Читать книгу Classic Bestsellers from Josephine Cox: Bumper Collection - Josephine Cox - Страница 23

WITH THE HOUSEWORK finished, Kathy got ready to go into Bridport, where she would get her weekly shop, and hopefully a few bargains from the market. ‘I’ll even have time to pop in and see Mabel,’ she told herself in the hallway mirror. She had come to look forward to their intimate little chats; though it was a furtive affair as her husband was always lurking in the background, ready to pounce.

Before leaving, she glanced at the mantel-clock. ‘Half past ten … plenty of time before I see Tom.’ They’d arranged to meet at six thirty, when he’d planned to take her into Dorchester for a quiet restaurant meal. It would be a real treat; they could sit and talk, and enjoy every possible minute before he took off for London on Tuesday.

Another glance in the mirror ensured she hadn’t forgotten anything: hair brushed, lipstick on; yes, that was all right. ‘Got my purse and bag … yes.’

At last, she was ready for off. Yet when she opened the door and saw the rain-clouds gathering, she decided, ‘Best take a coat, just in case!’

Going back to the peg in the hallway, she unhooked her mackintosh. Throwing it over her arm, she secured the front door, then made her way down the path, her gaze reaching towards the harbour, where she hoped she might see Tom.

He wasn’t there. ‘He’s probably getting ready for Tuesday,’ she muttered. The thought of him going away laid a dark cloud over her mood.

Unusually, the bus was on time. ‘Morning, Miss.’ The conductor was a funny chap, with the jerky manners and appearance of a bird.

Small and quick, he had a slightly bent head and pointed features, the most prominent of which was his long, narrow nose. ‘Morning,’ she replied brightly. ‘How are you today?’ Rain or shine, he always seemed to have one thing or another wrong with him: either it was too hot for him to breathe, or it was so wet it got into his bones. Today was no different.

He gave a strangled groan. ‘It’s my back,’ he answered painfully. ‘I got out of bed this morning and could hardly walk.’

Kathy always sympathised, which was fatal because now he made a beeline for her every time. ‘You’ll have to see a doctor,’ she advised, handing him her fare.

‘Seen him already … that many times I might as well set up house in the surgery.’ Turning the rachet on his ticket-machine, he expelled her ticket and handed it to her. ‘I’m a martyr to pain, that’s what I am,’ he moaned, before moving on, at surprising speed, to another passenger, where exactly the same conversation ensued.

A while later, the bus turned into the stop and Kathy got off. ‘See you later,’ the conductor told her.

Kathy smiled and waved. ‘Poor devil!’ On this particular journey he had even found time to sit beside her, regaling her with stories of his bad leg and his poor heart, and the awkward way he had to lie in bed because of his back pain.

Though she would rather have spent the journey sitting on her own, thinking about her and Tom, Kathy didn’t begrudge the conductor a few minutes of her time.

Quickly covering the few hundred yards along Bridport High Street, she breezed into the market. This was a place she loved; with its many stalls and colourful stallholders, it had a cheery, happy atmosphere. ‘Got some lovely red apples … tanner a bag,’ one chap called; being fond of a good apple, Kathy promptly bought a bag.

For the next hour or so she went from stall to stall. She chose some chintz fabric to make a set of curtains for the bathroom, and for fourpence-halfpenny she purchased a small, pretty picture of a sailing boat to hang on the hallway wall. She was slowly adding her own touches to Barden House. She bought fresh bread from the baker’s stall, some vegetables from the greengrocer, and a scrubbing-brush for the back step, where the gutter dripped and made a mess.

When her bag was full and her feet were beginning to ache, she made her way to the café.

Pleased to see that the window-table was empty, Kathy went inside. Dropping her heavy bag to the floor, she sat herself down. ‘Morning, madam, what would you like?’ The waitress was a sloppy young thing, with a face that said, ‘I couldn’t care less what you want, just order it and let me get back to my wireless.’

Her off-hand manner didn’t bother Kathy one iota. ‘Dandelion and burdock, please.’

Without a word the waitress moved off to fetch her drink.

Meanwhile, Kathy was expecting Mabel to appear any minute. But there was no sign of her. When the waitress returned with her order, Kathy asked, ‘Is Mabel in today?’

‘Not today, no.’

‘Is she all right?’

‘Who knows?’ Shrugging her shoulders, she hurried away. Nat King Cole was in the middle of his song, ‘Unforgettable’. Being a great fan of his, she didn’t want to miss it.

Kathy was worried. It wasn’t like Mabel to miss work. Kathy thought her to be of an age when most people retired, but Mabel just kept going. Whether it was from choice or necessity wasn’t clear, but she hardly stopped, at least from what Kathy had seen on a busy day. And in this café, most days were busy.

