THE BONDAGE OF LOVE (32 page)

"He's spent a night in jail. If that isn't imprisonment I don't know what you would call it. Anyway, there it is." She turned now and picked up her mackintosh from the chair, and, putting it on, she tightened the belt while he stood staring at her quite speechless.

Then, as he made for the stairs, he paused and turned to her again, saying,

"What guarantee have I that if you get all your demands your father won't still go to the station?"

"I can assure you he won't if Sammy is outside by the time he arrives.

And to be on the safe side, that should be half-past nine. From then on, some time will be taken up by him going for me; then the rest is up to you. "

"The rest?" It was an enquiry, and she answered it swiftly, "Yes, the rest."

She added, "You ordered my father to be at your chambers at half-past ten, likely to give him a dressing down for championing his adopted son. But now the boot's on the other foot: he will tell you where you stand."

When, in a sarcastic tone, he said, "Will you grant me time to dress?"

she did not answer, but as she watched him going quickly up the stairs, she put her hand out and groped towards the wooden hall chair, and sat down.

In less than five minutes he reappeared, dressed in a dark blue suit with a grey-striped tie, then went to a hall wardrobe and took out a dark over coat.

He did not look towards Katie it seemed to be agreed that she should sit there and await his return but he had just reached the front door when his wife appeared from a further door across the hall, and she called to him,

"Where are you going? Your breakfast is ready."

"I don't want any breakfast."

She came hurrying towards him.

"Where are you going?"

To Arthur's. "

"To Arthur's!" The exclamation came in a high voice, and she repeated,

"Arthur's? Why?"

"Because I want his help. Without it, I'm informed' - he now nodded slowly to where Katie was sitting 'we'll be headlined in the papers by this evening.

Would you like that, madam?"

The woman now turned and looked at Katie, and she actually cried, "She wouldn't dare."

"Oh, yes, she would, my dear. That young lady is an unusual individual. So, I am going to Arthur, and Jean can come in and console you later."

With that he stepped past her, pulled open the door and went out, while she, turning, walked slowly towards Katie, and when she stopped, she was wringing her hands.

She spoke as if the words were being forced through her teeth.

"You are a wicked girl," she said.

"Wicked! He would have never attempted any such thing if you hadn't encouraged him. He could get any girl he wanted, so why should he want to take you?"

"That's what I've asked him, Mrs. Ferndale. The only reason he wanted to take me was because he couldn't get me. I wasn't easy bait. And he couldn't bear the thought of any girl turning her nose up at him. Oh, no! And I've always turned my nose up at him, because I've known from the first that he was no good. To put it in common parlance, your son is an empty nowt."

The woman's teeth were actually clenched now, and she swallowed twice before she muttered, "And you, girl, are like your father, as common as dirt, and as pretentious as your mother with her act of false refinement."

"Well, if that's how you see them, that's your opinion. But I wouldn't want to hurt you any more than you have been this morning by telling you their opinion of you. But I'll say this: it's mainly to

do with your lack of intelligence. "

She thought the woman was about to drop at her feet, because she swayed now and gasped a number of times before turning away.

If Katie could have been amused at anything while she sat waiting, it would have been the sight of the young maid making frequent visits across the hall, and always her look directed towards herself, as if she were a creature from another planet.

She was shivering again. Her insides seemed loose within their casing.

She knew she had been very rude to the woman. What she had said would have been applauded by Bill, but not by her mother. She asked herself now what the next move would be if the chief inspector found it impossible to help his friend and stop that particular section of the force from making charges?

Yet, she was aware there were wheels within wheels: she had only to listen to her dad talking to her mother about the workings of the trust, and the

hand-outs here and there so that things should run smoothly. Bill had a saying, "You can't have too many friends at court." But one of those friends, Mr. George Ferndale, barrister, would definitely be one no more; nor would the inspector of police, who had been, if not a friend at court, on the list of court acquaintances, being a member of the same club.

She glanced at her wrist-watch. It showed twenty minutes to nine.

When the hands had moved to ten to, she got to her feet, and as she did so the front door opened and George Ferndale entered. After he had closed the door he leant against it for a moment before straightening up and saying,

"Well, you'll be pleased to know your plan has worked. And, in a strange way, I suppose I've got to thank you for going to all this trouble. But I quite understand it wasn't to save my face, and certainly not that of my son, but in the main I see it as your attempt to quell the reactions of your impetuous stepfather and the consequences of his outburst which might have affected his business.

Am I right? "

"Yes," she nodded at him, 'you're right. I wouldn't have wished to see him lose all he has worked for over the years. Not that the trust could have taken the contract away from him, but they could have squashed his further plans, which you will undoubtedly have already heard of, concerning the ten acres of building land on Bishop's Farm. "

"You're very well informed."

"We are a close-knit family."

"Yes. Yes, you are that." He nodded at her slowly. And, as she looked at him, again she felt sorry that she'd had to take this stand, because he looked and sounded weary. Then he said, "By the time you reach the station, your friend will have been released."

"Thank you." She was now making for the door when he said, "Have you got your career mapped out?"

"Not really. I'm sitting for my A levels in June."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen next birthday."

"Why don't you try the law? You've got all the makings of an advocate.

There are lots of women barristers these days. "

She did not know whether or not he was laughing at her, so she answered pertly, "Yes, I could give it a try. I'm not likely to make more of a hash of it than the rest."

He actually smiled at her now, then quietly he voiced his real thoughts by saying, "Whatever you do, it must be something where you can use your voice and your rational reasoning."

They stared at each other. Then she answered him quietly, saying, "Thank you, and ... and I'm sorry that I have had to act as I have done."

