Honey's Farm (50 page)

It was the most sensible solution. Price was probably the most experienced man in her employ, Eline thought; in any case, his fellow workers seemed inclined to follow his lead.

‘That's very kind of you, Price,' Eline said, feeling somehow that she had been manipulated. ‘You will have a rise, of course; and, who knows, I may be in a position to make the opening a permanent one some time in the future.'

She left Price at the workshop and began the trek back home, feeling suddenly tired. She had walked much too far, and the baby was heavy now in her arms.

She made her way into Victoria Park and sat down on the bench, staring out at the pond, where the ducks dipped and glided on the still surface, searching for food. It was peaceful here, and her chaotic thoughts began to sort themselves out a little.

There must be some rational explanation for Arian's disappearance. And yet Arian did have a wild streak that might cause her to behave irrationally.

But doubts persisted. Eline couldn't believe Arian would have left the job without any notice; she was proud of her work and had always been anxious to get on in the world of shoemaking.

A shadow fell across her face and, looking up, Eline drew a sharp breath. ‘Will!' She spoke the name softly, as though not quite believing he was really standing there before her.

‘Eline.' His tone was polite, nothing more, and there was a pain in his eyes that he couldn't quite conceal.

‘Are you all right?' he asked stiffly. ‘I mean, it's strange to see you alone like this, with the baby wrapped in a Welsh shawl. Where's your fine carriage? Why are you sitting here in the park – is anything wrong?'

‘I'm all right,' Eline said quickly, hugging the baby to her, afraid that Will might see her son's face.

Will sat down beside her, abruptly. After a moment, he leant over the child in her arms, his hand gently pulling the shawl aside.

There was a long moment of silence and then Will lifted his head. His eyes met Eline's, and she knew in that instant that Will had realized the truth.

‘He's mine,' he said flatly, his tone brooking no argument. ‘This child is mine; do you deny it, Eline?'

She looked directly into his eyes and knew she could not lie to him – not about this. ‘I don't deny it, Will. How can I, when he looks the very image of you?'

Will rubbed his hand over his face. Slowly, a smile began to light his eyes and reached his mouth. ‘Let me hold him, please, Eline,' he said softly. ‘It's not much to ask, is it?'

She sighed and, after a moment's hesitation, handed him the baby, their son. She drew a ragged breath at the joy in Will's face, and her smile was brilliant as she looked at the two beings she loved most in all the world.

‘Why didn't you tell me?' Will asked, and then he looked away from her. ‘Of course, I know why. Temple could give the boy everything, when I could offer him nothing.'

‘It isn't that, Will,' Eline said. ‘But Calvin was so joyous, so proud, I couldn't find the words to tell him the truth.'

‘You didn't want to hurt him?' Will asked. ‘And yet you would hurt me; how could you think like that?' His voice was edged with anger. ‘I could have borne it if you'd wanted our son to have every advantage in life, but I don't understand how you could keep silent out of pity for Temple – or was it love, Eline? Have you fallen in love with him after all?'

She shook her head in dumb misery. ‘Don't, Will. What was I to do?'

He stared down at the boy in his arms, and there was a longing in his eyes that tore at Eline's heart. ‘He's a fine child.' Will's voice was tender. ‘A son any man could be proud of.'

He looked up at Eline then. ‘It seems I'm destined not to have any sons I can call my own, doesn't it?'

‘Will, Will! Don't torture the both of us,' Eline said. ‘It can do no good.'

‘I know, but I ache for you,' Will said. ‘You occupy my thoughts every minute of every day. I can't seem to function without you; I have no ambition any more.'

Eline began to cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she tried to dash them away, impatient with any sign of weakness in herself. She needed to be strong, for her son's sake if for no-one else's.

Will put his arm around her and drew her head down on to his shoulder. ‘I'll savour this moment,' he said softly, ‘the moment when I held my two loved ones in my arms. It will never come again, because I'll go away, leave you in peace and leave my son to be brought up with every privilege he could wish for.'

