mind you,’ he chuckled, ‘she’ll be into everything now so you won’t have a moment’s peace. There will probably be days when you wish you were back at work.’
‘I doubt it.’ Sarah smiled as she picked up some of the toys that Rhoslyn had discarded and put them back into the wooden toy box that Owen had made for the purpose.
By the following Easter, when Rhoslyn was nine months old, she was taking notice of all that was going on around her. She loved being taken out in her pram, sitting up so that she was able to see everything.
One of their favourite destinations was Roath Park. Usually they would meet Celina and after a walk in the park go back to her house in nearby Pen-y-lan Road.
At first Sarah had felt uncomfortable about this because everything from the carpets to the curtains and cushions were so pristine and expensive that she was afraid Rhoslyn might spill something or make a mess.
Celina soon put her mind at rest. ‘They’re only possessions,’ she pointed out. ‘Her enjoyment is far more important.’
Each time they visited it seemed that Celina brought out some new toy or something which had belonged to her son Twm and which she had treasured but now wanted Rhoslyn to play with and enjoy.
‘You must remember that for me Rhoslyn is the grandchild I will never have,’ she told Sarah. ‘You can’t possibly imagine how much happiness I get out of seeing her sitting here on the floor playing with them.’
Sarah accepted that this was true and marvelled how fortunate she was to have such a good friend. Her only worry was that with so many people dancing attendance on her Rhoslyn could become spoiled. When she mentioned this to Owen he pointed out that she had such a sweet, happy nature that he thought that was unlikely.
On sunny days, Lloyd liked nothing more than to sit outside on a chair with the pram alongside him and to talk to her, pointing out the birds and the flowers and telling her all about them.
When it was time for her to settle for her morning sleep then he would rock the pram until she dozed off.
A couple of months later when she’d started pulling herself up on to her feet and struggling to get out of her pram, this was no longer possible and he started to bemoan the fact, not only to Sarah and Owen but also to Celina Morgan who’d become such a regular visitor that she was almost one of the family.
‘It makes me feel more useless than ever to know that now she’s started getting around I won’t be able to keep an eye on her any longer,’ he sighed when Celina commented that Rhoslyn would soon be toddling and they’d all have to be running after her.
‘Then we’ll have to make sure she knows how to help look after you,’ Sarah told him. ‘She’ll be able to fetch and carry for you so that will save me having to do it,’ she said, smiling.
‘The best thing you can do is put her in a playpen so that you don’t have to chase after her all the time,’ Celina suggested. ‘If you’ll let me, then I’d like to buy one for her.’
‘That’s a splendid idea,’ Lloyd agreed. ‘It’s not right leaving her strapped into her high chair for too long.’
‘And when you do start taking her out for little walks, then make sure you put reins on her,’ Celina advised. ‘I’ve seen little toddlers dash out into the road and get knocked down before today. They’ve no sense of danger, you see.’
‘She’ll be too busy looking after her Granpy to have time to do naughty things like that,’ Sarah told them, smiling indulgently as she picked the little girl up and hugged her.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Bryn Morgan’s death was sudden and completely unexpected. One minute he was sitting at his desk checking over a legal document that Ion had handed to him and the next he had slumped forward, scattering papers and sending a heavy mahogany desk stand that held his pens and glass inkwell crashing to the floor.
Ion jumped back thoroughly frightened. Nervously, he touched Bryn Morgan’s arm and when there was no response he gingerly felt below his ear to see if there was a pulse. Unable to find one he went in search of Owen.
Owen also checked for a pulse and then, realising how serious the matter was, ordered Ion to send for an ambulance right away. Meanwhile, he did his best to loosen Bryn’s tie and undo the collar of his shirt in the hope that it might help.
An hour later they knew the worst and Owen took it upon himself to personally go and tell Bryn’s wife.
In the week leading up to Bryn Morgan’s funeral, saddened though they were by his death, Owen and Sarah were also very concerned about what the future of Morgan Builders would be. The chances were that Celina would not want to carry on trading, in which case the company would either be closed down or sold. In either instance there was a possibility that Owen would find himself out of work.
‘There’s absolutely nothing we can do about it except wait and see what happens,’ Owen pointed out. ‘Worrying our heads off about what will happen won’t make one iota of difference.’
Knowing how devastated Celina must be and that she had no close relatives to support her, Sarah went to Pen-y-lan Road to see if there was anything she could do to help.
‘I don’t think there is, cariad,’ Celina told her, ‘Cledwyn Hughes, our solicitor, has everything in hand and he’s organising the funeral. I would like it if you could be there but I don’t suppose that will be possible because you wouldn’t be able to bring little Rhoslyn to something like that,’ she sighed.
‘If you’d like me to be there then I could leave her with Alvia. She still sometimes comes in to keep an eye on my dad,’ Sarah offered.
‘Would you really do that for me? I would be so grateful. I feel I need someone to stand alongside me to give me the courage to see this through,’ Celina admitted.
‘Owen will be there as well,’ Sarah reminded her.
‘Oh, I know that, dear, and he’ll be a power of strength but I would like to have you at my side as well.’
