Paradise Park (21 page)

‘No one will realize you're gone until supper-time.' She led the way down the back stairs. ‘We'll have to steal one of the horses,' she whispered. ‘We'll go to your father's house – you'll be safe there.'

Jayne was amazed at Sal's common sense: the girl had never struck her as being very bright. On an impulse she caught Sal's arm. ‘Thank you, Sal. I'll never forget what you've done for me today.'

Outside she breathed in the fresh air of the gardens and stood for a moment looking up at the sky. She was free.

Sal tapped her arm and led her round the corner of the building towards the stables. ‘You wait here, Mrs Buchan, I'll get a horse out of there if it kills me!' She smiled. ‘The groom might take a bit of persuading, mind, but I'm used to that.'

Jayne frowned as she watched Sal disappear into the stables. She pressed herself close to the wall, afraid of being caught: she couldn't bear to be shut in her room again – she would rather die.

She heard giggles coming from inside the stables and closed her eyes as she realized what Sal was doing with the stable boy in exchange for a horse.

When Sal came out a short time later she was leading Foxglove, one of the oldest, slowest animals.

‘Sal, I'm sorry,' Jayne caught her arm. ‘I didn't mean you to . . .'

‘It was nothing I haven't done before.' She smiled cheekily. ‘And a ride for a ride isn't a bad bargain. Come on, we got no saddle but we'll manage.'

Out of sight of the stables, Sal helped Jayne to mount then swung herself up onto the horse's back and clicked her tongue, urging the animal into a trot. ‘How far is it to your father's house, Mrs Buchan?' she asked breathlessly.

‘Only about three miles,' Jayne said. ‘We'll keep off the roadways – I know a short-cut over the fields and we're less likely to be seen then.'

‘Three miles,' Sal said. ‘Well, we'll have sore backsides by the time we get there, I'll bet a shilling.'

Jayne smiled as she guided the horse through the back gates and out towards the woodlands beyond. ‘Don't worry, Sal.' She turned her face so that Sal could hear her. ‘A sore backside is a small price to pay for freedom.'

Dafydd Buchan stood inside his wife's bedchamber, hardly able to believe his eyes. ‘Someone will pay for this!' he shouted at the frightened steward. ‘How could anyone help her to escape? The keys were all kept by you, Sanderson!'

‘Someone must have found another key, sir,' Sanderson said. ‘I've been with you all afternoon and I had the master keys with me.'

‘Assemble all the servants in the hall.' Dafydd clenched his fists. ‘Someone must have helped my wife. She couldn't have done this on her own.'

He stormed down the stairs and strode into the drawing room, leaned on the mantelpiece and looked down into the fire. She had bested him. She had somehow got away and she would probably go straight to her father. Jayne would never come back to him now, unless he could trick her into it.

Sanderson knocked on the door. ‘The servants are all waiting for you, Mr Buchan.'

Dafydd straightened and went out into the hall. He stared at the assembled servants, trying to read the truth in the faces gazing back at him.

‘That young one, Sal, she's missing, sir,' Sanderson said. ‘No one has seen her since early this afternoon.'

‘Where are the grooms? I said all the servants, Sanderson – are you a complete fool?' Dafydd barked.

Sanderson moved rapidly, sending a footman to fetch them.

‘Did anyone see Mrs Buchan leave the house?' Dafydd asked. No one spoke. Dafydd took up his whip from the hall stand and cracked it in the air. ‘I said, did anyone see anything? Have you all lost your senses? What about you, Cook?'

‘Last I seen of Mrs Buchan was when I took Madam's breakfast up to her, sir,' Mrs Jones said quietly. ‘Mr Sanderson let me in and out and locked the door behind us. Mrs Buchan refused to eat anything. Gone to skin and bone she is, always refusing her food.'

‘When I want a report on my wife's health I'll ask a doctor,' Dafydd said. ‘So Mrs Buchan was in her room then and you didn't let her out?'

‘No, sir, it was more than my life was worth, though I can't say I wasn't tempted. Pathetic, it was, Mrs Buchan like a caged bird.'

‘That's enough!' Dafydd cracked the whip again. ‘Has anyone else got anything to say?'

There were murmured sounds of dissent. ‘So, Sal did it all herself, did she?' Dafydd said. ‘A slip of a girl achieved what no one else could and got my wife out of here?'

