Archive of Our Own

Robyn was devastated when her husband, David, died. They had lived and worked in the castle of George Lloyd for many years, after David’s brother had tried to convince them that their home was haunted; Robyn had never believed the stories, but affection for her husband led her to make the move with him rather than remain living at home. Their life had still been comfortable in the castle, but their employer, Mr. Lloyd, was an unpleasant man, whose behaviour had managed to drive out his own niece, Elizabeth, and her main, Bethan, who had been friends with Robyn before she left. Her husband remained a companion to her, but now he had died, Robyn felt alone. She was a widow now, and her days would be filled with grief for the husband she had lost.

“Robyn,” Gwyneth, another of Robyn’s colleagues, called out to her one evening. “Have you heard about Mr. Lloyd?”
“What?” Robyn asked wearily – Gwyneth was known to the staff as a gossip, spreading fantastic tales throughout the castle, and Robyn had little time for either her strange tales or Mr. Lloyd. “What is Mr. Lloyd doing now?”
“He’s not doing anything,” Gwyneth said eagerly. “I heard from the doctor – he’s dying!”
“What?” Robyn said, surprised. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Spite I suppose,” Gwyneth said nonchalantly. “I don’t think he has had any sudden seizures, and it’s not constitutional – it must just be years of extreme bitterness finally killing him.”
“His distemper is well-known throughout the entire country,” Robyn replied. “I am sure that no one will regret his death – at least, not for a long time. I know that I have little interest in his approaching demise – my own husband is dead, and I am spending all of my available time grieving for him. I have no time to care about the demise of an old man whom no one cares for. This will not affect my work negatively – but I am sure you will agree that David was more loved than Mr. Lloyd is.”
Gwyneth put a comforting hand on Robyn’s shoulder. “We all grieve for your husband – and I can assure you that his death affected myself far more than the demise of Mr. Lloyd will. He was a good man, a kind colleague, and a considerate husband. We all feel the impact of his loss, but Mr. Lloyd has already filled his position – we must grieve in private and continue in public as we did before.”
Robyn sighed. “I suppose you are right,” she said. “But as I am no longer on duty, I am well within my rights to grieve right now.” She turned her back on Gwyneth and made her way to her own room. Gwyneth had never been close to her personally, and her advice reflected her lack of insight into Robyn’s thoughts. Robyn’s grief at the loss of her husband was great, and as they had both worked in the same castle, she wondered whether she could continue to work there in the same way she had done while he was alive.

The castle continued in much the same way it had done for the following few days, but by the end of the week it became clear that Mr. Lloyd’s days on earth were numbered, and at the close of the second week he died. Much as Gwyneth and Robyn had predicted, his death did not cause a great deal of grief within the castle, but the death of its owner naturally caused a change within the castle.

Once the news had had time to spread beyond the neighbourhood, rumours began to circulate around the castle as to who would inherit Mr. Lloyd’s estate. Some claimed that he had an illegitimate son who would take it, others claimed that he had a wife hidden away, but by the end of the month, the arrival of his niece somewhat put an end to the more unlikely suggestions.

Miss Lloyd arrived with a small party which consisted of her woman, Bethan, and her mother, Ffion, as well as two visitors who arrived later on – a Mr. Davis and Baron Jones. The new inhabitants spent more time interacting with the servants than Mr. Lloyd had, and Miss Davis and Mr. Davis especially seemed inclined to involve themselves in work that was usually reserved for the servants.

After a few months, their guests left, with the three women becoming the sole inhabitants of the castle, aside from the servants. Robyn expected little change to her life from the changes in the castle – while the new inhabitants had more involvement in the employment if the servants than Mr. Lloyd had done, Robyn remained disinterested in them personally, and had managed to inhabit the same castle as them without catching more than a glimpse of them as they moved around the castle. Their presence was only important to her as a replacement for Mr. Lloyd, whose persistent absence from the castle meant he had little knowledge of the daily maintenance required in the castle, making him a somewhat negligent employer.

One afternoon, while Robyn was carrying out her duties, she was interrupted by the entrance of a stranger.
“Hello, Ma’am,” Robyn said uncertainly. “How may I help you?”
“I’m sorry,” the stranger apologised. “I thought this room was unoccupied. I did not mean to disturb you. I will leave now.”
“No,” Robyn called out to the stranger. “Don’t go – you haven’t disturbed me. You can stay in here.”
The stranger gave Robyn a strange look but remained in the room. Robyn smiled, and continued her work, contemplating what it was that made her so strongly interested in retaining this stranger in the room. Robyn could feel her pulse increasing whenever she looked at her, but her eyes continued to be drawn to her face; there was something about the way she moved which captivated Robyn, something about her face which intrigued her, something about her voice which appealed to her. Her work allowed her to remain in the room for several more minutes, and she used that time to catch furtive glances at the stranger whenever she felt that her gaze was withdrawn. After several minutes, however, her duties required her to remove to another apartment. As she left, she took another look at the stranger, catching her eye as the door closed behind her.

At night, Robyn lay awake in bed, as she had often done since the death of her husband, but her mind was occupied with thoughts of the stranger. The question at the forefront of her mind was ‘Who was she?’, but Robyn was also consumed with thoughts of her appearance – the captivating way she moved, the way she spoke, the way the light coming in from the window caressed her skin, the way her dress danced around her, the soft melancholy smile that played around her mouth. She was the most beautiful woman Robyn had ever met, and she was determined to learn more about her.

