Firebird (48 page)
Authors: Iris Gower
âYou did, and afterwards my dear husband was so exhausted he needed to lie down in his bedroom.'
âWell, keep up the good work, dear, but don't kill him off too quickly. Allow the man time to settle with that son of his.'
She smiled. âPlay your cards right, my dear, everything will be yours. That is, everything except for the Savage Pottery.'
Georgina arched her eyebrows. Her godmother tapped her hand with her fan.
âJust a little payment for my support, wouldn't you say?'
The ringing of the doorbell echoed through the house and Georgina heard the patter of the maid's footsteps across the hall. She frowned as she heard a male voice raised in anger.
âIt's Eynon,' she said. âI hope Philip has revived enough to tackle his son.'
Eynon came into the drawing-room and looked around him. âWhere's Father?'
âSit down, Eynon, please.' She spoke sweetly. âYour father will be down in a moment. He has been resting. He's not as young as he used to be and the exertions of coping with a new wife have tired him.'
Eynon sank into a chair and Georgina studied him dispassionately. He was a good-looking man. Thin, perhaps, but his legs beneath his breeches were satisfyingly muscled. His shirt was open at the neck and the pale column of his neck rose to a well-proportioned face and curling fair hair. She wondered what it would be like to lie with him.
âHow's your friend, you know the one, the half-breed, Joe, I think they call him? Handsome devil, isn't he, at least Llinos Savage thinks so.'
Eynon looked at her coldly without replying. Georgina continued speaking, unabashed by his displeasure. âSuch a strong face and those broad shoulders, I can see why she thinks so much of him.'
She leaned closer and whispered to him so that her godmother could not hear. âI expect he's a wonderful lover, unlike you? Never had a woman, have you, Eynon, dear?'
Eynon looked at her with loathing. âYou are disgusting.' He turned his face away but she could see she had hurt him and she was not about to let him off the hook so easily.
âI wonder if he is actually in love with that Savage trollop.' She put her head on one side. âWhat goes on between the three of you when you are alone? I would love to know.'
Philip entered the room, his robe carelessly thrown around his thickening body. Grey coarse hairs sprouted from his chest and he looked older than his years. Georgina congratulated herself; her eagerness between the sheets was taking its toll on him.
âDarling!' She rose and slipped her hand through his arm. âYour son has come to see us, don't you think that's good of him?'
âWhat do you want, Eynon?'
âLook, Father, can't you stop all this? What's the gain in turning folks from their homes and preventing the Savage Pottery from working? Have you no honour?'
Philip disentangled himself from Georgina's hands. âWhy don't we go into my den and talk this over, man to man?'
âOh, no, darling, I want to hear what you have to say, too.' Georgina pouted but Philip shook his head.
âWe don't want to upset Catherine, do we?'
Georgina followed them and stood outside the half-open door listening unashamedly.
âYou see, this is the way of it, Eynon. I want sons, good strong, honest-to-God sons. You, unfortunately, will never carry on the Morton-Edwards name, you must see that. You lost your chance when you let the Savage girl slip away from you,'
âSo what do you suggest, Father, that I give in to you and relinquish my right to my inheritance and all will be well with the people of the row?'
âWhat if I say I will arrange for the people to rent their homes once more.' He paused. âIn addition, I will call my men off the Indian fellow.'
Georgina could hear Eynon's hissing breath. âThat won't work, Father. I will tell the whole town what you are up to. I'll even tell them how you murdered Estelle.'
Georgina took a step backwards. Murder? That was something she had not suspected. Still, it was all very interesting and it was good to be forewarned of just how far Philip could go.
âWhat are you talking about?'
âI'm talking about Mrs Lane, the herbalist woman in town. I'm talking about weed killer that you bought from her some time before Estelle died.'
âWho would believe you, Eynon, tell me that?' Philip laughed shortly.
âEstelle told Llinos of her suspicions, as well as me. You're on thin ice, Father.'