While she sipped her drink, Kathy was acutely aware of Mabel’s husband peering at her from behind the serving hatch. She didn’t care much for him, so she averted her eyes as much as possible.

When she went up to the counter to pay, he was standing by the till. She counted out the coins and placed them on the counter. ‘Is your wife all right?’ she asked.

‘Gone to see her brother!’ he grunted. He then slapped her change onto the counter, and took himself off at great speed into the kitchen.

Kathy neither liked nor believed him. Never mind that his manner was highly suspicious, when he told her that Mabel was with her brother, Kathy knew he was lying.

Mabel herself had told her how she had not spoken to her brother in years because of something that happened before the war. Looking back, it had been something and nothing, Mabel had told her, but they had lost touch. Now Mabel did not know where her brother was; it was a great sadness to her.

Now, as Kathy put the change into her purse, she was aware of someone watching her. When she looked up, it was to see Mabel’s husband disappearing behind the kitchen door. ‘He’s hiding something,’ she muttered as she went down the street. ‘Why is he lying about Mabel?’

At the bus stop she took out her handbag and, rummaging through it, found the piece of paper with Mabel’s address. ‘I wonder …’ She remembered it wasn’t too far away, but did she have enough time?

By the time the bus pulled in, Kathy’s mind was made up. ‘Sorry,’ she apologised to the conductor, who was urging her on board, ‘I’ll catch the next one.’

She went down the High Street and, finding the street where Mabel lived, she hurried past the cottages until she found the right one. She thought it strange though that all the curtains were drawn.

Apprehensive now, Kathy tapped on the front door. When there was no answer, she lifted the knocker and let it drop. When there was still no answer she dropped her bag to the ground, opened the letter-flap and, putting her mouth close so as not to disturb the neighbours, she called out, ‘MABEL! It’s me, Kathy. MABEL, are you in there?’ The silence was deafening. ‘Answer me, Mabel. Are you all right?’

Squinting through the letter-flap, she could just make out a dark shape, right there on the floor at the foot of the stairs. ‘MABEL!’ She believed it must be Mabel, lying unconscious, unmoving, arms spreadeagled and her legs twisted in a peculiar fashion. ‘Oh, my God … MABEL!’ Still there was no answer, and not a flicker of movement.

With her heart in her mouth, Kathy realised there was no time to be lost.

Running to the nearest neighbour, she banged her two fists on the door. Startled by all the noise, the man flung open the door. ‘What the devil’s going on?’

‘It’s Mabel! I think she’s fallen down the stairs … she’s not moving. We need to get an ambulance … quickly!’

Flinging on his shirt, he told her, ‘The nearest phone box is at the end of the street. You run and phone the ambulance, while I see if I can find something to get me inside the house.’

With that he hurried back inside his house, while Kathy went at a run down the street, leaving her shopping bag where it had fallen.

Once inside the phone box, she quickly got through to the emergency services. After giving Mabel’s address, she was instructed to ‘Get inside the house if you can, and stay with the injured woman. Keep her calm and still. The ambulance will be there in ten minutes.’

Relieved, Kathy ran back to where the man had given up trying to break the door with a crowbar, and was now running at it with the weight of his own body. Once, twice, he put his shoulder to it, before the door splintered and sprang open. ‘We’re in!’

Mabel couldn’t be woken. ‘Do you think she fell down the stairs?’ Distraught with worry, Kathy sat on the floor, not daring to lift or hold Mabel for fear of hurting her. ‘It’s all right, Mabel,’ she whispered softly. ‘I’ve got you now. You’re going to be all right.’

The man ran his concerned gaze over Mabel’s obvious injuries. He noted the gashes on her forehead and the large, torn areas of skin on her neck. ‘If you ask me, he did this!’

Kathy knew who he meant. ‘What? You think her husband pushed her down the stairs, is that what you’re saying?’

‘I heard them,’ the man revealed. ‘I work night-shift at one of the hotels in Lyme Regis. I got home about seven o’clock this morning … I heard them arguing.’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘I never thought he’d hurt her this badly. He’s a nasty bugger, though … a right bully. How she’s put up with him all these years, I don’t know.’

Suddenly the clanging bells of the ambulance could be heard. In minutes they were drawing up, and the ambulance men were gently tending Mabel. ‘Easy as you go.’ The two of them stretchered her into the ambulance.

‘I’m coming with her.’ Kathy clambered in behind the stretcher. ‘She’s got nobody else.’

‘Here, Miss … don’t forget your bag!’ The kindly neighbour handed it up to her.

The ambulance ride was a nightmare. Mabel lay apparently lifeless on the stretcher, while the ambulance man tended to her, trying to get some response. Kathy was deeply worried.

