‘Would you like me to have a word with her on the subject?’ he quietly asked.
Brenda shook her head. ‘No, I’ve decided to ignore the fact she’s snobby towards me. And if she has any domestic problems, they are nothing to do with me either.’
‘I think they do have issues in their marriage. They spend very little time together. That is probably why she’s so uptight at the moment, even worse than usual.’
‘Yet despite having problems of her own, she has not a shred of compassion for any of the traumas I’ve been through.’
‘I doubt she’s interested in hearing them,’ he wryly remarked.
‘She’s fully aware that I’m desperate to find my son.’ This comment set her heart racing, as Brenda longed to reveal what she’d discovered. ‘Do you think Melissa knows more than she’s admitting?’
Hugh’s brows puckered into a frown. ‘What do you mean? How could she know more?’
‘I-I’ve no idea,’ Brenda stammered, thinking she’d perhaps taken one step too close to the main issue before she had the information she needed about that little monkey. Questions, in fact, she might never find the answers to. Coming to a hasty decision, she drew herself away from him in order to hold her emotions in check. ‘I perhaps reacted badly to Gregory’s drunken behaviour because of something that happened to me while I was interned. I think it’s time you heard about that.’
‘Tell me,’ he quietly said.
Brenda paused for some moments to rally her strength before continuing. ‘While in the camp at Besançon, I was assaulted one evening by a German guard.’
‘He attacked you? Oh, that’s dreadful!
‘He raped me.’
He stared at her in shock. ‘You poor love.’
Tears flooded her eyes as she met his sympathetic gaze. ‘I tried to push him off, but failed. He was far too strong and aggressive. And his mates were standing by watching and laughing. Fortunately, I did manage to run away before they decided to join in.’
‘Thank God for that. What you must have suffered at that camp.’
She gave a caustic little laugh. ‘You don’t know the half of it, and apart from my friend Emma, who was also interned, I’ve never told this to anyone. I find it quite difficult to talk about. We were also strip-searched in Biarritz after we’d crossed the Pyrenees to make our way home through Spain, which fortunately involved nothing more serious than some unpleasant fumbling. Please don’t mention any of this, particularly not to Melissa. Such information would only convince her that she’s right in her low opinion of me.’
‘Your secret is safe with me, darling,’ he murmured, slipping his arm around her to hold her close and give her a soft kiss. ‘I believe in you absolutely.’
‘Thank you.’ The use of this endearment resonated deep into the heart of her. Did he genuinely mean this, or was this his way of helping to keep Tommy’s presence in the family a secret?
‘May I suggest that you stop fretting about my sister. Melissa’s life too is in something of a turmoil right now, which is why she keeps coming back home,’ he explained with a sigh. ‘I think she dreamed of enjoying a rich social life in London with her bureaucrat of a husband, but sadly it hasn’t quite worked out that way. He does seem rather neglectful and bombastic. But I will speak to him, and make sure he doesn’t ever bother you again. I can’t bear the thought of any other man kissing you, particularly after what you’ve just told me,’ he said, gently stroking her cheek.
Was this the moment to reveal what she’d discovered? Brenda wondered. Or was she so desperate to find her son that she imagined any child with a cuddly toy similar to the one she bought, could be Tommy? Feeling completely confused and vulnerable, she said no more.
Twenty-Nine
‘I believe you’ve been harassing Brenda, or perhaps fondling and attempting to seduce her is a more accurate description, which you should not be doing.’ Hugh confronted his brother-in-law with what he deemed to be appropriate calmness. Thanks to Brenda, he’d learned to control his temper. He no longer suffered from knots in his stomach, headaches or sleepless nights. He was not only overcoming his own problems but their relationship too was improving, growing closer by the day. She’d even reignited his interest in the business so that Hugh felt he was leading a much happier and more satisfying life. Surely all of that meant he had the right to protect her? He certainly had no wish for dear Brenda to be put in any more danger. Hadn’t she suffered enough already?
