Читать книгу Kitty Neale 3 Book Bundle - Kitty Neale - Страница 22

At first, Carol had barely been aware that she’d undergone emergency surgery to stop the bleeding, nor did she know that her father had refused to leave the hospital until he knew that she was going to be all right.

It was late afternoon before Carol fully realised that she had nearly died, yet when questioned she had refused to tell the doctor who had performed the abortion. She knew they were illegal and that no doctor would have performed one – it had been her choice to go to the woman, and though warned of the risks, she had paid the fee; sure that she had no other option. Carol had sensed the doctor’s annoyance, and though most of the nurses were kind, there was one who showed her obvious disapproval.

Carol still felt drained as she absentmindedly scanned the ward she’d been moved to, avoiding eye contact with any of the other occupants. They were all women, some pregnant, but she had no idea why they had been admitted. In one bed a young woman was crying softly, but Carol was too preoccupied with her own unhappiness to care.

Time dragged, but at last it was visiting time. She watched the door, looking out for her mother, but behind a stream of other visitors, she saw only her father. He looked dreadful; dishevelled, pale, and when he came to stand by her bed she blurted out, ‘Where’s Mum? Isn’t she with you?’

‘No, she ain’t.’

‘Dad, I can understand why she’s angry with me,’ Carol said as tears threatened. ‘She’s probably furious, but I was hoping she’d come so that I could explain why I did it.’

He pulled up a chair, sat down and said tersely, ‘You can explain it to me.’

Carol felt her father’s animosity and gulped, but she managed a stuttering start. He listened in silence until she got to the part about going up to Roy’s flat, but then his face reddened with fury. ‘You did what?’ he yelled, drawing looks from all over the ward.

‘Dad, please, I … I know it was stupid, but I didn’t expect him to … to rape me.’

‘He did what?’ he yelled again, this time jumping to his feet. ‘Where is he? I’ll kill him!’

‘I … I don’t know. He lied to me and the flat wasn’t his.’

‘Mr Cole,’ a nurse said as she hurried up to them. ‘I must ask you to keep your voice down. You’re disturbing the other patients and visitors.’

‘Yeah, yeah, sorry, nurse,’ he said, sitting down again, though his legs shook with suppressed agitation.

‘Dad, when … when I found out that I was pregnant, I didn’t know what to do. I knew you and Mum would go mad, and not only that, I … I couldn’t stand the thought that I was having his … his …’ Unable to carry on, Carol buried her face in her hands as tears now streamed down her cheeks.

She became aware of her father stroking her head, his soft murmurs that he understood, until at last she was able to stifle her soft sobs. ‘Dad, will … will you tell Mum what happened, tell her I’m sorry and … and ask her to come to see me?’

‘I can’t, love. Your mum’s gone and she left before we both came home from work. She doesn’t know that you had an abortion, or that you’re in hospital.’

‘What do you mean?’ Carol asked, confused. ‘Where has Mum gone and when is she coming back?’

He ran both hands over his face, and then said, ‘After you went to bed last night, I found a letter from your mother on the mantelpiece. It had fallen behind the clock, but I saw the edge of an envelope sticking out. Here, you might as well read it.’

Carol took the letter, frowning as she read.

Frank, I’m sorry. I am leaving you. I’ve been nothing but a wife and mother for so many years, but the children are adults now and no longer need me. I’m sick of just being used and want to make a new life for myself. Please don’t try to find me as it would be pointless. Nothing will persuade me to come back, but please tell the children that once I am settled I will write to them.

Carol expected more, but the letter was brief, unsigned, the words somehow cold and clipped. She looked at her father, saw the pain and hurt in his eyes as her hand reached out to grasp his. ‘I don’t know what Mum means by just being used, but she’ll come back, Dad. I’m sure she will.’

‘Maybe, I don’t know, but I’ll have to tell your brothers. Knowing those two, they’ll be more upset that your mother won’t be around to do their washing and ironing.’

Carol felt tired, emotional, and sank weakly back onto her pillows. ‘Dad, I’m sorry I let you down, but please, don’t tell the boys what happened to me, or about the abortion. I feel so ashamed and I don’t want them, or anyone else to know.’

For a moment he said nothing, but then he sighed. ‘All right, love. We’ll do our best to keep it a secret, but we’ll need a cover story. Amy collared me this morning along with her mum and that nosey cow Mabel. We’ll have to come up with something to put them off the scent.’

‘I’m sorry, Dad, but maybe you could say it’s my appendix or something,’ Carol suggested, fighting to keep her eyes open.

‘I’m not sure you’ll be in hospital long enough for that, but we could try something like food poisoning.’

‘Yes, good idea,’ Carol said wearily, her eyes closing.

Carol felt her father stroking her hair again as he said, ‘I can see you’re tired and I think it’s time I left. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

Somehow she managed to open her eyes a slit, even managed a small smile, and seeing her father’s sad face she wanted to reassure him again that her mother would come back. She opened her mouth to speak, but he placed a finger over her lips, saying softly, ‘It’s all right. Everything is going to be all right. Just go to sleep, love.’

Unable to fight it, Carol did.