Sanderson returned with the grooms; the old one was breathing heavily from the exertion of hurrying to the house and the young lad looked as though he'd seen a ghost.

‘Which of the horses is missing?' Dafydd asked. ‘Come on, it's not too difficult a question, is it?'

‘Foxglove, Mr Buchan,' the young groom said quickly. ‘There's no tack been touched but, then, there wouldn't be. I was in the tack room cleaning up.'

Dafydd walked closer to the boy. ‘What did you say, Danny?'

‘Well,' the boy stuttered uncertainly, ‘I was in the tack room most of the afternoon, cleaning all the saddles.'

‘So you know my wife took her leave some time in the afternoon, do you? How did you come to that conclusion?'

The boy looked confused. ‘I suppose I must have heard Foxglove crossing the yard, sir.'

Dafydd took the boy's shirt between his fists and tightened his grip. ‘Tell me the truth. You helped Mrs Buchan to get away, didn't you?'

‘No, sir, I didn't see her, I swear to God I didn't. It was Sal, she came to me offering me all sorts if she could have a ride on Foxglove. I didn't have the heart to say no.'

Dafydd pushed the boy outside on to the drive, raised his whip and brought it down across his shoulders. ‘Tell me the truth! Did you see my wife go off with this girl Sal?' He cracked the whip again, and the boy screamed.

‘Stop, sir!' Mrs Jones pushed her way through the crowd of gawping servants. ‘The boy is telling the truth. I saw Sal go to the stables and she was on her own. She led out Foxglove and her and Mrs Buchan rode away on the main stretch towards town.'

Dafydd looked at her, his eyes narrowed. ‘You dare to stand there and tell me my wife's gone? Why didn't you come to me as soon as I returned?'

‘Because I thought Mrs Buchan would pine away and die if she stayed in that room any longer.' She stared up at him, her old face creased in a frown. ‘Are you going to give me a whipping, too, sir? It shouldn't be too hard to finish me off – my old bones won't take much punishment.'

‘Get out of my house right now!' Dafydd ground out the words between his teeth. ‘As from this instant you are dismissed.'

‘Right you are, then, sir,' Mrs Jones said. ‘I'll pack my bags right away.' She walked away slowly, her shoulders bent.

In spite of his anger, Dafydd felt almost sorry for the old woman. ‘The rest of you get back to work,' he said sharply. He watched for a moment as the servants dispersed, then he, too, returned to the house. He stood in the window of the sitting room for a long time, thinking about Jayne: she had more courage and determination than he'd given her credit for. He thought he'd broken her spirit but he'd been wrong.

He wondered where she had gone. Perhaps to find Fairchild but more likely to her father's house. If that was the case Dafydd knew he had a chance of getting her back: Eynon couldn't be with his daughter all the time.

He sank into a chair. Why did he want her back? She didn't love him, had never loved him. And with his cruelty, he had lost any hope of repairing their marriage. He realized now that he had lost Jayne for good and, strangely, that he would miss her. His anger at her betrayal with Guy had stemmed from more than damaged pride: too late, he knew that he loved his wife.

He got up, poured himself a drink and took it with him to sit before the fire. He felt old and jaded. He had taken many women but the diamond among them had slipped through his fingers. Perhaps it was only what he deserved. And then, taking him by surprise, hot tears flowed from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

LLINOS LOOKED AT
Eynon, her face alight with laughter. ‘I said yes, Eynon, I've ridden over today to tell you that I will marry you.'

‘Llinos, my lovely girl, come here, let me hold you, and then I might believe you mean it.'

Llinos felt comfortable in his embrace: she did not experience the deep love she'd felt for Joe or the quickening of the pulse she had known with Dafydd but somehow she felt safe and cherished.

Gently Eynon tipped her face up and kissed her. It was their first real kiss, and she felt wonderfully happy with his lips on hers. They had been friends for so long that she had not imagined they could ever be lovers but now she knew she had been wrong.

He sighed. ‘I've waited so long for this, my lovely Llinos. Say you'll marry me very soon.'

She touched his cheek. ‘I will, Eynon. I'll marry you as soon as you and Father Martin can arrange it.'

He bent to kiss her again, but a commotion in the hallway made them stare at each other in bewilderment. The door of the sitting room opened and two bedraggled figures staggered into the room.

