Sea Mistress (46 page)

Ellie sighed softly as the door closed behind Daniel, she wanted to be with him every moment, she even begrudged this small parting from him. All too soon, she would have to manage without him, she in Swansea and he sixty miles away in Lampeter.

She took a deep breath and walked towards the parlour, she might as well join Martha for a little while. Her mouth curved into a smile, before too long, if she knew Daniel, he would suggest an early night and then they would lie in each other's arms until dawn washed the floor of the bedroom with rosy light.

Daniel looked up at the cloudless night sky, the stars were bright, appearing close enough to touch. It was warm still, it had been a balmy summer's day, a day he would hold to him, a memory of the time spent with Ellie, his dear wife.

Daniel turned, hearing a sound beyond the garden gate. As his eyes grew accustomed to the gloom, he made out the figure of a man standing on the pathway leading away from the house, he was still and quiet as though he had been watching Daniel. Behind him was the shadowy outline of a horse, head down as though weary of waiting. Perhaps they had been there a long time, Daniel thought. ‘Can I help you old chap?' Daniel moved closer and then he recognized the man. ‘Hewson, what are you doing here?'

‘I came to do you a favour – old chap.' The tone was sarcastic.

‘I need no favours from you.' Daniel's hands clenched into fists, this man had the power to take all the Christian charity from his soul. He turned away but Hewson stopped him in his tracks.

‘It's about your little wife, Ellie.' The words fell softly, insidiously into the darkness. In spite of himself, Daniel turned, waiting for the man to go on.

‘Bedded her by now, I expect,' Hewson said leaning nonchalantly on the gate. Daniel felt anger sing in his blood, this man was attempting to sully the beautiful union between him and Ellie.

‘Shut your mouth!' Daniel heard the harshness in his voice and took a deep breath. He was playing into Hewson's hands, allowing the man to rile him.

‘Don't be so uppity,' Hewson's voice continued remorselessly, ‘we have such a lot in common, you and me,
old chap
.'

‘I don't know what you're talking about and I doubt you do either.'

‘Oh but I do. That sweet little mole on Ellie's shoulder just above her breast, I never see it without feeling the urge to kiss it.'

Daniel froze, in that instant he knew that he was capable of murder. He moved forward but Hewson was too quick for him. He turned and mounted his horse.

‘Give my regards to your wife,' Hewson said, ‘tell her I'll be there to keep her warm while you are away.'

The sound of pounding hooves beat in Daniel's brain, his head ached suddenly, his mouth was dry. He clutched the gate for support and took a deep breath trying to steady himself. The man was a monster, he would do anything to cause trouble. And yet, he had seen Ellie unclothed, he must have done to know about the mole on Ellie's shoulder.

She wasn't capable of betraying him, was she? He could see her face in his mind's eye, the clear eyes, the way her mouth curved when she looked up at him. She wouldn't have slept with Hewson since she had met Daniel, he was sure of it. But could he bear it if she had been Hewson's mistress before that?

He returned to the house and without looking into the parlour went upstairs to the room he shared with Ellie. He looked down at the bed, his marriage bed and a feeling of nausea rose to grasp at his throat. Ellie must, at some time, have been intimate with Hewson and did it matter when it had happened? It shook him to the core to realize that Ellie was not the person he believed her to be.

She came hurrying up the stairs behind him. ‘Dan, what is it?'

He faced himself in the mirror and saw that he was white, his eyes burning with the pain of his anguish. ‘I just saw Hewson,' he said and he saw Ellie's eyes darken. Was it with dislike for the man or guilt, a treacherous voice in his head asked.

‘What did he want?' She sounded anxious, well, she would be. He looked at her, searching her face for some indication of what she was feeling and after a moment moved to close the bedroom door.

‘He told me how much he enjoyed your charms.' The words came out like an accusation and Ellie flinched.

‘And you believed him?' Her tone held incredulity and for a moment, doubt shook him.

He moved to where she stood and carefully opened her bodice, she looked up at him in bewilderment. He pressed his finger against the mole and, sickened, remembered how he had pressed his lips to the very spot. Had Hewson's mouth been there before him? The thought was unbearable.