Frank left the hospital again, his feelings still all over the place. He had been shocked, angry, then despairing after reading Daphne’s letter, but all those emotions had been overshadowed when he’d been in fear for his daughter’s life. He had spent the night at the hospital and it had been morning before a doctor told him that Carol was going to be all right. But, unable to see her, he had been advised to go home.

On Lark Rise, in no mood to speak to Amy, her mother, or that nosey mare Mabel he’d brushed them aside. Once inside his empty house Frank had drawn the curtains against the outside world and broken down, clutching the letter again. There had been no warning, no signs that Daphne was unhappy, yet everything around him had obviously been an illusion, his marriage nothing but a farce.

Unable to face turning up late for work, Frank had remained indoors all day as his mind twisted and turned, first dwelling on Daphne and then his daughter. Carol had been pregnant, then she’d gone to a back-street abortionist and it had nearly killed her. He had thought his daughter perfect, untouched, but that had turned out to be false too. Well that was it, Frank had decided. Like her mother, Carol could bugger off too – and good riddance to both of them.

By visiting time that evening, Frank’s mind was well and truly made up and he’d intended to tell Carol that he never wanted to see her face again, yet all that had changed when he’d heard his daughter’s story. She’d been raped, a bastard taking her innocence. He vowed that he’d find the bloke, and when he did, he’d make him suffer. Frank’s hands balled into fists at the thought.

Until he got more information about the bloke from Carol, it would have to wait, but in no mood to go home to an empty house, Frank decided to see his sons. He would have to tell them about their mother and might as well get it over with.

He went to their flat on Lavender Hill, and his elder son Paul opened the door when he arrived. ‘Well this is a surprise. Come on in, Dad.’

Frank followed his son into their living room, where Davy, his younger one, looked equally surprised to see him as he almost spilled a pretty red-haired girl from his lap. ‘Dad! What’s up?’

‘We need to talk, and in private,’ Frank said, looking pointedly at the redhead.

‘Sorry, Gloria,’ Davy said as he pushed the girl to her feet. ‘You’ll have to get lost for a while.’

She pouted prettily, but then shrugged, saying nonchalantly, ‘Fine, I’ll leave. See you around.’

Dave followed the redhead out of the room, but he was soon back, smiling with amusement as he said, ‘Gloria pretends she doesn’t care, but she can’t get enough of me.’

‘We’ve got more important things to talk about than your love life,’ Frank snapped.

Dave’s eyes widened, but he only said, ‘All right, so sit down and tell us what this is all about.’

Frank took a seat, his sons too, before he said abruptly, ‘Your mother’s left me.’

‘What?’ Paul exclaimed. ‘No, I don’t believe it.’

‘Believe it or not, but I’m telling you she’s gone,’ Frank said as he pulled the letter from his pocket and handed it to Paul. ‘You’d better read that.’

‘What does it say?’ Dave asked.

Paul read it out, and both looked stunned. There was a pause, as though they needed time to take it in, but then Davy said, ‘So Mum just left, leaving this letter, and we’re supposed to wait until she gets in touch with us?’

‘That’s about it,’ Frank said.

‘There must be more to it than this. Did you have an argument or something?’ Paul asked. ‘If you did, once Mum has calmed down she’s sure to come back.’

‘There was no argument. Just that letter,’ Frank said wearily as exhaustion now hit him. ‘There’s one other thing. Carol was admitted to hospital with food poisoning, but she’s fine. She might be allowed home tomorrow so there’s no point in going to visit her.’

‘What did she eat to cause that?’ Dave questioned.

‘She isn’t sure, but it was probably a bit of dodgy fish,’ Frank lied. ‘Anyway, I’m bushed, so I’m off now.’

For the first time, he heard concern in Dave’s voice. ‘Dad, with Mum leaving like that, it must be hard on you. Are you all right?’

‘Yeah, I’ll cope.’

‘Have you tried Gran’s? Mum might be there,’ Paul suggested.

‘She isn’t. It’s the first place I checked.’

For the first time Paul echoed his brother’s concern. ‘If you need anything, or any help to find Mum, just ask, Dad.’

‘You read her letter. Your mother doesn’t want to be found, and to be honest, that suits me fine.’

‘You don’t mean that, Dad.’

‘Yes I do, son,’ Frank said and after saying goodbye, he tiredly made his way home. He had meant what he said to his son. After walking out on him like that, leaving just a blunt letter, he wasn’t going to run after Daphne. She was looking for a new life, so let her find one. She wouldn’t find it easy without a man bringing home a wage, and with few skills, he doubted she’d get much of a job.

With a grim sense of satisfaction, Frank imagined his wife living in a grotty one-room flat, probably beginning to miss him and the decent life he’d worked hard to provide her with. She’d eventually come crawling back, he decided, and he would enjoy shutting the door in her face.

With that thought still in his mind, Frank arrived home, and despite his bravado, he hated walking into an empty house. Still, it wouldn’t be for long. Carol would be home again soon and the two of them would jog along nicely.

Frank went to bed, his last thought that he’d keep his daughter safe and close to him. From now on he’d make sure that no other man ever laid a finger on her again.