Kingdom's Dream

by Iris Gower

  Slowly Rhiannon went back to the hut. She built up the fire and put a pot of water on to boil: she would make him a good meal, a nice chicken soup with chunks of potato, and some bread and cheese to come after. Rhiannon looked around her at the bare wooden walls of the hut, the crude window covered with paper-thin curtains. It was not much but it was the home she shared with the man she loved.

  Later, when Bull came home, Rhiannon served his meal and sat beside him at the rough wooden table. ‘Had a good day, Bull?’ She dare not tell him she had seen Katie Cullen stop and talk to him. The last thing she wanted was to quarrel with him and hear the truth about his feelings.

  ‘Average.’

  ‘Heard any more about your promotion?’ She was on risky ground but she had to know what was going on. ‘When will you move into the new house?’

  ‘I’m seeing the engineer tomorrow and I’ll know more after I’ve spoken to him.’ He pushed away his plate. ‘I’m going for a drink with the men. I’ve got such a thirst on me I could drink the sea dry.’ It was an excuse and they both knew it. Still, he would come home mellowed by the beer and perhaps he would make love to her, the way he used to before he met Katie Cullen. It was a vain hope but Rhiannon clung to it, knowing in her heart that she had already lost the battle.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  ‘What on earth is wrong with you, Dafydd?’ Jayne frowned as her husband walked across to the window for the umpteenth time that evening. ‘You’re so restless. Is business bothering you?’

  He ran his hand through his hair, making it stand on end, and Jayne smiled: he was like a little boy wanting to confess a misdemeanour to his mother, but what could Dafydd possibly want to confess?

  He returned to his seat and smiled absentmindedly. ‘I’m just fretting over the damn railway shares,’ he said. ‘I missed getting my hands on some the other day.’

  ‘How did that come about?’

  ‘I got talking to Ben Knightly, the head of the bank. Seems the family of some old man wanted to offload the shares he held. If I’d got them I’d have a foot in the door at least.’

  ‘Who did get them, then?’ Jayne watched her husband’s face. Had he known it had been her he would have confronted her by now.

  ‘He wouldn’t say, professional etiquette, but I do know it was his second-in-command who kept the shares for a favoured customer. Damn! I only wish Ben had come to me first.’

  Jayne hid a smile. ‘Well, Dafydd, you have enough money as it is without wanting to make more.’

  She was wondering if this was the right time to tell him she had enough shares for both of them when he spoke again, impatiently, as though to a child. ‘Don’t be silly, Jayne! It’s not just a case of money. There’s a great deal more than money to consider but how can I expect you to know anything about business?’

  Jayne swallowed an angry retort. If Dafydd chose to think of her as a foolish woman that was his loss. He strode to the door.

  ‘Where are you going?’ she asked, aware of the peevish note in her voice but unable to prevent it.

  ‘To the club for an hour. I need the company of men of my own kind, ambitious men, who think it good to have an aim in life.’

  ‘What makes you think I’m a fool?’ She was standing now, her hands clenched at her side. ‘If you only knew how much I resent your attitude to me!’

  ‘Oh, I know, all right,’ Dafydd said. ‘You made your feelings clear to Llinos Mainwaring. How could you go crying to another woman about the way I treat you?’

  ‘You’ve seen Llinos? When? Did you go to her home, then?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Are you not satisfied with me? Do you have to cling to the skirts of an older woman? You’re like a child looking for mothering.’

  ‘Anything would be better than a wife who lies there like a piece of stone. I’m used to a full-blooded woman and all you are is a young, inexperienced girl.’

  ‘So you would prefer it if I had been a trollop, lying with any man who took my fancy just as Llinos Mainwaring does?’

  ‘Don’t talk rubbish! Llinos is no whore, whatever you say. She loved me and was not afraid to show it in bed. You, on the other hand, are a disappointment.’

  ‘Oh, you think she’s so good, so loyal. Well, I happen to know that Llinos and my father have been lovers for years.’ It was a lie, but Jayne was past caring. She wanted to hurt Dafydd as he was hurting her.

  ‘Don’t make me laugh! Llinos and your father were never lovers. He’s not enough of a man for her. He’s vapid and colourless, just like his daughter.’