For a moment Llinos failed to recognize the mud-spattered woman who stood dripping rainwater onto the carpet, then she realized she was staring at Eynon's daughter.

Eynon moved abruptly away from her. ‘Jayne! My God! What's happened to you?'

Jayne's hair fell in wet strands over her face. She held the soaking shawl closely around herself.

‘I've come home, Father, and I've brought Sal with me.' She gestured to the barefoot girl shivering at her side. ‘If it wasn't for her I'd still be a prisoner, locked in my room like a caged animal.'

Eynon took his daughter in his arms. ‘My dear child, what in heaven's name has been going on? Come, sit down by the fire, let me pour you some brandy. You're as white as a ghost.'

Jayne clung to him. ‘Oh, Father!'

Llinos touched Eynon's arm. ‘Perhaps I should go. I'm sure Jayne would like to talk to you in private.'

‘No,' Jayne said, ‘you might as well hear the truth from me because the scandal of it will be all over Swansea in a few hours.'

‘Don't go, Llinos, I need you here,' Eynon said. ‘Perhaps you'll bring Jayne a drink from the table over there.' Llinos poured some brandy and held out the glass to him.

He took it. ‘Jayne, drink this and then we'll get you some clean, dry clothes and you can tell me the whole story. I can't bear to see you sitting there wearing just that dirty shawl.'

‘No, just listen, Father. This won't take long,' Jayne said. ‘I left Dafydd for another man, for Guy Fairchild.' She lifted her chin defiantly. ‘Be careful what you say because I intend to spend the rest of my life with Guy.'

‘Jayne, my love, what are you saying? If you left Dafydd, how is it you were held prisoner by him?'

‘When I ran away, he came after me and forced me to go back to the house. He took all my clothes and locked me in my room. I've been a prisoner for days and it's only thanks to Sal that I managed to escape.'

Eynon was about to speak again but Llinos caught his eye and shook her head silently. He nodded almost imperceptibly, and Jayne went on talking.

‘Dafydd found Guy and took a whip to him and, oh, Father, it's all such a mess.' Big tears rolled unchecked down Jayne's mud-stained cheeks. ‘Dafydd's gone mad! He's abused me in the worst sort of way – he's even had poor Rhiannon put in prison and I just can't live with him any more so I've come home to you, Father.'

‘How did he abuse you?' Eynon's voice was ice cold. ‘Did he beat you?'

‘He
forced
me, Father, and it was then I knew my marriage was dead. Don't let him take me back because I swear I'll kill myself rather than live with him.'

‘I'll kill
him
!' Eynon's face was white.

‘Now, Eynon, keep calm,' Llinos said gently. ‘Nothing can be gained with further violence. Jayne is safe now. She's done the right thing by coming home. No woman deserves to be treated roughly, even by her husband, but you going off in a temper won't achieve anything.'

Jayne looked at her gratefully, ‘Llinos is right, Father.' She pushed her wet hair off her face. ‘I knew you of all people would understand, Llinos, though I've no right to expect you to stand up for me, not after the way I've treated you.'

‘That's all in the past now.' Llinos took Jayne's arm. ‘Come along, let's get you into some dry clothes and then we can all calm down and talk things over sensibly.' She turned to Eynon. ‘Ask some of the maids to take hot water upstairs for Jayne to bathe.' Her eyes beseeched him to understand: Jayne needed comfort and support now.

‘Come on.' Jayne gestured to Sal. ‘You must have a hot bath too or you'll catch your death.'

As Llinos went upstairs with Jayne, and one of the maids took Sal to the kitchen, she heard Eynon giving instructions to the maids, his voice edged with anger. She prayed that Dafydd would have the sense to keep away from him, at least for the time being.

Soon the maids were climbing the stairs with jugs of hot water to fill the bath and Llinos picked up the rough shawl Jayne had been wearing.

‘I would never have thought it of him,' Llinos said, without thinking. ‘I can't imagine Dafydd behaving violently to any woman, let alone his wife. No woman deserves that sort of treatment from any man.'

Jayne glanced at her with world-weary eyes. ‘But, then, your Joe never beat you or imprisoned you when you took a lover, did he? It takes a very special man to behave like that and Dafydd is not a special man.'

‘I realize that now,' Llinos said. ‘He's just an ordinary man who reacted badly when he found his wife no longer wanted him. He must care for you a lot, don't you think?'