Gregory laughed. ‘She’s a single woman known for spreading her charms wherever she fancies, so why would I not tease and flirt with her?’
Hugh’s expression tightened to one of grim determination, even though his irritation remained in check. ‘She is my late brother’s widow and deserves to be treated with proper respect. May I also point out that my sister would be deeply hurt and offended were she to hear of your philandering.’
‘Then don’t tell her,’ he chuckled. ‘Not that the state of my marriage is any of your business. You know damn well Melissa is a difficult woman, not the perfect wife at all.’
‘And you’re an egotistical bully,’ Hugh calmly retorted. ‘I agree, the state of your marriage is not my concern, but do not ever touch Brenda again. Nor any other young lady in this house. You have no right to do that.’
‘So you imagine you can control my personal life as well as our finances?’ he snorted.
‘What are you talking about? I have no say over those.’
‘Then why have you stopped paying Melissa her allowance?’
Hugh sighed. ‘That came from my father, not me. Now that he is no longer with us and we’ve had to face a huge payment of death duties, not forgetting the effect of the war, we do not have the necessary funds to provide allowances any longer. Nor does Prue receive one, but she’s quite happy to do her bit on the farm to earn herself a wage that way. Brenda is also helping with the business. As Melissa is your wife, she is now your responsibility, not mine.’
‘So what about her inheritance?’
‘As you are fully aware, Papa did leave us all a percentage. Sadly, once the probate was dealt with and death duties settled, there was no money left. Which is why we are all working hard to rebuild the business as well as improve the farm. We may one day receive something of the inheritance he promised us, but it could take years to achieve.’
‘Is that because of your damned incompetence?’
Hugh pressed his lips together, feeling almost amused by this reaction. ‘Such is war and reality.’
‘So convincing me she was a woman of substance had been a complete lie,’ Gregory snapped.
‘Don’t be ridiculous! How could Melissa have known what life was going to bring when war broke out, and our father grew old and even more cranky? Now, returning to the point of this discussion, I say again: Keep well away from Brenda. Understand?’
‘With pleasure. I shall return to London at once.’
‘Excellent!’
*
Melissa marched into Hugh’s office with tears filling her grey-green eyes. ‘How dare you order my husband to leave when you know we are rarely able to spend much time together?’
Lifting his attention from the accounts he was working on to stare at her in dismay, he quickly stifled a sigh. ‘I did no such thing. That was his choice.’ How could he even begin to explain to his sister the true nature of their disagreement? That could damage her marriage even more, and make life yet more difficult for poor Brenda. ‘We were discussing the difficulties over the inheritance and he was not pleased with the sorry state we are currently in, blaming it on me, not the reality of war or the behaviour of our father.’ Hugh decided not to mention her husband’s accusation that she’d lied to him, which implied he’d married Melissa only for her money. ‘He then announced he would be returning to London. That decision had nothing at all to do with me.’
‘Gregory told me you argued over that little tart, and you chose to ignore the fact she was attempting to seduce him.’
�
�I do not believe that for one moment,’ he said, entirely unmoved by the tears running down her cheeks, fully aware of his sister’s ability to turn them on whenever she felt them to be appropriate.
Melissa tilted her chin, her mouth quivering with emotion. ‘Why will you not help me to protect my marriage?’
Getting up from his seat behind the desk, he went to put his arms about her. ‘I’m so sorry you have these problems, but I don’t see how I can help.’
She pushed him away. ‘What a naïve idiot you’re turning into. You allowed that little whore to stay in Jack’s old room, and she invited my husband to join her. And being something of a Lothario, he couldn’t resist accepting. But then she’s been flirting with him for some time. I know he spent part of the night with her, as he came very late to our bed, and looked filled with guilt. He wouldn’t even look me in the eye, let alone touch me. It’s her you should be banishing from our home, not Gregory.’
Feeling stunned by this, Hugh struggled to find the right response. Had that really happened, or was Gregory the instigator, just as he’d been that time over Christmas? Brenda had made no mention of being approached by him again, let alone that he’d come to her room. ‘Is this what he told you?’
