Living in the Shadows (18 page)

Yet it worried him as well; what would happen now? He’d come to Manchester for a job and he’d be taking a girl, a stranger to his parents, back to Wales. She’s not a stranger to me, though. I’ll make them understand, he told himself, pushing to the back of their mind their worries about his missing sister

A group of people passed the house, their heads and shoulders shadows that moved swiftly across the window. He glanced down at Karen; she hadn’t budged. But he needed to, he needed a pee. Badly needed a pee. He shuffled off the settee, inch by inch, watching her all the time.

He could hear that someone was already up; there were voices in the kitchen. But at the door, one hand raised to push it open, he stopped. One voice sounded agitated. He angled his head, listening.

‘No, she can’t stay here.’ It was his aunt.

‘Shush.’ His uncle’s low voice.

‘I won’t have that girl in the house any longer.’

The blood rushed to Richard’s head. They were talking about Karen. Guardedly he moved the door enough for him to see through. Ellen was pacing the kitchen floor, smoking.

‘We can’t just kick her out.’ Ted was sitting on one of the kitchen chairs, his hands clasped in front of him. ‘We owe it to Richard to—’

‘We owe nothing to Richard.’

‘That’s harsh, Ellen.’

‘I’m sorry, Ted, but he’ll be going home.’ Ellen leaned on the table facing her husband. ‘He’ll go home and probably forget the girl. What happens then? Where does she go? Are you suggesting we let her stay here? For pity’s sake, Ted, use your head. If that man ever finds out, God only knows what he’d do.’

‘You’re getting way ahead of yourself, love.’ Richard shifted sideways, saw Ted rub his hands over his face. ‘It won’t come to that—’

‘You know for sure, do you?’ Ellen passed across Richard’s vision again. Her face was flushed. ‘Use your head, man. If he’s still as bad as she’s made out—’

Still? Richard frowned in puzzlement.

‘He is.’ Linda was in there as well. Richard couldn’t see her but he heard the quiver in her voice. ‘That’s why we must look after her.’

‘You’re as bad as him – we don’t even know her.’

There was a loud scrape of a chair. ‘For goodness sake, Ellen, stop it. Not even you can be this selfish.’

‘Are you saying we should do nothing?’ His aunt’s voice was lower now; he strained to hear. ‘We’ll be the ones threatened by that man. Again.’

Again? What did she mean? Richard touched the door, it opened further. He saw all three of them now. They hadn’t noticed him.

‘It won’t come to that, will it, Dad?’ Linda looked terrified.

What was going on?

‘No, love, it won’t.’ Ted was glaring at Ellen. ‘But if Richard gets into the university, he’ll come back to Ashford, and if he and Karen stay together…’ he reached out for her hands. ‘We might have to deal with … things … then.’

Richard pushed the door wide. ‘What things?’

In the silence, Ted cleared his throat, coughed, looked uncomfortable. Linda crossed to put her arm around Richard’s shoulder and turned to face her mother. The colour drained from Ellen’s face and then returned a crimson red.

‘Your Auntie Ellen’s scared Karen’s father would be angry we’re letting her stay. But …’ Ted waved both hands in front of him in a gesture of denial, ‘it’s nothing for you to worry yourself about, lad.’

Ellen’s lips were a thin line. ‘No, I’m sorry, Richard, it’s best she’s gone.’ She paused as though thinking what to say. And then, ‘From what I hear, her father—’

‘Stepfather—’

‘Yes, well … stepfather, then … has got a temper on him. We don’t want any trouble but—’ She was stopped by the warning look on Ted’s face.

‘The way you were talking,’ Richard looked first at Linda and then at his aunt and uncle, ‘it sounded as though you already knew him.’

‘No.’ Linda and Ted spoke together.

‘It’s just what Karen said last night,’ Linda said.

Richard thought Linda’s answer came too quickly.

His temper, usually slow to rise, took hold of him. ‘Don’t worry, Auntie, we’ll both be gone soon.’

‘Hey up, lad, she doesn’t mean for us to kick you out.’

‘Sorry, Uncle, but if Karen goes, I go.’

Linda squeezed him. ‘No…’

‘It’s okay, Lin. Honest. I’ll take her home with me.’

‘No!’ This time it was Ellen. ‘No, you can’t—’

‘Why?’ As Richard stared at her, Karen appeared behind him.

‘What’s wrong?’ She gazed from one to the other of them.

No one spoke.

The doorbell rang, shrill in the silence.

Chapter 36: Jackie Howarth

Ashford: Saturday, September 27th

‘Sorry it’s so early, I’m just on my way home from night shift and I thought I’d call. Can I come in?’

