Taking a moment to think it through, he gave a cynical laugh. ‘Oh, now I see it! You’re lying, aren’t you? You’re lying, to cover up the truth, that you didn’t give a sod about us!’
‘No, Frank.’ Joe looked him in the eye, ‘Only weeks after I left here, I got caught up in a fight down London way; a man was badly hurt. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s all. The three culprits ran off and I was the one who got arrested. Nothing I said made any difference. They gave me eight months’ custodial sentence. I served the time and when I came out it was next to impossible to find work. I did odd jobs anywhere I could find, then I started working the pubs; the odd day here and there, for a pittance and a bed in the cellar.’
He told Frank, ‘One night I wandered into the Oak Tree pub and got talking to the landlord. He said his regular barman had to take a fortnight off, and asked me if I’d like to give it a go…that there was a room and regular meals going as part of the wage. So naturally I jumped at the chance. I’m glad I did, because I got your letter, and that was my way back.’
‘Oak Tree?’ Frank recognised the name of the pub. ‘That’s right! That’s where I traced you to.’
‘So that’s how it was, Frank. Through no fault of mine, I spent the best part of a year in prison, and that’s God’s honest truth!’
Instead of reacting with compassion, Frank took pleasure in taunting him, ‘Locked up in prison, eh? Joe Arnold…the man who values his freedom like no one else I know…can’t even sleep unless the window’s wide open.’
He laughed. ‘How did you survive, Joe…with four small walls closing in on you; hordes of convicts crushing your space. No open windows, or fresh air, and eyes watching you everywhere you went? I’ve heard how prison can cripple a spirit or send you crazy. Is that how it was, Joe? Has it sent you crazy?’
Joe remembered every minute of it, and though prison had not altogether crippled his soul, it had scarred him deeply. With Frank’s every vicious word the memories came flooding back; awful memories he would rather forget. And now for his own evil pleasure, Frank was bringing them alive in his mind. ‘Bastard!’
Frank didn’t see it coming. When Joe’s clenched fist set him reeling backwards, he lay on the ground for a moment, tenderly nursing his jaw. ‘Oh, so you did learn something in that place, eh?’
‘Oh, yes, I learned something. I learned that you had to look after yourself or go under, and I was not about to go under, Frank, not then, and not now.’
Laughing, Frank scrambled up. ‘If you think you’re a better man than I am, then you’re a bigger fool than I took you for,’ he snarled. ‘I mean…look at you…an ex-con! Joe Arnold, ever the good son…locked up in prison and surrounded by thugs and criminals.’
Nursing his jaw, he laughed insanely. ‘You know what, Joe…that’s the most useful piece of information I’ve had in a long time.’
Realising how Frank meant to use the information, Joe already regretted having divulged his secret.
‘Just think about it, Joe. If that got out, imagine how it would shame the family. Whatever would people say? It could even finish us if the customers went elsewhere for their hay and meat. Oh, and I can’t even imagine what it would do to Mum and Dad when I tell them.’
Joe was incensed. ‘Even you wouldn’t do a cruel thing like that!’
‘I would, if you forced my hand.’
‘You really are scum, aren’t you?’ He suspected what Frank had in mind, and he was right.
‘All I’m saying, Joe, is that there’s no need for any nastiness. All you have to do is forget the silly ideas you’ve got in your head about me; and I’ll keep my mouth shut about your scummy little secret.’
Disgusted, Joe turned away. Frank called after him, ‘I mean it! I won’t even have to shout it out loud. I’ll just whisper the word round the village…Joe Arnold’s just out of prison!’ That’s all I need to do, Joe! A little whisper in the right ear, and the gossips will do the rest.’
Ignoring his rantings and with a need to think, Joe made for the tractor, where he feverishly set to work. Behind him, Frank sat leisurely on a fallen tree trunk and smoked a cigarette. ‘You think it over,’ he told Joe confidently. ‘In the end though, you’ll see I’m right. If you want to save Mum and Dad a lot of grief, it’s the only way.’
Working like a man possessed, Joe had fitted the chain in no time. When the engine started, Frank shouted excitedly, ‘Oh, well done, Joe! I may be a better farmer than you, but you always were the better mechanic, I’ll give you that!’