At the hospital, Kathy waited nervously while the doctors assessed Mabel.

It was over an hour later that the doctor sought Kathy out. ‘She has no broken limbs, but apparently she’s taken a bad tumble. She has some nasty wounds, which will need treatment, and she’s suffering from shock and bad concussion. But she’ll be all right.’ Curious as to how Mabel received such injuries, he asked, ‘Have you any idea how it happened?’

‘Not really. It looked as if she might have fallen down the stairs, but I can’t be sure.’ It was on the tip of her tongue to say how she suspected Mabel’s husband of hurting her, but then thought it wise to say nothing until she was able to speak with Mabel. ‘Can I see her?’

He nodded. ‘Matron will take you. But don’t stay long.’ Gesturing to the matron who had been waiting close by, he turned on his heel and went.

As she walked Kathy to the ward, Matron had a few questions of her own, such as, ‘Were you with her when it happened?’ and ‘Do you know of anyone we should contact?’

Kathy was wary. ‘I think you might ask Mabel that,’ she suggested.

‘Oh, we have, but of course she is still concussed … not quite thinking straight just yet.’

Matron threw open the door to the ward. ‘Perhaps you could have a word with her? Oh, and no more than a few minutes. She’s very weak.’

It was a small ward with only four beds in it; besides Mabel’s, only one other was occupied, by a young woman who looked very ill.

As Kathy went in, the nurse came out. ‘You mustn’t stay long,’ she warned, adding with a smile, ‘Give her a week or so, and she’ll be fine.’

Mabel appeared to be asleep, but when Kathy softly called her name she opened her eyes. Covered in bruises, they seemed swollen to twice their size. She looked at Kathy, and for a minute didn’t seem to recognise her. ‘It’s me … Kathy.’ It was painful to see her friend like this.

Slowly, agonisingly, Mabel reached out her hand. Quickly, Kathy took it in her own. ‘They tell me you’ve got no broken bones or anything like that,’ she imparted fondly, ‘but you’ll need to be here about a week.’

Mabel continued to look at her through those sorry eyes. Suddenly, the eyes moistened and the tears ran away down to the pillow. ‘Don’t … don’t …’

Her voice was so small, Kathy had to bend close. ‘What is it you’re trying to say?’

It seemed as though Mabel had exhausted what little strength she had, because now she closed her eyes and fell silent. Close to tears herself, Kathy spoke to her, and in a minute Mabel was looking up again. ‘Don’t …’

‘What is it, Mabel?’ Leaning forward, Kathy asked in a whisper, ‘Don’t tell them it was your husband? Is that what you’re trying to say?’

When Mabel gave a feeble squeeze of the hand, and what appeared to be a nod, Kathy knew she had guessed right. ‘Did he do this to you, Mabel?’ she asked. ‘Was it him that threw you down the stairs?’

Again that slight nod.

‘And you don’t want me to say anything … to anyone? Not even the doctors?’

Again, the nod.

Kathy’s voice dropped a tone. ‘Not even to him?’ He was the lowest of the low, to hurt his wife like this.

Now, at her suggestion, Mabel’s eyes flickered with fear. ‘It’s all right!’ Kathy promised. ‘I won’t say a word to anyone … not even to him.’ She smiled. ‘But I’d really like to throw him down the stairs, if only you’d let me.’

At Kathy’s vehemence, Mabel’s eyes crinkled into a twisted smile. Her hand squeezed Kathy’s; it was a sign that, despite her injuries, the old spirit was still there. Kathy almost read her mind. ‘I know,’ she chuckled, ‘you want to throw him down the stairs yourself, is that it?’

Mabel’s eyes sparkled and her mouth opened, as if trying to smile. Then the eyes closed and she appeared to have fallen asleep.

Just then the matron returned. ‘I want you to leave now,’ she told Kathy. ‘The doctors need to tend her.’

Kathy voiced her concern at Mabel falling asleep like that. ‘Is she all right?’

Checking her patient, the matron put Kathy’s mind at rest. ‘Your friend was concussed in the fall,’ she explained, then, with a hint of suspicion, she asked, ‘She did fall, didn’t she?’

‘Down the stairs as far as I can make out.’ Kathy had answered the question wisely, without giving anything away.

‘Mmm.’ Matron explained how Mabel had muttered something about falling down. ‘And of course the injuries are consistent with that. Poor thing.’ She had another question. ‘Are there any relatives that you know of?’

Kathy merely shook her head. ‘I haven’t known her all that long.’ Again, she had answered the question without actually lying. ‘I’d best go now … let her rest.’

She gave Mabel a kiss, and promised she would be back to see her in the morning.

