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Helen glanced hastily at him before she left the table to answer it. 'I'm sorry to leave in the middle of dinner, Mr Davies, please excuse me.' He merely nodded to indicate his consent and she went into the hall to speak to her caller.

'
Hello, Miss Gaynor.' She still remembered his nice pleasant voice, she found, and smiled to herself, pleased that he had not forgotten his promise to see her again. 'Hello, Mr Neath, how are you?'

He laughed briefly and she remembered that too. There was something nice and friendly about Owen Neath that she was glad to know again.

‘I should have asked you that,' he said. 'Are you settling in up there all right? No problems?’'

Her hesitation was only momentary. 'No problems,' she said. 'I’m getting along quite well with almost everyone.'

‘The exception being Evan Davies, hmm?’ She glanced guiltily over one shoulder as if she feared he might have overheard, even though the door was closed.

‘We tolerate one another,' she allowed with a brief laugh. 'Otherwise everything’s fine, thanks.’

'
Was your patient too much of a shock to you?’ he asked, and she laughed again.

'
Not a shock at all, thanks to your warning. He’s a good patient and very nice, though I imagine I shall have my work cut out as his condition improves.’

'
No doubt,’ he said wryly, as if he understood her meaning quite clearly. 'Are you free tomorrow afternoon?’

She hesitated for a second before replying. 'Well, I should be, but—well, I promised I’d stay and keep Emlyn company and I don’t like to break my word to him; he gets very bored and restless on his own.’

'
He’s a spoiled young devil,’ was Owen’s opinion, and she felt bound to agree, though she did not say so. He sighed. 'Well then, as you’re giving Master Emlyn your free afternoon tomorrow, what about taking it the following day, Friday? Davies can’t object, surely?’

‘Oh, I’m sure he won’t,’ she said hastily, though far from certain that it was the truth. 'Yes, Mr Neath, I’d like to see you again, thank you.’

‘I'll come for you about half past two, if that suits you,' he said. ‘I've got my car back now so we can go for a spin somewhere and give you a change of scenery without overtiring you—how's that?'

‘That'll be lovely,' she said, but the thought of him arriving for her at Glyntarrach was not so comforting. Remembering what Emlyn had said about his father's dislike of visitors, a dislike which no doubt extended to include her visitors too. 'There's really no need for you to come all the way up here,' she told him in an effort to prevent any unpleasantness. ‘I could meet you somewhere, couldn't I?'

‘Nonsense,' he told her briskly. 'It’s your rest time, isn't it? And I've no doubt that you need it; my uncle says you need someone to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't overwork, so I've volunteered to do it for the time I’m here.'

‘That’s very good of you,’ she murmured, feeling a sudden and delicious glow of pleasure at being taken care of herself instead of the more usual way around.

He laughed. ‘It’s a pleasure. I’ll pick you up at Glyntarrach. If you’d rather I didn’t come right up to the house for you, I'll wait by the drive gates.’ She heard the friendly laugh again. 'I won’t risk bringing Evan's wrath down on your head by driving up to his front door, don't worry.'

‘Thank you.’ Her relief was patent in her voice. 'I would prefer that. Mr Davies isn't very fond of visitors and I’d hate to do the wrong thing and cause trouble.’

‘My heart goes out to you,’ he said. 'I know how difficult Evan Davies can be. I’ll see you at half past two, by the gates—O.K.?’

‘Fine,’ she assured him. There was a pleasant air of conspiracy about it all that made her smile and she felt happier than she had for some time.

‘Did I interrupt your duties?’ he asked belatedly.

'
If so I hope you won’t get into too much trouble.’

‘Of course I won’t. Mr Davies isn’t
that
bad.’ She surprised herself once again by defending her employer, and with such vehemence that she immediately covered her embarrassment with a laugh. ‘Actually we were at dinner when you called.'

'Oh, dear, worse and worse.' He sounded amused. 'I'd better let you get back to it. I hope your meal hasn't spoiled while I've kept you chattering. I'll have to try and make it up to you while I'm here.'

'There's no need for you to apologize,' she protested. 'It was very good of you to call. Doctor Neath said yesterday that he was expecting you before very long, but he wasn't sure just when.'

