Daughters of Rebecca Read Free Page A

clay into shape, had toiled long hours inthe pottery in an effort to make the business the success it was today.
    Joe regarded her steadily. ‘I know you were hurt, my love, and I’m so sorry for betraying you, but all that is past. We can’t let it affect our future.’
    â€˜I do realize that, Joe. But how would you feel if I was unfaithful, if I had a child by another man?’
    He sighed heavily. ‘I would want to kill you both,’ he said simply. He threw down his napkin and got to his feet. ‘I’d better get some letters written,’ he said more easily. ‘I, too, have a business to run.’
    His words seemed like a reproach and Llinos sighed. Would she and Joe never fall back into the easy, loving relationship they once had?
    She drank her tea in an effort to clear the obstruction from her throat; she would not cry the bitter tears that were always present whenever she thought of Joe in the arms of another woman. She would have to be brave like any other woman forced to swallow the pain of infidelity. ‘I think I shall take a look at the order books,’ she said, to his retreating back.
    Her days were empty now: she was not needed in the flourishing pottery; she was not needed in her own house, come to that, not without her son. There were servants to cook and clean, and book-keepers to see to the financial side of her business. She was adrift, a woman without purpose. Suddenly her life seemed futile. Biting her lip, Llinos Mainwaring watched her husband leave the dining room and disappear into his study.
    The idea of looking over the order books had lost its appeal. Instead, Llinos climbed up the broad staircase to the bedroom she shared with Joe. The windows were open and the breeze brushed the curtains into a frenzy of dancing. Llinos was restless; she stared out into the grounds where the lawn was sun-scorched. She felt downcast, her heart heavy with the knowledge that Joe, ensconced in his study, would be writing a letter for his mistress to read to their son.
    She would go out, she decided, take a ride in the carriage, walk in the park and get some fresh air into her lungs. Then, maybe, she would go visiting. She paused before the mirror, examining her reflection. She was slim still. Her hair was dark with hardly any silver running through it, her complexion smooth, yet there was a sadness in her eyes that never left her.
    Later, as the carriage took her along past the promenade Llinos looked out at the sea. The flow of the tides always made her feel calmer, as though the world was so big that her worries were diminished by the grandeur of the ocean, spreading away to merge with the sky. Beyond the bay the rocky head of Mumbles formed a sheltering arm around the town of Swansea. How she loved it here where she had been born and bred and where, doubtless, she would die.
    The coach pulled into a long driveway and as Llinos leaned out of the window to stare at the house, large and mellow in the sun, she saw a familiar figure on the step. He stood tall, his hair pale and shining, her dear friend Eynon Morton-Edwards.
    As soon as the coach stopped, Eynon opened the door and held out his arms to lift Llinos on to the drive. ‘Llinos, my lovely girl, you grow more beautiful every day.’
    He kissed her cheek and she clung to him for a moment. Eynon had been her friend through the good times and the bad. He had always loved her and never had that love been needed so much as the day Joe left her.
    â€˜Come inside. I must tell you about the season in London, the theatres, the brightly lit streets. It was such a sight, so much pomp and splendour. You would have loved it.’
    He led her into the house and Llinos felt the coolness of the old mansion wash over her. ‘It’s always so peaceful here,’ she said softly.
    â€˜Not when my beloved daughter is at home!’ He opened the door of the drawing room with a flourish. ‘Jayne is back at school now