Copper Kingdom (18 page)

‘Look tired yourself, so you do, there are shadows beneath those eyes of yours that I don't like to see so get off to your room now, do you hear?' He left, closing the door with a loud bang and Katie sank into a chair, staring into the almost dead fire.

Soft footfalls sounded on the stairs and Jess poked her head into the room, staring round her with wide eyes.

‘Has himself gone out then at this time o' night?' she asked. Without waiting for a reply, she came into the kitchen, hugging a thick knitted shawl around her thin frame. The nightgown that trailed over her bare feet had been patched so many times that it had the appearance of a quilt.

‘Dad's only gone for a pint or two,' Katie said in her father's defence. She watched as her mother rubbed her eyes sleepily and a great sadness filled her. She wondered if her mammy had ever loved Tom or he her, at any rate they were almost indifferent to each other now, like strangers sharing the same house.

‘I think Dad only drinks so that he can sleep soundly in his bed at night.' She didn't know why she felt it necessary to defend Tom and she wasn't surprised when Jess sniffed derisively.

‘There's more on your dad's mind than sleep when he's in his cups, girl,' she said softly. She sighed long and hard. ‘And I'm far too tired to put up with his pesterin' tonight.'

Katie was embarrassed to hear her mother talk that way and she rose, placing a few sticks on the fire, bending over the embers to blow on them and bring them into life.

‘Do you want that cup of tea now, Mammy?' she asked and her mother's chair creaked as she rocked herself to and fro, hugging her shawl around her shoulders.

‘I do that.' Her mother pulled at the back of Katie's skirt. ‘Look at me girl, you've been out with that young pup William Owens haven't you? Tell me the truth now, 'cos I know it sure enough when you lie to me.'

‘Yes, I've been out with William, so what about it? I haven't been doing any wrong.' The words almost burnt her lips but she had to say them. Her mother wasn't convinced.

‘Look, girl, don't go bringing trouble home here now will you? Your father thinks the sun shines out of your ass, he'd kill you for sure if he thought you was playin' around.'

Katie's mouth was dry, she didn't know what her mother expected her to say and so she remained silent, edging the kettle over the small flame, hearing the welcome sound of the water singing to the boil.

‘Take a lesson from your own mother,' Jess continued remorselessly. Her hand gestured to the drabness of the room with its meagre furnishings. ‘I don't want you to end up like this, you can have better, believe me, but you must hold out on a man, don't give him nothin' until he puts a ring on your finger. Please Katie, listen to your mammy, I only wants what's good for you.'

The urgency of Jess's voice surprised Katie. She watched her mother lean forward, the shawl slipping from her thin shoulders. ‘Be good, Katie, that's all I'm asking you, for the joys of the body don't last.'

Katie hung her head and her glowing hair fell like a curtain of silk over her face, a shield between herself and her mother's probing eyes. Surely her mother's words were not true, life could not turn sour, not while she had William to love.

Jess sighed again, heavily. ‘From what I know of this William Owens, he's not the sort for marryin'. Seen his kind before, burnin' with a fever he is, wishin' only to leave this place behind him and look for better things, he's not for you, my little Katie.'

Pain raged low in Katie's belly, she felt that she would explode with the anguish rising inside her. ‘What are you trying to do, Mammy, destroy me?' she asked and the tears slipped soundlessly down her cheeks. In a moment, Jess had gathered her into her arms, holding Katie to her thin breast.

‘'Tis to save you hurt I'm speakin' so,' she said, her voice harsh. ‘And lettin' a man take his pleasure o' you does not bind him, beast gives as much to beast.'

For a long moment, Katie clung to Jess knowing instinctively the truth of her words. At last, uneasily, she drew away from her mother.

‘Things have changed now, Mammy,' she said. ‘It's different to when you were a girl back in Ireland.' And yet within her was the unwanted thought that the only time she actually possessed William was when he lay in her arms, wanting her.