  ‘Get out of my sight!’ Jayne’s voice was low. ‘Go – before I forget that I’m a lady.’

  She stood trembling in front of the fire long after the door had closed behind her husband. But he had never been a proper husband to her. He had never satisfied her in bed – and she wished now that she had told him so to his face.

  At last she sat down and stared into the flames, watching the coals shift in the grate. It seemed that her world had shattered: she knew what Dafydd thought of her now and the truth hurt. She was cold and dead inside, her hopes and dreams vanished. But why was she surprised? She had sometimes suspected that her marriage was one of convenience. Yet she had clung to the hope that, one day, Dafydd would come to love her.

  Perhaps even now if she had his children he would become a fond husband and father. Dafydd loved children – she could see the envy in his eyes whenever he saw his brother’s family, so happy together even now when Ceri was so ill.

  Tears welled in her eyes. Could she ever forget the way he’d talked to her, go to his bed knowing he thought her cold? Well, she would just have to make herself more welcoming to him because she had no intention of giving up on her marriage. She would make it work, whatever it cost her.

  Mumbles Gentlemen’s Club was housed in an ancient building facing the windswept waters of Mumbles Bay. As Dafydd entered the large, comfortable lounge he searched for a familiar face. Then he caught sight of Jason Prentice from the bank with Ben Knightly. Eynon Morton-Edwards and Father Martin were with them, engrossed in conversation.

  Dafydd watched them, a pang of anger running through him. No doubt they were discussing the state of the shares in the Great Western Railway. It was probably Eynon who had been favoured with a tip-off from the bank.

  Dafydd walked across the room and stared down at his father-in-law. ‘May I join you, gentlemen?’ He forced a note of enthusiasm into his voice, and as Eynon indicated a chair he concealed a smile: Eynon would never slight his daughter’s husband in public.

  ‘Brandy for you, Buchan?’ Eynon asked. He lifted his hand and at once a waiter was at his side. ‘More drinks for us, and something for Mr Buchan.’

  ‘Brandy, please.’ Dafydd settled back in his chair. ‘I do hope I’m not interrupting a business meeting. Talking about railway shares, were you?’

  Eynon gave nothing away. ‘Our business was concluded.’ He looked at Dafydd over his glass and his eyes were blank.

  ‘I hope you’re feeling better, Eynon. Jayne told me you were ill.’

  ‘It was just a chill. How is she?’

  ‘My dear wife is well. She’s planning to buy some fripperies, hats, things like that, so I thought I’d be better out of it.’ He had no idea why he was making excuses to Eynon for leaving Jayne alone. Most men went out without their wives.

  ‘I’m sure she has more on her mind than fripperies. Don’t underestimate my daughter, Buchan,’ Eynon said quietly, ‘or one day she might just get the better of you.’

  Dafydd frowned. What was the man talking about? ‘In what way?’ He smiled to soften the harshness of his question.

  ‘Women are complex creatures.’ Eynon did not answer directly. ‘They have strange whims and fancies, it’s true, but some, Jayne for one, have a brain as well as good looks.’

  ‘Oh, I appreciate that,’ Dafydd said. ‘Jayne is an intelligent woman. That’s why I married her.’

  An uneasy silence fell, to be broken
a few minutes later by Father Martin. ‘Any sign of little ones on the way yet?’ he asked jovially.

  ‘Give us a chance, Father,’ Dafydd said. ‘We’re just getting to know each other. There’s plenty of time for children.’

  ‘Sooner rather than later, mind,’ Father Martin said. ‘Children are a trial and they need a young mother to cope with them.’

  ‘Not all mothers are young,’ Eynon put in, with a touch of bitterness in his voice. ‘There are one or two exceptions, as you well know, Buchan.’

  Dafydd decided not to rise to the bait. ‘Very true, very true.’ He took his drink from the tray held before him by the waiter. ‘Good health!’ He swallowed it in one gulp. ‘Bring more of the same,’ he said, replacing his empty glass on the tray.

  ‘Hey, steady on, man,’ Father Martin said genially. ‘I’m due to conduct a burial in the morning and I must stay sober for that or I might find myself in the grave with the deceased.’

