Sinners and Shadows Read Free Page A

clothes with a man.
    â€˜I know the one, it’s stunning. I’ll have to take you somewhere where you can show it off.’
    â€˜I won’t go out with you.’
    â€˜How much do you want to bet you’ll change your mind?’
    She poured extra milk into her tea to cool it, finished her cake, delved into her mitten for her purse and extracted three pennies. ‘That’s one for the tea and two for the cake. Now, I really must go.’
    â€˜The tea and cake are on me.’
    â€˜I don’t accept refreshments from men.’
    â€˜That sounds like one of the maxims Mrs Williams gives to the female staff in Llan House.’
    â€˜I’ve heard her talking about you.’
    â€˜And knowing her, saying nothing good.’ He left his chair and pushed the pennies back towards her. ‘You can pay next time.’
    â€˜There won’t be a next time.’
    â€˜There will be,’ he countered confidently. ‘I’ll wait for you outside the station from a quarter past ten on Thursday. I’ll let you know if I’ve tracked down a coat then.’
    â€˜I won’t be there.’
    â€˜Yes, you will, if only to find out about the coat.’ He stared at her shabby cloak. ‘I wish you’d let me know just how much you were in need of a new one before the sale started.’
    The following week had never dragged so much for Rhian. The more she tried to put all thoughts of Joey Evans from her mind, the more she found herself dwelling on his invitation to spend part of her day off with him. His image – handsome, smiling – rose unbidden at the oddest moments, especially when she was carrying out dreary tasks, like dusting, polishing or cleaning the silver.
    She didn’t dare tell Mrs Williams that he had asked her out. The housekeeper disapproved of the maids having boyfriends and it had taken a couple of years to work out that her attitude wasn’t down to an aversion to men, but annoyance at having to look for replacement staff whenever a servant left to marry.
    Mrs Williams gave Bronwen’s sweetheart of two years, shy, hardworking collier, Ianto Myles, a hard time whenever he walked Bronwen back to Llan House after her day off. But she felt that the housekeeper’s condemnation of poor Ianto would be nothing compared to the contempt that she would show Joey Evans, should he venture to the back door of Llan House.
    She normally looked forward to Thursday mornings, because she could lie in beyond her usual rising time of five o’clock. But for once she was awake before Mrs Williams tapped at the door of the attic room she shared with Bronwen. She lay back on her pillow and watched Bronwen strike a match, light a candle and leave their bed.
    â€˜Water’s frozen again.’ Bronwen held the japanned metal jug upside down over the enamel basin.
    â€˜Do me a favour?’ Rhian’s breath misted in the ice-cold air.
    â€˜Bring up a jug of warm water for you when I come back after laying and lighting the fires?’ Bronwen guessed.
    â€˜You’re an angel.’ Rhian’s nose stiffened from cold and she buried it back beneath the blankets. She carried out a swift mental check of her winter wardrobe, which didn’t take long. A dark blue knitted suit, a plain black woollen dress she kept for church, a grey skirt and sweater.
    It would have to be the blue suit with the grey sweater. Ignoring Bronwen’s return and the sound of her washing and dressing in the khaki overalls they wore to do the rough work first thing in the morning, she drifted back to sleep. When she next opened her eyes, Bronwen was changing into her grey housemaid’s dress, starched white cap and apron.
    â€˜It’s seven o’clock. I’ve brought warm water up for you.’
    â€˜Thank you.’ Rhian sat up in the bed and shivered.
    â€˜So, I’m dying to know: are you going to meet Joey Evans at the station this morning, or