On the way back to West Bay, she said a little prayer of thanks for the promise of Mabel’s quick recovery. ‘And maybe you could give that big bully what he deserves!’

By the time Tom arrived to collect her, Kathy was ready. It had been a terrible rush, but she made a special effort, and now, as she glanced in the hallway mirror before going out to him, she mimicked Maggie to a tee. ‘For Gawd’s sake, stop fretting! You’ll pass, gal.’ The thought of Maggie made her smile.

When she opened the door, Tom thought she looked especially lovely. She had on a smart little brown two-piece, and the cream-coloured blouse wonderfully complemented her light-brown shining hair, which tonight was brushed into an attractive bounce. ‘My! There won’t be a man in the room able to keep his eyes off you.’ Flinging his arms about her waist, he swung her round. ‘Your chariot awaits.’

Now, as he gestured to the kerb-edge, Kathy was surprised to see a taxi. ‘Such extravagance!’ she chided light-heartedly. ‘I suppose now I shall have to pay for your dinner as well as my own?’

‘Hmh! You’d best mind I don’t take you up on that, my girl!’

Laughing, they got into the taxi and set off for Dorchester.

On the way, Tom noticed her quiet mood. ‘Penny for them?’ Sliding his arm round her shoulders, he drew her face round so that he could see her eyes. ‘You’ve gone quiet all of a sudden. What’s wrong?’

‘It’s Mabel.’

‘What … the old lady who works in the Bridport café?’ He smiled. ‘The one you’ve adopted as your own?’ She had spoken often about Mabel, and he had come to know all about her. ‘Don’t tell me she’s been rowing with her husband again?’

Not wanting to spoil their evening, Kathy tried to close the subject. ‘I’ll tell you later. Not now, eh? You’ll be leaving on Tuesday, so let’s not spoil tonight.’

‘If you’re sure?’

‘Yes.’ There would be time later to talk about Mabel. ‘I’m sure.’

As they drew up outside the restaurant, Kathy gave a gasp of delight. ‘Oh, but it’s so pretty!’ In mock-Tudor style, with oak beams and lovely old lanterns at the porch, it was like something out of a fairytale.

Inside was breathtaking: rose-chintz curtains at the lead-lighted windows; thick burgundy carpets on the floor; pink tablecloths on the intimate round tables, and a vase holding a single red rose in the centre. There were old-fashioned lanterns hanging from the ceiling and walls, and soft music playing in the background. ‘Oh, Tom, it’s just lovely!’ Kathy was thrilled.

That evening was the best of her life. They ate and drank and toasted the future, and when the meal was finished they danced until the early hours.

At two o’clock in the morning, Kathy and Tom finally left to climb into their waiting taxi, and the waiters breathed a sigh of relief.

The journey back to West Bay was a quiet one.

Leaning back with Tom’s strong arms around her, Kathy thought she would never be happier. At the back of her mind, Mabel’s predicament threatened to throw a shadow over her joy, but she refused to let it. Mabel would be all right, that’s what they had told her, and this was her special night – hers and Tom’s. ‘I love you.’ Shy of the taxi-driver, she whispered in Tom’s ear. ‘I’m going to love you for ever.’

Her face uplifted, she observed his strong, chiselled features and that soft, full mouth. Intrigued, she traced her finger along it. ‘Kiss me.’

Smiling, he bent his head to hers, his dark eyes searching Kathy’s. In that precious moment, his love for her was like a raging storm inside him.

When he bent to kiss her, she felt her heart soar. The kiss went on and on, hearts merging, their love like a shield around them; as though nothing could ever come between them. It was a magical experience.

In the mirror, the taxi-driver saw their love and it made him think about his own youth, and the many loves he had found and lost. ‘Cherish what you’ve got,’ he murmured quietly. ‘Don’t ever let anything spoil it.’

He had never married. Long ago, through his own stupidity, he had lost the only woman he had ever really loved. Even now, after all this time, that loss was a heavy cross to carry.

When they arrived at Barden House, Tom walked Kathy to her front door. Neither of them said a word. Instead they held each other, and kissed again … and again, holding onto each other a moment longer before Tom walked away.

At the gate he turned to gaze on her one more time before climbing into the taxi.

Kathy watched the car drive away. She saw him looking out of the window at her, and knew exactly what he was feeling. ‘I love you too,’ she said.

She watched until the taxi had gone out of sight, then she went inside, ran straight upstairs and undressed for bed.

Lying in her bed, she thought of Tom; her love for him was like an unbearable ache inside her. ‘Please, God, don’t let me lose him, not now,’ she whispered.

She said a prayer for Mabel, and in minutes she was fast asleep; a contented sleep that augured well for the future.

The following morning, bright and early, she went to see Mabel. ‘She’s had a good night,’ the nurse told her. ‘You can help feed her if you like.’

