Page 32 of Echoes on the Wind (Borrowed Time #2)

“You don’t have to go today,” Gwyn said as he stared at me via his reflection in the mirror. “You can just say you’re feeling unwell.”

He fussed with his tie while I sat on the bed, avoiding his eyeline. “I’m not unwell,” I replied.

“No, you’re sulking. But you’ve also got a bad arm. If it’s hurting, you should rest it.”

The pain itself had mostly eased to a dull ache, but the muscle in my bicep kept spasming. When Gwyn first noticed it, he’d insisted on calling for Nellie to check me over. She was initially worried that I might have some nerve damage, and spent thirty minutes with her hands wrapped around my arm, timing the twitches, but deduced that rest and hydration should see me right.

“It’s fine,” I said, lying a little. “And I’m not sulking.”

He came and sat on the edge of the bed, then reached out for my hand, which I pulled away and rested on my knee.

“I thought you weren’t sulking? ”

“I’m not sulking, Gwynfor. I’m just… You came home with bandaged up hands and a black eye, and wouldn’t tell me anything. How do you expect me to act?”

He let out a sigh and shook his head as he stared off into the room. “You’ve had enough to deal with. I’m just trying not to add to it.”

“Well you are adding to it,” I replied, throwing my hands up. “And what about my brother? What state is he in?”

He reached for my hand again, this time not letting me escape his grasp, and shifted on the bed so that he was facing me. “Lee’s fine. Nellie checked us over. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“And Ellis?”

“He won’t bother you again.”

His tone changed to defiance at the mention of his name, and I looked down at his bandaged knuckles and contemplated the worst.

“You didn’t…?” I started to ask the question that was playing on my mind the most, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish it.

“No,” he said, shaking his head again. “But it’s taken care of. You don’t have to worry.”

“Well I am worried,” I snapped. “Stop treating me like I’m fragile, and just tell me what happened. Why won’t you just talk to me about it?”

“Because I’m not proud of myself,” he shouted. “If Lee hadn’t stopped me, then I don’t know how far I might have gone. I just… I saw red, Tom. All I could think about was you lying on the floor and your head bleeding. If Lee hadn’t pulled me away from him, I do n’t think I’d have stopped. I didn’t want to admit to you how close I came to losing myself to that anger.”

I leaned in and put my hand on his, trying to assuage any guilt he might be feeling. God knows I’d have done the same in his position, and I wasn’t mad at him for defending me. I just wanted to know what had happened.

“I don’t blame you for how you reacted,” I said softly as I curled my fingers through his. “I just don’t want you getting hurt or into trouble. Hopefully, this will be the end of it now.”

“We made it clear he’s to stay away from you, believe me. But you’re not to be in the shop on your own for a while.” He straightened up, giving me a look that he expected not to be argued with. “It’s only for a few weeks until we know he’s definitely learned his lesson.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, Gwyn.”

He got to his feet and looked down over me, stern and unmoving. “I’m not arguing with you on this, Tom. Lee is speaking with Tish, and I’m going to tell Mair and Zack. Someone will be there each day, at least until you’re open. I can’t go to work every day and spend the whole time worrying about what’s going on above ground. Keep my mind at rest, please.”

I knew that if the roles were reversed, I’d be fretting just as much about his safety, so I resisted the urge to argue back and nodded instead, eliciting a relieved smile in response.

“So what do you want to do about today?” he asked, pulling me to my feet and putting his hands on my waist. “If you’re not feeling up to it, you can just stay at home. ”

“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “I want to be there.”

“Get dressed then,” he said, kissing me on the forehead before turning back to the mirror. “Nobody will thank you for turning up with your arse out.”

The town hall was one of the more lavish-looking buildings in Bryncoed. The brightly lit foyer was filled with oak panelling and expensive fabrics, all centred around a grand, carpeted staircase. The room we had all been ushered into, however, was cold and drab.

Had it not been for the dozen chairs and small table at the front of the room, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a broom closet. The walls were grey, and the only window that offered any light was barely bigger than a letterbox and was barred on both sides.