‘Bit formal, the front door, Jacqueline?’ Ted held the door wider. ‘Course you can come in.’

‘I nearly came in the back but when I was in the yard I could hear raised voices so I thought I’d better come round to the front.’ In the hall she lowered her voice. ‘What’s up, Uncle Ted?’

‘There’s been a bit of a to-do, like.’ He whispered, holding on to the catch and quietly closing the door. ‘Our Richard’s girlfriend turned up in the night. Had a row with her dad.’

Jackie gave an inward groan; she wasn’t going to help matters much. ‘I heard Auntie Ellen; she sounded really upset.’

‘Aye.’ Ted pinched his nostrils between his thumb and forefinger. ‘She is…’ He hesitated.

Jackie could tell he didn’t want to say anything more. No doubt she’d find out sooner or later. She gave a mental shrug. ‘Actually it’s Richard I want to see, Uncle. In private.’ She looked meaningfully at the living-room door.

‘Oh.’ He followed her gaze. ‘Oh, yes, of course. Go on in there, I’ll tell him you’re here. And I’ll keep your auntie in the kitchen; make sure she doesn’t come with him.’

‘Thanks.’ She smiled, reflecting on how much she liked this quiet man. And wondered, for what felt like the millionth time, how he put up with Ellen. And marvelled, yet again, when he opened the kitchen door and she heard Ellen’s irritable questioning, followed by his appeasing tone.

‘It’s Jacqueline. She just wants a word with Richard.’

Jackie didn’t hear what else was said; Ted closed the kitchen door. She wandered over to the window and stared out onto the street, then back around the room, so familiar from her childhood days. Most of the time she’d spent in this house with Linda, they’d had to go to her cousin’s bedroom to play but sometimes, in the winter, if Ellen was out, her uncle had carried a shovelful of burning coals from the kitchen fire and laid them in the grate in the living-room. She and Linda had huddled around the fire and read books. Mostly happy memories.

‘Jackie? You wanted to see me?’ Richard appeared next to her. ‘What’s up?’ He jerked his head towards the dividing wall. ‘I can’t stop long; Karen’s in there, she’s a bit upset.’

‘Uncle Ted told me there was some bother.’ Jackie ran her fingers through her short curly hair and straightened the collar of her shirt. She could sense the tension in him and regretted she was going to add to it. ‘Close the door a minute. Let’s sit down.’

He did as she suggested, watching her warily.

‘How did the interviews go?’

‘Okay. I’m just waiting to hear now.’

‘You’ll sail through.’

‘Hope so.’ Richard looked down at the carpet, chafed the back of his hand with the palm of the other in an old gesture Jackie recognised. She did the same thing when she was nervous.

She touched his arm, made sure he was facing her before she spoke. This would have been a lot better if they’d been strangers and she was just doing her job. She sighed; she’d try to make this as easy as possible for Richard but it would be difficult.

‘I talked to your mum on the phone on Wednesday. It’s your dad.’ She lifted her hand to calm Richard as he took a shuddering breath. ‘It’s all right, he’ll be all right.’

‘What…?’

‘He’s had another small heart attack.’

‘When?’

‘Monday sometime.’ Jackie said. ‘And, like I said, according to your mum, he’ll be fine.’

‘Why did no-one tell me?’ His voice lost the carefully modulated pitch he’d learned to use and now, thick with distress, was a flat monotone. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, swallowed against the tears.

‘Nobody else knew except me. Your mum didn’t want you to know until after your interviews. And to be honest she didn’t want Auntie Ellen or Auntie Jean to go flogging down there. She said there was nothing either of them could do.’

‘He’ll be okay?’

‘Yes. Well, they’re apparently letting him out of hospital so he must be doing all right. Auntie Mary said to telephone her tonight after visiting time.’

‘I tried last night. I wondered why they weren’t in.’ His voice rose. ‘They never go out normally.’

‘She must have been at the hospital.’

‘I need to go home.’ He stood up, suddenly decisive. ‘I’ll have to get a train ticket.’

‘Yes. I’m sure Uncle Ted will help you to sort that out for you.’ Relieved that he was calming down, she added, ‘I’ll come into the kitchen with you and let them know what’s happened.’

In the hall, he turned back to her. ‘This is all the fault of my stupid cow of a sister.’

‘Hi, you must be Karen?’ Jackie smiled at her.

‘Yes.’ The girl answered but her smile was strained.

Ted squeezed his palms together. He looked flustered. ‘Let’s all sit down, shall we?’

‘Never mind that, what’s the problem?’ Ellen pushed past Karen and Linda. ‘Is it Mary?’ She moved to steady herself against Ted, clutching hold of him. ‘Ted?’

