“I didn’t know you’d be here so early,” I said, my voice no higher than a whisper.
“I can see that,” he snapped back. I hated when he was annoyed with me. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
Our glares at each other were interrupted by Mrs Hopkin coming back into the kitchen. “Will you be back in time for dinner? I’m making a stew. I dare say you’ll be hungry after working on that old barn all day.”
“The what?”
“It shouldn’t take us too long, Mrs Hopkin. I’m just glad Tom offered to help.”
“Quite right, too. You shouldn’t be overdoing it or you’ll crack another rib.”
“Yes,” he said, turning to face me again. “I really should be taking it easy.”
“Well, you stay here then,” I said, rising to my feet “and I’ll go and do it by myself.”
“No, it’ll be better if I’m there,” he said, also standing. He looked as annoyed as I felt. Mrs Hopkin, sensing something was off, had also come to a stop and just stared at the two of us while we glared at each other. Had it not been for Nan bursting into the kitchen I don’t think any of us would have backed down first.
“Was it something I said?” She asked as I reached for the back door and stormed out of it. Gwyn was close behind me but I was in little mood to talk and I walked off ahead. I avoided the path to the gate and instead crossed the field behind the barn and hopped the fence onto the top road out of the village.
“Do you want to tell me what that was all about?” Gwyn asked from a few steps behind me. I’d heard him struggling with the fence and I wanted to go and check on him but my stubbornness wouldn’t allow it and I’d continued walking off.
The wind at the top of the hill was bitter and it seemed to be getting stronger as we walked. The rain and snow were holding off, at least, but I’d rushed out without my jacket and I was already regretting it. I knew the estate was about three miles away, but I’d never been there, or even to this side of the village. I was just hoping the road would lead me to where I needed to go and I wouldn’t freeze to death before I got there.
“You don’t have to come with me,” I said. “I don’t want you getting caught up in my shit, Gwyn.”
“I want to be there for you,” he called back. “You shouldn’t go alone. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“I don’t care, Gwyn. I’m sick of it.”
“Look at the bother we’ve been in for the last few days. You think he couldn’t make things even worse for everyone if he wanted to?”
“I don’t care. I want my things back and I’m going to tell him to leave me alone.”
He grabbed me by the arm, stopping me in the middle of the road and shook me. “Stop! You’re being reckless rushing in like this.” He stared right at me but I wouldn’t meet his gaze, determined not to let him talk me out of going. “He’s already beaten you, had us arrested, broken into the barn and had Nan dismissed. What do you think he’ll do next if you keep provoking him?”
“Provoking him? Gwyn, I’ve done nothing! I’m not going to be bullied and I’m not going to have this hanging over me, waiting for him to tell everyone about me. I’m going to have it out with him and you can either come with me or do us both a favour and go home.”
We walked in silence for the remainder of the journey. I kept wanting to say something, to apologise for being so snappy with him, but I knew my stubbornness would not allow it. As bad as I felt inside, I knew that if I opened my mouth to speak I would give him the same short temper as before, and I wanted to at least save him that.
When we approached the gates to the estate and I saw the house for the first time I was amazed by its size and grandeur, and then mystified as to why someone due to inherit it, who could spend their days living amongst its opulence, would devote so much time to terrorising the people of the village.
“We can just go back,” Gwyn said as we stood at the bottom of the long driveway. I looked at him and then at the house. My mind was made up long before we’d even got there and I wasn’t about to change it. I marched on up the driveway to the front door and started banging on it with my fist.
“Yes?” A suited man answered the door, a butler I assumed, and he looked at me with immediate disdain. I stood firm, refusing to allow him the belief that he was better than me even if he did work in a fancy house.
“Arthur! Where is he?” I tried to see into the house behind him but could see nothing but fancy furnishings. The man’s demeanour remained unchanged and he stared at me in silence. “I want to see him now!” I demanded.
“I’m afraid you will have to return at a later date,” he said, and then he moved to close the door. I reached my hand out to stop him from shutting me out and he stared at me in disbelief.
“You tell him to come out here now,” I demanded again, keeping force on the door so that he would have to acknowledge me.
“Mr Morgan has left on business and won’t be back for some days.”
His face was filled with disgust which annoyed me even further. I was sure that the whole house was now aware of the commotion I was making on their doorstep but I didn’t care.
“I’ll need you to let go of the door,” he said sternly, putting some force behind it.
I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want this to all be for nothing but I knew deep down that Arthur would have no fear in facing me. If he was in there he’d have come out and he’d have loved every minute of it.