  Thereafter talk became general and Dafydd pretended to join in, but he knew his company was unwelcome. Father Martin threw him a look now and again in an attempt to include him, but that was more from a sense of charity than because he wanted to. Dafydd sat it out for just over an hour and then he rose to his feet. ‘Well, gentlemen, I hope you will excuse me but I’ve pressing business to attend to.’

  Eynon nodded and it was left to Father Martin to respond. ‘God bless you, Buchan.’

  Outside in the cold air Dafydd took a few deep breaths. Eynon Morton-Edwards treated him like a leper. He did not even observe the niceties of civilized society. Then a smile curved his lips: Eynon was cold because his son-in-law had seduced Llinos Mainwaring. He thought of Jayne and how she had thrown out that Llinos and Eynon were lovers. What a fool she was! Eynon would give all his wealth for Llinos to go to his bed, but she never would. He was warmed by the memory of her passion as she lay in his arms. What a woman she was, and what a pity he could never have made her his wife instead of shackling himself to the petulant Jayne.

  The thought of going home was not attractive. Perhaps he should take a ride, clear his head a little. He walked to the back of the building where his horse was stabled and waited as the groom adjusted the girth and led the animal into the night air. Dafydd pressed a coin into his hands and he touched his forelock.

  Without glancing back, Dafydd rode away from the town and followed the river as it wound its way through the manufactories where chimneys pointed to the leaden skies like a dark forest.

  It was with little surprise that soon he found himself outside the pottery owned by Llinos Mainwaring. He dismounted and stood, rubbing his horse’s flank, almost willing Llinos to appear. He saw the shimmering heat coming off the bottle kilns and breathed in the familiar smell of drying clay with a deep sense of loss.

  Inside those walls were the two people he loved more than life itself: Llinos and Sion, the son born of a passionate union. At last he turned away. It was too late to go calling and, anyway, he knew he would not be welcome. He mounted his horse and rode as hard as he could to the loveless house he called home.

  ‘Papa, how nice to see you looking so well.’ Jayne kissed her father’s cheek, and hugged him in an uncharacteristic show of affection.

  ‘I’m delighted to see you too, my lovely daughter. Come and sit down. Let’s have some tea together, shall we?’

  Jayne took a seat and settled her skirts around her ankles. She looked at her father from under her lashes, wondering how she was going to broach the difficult questions she needed to ask. Last night Dafydd had not returned home until the early hours of the morning and she suspected he had been with Llinos. When she thought of them together her stomach twisted into knots and she felt bile rise to her throat.

  ‘To what do I owe the honour of a call from my little girl so early in the day?’ Eynon asked.

  ‘Nothing, really. I just need to get out for a bit, Papa. Where’s the tea you promised me?’

  Eynon rang the bell and the maid responded at once. ‘Yes, sir?’

  ‘Oh, Katie, fetch some tea, there’s a good girl, and ask Cook for some of those scones she’s been baking.’

  Katie nodded, and Jayne noted briefly that the girl looked pale and wan. She ignored her but wished now she had kept Katie sweet: who knew what bits of gossip she might have picked up?

  ‘The weather’s brightening up now, thank goodness.’ She looked out of the window, pretending to be interested in the garden. ‘I see the daffodils are flourishing.’

  When the tea arrived she wondered how to start the conversation, but Eynon settled back in his chair and steepled his fingers. ‘Now, little darling, why are you really here? Is all well with you and Buchan?’

  ‘Yes.’ Her reply came too fast. ‘Well, no. He came in very late last night and I was worried about him.’

  ‘Yes, I can believe it.’ Her father’s tone was dry. ‘But for most of the evening he was at the club.’

  ‘At what time did he leave, Papa? He didn’t come home to me until about three in the morning.’

  Eynon sat up straighter. ‘Good Lord!’

  ‘Good Lord indeed!’ Jayne fought for control. ‘Who was he with until that time of the morning?’

  ‘Now, don’t jump to conclusions, Jayne. I know that he was piqued because he still has no shares in the Great Western Railway. Perhaps he went for a walk.’

  ‘I have a distinct feeling that he went to see Llinos,’ Jayne blurted out. ‘Papa, he still loves her – I can see it plain as day. Why did I allow myself to believe he cared for me?’ Her father took her hand and kissed it.

