Suddenly Annie was crying – bitter, guilty tears that wouldn’t stop. ‘I’m sorry!’ she kept sobbing. ‘I’m so, so sorry.’
‘Hey!’ Instinctively he took her in his arms. ‘Cry if you need to,’ he murmured. ‘I’m here for you. Weall are.’
He misunderstood her reason for crying. ‘You mustn’t blame yourself,’ he told her tenderly. ‘It’s a terrible thing that the baby was lost, but who knows … maybe it was meant to be?’ It seemed a feeble thing to say in the circumstances, but he was truly thankful that Annie herself had not been lost along with thechild. Becausesomething had happened to him.
When the news came through that Annie had tried to drown herself, and that if it hadn’t been for theyoung man, shewould haveperished, hewas devastated. Not only because she was a dear friend, as he thought. But because he knew then, that he loved her. It was Annie he wanted for a wife, and though heloved Judy, it was Anniewith whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. How could he not have seen this before? He had been too intent on pursuing thedream of winning Judy’s unwilling heart, to recognise the truth before his eyes.
‘Lenny?’
‘Yes?’
‘I need to tell you something.’
‘Go ahead.’
So Annie told him everything: how it was her brother Philip who had repeatedly abused her throughout her childhood; how he had raped her and left her pregnant, and how she had alerted her parents and told them the truth. But they would not believe her.
‘My God!’ Lenny was devastated. ‘Your own brother!’
Annie went on. ‘They didn’t believe me,’ she said broken-heartedly. ‘He lied and made them believe him. Hesaid I had gonewith a gypsy boy from thefairground.’
Lenny understood. ‘And that’s when you went out and tried to end it?’ He was filled with rage at what Philip had done. ‘You must makethem believe you! He has to bepunished!’
‘No!’ Annie drew him to her. ‘I’ve seen how ill and tired they look,’ she said. ‘My parents are good people. If they were to believe what he did … it would cripple them. I can’t do it, Lenny. I can’t punish them for what he did.’
Returning with the vase, Judy saw Lenny with his arms round Annie; shesaw how Annieclung to him, and she knew in her heart that it was love, and not friendship.
And shewas glad.
‘Here you are!’ She arranged the flowers in the vase and stood them where Annie could see. ‘There’s something to brighten your day,’ she said cheerfully, as Lenny released Annie from his embrace.
Just then, Annie’s parents appeared.
‘We’d best be off now,’ Judy said tactfully. She and Lenny each gave her a kiss, and as Judy walked on, Lenny whispered in Annie’s ear, ‘Do what you think best, sweetheart. Your secret’s safe with me.’
Smitten with guilt, Annie’s parents were at her bedside most every chance they got; today was no exception. ‘Will you tell us the truth, Annie?’ Evie asked, sitting down. Now that her beloved daughter was out of danger, and on the road to recovery, Evie Needham was determined to get at the truth. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t look her son in the eye. Life was an ongoing nightmare. ‘Was it thegypsy boy who madeyou with child, or was it …’ She could hardly bring herself to say it. ‘Was it our Philip?’
Annie looked at her mother and saw how sad and frail she appeared of late, and her father, standing at theend of thebed, a look of pain and confusion on his homely face; and she knew they must suffer no more.
‘Philip was right,’ she lied. ‘It was thegypsy boy from thefairground.’ She knew she had done right when all the pain seemed to ebb from their faces. ‘I’m sorry, Mam … Dad. I don’t know what I was thinking of, to blamePhil likethat.’
Evie held her tight. ‘It’s all over now,’ she said brokenly. ‘Let’s put it all behind us and start again, eh?’ When she looked at Annie as she did now, she could only see her child, her darling daughter whom she had nearly lost, throwing herself and her unborn child into the deep, dark waters of the canal.
Reaching up, Annie wiped her mother’s tears away. ‘No moretears,’ shesaid. ‘A new start, that’s what we’ve been given.’
‘Good girl.’ Derek came forward. He made no moveto takehis daughter in his arms, but hedid the next best thing; he held her hand and squeezed it. ‘We all of us make mistakes,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry about the child, but sometimes God works in mysterious ways. Happen it were for the best, eh?’ For a second, it almost seemed that he might know thereal truth of it all.
When Annie nodded, her gaze enveloping him with such daughterly affection, he leaned down and kissed her face. ‘You’ll do,’ he said quietly. ‘That’s my girl.’ He added something else too, while his wife poured out a glass of water behind him. ‘There’s a lock on your door now, pet.’
