Free Sea Mistress by Iris Gower

reprobate like me felt the power of the man. I think he’s going to take the whole of Wales by the throat and make them follow him and his God.’
    Arian pulled on her gloves. ‘Well, it’s our place to report the news not to make any predictions,’ she smiled. ‘Not that you’ll worry about that, you’ll write your piece as you see fit as you always do and I will doubtless agree that it’s a work of genius.’
    That evening she talked about the interview with Calvin; he was seated in the large chair near the window that looked down onto the teeming life in the Strand below. Arian stood beside him and rested her hand on his shoulder and leaning forward saw a line of Chinese men, undoubtedly off one of the ships, walking one behind the other, large plaits hanging down their backs.
    â€˜It’s a strange world all right,’ she said. ‘The Chinese have their own sort of God, the Egyptians theirs, who can say who is in the right?’
    Calvin turned her to face him and took her in his arms, drawing her into a chair to rest on his knee. ‘I love you, Arian Smale, especially when you’re so serious and grave, I love your little nose, your beautiful eyes and most of all I love your silver hair.’
    He pulled at the pins and Arian’s hair fell in shining waves over her shoulders. Calvin moved the strands aside and kissed her neck.
    â€˜You must agree, though, Calvin, it’s a strange thing, this religion. Do you know, I almost envied Evan Roberts, so sure of his faith, so filled with peace.’
    â€˜Stop talking and pay a little attention to me,’ Calvin whispered in her ear and Arian felt herself responding to him with a warmth and languor that never seemed to diminish.
    She kissed his mouth, her tongue probing his, she ran her hands over the broadness of his shoulders and desire began its slow course through her blood. But even as he touched her breast, she knew that the desire was heightened because she loved Calvin deeply, loved him for his unconditional acceptance of the little she had to give him.
    â€˜Come to bed,’ she said softly. Arm in arm, they left the sitting room, leaving the fire to spit and the coals to shift in the grate until the embers burned with only a faint glow.
    â€˜Sorry I didn’t seem to get very far with Paul Marchant.’ Ellie took Jubilee’s gnarled hand in her own. ‘I was ill prepared, I should have known more about the quantity of goods he owed us for, I felt a real fool, believe me.’
    â€˜You should never have gone alone,’ Jubilee grumbled. He was seated at his desk in the study of the old house, his account books before him. It was a shabby room but warm with books lining the walls and the scent of pipe tobacco that was Jubilee’s hallmark.
    â€˜I worry when I think of you down at the docks with all those foreigners flocking around you.’ Jubilee’s aversion to anyone from outside British shores was well known and Ellie hid a smile.
    â€˜It might seem amusing to you, my girl,’ Jubilee was not fooled by her attempt to conceal her laughter. ‘But you could have been abducted, harmed in some way. Don’t you ever do such a thing again, mind.’
    â€˜I won’t, I promise, but then you’re well enough to do the errands yourself now, especially if you take one of the men with you.’ She forbore to tell him of her heated encounter with Marchant’s wife. It would be more ammunition for him to use against her for being so pigheaded as to go to the offices without Matthew for company.
    â€˜Aye, that’s as maybe.’ Jubilee sounded noncommittal and Ellie looked at him thoughtfully.
    â€˜You are all right, aren’t you, love?’ She pressed his hand with hers.
    â€˜I’m well enough but I’m not getting any younger, you’ve got to face facts, girl, I can’t live for ever. I worry about you, you’ve got no head for