The Quality of Love (6 page)

To her delight, Gwyn had brought flowers for her mother and Lorna was charmed by his thoughtfulness. She welcomed him quite warmly, told Sarah to take his coat and hang it in the hall, and then to bring him through to meet Lloyd.

Sarah felt prickles running down her spine as the two men confronted each other. Gwyn confidently held out his hand to the older man and thanked him for the invitation to visit them. Taken by surprise, Lloyd returned the handshake and motioned him to sit down.

Even though the occasion started off reasonably well it soon became very plain that her father and Gwyn didn't see eye to eye. Lloyd cross-questioned Gwyn in his sergeant-major voice about the course he was studying and what plans he had for his future career.

Sarah hardly said a word, hoping that it would give her father a chance to get to know Gwyn better if they talked man to man, and then
regretted her decision the moment Gwyn mentioned that he came from Aberdare and that the men folk in his family were all miners. To make matters worse he went on to say that he hoped that when he became a fully fledged journalist he'd be able to put over their viewpoint and help them fight their corner for better conditions and rates of pay.

The moment she heard him say it she knew he had antagonised her father and she listened in growing dismay as Lloyd held forth on what a discontented lot the miners were and how they were always holding the country to ransom with their demands.

Several times Sarah tried to intervene, to turn the conversation to other topics, but Lloyd silenced her abruptly. ‘Quiet, you may be studying law but you know nothing about politics,' he told her in a harsh voice. ‘Neither does this young whipper-snapper, but he will know a great deal more after I've pointed out a few home truths to him.'

‘He's not come here for a lecture, he's come to enjoy Sunday afternoon tea,' Lorna said mildly as she held out the plate of Bara Sinsir to Gwyn.

‘Thank you, Mrs Lewis, and a splendid tea it is.' Gwyn smiled back at her. ‘I'd rather have another slice of Bara Brith, though, if I may; I much prefer it to ginger cake.'

‘Indeed you may,' she said quickly, holding out the other plate. ‘The Bara Sinsir is not to
everyone's taste but I always make it because it is my husband's favourite,' Lorna told him.

‘Another thing on which we don't agree, then, isn't it?' Lloyd said critically. ‘Tell me,' he went on, not waiting for an answer, ‘if you are supposed to be studying to be a journalist and my daughter's course is law and commerce, then how is it that the two of you have become so friendly?'

‘Well, we are both attending Cardiff University,' Gwyn said with a bland smile.

Lloyd looked thunderous. ‘I am well aware of that, but you are not attending the same lectures.'

‘No, that's true. I am two years ahead of Sarah, of course, and that makes a considerable difference, doesn't it?' Gwyn told him.

Sarah held her breath. She wasn't sure whether Gwyn was teasing him or challenging him but she could see that her father was riled and she was fearful of what he might say or do next.

As soon as it was possible to do so, Gwyn stood up and said that he must be leaving as he had some studying to do in readiness for the next day's lectures.

With her heart in her mouth, she watched as her father ignored Gwyn's outstretched hand as he took his leave and prayed that he wouldn't kiss her in front of her parents.

‘I'll see you tomorrow, then, Sarah,' he said breezily. ‘Thank you once again for a lovely meal, Mrs Lewis,' he added as he walked towards the door.

The moment the door closed behind Gwyn, and Sarah came back into the living room, the row erupted.

‘Don't ever bring that chap here again. Furthermore, I want you to stop seeing him altogether. He is not the sort of person I want you associating with; is that understood?'

‘Gwyn is my friend, of course I shall go on seeing him,' Sarah said shakily. ‘There was no need to be so rude to him; you wouldn't even shake hands with him when he left.'

‘He's a troublemaker, mark my words. With his sort of background I suppose it is only to be expected.'

‘If you mean that because he comes from the Valleys and his family are miners then you are quite wrong,' Sarah defended. ‘They're the salt of the earth. Where would this country be without them? It's coal that powers industry as well as heats our homes.'

