Special thanks to Emyr and Carys Evans of Llansilin and Michael Duggleby of Llanwddyn for all the help they gave me while I was researching the history of the Vyrnwy Dam. The material they shared helped bring this story to life.

Thank you also to my husband, Kent, who makes my writing possible, and to my editor, Samantha Millburn, who makes my writing stronger.

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Welsh Glossary

Glossary

Bach—Welsh for “small” or “little”; used as a term of endearment

Bacon Butty—Bread and butter with slices of cooked bacon

Bara Brith—Welsh for “speckled bread,” a traditional Welsh bread served at teatime and made with dried fruit

Cariad—Welsh for “love,” “darling,” or “sweetheart”

Coffers of oatmeal—Oatmeal was a staple for the people of Llanwddyn; every home had a coffer (or large chest) where the oatmeal was kept

Cofion cynnes—Welsh for “warm remembrances/regards”; often used at the close of a letter

Conker—The fruit of a horse chestnut tree; used to play a game called conkers

Crempog—A small, fat pancake

Dau Gi Bach—Welsh for “Three Little Dogs,” a traditional Welsh children’s nursery rhyme

Eisteddfod—A Welsh folk festival and competition featuring singing, dancing, reciting poetry, etc.

Fortnight—Two weeks

Jac y Do—Welsh for “Jackdaw,” a member of the crow family; the name of a traditional Welsh children’s song

Navvy—A manual laborer, particularly one employed in a civil engineering project; originally short for “navigators,” the men who built the first navigation canals in eighteenth-century Britain

Pattens—A shoe or clog with a raised sole or set in an iron ring; worn to raise one’s feet above wet or muddy ground when walking outdoors

Pont Cedig—Cedig Bridge

Huw Fawr—Huw is the Welsh form of the name “Hugh”; Fawr means “big”

Taffy—An English slang name for someone from Wales

Welsh Cakes—Small griddle cakes made with dried fruit

Winberries—Also known as bilberries; native to Britain, a small, round, dark-purple berry

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Copyright Information

Cover image: Lake Vyrnwy © JacquiMartin, courtesy istockphoto.com; Figure photography by McKenzie Deakins, www.mckenziedeakins.com.

Cover design copyright © 2015 by Covenant Communications, Inc.

Published by Covenant Communications, Inc.

American Fork, Utah

Copyright © 2015 by Sian Ann Bessey

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any format or in any medium without the written permission of the publisher, Covenant Communications, Inc., P.O. Box 416, American Fork, UT 84003. The views expressed within this work are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Covenant Communications, Inc., or any other entity.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are either products of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real, or are used fictitiously.

ISBN 978-1-68047-929-4