The next morning, Robyn awoke earlier than usual, and, after preparing herself for her work, spent the additional time thinking about the stranger. Robyn hoped that she would encounter her again while working. Something seemed to connect between the two of them, and Robyn was desperate to meet her again and see whether she had felt it too – the feeling had just begun and she didn’t want it to develop too much if it were only to end in disappointment.

Robyn did see her again that day – this time, she interrupted the stranger when she walked into a room as part of her work. Much as had happened the last time, the stranger apologised to Robyn for interrupting her work, and Robyn replied that she was no impediment at all. After a few minutes, the stranger addressed Robyn.
“So, Miss…” she said, nervously. “Have you been working here for long?”
“You can call me Robyn,” Robyn replied nervously. “And I’ve been working here for years. My husband and I used to live here. He thought our house was haunted, so we had to move.”
“So, you are married.” The stranger seemed disappointed. “And very devoted to your husband I am sure.”
“I am a widow.” Robyn replied sadly.
The stranger just said “Oh”, and there followed a long silence between the two of them.
“May I ask your name?” Robyn asked, after a few minutes.
“My name is Ffion,” she replied. “And it has been a pleasure to meet you, Robyn.”
“Yes, it has.” Robyn agreed nervously, before blushing when she realised how foolish she sounded. Embarrassed, she left the room before she could make a fool of herself again.

Robyn could have cursed herself for her awkward behaviour, but at the same time her own feelings were confused and there was such a mixture of interest and self-doubt that she wondered how she would ever know what to do. She continued her work in such a confusion of spirits that she doubted whether less generous employers would have allowed her to continue working there. She went to bed that night in a state of confusion and awoke still perplexed about how she was to behave, but hopeful that she would have another encounter with Ffion.

Robyn spent the first part of the day in a kind of anxious hope, but after spending the whole morning without seeing Ffion, her spirits began to grow dejected and she became consumed with thoughts of how she could address herself to Ffion when they next met and how she had ruined her chances in her previous encounter.

That evening, Robyn returned to the servants’ quarters without bumping into Ffion, feeling a combination of disappointment that she had not had another chance to talk to Ffion again, and hope that she would be able to meet her again on the following day.
“Robyn.” She heard a voice behind her. “Robyn, I want a word with you.”
Robyn nervously turned around, to find herself facing Ffion. “Ffion,” she blurted. “What are you doing here?”
“I want to talk to you,” Ffion replied. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Robyn could feel her heart in her mouth. She felt sick. “What is it?” she asked quietly.
“Well, before we become more acquainted than we are,” Ffion began hesitantly. “I feel that… that, perhaps, the full nature of my position should be known.”
“What?” Robyn asked, her voice scarcely audible from anxiety.
“You may not be aware,” Ffion continued. “That I am not… well, the truth is that I am the mother of your employer, the owner of this castle, Elizabeth Lloyd. I did not wish to further our acquaintance if you were under any false pretences.”
“Oh,” Robyn said, somewhat relieved as she had feared that Ffion would mention something which served as a rejection. “I thought you may have been she when you introduced yourself as Ffion – I was already aware of the presence of a Ffion who was Elizabeth’s mother, so your intelligence does not surprise me.” She paused, and blushed. “I feared that your intelligence was of a different nature.”
“You did?” Ffion asked. “What did you think I was going to say?”
Robyn blushed an even deeper shade of scarlet and struggled to find the words to say. “I thought that maybe… well… I had begun to have some…”
Ffion interrupted her. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met.”
Robyn was lost for words. “I think that-”
She was interrupted by Gwyneth walking into the corridor from one of the rooms.
“You are correct,” Ffion said quickly. “I shall see you around, ma’am.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Robyn curtsied and walked quickly back to her room, disappointed that she was unable to explain herself to Ffion but filled with hope that her explanation would meet with a favourable reception when she next met Ffion.

Robyn’s hopes became somewhat deflated as the week progressed without her encountering Ffion and she began to wonder whether she had been premature in expecting Ffion’s attentions to continue growing in familiarity. It began to seem ridiculous to her that Ffion would even consider continuing their conversation after Robyn had provided her with so little encouragement in their last encounter. Robyn was ashamed of her own timidity, ashamed of her bashfulness when faced with Ffion. “I shall die alone,” she thought to herself. “I should have been satisfied with spending the rest of my days mourning my husband and not dared to hope for a second chance at happiness. It is all folly – I have ruined it with my own folly. The chance was before me, and my hesitation and bashfulness let it slip away. I am cursed to spend the rest of my life wondering what would have happened if I had not behaved so foolishly.”
“Robyn.” Gwyneth’s voice disturbed her melancholy reverie. “The silverware on the mantle in the east wing needs polishing – and you know that it is not my job to polish it.”
Robyn sighed, gathered the materials necessary for polishing the silverware, and made her way to the east wing to work.

