The Tangled Web

by The Tangled Web (retail) (epub)

  ‘I think I might go and see my sister, see if she’ll take pity on me when I tell her I’m homeless.’

  ‘Mam won’t throw you out without anywhere to go, you know that!’

  ‘Yes, but Amanda doesn’t!’ She doesn’t know I’m not really her brother either, he thought with a secret smile, and he wasn’t about to tell her!

  * * *

  Amanda and Rhys were eating at a restaurant in Mumbles within sight of the sea, at a place where boats were still lying up waiting for the start of summer. From the window at which they sat, tall masts formed a forest, lit by the yellow street lights. Beyond, the sea glinted metallically and the shore lights in the distance formed a bright circle around Swansea bay.

  ‘How old is Jessica?’ she surprised him by asking.

  ‘Don’t tell me you’re still trying to fit her into your family tree?’ he smiled.

  ‘No-o-o, but she hasn’t been truthful. She didn’t tell me her real name is Sian Talbot.’

  ‘It doesn’t go with her glamorous image I suppose. If you change your name you hardly tell people the real one, that would defeat the object.’

  ‘I suppose the same is true about her age.’

  ‘She tells me she’s thirty. So there’s no way she can fit into your sketchy plan, is there?’

  ‘I suppose not…’ Amanda sounded doubtful and Rhys frowned at her. ‘But if she’s the daughter of Gwen and Ryan Talbot,’ she went on, ‘her real age is thirty-eight or nine.’

  ‘Hardly old enough to be your mother. And your name is Clifford, remember.’

  ‘I’m sure she knows something about me. She could help if she wanted to.’

  ‘Let’s forget Jessica and her mysteries for tonight. What about a walk? It’s a lovely clear night.’

  Dressed in an ancient sheepskin coat of Rhys’s which he found in the back of the car, Amanda looked tiny. Rhys laughingly took her hand which had all but disappeared inside the sleeve, and they strolled through almost empty streets, aimlessly wandefng and talking about the book Rhys was planning.

  ‘I might want to include your photograph of the kingfisher,’ he said. ‘I haven’t taken a better one.’

  ‘Luck,’ she said modestly.

  ‘Patience,’ he corrected.

  The following morning was bright and there was a breath of spring sunshine in the air. At ten, Rhys rang and suggested they invite Heather, Haydn and the girls and go on a picnic.

  ‘It’s a bit early in the year, isn’t it?’ Amanda queried.

  ‘Nonsense,’ Rhys scorned. ‘You can always borrow my coat again if you’re such a cissy!’

  Catrin was enthusiastic and at once began preparing food.

  At ten o’clock they were on their way, two cars in convoy, the James family leading the way.

  They settled in the shelter of the sand dunes on a bay from which deep cliffs rose tall to the moorland above. While Haydn set out the blankets and food, the girls searched the pools, and Amanda saw how afraid for them Heather was. She hovered near, her jaw stiff with tension, her hand ready in case one should falter.

  ‘It’s all right, Heather,’ Amanda said. ‘Rhys and I will stay near, and watch them every minute. The pools aren’t deep. You go and sit with Catrin.’ Heather went, but with obvious reluctance.

  ‘I wish someone would tell me why it is she’s so afraid for them,’ Amanda said.

  ‘They’re good parents,’ Rhys defended.

  ‘I agree, but Heather is so over-protective, especially towards little Jane. There must be a reason.’

  ‘There was some trouble when Jane was born, but it’s Heather’s story, not mine. She’ll probably tell you herself when she knows you better.’

  ‘I don’t want to pry,’ Amanda said stiffly. ‘But I am her teacher and if there are difficulties, I can help, if I know what they are.’

  ‘You have helped, enormously.’

  She looked at him, his hand ready to support as the girls dared to jump across a small pool. He was fond of them, that was clear.

  Jane soon became bored with the pools and tucked her tiny hand into Amanda’s.

  ‘Time to eat I think,’ Amanda said. The two girls shouted agreement; Helen first, echoed by Jane, who was inclined to follow her sister’s lead.