Neither Eline nor Will saw the figure of Calvin Temple standing a short distance away, watching the small tableau, his face filled with sadness. After a moment, he turned and walked away, and there was purpose in the way he strode out of the park and climbed into his waiting carriage.

Fon's arms ached. The ropes bit cruelly into her wrists as she struggled yet again to free herself. Across the room Arian was slumped in her chair, her face red from the slap administered by Price Davies before he'd left them.

‘It's no use struggling,' Arian said slowly. ‘We have no strength to resist these awful men, so we will just have to outwit them.'

Fon looked at her hopefully. ‘You've got a plan?' she said, her voice cracking with fatigue and fear.

‘I'm going to try to lure Price into the bedroom,' Arian said, in a matter-of-fact tone, as if she was simply talking about going to the shops to buy some groceries. ‘While I'm there, talk Mike into letting you go free; he's frightened by what Price intends to do, I can see it in his face.'

‘But you
can't
go into the bedroom with that animal,' Fon protested. ‘You know what he'll do to you.'

‘I know.' Arian shrugged. ‘But what's the alternative?' She pursed her lips as the silence lengthened.

‘He'll rape the both of us, whatever we do,' Arian said at last, ‘so in my own case I'll only be getting the ordeal over more quickly.'

She paused for a moment and chewed her lip. ‘I think there's a strong possibility he might do more than harm us . . .' Her words trailed away.

‘You mean he might . . . might kill us?' Fon felt a wash of fear as she looked into Arian's eyes. She felt in her bones that Arian was right; Price Davies intended at the very least to violate them both. It had been quite clear what Davies had in mind when he thrust his hand into Fon's bodice. As for letting them go after that, it was doubtful he would compromise himself by letting them complain about his brutality.

‘I think you're right,' she said, remembering how cruelly Price had slapped Arian's face before tying her into a chair. ‘But what makes you think Mike the Spud will listen to me?'

‘There's just a chance he might help,' Arian said. ‘You must convince him that Price wants us dead, and I know that's not what Mike wants. He's my uncle, remember, and for all his badness I think he'd stop short of murdering me.'

‘I don't like to think of you sacrificing yourself to that terrible man,' Fon said quietly. ‘Do you think that when you get him alone you could outwit him?'

‘I could try,' Arian said ruefully, ‘but when I tried that before, he was too quick for me.'

She smiled reassuringly. ‘Don't worry, it won't be the first time I've lain with a man; and, though I detest Price Davies, I would prefer what he would do to me to being dead.'

Fon bit her lip. It seemed a hare-brained, dangerous scheme, but, as Arian had pointed out, they had little alternative. She was quite sure Jamie would have instigated a search by now, but in all probability no-one would come looking for her in the empty farmhouse adjoining her own land.

‘We
must
give it a try,' Arian urged. ‘It's the only way, I promise you.' She sighed heavily. ‘With two of them together, I don't think we'd stand a chance; Mike's too afraid of Price to defy him openly.'

The two women fell silent, both of them contemplating the coming ordeal. It was growing dark, and Fon, tired to the bone, felt her eyelids begin to droop.

She was awakened by the door being swung roughly open. She sat bolt upright, blinded by the light held high above the man's head. For one crazy moment, she thought Jamie had come to find her, and then Price Davies spoke.

‘Well, my sweet little bitch.' He stood in front of the chair where Arian was tied, his legs astride, the lantern held high. ‘I've sewn you up good and proper. I've got your job, the job I should have had from the beginning.' He sniggered. ‘I spun the yarn that you've run off with a man. Your precious boss has lost faith in you, so the job is mine – mine for good.'

Arian stared up at him, her face unreadable. ‘Well, perhaps you did deserve the job, no-one can question your expertise with leather,' she said in a deliberately subdued voice.

‘You said it, woman,' Price answered boastfully. ‘I think that our boss has recognized that at last.'

Fon, watching, saw Mike enter the farmhouse and close the door carefully behind him.

‘Watch that light, Price,' he warned. ‘We don't want anyone coming up here, do we?'

‘Pull the curtains, man,' Price replied shortly. ‘I'm not going to spend the night in the dark.'

He held the lantern up and looked from one woman to the other consideringly.