The first room she entered was empty of people, which meant she spent her time consumed by her own thoughts. When she entered the second room, there was a manservant in there, already polishing the silverware, so she moved into another room to polish the silverware in there. The third room, to her surprise, contained Ffion, who seemed almost to be expecting her.
“Robyn,” Ffion said almost immediately upon her entry. “I must apologise for my absence over the last few days – I was engaged to visit some dear friends of mine, who live locally, and was unable to send a message to you.”
Robyn was uncertain of what to say. “My behaviour has not been very encouraging,” she said quietly. “And we were interrupted by Gwyneth, who is not a close friend of mine.”
Ffion closed the door behind Robyn. “What of your behaviour did not show encouragement?” she asked. “Your uncertainty seemed to be the result of a fear of rejection, rather than anything else.”
Robyn looked at Ffion’s face, gazing into her eyes in a way she had not done before. “Do you feel it too?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I have met many women throughout my life,” Ffion answered. “Something about you seems to draw me in. It is as though we are made for each other.”
Robyn smiled in response and began to polish the silverware.
“Do you understand my meaning entirely?” Ffion asked. “I do not wish to be myself believing that we are entering a relationship while you believe that we are merely friends.”
“When I first met you,” Robyn replied. “I was mourning the death of my husband. I felt alone and friendless and thought I would never love again.” Robyn put the silverware down and moved to sit in a chair. “Although we have barely spoken, I feel as though I know you – like I can trust you.” She paused and looked at Ffion. “When I met you, it was like my life began again. I feel like I have been given a second chance to find love, when so many people fail and die unhappy.” She stood up and returned to the silverware. “When I first saw you, your beauty took my breath away. It causes me so much happiness to know that you feel the same way.”
Ffion walked over to Robyn and gently brushed her fingers across her hand. Robyn put the silverware down and held Ffion’s hand, before turning around to face Ffion. Ffion’s other hand traced the outline of Robyn’s chin, as Robyn lifted her face to gaze into Ffion’s eyes. There was a moment between the both of them as their eyes met, then their lips met in a kiss.
“Robyn,” Gwyneth burst into the room. “How are you going with the…” her sentence trailed off as Robyn and Ffion broke apart.
“Gwyneth,” Robyn said in a panic. “Why didn’t you knock?”
“I did not expect for you to have company,” Gwyneth replied uncomfortably. “How is the silverware?”
“I shall get to it now.” Robyn was flustered. “I had nearly finished anyway.”
“Gwyneth, is it?” Ffion asked. “I require a word with you. You may stay in here but close the door.”
Ffion took Gwyneth to the other end of the room and the two of them sat down on stiff chairs. While they spoke, Robyn continued to polish the silverware and pretended that she could not hear them.
“There is no way that we can possibly pretend that what you saw did not happen,” Ffion began. “I am no stranger to the damaging effects rumours can have. They were the destruction of my marriage and sent my own daughter from this castle. With this in mind, I hope that I can trust you to keep this to yourself and leave informing others of it to myself and Robyn. If word gets out about this without my knowledge, you will receive a severe reprimand. Do I make myself understood?”
“Yes,” Gwyneth replied. “But, so far, my actions have been faultless, have they not?”
Ffion paused thoughtfully. “I hope that you get into the habit of knocking on the door of the room you intend to enter,” she replied. “Especially if you suspect it may be occupied. While most people are usually engaging in perfectly innocent activities, others may prefer to keep what they get up to behind closed doors a secret.”
“I shall bear that in mind.” Gwyneth replied.
“Thank you,” Ffion said. “You are dismissed.”
Gwyneth stood up from her chair, curtsied to Ffion, then left.

The moment the door closed, Robyn put down her polishing and walked over to Ffion.
“I’m not entirely sure if we can trust Gwyneth to keep this to herself,” she said urgently. “She likes to share information amongst the servants, and while she is not prone to gossip, she may consider this significant enough to notify everyone else of it.”
“How comfortable are you with everyone finding out?” Ffion asked. “I can assure you that it will not compromise your position in any way, but you know the servants better than I. if this will in any way impact your comfort in the castle, I shall do my best to protect you.”
“I was never particularly close to any of the servants, besides my husband,” Robyn answered. “But I believe that they will be mostly indifferent – the only person who is likely to be bothered by such a report is my brother-in-law. He may be upset to discover that I have formed a relationship after the death of his brother.”
“How much do you know about him?”
“Very little. Owain was not on the closest terms with my husband, and consequently we spoke very little.”
“I wish it were possible for me to discus this matter with him without arousing unnecessary suspicion. How do you think the servants would react if I came down to their quarters?”
“I think that it would be an occasion even more noteworthy than the interaction with Gwyneth – although if you were to ask the lady of the house to schedule an interview between the two of you, it is more likely that the news would not spread.”
“I will bear that in mind.” Ffion opened the door. “Do you have any work to do?”
“I believe I do. I shall see you later, I hope.”
Robyn left the room and continued cleaning the rooms in that wing of the castle.

Whether Ffion had a discussion with Owain or not, Robyn did not hear, as she had very few encounters with him anyway. However, it became evident that Gwyneth had informed the servants of what she had seen, as she often found them abruptly ceasing their conversations when she entered a room and exchanging furtive glances when they thought she could not see. It was unsettling, but she knew that Gwyneth could easily defend herself against any accusations, so felt it best not to tell Ffion. Robyn thought that it was understandable that they would be interested in the events, and as their behaviour towards herself had not really changed, she felt it was best to endure it until the news became old and everything returned to as it was before.

During those weeks, she had a few encounters with Ffion, where the two of them chatted away while Robyn was working. The encounter with Gwyneth, while they did not intend for it to affect them in any way, made them more apprehensive, which prevented a repeat of the moment in the east wing. However, their conversation allowed them to learn more about each other, and grow more intimate, even if they were tentative of physical touch. Robyn felt herself feeling more strongly for Ffion with every encounter, with her thoughts of her husband becoming less intense; although they sometimes were still painful, her heart was more consumed with newer feelings for Ffion than the misery associated with her husband.

As time passed, the behaviour of the servants began to return to normal, and Robyn began to relax more when she was around Ffion. Ffion would often help Robyn with her work, meaning that they had more spare time to themselves to talk over the events of the day together in one of the sitting rooms available in the castle. As they became more comfortable, they would often share the same seat, sometimes even sitting in silence and drawing comfort from the knowledge that the other was present. Robyn felt a deepening affection for Ffion with every encounter, which soon reached such a nature as could be called a deep and romantic love for Ffion.

