Happily nodding, Ross continued with his tale. ‘Mama wasn’t best pleased and shouted at me to come back this minute. I just ran all the faster. She didn’t come after me. Mama doesn’t do running.’
Letting out a big yawn, he slid his arm about her waist, put his thumb in his mouth and snuggled under the blankets beside her. Putting her arm around him too, Brenda drew the boy close to stroke his hair, loving the sweet scent of him as she had done when he was a baby. Within moments his breathing had changed and he was fast asleep. How she had longed for this moment for five long years, but knew in her heart that it was only temporary. She would have to accept that Tommy, or Ross as he was now called, might never be hers.
*
Brenda was confined to her bed for several days, the doctor visiting a couple more times. As she slowly recovered, she was allowed to sit in the easy chair by the window, and he gave her a few exercises to do to help ease the pain. Gradually the pain in her limbs eased and she felt able to move them about more freely. Ross continued to call in to see her each and every day. He would often bring a book, which she’d happily read to him, his favourite being Tootle. This was the story of a baby train who was told to stay on the rails but kept escaping to play in the meadows. He eventually learned that this was entirely the wrong thing to do and settled down to help and teach others. Very much as she had done in life. The little boy loved it, almost learning the words off by heart, as he kept asking her to read it to him over and over again. Oh, it felt so wonderful to spend time with him.
There was no sign of Melissa.
‘I assume she’s avoiding me,’ she said to Hugh on one of his regular visits. ‘That wouldn’t surprise me, as she wasn’t driving at speed for no purpose. I believe she deliberately aimed the car at me. I could see it in her eyes. She wanted to be rid of me any way she could.’
His expression clouded with sadness. ‘I realise she did set out to hurt you, darling, and I do wish we’d found some way to stop her. I feel so guilty that we went off in the wrong direction.’
‘It wasn’t your fault. You did your best to calm her down but she’d completely lost it. I’m afraid Melissa’s temper seems completely out of control. Her rage is beyond redemption. So what happened to her?’
He sat in silence for some moments stroking her hand before meeting her enquiring gaze. ‘We haven’t told Ross this yet, but when my sister drove the car towards you at great speed, she didn’t manage to break in time and crashed into the shack.’
Brenda stared at him in shock, a mix of emotions ricocheting through her. Melissa was his sister, so if something terrible had happened to her he would be devastated. But finding the necessary words to express sympathy wasn’t easy. ‘Are you saying that she was killed?’
‘Thankfully not, but she is in hospital, quite badly injured. Broken ribs and neck injuries. A total mess.’
Putting her arms about him, Brenda gave him a comforting hug. ‘I’m so sorry. Oh, what a stupid woman she is. She behaved so badly. If only she’d been honest with me from the start.’
‘I do so agree. I did on more than one occasion attempt to dampen her temper and persuade her to accept that you were telling the truth, but got absolutely nowhere. I asked her to be more friendly with you, but I’m afraid she was swamped in a self-obsessed neurosis.’
‘And perhaps the demands made upon her by her husband. I realise you did everything you could to help, and I accept that Melissa will not give Ross up easily, if at all. I may have to learn to live without my son.’ Her throat constricted at the thought.
‘I do hope not. Marry me, darling,’ he said, kissing her softly. ‘Should the worst happen, remember that you’re young enough to have more children, and I really don’t want to lose you. I love you so much.’
‘Oh, I love you too, Hugh.’ Her heart burst with happiness and, wrapping her arms about his neck, Brenda gladly responded to his kisses with increasing passion.
‘Is that a yes?’ he asked with a smile as they finally broke apart.
‘It is indeed.’
*
A week later a letter was delivered by the post boy on his bicycle. It was from Emma. Brenda read it in amazement.
‘Dear Brenda,
Thanks to the OSE I have at last found Adèle Rouanet. She is so thrilled to hear that you are alive and well. And now that the war is over, most anxious to see you and little Tommy again. She hopes he settled in all right with his Aunt Melissa. From what she has said to me it seems your suspicions are absolutely correct. We’re both on our way to see you. Will be arriving just as soon as we can get the necessary transport, me from France and Adèle from America. We intend to meet up in London, then head north by train. See you soon.