Philip shook his head. âNo-one is going to believe a word you say. I didn't murder Estelle, such a suggestion is absurd.'
âJust be careful, Father, one day you will go too far and then your entire house of cards will come crashing down on your head.'
âGo away, Eynon. Talking to you has the same effect on me as squashing a gnat. You are merely an irritation. Get out of my house and stay out.'
The door swung wide and Eynon brushed past Georgina as though he had not seen her. She waited for the slamming of the front door and then she went into the den. It was time to tell Philip what was on her mind.
âThat boy is a changeling, I'm sure he's not your son,' she said. âYou are so masculine, my darling, so vigorous and he is a fop. Are you sure your wife did not trick you into marriage?'
She saw the light dawn in Philip's face and hid a smile. He would take the suggestion she had made so casually and mould it to make it work for him and never realize it was she who had planted the seed.
âYou're right, he can't be any son of mine, I will repudiate him.' Philip thrust his hands into the pockets of his robe. He still needed some guidance from her and Georgina touched his arm lightly.
âThink back, darling, perhaps Eynon wasn't your wife's child either. Perhaps he's a substitute planted by your first wife to stop you getting all the money from her family.'
âThat would be just the sort of thing she would do,' Philip said. âMost of her relatives were dead and had already willed their estates to any son she might bear. My first wife had a great deal to gain by having a child.'
âThink back, darling, did you see a great deal of your wife through her pregnancy?'
Philip rubbed his chin. âNo, I did not. She went off to Gloucester for weeks on end. When she returned the boy was in her arms. I thought it strange she was not here for the birth.'
Of course, he had thought no such thing but it was politic to encourage him. âThere, you see? Give it some more thought, darling. Is there anyone of the family left to deny or confirm your story?'
Philip smiled. âNo, I don't think there is.'
Georgina could see that he was pleased with the story that was unfolding in his mind. She put her arms around him and kissed his cheek.
âYou are so kind, my love, many a man would never have accepted the boy in the first place. You did not wish to doubt your wife and so you put your fears to the back of your mind. But now, the truth is staring you in the face. Eynon does not look like you, he does not behave like you. He cannot be your son.'
She smoothed back his grey hair. âPerhaps you should go to Gloucester, see if you can bribe, er . . . coax someone into admitting the child was theirs and was given up to a rich lady in order to have a better life, you know, darling, that's the sort of story that always touches people's hearts.'
âI'll do that, my darling. I'll go first thing in the morning.'
âOh, my love, I know you are right to go away when your whole future lies in the balance, but I'm going to miss you so much! Don't be away for long or I'll die of loneliness.' Georgina pressed her lips to his and he held her for a moment before gently easing her away.
She smiled. âI can see you want to prepare for the journey. I'll make myself useful and tell the maid which clothes to pack for you.'
âThe maids know what I'll need, darling.' He took her hands and kissed her fingertips.
âNo, I shall see to it myself. I want to make sure you are well equipped to face the weather. I can't have you falling sick, can I?'
As she left the study and made her way upstairs, Georgina was exultant. If all went well, Eynon would be discredited, his riches forfeit. She smiled. Before very much longer, she would be a young, very rich widow.
The men had gathered in one of the sheds in the yard of the Savage Pottery. Their voices, loud and angry, carried to where Llinos was sitting at the kitchen table. Joe was with them and she knew he would keep tempers in check with his air of calm.
The cook was stirring a huge pot of
cawl
, the smell of the rich lamb soup permeating the room. Later, the men would all be served with a hot meal, possibly their first since they had been evicted from their homes.
cawl
, the smell of the rich lamb soup permeating the room. Later, the men would all be served with a hot meal, possibly their first since they had been evicted from their homes.
Llinos made her way outside, pausing in the doorway to draw her cloak more firmly around her shoulders. Her father had told her to stay indoors but she must know what was going on.
Her father was speaking. âYou can count on me to give you all the support I can muster.'