‘It is.’
‘Have you checked it with Brenda?’
Bursting into fresh tears, she shook her head. ‘Why would I risk hearing what they got up to? Please get her out of here this minute, or my life will turn into even more of a nightmare. Yours too, once she has helped herself to the family money.’
Putting his arms about her, Hugh led her to the door. ‘Go and take a rest. I’ll do what I can to help, and if the opportunity presents itself I will ask Brenda what happened, and why.’
Closing the door as she dutifully departed, he wondered if he truly had any wish to do that. Who was he supposed to trust, his difficult snobbish sister or this young woman who had unexpectedly entered their lives?
*
Wrens and tree pipits woke Brenda at dawn with a cascade of trilling calls. Smiling, she slipped out of bed to step to the window and watch them spiralling in a bright blue sky blushed with pink. What a beautiful sight it was. September was upon them and the wild roses were no longer in bloom, but heather was beginning to cloud the hills in glorious purple, which she loved. She quickly dressed, as today she intended to have a go at making Yorkshire fruit teabread, and Goosnargh cakes, which could prove popular with customers. She had other options in mind and as it was a Saturday and the factory was closed, Mrs Harding had agreed she could experiment in the kitchen here. Baking would at least keep her mind off her problems.
Deciding to take breakfast later as it was barely six o’clock, Brenda gathered all the necessary ingredients together, then sifted the flour into the large yellow baking bowl. She added baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, a spoonful of marmalade and a little brown sugar, then a beaten egg and melted butter to mix into a soft dough. The fruit had been soaked overnight in tea and draining this off, she added those last.
While the cake was baking she was just starting to make a bit of courting cake, which was like a chewy rich biscuit, when Ross came scampering in, still clad in his pyjamas. As always, Brenda’s heart melted at sight of him. Even more so now.
‘Ooh, you’re baking, can I help?’
‘Of course. You’ll need to wash your hands then put on an apron. Is that a problem for you?’
He eagerly shook his head and ran to do as he was told, having first stroked Tiddles the cat who was curled up in his bed by the range. Brenda helped the little boy to tie the apron around his small waist, carefully tucking it up, as it was far too big, then perched him upon a stool.
‘I will roll and cut this dough into small rounds with this tart cutter, and you can spread each one with jam,’ she said, slowly demonstrating how that should be done. Brenda watched with pleasure as he carefully followed her instructions, his little tongue poking out the side of his mouth as he concentrated. ‘Now I shall cut a heart-shaped hole in each second round, which you can put on top. That’s perfect, well done,’ she said.
They worked together until all were done, by which time the little boy had jam all around his mouth, being unable to resist tasting it. Chuckling, Brenda told him to stay put while she put the tray into the oven and removed the Yorkshire teabread, to set it on a rack to cool.
‘Can we make some gingerbread men? I love them,’ he excitedly asked.
‘What a good idea. Let’s see, we need treacle, ginger and a touch of cinnamon to go with the butter, sugar and flour. Oh, and a little salt and bicarbonate of soda. Then we mix it all together.’ Brenda started the job then handed over the wooden spoon to let him take a turn at the mixing, which he did with a big grin on his face. ‘Now you roll out this piece, and I’ll do this one,’ she said, handing him a ball of dough and a small rolling pin.
She fetched Mrs Harding’s pink gingerbread-man cutter and showed him how to press it on to the rolled-out dough. Ross carried out this task too with great precision. They took no time at all to bake, while Brenda found some currants and candied peel. Ross was happily forming eyes and noses on the faces of the gingerbread men with this fruit when Melissa marched in.
‘So this is where you are, child. What the hell is going on here?’
Brenda’s heart sank. Was this narcissistic bully about to create problems yet again? Noticing how Ross had jerked at the sound of his alleged mother’s harsh tone of absolute authority, she calmly started to chop up a few small cherries for him to use as lips, then offered Melissa a bland smile. ‘He’s doing really well at this baking.’
