“I’m going to grab my jacket and then we’re going for a walk,” I said, then headed into the house. In the kitchen, sitting alone at the table, I found Mrs Hopkin.
“Needing a break from all the festivities?” I asked, taking a seat beside her. Her face was a mixture of both happy and sad, and she stared down at her hand, twisting her wedding ring around on her finger.
“Just thinking about when I got married,” she said, without looking up.
“How long has it been?”
“Twenty-five years in September. Feels like yesterday. Same church. Same vicar, even. We didn’t have a party afterwards, mind you. We couldn’t afford it back then. We came back here and sat around this table with our parents and had mutton. Then when it was over my mam and dad left and I stayed behind. I’ve been here ever since.”
“What you’ve done for Nellie today, she’ll always remember it.”
“I just wish the whole family had been here to see it,” she said, and she brought her hand up to her face, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Oh, ignore me,” she said, as if snapping out of a trance. “I’m just having a moment. Let’s get back to the party.”
She moved, as though she was about to stand, but I took hold of her hand and held it in mine on the table. “Sophia is with us all every day, Mrs Hopkin. And Jack’s not gone, he’s just off and away. He’ll be back soon enough, I’m sure.”
“You remind me of him, you know? You even look like him. Sometimes I’ll look up and the light will catch you just so, and I’ll think for a moment that he’s come home. I don’t know what we’d have done without you these last few months. I’m glad you found your way to us, Tom.”
“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” I said, squeezing her hand and giving her a big smile. “This place feels like home now, so I’ll be staying for as long as you’ll have me.”
“You’re always welcome here, my love. Always. Now go, enjoy the party and get some food before Mr Hughes from next door eats all of those sandwiches.”
I leaned in and hugged her then left her to her thoughts as I headed back outside.
“Come on then,” I said to Gwyn as I passed, and he turned to follow me away from the party.
We strolled down through the farm gate and onto the road into the village. The sun was still high as we walked, but the sky was turning orange as night crept closer and the air had turned a little chillier.
“So, what do you need to talk about?” Gwyn asked as we walked past the school.
“I’ve been thinking. I’ve been thinking quite a lot, actually, about us and this place and what I want.”
He began to smile and then stopped, unsure if he would be happy with what I was going to say next. I took a moment to pause, considering my words, and we came to a stop outside the church gate.
“I’m crazy about you, Gwynfor Griffiths. I’ve known it all along but I got scared that you’d get cold feet again so I told myself to stay away, but I can’t. I don’t want to.”
His eyes went wide as a smile spread across his face and he grabbed my hand right there in the street.
“I’m going to stay. Here in the village, in this time. I’m going to stay and be with you in whatever way we can.”
He looked like he was going to reach out and kiss me but I stepped away and darted my eyes back and forth reminding him where we were.
“Do you mean it? Really?” he asked, and I nodded. “But what about the ring? What about Arthur? If you get it back, won’t you just want to leave?”
“I’ve thought about it. Over and over. I’ve kept myself awake at night thinking about what I would do. How I might never see my mother and brother again, or how I could return and never see you again. I love my family, but if I go back, I’ll be doing it for them. If I stay, then it’s for me, and I choose you. Is that selfish?”
“Not at all,” he said, though I expected no different.
“But you can’t get cold feet again,” I warned. “I can’t go through that again. Even if it has to be a secret forever.”
“I promise,” he said, and as though his face couldn’t decide on an emotion, he burst out laughing as a tear rolled down his cheek. “Quick, let’s go to the cottage and celebrate. We’ll probably have half an hour before anyone notices we’re missing.”
“I’m freezing,” I said, rubbing my arms. The chill of the late afternoon was really beginning to set in and I could feel goosebumps all along my skin. “I forgot to grab my jacket.”
“Ok, you wait here,” he said, his face filled with excitement. “I’ll run back to the house and get it. I’ll be five minutes.”
He ran off along the street towards the farm and I watched him until the bend, hoping he wouldn’t be too long. Not wanting to stand in the street, I pushed open the gate of the church and went inside, moving slowly among the headstones and keeping my arms wrapped around me for warmth.
I followed the path around the church to some graves at the back. Sheep were grazing among them, having escaped from the adjoining field where the wall had crumbled. Rather than being scared by my presence they just stared at me as I wandered through until I reached a small area near the north wall. A tree had sprung up there and toppled some of the older headstones that were surrounding it, and now grown so large that it cast the area in a cold shade.
On the ground amongst some tall headstones sat a small plaque marking the resting place of Sophia. The family hadn’t yet been able to afford the proper headstone, so a small slate with her name on it was all she had for now. I kneeled next to it, arranging some of the flowers that had been left there after the wedding, and began to talk to her about the day.
“She can’t hear you, you know?”
By the time I realised that it was Arthur Morgan standing behind me it was too late. As soon as I spun around to face him the butt of his rifle connected with my face, knocking me out.