'I arrived this afternoon,' he told her, 'and I made you my first call.'

She laughed self-consciously. 'I'm flattered! I wondered if you'd even remember me.'

'
Of course I remembered you,' he protested. 'I told you I'd be in touch. Well—' he sighed, 'I'll see you on Friday, Miss Gaynor, we can talk more then; I look forward to seeing you again.'

'I'll be there,' she said. 'Goodbye, Mr Neath.'

She returned to find Evan Davies almost at the end of his meal and apologized again for the interruption. 'I didn't know Owen Neath was back in Glyneath,' he said, and glanced up at her with one of those quick and penetrating looks that she found so discomfiting. 'You met him on the train coming here, Doctor Neath said.'

'
Yes, I did.' She helped herself to coffee before starting on her dessert, wondering if this was the best time to mention that she would like to have her free time on Friday afternoon instead of tomorrow. He looked quite cordial, or as encouraging as he ever did, so it was probably as well as any time to mention it. 'I'm—I'm seeing Mr Neath on Friday afternoon,' she ventured, 'if that's all right.'

He looked at her directly again, his brows arched enquiringly. 'I thought tomorrow was your free day,' he said in such a way that she could already see her drive with Owen Neath coming to nothing. She made no effort to meet his gaze, but gave her attention to her dessert, wishing now that she had not raised the subject, for it seemed so inevitable that he would refuse to let her change the day.

‘It should be tomorrow,’ she agreed, ‘but I’ve already promised to stay with Emlyn tomorrow afternoon and I don't like to let him down.'

‘You were going to stay with him on your free afternoon?’ She nodded and he was silent for a moment. 'That was very noble of you,’ he allowed at last, and she flushed at his grudging praise, feeling the familiar antagonism tighten her fingers on the spoon she held.

‘It wasn't meant to be noble,' she said stiffly. 'Emlyn likes me to stay with him and as I haven't been going anywhere on my free days, I said I’d stay and perhaps play cards with him. I could still do that and have my free afternoon on Friday; it doesn’t really make any difference, does it?’

‘No,’ he grudged, and added shortly, 'have you stayed with Emlyn before on your free days?’

She hesitated. 'Once or twice,’ she admitted, and saw the familiar frown gather.

'
I don’t like the idea,’ he told her bluntly. ‘I must insist on you having your free time.’ She did not answer and he looked at her sharply. ‘Did you hear me?’ he said.

‘Yes,’ she nodded, refusing to enter into an argument with him. 'May I have the time on Friday afternoon?’

'
Yes, of course.’

'
Thank you.’

'
Where are you seeing him? Owen Neath, I mean?’

She toyed with the idea of telling him that it was no concern of his, but her courage failed her and she answered truthfully instead.

'
He’s picking me up at the gates by the end of the drive.’

'
I see.’

‘You don't mind?' Again the black eyes were raised and she could almost have sworn that there was a trace of amusement in them, but she found it hard to believe.

‘Why should I mind?’ he asked, and she could find no suitable answer, so she stayed silent. ‘If you’d been going down to the village,’ he continued, 'I could have given you a lift, that was all, since I'm going that way myself on Friday afternoon.'

Helen stared at him, the disbelief plain on her face, her spoon stopped half way to her mouth, thanking heaven a moment later that he was giving his attention to sweetening his coffee and did not notice her reaction. There was no end to the surprises that Evan Davies could provide, it seemed.

Emlyn was curious and not a little resentful when Helen told him that she would be going out on Friday afternoon, and that she was going with Owen Neath he seemed to resent even more. 'I told you that I'd stay with you yesterday afternoon and I did,' she said reasonably. 'I am entitled to three half days a week, Emlyn, and I'm going for a drive with Mr Neath. I must admit,' she added, looking out at the hot sun shimmering on the greeny grey of Glyneath, ‘I'm looking forward to it; I haven't left Glyntarrach since I came here nearly three weeks ago. She looked again at the glowering mass of the mountain and remembered Doctor Neath's reaction to her cry of delight when she first saw it as they drove from the station. It was not that she was tired of seeing it so much as the feeling of inadequacy that it gave her at times. It was so huge and inescapable, and at times she felt that it had a life of its own when it frowned down at her from among the clouds.