‘He kissed you there,' he said flatly.

‘No!' Ellie said fiercely.

‘How did he know about it then, the beauty spot wouldn't be revealed by any gown however low it was cut.'

Ellie's face flushed a fiery red. ‘Let me explain, Dan, sit down, be calm, just don't . . .'

‘So the man has seen you disrobed? Answer me yes or no, Ellie, please.'

‘It wasn't like that,' Ellie sounded desperate, ‘he came uninvited into the house, he was unwelcome, you know how much I dislike him.'

‘So you're saying he forced his attentions on you.' Daniel could not stop the interrogation now if he wanted to, anger was reverberating like a drumbeat through his head.

‘Yes, that's what happened.'

‘And you didn't think to call for the help of your friend Martha or Rosie for that matter?'

‘Of course I did. Calm down, Dan, for God's sake!'

‘Taking the name of the Lord in vain isn't going to convince me of your innocence.' Daniel knew he sounded like a pompous prig but the words came of their own volition.

Ellie drew herself up, her face suddenly blank. ‘Very well, you are determined to think ill of me. We will say no more of this tonight, we'll talk in the morning when you are in a better humour.'

He grasped her arm and before he knew what he was doing he had raised his hand threateningly. Aghast, he stood back from her. ‘Lord Jesus Christ help me.' He shuddered, rubbing at his eyes. ‘I don't know what I'm doing. See, Ellie what you have brought me to?'

He turned and left the room and made his way down the stairs and out through the front door leaving it open behind him. He didn't know where he was going, all he knew was he couldn't remain in Ellie's company or he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.

He walked away from Glyn Hir, taking the back roads into town. He intended to put as much distance between himself and his new wife as he could.

Ellie sank onto the bed dry-eyed with shock. She remembered only too well how Hewson had attacked her. The situation had been none of her making. How could Daniel even think she had encouraged Matthew Hewson, the man repelled her?

She heard the front door closing and her heart lifted with hope, had Daniel returned? She went to the top of the landing and saw Martha below in the hall with her hot water bottle, present on all occasions, even on a summer's night such as this one, and her heart sank.

‘The front door was left wide open,' Martha spoke reprovingly. Her tone changed as she glimpsed Ellie's strained expression, ‘Has anything happened?'

Ellie shook her head miserably. ‘No, go on to bed, Martha, don't put the bolt on, Dan is out walking.'

If Martha considered the situation a little strange, she didn't give voice to her thoughts. She climbed the stairs and paused for a moment, looking at Ellie. ‘Sure you're all right?'

Ellie nodded, ‘Yes, I'm sure. Goodnight Martha and God bless.'

Unable to sleep, Ellie waited in her room for a moment for Martha to settle and then crept down the stairs to the kitchen. Rosie was there setting the table for breakfast.

‘What's wrong?' she asked as Ellie sank down into a chair, her head in her hands.

‘What's the matter, you can tell me?' Rosie said gently. ‘Have you and that handsome husband had a lover's tiff, is that it?'

All at once, Ellie began to cry. She put her arms on the scrubbed surface of the table to cushion her head. She felt Rosie's hand warm on her back and heard the girl's soft voice. ‘There, there, it happens all the time, it's only natural, mind.'

Ellie drew a shuddering breath and looked up at Rosie, the girl was looking at her with sympathy and Ellie felt that Rosie was so much wiser than she was in experience of the world.

‘It's Mat, isn't it, he's been making trouble again. I saw him lurking outside. I watched from the window as he leaned on the gate like he owned it and spoke to Daniel.' Rosie was unashamed of her attempt to eavesdrop. ‘I could hear raised voices but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I could see Daniel was very angry though.'

She drew her chair to Ellie's side. ‘Take my advice, don't quarrel over Mat, he's just not worth it. He's a real bad lot is that one and I should know.'

‘I didn't really have much choice,' Ellie said, her voice hoarse with tears, ‘he's been turning Dan against me, telling him that him and me, well that we . . .' She broke off unable to put the terrible accusation into words.