She had to blink quickly to stop the tears spilling from her eyes. And now he put his hand out and lightly touched her arm as he said, "Don't worry, my dear. I too am sorry that you have had to act as you have done, particularly so that you have had to suffer under my son's hands. Believe me,

particularly so about that."

She drooped her head. Then he opened the door and she went out.

She did not hurry towards the police station because she was endeavouring to calm herself. All she wanted to do now was to cry, to lie down and cry. She felt utterly tired, sapped. She only hoped her dad wouldn't make a scene when he arrived, because that would finish her. She couldn't cope with much more.

When she entered Dene Street it was to see Sammy in the distance. He was standing on the kerb, and on the sight of her he hurried towards her, his hands outstretched. And she just stopped herself from falling against him.

"They've ... they've just let me out. They said I ... I had to wait for you."

"That's all they said?"

"Oh, something about pending, case pending. Oh, Katie! Oh, Katie! am I glad to see you. I know what me da went through in there. Oh, I'll never do a wrong thing in my life; it puts the fear of God into you.

Where's . where's Mr. B? "

"He should be here at any minute."

"It's a long story. I ... I can't talk now. Oh, there's the car. Oh, thank God!"

He looked at her, then took her arm. And when the car drew up against the kerb, she put her head in the window and said, "Dad, don't get out. Please, don't get out! Mam, let ... let Sammy sit there, and you come in the back with me, please. Please!"

"Look here! I want..."

It was almost a scream she let out as she stuck her head through the window now and cried, "Shut up! For God's sake! Dad, shut up and let me get home!

You can do all the shouting you like then. Just drive me home."

When Fiona left her seat, she opened the back door of the car and pressed Katie in. Then, when she herself sat down, she said quietly to Bill, "Get us home."

He said nothing, but started the car with a jerk, and almost at the same time Katie turned and

buried her face in her mother's shoulder and began to sob uncontrollably.

Katie's crying did not stop when they arrived home. It did not stop until the doctor, two hours later, gave her a sedative, declaring she was suffering from delayed shock. And it was more than twenty-four hours later when, once again seated downstairs, she related all that had transpired. And when she was held in Bill's arms, he, too, brokenly related what had transpired since she had been asleep. It was to do with a meeting with George Ferndale, and the punishment the man intended to mete out to his son.

z

Vague rumours were fleeting through the town. One concerned the big

contractor's daughter: that she had been raped and had turned up at a

barrister's house early one morning.

What was known for certain was that the barrister's son was to start work in the court offices, in a position no better than a tea boy's.

It had been assumed he would have been off to university, but the fellow had not had enough guts to refuse.

Yes, there must be something in the rumour. Somebody's palm must have been well oiled to keep quiet about it. That's how things were worked these days, in all ways. You could get away with murder, if you had enough cash.

Funny, too, it should be that man Bailey's family again. Not so long ago there had been that drug business, in which one of the family had also been concerned . Oh, what did it matter after all? The trains were still

running, there was water in the mains, and nobody yet had thought of cutting off the town's electricity. Although, when one of the bright lads

found out a way to shin up the pole to those wires without being

electrocuted, undoubtedly they would have a shot at it. And you only owed four hundred and sixty-five pounds in back rent. So, why worry?

All they could do was put you out, then find you another place where you could start all over again.

So was Daisy's opinion of rumour and the condition of the country.

And when her father shoved her so hard that she fell against the chest of drawers, she cried at him, "Don't you start knocking me about, Len Gallagher.

I'm not your wife, I'm only the result of a skinful of beer."

"Our Daisy!"

"Yes, our Ma. Well, you said so yourself, and I remember the time you said it an' all. You were laying on to me bare backside and you said that I

showed fear for neither God nor man. And it was all because of him," she thumbed towards her father, 'because he came in roaring that night, full up to the gunnels. And you always said he had fear of neither God nor man when he was in drink. Well, he's passed it on. "

She cast a laughing glance at Len now and he shook his head slowly at her, saying, "By God! I did an' all; and we've all had to pay for it since."

"What's brought you home at dinner-time, lass?" Annie now pushed a mug of tea towards Daisy, where she was sitting at the corner of the table close to her father's chair.

"Well, it's about the only time I guessed that the house would be empty except for you two," Daisy replied. She looked down into the mug of tea before she explained quietly, "I want to ask you something, both of you, and it's serious."

She had their attention now; they were both staring at her. And when she didn't go on, Annie pulled a chair from under the table and sat down;

and she said, "What is it, lass? Something worrying you?"

"Yes, you could say that, Ma." Daisy nodded towards her mother.

"Yet, it's all cut and dried in my mind; it was just that I wanted to know what you think about it?"

"You're not thinking of leaving home, are you?" It was almost a growl from Len, and Daisy, looking at him, said, "Not for a while, anyway, Da, and not in the way you mean. No."

"Then, what is it?"

She now looked from one to the other, then said, "If you fell for somebody, you know what I mean, and ... and you knew he didn't want you, never would in that way 'cos he had somebody else in his eye, would you think it a good thing to take second best?"

She watched her parents exchange glances. It was her father who answered,

"That, in a way, is a tough question to answer, lass, but as it happens, I can answer it from personal experience." Now he had turned his gaze fully on his wife as he said, "Isn't that so, Annie?"

Annie did not answer, but she lifted up her mug and took a long drink of tea.

Then, looking at Len again, she said, "Well, go on with your tale."

He turned back to Daisy, saying, "I was knocked for six when I was let down by someone I thought I couldn't live without. I was a young fella, and the day she married another bloke I got drunk. I'd hardly touched it afore; it didn't appeal to me. All I could think of in those days was saving money to make a home fit for a bride. Huh! Well, I went on the razzle. Then I met'

- he now jerked his head sideways 'her. She was a shoulder to cry on. I liked her, but I didn't love her." He now turned and his look was soft on the bowed head.