by Anna Jacobs
Stan pulled Mattie back and stepped forward. ‘Let the little girl go, Bart.’
‘Not till Mattie’s told me what I want to know. If she doesn’t, I’ll hurt the kid.’
The child started weeping loudly and he shook her again. ‘Will you … shut up!’
He saw Stan move towards him and anger took over, as it did sometimes. ‘You keep out of this or I will hurt her. It’s between me and Mattie, this is.’
Stan stopped and stood there.
‘What do you want to know?’ Mattie asked.
‘Where are they?’
‘Who?’
‘Your sisters, who else would I mean?’
‘I don’t know where they are.’
‘I don’t believe you.’ He punched the girl’s arm just to show he meant business.
Mattie took a hasty step forward. ‘I don’t know, honest I don’t. They ran away but they didn’t tell me where.’
‘They’d not have run away if you’d not put it into their minds. Where did you tell them to go?’ He shook the child hard.
‘It wasn’t up to me. Nell was going to marry Cliff and they were going wherever he could find a job. He knew better than to stay in Swindon with you around.’
‘And Renie?’
‘She went with them.’
‘Didn’t they want you?’ he jeered. ‘I don’t blame them. You’re a contrary bitch, a troublemaker, and I can’t see why any fellow would want to marry you. But you’ll not fool me. I know you’re lying. You’d never have let them two get out of touch. You’ve been like a mother to them. Tell me what I want to know or this one gets hurt!’
‘I can’t. I don’t know. Honest I don’t.’
He tightened his grip on the girl, the anger boiling up in his head, clouding his vision.
Chapter Nineteen
Luke sobbed in relief as he saw his father down the lane. ‘Dad, come quick. There’s a big horrible man. He’s got hold of our Sarah an’ he’s hurting her. There’s another man got hold of Mattie.’
‘What?’
‘We have to get help, Dad. There’s two of them and they’re really big.’
‘There isn’t time. You pick up some stones and get ready to throw them. Don’t let fly till you’re sure of hitting your target. I’m not leaving Mattie and Sarah in some brute’s power.’
They started running up the hill.
‘Stay on the grass,’ Jacob whispered. ‘Don’t make a noise. We want to take them by surprise. Where are they?’
‘Just outside that garden with the wall round it.’
They got to the corner of the wall and Jacob held up one hand. He peeped round and saw Sarah in a man’s grip. She was crying. Mattie was standing beside another man, looking terrified.
As he started creeping forward the man beside Mattie caught sight of him.
Jacob stopped dead, expecting the fellow holding her to yell a warning, but he didn’t. Instead he turned back to the man holding Sarah and said, ‘Let the little girl go, Bart. You shouldn’t hurt a child.’
‘Not till Mattie’s told me—’
Jacob took this as a sign that for some strange reason the man holding Mattie was on his side and covered the last two yards in a run. He dragged the brute holding his daughter backwards by the collar.
Letting out a yelp of surprise, the man let go of Sarah but made a quick recovery and turned on his attacker.
The other fellow pulled Mattie back, not letting go of her, and that distracted Jacob for a minute, which let the brute get a punch in that he only half-avoided.
For the next couple of minutes it was all Jacob could do to hold his own as his opponent tried every dirty trick he could think of to get the better of him.
* * *
‘He’s a good fighter, Bart is,’ Stan said. ‘You have to give him that. No, Mattie, stay back and look after the little girl. You’ll get hurt if you try to come between them.’
He let go of her and she put her arms round Sarah. ‘Can’t you stop him, Stan? What good does fighting ever do?’
‘You’ll not stop Bart now. He’s in one of his rages. Anyway, I like to see a good fight.’
‘You’re as bad as my stepfather.’
‘No, I’m damned well not!’ But he continued to watch the fight and she didn’t dare try to intervene, just held Sarah close.
From the corner of the garden, Luke watched in horror as the horrible man punched his dad, tried to kick his shins and then just missed gouging his eye. He wanted to help but wasn’t stupid enough to get close. He hefted a stone in his hand, waiting for the opportunity. He was a good shot, best cricketer in the village. He had to make this count first time, he knew.
When the two men drew slightly apart to catch their breath, it was the perfect opportunity. Luke raised his arm and let fly with a smooth stone. The years of ball games paid off and the stone flew straight and true to hit the stranger on the temple.
He dropped to the ground without even a groan. For a moment Luke’s father stood panting, wiping the sweat from his eyes with the one forearm, keeping an eye on the man on the ground as if expecting an attack from him.
But the stranger didn’t move.
A new fear clutched Luke’s belly. He hadn’t killed the man, had he?
The man next to Mattie raised his hands in a gesture of non-aggression as Jacob turned towards him. Jacob watched him carefully, not trusting him an inch. To his relief Mattie seized her opportunity to get further away, pulling Sarah with her.
Then everyone waited, watching one another warily.