  At three o’clock they gathered up their scattered belongings and returned to the cars. The day had been a successful one but Amanda guessed that Catrin would be glad to get home.

  ‘If you aren’t doing anything today, will you help with some typing?’ Rhys asked. Amanda agreed, guessing it was work on his book. He stopped at his bungalow and ran in to collect some papers. Sitting in the car, Amanda saw the door opened for him, a swish of a red skirt briefly seen before the door closed behind him. Jessica was in residence again.

  She took the papers in silence, hoping for a comment, but there was none.

  * * *

  Knowing the actress was with Rhys, Amanda made a greater display of pleasure at seeing Philip later that evening. She made him coffee, cut him some cake and burst into a lively description of their day out, but without mentioning Rhys’s part in it.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he asked, glancing at the pages of neatly typed manuscript. ‘More homework?’

  ‘No, some work for Rhys. But I’ve finished for today.’ She put it firmly aside.

  ‘How are Helen and Jane?’ Philip asked. ‘I understand Jane is a bit slow at school?’

  ‘Not at all! She’s slow to open out but there’s definitely nothing wrong with her mind. I doubt if she’ll ever be an extrovert, she only shouts or does anything lively when Helen gives a lead, but she isn’t unhappy, or slow.’

  ‘She went on stage during the Easter Bonnet Parade,’ Catrin added. ‘She couldn’t have managed that a few months ago.’

  ‘If only Heather wasn’t so anxious,’ Amanda sighed. ‘I still think much of the trouble is with Heather and not Jane.’

  ‘Heather rejected the child at first,’ Philip said quietly.

  ‘Heather? I can’t believe it. She’s devoted to the girls.’

  ‘It wasn’t her fault,’ Philip went on. ‘You mustn’t blame her. She had – marital worries.’

  Amanda waited for more but Philip stood up and walked to the window. There was a sadness about the droop of his shoulders.

  ‘You can trust Amanda with the story, Philip, dear,’ Catrin said.

  Philip turned to look at her and said quietly, ‘Heather was my wife.’

  Philip’s words left behind a hushed silence. Disbelief made Amanda stare at Catrin, who nodded.

  ‘Helen and Jane are your daughters?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And Heather rejected Jane?’ Amanda couldn’t take in what she was being told. ‘But why? What happened to make her not want her child?’

  ‘The marriage had been difficult for some time.’ Philip said, returning to his chair. ‘Heather couldn’t cope with my constant absences and irregular hours. Stuck in the house all hours, she felt the lack of fun in her life.’

  ‘Philip was a newspaperman then,’ Catrin explained. ‘Heather loved him but couldn’t take the way he lived.’

  ‘Didn’t she know about it before you were married?’ Amanda asked.

  ‘She knew, but the reality was harder to take than she’d imagined. Love doesn’t conquer all.’

  ‘And Jane?’ she coaxed.

  ‘Poor little Jane came at the wrong time. Heather became depressed. She played records all day and half the night, hardly bothering with the girls. I gave up my job to see if it would help, but it was too late. We’d lost what we’d once had, and we decided it was best all round if we separated.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘It’s worked out all right. For Heather at least. She and Haydn are much better suited. He works at home,’ he added with a harsh laugh, ‘so she doesn’t have to spend much time on her own.’ There was bitterness in his voice and Amanda realised that although he appeared to be a contented man, driving his buses and e
njoying his garden, he had bitter regrets over the loss of his family and his career.

  It was much later that she thought about Rhys’s dislike of Philip. Was his reason the distress caused to Helen and Jane?

  ‘He saw the girls suffering and he can’t forgive Philip,’ Catrin explained. ‘Haydn has always loved Heather; they were on the verge of marrying when Philip came on the scene. It was Haydn who came back and helped pick up the pieces when she and Philip parted. They came here, were accepted as a family and very few know the real story. They aren’t married you see, dear.’

  ‘It’s odd that Rhys is so against Philip though. He seems such a fair-minded man.’

  ‘Haydn is Rhys’s friend. I doubt he’s ever thought of there being another side.’

  * * *

  Amanda woke very early the following morning. Being Sunday she had not set her alarm and the shrill demanding call of the phone startled her.