All my love, Emma.’
Brenda could hardly believe what she was reading. Here at last was confirmation that her accusation against Melissa had been entirely correct. But would this be enough for her sister-in-law to return the boy to her, his true mother? Why would she agree to do that when her husband so badly wanted a son of his own, rather like an heir to the throne? Melissa’s motivation for stealing the baby had been entirely wrong, although Brenda couldn’t help feeling a nudge of sympathy for her, considering that brute of a husband’s demands upon her, not to mention his infidelity and their failing marriage.
Yet she’d shown little love for the boy.
Brenda thought of the friendship that had developed between herself and Ross, which felt wonderful. Did this letter mean she could go to court and claim custody? And would it work if she did? He looked upon her as Bren, a friend, not a mother. Why would he wish to give up his family of wealthy parents, and those three lovely girls he thought of as his sisters? Wiping the tears from her eyes, a mixture of anxiety, hope and pain echoed within her, as it had done so many times in the past. Brenda read the letter one more time and sent up a silent prayer that she would somehow find the courage to cope with whatever life threw at her.
A week later Gregory arrived.
Thirty-Three
Hugh chose not to tell Gregory anything at this stage, other than the fact his wife had suffered from a dreadful accident. He drove him straight to the hospital.
‘What on earth were you thinking of to drive so fast?’ he asked, as he stood by her bed. ‘You’ve smashed our car to bits, you stupid woman. It’s a complete write-off.’
Melissa, sitting up in bed clad in a classy bed jacket with a pad around her neck and dark shadows beneath her eyes, cast her brother an anxious glance, appealing for his support. Hugh gave a little shake of the head and quickly left, realising the conversation between them could be difficult, judging by the expression of anger upon Gregory’s face; not to mention his lack of compassion at the sight of his wife.
Drawing a breath into her pain-wracked lungs, Melissa gave him a pitying little smile. ‘Aren’t you going to ask me how I am, or are you more interested in your precious motor car than me, your wife? I’m in a dreadful state.’
Gregory began to pace about the room in barely constrained fury. ‘The doctor has already told me about your injuries. I accept that you must be in something of a mess, but he says you’re on the mend and will be home soon. I just can’t believe you would be so stupid as to drive into that shack. Why didn’t you watch where you were going and slow down?’
Refusing to meet the savage fury in his glaring dark eyes, Melissa did not respond. Had she succeeded in ridding herself of that chit of a girl, then she might have found a way around this problem, but the little madam apparently survived with fewer injuries than she herself was suffering from. Melissa felt as if she was caught in a trap. Whatever explanation she gave for rushing off in the car with the boy could lead to accusations of criminal intent. The police too had visited to ask her similar questions. Melissa had let her eyes close and remained silent, pretending she was slipping back into unconsciousness. The nurses had kindly shooed them away. Gregory, however, would be less considerate.
‘I really don’t remember,’ she
murmured, putting her hand over her eyes as she sank back into the pillow. ‘I never meant to smash the car. It was an accident.’
‘Hugh tells me you were engaged in a family row and drove off in a huff.’
‘Sorry, it’s gone completely out of my brain as I feel so ill.’ Terror now ricocheted through her. Would Hugh tell him the whole story? Could she urge her brother to keep quiet and say nothing? She feared he would not listen, being totally captivated by that girl. ‘Do not believe a word he says!’ Melissa again pretended to slip back into sleep, and with a snort of revulsion, her husband swiftly departed.
*
It was later that afternoon when they arrived back at Trowbridge Hall that Gregory demanded Hugh tell him exactly what the row had been about and the reason Melissa had stormed off in the car. ‘Why would she drive off in such a bad state of mind it resulted in an accident? What the hell was this row all about? Money?’
‘I think you’d better sit down. It isn’t going to be easy to explain.’
