Daphne and Sion are out of hospital. The threat from Arfon still looms but this chapter mainly describes Daphne and Briony moving forward emotionally.

The Welsh Mountain Ram 30

Briony... Betrayed wife and mother.
Sion... Her eight-year-old son.
Ellairy... Her nine-month--old daughter.
Arfon... Brionys’ abusive and unfaithful husband.
Dave Cadwalloder... Welsh bachelor hill-farmer.
Jenny and Lassie... Daves’ sheepdog bitches.
Laddie... Daves’ sheepdog.
Jessica and Pansy... Daves’ sows.
Angel... Daves’ mare.
Gabriella (Gabby)... Angels’ foal (Gift to Sion.)
Elsbeth... Briony’s sister.
Daphne... Daves’ ‘girlfriend’
Cledwyn... Farmer further down the valley (Neighbour.)
Blodwen... Cledwyn’s daughter.
Rachel... Daphne’s TV friend.
Shirley... Rachels’ GG wife.
Fajita... The maid.
James & Tara... Rachel’s teenaged children (16 & 15)
Billy and Janet... Manager and accountant at Daphne’s club.
Terry... New Zealand Shepherd.
Wendy Blodwens best friend at school. Also Dave’s friend.
Jane Policewoman at Machynlleth.
Jack Davies Sergeant North Wales Police.

The Ram 30.

For the remainder of their stay in the hospital Daphne occupied her time entertaining Sion while Briony returned to Machynlleth to collect her daughter Ellairy and rejoin Blodwen up at Plas Graig Las. Blodwen had assumed the role of Farmer and she was supervising her father’s Labourer Ifan.

When she arrived with Ellairy, Briony found herself stopping in the rear gateway to the hall and savouring the panorama. The view was stupendous though the wind persuaded her to remain in the car. Her heavy outdoor clothes were still down in the kitchen so after filling her senses with the view, she picked her way down to the hall. The snow was still lying stubbornly wherever the sun failed to shine all day but for the first time, Briony began to see the estate without its winter overcoat. She met the eight-thousand coming up the lane and Blodwen hung out to greet her.

“Hi Bri. Ifan and I are just going to feed the sheep. See you in an hour or two.”

Briony acknowledged the pair and continued down to the hall. In the more natural light without the harsh reflections off the previously pristine snow, Briony began to see the ‘blue’ in the Blue Pennant limestone from which the hall was built. That morning she realised where Plas Las got its name.

She parked close to the kitchen utility door and quickly carried Ellairy into the house. The mountain wind was still raw and she was grateful that the house was constantly heated by the hydro-electric turbines. In addition, Blodwen had kept the Aga charged so the kitchen was doubly warm. After sorting out Ellairy and giving her what was to be the last breast feed, she started preparing for the ‘boy’s’ homecoming. This kept her busy until lunch time when Blodwen and Ifan returned from the hill.

“What time are they due?” Blodwen asked.

“Tomorrow, I’m driving to Newtown to collect them.”

“Well we’re finished up here. There’s nothing now until feeding the stock again tomorrow. I’ve left out food to be given to the horses and pigs at five. The dogs are in the utility room. They’re a bit muddy at the mo. Dave usually gives them a wash if they’re very muddy. They use the iron tub in the old dairy and there’s hot water from the red tap. Just fill it; the dogs know what to do. They like the warm bath.”

Briony thanked Blodwen and she returned to her own farm with Ifan. Later Briony washed the dogs and after shaking themselves, they settled beside the Aga to dry. The smell of wet dog caused Briony to wrinkle her nose but the idea of having three guards to protect her while she was alone in the house was reassuring. Briony was still afraid that Arfon might just reappear. She went to sleep that night with Ellairy sharing her bed while the three dogs slept at the foot of her bed. When she woke the following morning the dogs had sneaked up onto the bed in the night. She hadn’t the heart to scold them and Ellairy seemed doubly happy and she gurgled happily when the dogs wagged their tails.

“Get off you naughty mutts!” Briony ordered half-heartedly.

While she prepared breakfast she heard Blodwen arrive. For a moment, she thought it might be Arfon but the dog’s contented tail-wagging reassured her. Blodwen and Ifan shared breakfast then returned to feeding the stock. By eleven, Briony was on her way to Newtown hospital and after a brief shopping expedition in Newtown, they returned home at seven to the demented excitement of the dogs. With Daphne in the house, Briony was a much happier person. The assault by Arfon had left her traumatised and ‘clingy’ so she begged Daphne to let her sleep with her in Daphne’s bed.

“What about the children?” Daphne asked.

“You can lock the door from the corridor to the adjoining bedroom and leave our connecting door unlocked. If they want to come into our bed, they can use the connecting door. Anybody thinking to get at them will have to pass this bed and us.”

Daphne thought Briony was overreacting but if that arrangement made her feel safer then she was prepared to do it. They prepared the cot for Ellairy and made up Sion’s bed causing Sion to ask.