That night, Lenny found Philip in the pub, boasting loudly about his latest conquest – a girl of seventeen from a troubled background in Accring-ton. He was describing what they’d got up to, in themost obsceneand foul language.
‘Step outside, will you?’ Lenny’s dark voice put a stop to his tale.‘Like hell I will!’ Every instinct in his useless body warned him that the truth was out. ‘You bugger off, Reynolds, you bastard!’
Thewords werehardly out of his mouth when he was lifted from his feet and taken at a run out the door. Lenny held him by the collar up against thewall. ‘I know what you did, you filthy scum!’ hesaid.
‘Oh, yeah! An’ what’s that then, eh?’ the youth said cockily, although he could scarcely breathe.
‘Don’t come that with me!’ Lenny tightened his grip on him. ‘You know what I’m talking about. And all I’m saying is this … I want you out of Blackburn. I want you as far away as a man can travel. And if I ever see hide nor hair of you again, you’ll ruetheday!’
Likethecoward hewas, Philip was soon persuaded to leave, but not without complaint – and there was his big mistake. ‘She deserved it, the littlecow! Oneblokeafter another … always looking for excitement. Well, she got it and —’ Lenny’s flying fist closed his mouth for him.
With blood running down his shirt, heran as if the devil himself was after him. ‘Mad bugger!’ he shouted as he ran. ‘Who wants to stay round these parts anyway!’ He stopped, bent double to vomit up his ale, and Lenny, still panting from the encounter, turned and walked away, wiping his hand clean against his jacket.
Three days later, on the Saturday morning, Lenny and Judy were on their way back from a visit to the Needhams’, to see how Annie was settling in back at home. Beth had given them a half-dozen freshly laid eggs and a pot of home-made bramble jelly to take with them.
As they strolled together down the track towards the gates of Three Mills Farm, Judy knew it was timeto put things right.‘Do you love me, Lenny?’ she asked him.
‘Of courseI loveyou!’ Hewas startled, spoke too quickly. ‘What makes you ask that?’
Placing her hand on his arm, she drew him to a standstill. ‘But you loveAnniemore.’ Her smile was knowing. ‘It’s all right,’ shesaid gently. ‘I think I’veknown for somelong time- and then the other day, when I saw the two of you together in hospital, I was never more certain.’
Lenny was mortified. ‘Oh, Judy, I’m so sorry,’ he said, grabbing her hands and holding them tight. ‘I didn’t even know myself at first.’
‘I believe you, and I can promise you that I’m happy for you both. D’you know what, Len? I reckon that you and Anniearemadefor each other. It was funny, our wedding being delayed. It wasn’t meant to be, was it? I’ll always love you as a friend, Lenny, and now I’m going to set you free.’
It was so good, to havethetruth out in the open. ‘I love Davie,’ she went on, ‘I always have.’ She shrugged, then smiled and turned away. ‘I always will.’
They walked on in silence, both coming to terms with this changein their lives. At thedoor, hetold her, ‘I won’t come in, if that’s all right?’
Shegavehim a warm, friendly hug. ‘In the mor
ning, you must tell Annie. You two … you belong together.’
She stood and watched as Lenny walked back down the track, his head held high, a free man. Judy was glad: shehad donetheright thing. Even if she remained a spinster for the rest of her life, it didn’t – couldn’t – matter. Her heart belonged to Davie.
Inside, a young man stood and watched from the window. Hehad heard what was said, and hedared to believe there was a chance for him.
‘Come away now, Davie!’ That was Beth, fussing. ‘Your tea is getting cold.’Instead, he ran and opened the door, to greet his Judy.
There was a shocked and palpable silence; which only lasted a few seconds, but in that profound pause, so much occurred. Girl and boy drank in the sight of each other – Dave the sweet maturity of thegrown-up Judy; shethehandsome, slender strength of her childhood friend grown into a man. A million messages passed between them; and were answered. And then, as each took in a new breath, they felt the world falling into its rightful place.
Thespell brokeas hemoved forward and picked her up, swinging her around.
‘I’m back,’ he announced. ‘And I’m here to tell you that I’m yours if you want me.’ He laughed out loud. ‘I’m asking you to marry me, Judith Makepeace, and if you don’t accept right now, I’ll go away and I will never comeback!’
Her answer was to kiss him full on the mouth. ‘Don’t you dare go anywhere!’ she said.
Themiracleshehad prayed for had cometo pass. He was home. Her Davie was home. And at long last, they were together.
Two months later, David Adams watched as Tom walked his daughter Judith down the aisle towards him. A picture of loveliness in her new white gown and pretty mother-of-pearl headdress, she glowed with happiness.