Kathy said she would like that. When the broth arrived, she actually persuaded Mabel to take a sip or two – but that was all, before Mabel pushed it away. ‘Never mind.’ The nurse had seen it all before. ‘We’ll try again later.’

Though Mabel could not hold a conversation, Kathy kept her interested by telling her all about her night out with Tom, and how he was going away on Tuesday and she didn’t know how long he would be gone.

Mabel listened awhile, then she slept awhile, then she squeezed Kathy’s hand and looked sad when Kathy said she had to leave, but, ‘I’ll be back to see you soon as I can,’ she promised, and Mabel’s eyes lit up.

She gave her a kiss and a hug; even before she got across the room, Mabel was sound asleep again.

On the way home, Kathy sat on the bus thinking about everything. It was good talking to Mabel. She was like a mother to her. Sadly, neither she nor Mabel had another woman to confide in. But they had formed a bond now, and Kathy knew without a shadow of doubt that the friendship she and old Mabel had found would remain strong throughout their lives. It was a warm, comforting thought.

On arriving in West Bay, she didn’t go straight home. Instead, with everything churning in her troubled mind, she felt the need to walk the clifftop, much as Tom did whenever he was troubled.

The wind in her face was uniquely refreshing, and the salty tang of the sea air was cool and invigorating on her skin.

More content now, she sat for a time on the edge of the cliff. ‘It’s like sitting on the edge of the world!’ she whispered. ‘I can see why you love to walk these beaches,’ she murmured, with Tom in mind. ‘They have a way of calming the soul.’

From here she could see the harbour. The many boats within it were jangling together, heaving up and down with the waves. Tom wasn’t there. ‘I expect he’s got more important things on his mind for the minute.’

After a while, when the wind picked up strength, and when her toes and nose grew cold, she started back. ‘Best get some milk,’ she muttered, coming into the harbour. ‘I used the last of it on that stray cat this morning.’ The cat was a skinny little grey. For some reason it had taken root in her shed and, though she had tried to entice it inside, it refused. Sometimes it went away, and after a few days it was back again.

It was a bit strange. Who did it belong to? And why was it hanging around the house? And, if it really was lost, why did it go away at intervals and come back again, as if it had a plan? Kathy had given up wondering. All she could do was feed it when it came back, and forget about it when it went away. Like her own life, she had little control over it.

Amy Tatler, the little shopkeeper, smiled to see Kathy come through the door. ‘Don’t tell me,’ she said. ‘You’re out of milk because you’ve been feeding that cat again!’

Kathy laughed. ‘Is there anything you don’t know?’ Like Jasper, she had grown fond of Amy.

‘Ah! There’s one thing I know that you don’t,’ came the crafty reply.

Kathy was intrigued. ‘Oh, and what’s that then?’

‘You’ve got a visitor!’

Taken aback, Kathy asked, ‘What visitor?’

‘A woman.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Because I told her where to find you.’ She was enjoying herself. ‘“Go to Barden House across the way,” I said. “I saw young Kathy go out earlier, but I dare say she’ll be back any minute.”’

Kathy was racking her brains as to who it might be. ‘And she’s there now?’

‘Well, she headed off in that direction. I watched her through the window. Whether she’s still there or not, I can’t say.’

‘You said it was a woman?’ Kathy was hesitant to go and see, because the thought that it might be her mother had just flashed across her mind. ‘What was she like?’

The old shopkeeper gave it a bit of thought. ‘She was youngish … bold as brass.’

Thrilled, Kathy gave a whoop: it had to be Maggie. ‘Was she small and dark, with a way of making you smile almost before she spoke?’

The older woman shook her head. ‘Nothing like that. As a matter of fact, if you don’t mind me saying, she was a sour-looking creature, who forgot to say thank you. What’s more, she took a newspaper without paying.’

Kathy was shocked. ‘Did she say who she was?’

‘No. She didn’t say anything much, except that she was looking for a Miss Kathy Wilson, and would I point her in the right direction.’

‘All right, thank you. I suppose I’d best go and see.’ First though, there was a debt to settle. ‘How much was the newspaper?’

‘Threepence, but it isn’t your responsibility. I’ve no doubt, from the size of the suitcase she was carrying, she intends staying a while. I can ask her for the money next time she comes in.’ Though kind-hearted and amiable, Amy was particular about good manners. ‘I shall give her a piece of my mind into the bargain an’ all!’

Kathy laid the threepence on the counter. ‘Please let me pay,’ she said. ‘If only to save any bad feeling.’

‘Well, if you’re sure …’ Taking the threepence, she gave Kathy a receipt. ‘I was surprised to hear her ask for you, my dear. She’s not the kind I would associate with a well-mannered young thing like yourself.’