‘That's the sort of rubbish he's been filling your head with, is it?' her father said scornfully. ‘A troublemaker, that's what he is. He's one of those who incite working men to rebel against their lot when they should be thinking
themselves lucky to have jobs to go to, not kicking against their fate all the time.'

‘Gwyn is not a troublemaker; he's studied and analysed these things in great detail. He's going to be a journalist, remember.'

‘Journalist! A rabble-raiser, more likely. No decent newspaper would employ him, not with his radical opinions. He'll use what little talent he has to encourage the miners to go on strike. He'll tell them they are getting a rotten deal from their bosses when in fact they should think themselves lucky to have work, food in their bellies, and a roof over their head.'

‘How can you say that, Dad? Gwyn has told me all about what it is like down the pits. The men work in darkness except for the lights on the front of their helmets, the air they breathe is foul, and all the time they are below ground they're dreading there might be an explosion.'

‘He'll cause discontent that will put the whole country in jeopardy,' Lloyd went on as if Sarah had never spoken. ‘I know his type; I can spot them a mile off. They are theorists, the lot of them, out to stir up trouble. It's happened before and it will happen again and it ends up with the miners out on strike.'

‘I don't understand why you have taken such a dislike to him,' Sarah said in bewilderment. ‘He's clean and well dressed; he's polite and well mannered . . .'

‘Smarmy and smooth-tongued,' her father interrupted. ‘I can see he's turned your head.
Bringing flowers for your mother, that's the action of a smart-alec, all right,' Lloyd added caustically.

‘I thought it was very nice of him.' Lorna smiled. ‘It's been a long time since anyone brought me flowers. I must say I thought he was a very pleasant young chap; I was quite impressed by him.'

‘A touch of flattery and all women are taken in as to what the real man is like,' Lloyd said derisively.

‘He wasn't trying to flatter you, Mam; it was his way of saying thank you for being invited to tea,' Sarah defended Gwyn. ‘It proves how well mannered he is.'

‘Well, that's enough about Gwyn Roberts,' her father told her abruptly. ‘He won't be invited here again so you can put him out of your mind. I don't want to hear his name mentioned again and I don't want to hear you've been wasting your time talking to him. You are to stop seeing him. Is that understood, Sarah?'

‘How can I stop seeing him when we attend the same university?' she muttered rebelliously.

‘You don't attend the same lectures, now do you?' he barked as he picked up the newspaper and settled back in his armchair.

‘In fact,' he went on, putting the paper to one side, ‘exactly how is it that you know him so well? Have you been shirking classes in order to talk to him?'

‘Of course I haven't!' Although she said it emphatically the rush of colour to her cheeks immediately roused her father's curiosity.

‘So how do you know him well enough to consider him a friend worthy of being brought home to meet us?'

‘He was assigned to show me and three other newcomers around on our first day,' she said lamely.

‘And have all the others taken him home to meet their families?'

She knew he was being sarcastic but she was determined to stand her ground. ‘I very much doubt it because none of them live in Cardiff like I do so they don't have the chance to do so.'

He regarded her speculatively, his eyes hardening. ‘Listen to me; watch your step with this Gwyn Roberts. I don't trust him. And he isn't just a casual acquaintance; he's more than that, isn't he? Would he be the reason why you've had to stay late for so many evening lectures lately?'

Sarah looked pleadingly at her mother, hoping she would say something to distract her father's interrogation, but Lorna was also looking at her questioningly.

‘Finish with him,' her father said firmly. ‘I've already said I don't want you having anything more to do with him, and I mean it. I don't want to hear his name mentioned ever again. That's final. Nor do I want to hear that you are
attending evening lectures, not unless you can prove to me in writing that you have to do so. The next time you don't come home at the normal time I'll make it my business to go over to the university and find out why.'

‘If you ever come to the university checking up on me like that, then I'll be so ashamed that I'll never be able to go back there again,' Sarah told him, tears glistening in her eyes.

‘Then don't give me cause to do so.'

She was about to argue with him, astounded that her father was being so completely unfair, not only in his condemnation of Gwyn but also in treating her as if she was a twelve-year-old, but her mother signalled her not to say any more.

