Sensing there was more to it than that, Adam insisted he should show them. ‘And what was a child doing in the yard? You should have had more sense than to allow it.’ He knew the rules, and he was angry.
Ned and Adam were taken to a safe spot from where they could see what had taken place. The man pointed to the bundle. He looked at Ned, saying in a small frightened voice, ‘I don’t know how to tell you this but… it’s your grandson.’
Ned stared at him, a look of sheer horror crossing his features. It was Adam who spoke. ‘What are you saying? The child out there is Danny?’
When he nodded, Ned would have charged out. It was only Adam’s restraining hand that stopped him. ‘Easy, Ned. If the boy’s alive, we want him to stay that way.’ Incredibly calm but thinking fast, he addressed the guv’nor in a solemn voice. ‘You say the police and ambulance are on their way?’
‘Yes, I’ve told you.’
‘Who’s out there?’
‘I don’t know.’ With the flat of his hand he wiped the sweat from his face.
Now the question that Adam was afraid to ask. ‘And Rosie? Where is Rosie?’
Again, the man shook his head. ‘She and the lad came in for a load this morning, and I saw them leave the yard myself. I didn’t see them come back, and I don’t know what’s happened here. All I know is what you know.’
‘Came in for a load?’ Adam couldn’t believe his ears. ‘I think you’d better explain,’ he said in a hard voice.
The other man gave a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of sirens piercing the air. ‘They’re here,’ he cried, racing to meet them. ‘The police are here.’
‘I’m going out there.’ Adam moved forward. ‘I’ve got to get the boy… got to know that Rosie’s all right.’ Before Ned could stop him, he was already walking out, arms in the air as he went towards Danny. ‘I’M GETTING THE BOY,’ he called. There was no answer, so he kept walking, nearer and nearer, until now he was standing over the child. ‘Alright, son,’ he murmured as he took the limp figure into his arms. His heart lurched when the boy’s head dropped. There seemed no life at all.
‘STAY WHERE YOU ARE.’ Doug’s voice sailed across the yard. ‘I’VE GOT ROSIE. IF YOU WANT HER, YOU’D BEST COME AND GET HER.’ He laughed then, and it was the laugh of a maniac.
Adam was astounded to recognise the voice. ‘DOUG!’ He brought his arms up to give the boy more protection. All manner of emotions went through him. What was Doug doing here? Shouldn’t he be in prison? Why had he shot his own son? And why was he holding Rosie in terror? It was obvious he had lost his mind. ‘WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?’
Laughter again. Then: ‘YOU SHOULD KNOW, YOU BASTARD.’ His voice fell away. ‘You and her… cheating on me behind my back. I’m glad the boy’s dead. You’re next. Then her.’
‘You’re so wrong, Doug. Rosie has always been faithful to you. Let me take the boy, and I swear I’ll come back. It isn’t Rosie you want. It’s me. Don’t hurt her, Doug. Alright, I’m taking the boy now.’
‘MOVE ONE INCH AND I’LL CUT YOU DOWN.’ The shot rang out, hitting the ground before him. When Adam looked up, he was horrified to see Doug standing before him. Rosie was pressed to his side, with a length of twining round her throat, and a look of sheer terror in her brown eyes. Where the twining had cut deep, there was a smudged trail of blood. Weak now, she could hardly stand. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move. But through those lovely stricken eyes she told Adam everything he wanted to know. ‘Let her go, Doug,’ he pleaded softly. ‘She’s done you no harm. Neither has the boy. It’s me you want. You have to let them go.’ It broke his heart to see her like that. Now her eyes were on Danny, and she was softly crying.
‘Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?’ Doug sneered, tightening his hold on Rosie and making her wince. ‘You think I’m mad, don’t you?’ He took a step forward and cried out with pain. Neglect and rough living had turned his leg gangrenous. He knew he had nothing to lose. ‘I can’t let her go. She has to die.’ He aimed his gun at Adam’s temple. ‘But first she can see you and the bastard lying at my feet. It’s only right.’ His eyes narrowed as he prepared to pull the trigger.