‘Now which one of you beauties shall I take to my bed?' he said speculatively.

Fon shrank against the chair, her scalp prickling with fear. She couldn't bear it if this man so much as touched her again.

‘I shan't let you take advantage of
me
again,' Arian said quickly. ‘You did it once, but you won't do it again. You're not man enough for me, don't you understand that yet?'

‘Who says?' Price hovered over her menacingly. ‘If I want you I shall have you; I'll show you how much of a man I am.'

‘No,' Arian said, ‘you won't make me do what you want a second time. You don't know how to show a girl a really good time – you are inadequate, incapable of satisfying me.'

Fon saw Mike put his hand over his mouth to conceal his coarse laugh; but he shut up abruptly when Price turned venomous eyes on him.

‘Untie her,' he commanded, pointing to Arian. ‘I'll show this piece of baggage what respect for a man is all about. By morning I'll have her broken, or I'll know the reason why.'

As Mike bent down beside Arian's chair, he spoke to her softly. ‘It's only a little bit of fun, it won't hurt you, will it, you not being chaste-like.'

‘Shut up,' Price said, and seized Arian's wrists. She struggled, kicking out at him, and Fon, watching in horror, marvelled at the girl's courage and tenacity.

Price twisted both Arian's hands behind her back and held her wrists between his big fingers. With his other hand, he caught the front of her bodice and tore it downwards.

Fon looked away in fear and pity for what Arian was going to endure. She knew, with a sudden, sickening surety, that if she couldn't convince Mike the Spud that she must be released, she would be in for the same fate.

‘Good night, folks.' Price smiled his charming smile and dragged Arian towards the bedroom. ‘Sleep tight.' He looked back at Fon. ‘Don't worry, sweetheart, you won't be neglected. You shall have your turn, all in good time.'

The bedroom door slammed. There was the sound of a vicious slap; Arian screamed, and then there was nothing but an ominous silence.

Fon closed her eyes. She wanted to scream; she was living in a nightmare and she didn't know if she would ever wake up from it. ‘Arian,' she whispered, ‘oh, Arian! What is going to become of us both?'

Eline left the park aware that it had grown dark. She hurried, knowing that Calvin would be worried about her; indeed, she was surprised he had not come looking for her already.

The baby was heavy in her arms, and Eline felt the dampness of tears against her cheek. Will, poor darling Will, he'd been so hurt she would probably never see him again. She had burnt her boats now, where he was concerned.

She had hated telling him she must stay with Calvin; it had hurt, the pain had gone deep, and her words of farewell had been spoken in despair.

But she owed Calvin a great deal. He was kind and considerate, he loved her and adored the child he believed was his; how could she tell him the truth now? It was too late for that, far too late.

She reached the gates of the manor with a sigh of relief. Her whole body seemed to ache and her legs were trembling; she realized she was not recovered yet from the birth of her son.

The lights in the porch were ablaze, and, to her surprise, the carriage was outside the door, the driver standing at the head of the animals as though ready to make a journey. Could Calvin be going away on business?

The front door resisted her efforts to push it open, and, impatiently, Eline rang the bell.

Behind her, the coachman coughed.

‘Beggin' your pardon, my lady, I've had my instructions to take you to a lodging house in the town,' he said slowly, and she heard pity in his voice.

‘What do you mean?' she asked. ‘Where's my husband?' She felt a sense of unease grip her. ‘Lord Temple hasn't been taken sick, has he?'

The man held out a long envelope and Eline opened it quickly, holding it under the lamp hanging above the porch, straining her eyes to read the scribbled message. It was short and to the point.

It became only too clear as she read the note that Calvin had seen her with Will in the park, had heard some of her conversation, had gathered the truth about the child he had called his own son.

Calvin stated in no uncertain terms that he would have nothing more to do with her; he would divorce her, in spite of the scandal it would cause, and he never wanted to see her again.

Wearily, Eline climbed up into the coach and nodded to the driver. ‘Let's be on our way,' she said softly, and the tears that came to her eyes were for the kind man she had called her husband, the man she so badly betrayed.