Taking him into the drawing room and pouring them each a glass of whisky, Hugh sat opposite, his mind in complete turmoil over how and where to begin. Should he challenge Gregory about how he’d harassed Brenda, and whether he really did slip into her bedroom uninvited? But they’d had this argument before, so better to come straight to the point about what had happened to cause this crash. ‘The fact of the matter is, Gregory, we have discovered that Ross is not your son. Nor is he Melissa’s.’
Gregory stared at him in stunned disbelief. ‘What did you say?’
Hugh took a welcome sip of the whisky then told the entire story, finishing with how Brenda had discovered a pocket in the back of the toy monkey. ‘It contained her marriage certificate, wedding ring and…’
‘That doesn’t prove a damn thing,’ Gregory interrupted with a snort. ‘She could have put those in herself.’
Hugh stifled a sigh. ‘She also found her son Tommy’s birth certificate, which proved that this was the stuffed toy monkey she’d bought for him just days before he was born.’
Gregory was silent for some moments. ‘It still doesn’t prove this Tommy and Ross are one and the same child. She could have made that up too, or forged that damn certificate.’
‘Do you have one for him?’
His brother-in-law’s face went blank. ‘I’ve no idea, as I was living abroad at the time dealing with more important foreign issues,’ he snapped.
‘Quite. Perhaps you should have checked. I have made enquiries and failed to find one.’
‘I don’t believe a word of this.’
‘I do appreciate that it must be difficult, even quite heartrending to hear that you no longer have a son. The fact is, we do have further proof. A letter came from Brenda’s friend Emma, with whom she was incarcerated in France. The pair of them were arrested simply for being British. Emma is still working with OSE to repatriate children to their parents and has managed to find Camille’s cousin, Adèle Rouanet. That good lady brought the baby over to London when Mama died, handing the child over to his Aunt Melissa, in order to keep him safe. It would seem that your demand for your wife to provide you with a son gave her the idea to steal him, and pretend that he was hers.’
Now the silence went on for much longer, Hugh feeling quite unable to find the right words to explain what happened next. How could he say that his sister had set out to kill dear Brenda?
‘So having been accused of this, Melissa then drove off with Ross in an effort to save him? I can fully understand that.’
Hugh nodded. ‘Sadly, when she found Brenda searching for the boy in the woods, she drove directly at her, perhaps because she’d lost control of the car out of fury. Brenda was hit by the wing and sent flying. She is entitled to bring charges against Melissa, but has promised not to, thanks to the fact she was not too badly injured. She’s a very brave lady. And as you know, Melissa was not so lucky, since she crashed the car into the shack.’
Gregory glowered, then jumping to his feet, stormed out.
*
Melissa arrived home a few days later. Mrs Harding helped her upstairs and settled her into bed where she could recover in peace and comfort. ‘There you are, Mrs Fenton. Would you like a cup of tea?’ the housekeeper asked, drawing the curtains a little to keep out the bright sunshine so she could rest.
‘Oh thank you, that would be wonderful,’ Melissa said. ‘And a slice of cake, too, would be lovely. The food in the hospital was quite awful.’
‘You can bring it when I say you can,’ Gregory barked, hustling Mrs Harding out the door.
‘Goodness, having suffered this dreadful accident, surely I’m entitled to some love and care,’ Melissa sulkily grumbled.
‘Stop pretending it was an accident. You deliberately drove at that woman you claim to be a whore. Hugh has told me the entire story. Did it never cross your stupid mind that the lie you’ve been living all these years, and the fact this boy is no relation to either of us, could have a lot to do with why we never got on? I can now understand the reason why I have never felt particularly close to the child. He’s not mine. You stole him.’
Melissa stared at her husband in anguish. ‘Hugh told you that? It’s not true, just another lie from that chit of a girl.’
‘Really! Is that the reason you deliberately attempted to run her down, even though she had proof that Adèle handed the boy over to you at Victoria Station when he was just a baby?’