Not far away, the police were closing in, ready to move. But the situation was fraught with danger, and one wrong move could end in tragedy. Adam saw them creeping forward. ‘Think what you’re doing, man,’ he said sternly, ‘Rosie and the boy, you have to let them go.’ If it wasn’t for them, Adam would have launched himself at Doug and taken his chances.
‘Say your prayers,’ Doug advised, grinning. ‘Are you watching, Rosie?’ Tugging on the twining, he made her cry out.
Incensed by her pain, Adam twisted sideways and kicked out with the intention of knocking Doug off balance. He caught Doug on the shin, causing him to double up in pain. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ned’s burly figure crunched against Doug, sending him back with such force that Rosie was thrown sideways. Everything happened at once.
Gently taking the twining from round her throat, Adam cradled Rosie in his arms. ‘You’re safe now,’ he whispered. ‘You’re safe, sweetheart.’ Her smile was full of pain.
‘Danny?’ she whispered hoarsely. When Adam told her that her son was in good hands, her eyes closed in relief.
Behind them was chaos. Police emerged from every direction. Ned’s formidable weight had driven his son to the railway tracks, and now he was holding him down, pressing his back to the iron tracks.
Warnings were being shouted that the wagons were bearing down on top of them. He wasn’t listening. Instead, he was cursing his son for being the despicable person he was. ‘I can’t altogether blame you for what you are,’ he said finally, his voice and heart broken. ‘Happen if I’d been more of a father to you, none of this would ever have happened.’
Crippled with pain, Doug told him wickedly, ‘I never wanted you. It was my mother I loved, not you.’
Ned shook his head in despair. ‘And I hated her,’ he said simply. ‘Like you, she was a wicked creature. Never happier than when she was hurting others.’ The memory of all those wasted years with Martha was more than he could bear. Now the evil in her had been perpetuated in her son. Something inside him opened out to swallow him up. And, at long last, he knew what he must do.
The police were helpless. They saw Ned pin his son flat with the weight of his own body. As the laden wagons sliced through the two squirming figures, there was an odd murmuring sound, almost like a prayer, and then a shocking, deathly silence.
Adam was devastated and yet, in some strange way, he understood. Then he turned and went to Rosie. That was where his future lay. If only she would have him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
On 20 July 1955, Rosie sat by the empty fire-grate inside her little house in Castle Street. As she looked around that familiar living-room, with its sturdy well-polished furniture, low ceilings and black-leaded range, she was filled with nostalgia. ‘There are both good and bad memories here,’ she told Peggy, who was seated opposite. ‘I’ll miss it.’
‘No, you won’t,’ Peggy declared brightly. ‘You’ve got too much to look forward to.’ Lowering her gaze, she flushed with shame. ‘I’m sorry if I made you unhappy,’ she said softly. ‘I didn’t mean to.’
‘Don’t, Peggy, that’s all in the past.’ Reaching out to touch her hand, Rosie assured her, ‘You’re here now, and we’re friends again. That’s all that matters.’
Peggy groaned. ‘God! I can’t believe what a bitch I was to you. And all because of a swine like Robert Fellows.’ She saw Rosie smiling and laughed out loud. ‘Got what he deserved though, didn’t he?’ she chuckled.
‘Honestly, Peggy, I think it was rotten of you to tell his wife he was carrying on with every female in the office.’
‘Got him transferred though, didn’t it? Pity it didn’t get old Meg Benton and that measly pair thrown out too. Especially after the way they let you down.’
‘All water under the bridge,’ Rosie said. ‘Best forgotten.’
‘What time is he coming for you?’
Rosie glanced at the mantelpiece clock. ‘Any minute now.’ Her stomach fluttered as she realised the moment was almost here.
‘Rosie?’
‘Yes?’ She knew what was coming, but she didn’t know how to answer.
‘Do you think you and Adam will get wed?’
‘It’s too early to say. So much has happened, Peggy. I have to be sure.’ Adam had asked her to be his wife weeks ago, and still she hadn’t given him an answer.
‘Surely it wasn’t all his fault? Think about it, Rosie. Take your mind back over the years. He came home, hoping to marry you, and you tell him you’re expecting his best friend’s child. Wouldn’t you have walked out? And as for Ned’s business, well, hasn’t he explained all of that to you… about how it was Ned himself who asked him to take the responsibility off his shoulders? We all knew Ned was in debt… that Martha was dragging him under. You believe Adam’s account, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do. Deep down, I expect I knew it all along.’