“Who’s sleeping here?”

“You and Ellairy darling.” Daphne explained. “You mum wants you safe close by.

“Are you keeping your gun close by?”

“The guns have been temporarily confiscated by the police as evidence. I won’t get them back until after the trial.”

Sion’s smile faded slightly. The thought of being un-armed worried him slightly, ‘after all, Arfon might return with a gun.' Daphne sensed Sion’s fear, so she gave him a cuddle.

“We’ll be okay darling; the dogs will serve as our guards.”

This reassured Sion and he continued working with Daphne to set up the cot. As they finished Briony called from the end of the landing.

“Supper’s ready, come on.”

The pair trudged down and the chatter around the table brightened considerably as they ate their food. After supper Daphne and Briony shared the pleasure of putting the children down for bed. Daphne read them a story and Briony secretly hugged herself as she listened to Daphne’s rendering of Black Beauty.

‘Arfon had never read to the children,’ she reminded herself, ‘now here was a man who actually enjoyed it.’

Briony had to pinch herself to remind herself she was not dreaming. This was truly a man she could spend the rest of her life with. A gentle, considerate man who understood a woman because he had a womanly nature, nay a womanly mind. A man who loved kids.
As she closed the book, Sion turned over and almost fell asleep to order, Ellairy had gone down much earlier. Daphne kissed her fingers and touched both children gently as she replaced the book amongst the matching set on the shelf. Then she turned to Briony and smiled. The smile turned to concern as she noticed Briony’s tears.

“What’s wrong darling?” Daphne whispered.

Briony swallowed the lump in her throat and croaked.

“Nothing darling, absolutely nothing. That was beautiful. Where did you learn to read like that? Each horse had a totally different voice and character. You made the story come alive.”

Daphne blushed slightly as she explained.

“When I was small, my dad used to read from those books. It’s one of my most lasting memories of my dad. He used to give the characters different voices and stuff. Those voices were the voices my dad gave to each and every horse.”

“You must miss him.”

Daphne nodded and fell into a thoughtful silence as they retreated from the children’s bedroom.

In the main bedroom Daphne was about to step into the corridor and return to the drawing room but Briony nodded towards the bed.

“Stay with me a while. Let’s just lie on the bed and chat.”

“About what love?”

“Anything ... everything, us.” Briony sighed.

Daphne needed no persuading and she stepped out of her heels to slide provocatively onto the bed. Briony wagged her head with a pleasurable amusement as she recognised the seductive manner of Daphne’s feminine gesture and she slid alongside her companion as she realised Daphne would probably become her lover that very night.

‘But did Daphne realise it?’ Briony asked herself.

First they lay on the bed and Daphne chatted about Sion’s trauma.

“He still seems nervous around men. Mr Padwar mentioned it to me while I was teaching Sion chess yesterday afternoon. I’m realising now what a brute Arfon must have been.”

“Him and his brothers," Briony explained, "there’s three of them and they virtually terrorised Llanidloes. They’re a whole family of thugs.”

Daphne wagged her head.

“I can’t understand how you got involved with him.”

“Youth, stupidity and rose tinted glasses.” Briony replied then explained. “I was young, the family home was small and crowded and I wanted to get away, have some space for myself. We three sisters shared the same bedroom and my brothers likewise. My dad warned me, he knew Arfon’s reputation but the more Dad warned me, the more determined I became. Then after I married him I was trapped.

Arfon’s very jealous and possessive; he hated me going anywhere on my own. That car was a left-over from my late teens when I had a job in the supermarket. It was my only escape from Arfon after I married him.

Daphne nodded then observed.

“We’re not out of the woods yet. He could still turn up here mob-handed with his brothers. Sergeant Jack Davies contacted his colleagues in Llanidloes. Arfon and his brothers had no respect for the law. They were arrested and cautioned and fined lots of times for breaches of the peace.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Briony added, “he’s been done for GBH and he’s out on licence. I’m married to a jailbird.”

“Well that’s soon to be sorted. The lawyers are on to it now. We’ll know in a few days when the divorce proceeding start. Have you got any documentary proof of his violence?”

“Haven’t I just! I’ve got doctor’s letters, a police report, A&E files, the whole damned caboot!”

“Well the divorce should be a formality and now he’s got a whole lot more to answer for; kidnap, child abuse, assault, breaking and entering; using an unlicensed firearm ... you name it. He’s going down.”

“Yes but for how long. He carries a grudge forever. Even if he’s sent down for years, when he comes out, he’ll come looking. I don’t feel safe Daphne! I don’t feel safe anywhere!”

She pressed into Daphne’s arms and started to cry. Daphne wrapped her arm around her and squeezed her tight. They lay like that for long minutes until Briony’s tears started to soak Daphne’s blouse and bra. As Daphne shifted uncomfortably Briony realised and sat up.