  ‘Look, my lovely girl,’ he said gently, ‘most marriages are made without real love but it doesn’t mean they don’t work. Just wait until you have his children. Dafydd will be the finest husband and father you could ever find.’

  Jayne frowned. ‘Why are you taking his side?’

  ‘I’m not, Jayne. It’s just that I’m more used to the ways of the world than you are.’ He sighed. ‘As for him seeing Llinos, I doubt that very much. Young Sion has a spring fever and Llinos is an excellent mother. She would put her son before any other consideration, believe me.’

  Jayne felt a glow of hope. ‘Are you sure about that, Papa?’

  ‘I’m sure, and even Dafydd would not be so foolish as to go visiting at that time of night.’

  She brightened. He was right. Dafydd would not want the neighbours talking about his precious Llinos.

  ‘What should I do, then, Papa?’

  ‘Give it time, Jayne,’ Eynon said. ‘Be clever and forge the links so strongly between you and Buchan that he won’t be able to break them. Have a family, a brood of fine grandchildren for me to indulge.’ He smiled. ‘It was because of you, my love, that I was loyal to your mother when she was alive. Now, cheer up. Once you give him a son Dafydd will be tied to you for life.’

  Jayne smiled at him. ‘You’re a wise old owl, aren’t you?’

  ‘I’ve learned a few things about love and life,’ Eynon said. ‘These lessons are not always easy to digest, Jayne, but they’re all about becoming an adult.’

  ‘Thank you, Papa.’

  ‘What for?’

  ‘Just for being a sensible old father.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll be kind to Dafydd and not expect too much too soon. He thinks of me as a child still, and that is partly my fault for behaving like one.’

  ‘So, now that’s settled,’ Eynon said jovially, ‘let’s have another cup of tea.’

  Later, when Jayne sat in her carriage travelling towards her home, she thought over her father’s words carefully. Battling with Dafydd, throwing accusations at him, would get her nowhere. She must learn to curb her jealousy, to make herself a model wife and mother. And tonight she would make a start by luring Dafydd to her bed and proving to him that she was an adult, passionate woman.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Bull had changed. Looking at him now over the scrubbed table in the little hut Rhiannon could see from the slope of his broad shoulders and
the lack of spark in his eyes that he was unhappy. She knew that her chat with Katie was to blame, but she couldn’t tell him the truth and risk losing him.

  ‘You haven’t eaten much of your rabbit stew, Bull,’ she said gently. ‘You’ve been working hard all day and you need good food in your belly.’

  ‘I’m not hungry, Rhiannon.’ He avoided her eyes. ‘I think I’ll just go down to the Castle and have a drink with the boys.’

  ‘But, Bull, it’s getting late for walking into town, and you know what they can be like when they’ve been paid. Please, Bull, I don’t want you involved in any fighting.’

  Bull was already on his feet, swinging his coat over his shoulders. ‘Don’t worry about me, girl, I’m used to dealing with the men. I wouldn’t have lasted long as foreman if I’d let them walk all over me, would I?’

  Rhiannon glanced at the battered clock on the shelf over the fire. It was just on nine. ‘You’re going to meet her, aren’t you?’ The words tumbled from her lips before she had time to think. ‘She comes out of choir practice about now, doesn’t she? Come on, Bull, don’t lie to me.’

  She saw his features harden. ‘Be careful, Rhiannon.’ His voice was terse. ‘You are not my keeper and I don’t answer to any man, so why should I answer to you?’

  Rhiannon was past caring about what she said and the anger she’d suppressed for the last few months rose up inside her. ‘Be careful, is it? Do you mean you’ll hit me if I don’t shut my mouth, Bull?’ She faced him, hands on her hips, cheeks red. ‘Go on, then, hit me! Be like all the other men in my life and take your anger out on me!’

  He sighed. ‘Rhiannon, I have never hit you and I have no intention of doing so, but you can’t order me about. Just get that into your head.’

  Rhiannon hardly heard him. ‘You don’t care about me any more. You haven’t lain with me for months. Ever since you met that Katie Cullen you’ve been a million miles from me. It wouldn’t work, Bull. Katie needs a proper home, a respectable man. She wouldn’t look at you.’