‘Then I’ll be there, and if you wish I’ll come back to the house with you afterwards and so will Owen, so don’t worry about it any more,’ Sarah assured her.
It was a grey, damp, blustery day which added to the grimness of the occasion. The church was packed with employees of Morgan’s and also a number of Bryn and Celina’s neighbours and friends. Owen and Sarah stood either side of Celina, and Sarah held her hand throughout the service.
Afterwards, when Cledwyn Hughes read Bryn’s will, there were gasps of astonishment, even from Celina. The solicitor revealed that Bryn had known for quite some time that he had a serious heart condition and accordingly he’d made careful provisions for his wife’s future.
The business was left to Owen Phillips with the stipulation that a regular amount was paid each month to his wife for the rest of her life. His house in Pen-y-lan was left to Celina but his motor car, which belonged to the company, was left to Owen.
Owen was utterly flabbergasted. At first he didn’t know what to say and then he protested both to the solicitor and to Celina that he was sure there must be some mistake.
Cledwyn Hughes suggested that the three of them should adjourn to a private room to discuss the matter more fully and Celina insisted that Sarah came as well.
‘I had no idea exactly what my husband was planning to do,’ she told them, ‘but I am both pleased and relieved by his will. I could never have managed to continue with the business as I have no head for such matters but I’m sure that you will continue to run it as efficiently as he did.’
‘I will certainly do my utmost,’ Owen told her humbly, ‘and I assure you that you will always be well provided for; I’ll make quite certain of that,’ he told her earnestly.
‘My husband had always intended from the day he started on his own that our son would join him and that they would be partners but unfortunately, due to Twm’s untimely death, this was not possible. Privately, he has always regarded you as the son he lost, Owen, and so it is a tribute to Twm’s mem
ory and I want you to accept it as that,’ she told him, with tears in her eyes. ‘You and Sarah and little Rhoslyn are as much family to me as if you were blood relations.’
Later, as everyone was taking their leave, Sarah suggested to Celina that she might like to come back and stay with them rather than be on her own.
‘No, cariad, I would like to remain here. I need some time alone to come to terms with all that has happened. If you can spare the time tomorrow, then I would very much like to see you and, of course, little Rhoslyn.’
‘In the afternoon perhaps?’ Sarah suggested.
‘Yes, that would be best. Perhaps you could bring your father as well. Lloyd has never been here and it would be such a pleasure to show him round.’
‘He’d love it but I’m afraid it would be too far for him to walk,’ Sarah said gently.
‘Well, there will be no need for him to do so. Don’t forget that you have a motor car now and I am sure Owen can spare a few minutes to bring you all round here and then collect you again at the end of the afternoon when he finishes work.’
The new routine soon became established. Two or sometimes three afternoons a week, Owen drove them to Pen-y-lan Road and left them there while he went back to the office before collecting them when he’d finished work.
Frequently Celina insisted that they should stay and have a meal with her because, she claimed, she didn’t like eating on her own. Even so, they never stayed very late into the evening because Sarah felt that it upset Rhoslyn’s routine too much as she liked to have her in bed by seven o’clock.
The change of management at Morgan’s also had repercussions. Owen had been used to running things for a good number of years but he’d always known that Bryn was in the background. Bryn had always been on hand to discuss any problems that arose if Owen was uncertain about what action to take. Now that he had to make his own decisions he was often worried and unable to put the matter from his mind when he finished at night.
Bringing problems home was one thing but when it meant that he was irritable or even bad-tempered, Sarah became alarmed. She persuaded him to talk matters over with her but more often than not she found that he was too tired to discuss things rationally. Either that or she was distracted because Rhoslyn needed attention.
‘Why don’t you go into the office for an hour or so now and again and then you can help Owen to sort out these problems,’ Celina suggested when she mentioned it to her.
‘It’s not really the answer though, is it?’ Sarah sighed. ‘It would be just as difficult to concentrate on things there because I’d still have Rhoslyn with me.’
Celina looked thoughtful. ‘Do you think she would stay here with me while you went into the office?’
‘She’s quite a handful; do you think you could manage to look after her?’ Sarah asked dubiously. ‘She’s full of life these days and into everything.’
‘If she was in a playpen and Lloyd was here to sit and talk to her as well, then I think we’d be able to entertain her and keep her happy for a couple of hours.’
Sarah agreed to think about it and talk it over with Owen and see what he thought about it.
To Sarah’s surprise Owen hugged her with relief when she put the idea to him.
‘I think it would make all the difference,’ he told her. ‘There are so many semi-legal matters that I’m unsure about and yet I don’t want to discuss them with Ion. For one thing, if I’m unsure then it rather undermines my authority and I find that Ion is inclined to be rather supercilious whenever I’m wrong and he’s right,’ he admitted uncomfortably.
‘I’ll have to see what Dad thinks about it because Celina says she would feel happier if he was there with her rather than Rhoslyn being left completely in her charge. What difference it will make having him there I really don’t understand, since he can’t move fast enough to catch Rhoslyn or even manage to pick her up if she falls over and hurts herself.’