Paying him no heed, Joe wiped his hands on the oil rag and began his way up the field. ‘Dammit! I should never have told him,’ he muttered angrily. ‘I should have known!’
‘It’s a deal then is it?’ Frank called after him. ‘Keep your mouth shut, and your secret will be safe enough with me!’
Joe gave no answer.
The truth was, he would never have risked hurting his parents by revealing what he knew about Frank’s evil doings. But Frank could not know that. Instead, Frank had judged Joe by his own standards by resorting to blackmail.
‘I was a fool for trusting you,’ Joe cursed himself. ‘You’ve got me where you want me, Frank, and it’s no more than I deserve.’
It was another harsh lesson he had learned.
‘What’s keeping them now?’ Nancy and Alice had the dinner almost ready, ‘Just the gravy to make and we can serve it up,’ she told Alice.
Alice placed the condiments in the centre of the table. ‘Do you want me to go and see where the boys are?’
‘You’ll do no such thing, my girl!’ Tom chided. ‘Another five minutes an’ it’ll be dark as nookers-knockers out there. You and Nancy take it easy, while I go and see if they’re on their way.’
He was gone no longer than five minutes before he was back. ‘Brrr!’ He kept his jacket on. ‘It’s blowing a bit chilly out there now.’
‘Well…’ Nancy wanted to know. ‘Did you see them?’
‘Nope. Though I’m certain they’ll be here soon.’
Sniffing the aroma of freshly cooked beef, he sighed. ‘Can’t we make a start? It’d be a shame to let the meat spoil.’
Nancy gave him one of her frosty looks. ‘A few more minutes, then we’ll see,’ she told him sternly.
He ambled back to his chair. ‘Yer always were a bossy woman,’ he muttered.
‘What was that?’ Nancy put her hands on her hips. ‘Are you calling me bossy?’
‘I am, and you are. So there!’
Smiling to herself, Nancy got back to her gravy. ‘You have to keep these men in their place,’ she told Alice, who was enjoying their harmless banter, ‘otherwise they’ll begin to think they’re in charge and that will never do.’
Tom continued to moan, ‘No consideration! There’s me famished, and them two messing about doing goodness knows what. No consideration at all…keeping us all waiting for our dinner like this.’
‘I’ll just pop out and see if they’re about,’ Alice suggested, and before anyone could stop her, she had her coat on and was out the kitchen door. ‘Don’t go no further than the gate!’ Nancy declared. ‘If there’s no sign of them we’ll sit down and start before the meal’s spoiled.’
Tom thanked her with a chuckle. ‘Good idea!’
Addressing Tom haughtily she assured him, ‘It’s not for your sake, matey. It’s for me and Alice.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘It means…I know how you get the wind on an empty stomach.’ She frowned, ‘…and that’s not a pleasant thing to witness!’
Having sat by the brook for an age, Joe was already on his way back. He had to check the falcon, so he made straight for the barn.
Once inside he lit the tilly lamp and carried it to the stable. ‘So, how are you, fella?’ Closing the stable door behind him, he then set about untying the straps that held the cage in position.
Outside, Alice was halfway along the path when she saw the light go on in the barn
. ‘I expect that’s Joe!’ she realised. ‘He’ll be checking the falcon.’ Setting off at a run, she headed for the barn.
First she peeped through the window but when the strawstack hampered her view, she went softly to the door, where she slipped quietly inside.
Alice stayed in the shadows, quietly observing him as he lifted the bird out of the cage, all the while speaking tenderly to it, ‘Well now, you seem to have bucked up a bit. And look at this…you’re even trying to move your wing. Oh, yes! I reckon we’ll have you up and away in no time at all.’
Coming out of the shadows, Alice stepped forward. ‘Hello, Joe.’
‘Alice! I didn’t see you come in.’ Though he was very glad to see her.
‘Is he getting stronger?’ Alice peered at the bird, now fluttering in the palm of Joe’s hand. ‘He looks like he wants to get away.’ She thought the falcon was a magnificent thing, with his deep, bright eyes and feathers smooth as silk.