  ‘Would you like to come and see some bats?’ Rhys’s disembodied voice asked. Still confused by the sudden awakening, Amanda said she’d love to.

  ‘When?’ she asked, looking at her clock in disbelief.

  ‘Now. Can you be ready in ten minutes?’

  ‘With or without sandwiches?’

  ‘With of course. Why d’you think I’m inviting you?’

  ‘Then you’d better make it fifteen minutes!’

  Catrin was awake, having heard the phone. Amanda took her a cup of tea and explained the reason for the call.

  Since moving in, Amanda had always cooked at weekends, and she asked, ‘Can you manage a snack at lunchtime? I’ve no idea how long I’ll be. But I’ll be back to cook this evening.’

  ‘Invite Rhys,’ Catrin suggested.

  It was then Amanda remembered Jessica. ‘Perhaps he has other plans,’ she said, thinking of the glimpse of red skirt as Jessica opened the door to Rhys.

  ‘Oh, his visitor didn’t stay, dear,’ Catrin said brightly.

  ‘How did you know I was thinking of Jessica?’

  ‘I saw her too. But unlike you, I asked Rhys to explain. She’d been walking and had called to beg a lift home.’

  Amanda was not convinced.

  Rhys arrived before she had packed the food and Catrin helped her fill two flasks.

  ‘Knowing Rhys as I do, it’s better to have too much than hope to be anywhere near a café,’ she said ominously.

  It was still only four a.m, when they were on their way, driving through sleeping towns before leaving civilisation behind them and climbing into the hills of the Brecon range, then on and up, into the harsher mountains.

  Rhys obviously knew the area well. He left the car near a small waterfall which flowed steadily out of the rock beside the narrow road. He fitted the rucksack of food and equipment on his back and added a couple of torches and a rope. Amanda too was draped in camera equipment, which, on Rhys’s instructions, she fixed on her shoulders and across her body, leaving both hands free for climbing.

  Their route took them over an innocent-looking river bed. A thin trickle of water flowed through the centre but debris on the banks showed how wide it could be after heavy rain.

  The mountains seemed a long way away, and she guessed that the visit to the bat cave entailed walking several miles. Amanda wondered just how far she would have travelled before she saw Catrin again. Rhys’s attitude to distance was unpredictable.

  ‘I left some stuff here last time I came,’ Rhys told her as they puffed their way up a steep slope covered in places with treacherous scree. ‘There’s so much needed that one journey isn’t enough.’

  ‘Is that safe?’

  ‘It’s hardly a spot to attract passers-by.’

  ‘That I can believe!’ Amanda said with feeling as they dropped into a valley to be faced with yet another climb.

  The cave looked little more than a crevice and could easily have been overlooked, but once inside they had ample room to stand.

  ‘There aren’t any bats here, it isn’t high enough,’ Amanda complained. ‘Where would they sleep?’

  Rhys pointed to a low entrance to a second chamber. ‘We’re going through there.’

  Leaving their baggage in the outer chamber they slid through to a much larger cavern beyond. The powerful torch showed a high ceiling and revealed dozens of the sleeping creatures they had come to see. While Amanda held a torch, Rhys climbed, with another light fixed to his hat.

  ‘I’ve been helping a friend ring them for research purposes,’ he explained.

  Amanda watched in facination as he lifted the tiny creatures off their perches, attached an identifying ring and hung them up again like tiny overcoats on pegs.

  When they returned to the outside, the air was warm after the chill of the cave. Amanda unpacked their breakfast while Rhys did some filming and they ate, savouring the beauty of the slowly wakening scene before them.

  Hill rose beyond hill, purple blue and grey and, in the valley, every green imaginable. Here and there an outcrop of grey stone, some sliding downwards like a petrified waterfall, others strong and smooth, defying the changes of centuries.

  Trees grew out of rocky areas where green lichens showed bright, revealing the presence of water. Mist hazed the far distance and it was gradually being dispersed by the sun’s welcome rays. Amanda thought she had never seen anything so beautiful.

  She became aware of Rhys’s attention and turned to see him staring at her, a smile on his face that made her heart lurch with joy.

  ‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ she said, her breath tight in her throat.

  ‘Beautiful,’ he said, leaning forward and kissing her. ‘Very beautiful and desirable.’ He opened his arms and she moved into their welcome, wanting to stay there for ever. She knew she loved him and could be happy if he would only trust her with his love. But wrapped in the circle of his embrace, her heart knew no peace. Visions of Jessica taunted her. Warning words invaded her mind, reminding her of his reluctance to accept commitment. As she kissed him and felt his desire for her in the strength of his arms, a tear fell and soured the magic of the moment.

  It was Rhys’s plan to film the bats as they flew from the cave one evening to hunt for food. He set up some cameras ready, then they left the cave.

  He walked ahead of her down the scree, showing her how to run across it, knees high, and she followed, obeying his shouted instructions.

  It was still early and Rhys didn’t head for home. Instead he took the car over some precarious roads, where the drop at the side made Amanda feel giddy.

  ‘I don’t think I’d like to drive up here at night,’ she said, looking at the toy-town sheep below them.

  ‘It’s unnerving at first but I’m used to it. I love the mountains and the hills. I respect them though,’ he added. ‘They don’t tolerate fools.’

  ‘Will you have dinner with us?’ Amanda asked when they were on their way home. ‘Catrin asked me to invite you.’

  ‘There’s something I must do this afternoon, but if you don’t mind me coming at the last moment, I’d love to.’

  He left her at the gate but didn’t go towards home. Amanda was curious but tried to forget that he was going in the direction of Jessica’s house.

  When she opened the gate she heard voices from the garden. She expected to see Catrin and Philip. What she did not expect was to see Catrin up a tree!

  ‘Catrin!’ she called. ‘What are you doing up there?’

  ‘Hello, dear. I didn’t expect you back so soon. Where’s Rhys?’

  ‘He’ll be here later. Now what is going on?’

  ‘My fault I suppose,’ Philip came through the gap in the hedge. ‘I told her I’d paint her apple trees but I forgot, so she started without me.’

  ‘Look, dear.’ Catrin showed a jar of noisome fluid to Amanda who curled her nose in disgust. ‘I don’t know what it does but Philip says its essential.’

  ‘Come down, Catrin, I’ll attend to this,’ Philip said, taking the brush and jar. ‘I’ll have it finished before you
’ve set the table for tea,’ he said pointedly. ‘All right?’

  Amanda felt grubby and Catrin hardly looked immaculate so they both went to tidy up before preparing tea for them all. Over the simple meal Amanda told them about her fascinating morning. Catrin was interested but Philip seemed subdued.

  When Catrin left them, he said, ‘I bitterly regret giving up the work I did, you know. Specially when I see someone as animated as you, doing such interesting things. And Rhys following his career with such enjoyment. I had all that but I threw it away, for nothing. The moment will pass, it usually does, but at present I feel jaded, stale, unfulfilled.’

  ‘It was a good morning,’ Amanda said, ‘but I confess it was Rhys’s company that made it so for me.’

  ‘You’re fond of him.’

  ‘I know what you’re going to say. He isn’t the type to settle down and he wouldn’t give up a promising career for love.’

  ‘I hope he wouldn’t! It would be a terrible mistake.’

  ‘He might trust someone to accept his erratic life. Some marriages cope successfully,’ she insisted.

  ‘Most do not. Divorce is increasing, and don’t get the idea that divorce is an easy way out. One or the other will suffer. Men usually have to give up their children. Women become bitter in their demands for financial assistance. It’s a mess. Best you keep out of it.’

  Amanda was aware of a growing pity for Philip, but she knew she could say nothing to help him. She couldn’t criticise Heather, who was her friend. She took his hand and pressed it.

  ‘You’re still young enough to start again. Pick up the threads and build up your reputation again.’

  ‘No chance I’m afraid. It’s a young man’s game. I’m too late to try and get a job.’

  ‘You were good once,’ she coaxed, ‘so what about freelancing? Begin gradually, you won’t have lost your skill.’

  ‘I don’t think I want it badly enough. If I had someone to succeed for, someone willing to take a chance with me, it would be different.’