‘Miss Vaughan?’
‘Yes?’
‘May I sit down here?’
‘If you wish.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Well?’ she said.
‘Mrs Gandell has gone to bed, Miss. Headache. Actually, she was a bit upset at your saying one thing and meaning another .…’
‘Indeed!’
‘Well, she had got ready your lunch, Miss, and then you never turned up.’
‘I see, Jones.’
‘Yes. Things are a bit difficult for her at present, Miss Vaughan. Mrs Gandell was saying to me the other day that you don’t go out very much, that you seem to have such few friends, nobody ever calls here to see you, and you get hardly a letter in the post.’
‘Well?’
The abruptness of the question quite stumped him. It rang out like an ultimatum, and Jones stuttered, ‘Nothing, really. Mrs Gandell just hopes that you are satisfied with everything. We are not the Ritz or the Hilton,’ he said, and smiled at her.
She looked at him, and said slowly, ‘I am not complaining, Jones.’
‘No, Miss.’ He paused for a moment, and then added, ‘Once, Mrs Gandell was looking at you, sitting alone at the table, and she thought you looked lonely, Miss Vaughan. Mrs Gandell always thinks of her guests.’
‘Thank you, Jones.’
‘Welcome. You don’t go to Penuel now, do you?’
‘Not now,’ she said. ‘Do you?’
‘Sometimes.’
‘I heard you both laughing in your room this afternoon,’ she said.
‘Did you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Those that never laugh are strange, Miss Vaughan. But I’m sure you know that. As a matter of fact we heard you laughing yourself the night before last. Some people laugh in their dreams,’ and he sat back in the chair.
‘More coffee, please,’ she said, and she watched him go to the sideboard.
‘Thank you.’
‘I was sorry to hear about your father,’ he said. ‘Mrs Gandell was telling me about it. I think Mr Thomas knew him once.’
‘Mr Thomas?’
‘That’s right, Miss,’ and suddenly, ‘have you a mother, Miss Vaughan?’
‘Have you?’ she asked.
‘She’s in another kingdom, Miss,’ Jones said.
‘Oh!’
‘Yes, Mr Thomas was telling his sister the other day that he liked you. Have you met his sister?’
‘No.’
‘I passed their house early this morning, Miss, Ty Newdd it is where they live, and I looked through their window. I like looking through windows. It was only eight o’clock, but there she was sitting by the fire, knitting his socks, and her lips were moving all the time, praying for him, I expect. He’s very close indeed to God Almighty, Miss. I expect he was in his study, very fond of his study he is. She looked sad.’
‘Sad?’
‘Worried about her brother, Miss.’
‘Some things are sad, Jones.’
‘Funny, I mean that you should have heard us laughing this afternoon. Very close I was then to Mrs Gandell, very close. I once walked behind Mr Thomas, all the way to the post office, and he didn’t see me at all. He’s a very busy man, like St Peter he is, always fishing with his nets .…’
‘Do you dream, Jones?’
‘Me! No, never. Sometimes, when I’m too close to Mrs Gandell, I wish I could. D’you know what, Miss? I read through a whole book every week. She likes that. Imagine it, a whole book.’