“Well, this is different,” Mair whispered, leaning in so close that she hit me in the face with the brim of her hat. “I’ve never attended a wedding in a prison cell before.”

“It’s not that bad,” I said, grinning. “At least it should be shorter than a church wedding.”

“It’ll need to be,” she replied, as she stuck a finger into her collar, trying to let some air in. “Or we’ll all be dead before the vows. Would it kill somebody to open a window?”

The door at the back of the room swung open, and we all turned in our seats, but it was Nellie who poked her head in, looking embarrassed.

“Sorry we’re late,” she whispered.

She let the door swing closed and then rushed to take a seat next to her mother in the row in front of us. Before it hit the latch, Gethin pushed it back open, and he sat on the opposite side, next to my brother and Tish, looking annoyed.

I leaned forward and poked my head between Nellie and Mrs Hopkin, trying to get some air from the fan that she was waving at her face. “How is Will doing?” I asked, “Did they let him come home today?”

She turned around and smiled, looking relieved. “They did. I only saw him for two minutes, but I said I’d take some food around for him this evening.”

“I’ve made enough to feed half the street,” Mrs Hopkin added, turning around slightly.

The door at the back swung open again, catching all of our attention, and a suited man wearing a long black cape walked through.

“All rise,” he said as he swept down the centre of the room.

We all took to our feet and stared at the door, awaiting the arrival of the soon-to-be-married couple. Mrs Hopkin swapped her fan for a handkerchief, and by the time Betty and Joseph appeared, her eyes were red and puffy.

There was no music, no flowers, and no bridesmaids, but as Betty walked arm in arm with Joseph, who had borrowed a suit from Lee, she looked every inch the blushing bride.

She’d styled her long blond hair into a neat, braided bun, and tied it into place with a butterfly pin. Her dress, powder blue, was held high at the neck with a brooch, and the long sleeves fanned out before coming in tight at the cuffs. The almost sheer material billowed behind her as she walked, making it look like she was gliding down the aisle, but it did little to conceal her impressive bump.

Without all of the scarves and shawls she used to conceal herself, you could be mistaken for thinking she’d been pregnant for years. She was getting bigger and bigger every single day, and though she was only a little over six months gone, she looked ready to drop at any moment.

When they reached the registrar at the bottom of the aisle and turned to face each other, their smiles were enough to light up the dingy room, and it was evident to anyone who could see them how happy they were. It wasn’t conventional, and it wasn’t like any wedding I’d ever been to, but I had to admit that I was rather envious of it.

For all the fuss of Nellie and Gethin’s wedding, which had taken months of planning and expense, Betty and Joseph were more than content with the tiny room and a handful of guests. All they wanted was each other. No fuss, no attention, just the words that mattered most.

I watched as they exchanged their vows, but I was lost in my own thoughts. I knew that me and Gwyn could never have something like this. Even my own time didn’t allow it. But I knew that I’d make that leap in a heartbeat, given half the chance.

He must have been thinking along the same lines, because he reached down into the gap between our seats and hooked his pinky finger onto mine, then flashed a huge smile when I looked up at him.

Mrs Hopkin’s sniffles echoed around the room as the couple said ‘I do’, and when Joseph leaned in and gave Betty a kiss on the cheek, she was the first to lead the room in applause.

“This is my bit,” Gwyn whispered proudly, and he took to his feet and accompanied Nellie to the table at the front, where they signed the register along with the newly married couple.

His suit was immaculate, and with his hair combed neatly and his beard trimmed low, he looked even more dashing than usual. He smiled as he caught me staring, showing off his dimples, and I looked away, blushing.

“It’s a shame we don’t have a camera,” I whispered to Mair as we watched on. “Do you have a photograph from your wedding?”

She shook her head. “No, nothing. And Zack can’t write his name, so I could probably get away with saying it never happened if it ever comes to it.”

Zack rolled his eyes at his wife as we laughed, and she put her hand around his waist, bringing him in close, then wiped the corner of her eye with her finger.