‘I didn’t come here to fight,’ Stan said. ‘I’ve found out what I wanted to know.’ He thrust his hands deep into his pockets, watching Jacob warily.
‘What were you doing here? What did you want to find out?’
‘I wanted to ask Mattie something. I’ve asked her now. I told Bart not to attack anyone, but he sees red sometimes. Still, you were all right. You know how to handle yourself. Good fight, that. There’s not many can hold their own against him.’
As Bart stirred and groaned, Luke came up to join them with a big garden fork in his hand. He jerked this towards Stan. ‘If you touch my dad, I’ll stab you.’
‘Good lad! Always stick up for your own. But I’m not going to touch him. I’ve not touched anyone.’
Bart sat up warily, looking round, groaned and felt his temple, then got slowly to his feet, swaying.
Stan looked towards the house. ‘I’m surprised the old lady hasn’t come out to see what the trouble is.’
‘She’s dead,’ Luke said. ‘It’s Mattie’s house now.’
At this news Bart swung round. ‘What do you mean, “It’s Mattie’s house”?’
‘Miss Newington left it to her in the will. Mattie’s rich now and we all live here.’
‘I don’t believe you.’ Bart wiped away the blood that was streaming from a cut on his temple with a crumpled pocket handkerchief, but made no effort to attack anyone again.
‘It’s true.’ Jacob gave Mattie a quick hug and kept her by his side, still keeping an eye on the two intruders.
Stan began to laugh suddenly. ‘You’ve missed out there, Bart. You’d have had more than enough money for your old age if you’d not attacked your Mattie’s husband.’ He looked at her. ‘I’d have took you without the money. Remember that.’
‘I wed her before we knew she’d inherited,’ Jacob said.
The two men eyed one another, the hostility between them clear to everyone else.
Bart clapped one hand to his chest, groaning. ‘Bloody pain’s come back.’ He scowled at Mattie. ‘I don’t believe you about Renie and Nell. You must know where they are. Tell me!’
‘I don’t know. I swear it.’
‘Liar! But I’ll find them, see if I don’t.’
‘Even Cliff’s family don’t know where they’ve gone. We planned it that way to keep them safe.’ She didn’t add ‘from you’, but it was understood by all present.
After one more scowl in
her direction, he started stumbling down the hill.
Stan followed him, turning after a few steps to look back at Mattie, and to her surprise what she saw in his face was longing and sadness.
She didn’t speak, though, and none of them moved until the two men had disappeared from sight.
‘Follow them and see where they go,’ Jacob ordered his son. ‘Don’t let them see you, though.’
‘Stan won’t hurt him,’ Mattie said. ‘He came to see me, not to thump anyone.’
‘What did he want to see you for?’
‘He cares about me,’ she said, unable to hide her surprise. ‘I never realised, thought he just wanted a wife for the convenience.’
‘Perhaps you should have married him.’
She shuddered. ‘I never could. He’s too much like my stepfather.’
‘They look alike, could have been father and son.’ Jacob bent down to his daughter. ‘You’re not hurt, are you, Sarah?’
‘Only a bit. I’m glad you punched that man, Dad, and I’m glad Luke hit him with a stone.’
‘We should have got someone to keep an eye on the house while we were at church,’ Jacob said, ‘and I would have if I’d known you’d be silly enough to go outside.’
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.’
‘That’s not what upsets me. It’s the thought of you being in danger that I can’t bear.’
Those words made her feel warm inside.
By the time they got into the house, Luke was running up the drive again.
Jacob stopped at the front door. ‘Well?’
‘They had a cab waiting. They got into it and drove away.’
‘Come inside, then. Cook and Horace will be back soon. They wanted to have a cup of tea with her friend after church.’
Jacob felt a bit shy as he turned into the house. He still had to make his peace with Mattie, wasn’t sure how to begin.
She’d hardly said a word to him. He looked at her and caught her staring at him. He couldn’t do this in front of his children. ‘We’ll talk later,’ he said. ‘You’re sure you’re all right?’
She nodded, but still looked wary.
The hardest thing about having children around was a husband and wife finding time to be alone together and talk, he thought, especially hard when you were newly wed. But he wasn’t going to sleep until they’d sorted this out, till he’d apologised. He owed Mattie a big apology for his churlishness, for his false pride.
They went into the kitchen to wash the cuts. Cook came back in the dog cart a short time later, exclaimed in horror at the sight of her bruised and battered master, and took charge.
She put arnica on the bruises, washed the cuts with soft rags and as Mattie saw how good she was and how much she was enjoying looking after him, she stepped back and didn’t try to help.
When Cook had finished, she sent them out of her kitchen, telling them she’d bring a tea tray to the small sitting room.
‘Let Luke stay with you and bring that,’ Jacob said. ‘You’ve enough to do.’