It would be pleasant to say that their lives continued in this manner until their deaths, but events came up to separate them once again. This time, it was the actions of Owain which jeopardised their happiness.

It transpired that Owain had had a discussion with Ffion about their relationship, within which he seemed to respect Robyn’s decision and therefore Ffion decided that it was not worth mentioning to Robyn – she thought it was best to leave the subject to Owain’s discretion. His silence seemed to demonstrate his approval of the relationship, it was when he broke it that he began to cause problems for Ffion and Robyn.

When Robyn awoke one morning, she saw that someone had left a letter out for her while she slept. Assuming it to from Ffion, she opened it excitedly, but when she pursued it she realised that it originated from a different quarter.
“Dearest Robyn,” it began
“I was informed some weeks ago of your relationship with Mrs Lloyd, and while I cannot deny that it pained me to hear of you with another, this was merely because it consolidated the fact that my dear brother, who had been your own affectionate husband, was no longer with us. I was delighted on your behalf – if indeed you are happy – but I have become troubled. I fear that there are strange occurrences in the castle and as such I am concerned for your safety; I recommend that you remove yourself from the castle and for a brief period take residence in the cottage which you used to share with your husband and myself. As I wish you to see me as a dutiful brother, I shall confess that I did design to remove the both of you from that cottage, and accept full responsibility for the part I played in extracting you from domestic comfort. I shall not sport with your intelligence by devoting too much of this letter to begging for your forgiveness; I shall only say that I admit that I committed an act that was wrong and leave my character at the mercy of your judgement.
I see that I have reached the end of my page, and therefore I shall end my epistle here. All I shall say is that I hope this reaches you in good health, and that I shall ever be your loving brother, Owain.
Yours etc.”
Robyn was distrustful of Owain’s letter. His lack of specific information regarding the suspected strange occurrences in the castle led her to believe that this was another of his schemes, this time an attempt to remove her from the castle. It also concerned her that either him or an agent of him had entered her room while she was sleeping; while she had been provided with a lock, since the demise of George Lloyd she had not felt it necessary to make use of it – this occurrence led her to believe that it was time to continue the practice. Once again, she was beginning to feel unsafe in her own home, and she hated it. After she dressed, she took the letter to show to Ffion to ask what she thought of it.

Just as she set off, Robyn realised that she did not know the exact location of Ffion’s quarters in the castle; she realised that she would have to commence her work and hope to encounter Ffion early on in the day to show her the letter. Fortunately, Robyn did encounter Ffion after about an hour of work, and almost immediately after the usual salutations, handed the letter to her, with a request for her to read it and say what she thought of its contents and writer. Ffion took the letter, sat down, unfolded it, and began to read.

Once she had finished reading it, Ffion stood back up, handed the letter to Robyn.
“I don’t believe him,” Robyn said immediately. “He made up ghost stories before to drive my husband out of the house, and because he knows that it won’t work on me, he’s invented a tale which he believes will cause me to leave the castle. I have shown it to you as I do not understand what his motives are in driving me from the castle and I seek your opinion based on your conversation with him earlier and your own knowledge of events within the castle.”
Ffion paused thoughtfully. “He seemed sincere in his approval of our relationship,” she began. “But this seems to suggest that perhaps he has heard something of myself which he did not like – or perhaps he has designs on one of us, and intends to end our relationship with the aim of attaching himself to one of us himself.”
“That is possible,” Robyn agreed. “But I haven’t had any cause to believe that he has had designs upon me, although he may have been very effective at hiding it from me. No – he had opportunity enough to solicit me, but we have had no contact, which suggests that he does not wish to form a relationship with myself and, as a whole, he has shown very little interest in relationships, although I don’t know him very well. I could easily be mistaken about all this.”
“Or he could think he knows something that he is mistaken about,” Ffion replied. “Perhaps not in regard to suspicious activity in the castle, but his motives could be based on a mistaken belief in something.”
“That is also likely,” Robyn replied. “There are many rumours circulating around the servants at any given time, and whilst they usually originate in truth, by the time they reach others the facts can become distorted.”
“I think this requires further information. For now, we should continue as we are and await further information.”
Robyn agreed and continued with her work.

