told Yasmin he had arranged to take her to visit his mother on the following afternoon. He then walked across to Mrs Barber's cottage and Yasmin went in to Leon.
'Ought I to go?' she asked anxiously. 'They will ask questions, and what shall I tell them?'
'I cannot understand it,' Leon replied. 'He has asked no questions as yet, and when I tried to explain the morning after he found us, he would not listen. It is high time we told him about us, and I have asked him to come back. Do you prefer to remain while I tell him?'
Yasmin sighed, not knowing what she wished. 'Yes, I had best remain, for there may be questions you are unable to answer,' she said at last, and had scarcely finished when Sir Edward returned.
'Well, that is arranged. Mrs Barber will come in to see you tomorrow, Leon, so I will call for Yasmin soon after noon. Now, you were most anxious to tell me something?'
He sat down on the settle beside the fireplace, and smiled encouragingly.
'You must have wondered how we came to be in the woods that night you found us,' Leon began.
'Naturally, but it is none of my affair, and there is no need for you to confide in me if you would prefer not. If I can be of help, though, in sending a message, I will gladly do so.'
'You are too kind! No, there is no message, but I must explain. It was so odd, and you might entertain suspicions about us. You have been so very kind to us when there was no call on you to do anything!'
'I helped a fellow man in trouble,' was all Sir Edward replied to this, shrugging off the thanks.
Slowly Leon related to him what he knew of Yasmin's history, her birth and early years with the gypsies, and then told how she had gone to live with her mother, whom she had supposed to be her aunt, until Georgiana Boswell's death the previous autumn. He explained how the tribe had turned against Yasmin when her grandmother's influence had been no more.
'They will very rarely accept anyone who is not a full Romany,' he said. 'I believed if Yasmin married me they might accept her, but that, even, is not a solution now. Pedro's desire for her is too great, and he is not the man to stand by and see another wed her. Besides, she will not take him, so we must leave the tribe. Yasmin ran away alone, and I discovered it and tracked her, but Pedro did the same. I held him off for a while, which explains my bruises, but in our haste to escape him I did not take sufficient care, and that is how you found us as you did.'
Sir Edward had listened intently, but now he did not comment. He nodded as Leon finished, and then sat looking down at his hands for a few moments. At length he looked up at Leon.
'What you do afterwards is your own affair,' he said quietly. 'I am happy to have been of some assistance. You may remain in this cottage for as long as you wish, so do not think you must move before you are ready to do so.'
'I am so beholden to you already, I would wish to pay you for it in some way,' Leon said worriedly.
'Yasmin is teaching my sister to play the guitar.'
'That is not enough. I must do something, but I do not see what I can do, tied to my bed. I will repay you some day, however.'
'If you are indeed better, there is something you could do now,' Sir Edward said slowly. 'I had not intended to suggest it so soon, but you look well, more so than I had expected, and may find your convalescence tedious. Could you do more of your carvings now?'
'Yes, of course, and would be pleased to do so if I had the right wood. But of what use would they be to you?'
'Tell me what you need in the way of wood and I will supply it. I took the few pieces I bought at the fair up to London with me, and showed them to a merchant who deals in similar works of art. He assured me he could be certain of obtaining good prices, treble what you were asking at the fairs, for all you cared to produce. A very few would suffice to pay the rent for this cottage, and for all the other things you may need.'
Leon's eyes lit up. Yasmin
'Ought I to go?' she asked anxiously. 'They will ask questions, and what shall I tell them?'
'I cannot understand it,' Leon replied. 'He has asked no questions as yet, and when I tried to explain the morning after he found us, he would not listen. It is high time we told him about us, and I have asked him to come back. Do you prefer to remain while I tell him?'
Yasmin sighed, not knowing what she wished. 'Yes, I had best remain, for there may be questions you are unable to answer,' she said at last, and had scarcely finished when Sir Edward returned.
'Well, that is arranged. Mrs Barber will come in to see you tomorrow, Leon, so I will call for Yasmin soon after noon. Now, you were most anxious to tell me something?'
He sat down on the settle beside the fireplace, and smiled encouragingly.
'You must have wondered how we came to be in the woods that night you found us,' Leon began.
'Naturally, but it is none of my affair, and there is no need for you to confide in me if you would prefer not. If I can be of help, though, in sending a message, I will gladly do so.'
'You are too kind! No, there is no message, but I must explain. It was so odd, and you might entertain suspicions about us. You have been so very kind to us when there was no call on you to do anything!'
'I helped a fellow man in trouble,' was all Sir Edward replied to this, shrugging off the thanks.
Slowly Leon related to him what he knew of Yasmin's history, her birth and early years with the gypsies, and then told how she had gone to live with her mother, whom she had supposed to be her aunt, until Georgiana Boswell's death the previous autumn. He explained how the tribe had turned against Yasmin when her grandmother's influence had been no more.
'They will very rarely accept anyone who is not a full Romany,' he said. 'I believed if Yasmin married me they might accept her, but that, even, is not a solution now. Pedro's desire for her is too great, and he is not the man to stand by and see another wed her. Besides, she will not take him, so we must leave the tribe. Yasmin ran away alone, and I discovered it and tracked her, but Pedro did the same. I held him off for a while, which explains my bruises, but in our haste to escape him I did not take sufficient care, and that is how you found us as you did.'
Sir Edward had listened intently, but now he did not comment. He nodded as Leon finished, and then sat looking down at his hands for a few moments. At length he looked up at Leon.
'What you do afterwards is your own affair,' he said quietly. 'I am happy to have been of some assistance. You may remain in this cottage for as long as you wish, so do not think you must move before you are ready to do so.'
'I am so beholden to you already, I would wish to pay you for it in some way,' Leon said worriedly.
'Yasmin is teaching my sister to play the guitar.'
'That is not enough. I must do something, but I do not see what I can do, tied to my bed. I will repay you some day, however.'
'If you are indeed better, there is something you could do now,' Sir Edward said slowly. 'I had not intended to suggest it so soon, but you look well, more so than I had expected, and may find your convalescence tedious. Could you do more of your carvings now?'
'Yes, of course, and would be pleased to do so if I had the right wood. But of what use would they be to you?'
'Tell me what you need in the way of wood and I will supply it. I took the few pieces I bought at the fair up to London with me, and showed them to a merchant who deals in similar works of art. He assured me he could be certain of obtaining good prices, treble what you were asking at the fairs, for all you cared to produce. A very few would suffice to pay the rent for this cottage, and for all the other things you may need.'
Leon's eyes lit up. Yasmin
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