Jess smiled thinly. ‘Men do not change their nature, Katie.' She returned to her seat and resumed rocking to and fro, her eyes more heavily shadowed than ever. ‘You must learn that for yourself no doubt, but just believe this, what a man gets easily, he does not value highly and that's the truth an' I'll swear it by all the saints in heaven, so I will.'

Katie made the tea and as she stared down into the fragrant liquid, her spirits had never been lower and she wanted only to crawl into her bed and hide, hide from the truth that was clamouring inside her heart, body and soul that William only wanted one thing from her and that he could buy from any flossy in the street.

Sterling sat in the office staring out, into the soft spring sunshine. He had just received an order from Smithson's, a large manufactory just outside the town, for two tons of zinc wire and at the competitive price of a hundred pounds a ton it was a very gratifying start to his new enterprise.

Once he'd had the idea, it had taken only a matter of weeks to convert the old outhouse into a small foundry, equipping it with moulding boxes, cores and sand at very little expense. It was more difficult finding a skilled pattern maker and a fettler but in that too he had been successful.

He had struck lucky because the production of zinc wire, which had such tenacity and strength that a cable one tenth of an inch in diameter was capable of supporting a weight of around twenty-six pounds, was not being produced at all in the vicinity of Sweyn's Eye.

‘Morning, Mr Richardson, you're in early today.' Ben entered the office and ambled towards his desk, shrugging off his topcoat. In spite of the sunshine the day was sharp and cold.

‘Look at this, Ben.' Sterling waved the order sheet at him. ‘We're in business, the demand for zinc wire is increasing. I feel more than justified in turning that old building into a foundry.'

Ben stared down at the paper, reading it with agonising slowness. He plucked at the ends of his moustache, his lips pursed thoughtfully, his bushy eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

‘Very good,' he said at last. ‘But this order won't cover the cost of the main alterations you plan for the sheds. If you mean to go over to zinc processing in a big way then you'll need a lot more orders like this.'

‘Let's walk before we can run, Ben,' Sterling said reasonably.

Ben dropped the sheet on the desk before him. ‘The workmen don't like it you know, don't like it at all,' he said. ‘They feel that their own jobs in the copper are threatened and you can't blame them.'

Sterling leaned forward in his chair. ‘I've heard nothing,' he said. ‘But then I don't suppose I would. You should have told me about this sooner. I expected some resistance of course but there's no need for any man to fear dismissal.'

Ben tapped the red ledgers on the desk before him. ‘This is my responsibility, Mr Richardson,' he said stiffly. ‘If you want someone to play the part of a spy then get someone more suited to the job.'

Sterling held up his hand. ‘You're right Ben, of course, and I take it all back.' He chewed thoughtfully at the end of his pen. ‘Still, it's just as well to be informed of what happens in my own works and your suggestion might be a good one. Who would prove the most useful of the men in that direction?' Ben shook his head, his mind almost visibly ticking over.

‘If you're serious then I think that young pup Will Owens might be the one,' he said at last. ‘Most of the workers are too proud to spy on their fellows, not a respectable job to give to anyone, if you'll excuse me saying so, but a keen, ambitious chap like Owens, he might just take it on.'

Sterling's first reaction was to discard out of hand the idea of asking anything of Will Owens but when he paused to think about it, Ben was right, no decent hardworking copper man would go cap in hand to the boss in order to tell tales on his fellows. It needed someone unscrupulous for that.

‘It looks as if you have visitors, Mr Richardson.' Ben's voice brought Sterling back from his reverie and he looked up in time to see James Cardigan and Dean Sutton striding along the yard towards the office.

‘I'd forgotton they were coming,' Sterling said. ‘I suggest, Ben, that you go and check on the new furnaces, anything that will keep you out of the office for half an hour.'

Ben rose with as much alacrity as he could muster, and swung open the door, allowing the two men to enter before beating a hasty retreat. Sterling rose slowly to his feet.