It was a few more days before Robyn heard anything further from Owain – she had taken to locking the door to her room, therefore preventing any letters from being delivered during the night, and they did not meet frequently during the daytime. However, one afternoon, as she was going about her usual business, she happened upon Owain, who seemed preoccupied with something, although upon seeing Robyn his attention seemed to be immediately caught by her.
“Robyn,” he cried. “Did you receive my letter?”
“Yes.” Robyn replied shortly.
“How did you feel in respect to its contents?” he asked.
“I felt that it was…” Robyn replied hesitantly. “It was somewhat lacking in detail. I was also concerned to discover that my quarters had been disturbed during my repose.”
“I apologise for the intrusion, but it will be of some comfort for you to know that the note was left there during the daytime – you just discovered it in the morning.”
Robyn was doubtful of this but said nothing.
“Of course,” Owain continued. “You do not trust me after how I treated your husband, which is understandable. However, I wish to convince you that my motives in cautioning you to leave the castle are not as selfish as those which forced you to enter it. While I do not feel comfortable in divulging the whole circumstances which cause me to ask this of an almost complete stranger, I must insist that you terminate your habitation here, as circumstances in the castle may in some way endanger your comfort within here.”
“I do not understand how, when my close connection with the ladies of the castle are taken into account, my comfort could be under such dire threat.”
“Your connection with the ladies of the house is entirely irrelevant!” Owain cried, with blatant frustration. “It has no bearing on these events – I doubt that if even the lady of the house were to descend upon us in all her glory it would resolve anything. This is something involving the corrupt hearts of men and desires of the flesh. Your relationship with Ffion I approve of wholeheartedly, from what little I know of her.”
“How can I trust you if you won’t even tell me what I should be afraid of? If you won’t even give me a hint of what to be alert for? How can I trust you if you won’t trust me?”
“Robyn.” He paused, looked around, then lowered his voice. “It’s not just you – this is also of a nature which I do not wish to discuss in public. It is not merely a matter of trusting you, but of wishing to avoid becoming the subject of one of the many rumours which circulate in the castle.”
“I understand your aversion to becoming the subject of these rumours,” Robyn replied, somewhat calmer than previously. “But perhaps these rumours are what cause you to believe that I also am involved – as I know not from whence your information originates, I doubt its integrity.”
“I understand your desire to cast doubt,” Owain replied shortly. “Forgive me.” He turned and walked away hastily. Robyn was somewhat surprised at his sudden departure but continued with her daily business.

After her discussion with Owain, Robyn was even more intrigued as to the circumstances surrounding Owain’s letter. She told Ffion about it as well, and she agreed that there was something strange going on with Owain, and that it might be of use to investigate what caused him to wish Robyn’s departure. However, Ffion had little involvement in the personal lives of the servants beyond her relationship with Robyn, and Robyn barely spoke with any servant other than Gwyneth so they felt that it was unlikely for them to discover it unless Owain actively sought out Robyn to inform her. However, after a few days Ffion received an invitation from some friends which moved their interest away from Owain and towards how Ffion and Robyn would respond to the invitation.

“I don’t understand how this involves me,” Robyn said when she first heard about the invitation from Ffion. “The invitation was for you – I can manage without you for a few weeks. You don’t need to ask my permission before you leave the castle – I might appreciate a little notice, so I don’t wonder where you went, but that’s all.”
“I wasn’t asking for your permission,” Ffion replied. “I was wondering whether it would be possible for you to join me on this visit. In terms of your work in the castle it shouldn’t be too difficult for us to find ways to pick up the work for you – and if certain tasks remain undone for a short while it would not be catastrophic. After all, I will be available to help you when we return.”
Robyn was somewhat taken aback. “You wish me to join you on a visit to your friends?” she asked. “But I know nothing about them. I’m not sure if I would be that comfortable staying in the house of strangers for a prolonged period.”
“I understand your doubts in that field, but do you not acknowledge that your life in this castle, while what you have become accustomed to, would not be the most socially comfortable experience, especially during my absence. If you were to join me, not only would you not have to spend those few weeks apart from me, there would also be far more opportunities for us to meet during our stay. You would also have more freedom in your actions there, although if you would rather stay amongst familiar surroundings I understand. This is your choice to make, Robyn.”
“I suppose you are right – my life in the castle would not be the most comfortable without you there – its main comfort prior to our relationship was my husband; but I don’t want my entire life to be based around the romantic relationships I form with other people. Perhaps this will provide an opportunity for me to make some friends with people; I have few friends in the castle. Perhaps these friends of yours will provide some companionship to me. However, I am apprehensive of meeting new people, and it would not be the best situation for me to remain in their dwelling if the meeting is unsuccessful. Do you understand me?”
“I understand you there – meeting people can be very overwhelming, especially in high-stakes situations such as this one, but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. If you do eventually decide to join me, I will try my hardest to prevent you from being forced into unnecessary discourse that will only make you uncomfortable – while meeting your hosts may be unavoidable, I’m sure that they will understand if you wish to have the opportunity to spend time away from their company and in your own space.”
“I suppose a change of scenery won’t do me any harm – I haven’t left the castle walls since the death of my husband and I’ve missed the scenery around here from my walks home.”
“I’ll write to them and say that you’re considering joining me if that’s how you feel about going. I’ll get to it now – and if you decide against going, I’ll take you for some walks with me around the castle grounds.”
“I would love to go for a walk with you regardless.”
Ffion said that she thought it would be a great idea, smiled, and the two of them began discussing other unimportant matters while cleaning the room and its furniture.

Very little occurred in the castle in the weeks leading up to their visit; Robyn received another letter from Owain expressing his opinions regarding her stay in the castle, but she ignored it as it expressed no new sentiments. She had decided against informing him of her plans to make a visit outside of the castle until the day of her departure, in order to avoid speeches from him regarding his opinion on the matter.

On the day she was due to leave for their visit, Robyn scribbled a hasty note and told Gwyneth to deliver it to Owain. She decided that this would be the easiest way to inform the both of them of her plans – she didn’t trust Gwyneth not to read the contents of the letter herself, and guessed that even if she didn’t, there was a decent chance that Owain would inform her of the news anyway. She had packed herself a small trunk of clothes for the journey, but at the last minute decided to leave her address for Gwyneth to forward anything which she may have forgotten. After writing the note and leaving it in her room, she took a look around her surroundings before picking up her case and carrying it to the courtyard where she and Ffion had agreed to meet.