Curious, though a little apprehensive, Kathy walked towards her house at a quickening pace.

At first Kathy didn’t recognise the figure sitting on the wall, but then, as she drew level, she realised who it was. ‘My God … SAMANTHA!’

The woman turned, confirming Kathy’s suspicion. ‘Hello, Kathy.’ Getting off the wall, Samantha came to kiss her on the cheek. ‘I’m glad you’re back.’ She sounded sorry for herself, Kathy thought. ‘I’ve been waiting for ages. My backside’s numb, and I’m starving hungry.’ She was not altogether pleased to see how lean and pretty Kathy was, nor how her face glowed with health. Her hair, which was longer now, shone with a deep gloss, and her light-brown eyes had a definite sparkle. ‘Hmh!’ She looked her up and down. ‘Looks like the sea air suits you.’

Kathy hardly noticed what Samantha was saying. Instead she was open-mouthed at seeing her sister here in West Bay. ‘What are you doing here?’

Samantha laughed. ‘I’ve come to see you. Why? Can’t a sister visit without being quizzed as to her intentions? Anybody would think I was after something!’ Though she said it teasingly, there was a hardness underlying the words that warned Kathy to exercise caution.

‘Why didn’t you write and tell me you were coming?’ Forgetting all her manners, Kathy was concerned as to what might have brought Samantha to her doorstep. ‘Roughing it’ at the seaside had never been her idea of fun. ‘Is it Mother? Is she ill?’

Samantha greeted her question with gales of laughter. ‘Mother … ill? I don’t think so. She’s positively bursting with health; though she might not be as rich or content as she was.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

Samantha refused to reply until she was inside. ‘Are we going to stand out here all night, or am I being invited in?’

Kathy felt ashamed. ‘Sorry. You’d best come in. I’ll get you something to eat.’

‘I’m gasping for a drink.’ That was Samantha’s first thought. ‘I wouldn’t mind a gin and tonic.’ Collecting her suitcase, she followed Kathy up the path.

‘If you want a gin and tonic you’ll have to go to the pub.’ Kathy stepped aside to let her in. ‘You know I’m not a gin and tonic person.’ She hated herself for it, but she couldn’t help the jibe. ‘I never got the taste for it. I’ve never moved in the same exclusive circles as you and Mother.’

‘Hmh! I should have thought you’d keep some by for your guests, though of course I don’t suppose you get many of those, out here in the back of beyond.’

‘Sorry’ – the biting comment rolled off Kathy’s back – ‘no gin and tonic.’ Closing the door behind her, she led Samantha into the sitting room. ‘I’ve got half a bottle of whisky, which I keep for an old friend. You’re welcome to a tot of that or I’ve tea or soft drinks …’

Dropping her case on the carpet, Samantha ignored her offer. She made a face. ‘You don’t seem too pleased to see me!’

‘I’m not!’ Kathy saw no point in beating about the bush. ‘I’ve not heard a word from you or Mother since I left, and this is the last place on earth you would want to visit.’ She took note of Samantha’s meticulously groomed long, dark hair, the brown high-heeled shoes and that shockingly expensive suit that clung to her like a second skin. ‘So, tell me … why are you really here?’

Samantha’s green eyes narrowed in a sly little smile. ‘I could be missing you, have you thought of that?’

‘Oh, please. Credit me with some sense! You haven’t just turned up here because you’re “missing” me,’ Kathy pointed out with brutal honesty. ‘There’s something going on. What are you up to?’

‘My! My!’ Dropping into the armchair, Samantha lolled back, looking for all the world as if she was here to stay. ‘What a suspicious mind you’ve got.’

Kathy’s back was up now. She knew her sister too well, and she knew something was not right. ‘I’ve had reason too many times to be suspicious,’ she replied curtly. ‘Or have you forgotten how deceitful and mean you and Mother have been … or how you shut me out of your lives whenever you felt like it?’

‘Ah, well, that was Mother’s fault. Not mine.’

‘Really?’

Realising she had better not be too arrogant, or her plan wouldn’t work, Samantha smiled sweetly. ‘I don’t want to put you to any trouble, but my stomach’s rumbling hungry.’

‘I’ll see what I can rustle up.’ Kathy went into the kitchen and peered into the cupboard. ‘I’ve got ham and tomatoes, or beans on toast.’

‘What!’ Samantha came running in, her face wreathed in disgust. ‘Is that all you’ve got?’

‘I wasn’t expecting visitors.’ Kathy paused. ‘I think you’d better settle for fish and chips,’ she said finally.

‘Hmh!’ Samantha gave a shiver of disapproval. ‘If you ask me, the place is uncivilised!’