‘No, but Celina likes his company and trusts him and it will probably help boost her confidence if he’s there. She also probably thinks that Rhoslyn will feel happier and more settled because she is used to having him around all the time.’
Although it worked quite well, and having Sarah in the office for a few hours several days a week certainly lightened Owen’s workload, he occasionally grumbled about having to take time out to pick them all up and drive them to Celina’s house in Pen-y-lan Road.
‘Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to leave Dad for a few hours on his own; it’s too far for him to walk. I could ask Alvia to look in on him and if I did that then I could take Rhoslyn round to Celina’s in her pram and catch a bus from there to the office.’
‘That might work, but wouldn’t it be quite a trek for you, cariad?’ Owen pointed out.
‘Yes, you’re right. It would probably be much simpler if I learned to drive the car,’ Sarah said dryly.
‘You drive!’ Owen stared at her in astonishment.
‘Why not? You learned to drive it, so why can’t I?’
‘You’re a woman, that’s why; you can’t be expected to understand mechanical things.’
Sarah was not to be deterred. The idea festered in her mind for days and although Owen had not made any further comments about how long it took to collect her she was determined to broach the subject again.
To her surprise, delight and amusement, a few days later when she was sorting through the various documents Ion had left for her to deal with, she found a new driving licence issued in her name and it was obvious that Owen had sent for it.
She decided to wait for him to say something and to her relief he brought the matter up a few days later after they had safely delivered Lloyd and Rhoslyn into Celina’s care.
‘I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day about learning to drive and it does make a lot of sense,’ he told her as they got back into the car.
‘Yes, I thought you had. I found the driving licence you’d applied for.’ Sarah smiled as she settled herself into her seat.
‘Good. I was waiting for it to arrive. Now that it has, I’ll show you what you have to do.’
‘Is it very difficult?’ she asked tentatively.
‘Well, take notice as we drive to the office and then you can have a go yourself when we come back to collect your dad and Rhoslyn. How about that?’
Sarah had no problem in mastering the steering and braking but what she did find difficult was pulling away from standstill and double-declutching.
Her first attempts at pulling away resulted in them kangaroo-hopping for several yards until she managed to master the art of letting the clutch out. When it came to changing up or down, more often than not she caused the car to stall, or else there was a terrible grinding noise from the gearbox.
‘I don’t think I am any good at this,’ she said dispiritedly after she’d stalled the car as she was pulling away, causing the traffic behind them to honk their horns and a waiting tram to sound its bell very loudly.
‘Take no notice of them, they all had to learn at one time and they probably all made mistakes,’ Owen told her.
Heartened, Sarah persisted and after the first couple of runs her confidence had been restored and she was almost enjoying it. For about a month Owen would only let her drive when they were in the car on their own. The first time she did so with her father and Rhoslyn on board Lloyd seemed very surprised.
‘You never told us anything about Sarah learning to drive,’ he commented, leaning forward in his seat. ‘How long has this been going on, then?’
‘For over a month now,’ Sarah told him, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.
‘I must say I never thought the day would come when I’d be driven around in a motor car by my own daughter,’ Lloyd commented as he settled back again in his seat. ‘You have a very clever Mummy, Rhoslyn,’ he added proudly.
Now that Lloyd not only knew she could drive but felt quite safe when she was doing so, Sarah found life was more relaxed. It was so much easier
to get Rhoslyn dressed and ready at her own speed instead of having to constantly chivvy the child to hurry.
Lloyd also found that it was less stressful when he could take his time and not be expected to rush.
Celina was delighted. ‘I always intended to learn to drive but it always looked so complicated that I never plucked up the courage to do so,’ she admitted. ‘All those gears and levers and switches, I could never work out how to use them in the right order.’
‘I’m sure you could,’ Sarah told her. ‘Why don’t you give it another try?’
‘No, I don’t think so,’ Celina protested with an affected shiver. ‘Perhaps you should suggest it to Lloyd, though. I’m sure he’d enjoy driving and he is so much better these days that he might jump at the opportunity.’
At first Sarah felt quite startled by the idea. She thought about it and realised that Celina was right and that these days her dad’s hands barely shook at all. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d dropped or spilled anything and so she was inclined to agree with her.
For the next few days she didn’t bother about cutting up Lloyd’s food for him and she noticed that it didn’t seem to bother him at all that he had to do it for himself.
‘Perhaps you should learn to drive, Dad,’ she said tentatively the next time she was collecting him and Rhoslyn from Celina’s, ‘then you could take Celina out sometimes. I’m sure she’d like a run out into the country or down to the seaside and we’re always so busy that we never seem to get the time for any little jaunts like that.’
He dismissed the idea as nonsense. ‘An old crock like me? What are you talking about, cariad? Duw anwyl! It takes me all my time to climb into this damn thing,’ he grumbled as he settled himself in the back seat and waited while she put Rhoslyn in beside him.
Although she laughed with him it did put an idea into Sarah’s head and she asked Owen what he thought.
‘I don’t see why not,’ Owen agreed. ‘There’s nothing wrong with his eyesight or hearing. In fact, he’s so much better these days that the only problem is that he can’t walk very well.’