The carriage arrived at the designated time, and so Ffion and Robyn made their way out of the castle together. As the carriage made its way through the countryside, Robyn sat forward and looked out of the window at the scenery as she passed by it. There was the sea, rolling back through the grey of the rain clouds forming a blurry grey border at the horizon. To the other side, a craggy mountain rose up, a beautiful combination of lush greenery, slate rocks, and purple heather. She could see the grassy slopes which surrounded the castle, rising up to its stony walls. As they moved into the valley, the view became obscured by mossy trees, their branches trapping moist air, with rain dropping from the tips of the leaves. The air under the canopy was thick with moisture, but Robyn enjoyed it, as the air within the castle could often be stale and dusty. As the carriage continued to roll down the road, Ffion gazed lovingly at Robyn’s delighted face when she looked upon such sights as she had not seen in many years.

The road was rough, and soon Robyn had to sit back against the chair as the carriage shook her about. She took Ffion’s hand for comfort, and the two held on to each other as they made their journey. A strong wind from the sea began to rush down the valley towards them, causing the carriage to rock even more violently as it clattered over the stones on the road. Ffion leaned forward to reassure the driver that they need not rush if it was too dangerous, but before she could finish, one of the carriage wheels became caught in a pothole, and it rolled over into the ditch at the side of the road.

Although Ffion had hoped that the carriage driver had been driving more slowly, as it would in all likelihood have avoided an incident such as this one, the carriage had not been travelling quickly enough to cause much harm to Robyn and Ffion when it crashed, and, opening the door, which was now where the ceiling usually is, they left the carriage and went around to see how their driver had fared in the overset.
“I was just about to say that you needn’t go so fast, because something like this could happen,” Ffion said to the driver. “Did you even see the hole, or was there just not enough time to turn away from it?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the driver apologised. “I’d heard you saying how important this visit was to you, so I wanted to get you there as quickly as possible. At least the horses seem unfazed by this. They’re good beasts. Reliable. I knew they wouldn’t let me down.”
“I’m glad to hear that such close friends of yours remain unaffected by this trauma,” Ffion replied, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “But how on earth are we going to get to my friends now? There are only two horses for the three of us, and they’re not built for riding.” Ffion turned to Robyn. “This is what comes of being too hasty. Less haste, more speed. That’s what my mother used to say. I used to wonder what she meant by that when I was little, but now I understand – when you rush about, you get distracted, miss things, and then you end up in a ditch by the side of the road unable to get anywhere. If she could see us now, that’s what she’d say. ‘I told you so, Ffion. I told you that rushing wouldn’t get you anywhere. Now, young lady, what are you going to do now? How are you going to get out of this?’”
“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” the driver repeated. “It’s all my fault. I’ll try fix it for you, I promise.” They paced back and forth, ringing their hands. “This was my first proper drive out as well. I can’t believe I ruined everything for you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ffion replied, placing a comforting hand on the driver’s shoulder. “We’re all alive, the horses are alive, the carriage probably hasn’t been damaged that much. We’ll be able to get ourselves out of this mess. If only it wasn’t raining. That’s the real problem. These roads would probably be much safer if it didn’t keep raining around here.”
“Should we check the carriage for damage?” Robyn asked, after a pause of several moments in which no one seemed to think of anything to say. She had been somewhat confused up until that point, and spoke out of awkwardness, as she had been silently observing Ffion and the driver and it had become uncomfortable.
“Excellent idea, darling,” Ffion replied, giving Robyn a kiss on the cheek. “If the wheels are intact, the three of us should be able to push it upright. We might still be able to drive to my friends.”
“I think I’d better untie the horses first.” The driver replied.
“Excellent thinking,” Ffion cried, smilingly. “It’s for thoughts like that why I chose you. You’ll make a good driver yet.”
Ffion and Robyn waited while the driver unfastened the horses from the carriage and led them to a tree, where they tied the horses up. The three of them then inspected the carriage, found it to be mostly unharmed except for a few scratches, and began to push it back on to the road. It took a lot of effort for them to roll it onto its wheels, and they were all exhausted when they finished. The rain had properly set in by this time, coming down in heavy droplets rather than the light mist that was falling when they started. The trees afforded them with some shelter, but only the driver was wearing any sort of overcoat and Robyn and Ffion were staring to get cold and damp.
“I think we might be able to get the two of you back on the road,” the driver said, after taking another walk around the carriage and checking everything they could reach. “It seems a little scratched, but no structural damage. I’ll fix the horses back on, and I can get the show back on the road – at a careful pace, this time.”
Robyn and Ffion smiled, thanked the driver for all their troubles, and climbed into the carriage.

The rest of the journey ran smoothly, and soon they arrived at their destination. Ffion payed the driver, walked up with Robyn to the door of the house as the driver found somewhere to store the carriage and horses, and knocked on the door. Robyn felt very nervous, as her mind raced through the thought that she had not spoken to a new person except Ffion and the driver in many years, and she doubted whether she would be able to hold a civil conversation with her hosts. It was only a few moments until they answered the door, but to Robyn it felt like a lifetime. She barely noticed the appearance of the person who led her inside, and when she was seated in the drawing room, she could tell nothing about her surroundings except the pressure of Ffion’s hand against her own. She heard no voice speak to her, although that was because all around her remained silent, as her terror was evident in her face and they were waiting for her to calm down.
“Are you ok, Robyn?” Ffion asked. Her voice sounded incredibly loud. Robyn tried to nod her head but felt she could hardly move. “These are my friends, Mr Douglas Davis and his husband, Baron Thomas Jones.”
Robyn felt a curious sensation as she came to her senses, like a rushing noise in her ears, and her eyes darted about the room until they caught the two middle-aged men looking at her with grave concern in their faces.
“Mr Douglas Davis?” she asked weakly.
One of the men smiled and held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Robyn. Ffion has told me so much about you in her letters. It’s an honour for us to have you in our house.”
Robyn felt some confidence return to her, so she turned to the other man. “You must be the honourable Baron Thomas Jones. I can remember my former master saying he wished you to marry his niece. From what I saw occur afterwards, I understand that this union never occurred.”
The Baron looked slightly uncomfortable while Mr Davis laughed. “The Baron here thought that such a union would avoid exposing Miss Lloyd and himself to the liked of Mr Lloyd, but after we met Miss Elizabeth and Miss Bethan on the road, I taught him that he need not fear causing a stir doing what made him happy, and it wasn’t long after that that we agreed to refer to each other as husband.”
“And I’ve been happy ever since.” The Baron finished with a grin.
Mr Davis’ friendly manner and gentle charm helped Robyn feel more at ease, and she soon found herself talking to them as though they were her life-long friends.