‘He knows his wing is healing,’ Joe said, ‘…so now he’s growing anxious to leave. Look.’ He gently worked the wing back and forth. ‘I don’t think it’s broken after all,’ he said, ‘…but he’s lost a feather or two, and the muscle is weakened. Seems to me he might have flown into a telegraph pole, or got caught up somewhere. Either way, he seems to have rallied a bit with having the rest, and by the look of it, he’s had a good drink from the container.’
Alice saw how tenderly Joe examined the bird, lifting and moving the wing and all the while talking softly to him.
‘Can I hold him?’
‘Keep the wing out straight,’ he reminded her. ‘The splint is not as tight as it was, what with him moving about.’
Carefully, he placed the falcon in her cupped hands. ‘Watch he doesn’t peck,’ he warned, ‘he’s getting a bit full of himself now he’s feeling better.’
He was amazed when straightaway the bird settled neatly into her hands, and calmly lay there. ‘You’ve worn him out,’ she smiled up at Joe, then concentrated on stroking the bird’s head with the tip of her finger. ‘Lovely thing, aren’t you?’ she murmured. ‘You want to be out there, don’t you…riding on the breeze and when it’s time to stop, you’ll be up there in the tall trees, observing everything from your lofty perch.’
After a moment or two, she returned him to Joe. ‘Best let him rest now, eh?’
When she placed the falcon into Joe’s grasp, her hands brushed his and Joe’s heart turned over. She was so close to him; he could smell the fragrance in her hair, and her skin was soft as silk. Alice was so lovely, all he wanted to do was take her into his arms and fold her to him.
With the longing came the guilt, ‘Did Mum send you to look for me?’ He thought it amazing, how he could sound so casual, when his head was spinning with excitement.
Alice nodded. ‘Dinner’s all ready. Your mother wondered where you and Frank had got to.’
‘We had to finish off,’ he told her. ‘I should think Frank will be along any minute.’
‘And what about you, Joe?’ she asked. ‘How long will you be?’
‘Not long. I’ll make sure the falcon’s settled first. It’ll only take a few minutes. You’d best go now though, or they’ll be wondering where you are.’
Alice stepped back. ‘See you in a few minutes then?’
She went out of the barn and along the path, where the only light to show her the way was the light from the farmhouse kitchen.
When she almost there, she heard footsteps behind her. A quick glance told her it was Frank. For some reason, she felt she couldn’t face him just yet. She needed time to herself…just a minute or two, and then she’d be all right.
Leaning into the shadows she let him pass without him suspecting that she was even there.
After he’d gone into the farmhouse, she held her hands out before her. They were trembling. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ she thought. Just now when she placed the falcon into Joe’s palms, the touch of his bare skin against hers had quickened her heart.
‘It was the bird,’ she told herself, ‘He’s so wild and beautiful. Yes! That’s what it was. Holding the falcon was exciting! How many people ever get to do that?’
Being there in the barn with Joe, and sharing the excitement of the falcon, had somehow unsettled her.
Suddenly the door was flung open and there was Frank. ‘Oh!’ Laughing, she fell into his arms. ‘Frank! Oh, I’m so glad you’re back,’ she said breathlessly. ‘We wondered where you were.’ She clung fast to him, almost as though she were fleeing from something.
‘Woa!’ Taken aback by the way she threw herself into his arms, Frank held her at arm’s length. ‘I was about to come looking for you. Mum said you’d gone to stand at the gate, so you must have been invisible when I came by just now.’
‘I was in the barn.’
‘In the barn? What were you doing in the barn?’ He smiled proudly. ‘Looking for me, were you?’
‘No, well yes…I mean, I was looking for you, but then I saw Joe go into the barn, and I asked him where you were and he said you should be back soon, and then I saw the falcon.’ When she realised she was gabbling, she took a breath. ‘Oh, Frank, the falcon is so beautiful!’
Frank noticed how excited she was, and he began to wonder. ‘Oh, yes, the falcon. I was told about that. So, is it doing all right, or what?’
‘Joe thinks he’s doing just fine,’ Alice informed him eagerly. ‘At first Joe thought his wing might be broken, but it’s only damaged. Anyway, Joe says he might be able to fly away soon.’
