her perfectly and she didn’t hesitate. ‘I’ll take these.’ She paid for them and smiled at Eline’s somewhat bemused expression. ‘They are worth every penny, don’t look so surprised. Where did you buy the leather?’
‘I’ve found a small supplier on the outskirts of Neath,’ Will said. ‘Why do you want to know? Thinking of going back into the shoemaking business yourself, are you?’
‘Maybe,’ Arian said, ‘the leather fascinates me, I must admit. I know how to spot the difference between good stuff and leather that’s lacking in quality.’
‘Well, Mr Clifford lives in the Cimla,’ Will said. ‘He’s got a small warehouse there, little more than a shed really but he doesn’t mind small customers. I suspect that it’s people like me provide him with a living.’
‘That’s interesting.’ Arian made a mental note to go to see this Mr Clifford – he could well prove useful to her. She watched as Will parcelled up the boots, and as she took them she smiled at Eline.
‘I wish you luck with your designs and I shouldn’t be surprised if our paths cross again sometime.’
Outside in the clear air, she took a deep breath. That could have been a tricky encounter. If Eline and Will had asked if she was still working for Calvin, she would have had to tell them and she was sure they would not have been so helpful. She felt a little ashamed of her duplicity but what good would it have done anyone if she had told Eline who was actually paying for the boots?
She spent most of the day shopping and returned to Stormhill with an armful of parcels feeling she had spent the money Calvin had allocated her as wisely and frugally as possible. She had bought a sensible skirt in dark serge and several crisp white blouses and to top them a coat of warm merino wool – she would need it when winter came.
Mrs Bob greeted her excitedly. ‘Arian, the new steward, he’s here and he’s ever so handsome. Duw , if I was twenty years younger I’d set my cap at him, that I would.’
Arian was not interested. She’d had enough of men and she never wanted to be close to one again. She hurried to her room and set down her parcels almost dreamily; there were some parts of her chequered past that she enjoyed remembering.
The first to make love to her was Eddie Carpenter. He’d been young, as nervous as she was, but he’d treated her almost with reverence. Their affair had been passionate; he had loved her and wanted to marry her, but even then she knew that he was not the man she wanted to spend her life with.
By now, Eddie might well have qualified as a doctor up in London somewhere. And that turn in Eddie’s life, she remembered with warmth, had all been due to Calvin Temple’s generosity. Eddie had looked after Eline when she’d been taken sick one day while shopping in Swansea. His gentle assurance and his knowledge that nothing ailed Eline other than the normal reactions of a woman expecting a child had impressed Calvin to such an extent that he had offered to pay for Eddie’s training. Calvin, Arian realized was something of a philanthropist. What’s more, he was a very attractive man.
She hastily pushed the thought aside; loving was not for her, she’d had her fill of men, enough to last her a lifetime.
Later, as the staff sat at supper in the huge warmth of the kitchen, Arian had time to study the new steward, the man with whom she would be working. Somehow his appearance gave her a sense of apprehension.
Gerald Simples was certainly handsome; he was swarthy in the way that Romanies were swarthy and his moustache, thick and dark, gave him a predatory appearance that was slightly unnerving.
‘You’ll be sure to know me next time.’ His voice was a surprise – it was cultured and had a slight accent that Arian could not define.
‘Sorry, was I staring?’ Arian said quickly. ‘There’s rude of me, it’s just that you reminded me of someone, someone I didn’t much like.’ The last thing she
‘I’ve found a small supplier on the outskirts of Neath,’ Will said. ‘Why do you want to know? Thinking of going back into the shoemaking business yourself, are you?’
‘Maybe,’ Arian said, ‘the leather fascinates me, I must admit. I know how to spot the difference between good stuff and leather that’s lacking in quality.’
‘Well, Mr Clifford lives in the Cimla,’ Will said. ‘He’s got a small warehouse there, little more than a shed really but he doesn’t mind small customers. I suspect that it’s people like me provide him with a living.’
‘That’s interesting.’ Arian made a mental note to go to see this Mr Clifford – he could well prove useful to her. She watched as Will parcelled up the boots, and as she took them she smiled at Eline.
‘I wish you luck with your designs and I shouldn’t be surprised if our paths cross again sometime.’
Outside in the clear air, she took a deep breath. That could have been a tricky encounter. If Eline and Will had asked if she was still working for Calvin, she would have had to tell them and she was sure they would not have been so helpful. She felt a little ashamed of her duplicity but what good would it have done anyone if she had told Eline who was actually paying for the boots?
She spent most of the day shopping and returned to Stormhill with an armful of parcels feeling she had spent the money Calvin had allocated her as wisely and frugally as possible. She had bought a sensible skirt in dark serge and several crisp white blouses and to top them a coat of warm merino wool – she would need it when winter came.
Mrs Bob greeted her excitedly. ‘Arian, the new steward, he’s here and he’s ever so handsome. Duw , if I was twenty years younger I’d set my cap at him, that I would.’
Arian was not interested. She’d had enough of men and she never wanted to be close to one again. She hurried to her room and set down her parcels almost dreamily; there were some parts of her chequered past that she enjoyed remembering.
The first to make love to her was Eddie Carpenter. He’d been young, as nervous as she was, but he’d treated her almost with reverence. Their affair had been passionate; he had loved her and wanted to marry her, but even then she knew that he was not the man she wanted to spend her life with.
By now, Eddie might well have qualified as a doctor up in London somewhere. And that turn in Eddie’s life, she remembered with warmth, had all been due to Calvin Temple’s generosity. Eddie had looked after Eline when she’d been taken sick one day while shopping in Swansea. His gentle assurance and his knowledge that nothing ailed Eline other than the normal reactions of a woman expecting a child had impressed Calvin to such an extent that he had offered to pay for Eddie’s training. Calvin, Arian realized was something of a philanthropist. What’s more, he was a very attractive man.
She hastily pushed the thought aside; loving was not for her, she’d had her fill of men, enough to last her a lifetime.
Later, as the staff sat at supper in the huge warmth of the kitchen, Arian had time to study the new steward, the man with whom she would be working. Somehow his appearance gave her a sense of apprehension.
Gerald Simples was certainly handsome; he was swarthy in the way that Romanies were swarthy and his moustache, thick and dark, gave him a predatory appearance that was slightly unnerving.
‘You’ll be sure to know me next time.’ His voice was a surprise – it was cultured and had a slight accent that Arian could not define.
‘Sorry, was I staring?’ Arian said quickly. ‘There’s rude of me, it’s just that you reminded me of someone, someone I didn’t much like.’ The last thing she
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