He patted her hand. ‘Shush now. I’m sure Jacqueline would have said if it was your Mary.’

‘It’s not Mary,’ Jackie said. ‘It’s Uncle Peter; he’s had a slight heart attack.’

‘No.’

Hearing Linda’s gasp, Jackie said hastily, ‘He’ll be all right. They’re letting him home so he must be getting better already,’ she said, for the second time in ten minutes. ‘But Richard should go home.’

‘Yes, of course he must,’ Linda said.

Karen moved to his side, put her arm around him.

‘How did you find out?’ Ellen said.

‘Auntie Mary told me.’

‘Why didn’t she ring me? I am her sister, after all,’ Ellen said. ‘You’d think she would have told me.’

Linda made a small, exasperated noise.

‘I’ll go to her. Now.’ Ellen moved towards the door. ‘I’ll pack.’

‘No.’ Richard barely glanced at her. ‘No.’

Ted put his hand out to hold onto Ellen. ‘He’s right, love, you shouldn’t go. Not yet.’

‘Why not?’ She shook him off.

‘It’s not the right time,’ Ted said, firmly. He nodded to Richard. ‘We’ll go to the station and see if we can get you on a train today.’

‘Thanks, Uncle.’

‘I’d like to go too, if that’s all right with you, Richard?’ Linda said. ‘I’d like to help.’

‘Okay, Lin.’

‘Well, then, I should come with you,’ Ellen complained.

‘No, love,’ Ted said, ‘our Linda’s a nurse, she’ll be more use than any of us can be. Let her go.’

‘Karen’s going to come with me,’ Richard said.

‘Perhaps better not.’ Linda said.

‘Why?’

She was flustered. ‘Well, with your dad…’ The words trailed away.

Jackie watched. There was evidently something going on she didn’t know about. Linda was upset. And she was right. With all the worries about Vicky and their uncle’s heart attack, Auntie Mary had enough to put up, never mind a stranger landed in her midst. Now Linda was looking straight at her and the familiar silent conversation, which had stood them in good stead since childhood, kicked in.

‘How about staying with me until things get sorted?’ she said to Karen. ‘No problem.’

Chapter 37: Linda Booth

Ashford: Saturday, September 27th

‘I don’t see why we had to meet here.’ Martin scuffed at the gravel on the path, picked up a stone and skimmed it along the surface of the lake. His lower lip jutted out. ‘Or this early.’

‘It’s ten o’clock. And I’m getting a train down to Wales tomorrow, my uncle’s ill and there’s some family stuff that needs sorting.’ Linda waited to get his full attention, wishing she was anywhere but here and with anyone but him. She was going to hurt him and she was sorry about that, but better now than years down the line. Years in which she was sure they would both be miserable.

He ignored what she’d said. ‘I was nearly here before the park keeper.’ He pushed at one of the canoes with his foot, sending the whole row bobbing one by one.

Linda battled to keep her patience. She sat on the bench pulling her blue maxi-coat over her knees and clutched her shoulder-bag on her lap. Patting the seat of the bench, she said, ‘Come and sit down, Martin, there’s something I want to tell you.’

‘I’m all right here, thanks.’ He stood looking down on her, his arms folded.

She met his glare. ‘It’s not easy and I’m sorry—’

‘You want to pack me in, don’t you?’

‘I wouldn’t be being fair if I let things go on.’

‘How noble.’ His lips moved into a sneer. ‘How bloody noble of you.’

She understood his anger. ‘Martin—’

He didn’t give her a chance. ‘I knew it. I’ve known since the other day … since you stood me up at the last minute.’ He fumbled in the pocket of his sports jacket. When he held his hand out it was to show her a small box. ‘Know what this is?’ he demanded. ‘Cost me a bloody fortune, this ring did!’

Linda winced; it always came down to money with him. But still she said, ‘I’m sorry.’

He raised his eyes. ‘Stop bloody saying sorry. Just tell me why!’

She couldn’t, not really. ‘I don’t want to get married and that’s what you want.’

‘You could have told me that before I went chucking my cash around.’ He shoved the box back into his pocket, turned his head to one side and spat. The globule just missed her foot. When he looked back at her there was a challenge in his eyes.

Like a spoiled little boy, Linda thought, even as she understood his anger. Had she led him on? She wasn’t sure but then admitted she’d let him think they would eventually get married. Why? She’d known for a long time it wasn’t what she wanted. And it wasn’t just that she needed a career. No, if she were truthful … even if it was only to herself … she’d been bored with him for a long time. With his penny-pinching ways, his counting the cost of every time they went to the pictures, went on a bus, a train, shopping together. Last month he’d even chastised her for spending her own money on a new pair of shoes, she remembered.