Kathy laughed. ‘Not your usual scene, is it?’

‘I dare say I’ll get used to it.’ Samantha was determined to get what she came for, however grim it was here. ‘If you’ll just show me my room, I’ll unpack while you go for the fish and chips … a large cod for me, and just a small portion of chips.’ She patted her thighs. ‘I don’t want to lose my figure.’

‘They’re not open until six.’

Kathy wished her sister could be the genuine article. It would have been so nice to have someone she could sit and talk with. And she did so want it all to be pleasant. ‘Look, Samantha, get your case and I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping. Then we’ll have a cup of tea and a proper chat. If you’re that hungry, I can make you some toast if you like, while we’re waiting for the chip shop to open.’

Throwing out her arms in frustration, Samantha refused the offer. ‘I don’t fancy any of your bloody toast.’ She had seen the primitive kitchen, and wasn’t even sure it was hygienic. ‘Don’t bother. A cup of tea will keep me going until the fish shop opens.’

Leading the way into the sitting room, she left Kathy shaking her head and muttering, ‘Keep on like that, and you’ll be leaving sooner than you think!’

In the sitting room, Samantha took closer note of the furnishings: the newly made curtains and the plain, well-worn furniture, which she wouldn’t have accepted if it was given to her. As Kathy came back in, Samantha gave a grunt of disapproval. ‘Don’t tell me this is the same furniture he had?’

‘The very same.’ Kathy’s back was beginning to bristle. ‘Why?’

Again, that haughty look of disapproval. ‘Well, look at it! It’s absolutely disgusting … I’d have thrown it out by now and got myself something decent.’

‘Well, I like it. But then, I’m not you, am I?’

‘But it belonged to them!’

‘If you mean Father and the woman he loved – yes, it did. Father left it to me, and that makes it mine now. So, it really doesn’t matter whether you like it or not.’

‘Hmh!’ Samantha was amazed at Kathy’s new-found self-confidence. There was a time, not so long back, when she could intimidate her sister and get away with it. ‘There’s no need to get on your high horse.’

‘And there’s no need for you to be so insulting.’

Kathy was taken aback when Samantha put a very personal question. ‘You’ve found yourself a man-friend, haven’t you?’

‘What makes you think that?’ Kathy didn’t know whether to be pleased or wary.

‘Well, just look at you!’ Samantha had never seen her sister so attractive. ‘You’re positively blooming. Your eyes have that secret little sparkle and you appear to have lost weight. There must be a man involved!’

‘Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t.’ Still cautious, Kathy gave nothing away.

‘Well, if there is, you want to be careful.’

‘What d’you mean?’

‘Well, for a start … have you been stupid enough to tell him that you own this house lock, stock and barrel? Is he after you for your charms? Or is he after moving in here? Perhaps he doesn’t think anything of you at all. Perhaps he’s just looking for a cushy number?’

‘I doubt if he’s after this house.’ Tom had told her all about his work, and the fact that while he had more money than he knew what to do with, he would give it all away in exchange for peace of mind. ‘I think I can safely say that Tom and I have something very special. And, in spite of what you might think, he isn’t looking for a “cushy” number, as you so colourfully put it, because he’s already a wealthy man.’

At that, Samantha’s eyebrows went up and her mouth fell open. ‘Well, I never! My little sister’s hooked herself a big fish, eh? Good for you.’

Kathy’s anger was evident as she retaliated. ‘It’s not like that! I love Tom, and he loves me. I know you might find it hard to believe, but money doesn’t even come into it!’

Smiling maliciously, Samantha tutted. ‘Really? But you’re right. I do find it hard to believe.’

Kathy needed no reminding of her sister’s opinion of her. ‘Whether you believe it or not, I haven’t had an easy ride these past few years. But I’ve got my life together now, and I’m more content than I’ve been in ages. I won’t let you spoil that, Samantha,’ she told her quietly. ‘So, if you intend staying with me for a few days, you had better get used to the idea that this is not the Ritz or the Savoy. This is my home.’

Stunned into silence by her sister’s quiet self-confidence, Samantha wondered if her task was going to be as easy as she had first thought. She realised she was dealing with a woman who had thrown a protective barrier round herself and what was hers, and it was a sobering thing to see. On the face of it, she could not envisage how she might get Kathy to sell this house and give her half the proceeds.

The solicitor was right after all. It would not be easy, she could see that now. But it didn’t put her off, not for one minute. In fact, if a fight was what Kathy wanted, then a fight she would get!

For what seemed like an age, the two sisters stood facing each other: one with hatred in her heart; the other with a deep-down need for the company of family, and peace of mind.

For the moment, though, the atmosphere in that room was electrifying. In the background the clock ticked, and somewhere outside a dog could be heard barking.