“Mair, are you getting emotional?” I teased.

“I most certainly am not,” she replied, grinning. “It’s all the dust in here.”

Betty and Joseph turned to the crowd with huge smiles, and as they made their way to the door, we all filed out behind them. The whole ceremony had taken less than fifteen minutes, but they looked like they couldn’t be happier.

“Congratulations, Mrs Bérenger,” I said as I threw my arms around Betty in the foyer. “You look beautiful.”

She flushed red at the compliment and stared coyly down at the floor. “Thank you, Thomas. ”

“Welcome to the family,” I said to Joseph as I shook his hand. “It was a lovely wedding.”

“I’m just glad it’s finished,” he said, grinning back at me. “I was shaking the whole way through.”

“I wish your father could have been here,” Mrs Hopkin said as she came to stand beside us, and Betty put her arm around her mother and dropped her head onto her shoulder.

“Me too, Mama. But I’m so glad that you were here.”

“Don’t start her off again,” Gwyn joked, earning a slap on the arm from Mrs Hopkin. “We’re running out of hankies.”

“Leave her alone,” Mair threw in, slapping him on the other arm. “Right, someone said there was food. Let’s go eat it.”

Mrs Hopkin hadn’t been joking about the amount of food she’d made. When we got back to Nellie’s house, trays of sandwiches, cakes, and other pastries filled every surface in the kitchen, as well as the coffee table in the living room, and the dining table as well. The things that woman could do with a few ingredients and sheer will, never failed to amaze me.

The celebrations got into full swing, and I took some beer and sat in the kitchen away from the crowd. I wasn’t trying to be unsociable, but I was overly tired and my arm hurt, so I propped myself down near the stove to rest for five minutes.

“Is everything alright, Tom?” Tish asked as she peeked in from the hallway .

I gave her a nod and indicated to one of the empty seats, and she crept in and closed the door behind her.

“I’m good,” I replied as she sat down opposite me. “I didn’t sleep very well, so I’m just a little tired.”

“Your arm?” she asked, and I gave her a nod as I took a swig of beer. “Lee told me what happened. I’m so sorry that you got hurt.”

“I’m sorry that Lee did,” I replied. “I saw the cut on his lip.”

She smiled and shook her head, then unfastened the enormous pink hat she’d worn to the wedding and set it down on top of a tray of cakes. “I don’t blame him and Gwyn for reacting that way. We’re very lucky, you and I.”

I froze, too nervous to say anything that might confirm what she was obviously implying, but I smiled, because I knew that she was right.

She picked up a biscuit from the table and held it in her hands, picking it apart. She wasn’t really eating it, so much as giving herself something to focus on.

“Having family who care for you is so important,” she said, smiling longingly at her hands. “When my brother Alexander and I were growing up, we were so close. He’s only a year older, so I followed him around like a shadow, but he never minded. We were the best of friends. When we got older, that friendship grew stronger, but he also had another friend. George.”

She continued fussing with the biscuit as she spoke, keeping her gaze firmly on it, and I leaned forward on the table, slowly realising where she was going with her tale.

“I grew to love George like a second brother. He was smart and funny, and he wanted to be a writer, but Daddy couldn’t abide him. He tried to stop them from being friends and banned him from the house, but Alex would just see him in secret instead. He and Daddy would argue day and night about it, until one day, about five years ago, Daddy beat Alex so badly that I could barely recognise him. He left that night and Daddy told him to never come back.”

“Tish, I’m really sorry.”

She looked up at me, her usual smile spread across her face, but it was strained, and her chin was shaking under its weight. I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but she was so focused on holding the biscuit that I think it was the only thing stopping her from bursting into tears.

“I knew why Daddy was mad, but I didn’t care about all that. I loved Alex. I didn’t want him to go. I thought he’d abandoned me, but after we spoke a few months ago on our walk from the mine, you told me that one day I might see him again, just like how you and Lee came back together.”

“You will, I’m sure,” I said, trying to show her some of the positivity she always gave others.