That evening, as they were retiring to their rooms, Ffion and Robyn were discussing the event of the day when Robyn said “Thank you again for suggesting I join you. I was so nervous about meeting these strangers, but they were so welcoming and made me feel as though I had known them for so many years, even though I have barely known you for a few months.”
Ffion smiled. “I thought they would,” she explained. “Mr. Davis was so kind to my daughter when she had no one in the world to help her, and he opened his doors to me, when I could not look after myself. He is such a welcoming man, and the Baron, through his intimate relationship with Mr Davis, has grown to be more like him, combining the generosity of spirit which nature provided him with the confidence to help people in defiance of society which he learnt from Mr. Davis. I owe them my life as I know it.”
“By association I then owe them an almighty debt of gratitude,” Robyn replied. “For if you had not received their assistance, we would never have met, and my relationship with you has helped me find happiness since the death of my husband. I had no real friends until I met you, and after the death of my husband I expected to spend the rest of my life in solitary misery, awaiting the call of death which would reunite me with the only person who had ever shown me love without expecting anything in return.” Speaking of her husband made Robyn feel such a flood of sadness, as the freshness of her grief washed over her and brought tears to her eyes. “Even though I now have you to comfort me, the loss still afflicts me. He was half of my life for so many years.”
Ffion pulled Robyn towards her and held her in a firm embrace as she felt herself falling apart internally with the overwhelming wave of grief; Ffion felt her own tears prick her eyes, as such a witness if misery reminded her of what she had lost. “These feelings are only natural, my love,” Ffion said, after a few moments. “I myself lost my husband many years ago, and while I did not love him in the same way you loved yours, he was a close friend to me, a consistent figure in my life, someone whom I thought would always be there, as so many of the people I strived to be close to were snatched away from me by those who had more control over their destiny; and through his death I became estranged from my own daughter, which has caused me great pains as I never got to guide her through the pains of growing up.”
Ffion broke down into tears, and the two women held each other for many moments until the comfort they found in each other through sharing their grief gave them the strength to break apart and retire to their own separate bedrooms for solitary reflection on what they had lost and gained in the hands of time, and the comfort of sleep.

Robyn used the opportunity which had been given to her by their visit to explore the country which surrounded her, making several excursions, usually accompanied by Ffion, and occasionally by Mr Davis or the Baron, and sometimes all three. Mr. Davis and the Baron kept a fairly small staff, choosing to do much of the work themselves, which Robyn sometimes found herself aiding in, as the toil of work was eased by the company of Ffion and the gentlemen. She felt herself settling into a routine, but it was one which brought her joy daily, and promoted intimacy with Ffion, through which she felt herself feeling more deeply for Ffion, a strong love which she was certain could only be destroyed by death.

After about two weeks had elapsed, something very unexpected occurred: Robyn received correspondence from Gwyneth. It was the driver who brought her the letter, as they had collected the post that morning, and Robyn had expected it to contain another message from Owain, trying to interfere in her life, so she was quite surprised when she discerned a woman’s hand on the direction. After thanking the driver for their service, and engaging in polite conversation, she bad them farewell and sat upon her chair to pursue the letter in private.
‘Greetings my dear Robyn,’ it began. ‘I know that this letter must be of great surprise to you, as we never shared a particularly intimate relationship, but since your departure such happenings have occurred in the castle as I believe you must hear of, especially as they relate to persons closely connected to yourself and, upon your return, would have a great impact on your life in the castle if you remain ignorant of them.
‘Before you left, I am led to believe that you had a few interviews with Owain, the content of which must have confused you greatly as he wished to disclose to you such information as he did not desire to be made public, but since your departure that which he wished to remain secret has been revealed to us all, and the nature of his secrets was so unexpected that unless they are revealed to you, I am certain that you will continue to misjudge his character with your own speculation regarding what information he could desire to bestow upon you.
‘I find myself rambling, and am concerned that I have lost your interest in the content of my epistle, but I feel that I must prepare you for the shocking nature of its contents to the best of my ability. I am sure that you have so far deduced that my information is regarding your brother Owain, and his peculiar behaviour at first led me to believe that he felt some kind of attraction towards you, which was widely believed by the inhabitants of the castle, but his determination to remove you from the castle walls seemed to demonstrate that his affections were not directed towards you, although his determination to engage a private interview with you seemed peculiar if his aim was to remove you from his life. However, with some determination, and favourable circumstances I managed to discover that while you were not the object of his affections, his determination to remove you from the castle were a result of a belief that the real object of his affections looked upon you with a favourable eye. My first thought, as must be yours, was that he desired our mistress’ mother, the honourable Ffion Lloyd, whose heart must forever be estranged from his, and I took it upon myself to persuade him of this, but I soon discovered that his feelings lay in another quarter, and after befriending this person, I soon began to learn from them that Owain’s assumptions had been incorrect, and that the object of his affections had believed him to be the one infatuated with you, while this person fought an internal struggle to conquer such feelings for Owain as it emerges now have been long reciprocated. I am sure that you are desirous to know who this elusive personage is, and I reveal them now to be Wyn, the butler, whose long-lived service to this castle has afforded him many opportunities to develop such feelings for Owain as the revelation of which has surprised the whole castle.
‘The state of affairs reached such a climax that even Elizabeth and Bethan heard of the result of Owain’s attempted interference; and I must confess that I had a hand in uniting Owain and Wyn, once I learnt the true nature of their feelings for each other, and I hope, as your friend, that you will forgive me for again interfering in the lives of those close to you, as I know that it does not often have such a happy result as this; and as a consequence of its public nature I would not object to you sharing this letter with Gwyneth, as she in all likelihood will have heard a great deal of its information already from her daughter
‘I must now close my letter, as I observe that I have nearly reached the end of my sheet, and all I have left to say is that I wish for your perfect happiness
Yours etc. Gwyneth’
Robyn was taken aback by the subject of the letter and had to read it thrice before she could truly understand the information which Gwyneth had intended to convey to her. The nature of the intelligence regarding Owain was so unexpected that she doubted its truth, before she thought about it more deeply, and realised that there was no way that Gwyneth could have fabricated such a story, especially as much of it fit with her own knowledge of affairs in the castle. Another half an hour of reflection helped her understand the reality of what Gwyneth had written, and soon she began to feel that she could be happy for Owain, even if she could never truly reconcile with him for his interference in the lives of her and her husband. She hoped that this new development would occupy him so that he would never try influence her actions through those around her.

