Dragon's Lair by Sara Craven Read Free Book Online Page A

Davina, intrigued, came to her side.
    It was quite true. The enormous crag which jutted out above the
    house could, with very little imagination, have been a petrified
    dragon. It was all there—the great thrusting head with its menacing
    horns, and the long clawed foot raised threateningly just beneath it.
    And if you half-closed your eyes, the great shadowy bulk of the hill
    seemed to become huge spreading wings ...
    Davina wrenched herself back to reality with a jerk. She smiled. 'I
    hope he's a friendly dragon, otherwise he'd be rather too close for
    comfort!'
    Mrs Parry's eyes twinkled suddenly. 'Well, he's never done me any
    harm. Now I am going to make some tea.' She paused. 'Would you
    like to have yours up here, perhaps?'
    Davina guessed that Rhiannon would probably be coming in to
    have tea and that this was a tactful intimation of the fact, and she
    agreed. The prospect of seeing Gethyn again had made her more
    keyed up than she had realised, and now she felt almost weak from
    anti-climax. She needed to relax and unwind for a while, and it
    would be far preferable to do so up here, out of Rhiannon's hostile
    sight.
    Mrs Parry hesitated at the door. 'I'm sorry Rhiannon's behaving like
    this,' she said frankly. 'But she is very fond of Gethyn—always has
    been. But she'll come round, I daresay. Maybe this is the best thing
    that could have happened.' And on that, she vanished.
    Davina sat down in the easy chair and looked out on to the apple
    trees, their leaves moving gently in the slight breeze. She still could
    hardly believe that she was actually at Plas Gwyn. She leaned her
    head back on the cushions and closed her eyes, absorbing the
    sounds and silences of her new surroundings. She could hear the
    distant sound of the river, and superimposed upon it, closer at hand,
    the bleating of sheep and the sharp bark of a dog. Somewhere a
    horse whinnied with a restless stamp of hooves, and below her she
    could hear the homely clatter of cups and the rising whistle of a
    kettle.
    Presently, when she had had her tea, she would walk up to the car
    and fetch her case. It contained her night things and a change of
    underwear, but little more, and she wondered rather restlessly what
    she would do if Gethyn's absence was a prolonged one. She sighed.
    That he would be away from home when she arrived was the last
    thing she had bargained for. It was almost as if he had guessed her
    intention and timed his absence accordingly, but that was nonsense,
    of course. He could have had no idea she was on her way.
    The bedroom door banged open and Rhiannon made her
    appearance, carrying, somewhat surprisingly, a tray of tea. Her eyes
    lowered sullenly, and her lips set, she marched across the room and
    deposited the tray on the table at Davina's elbow.
    Davina decided to try another friendly overture. 'What a charming
    room this is,' she commented. 'I hope I'm not putting anyone out by
    being here.'
    Rhiannon shrugged. 'Only Gethyn, and he's not here at the moment,
    it hardly matters, does it? Who knows? When he comes back, he
    may be putting you out.'
    The bedroom door slammed on her departure and Davina sat bolt
    upright on her chair, her attention utterly arrested by what the other
    girl had said. Then she jumped to her feet and went over almost
    feverishly to the dressing chest, tugging open a drawer at random.
    Her worst fears were confirmed. A pile of shirts, neatly folded and
    unarguably masculine, was revealed. The contents of the other
    drawers only served to hammer the lesson home. This was Gethyn's
    room.
    A bright spot of humiliated colour burned in her cheeks. What
    could Mrs Parry have been thinking of? She must know what the
    situation was between Gethyn and herself— might even be aware
    that a divorce was projected, so how could she have put her in this
    room?
    Davina swallowed and closed the drawers, backing away from
    them. Then she caught at herself. She was being utterly ridiculous.
    She would have to spend one