‘And he wasn’t married to that poor young woman who died?’
‘I’ve told you.’
‘He’s handsome as ever, don’t you think?’
Rosie blushed pink. ‘As ever.’
‘And Danny loves him, doesn’t he?’
‘I’ve never seen him so happy. Those two are so right together. When Danny was in hospital, Adam was always there for him… and me,’ she added softly. ‘Since Danny’s been home, the same.’
‘You’ve already admitted you love him.’
‘Since the day I met him, I’ve never stopped loving him. All through the awful years with Doug, I kept on loving Adam. Even when he walked out on me, I couldn’t help but love him still. And now, with everything that’s happened, I love him more than ever.’
‘Then why can’t you tell him you’ll marry him?’ Given half the chance, Peggy would have jumped at the offer. But then she was one kind of creature, and Rosie was another. ‘It’s time you had some happiness,’ she said. ‘You and Danny. And Adam too.’
‘I know.’ Rosie gazed at her dear friend and all her emotions were laid bare. ‘It’s not Adam,’ she murmured. ‘It’s me.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s the guilt I feel. The awful things I’ve done.’ Sighing, she stood up and walked to the window. The July sun was blazing down. Outside it was warm. In her heart it was cold. ‘Doug was cruel, I know. But I was worse.’ Peggy would have spoken then, but Rosie put up her hand. ‘No, Peggy, hear me out. In the beginning, Adam did what he thought was right, and he deeply regrets it. Doug did what he did because he was tortured by jealousy. But me… there is no excuse for what I did? Since Doug and I were married, every minute of every day I was with Adam, through every waking hour, in my heart and soul, I was committing adultery. How can I forgive myself for that?’ She was crying now, the tears rolling down her face. ‘Oh, Peggy, I feel as though I have no right to happiness now. If only I’d been a better wife to him. What happened to Doug and Ned, I feel it’s my fault.’ The sobs racked her body, and all the pent-up emotions flooded out. ‘I’m a bad woman,’ she said. ‘Adam deserves better.’
Peggy went to her then. Taking her in her arms, she said softly, ‘You mustn’t punish yourself like that, Rosie. What happened was never your fault. If anyone was to blame for what happened to Ned and his son, it was Martha. The woman was evil through and through. She controlled Doug in a way that you and I could see, and Ned too… but Doug never realised. He was a victim of her tyranny, just as Ned was. You must see that?’ She gently shook Rosie. ‘What happened to them was not your fault, and you have a right to happiness. Take it, Rosie. For once in your life, put yourself first. Open your heart and go to him. Spend the rest of your life with the man you’ve always loved, and don’t be ashamed or guilty. There’s no need.’
Rosie looked into those sharp blue eyes and laughed through her tears. ‘You’re a bossy bugger, Peggy Lewis,’ she said.
‘So you’ll do it?’
Taking a hankie from her skirt pocket, Rosie wiped her face and blew her nose. ‘We’ll see,’ she said. Then brightly she declared, ‘Oh, Peggy, I’m glad we’re friends again. I honestly thought you’d turned your back on me for good.’
‘Silly cow that I am!’
These two had cried together, and now they laughed together, and Rosie’s heart was full. ‘I’ll be in touch.’
‘You’d better.’
‘And you’ll take care of everything while I’m gone?’
‘I said, didn’t I?’
‘Do I look all right?’
Taking a moment to study her, Peggy thought Rosie had never looked more beautiful. She was dressed in a soft blue blouse with a sweetheart neckline, and a straight knee-length skirt which showed off her shapely legs. Her rich brown hair, which had grown longer, was tied with a pretty blue ribbon and draped over one shoulder; tiny wispy curls framed her lovely face, and her brown eyes still sparkled with tears. ‘When were you ever anything but all right?’ Peggy said, with only the tiniest hint of envy.
Collecting her coat, Rosie draped it over her arm. Then she picked up her suitcase and went with Peggy to the door. Danny was sitting on the step, watching the corner of the road. ‘He ain’t here yet, Mam,’ he said mournfully.