‘Gentlemen, this is indeed a pleasure.' His irony was not lost on his partners, Dean's face flushed even redder than the cold had made it and James shook his head, seating himself on the chair Ben had just vacated.

‘We haven't come here to quarrel with you, Sterling,' he said reasonably. ‘It's just that we would like to know more about your proposed innovations, you've told us very little so far.' He coughed uncomfortably and looked at Dean who was pacing to and fro before the tall stove, holding his hands out to the flames in an absentminded gesture.

‘All I can do is to apologise,' Sterling said affably. ‘It's just that I didn't think you would be overly interested in my small plans.'

Dean swung around and stared directly at him and Sterling was surprised at the dislike in the American's eyes. Surely the changes he'd so far made could not have upset Dean that much?

‘We are partners in the firm.' Dean sounded aggressive. ‘Of course we are interested. You seem to think it enough to feed us titbits of information but it's not. My money isn't yielding very much profit at the moment and I'd very much like to know why.'

‘Sit down,' Sterling said smoothly, ‘and then I'll try to explain the situation to you.'

‘Don't patronise me, boy,' Dean said, frowning heavily.

Sterling shrugged, where Dean Sutton was concerned it seemed he could do nothing right.

‘It's just that over the past years the company has steadily gone downhill,' he said. ‘My father was doing his best, I'm sure of it, but it wasn't enough. Countries like Chile and Australia have caught us up and passed us in the art of smelting. We have been too insular, keeping our process a secret, forcing other countries all over the world to find their own methods of production. Unfortunately they have proved quicker than our own.'

‘I understand that, Sterling.' James's tone was pleasant. ‘I'm sure you mean well but can we afford to make big changes here at the present moment? That's the question.'

Sterling turned to him quickly. ‘I've made no big changes yet, all I've actually done is to convert an old building into a foundry at little cost.' He tapped the paper on the desk before him. ‘This order for wire more than justifies those modest changes.'

Dean was not to be mollified. ‘Well I don't think you are experienced enough to go ahead with any big plans for converting to zinc,' he said. ‘Keep your little foundry by all means but forget any major developments.'

Sterling forced down the anger that was growing within him. Dean was being deliberately awkward and unpleasant.

He rose from his chair and moved over to the window. ‘Don't worry,' he said at last, ‘if I risk anything it will be my own capital.' What he didn't say was that the money was raised by mortgaging Plas Rhianfa.

‘Well in that case, I think we must let you go ahead with your plans, Sterling,' James said encouragingly.

Reluctantly Sterling turned to face him. It was clear he had James's sympathy but Sterling needed to say what was on his mind.

‘I must point out that if you take no risks, you gain nothing of the profits, either.'

James shrugged. ‘That sounds fair enough to me.' He put on his hat and made for the door. ‘Come along Dean, we've taken up quite enough of Sterling's time, let's go and have a hot toddy at the Mackworth Arms.'

Sterling watched them go then returned to his desk, and nothing could change the small glow of triumph he felt as he looked down at the order in front of him.

Bea entered Sterling's room in the Mackworth Arms and took her customary seat near the window, the same one she'd occupied when she had first ventured into the hotel six weeks ago. Since then she had come to love Sterling more fiercely than ever before and she shivered now as she remembered the hours of happiness they had shared, lying together in the large bed, stealing whatever moments they could without arousing suspicion. It was not altogether satisfactory but it was the best arrangement they could make, for the present at least.

They had spent one glorious afternoon last week, making love until dusk had touched the room with shadows. Sterling had raised her to heights that she could never even have begun to dream of.

She had enjoyed a blissful few days after the event, telling herself that it could not be wrong to give herself to the man she loved and hoped one day to marry, but then her euphoria had worn thin as the days passed and there was no sign from Sterling that he wanted to see her again. Indeed when they did meet at her instigation, it was amongst a crowd of workmen at his new house where she had been hard put to speak to him at all let alone have a private conversation. And the longing to ask him if he cared for her, even a little, had gone unappeased.