Sinners and Shadows

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Book: Sinners and Shadows Read Online Free PDF
Author: Catrin Collier
she refused primly.
    â€˜It’s pointless trying to pretend that you’re not with me. Now that Sara has seen us together, it’ll be all over Tonypandy in an hour that we’re courting strong.’
    â€˜But we’re not!’ she exclaimed indignantly.
    â€˜If we’re not, why did you meet me?’
    â€˜Because you promised to try to find me a coat,’ she blurted thoughtlessly.
    â€˜Mercenary little thing, aren’t you? Will you shoot me if I tell you that I failed?’
    Stung by his use of the word ‘mercenary’ and struggling to hide her disappointment, she said, ‘Thank you for trying,’ as graciously as she could.
    â€˜The very least I can do for such a gushing display of disappointed gratitude is to buy you lunch.’
    â€˜No, thank you. I really do have to look in the shops for a coat.’
    â€˜And afterwards, we’ll visit Sali and the children,’ he continued as if she hadn’t spoken.
    â€˜I would prefer to call on them alone.’
    â€˜Because if we call on them together, Sali will think that we’re courting?’ he asked.
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜Let her.’ He thrust his free hand into his overcoat pocket as they approached the ticket booth and pushed two silver threepenny joeys through the window. ‘Two returns to Pontypridd, please, Tom.’
    Rhian waited until he had pocketed the tickets and they had walked on to the platform before opening her handbag. She lifted out her purse and extracted three pennies. ‘I will pay for my own train fare.’
    â€˜I invited you out.’
    â€˜And I refused to go with you.’
    â€˜You’re here,’ he pointed out maddeningly. ‘And we made plans to have lunch and visit the Park Hall.’
    â€˜You made plans, I didn’t.’
    â€˜You wouldn’t disappoint me, would you? Not now we’ve come this far together.’ He smiled and looked into her eyes again and her heart seemed to move up into her throat, choking her.
    When she finally found her voice she mumbled, ‘I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.’
    â€˜So far, the only impression you’ve given me is that you’re inordinately fond of the word “no”.’
    â€˜If we do lunch together and go to the Park Hall, it will be as friends. The sort of outing I would make with one of the girls I work with in Llan House.’
    â€˜That’s the only way you will go out with me?’ he asked keenly.
    â€˜Yes,’ she retorted firmly.
    â€˜Then that’s the way it will have to be.’ He took her three pennies and pushed them into his pocket. ‘But you will allow me to try to make it more?’
    â€˜Not today.’
    â€˜Next week?’ he suggested optimistically.
    A signal clunked lower down the track. A whistle blew and a train chugged slowly and noisily towards them, belching out smut-laden steam.
    Rhian remembered Bronwen’s story about her sister, and imagined the devastation Ruby must have felt at losing a boyfriend she had been fond of. And it would be so easy to become fond of Joey – if she allowed him to get close to her. ‘Not ever,’ she said decisively.
    Ignoring the other diners in the City Restaurant, Joey pushed his dessert bowl aside, leaned across the table towards Rhian, and continued relating his life history.
    â€˜â€¦Â So, when the colliery management refused to give my father, Lloyd, Victor and me our jobs back after the strike because Dad and Lloyd were strike leaders and union officials, we thought we’d have to leave the valleys. None of us had ever considered working anywhere other than the pit. Even now, Lloyd considers himself lucky because he succeeded in finding a management job with another mining company.’
    â€˜But you are happy working in Gwilym James?’ she asked.
    â€˜Only since they made me manager of the Tonypandy store,’ he replied half-seriously.
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