Ffion soon joined her in her room, and after asking Robyn what troubled her, as she seemed distracted, Robyn gave Ffion the letter for her to pursue herself, with the warning that Gwyneth was a known gossip, who occasionally exaggerated facts to give herself consequence. Ffion pursued it with interest, and when she reached the end said, “I suppose that explains what he said to me when I told him about us.”
“What do you mean by that?” Robyn asked.
“He said ‘I hope that I might know your happiness, although that seems unlikely’, or something to that effect, and I just attributed it to his own grief over the death of his brother, but if he was suffering from an unsatisfied passion, then that may have been what he was referring to.”
Ffion and Robyn continued to discuss the contents of the letter as they headed out for a walk up the rocky mountain which overlooked Mr. Davis’ and the Baron’s home.

The rest of the visit afforded little excitement for the guests, besides a letter from Elizabeth which confirmed Gwyneth’s story, and soon Robyn found herself bidding a teary farewell to the hosts she had at first feared would make her feel uncomfortable in their house. She found herself longing for another visit, although she did hope that less excitement in the castle would surround her return. She expressed all this to Ffion in the carriage ride home – the damage which it had sustained in the fall had been fixed, and Ffion had shown her trust in the driver by allowing them to drive them home again.

Upon their return, Robyn discovered that Owain and Wyn had removed from the castle to home which used to belong to her husband, news which gave her mixed feelings. On one hand, she was upset that after the trouble he had caused her husband, he was able to take their house, but on the other hand she was pleased that he was leaving the castle to be happy with someone, which seemed to foretell an end to his interference in the affairs of others.

Robyn’s hope seemed to come into fruition, as the weeks and months passed by with no sign of any attempt to interfere from Owain – he came into the castle frequently to work, but returned home every evening with Wyn, and gave no sign that he was not comfortable in his new life. His relationship with Wyn seemed to improve his spirits, and with that improvement of spirits came a desire to keep to himself and not bother anyone else. Robyn was grateful for the change, and left Owain to live his life with Wyn, away from her own life in the castle.

To her delight, Robyn heard that Mr. Davis and the Baron were inviting herself and Ffion over to their house again, an opportunity which she seized with great excitement. Although Ffion decided to employ the same driver as on their previous trip, the journey passed without excitement, and soon Robyn found herself again in Mr Davis’ and the Baron’s drawing room, seated beside Ffion, and discussing amiable nonsense with the gentlemen. The Baron soon led the conversation towards his decision to live as Mr Davis’ husband, something which Mr Davis had been asking of him for many years, when her mind began to wander, and she became lost in thought, her ears only occasionally picking up on phrases such as “my dearest Douglas” and “my foolish Thomas” as the two men recounted the events together. The thought remained with her as she retired to her bedchamber, and she found herself absently asking Ffion to join her, as she had something to ask. Ffion seemed somewhat concerned by Robyn’s absentness, but was otherwise quite cheerful as she seated herself on a chair by the fire. Robyn wrung her hands nervously, before she began.
“What the Baron was saying earlier,” she said, faltering a little as she spoke. “It got me thinking, well, I was wondering…” She paused, and took a breath, wanting to look at Ffion’s face to gauge her reaction but too nervous that it would be unfavourable. “I was wondering – well, you know how they call each other husband… well, I was wondering what it would take for you to call me wife.”
“All it would take is your approval,” Ffion replied, taking Robyn’s hand. “I have loved you for much of our acquaintance, and every second proves new cause to love you more. Your sometimes-timid nature prevented me from asking the same of you earlier, but as we became more comfortable with each other, I felt as though we had been married for many years, and that such a request was almost unnecessary. I love you, Robyn.”
“I love you, Ffion.”
The two women gazed into each other’s eyes lovingly, then their lips met in a kiss as their hearts became united forever.