‘Daniel should have more sense than to listen to him,' Rosie said stoutly, ‘he should know you wouldn't touch Matthew Hewson with a bargepole.' She sighed. ‘But then men haven't got much sense, not when it comes to love they haven't.'

Ellie sighed heavily, thinking over Rosie's words. The clock struck the hour and she glanced up at it, worried about Daniel. What if he'd gone in search of Matthew, what if it came to blows between the two men, Dan might be hurt.

‘You go to bed, Rosie, I'll wait up, Daniel won't be long now, I'm sure of it.' She wasn't sure at all, indeed, she wasn't sure of anything at this moment. Rosie hesitated and Ellie forced a smile.

‘As you say, it's just a lover's tiff, go on up, you have to rise early in the morning, you need your sleep.'

Ellie sat dry-eyed and wide awake in the kitchen until the cold, grey light of early morning poked prying fingers in through the window. She admitted to herself then that Daniel wasn't coming back, not today, perhaps not ever.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Boyo watched with a critical eye as the rebuilding work at the tannery progressed. Gradually, the ruins were being replaced by new structures which rose phoenix-like from the ashes of the fire.

Glyn Hir was where his future lay; here, God willing, he would bring April as his bride when the time was right. Of course, they were both too young yet to make a serious commitment but in his heart he knew there would never be anyone else for him.

Sometimes he felt guilty about his past, he would watch Rosie with her voluptuous figure and feel the hot sweet sensation of lust sweep through him. At those times he prayed to God to take away his unworthy thoughts. Once, Harry had caught him, head bowed, hands pressed together and asked him what he was praying for. When Boyo told him, he'd flung back his head and laughed.

‘
Duw anwyl
, the good Lord never intended man to be a faithful creature,' he said. ‘The Lord knows everything and he knows how frail a vessel he's built. Since Adam sinned we have all been tarred with the same brush, we look upon a woman and we want her, it's natural, see?'

Boyo, knowing that Harry rarely entered the door of a church, took leave to doubt his views on morality. Still, God was merciful, he would forgive and Boyo felt his conscience ease a little.

He still lived in the house on the edge of the tannery and though Ellie was married now, nothing really seemed to have changed. Daniel Bennett had returned to college and life had continued in the same even pace as before. Except that Ellie seemed to have lost all her joy in loving and living. Had her marriage been a mistake he wondered?

At first, she'd seemed happy and contented, very much in love with her husband. It was only in the last few weeks that she mooned about the place with sad eyes and a long face.

Ellie came out of the house at that moment and crossed the ground between the house and the tannery wall. She walked stiffly as though holding herself in check and Boyo saw with a shock of alarm how thin she had become.

‘Ellie,' he stood six inches taller than her now, his body had filled out, he was a man and he was proud of it. ‘Ellie, it's awful to see you like this, what's happened, what's wrong with you, are you sick?'

‘Sick at heart, Boyo.' She put her hand on his arm, ‘I can't talk about it but please try not to worry, it will all sort itself out in time.' She didn't sound as if she believed her own words and Boyo frowned. ‘Can I help, Ellie, is there anything I can do?' He thrust his hands deep into his pockets, he might be a man on the face of things but he was still full of uncertainties when it came to handling emotions.

Ellie shook her head, ‘No, love, no-one can.' She changed the subject adroitly. ‘Have you remembered Caradoc is coming tonight? You will be here to have your coaching in the book work, won't you?'

Boyo frowned, Caradoc was kind enough and intelligent but he didn't seem eager to impart his knowledge too quickly. Boyo had more than a sneaking feeling that Caradoc was more interested in sitting in the kitchen talking to Rosie than instructing him in the facts and figures of tannery affairs.

Ellie gave Boyo one of her rare smiles. ‘It's taking a long time, isn't it, are you finding the lessons very difficult?'

‘Well, no, it's not that,' Boyo didn't want to sound critical, he searched his mind for something to say and failed and he just shrugged.

‘Shall I have a word with Caradoc on your behalf?' Ellie leaned her arms on the warm stone wall and her bodice flapped around her thin frame like washing on the line.