She smiled again, wider this time, and finally freed her hands to reach for her bag.

“I found these,” she said, pulling out a stack of letters and putting them down on the table. “Daddy tried to hide them. There’s eighteen, all addressed to me from my brother. He and George live in London now. Isn’t that exciting? Such a big city. I’ve written to him, and I’ve asked that he reply to your address. I hope that you don’t mind. ”

“Of course not,” I said, feeling thrilled for her. “I’ll get it to you as soon as it comes, I promise. I’m so happy for you, Tish.”

She giggled as she smiled, obviously delighted, and reached out for my hand. “Family really is important, Tom. And we’re family now. Unconditionally. I just wanted you to know that.”

Her words, her kindness, everything she said and didn’t say, left me speechless, and we were left smiling at each other across the table.

“Are you two coming back to join the party?” Gwyn asked as he poked his head through the door.

I straightened up in my seat, and Tish grabbed her hat from the table and got to her feet. When she reached the door, she turned and smiled widely at me, then raised up on tip-toes and kissed Gwyn on the cheek.

“He’s a good one,” she said, then she hurried down the hall to the living room.

“What was that about?” he asked as he came in and closed the door.

I shook my head and smiled as I got up to go back to the party with him. “I’ll tell you later. She’s right, though. You are.”

As the evening wore on and the party died down, the guests slowly returned home or went to bed. Nellie had gone to take some food to Will’s, so Gwyn and I stayed behind for a nightcap with Gethin.

He’d been in a foul mood all day, so wasn’t the best company, but he always bought the best whiskey and didn’t scrimp on sharing, so it was enough for Gwyn to say yes when asked.

“It’s been a lovely day,” I said, holding up my glass and staring at the drink inside. I’d had more than a couple throughout the day, so I was feeling a bit worse for wear and dreading the coming hangover.

“Yes,” Gethin replied. “All things considered, it could have gone a lot worse. Shame about the actual wedding, though, eh?”

“What do you mean?” Gwyn asked, pouring himself another.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly a stylish affair, was it? That room at the town hall left a lot to be desired, and Betty’s condition… The less said about that, the better.”

“What more did they need?” I asked, getting defensive on their behalf. “They may not have had your money, but they came out of it with the same piece of paper.”

He arched his eyebrows at me and smirked, but I was failing to see the funny side of whatever point he was trying to make.

“Our piece of paper was worth something,” he argued. “We didn’t get it because Nellie was in trouble. It’s shameful.”

He’d always had an element of snark about him, but there was a nastiness to his tone that I didn’t like, and I don’t know if it was the whiskey or his general distaste for the situation, but I’d already had enough of it.

“I think it’s time for us to get going,” I said, knocking back the rest of my drink.

“Don’t be silly,” he argued. “Pour another. It’s early yet, and Nellie’s still out gallivanting. ”

He waved his drink towards the door, spilling some over Gwyn, who reached for the glass and put it on the table.

My patience was wearing thin, and Gethin seemed to have no intention of cutting himself off, so I stood up and grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair. “She’s not gallivanting. She’s taking food to Will. Remember him? The man who saved her life and only just got out of the infirmary for it.”

He rolled his eyes and sneered, then reached for his glass again. “Maybe he can remind her that her duties are to this house, not his.”

Perhaps it was the alcohol’s fault, but I saw red at his comment and constant jibes. Without thinking, I leaned over the table and snapped, “Maybe if you want someone to run around after you, you should ask Mabel Boyes.”

Gwyn brought a hand up to his face, and I closed my eyes and dropped my head, immediately regretting what I said. When I opened them again I was expecting Gethin to be enraged, but as he stared at me, he just looked absolutely horrified.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. What could he say? Denying it would be pointless when it was clear that I knew, and he was not the type of man who would explain his actions, so he just sat there, dumbstruck.

“I think we should go,” Gwyn said, getting to his feet.

“I think that’s wise,” Gethin replied, staring blankly at the space between us.

When we reached the door, we heard Gethin’s glass shattering against the wall.