‘You're bored with us already?' Emlyn asked, jolting her out of her fanciful reverie, and she shook her head smilingly.

'
No, of course I'm not,' she denied. 'I seldom get bored; I don't have time, besides,' she offered consolation for his disappointment, 'I should think you'll be glad to be rid of me for a while.'

'
Never!' he averred with every appearance of sincerity. 'I shall be utterly miserable until you come back.'

She laughed at his woeful face and made sure everything he would need was within his reach. 'You'll be fine now,' she told him, 'and either Dai or Mrs Beeley will come if you want them.'

He watched her across the room. ‘You’re hardhearted,' he told her as she reached the door, and she turned and smiled at his disgruntled face, glowering at her from above the book she had given him to read.

'
Nonsense,’ she said. ‘I shall feel much better able to cope when I come back, so we’ll both benefit from the change.’ She closed the door firmly behind her, convinced that had it not been for the fact that Owen would be waiting she would have gone back and stayed with him.

As she neared the end of the drive she saw Owen standing beside a small but expensive-looking sports car and he waved a salutary hand as she approached. 'I wondered if you’d make it,' he greeted her, 'or if your boss had you locked up in a tower somewhere.’

'
It was Emlyn who raised all the objections,’ she told him while he saw her into the little car. ‘Not Ev—Mr Davies, as you might think.’ If he noticed her slip of the tongue he made no comment, but started the engine and sent them roaring along the narrow, bumpy road.

'Actually,’ she added, 'Mr Davies offered to give me a lift down to the village if I’d been meeting you down there.’

He whistled his surprise. 'Did he? That’s an honour indeed. I wonder what made him do that. I wonder where he’s going, too, it isn’t often your revered employer ventures out into the hard world.’

'
Oh, he must do sometimes, surely,’ she protested.

'
Emlyn says he has friends and he can’t possibly stay at Glyntarrach all the time, in fact I know he doesn’t.’

'
Maybe not,’ he shrugged. 'I know he calls on my uncle sometimes and I believe he knows some people in Mertonvale, but he’s not what I should call a social animal at all.'

'I know what you mean,’ Helen said dryly. 'He’s not an easy man to get on with, in fact he seems bent on
not
getting on with people.’

'
Not even you?’ he asked, and she smiled at his surprise.

'
Perhaps I am exaggerating,' she allowed. 'We just seem to rub each other up the wrong way, somehow; fortunately we don't see each other much except at dinner each night.'

'He’s a strange man,' he opined, and shrugged as if he had suddenly lost interest in the subject. 'I thought perhaps we could just run around a few of the beauty spots this afternoon to give you your introduction to the Neath package tour of Wales, then back to Glyneath for tea; Uncle David is expecting you, so don't refuse, then if you like we can have a drink at the Golden Harp before I take you back to the big house; how's that?'

'
It sounds wonderful,' she said, revelling in the luxury of being looked after. It seemed such a long time since she had been so coddled and made a fuss of and she meant to enjoy every minute of it.

Her companion turned his head briefly and looked at her speculatively. 'It's time you enjoyed yourself, by the way Uncle David talks about you,' he said. 'You're much too lovely to spend all your time looking after other people.'

'
I enjoy my job,' she protested, but only halfheartedly. 'But it is nice to feel—' She had almost said 'feel free again', but that would have implied some sort of blame attached to her father for the last few years, and that she could not do.

'
It must have been quite a strain for you, nursing your father,' he said, and the accuracy of his guess startled her for a moment.

'
Only because he
was
my father,' she agreed, 'and there was nothing I could do to help him. He was never demanding or selfish.'

'But there was no time to have a life of your own?' he said, and she nodded reluctantly.

'
I couldn't leave him for very long,' she said, and was surprised to find that she could talk about it with less effort than had once been the case; perhaps Owen Neath's understanding had helped that to happen; at any rate she felt that she could talk to him without experiencing that feeling of emptiness that she had formerly known.

'
And now Emlyn Davies is taking up all your time,' he said. 'I told my uncle about you staying with him on your free afternoon and he was very cross with you.' He flashed her a smile. 'He'll probably tell you off when you see him later today—if he does you can blame me.'