Free Brides of Aberdar by Christianna Brand

depart, feeling a little as though pretty grooms had brought a rough mountain pony in out from the rain and, with brush and curry-comb, tenderly smoothed him down. He felt that he owed them some explanation of this visit and request for their presence and at last, haltingly, offered a word or two. ‘I’m afraid that I troubled you to no purpose. I wanted to discuss my—my present situation at the Manor, and thought that a—a little conference might somehow help me…’
    ‘You feel that your Belgian Dragon is hardly a confidante?’
    ‘It was to some extent about my Belgian Dragon,’ he said, smiling.
    ‘Edward dares not lose her,’ said John, ‘or he must face scandal on account of the children’s governess. But, also, Madame does not care for Aberdar Manor. Poor Edward’s at a loss how to reconcile his necessary dragon with her lair.’
    ‘He’d better build her another one,’ said Catherine, lightly, ‘and settle her in that.’
    Sir Edward stared back at her blankly. In all these years of agony, so simple a solution had never even occurred to him—seemed never to have occurred to all those of his forebears who, generation after generation, had suffered as he had done. He stammered: ‘Build another house? Keep it all, keep everything I’ve known and loved all my life—simply take the children from the Manor itself, somewhere else on the estate, simply build another house…!’
    But why should his hostess look at him suddenly so strangely?—and ask him, anxiously: ‘Do you feel it cold, Edward? Shall we build up the fire?’

CHAPTER 6
    T OMOS STOOD IN THE doorway, literally trembling with the shock of it. ‘I’m sorry, sir! I’m sorry, sir! I don’t know what happened. The door seemed to just—just be too heavy for my hand.’ He lent a strong forearm to help the Squire to his feet. ‘It hasn’t hurt you, sir? You’re not injured, sir? Your head—?’
    ‘A mere glancing blow, Tomos. The door slammed back and caught me on the forehead. It wasn’t your fault. Just help me over to the fire; I feel suddenly very cold and—a trifle unsteady.’ Collapsing into a chair, holding out his hands to the blaze, he repeated in his own kind way, but yet as though half-bemused: ‘No fault of yours. The door… It’s a very heavy old door…’
    ‘It seemed like I couldn’t hold it, sir. I feel right bad about it.’ The man pulled himself together. ‘Shall I call The Wall—shall I call Madam, sir? A glass of brandy, Squire, let me bring you a glass of brandy?’
    ‘Find Miss Tettyman, Tomos, and ask her to come. Not Madam, not for the moment. Then, yes, a half-glass of brandy.’ He put his hand to his head. ‘No cut, no blood. Just an ache, that’s all.’
    She came flying down the broad oak staircase to him, knelt at his side. ‘Tomos says… Are you hurt? Are you ill?’
    ‘The hurt is nothing,’ he said. ‘The illness—I think that is mortal.’
    For a moment she was frightened, but she supposed him hardly conscious of what he was saying. The man came with brandy. ‘Oh, Tomos, I think not—I know that it’s usual, but I think that for a—a blow on the head…’
    Tomos glanced at the scarred cheek and looked swiftly away. ‘I daresay you know best, Miss. Whatever you say.’
    ‘Perhaps a hot drink, hot and sweet—ask Cook: the Squire seems so cold. And a rug, fetch a rug first, Tomos, and then, Tomos, send Bethan up to the nurseries—or perhaps Cook would go herself, they mustn’t be frightened and Menna’s so good with them. Go quickly, never mind the rugs after all, I’ll get the rugs.’ She ran off on her light feet, crinoline swaying, and came back with carriage furs from the cloakroom that led off from the hall. ‘Let me put these around you, sir; hug them close to you, you’re shivering…’
    Tante Louise came swaying down the stairs in her fine flounced gown, with all her urgency yet picking her careful way. ‘ Qu’est-ce qu’il y a, Edouard? Tu as froid? On dit