“I’m going to fetch someone to help me,” Violet said, rubbing her hands.
“Who?”Una whispered, looking even worse.
“Who do you think?The person in the world who knows most about Welsh dragons, of course.”
“You’d bring Gwydion—here?“ Una croaked out in unmistakable horror.
Violet scrunched her nose.“You don’t sound as if you like the idea.Whyhaveyou gone off Gwydion so strongly?Whatever did he do toyou?”
Una stared at her.“You know what he did…”
Violet was beginning to feel confused.“Well, he promised me he’d come back on my birthday and we’d tell everyone together we’d decided to get married, no matter what anyone said.But then his father showed up instead—alone!I was furious with Gwydion for letting his father twist him round his finger like that.What wereyouangry about?”
Una chewed her lip, looking green.“You really don’t know?”
“Don’t knowwhat?“ Violet almost shouted.
To Violet’s dismay, Una’s eyes filled with tears.
“Gwydion’s father—he told Uncle George—“ she stammered, “he told us Gwydion wantedme instead.”
Chapter fifty
Ormdale
Inthenurseryinfront of the weak little coal fire, Una covered her face with her hands.There was a dreadful silence, in which Una felt sick with guilt and shame.Her secret parts had been laid bare.It was just as awful as she’d feared.Worse, even.
“Una,” Violet began in a strangled voice, “are you telling me that all this time—all of these two whole years—you thought—you thought—that Gwydion—that you—“ Violet started again.“You can’t have actually thought that my going away wasyour fault?”
Una gave a very small nod behind her hands.
Then someone pinched her.
“Ow!”Una shrieked, dropping her hands.“What was that for?”
Oolong started and glared at Violet.
“That’s for being anuttergoose!“ Violet cried, jumping to her feet.“That horrible man probably took one look at you and thought you’d be less of a handful as a daughter-in-law!”She gave a wild laugh and began to pace about the room.“Not knowing, of course, that you are absolutely terrifying and would make his life a misery to him!It would have served him right to take you back to Wales and see Gwydion’s face when he brought the wrong girl!”
Una swallowed.“So you don’t think—that Gwydion—that he somehow got the wrong idea about me?”
At this, Violet screeched.Then, “Watch out, I’m going toswear!”
Violet threw herself face down on the bed and buried her face in Una’s pillow, into which she relieved her feelings with a series of indecipherable pronouncements.
When she faintly quieted and looked up, her face was purplish.She exhaled, propping her chin in her hands.
“Oh, Loon,” Violet said, “if I actually thought you’d stolen my sweetheart,don’t you think I would have—I don’t know!—saidsomething?Stabbed you?Put a toad in your porridge?”
And of course she would have, Una realised.
“Uncle George was right,” Una whispered.
“He usually is,” Violet said grimly.“And somehow he isn’t unbearable about it.”Violet flopped onto her back.“Waiting has never been easy for me.I was expecting Gwydion any day, and then his awful father appeared, and Edith and Simon were being such dry old sticks about Elfed!Well, it was all a bit much!And then I thought, ‘What’s keeping me here?I’m of age now!If Gwydion thinks he can send his father to propose to me, he’s got another think coming!If he wants me, he can ruddy wellfindme himself!’So I ran off.“ She paused.“And all the time you were left thinking it was your fault?”She sat up suddenly.“You must understand, I never imagined his horrible father had tried toswapus!Did he think his son wouldn’t notice the difference, like that stupid boy in the Bible?”
“Jacob?”offered Una.She wasn’t sure it was right to call a character in the Bible a stupid boy, but Violetwasvery worked up, and allowances ought to be made.
“Gwydion probably never even knew what his father had done!Ugh!One thing we absolutelymustn’tdo, Una, is let any of these men—whoever they may be—to get between us and push us apart, because if there’sonething I’ve learned about them is that they’lltry!You’re not listening to me, are you?“ said Violet.
