Longing by Mary Balogh

Author:Mary Balogh
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-02-12T16:00:00+00:00

15

SIN never knew what made her more curious than other women. Or more courageous. Or more foolhardy. Or whatever it was that needled at her and nudged at her until she went to see something for herself. It was not that she was without fear. That first time, when she had gone up the mountain to hear Mr. Mitchell, she had been afraid every moment of the embarrassment of being found out, and in the event had suffered the fright of being caught by a stranger. And on the night when the Scotch Cattle had been out and anxiety for Iestyn had driven her from her bed and from the house, she had known stark terror.

But she went again on the night John Frost was to address the men up on the mountain. She tried not to go. She lay in bed for a long time after Emrys and her grandfather had left, trying to will herself to sleep. But she wanted to know what Mr. Frost had to say, exactly what plan of protest he had. She wanted to know how the men of Cwmbran would react, how eagerly they would fall in with the plan. She wanted to know if the black mood of the men, so apparent all week, would turn ugly under such conditions and if they would discuss action other than the demonstration. Would there be talk of a strike?

She wanted to know what Owen’s part in the proceedings was to be. She wanted to know how united all the men would be and how kindly they would look upon those who would inevitably disagree with their decisions.

She wanted to see if they were spied upon, as they had been the last time. That last time the Marquess of Craille had decided to do nothing with his knowledge. But he was not after all a kind man. He was a selfish and cruel and crafty man. This time if he had got wind of the meeting or if he stumbled upon it by chance, there would be trouble. Trouble for everyone. Trouble especially for Owen.

And so she went, hurrying up the mountain from shadow to shadow, her teeth chattering from mingled cold and excitement and dread, almost as if by her very presence she could hold at bay all the dangers she feared. Almost as if she thought that by listening to the plans she could prevent them from being seditious.

The men were gathered in the same place as before, though there were surely more of them. Siân flattened herself behind the same rock as had hidden her the last time and felt the same pounding fear as she had felt then. If she were caught . . .

If she were caught, it might go hard with her. Any woman caught there could expect to arouse the anger of the men and the particular fury of her own men, who would possibly feel obliged to assert their male dominance by chastising her—perhaps publicly. But she was not just any woman.

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