âBut will we get our homes back, Mr Savage?' Jim Cooper stepped forward. âThere are eighteen families been done out of house and home by this Sanders person.'
âMorton-Edwards,' Lloyd said, âis the real culprit, he is determined to ruin me, to ruin all of us.'
âWe can't fight 'im, Mr Savage, he's too rich, too powerful, we might as well give up the ghost here and now.'
Lloyd tried to interject, but the mumbling became louder until the men were arguing between themselves.
Llinos watched worriedly as Joe made his way to the front of the crowd.
âQuiet!' His voice carried clearly above the noise. âLet us be calm about this.'
âWhat's it got to do with you, you're a bloody foreigner,' Jim Cooper said.
âListen to him, Jim,' Lloyd interjected. âJoe is a well-educated man. He has a good head on his shoulders. What's more, as an outsider, he can see the facts of the matter more clearly.'
âAll right, listen.' Joe paused and looked round; he had the men's attention. âBefore you were evicted did any of you fail to pay your rent on time?'
There were murmurs of dissent from the crowd. Celia-end-house lifted her hand.
âI did. I owed the landlord one week's money but it wasn't my fault, he never called to collect it.'
âAre you aware that by law you should have a leasing agreement?'
âNo, we wasn't.' One of the men pushed his way to the front of the crowd. âBut where's all this getting us? The new owner can't be responsible for what the old landlord did.'
âThe law is complicated, I agree, but I believe that you, as tenants, have security of tenure for the term of your lease, whoever owns the land.'
âWhat does all that gobbledegook mean?' Celia asked. It was Lloyd who answered her.
âIt means that the new landlord can't throw you out into the streets. You all have a perfect right to go back into your houses and live there in peace until the lease expires.'
âI did sign a lease.' Jim Cooper's voice rose with excitement. âIt was for nearly a hundred years.' He looked round him. âWell, I'm not a hundred yet, not by a long chalk!'
âRight, men.' Lloyd lifted his hand to acknowledge Celia's presence. âAnd ladies, how about moving back into your houses?'
The crowd surged out of the yard, the men calling loudly to each other. Lloyd looked up from his chair.
âJoe, you are a genius, do you know that?' He wheeled forward and held out his hand. âI'm proud of you.'
Llinos felt her throat constrict with tears. She swallowed hard, the old friendship between the two men had been renewed.
âWhat about the roadway to the pottery? How do we stand with access, Joe?'
âI would imagine that the same terms apply. The people of the row need to have access and no-one can deny that the members of the Savage family are residents in the row.'
âI'm going inside to search for the bill of sale. I'll check the terms that applied when I bought the pottery land,' Lloyd said. âI was a fool not to have looked into the legalities of the matter before this.' He began to wheel himself away and then paused.
âWhat are you two waiting for, haven't you got a wedding to arrange?'
Llinos looked into Joe's face. His eyes were startlingly blue. His hair hung darkly down his back, he was exotic and handsome and she loved him.
âI can't wait any longer, when can we get married?'
âAs soon as we can arrange it.' Joe held out his hand. âIn the meantime, let's go inside and join your father, otherwise I might forget my manners and make love to you here in the pottery yard.'
âWhat do they think they are doing?' Georgina appealed to her godmother, her face flushed with anger. âHow dare those . . . those people move their rubbish back into the houses you own?'
âSomeone has apprised them of their rights as tenants,' Mrs Sanders said crossly. âI feared this would happen.' She took a handkerchief and dabbed at her forehead. âOne thing is certain, we'll have to let them be. We can't lower our dignity to go outside and quarrel with that rabble.'
Georgina drew a cloak over her shoulders. âWell, I can! I'll go and speak to them, there's more than one way of coping with the situation and I do not intend to use aggression, so don't worry.'
âYou can't go out there, you might not be aggressive but they might, the barbarians.'
âThey won't harm me, don't be foolish. I'm Mrs Morton-Edwards.' She smiled. âI might not be able to use force but I have other methods. You'll see.'
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