Behind them, Derek looked every inch the proud father as he accompanied Annie. Instead of a bridesmaid gown, Annieworethedress which Judy had chosen when planning to marry Lenny; it had taken a yard or so of material and some alteration, but she looked, as Derek said huskily, ‘Pretty as a picture.’No one remarked on Philip’s absence from his sister’s wedding.
The double wedding service was doubly joyous, and theparty afterwards, in theTop Meadow at the farm, was a success in every respect; with dancing and music and laughter ringing across the fields.
Davie could not reach Eli, but he got a message from him theday beforethewedding, to say he was travelling in Europe, and having a wonderful time, and he hoped to see them all in the spring.
Frank and Maggie turned up, tanned and healthy and ready to dance a noisy Twist along with everyone else, making the cows nervous in the next field.
Old Joseph made an exhibition of himself by gyrating along with Annie- thebridedemonstrating how to do it, with her veil flung back. When he’d done, everybody clapped. He bent to take a bow, pulled his back, and had to be carried to the beer tent to recover. But that was no hardship, as little Jimmy was already there to keep him company, ‘testing the booze’ as he put it.
Derek and Tom got a bit merry, and after escaping from thenoiseand chaos, they sat on thegarden bench, enjoying their well-earned pints. ‘Here’s to thewomen!’ Tom said, clinking his glass against Derek’s.
‘And here’s to the men who will always love them!’ Derek replied.
Judy found herself being taken to a quiet corner by her new husband. ‘I love you so much, Mrs Adams,’ Davesaid. ‘I’ll makeyou thehappiest woman on God’s earth.’
‘I’ll keep you to that,’ she laughed.
Davie kept his word, over forty-five years and three children – all girls, all with the look of their mother.
ALSO BY JOSEPHINE COX
QUEENIE’S STORY
Her Father’s Sins
Let Loose the Tigers
THE EMMA GRADY TRILOGY
Outcast
Alley Urchin
Vagabonds
Angels Cry Sometimes
Take This Woman
Whistledown Woman
Don’t Cry Alone
Jessica’s Girl
Nobody’s Darling
Born to Serve
More than Riches
A Little Badness
Living a Lie
The Devil You Know
A Time for Us
Cradle of Thorns
Miss You Forever
Love Me or Leave Me
Tomorrow the World
The Gilded Cage
Somewhere, Someday
Rainbow Days
Looking Back
Let It Shine
The Woman Who Left Jinnie
Bad Boy Jack
The Beachcomber
Lovers and Liars
Live the Dream
The Journey
Journey’s End
CHATTERBOX
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EXTRACT
We’re delighted to include this exclusive
extract of Jo’s new novel, Songbird,
out in hardback in February 2008. Enjoy!
Songbird
For what seemed an age, Madeleine paused to glance across the room; her dark eyes seeking him out. There was a brief moment, a knowing smile, and now she was moving towards him, filling him with pleasure, toying with his emotions.
In that darkened room with the soft music playing in the background, all eyes were turned on her. With her petite build and certain, quiet beauty, she winded he
r way between them, acknowledging their excited shouts with a ready smile and a friendly word and, much to the annoyance of the man who had laid claim to her affections, she occasionally accepted a warm kiss on the cheek.
Already planning his revenge, Steve Drayton’s avaricious eyes followed her every step of the way.
In spite of his quick, violent temper and his liking for anything in a skirt, the sight of Madeleine could still thrill him like no other. There was no denying she was a strikingly handsome woman. With her familiar mass of rich golden-brown hair tumbling to her shoulders, and that lazy, swaying walk that had first attracted him to her, she could turn any man’s head.She was uniquely talented, yet even now when she could see how much they thought of her, Madeleine did not seem to realise just how talented she was. In truth, she possessed a kind of childish innocence that shone from within. Up there on the stage when the music filled the room and her voice cut to their hearts, she was magnificent. When the music had died down and her voice was still, she became shy and demure, almost naive in her trust of others.
Now, as she approached, his heart skipped a beat, though he was still rankled at how she had walked out on him – no woman had ever walked out on him before. No woman ever possessed such strength of character.
“Hah!” He turned to Alice, “I knew she wouldn’t be able to stay away for long. Didn’t I tell you, she’d be back?”“Mebbe so, but she’s a damned fool so she is!” As Irish as the blarney stone and wick as a leprechaun, Alice Mulligan was herself a force to be reckoned with. “It’s a mystery to me how she ever puts up with ye!”
He gave a smug little smile. “Women are no mystery to me,” he boasted, “I’ve always been able to twist ’em round my little finger.”
The Loner Page 30