She looked fondly at the two children and nodded. ‘We’ve not had our luncheon either. I’ll feed them in here, shall I? We’ll bring yours into the morning room, sir.’
‘I never realised servants could order their masters around,’ Mattie whispered as they went to the sitting room.
Jacob caught her hand, wincing as her fingers clung to his and inadvertently hurt his bruised knuckles.
She raised his hand to her lips and kissed it. ‘Thank you for protecting us.’
‘I’d a hard job with that stepfather of yours. You were right. He does fight dirty. Come and sit on the sofa with me.’
When they were seated he took her hand again. ‘I got to thinking in church that I was being a fool. It was pride, Mattie, just pride that made me treat you like that. A man likes to provide for his family, only you’ll be doing the providing now.’
‘But I still need you. I can’t possibly manage on my own. I don’t know what to do with all this.’ She gestured round her.
‘I need you too. But not for the money, because I want you to be my wife … and properly. I love you, Mattie.’
She stared at him, her heart suddenly beating faster at the warm look in his eyes. ‘Oh, Jacob, do you really mean that?’
‘Of course I do. I’d not say it else.’
‘And I love you, too.’
His smile lit up his face. He glanced over his shoulder towards the door and gave her a rueful look. ‘I hardly dare kiss you in case Cook comes in and tells us off.’
She chuckled, relaxing even more, feeling happiness flood through her. ‘It’d be worth a telling-off.’
His voice had thickened as he pulled her to him. ‘Yes. It would.’
He kissed her gently, or at least he tried to. But the kiss didn’t stay gentle, because it was Mattie and he’d been wanting her in his arms for days. And she was willing, offering her lips, clinging to him, kissing him back.
Some of the pins fell out of her hair and with a soft murmur of approval he pulled the rest out. ‘Lovely hair you have, lovely skin too.’
It was the sound of giggling that pulled them out of the embrace. He turned in embarrassment to see Luke and Sarah standing at the door watching them.
Mattie flushed scarlet and buried her face in Jacob’s chest.
He looked at his son first, frightened that the boy would resent his feelings for Mattie.
But Luke smiled at him and said, ‘Tom told me how you’d be acting if you loved one another, kissing and all that, but I didn’t think you did love one another. I don’t mind you getting married again if you really love one another, though I’m never going to get married because you’ll not catch me kissing a girl like that.’ He shuddered eloquently.
Jacob didn’t make the mistake of telling the boy off for his cheek, but said gravely, as one man to another, ‘I do love her dearly, son, and I hope you will too when you get to know her.’
Luke looked at Mattie and she held her breath, desperate to win the approval of both Jacob’s children. He shrugged. ‘I don’t mind. She’s nice to Sarah and she sets a good table. I’ve not been hungry once since she got better.’
Jacob’s voice only shook a little with amusement as he said, ‘Good reasons for me to marry her, eh?’ He squeezed Mattie’s hand and exchanged smiles with her, then turned his attention to his daughter. ‘Are you happy about Mattie being part of our family, Sarah?’
She beamed at them both. ‘Oh, yes. She’s nice. And she’s pretty too.’ She ran forward suddenly and thrust herself between them on the sofa, trying to cuddle them both at once.
Jacob looked over his daughter’s head at Luke and gestured to him to join the three of them. And after a moment’s hesitation Luke did that, squeezing into a corner of the sofa next to his father and smiling at them both.
‘That’s what I like to see,’ Cook said from the doorway. ‘Families who love one another. Life’s better when you’ve got a bit of love to help it along. Now, who’s coming to help me carry the food in?’
As Jacob and Luke followed her to the kitchen, Mattie gave up the attempt to pin back her hair and let it fall to her shoulders. She was filled with joy, so much joy it felt to be sparkling all through her.
And even though she didn’t know where her sisters were, she was sure now that they’d got away from Bart and that pleased her greatly. One day she’d find them again. She had to believe that.
And surely with a gentle man like Cliff, Nell and Renie would make a better life for themselves … just as she would with Jacob. Oh, but it was a pity they couldn’t come and share in her good fortune. Maybe one day she’d be able to help them.
It was Luke who brought her out of her momentary trance. ‘Come on, Mattie. I’m hungry. Aren’t you?’
‘You’re always hungry,’ Sarah said, beaming at everyone.
Mattie nodded and took her place at the table with her family, feeling as if her heart would burst with joy.
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About the Author
ANNA JACOBS is the author of fifty novels and is addicted to storytelling. She grew up in Lancashire, emigrated to Australia in the 1970s and writes stories set in both countries. She loves to return to England regularly to visit her family and soak up the history. She has two grown-up daughters and a grandson, and lives with her husband in a spacious waterfront home. Often as she writes, dolphins frolic outside the window of her study. Inside, the house is crammed with thousands of books.
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By Anna Jacobs
Cherry Tree Lane
Elm Tree Road
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Hardcover published in Great Britain in 2010.