In silence the two of them cleared the tea things from the table and went into the kitchen to wash up. As she filled a bowl with hot water Sarah's thoughts were in turmoil. She felt angry and so bewildered that her father had been even more dictatorial than usual.

‘You liked Gwyn, didn't you, Mam?' she asked.

Lorna pushed the kitchen door tightly shut before she answered. ‘Yes, I liked him, I thought he was very charming,' she agreed as she began wiping the cups Sarah had washed.

‘So you don't want me to stop seeing him?'

‘Well,' Lorna hesitated, concentrating on polishing a plate and avoiding Sarah's sideways look, ‘he is a very presentable young man but I think your father thinks that you are
probably too young to be thinking seriously about boys, you know.'

‘He's a friend, that's all,' Sarah muttered belligerently. ‘There's no need for Dad to make such a fuss the way he's done.'

‘I think your dad is afraid that this boy is going to take your mind off your studies, cariad. You know how important it is to him that you qualify and get yourself a really good job.'

‘Gwyn's just as ambitious. He's not going to distract me any more than I will sidetrack him. He helps me in many ways because I can talk about my projects with someone who understands them and he can help answer my queries.'

‘I thought that's what your tutor is for, not another student.' Lorna frowned. ‘Anyway, you said that Gwyn was aiming to be a journalist, so surely he won't be studying the same courses as you are?'

Sarah threw the dishcloth down into the water, splattering soapsuds everywhere. ‘You're as bad as Dad,' she fumed. ‘You think you know best, and you seem to want to keep me caged up. Why on earth don't you want me to have any friends of my own?'

‘Sarah, listen to me. That's not what I meant . . .'

Her mother's words followed her as she flounced out of the kitchen and rushed upstairs to her bedroom. She heard her father calling after her, demanding to know what was going
on, but she took no notice. Once in her room she flung herself down on the bed and let her tears flow. Why couldn't they try and understand that she was no longer a child, and that she was growing up?

Gwyn Roberts was inwardly fuming as he walked away from the Lewises' house. He knew Sarah had warned him that her father was a difficult man and that he was exceptionally strict, but what he hadn't been prepared for was Lloyd Lewis's frosty rudeness and he regarded that as being not only uncalled for but uncivil. No one treated him so audaciously and got away with it, he decided angrily.

He was puzzled about the reception he'd received because Lloyd Lewis didn't appear to be an ignorant man. In fact, from the way he spoke he was quite well informed, so why had he taken such a violent dislike to him? he wondered.

He'd done his homework well in preparation for meeting him. He'd been taught that to be a good newspaper man you not only had to be tenacious, but you also had to do your research thoroughly and to contemplate the situation logically.

He'd tackled the forthcoming encounter in the same way as he would have done an assignment. He'd spent considerable time checking out Lloyd Lewis's background and finding out what sort of job he was doing, how long he had
served in the army and even where he'd been born. He was intrigued to find that Lloyd Lewis was also from the Valleys and that he'd been born not far from Aberdare and that, like him, he came from mining stock. That was why he'd expected him to be supportive when he talked about the miners and their problems instead of which he had taken an opposing viewpoint. Even so, he would have been interested in a discussion about the problems posed by the threatened miners' strike and whether or not he thought that Prime Minister Lloyd George could take steps to alleviate it.

Mrs Lewis had been pleasant enough and obviously had gone out of her way to make him welcome.

Gwyn kicked out idly at a bottle lying on the pavement, sending it spinning into the gutter. If he didn't care so much about Sarah he'd have nothing more to do with her or her family, but she'd really got under his skin.

She was different from any other girl he'd gone out with and there'd been quite a few since he'd been at university. She was passionate, and yet, unlike the others, she'd held out against his advances. The fact that she consistently refused to go all the way not only made her even more desirable but also made him determined to make her his.

A smile twisted Gwyn's firm mouth as he contemplated the situation. That would be one way of getting even with Lloyd Lewis,
he thought cynically. He could imagine the look of horror there would be on his face when he found out that he'd had his way with his precious daughter.