‘That’s good news. So! You were in the barn, were you? I’m surprised you didn’t see me go by.’ All he could think was that she had mentioned Joe’s name three times in less than a minute.
‘I expect I didn’t see you because I was holding the falcon, but then I gave it back to Joe and came to the house to see if you’d got here yet.’
Tickling her under the chin, Frank smiled broadly. ‘Well, I’m here, and you’re here, and it’s good that the bird is repairing.’ Deliberately holding his smile, he teased. ‘Though I’m not sure I like the idea of you being in the barn with a strange man.’ He emphasised the last two words by widening his eyes and pretending to frighten her.
Alice laughed. ‘Joe is not a strange man. He’s your brother.’ Again, she recalled how she was drawn to Joe on that first meeting.
Keeping up the pretence, Frank kissed her long and slow on the mouth. ‘You’re right. So he is!’
When he saw the light go out in the barn, he ushered her inside. ‘Come on. We’d best get back inside before Mum throws the entire dinner out the window!’ Keeping her extra close, he escorted her into the kitchen.
He had a great deal to think about, because now it seemed he had a new and unexpected worry. This growing friendship between Alice and Joe had to be nipped in the bud.
Already irritated by Alice’s obvious excitement, Frank vowed that if he ever suspected Joe of making a play for his future wife, it would be the last thing Joe ever did!
‘Oh, here you are at last!’ In the kitchen, Nancy was already dishing up the food. ‘Where’s our Joe?’ Stretching her neck, she looked towards the door.
‘He’ll be here in a minute,’ Alice volunteered. ‘He’s just bedding the falcon down for the night.’
‘How is the bird?’ Tom asked eagerly, still chomping at the bit for his evening meal.
Before Alice could answer, Frank chipped in. ‘Joe reckons it’s almost ready to take off.’
Tom was pleased about that. ‘Ah well, he always did have a way with stray creatures, did Joe.’
‘Off upstairs, Frank. You need to wash and change before dinner,’ Nancy ordered.
‘Oh, I was hoping to beg a cuppa before I go up and change.’
‘You’d best make it yourself, ‘cause me and Alice have the dinner to serve,’ Nancy reminded him. ‘Oh, and try not to get under our feet.’
Frank took offence at being ordered about like a little boy. Smiling to himself, he wondered what
his parents would say if they knew Joe had been in prison. The very thought of it made him feel good.
While Frank got himself a mug of tea, Alice and Nancy went about setting the table.
Tom got his fingers rapped for picking at the peas, while Nancy saw to the gravy and juggled dishes of steaming, juicy vegetables, she assailed everyone with stories of Joe and his boyish escapades. ‘D’you recall the time Joe scampered up that huge old tree to rescue that ginger cat?’
She chuckled. ‘The cat jumped down and left Joe stranded. We had to get the big ladders out and help him down. As if that wasn’t enough, the very next morning he found a badger caught in a trap.’
Stealing a carrot, Tom picked up the story. ‘Ten year old he were, and would you believe he turned up here with the badger still in the damned trap! The badger’s leg was almost off, and it was half crazed.’
While Nancy checked there were enough places set at the table for Alice’s parents Tom went on, ‘I gave Joe a right talking to. I mean…as we all know, badgers are bad-tempered at the best of times, and this big divil was in terrible pain. Snapping and snarling like a mad dog it was. I don’t mind telling you, it’s a miracle he didn’t have Joe’s fingers off at the bone!’
Out the corner of her eye Nancy caught Tom dibbing into the peas. ‘Get your mucky fingers outta them peas!’ Catching him across the knuckles with the ladle, she gave him one of her frosty stares. It was enough to send him scurrying for his raggedy old newspaper again.
When the telephone rang right beside him he almost leaped out of his chair. ‘Noisy damned thing. I wish we’d never had it put in!’ Tom hated all things new.
‘Don’t be so miserable!’ Nancy chided. ‘It’s bad enough you made us wait till everyone else in the village had one, before you gave in. Anyway, you can’t deny it’s been handy.’
With the telephone still ringing and no one seeming prepared to answer it, Alice grabbed a tea towel and wiped her hands. ‘I’ll get it!’ she said, and was across the room in no time at all.
Blood Brothers Page 5