‘Anybody would think you hadn’t seen him for months,’ she said. ‘It’s only been a week since Adam was here.’
‘He would have stayed if you hadn’t sent him away.’
‘We’re not the only ones he loves, you know,’ Rosie reminded him. ‘He has a little girl waiting at the other end, don’t forget.’
‘Are we staying long with him?’
‘We’ll see.’
Peggy’s voice whispered in her ear. ‘I hope you don’t come back at all.’ When Rosie stared at her, she went on, ‘I hope I get a letter from you… telling me to sell everything, and send you the money. I hope the letter says you’re to be married, and I’m to be maid of honour. And I hope the letter isn’t long in coming.’ Rosie might have answered, but Danny’s whoop of joy deafened them both. Adam’s car turned into the street and Danny was limping along the pavement, waving his arms and yelling for Adam to hurry up. ‘The little bugger might have been close to death’s door a few months back,’ Peggy recalled. ‘But it ain’t hurt his lungs, that’s for sure.’
Rosie’s face clouded over as she remembered how Danny had been shot through the thigh. He had lost a great deal of blood, and for a time it was touch and go. But then he rallied round, and now even the limp was less pronounced. ‘Take care of yourself,’ she told Peggy, hugging her close.
Adam ushered Danny into the car before coming to put his arm round Rosie. ‘Hello, sweetheart,’ he said, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her shamelessly. ‘You look good enough to eat.’
‘Not in front of the neighbours if you please,’ Peggy protested good-naturedly. ‘We’re not used to such goings on down our street.’
‘You’re a good friend to Rosie,’ Adam said, ‘I won’t forget that.’ He kissed her lightly on the cheek. Taking the case from Rosie, he told her, ‘Danny and I will wait for you in the car.’
‘You’ve got a good man there, Rosie gal,’ said Peggy. ‘Don’t let him go a second time.’
Rosie hugged her again. ‘Take care of yourself,’ she said. In a minute she was hurrying after Adam.
‘And don’t forget that letter,’ Peggy called as the car drew away. ‘I’ll be watching for it.’
‘What letter’s that, sweetheart?’ Adam asked, steering the car with one hand while with the other he took hold of Rosie’s.
‘Oh, just something Peggy and I were talking about.’ As she glanced at him, she wondered whether she would ever send that letter to Peggy. For now, she felt safe, confent to be with him, and deeply in love as always. But the guilt and the doubts still lingered. She wasn’t sure if they would ever leave her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
‘The
y get on so well, and to think I was worried.’ Adam beckoned Rosie to the window. ‘Look there,’ he said, sliding his arm round her waist. Outside, sitting on the step, Danny and April were laughing together.
Rosie laughed. ‘She knows how to flutter her eyelids.’
‘She’s making a lovely person,’ he agreed, ‘both in appearance and personality.’
While he lovingly gazed at the children, Rosie lovingly gazed at him. Though they were both seven years older now, and so much had happened during those long years when they had been apart, there was still something uniquely wonderful between them. Physically, Adam had not changed all that much. He was just as strong in physique, and his dark eyes were still filled with the same vibrant passion whenever he looked at her. But now there was something else. Something even more precious. There was complete trust, a warm and glorious contentment she thought could never happen. And, even as she was thinking it, he turned to her, gazing at her through dark love-filled eyes. ‘I love you, Rosie,’ he murmured.
‘And I love you,’ she said.
‘We could be married next month,’ he said, half-afraid. ‘You would make a wonderful August bride.’
Rosie was glad when a small voice piped up, ‘April wants to be bridesmaid.’ It was Danny. He had a protective arm round the little girl. ‘And I want to live here forever,’ he told Rosie.
Sensing her dilemma, Adam reminded them, ‘You two, go and ask Mrs Jessup to wash your hands and face. We’re going out. Or have you forgotten I have something to show you?’ When they raced off, screeching with excitement, Rosie asked, ‘Where are you taking us?’
‘You’re worse than the children,’ he teased, kissing her on the mouth, delighting her when he pressed her close to him. ‘Don’t you know you should never tell secrets?’
Within minutes the four of them were in the car and heading towards the outskirts of town. ‘Where are we going?’ asked the children excitedly. And Rosie did the same.
More Than Riches Page 40