A sudden knock on the door broke the brooding silence. ‘Seems you’ve got another visitor.’ Samantha soon recovered her arrogance. ‘You’d better go and see who it is.’

It was Tom.

‘I just thought, if you weren’t doing anything, that we could go into Weymouth. Maybe have a meal on the sea-front; sit and watch the sun go down. What do you say?’

Before Kathy could answer, Samantha appeared. ‘It sounds good to me,’ she told Tom, astonishing him with her boldness. ‘I haven’t strolled on the sea-front in ages.’

When Tom looked questioningly at Kathy, she introduced one to the other. ‘This is my sister, Samantha.’ Kathy felt a surge of anger that she was in this position. ‘And this is Tom Arnold.’

She felt no obligation to explain Tom’s very special role in her life. Instead she was quietly seething. How dare Samantha interfere like that? But then, she reminded herself, it was Samantha’s way. Unfortunately, she knew no other.

Tom held out his hand in greeting. ‘What a lovely surprise. Glad to meet you, Samantha.’

Samantha positively glowed. ‘Glad to meet you too,’ she purred. ‘I don’t suppose Kathy even told you about me?’

Sensing Samantha was out for trouble, Kathy intervened. ‘Look, Tom. Samantha’s only just arrived, so if it’s all right with you I think I’ll have to forget about Weymouth.’ More’s the pity, she thought angrily. ‘But we’re having fish and chips later.’ Her face brightened. ‘Why don’t you join us?’

She hoped he would, yet she was worried about him being too close to Samantha, who had an unenviable reputation for stealing other women’s men.

‘Well, thank you, darling. I’d love to!’ he said, though he would have preferred to take Kathy to Weymouth, where they could be alone. The truth was, they had so much to talk about, and in a few days he would be gone from here, for who knows how long. But he understood how Kathy could not desert her sister who, judging by the look of her suit and attire, had only recently arrived. ‘What time do you want me?’

‘Why don’t you come in now?’ Samantha had a soft spot for a good-looking man, and this one was all the more desirable because he was her sister’s. ‘I’m sure we could while away the time until the fish shop opens,’ she suggested blatantly.

‘Samantha!’ Kathy addressed her sharply. ‘I think it might be a good idea if you used the time to unpack and change.’ She tried hard to keep the annoyance out of her voice, but Samantha had a way of riling her that sent all common sense out of the window.

‘Fine,’ Tom said quickly. Realising there was some sort of deep-rooted friction here, and not particularly having taken to Samantha, Tom addressed himself to Kathy. ‘What say I come down about ten past six? I could call in to the chip shop on the way and pick up the order.’

Samantha hid her disappointment. ‘What a good idea!’

Wanting to slap her, but restraining herself, Kathy told her, ‘You can take your case upstairs if you like, Samantha.’ She gave her directions to the guest room. ‘You’ll find everything you need in there.’

‘Okay, sis.’ Smiling at Tom, Samantha sighed. ‘Kathy was always the bully.’ She gave him one of her loveliest smiles. ‘I’d best go, before she loses her temper with me.’ Rolling her eyes like a frightened little girl, she hurried away.

When she had gone upstairs, Tom looked at Kathy with raised eyebrows. ‘She’s nothing like you!’

Already upset and disillusioned, Kathy retorted, ‘You mean she’s sophisticated and well groomed, while I’m more suited to plimsolls and a sloppy top?’

Seeing he had innocently touched a raw spot, Tom slid his arm round her shoulders; drawing her forward, he kissed her full on the mouth. ‘I love you in your plimsolls and sloppy top,’ he said mischievously. ‘Besides, you’re “suited” to me,’ he told her softly, ‘and I’m “suited” to you.’

When he looked down she was smiling up at him. ‘That’s better,’ he chuckled. ‘Now then … walk me to the gate, and I’ll tell you how much I love you.’

When he put it like that, Kathy thought, how could she refuse? – and anyway, in spite of Samantha, he had put back the heart in her. ‘You’re an old charmer,’ she said, laughing.

‘Hey! Not so much of the “old”!’

From Kathy’s bedroom window, Samantha watched the two of them. She saw how wonderful they were together. She heard their laughter; she cringed when Tom kissed Kathy, and her hatred grew tenfold. ‘I’m not finished yet!’ she hissed. ‘This house and everything in it should have been given to me. I came here to get what’s rightfully mine, and I’m not leaving without it.’

She thought Tom was a real man: handsome, rich, and attentive. ‘You’re a great catch,’ she said, ogling him from afar. ‘She doesn’t know how to handle a man like you. But I do. By the time I’ve finished, I’ll have you and the house.’ The idea of marrying a man with money was too appealing to brush aside.