‘He’s not a damn servant. You are!’ she snorted, sounding utterly derisive. ‘And as a boy he has no reason to learn to cook. Look at his face, it’s filthy, covered in stuff he should not be eating at this time of day. He isn’t even dressed yet.’
‘It’s not quite eight in the morning,’ Brenda said, glancing up at the kitchen clock.
Striding over to the table, Melissa pulled the boy off the stool, marched him over to the sink and began to scrub his face and hands. Ross at once began to cry and protest. But when she smacked his leg, he gave a scream and ran out the door to bump straight into Nanny Holborn. The dear lady quickly gathered him up in her arms.
‘I’ll take him for his bath,’ she said, looking flustered and a little guilty over the fact she’d been quite unaware that he’d risen so early and had come down to the kitchen.
‘And this time keep a proper eye on him!’ Melissa yelled as Nanny Holborn hurried off upstairs with the sobbing child in her arms.
Brenda felt anger spark within her. How dare this dreadful woman treat the child so appallingly? She was constantly putting him down and humiliating him for no good reason. ‘Why do you keep shouting at him? Ross has done nothing naughty. He was just enjoying making some gingerbread men for his afternoon tea. What’s wrong with that?’
‘How many times do I have to tell you that you have no right to interfere in my family in any way? And this kitchen is a dangerous place for him to be in.’
‘Nonsense, he was perfectly safe. I would not let him go anywhere near the oven. He was just having fun. Why can you never allow him to do that?’
‘With you, a harlot? Never. Leave my child alone. I’m well aware that you’ve even lured my husband into your bed.’
Brenda blinked with shock. ‘I did no such thing. He is the one pursuing me, as I made clear before.’
‘Now you’re after my son too.’
Brenda paused to take a breath. ‘I think it’s time we sat down and talked.’
*
Refusing to be seated, or accept the cup of coffee offered her, Melissa stood tapping her fingers on firmly folded arms, her expression rigid with disdain. Brenda faced the woman with a feeling of tightness in her belly and a tremor in her heart. The moment seemed to have come to challenge Melissa on this matter, if only to defend her son. But she couldn’t quite resolve the dilemma of how much more she dare mention.
It was probably best not to say a word about what she’d discovered until she’d found the necessary proof.
‘You should be ashamed of the way you treat this little lad. You keep on smacking him and shutting him up in his room just because he loves playing and is keen to learn new things. You’re far too overbearing and controlling, a real bully. Doesn’t it ever occur to you that this could be very upsetting and damaging for him? He could lose all faith in himself as well as the ability to make friends and form decent relationships. With this sort of treatment he too is likely to grow up to be a bully. Isn’t that exactly what happened to you and Hugh, although thankfully not to dear Jack and Prue?’
‘Don’t talk nonsense, and mind your own damn business.’
‘Actually, I think this is my business. I made an interesting discovery one night when I took a little supper up to him.’ Brenda felt emotions churn within her as these words popped unbidden out of her mouth. What had she done? Hadn’t she vowed to say nothing?
‘What right had you to do that?’
‘Because you’d left him hungry for much of the day. It was then that I saw a small cuddly monkey tucked up beside him, his best friend, which apparently you keep tossing away.’
Melissa’s cheeks flushed crimson as she glowered at Brenda. ‘That monkey is a scrubby mess and should indeed be thrown away. What has that to do with you?’
Should she tell the truth, or keep silent? Confusion clouded Brenda’s head as she struggled to decide. ‘He loves it, so why would any loving mother do that? Maybe because you aren’t his mother.’ All those memories of caring for children in the OSE now flared up in her mind, and the resounding courage that had grown within her through those difficult years blazed afresh. Or else her heart had taken over her brain.
Melissa’s face turned ash pale as silence fell between them. ‘What the hell are you suggesting?’ she finally murmured in cold, stern tones.
Whatever the reason, Brenda felt all too aware that she’d dropped herself into this mess. So why not go the whole way, even if she was shaking inside? ‘That you stole my son. You may claim the boy to be yours, but he’s not.’
Always In My Heart Page 23