Now her face turned white with shock. ‘How would they know that?’
Giving a sneer of disgust, he told her briefly about the letter from Emma.
‘I did it for you,’ she cried. ‘I believed that if I finally managed to provide you with a son, our marriage could be saved.’
‘Highly unlikely. And since we hadn’t slept together for some time, I did wonder if he was the result of an affair you’d had while I was away.’
‘You are the one who has affairs. Probably because you never really loved me in the first place, just wanted to get your filthy hands on my money,’ she roared.
He laughed. ‘That could well be the case, although you did look quite attractive and elegant in those days. But there’s unlikely to be any inheritance, so I see no reason for me to go on pretending I feel any love for you, when I clearly don’t. Besides, I do in fact have a son, with my mistress Caroline. So I definitely no longer need this one, or you,’ he sternly informed her. ‘I shall now return to London and move in permanently with her.’
Letting out a scream of fury, Melissa flung the pillow at him, then leaped from the bed to hammer her clenched fists against his chest. ‘You cannot do this to me! Don’t you dare leave! You are my husband.’
‘Not for much longer,’ he said, pushing her away. ‘I intend to arrange for a divorce. Stop your grumbling and be grateful for the fact that this alleged whore has agreed not to bring charges against you. At least you will escape prison.’ And ignoring her further cries of fury, he strode to the door to find Hugh, Brenda and Prue standing out on the landing, looking extremely anxious. ‘You can have him,’ he said to Brenda. ‘That child is no longer of any interest to me. Nor is your sister, Hugh. You can keep her too.’
Then he strode off down the stairs, calling for Carter to take him to the station. And without even asking to see his daughters, he left.
*
‘Now what?’ Brenda asked that night over supper, horrified by what had happened. ‘Does this mean I can now claim my son, or will Melissa hang on to him like grim death, having lost her husband? What do you think?’ she asked Prue and Hugh. They both looked at her, their faces a picture of sympathy as they glanced at each other then shook their heads in bewilderment.
‘We’ll speak to her and work something out,’ Hugh said, squeezing her hand in comfort.
‘I don’t think you should speak of this to young Ross,’ Dino said. ‘Not yet, anyway. It could upset the little one greatly to discover that the man he believes to be his father has just tossed him aside and abandoned him.�
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‘Oh, you’re quite right,’ Brenda agreed. ‘That would be so painful for him. I remember feeling much the same when I first learned that’s what my mother had done. Abandoning me in the orphanage.’
Prue nodded, a sad smile on her face. ‘What happens next is too difficult to imagine. Let’s wait and see what Melissa decides to do.’
‘I very much doubt she’ll relinquish him,’ Brenda quietly remarked. ‘I expect he is still lost to me.’
‘Don’t give up hope,’ Hugh said, giving her a warm hug. ‘Prue and I will speak to her tomorrow.’
When they went to see her early the next morning, Brenda hovered in the background, not wishing to become involved in this family discussion, although deeply anxious to hear Melissa’s reaction.
‘Don’t say a word about any of this to my darling daughters,’ she snapped.
‘Of course not,’ Hugh agreed. ‘That’s something you’ll have to deal with in your own time.’
‘Maybe I will, maybe I won’t! I still have the right to do exactly what I think best, and once I’m fit enough we will return to London. Even though, thanks to that madam, my marriage is over.’
‘The reason for that disaster lies with you and your husband, not with Brenda,’ Hugh firmly reminded her. ‘So what about Ross?’
Melissa curled her mouth in distaste. ‘He’s a little brat who never does a thing I tell him. Not at all like my lovely daughters. I never was interested in having a son except to please my husband, which clearly didn’t work. That harlot is welcome to him,’ she said.
Brenda gave a little gasp, hardly able to believe what she’d just heard.
Prue looked equally surprised. ‘Are you sure? Have you thought this through properly, Melissa? You won’t be able to change your mind once you leave. And eventually, at some appropriate moment, Ross will need to be told the truth, as will the girls.’
Always In My Heart Page 26