“I’m sorry, you’d better change, I burdening you with my problems aren’t I.”

“Your problems are now my problems and a trouble shared is a trouble halved. We’ll find a way through.”

“D’you think so?”

“Well I can only think so ... hope so. There’s no guarantee he won’t come back. Stay here, I’ll go and make some cocoa.”

Daphne removed the wet blouse and bra then slipped on her shortie dressing gown over her bare breasts and went downstairs. Briony took the opportunity to change for bed and donned a provocative nightie from her own room. When Daphne returned with the tray of chocolate and biscuits she found Briony snuggled under the duvet.

“Oh, so you’ve decided you’re going to share my bed have you? Well, you’ll have to sit up to drink this, come on.”

Briony grinned, sat up and motioned to Daphne, “You’d better get undressed; I’ll feel so much safer sleeping with you.”

As Briony sipped her coffee she watched Daphne slip seductively out of her skinny jeans and savoured the sight of Daphne’s curvy tush. As she took off off her tights she bent forward and her breasts tumbled provocatively out of the loosely tied dressing gown. Briony couldn’t help but remark.

“You’re a girl really aren’t you?”

“Thought you knew that,” Daphne replied.

There was a brief silence as Briony plucked up the courage to broach the subject.

“Will you be able to father children?”

Daphne paused as she was stepping out of her panties. Her maleness flopped out and Briony could not help but keep looking. Daphne caught her ‘peeping’ and smiled.

“It still gets hard and it ejaculates. D’you want to try it?”

Briony hesitated.

“Are you sure. I thought you still wanted to wait.”

“Well, I was apprehensive about being declared a respondent in the divorce proceedings but I phoned the lawyers yesterday and they contacted the police. Your divorce will be a formality on the grounds of abuse and unreasonable behaviour. He may not even be able to contest the case for if the police find him; he’ll immediately be back in prison because he’s still out on licence. So now I’m happy to sleep with you if you’re happy.”

“You know I am, stop teasing; and leave your panties on the bedside table.”

Daphne chuckled. She was poised just stepping into clean panties so she removed her leg from them and replaced them as instructed before slipping under the duvet with Briony. The cocoa was forgotten so urgent was their need. Briony was left with little doubts about the mechanical aspects of Daphne’s father-making abilities. She could only wonder about Daphne’s sperm fertility.

After a delightful consummation they lay naked and exhausted in each other’s arms with their breasts squashing together. Then their dalliance was interrupted by noises from the children’s room.

“Quick! Put your panties on!” Briony whispered urgently.

They both just managed to cover their modesties as Sion appeared. He stared sleepily and asked.

“Are you two married now?”

Briony stifled a giggle.

“Well, yes Sion, we are in all but name.”

Sion looked directly at their bare breasts and asked bluntly.

“Are you a girl Daphne? Can two girls be married?”

Daphne smiled as she reached for her shortie dressing gown and slipped it on over her bare shoulders and breasts. As she tidied her hair she replied to Sion.

“No darling, well not yet and I might never be. I haven’t decided yet. For now I’m still technically a boy.”

“Where you just making a baby?”

“Well that’s a very private thing and it’s a bit rude of you to ask but I’ll forgive you and tell you ‘yes’ we were trying to make a baby, a little brother or sister for you and Ellairy.”

“I want a brother.”

“Oh I’m sorry Mr boss-man; we have no say in what sex your sibling might be. That’s down to chance.”

Sion turned to Briony and sucked his lip.

“Can I come into bed?”

Daphne and Briony now felt ‘respectable’ and Briony patted her side of the bed.

“Yes. You can lie on my side.”

She pulled back the duvet and Sion snuggled in. Daphne’s heart wanted to melt. She lay on the other side of the bed secretly hoping that one day they would have their own children and those children could lie with impunity between Briony and her but for now, this was as good as it would ever be allowed to get. As she nervously turned to face away from Briony, Briony sensed Daphne’s fear. She reached back and tugged Daphne’s arm.

“Cuddle up darling. You’re still allowed to cuddle me as well you know.”

“Are you sure, what if ... you know; the courts, this, sharing?”

Daphne tried to use hyperbolae to circumvent Sion’s realising there were issues, issues that could have serious consequences if the lawyers were allowed to make hay. Daphne could already hear the accusations the suggestions.

'The gutter press would have a field day. Always, always, they cast the worst possible spin, the nastiest aspersions.'

She’d seen it too many times with her friends and invariably, the tee-person lost or at least up until recently. Maybe, maybe with today’s slowly improving climate, her transgenderism, no her intergenderism might not be used to beat her so heavily, to wound and destroy. After pausing to debate the turmoil swirling through her mind Daphne nervously rolled back to spoon into Briony’s luscious rear and then she lay there silent and still, half expecting some remark from Sion but instead all she heard was two sets of slow, contented, regular breathing. Briony and Sion had already fallen asleep!