The Bondage of Love

by Catherine Cookson

  The policeman was now asking him, ‘Have you any recollection of who attacked you, sir?’

  Still with his body bent forward and one hand pressed against his groin, Roland Ferndale lifted the other hand in a shaky movement and pointed towards Sammy.

  Almost instantly Sammy’s shout echoed down the Walk, as he cried, ‘No, I didn’t! You’re a bloody liar, Roland Ferndale. You know I didn’t.’

  ‘That’s enough. That’s enough.’ One of the policemen had pushed Sammy against the far wall, saying, ‘You know him then?’

  ‘Yes. Yes, I know him, and he’s a liar. I told you I came upon him.’

  ‘Oh, you came on him all right.’ It was the woman’s voice piping in again. ‘We saw what was happening when we came up. You were trying to loosen his grip on you.’

  Sammy was now yelling at her, ‘He was gripping my wrist to support himself. I was trying to get him upright.’

  The second policeman now put his hand out and gripped Sammy’s shoulder, saying, ‘That’s enough of that. Stop your bawling.’

  ‘Take your hands off me!’

  The policeman did not move his hand, but he said, ‘I will when I’m ready. Come along.’

  The other policeman, in an undertone to his partner, the while nodding towards Ferndale, said, ‘His flies are open.’ And, in a conciliatory tone, he said to Sammy, ‘Did he accost you, lad?’

  ‘Accost me? No, he didn’t! But I don’t know about anybody else. And will you please now let go of me.’ He had turned to the other policeman, only to receive the reply, ‘As I said, I will when I’m ready, and after you’ve answered a few more questions at the station.’

  At the man’s tone Sammy experienced what was not an unfamiliar feeling; that his father was again standing by his side, urging him now to put the man on his back, and so when he was pulled roughly from the wall, he turned on the policeman, ‘Take your bloody hands off me, or I’ll have you on your back.’

  ‘Enough of that, sir. D’you know whom you’re talking to?’

  ‘Yes. Two stupid buggers who cannot see any further than their noses. Would I be standing straight and without a mark on my face if I had been fighting him? And he almost twice my size. Use your nap—’ He didn’t get “napper” out before he was being pulled from the wall.

  ‘Big fella, aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes, and if I had you one at a time, I would have you on the floor.’

  ‘Oh! Oh! Ju-jitsu like?’

  ‘Yes. Ju-jitsu like.’

  The first policeman said to the other one, ‘Get through to the office and tell them to direct Ben this way. We’ve got one for the station and one for hospital.’

  ‘No. No,’ Ferndale was gasping. ‘Home, not…not hospital.’

  ‘All right, sir, all right. We’ll get you home.’ The officer turned to the two men and the woman, saying, ‘Will you give my partner your names and addresses please? Thank you for your help.’ Then turning back to Sammy, he said, ‘It’s no use struggling, youngster; you’re not going to throw anyone tonight, so you might as well relax.’

  It was strange, but Sammy did relax, because of a sudden feeling of fear…he was going to the station…station meant prison. His da had been there twice, and really feared it. And he was fearing it now.

  When Katie had stumbled to the end of the Walk, she leant against the wall and bent over almost double to stop herself from passing out. She was aware of the commotion going on further down the Walk; vaguely, she thought, someone’s helping Sammy with him. Then she was talking to herself: Don’t let me pass out. Oh Lord, don’t let me pass out! Take deep breaths. Take deep breaths.

  When she straightened up, she suddenly exclaimed, ‘I’m going to be sick.’ Then ‘Oh, I mustn’t be sick here. I must get to Dad. I must get to Dad.’

  Again she was aware of the voices, and she muttered, ‘Oh, come on, Sammy! Come on! Leave him! Come on!’

  When she heard the distant sound of a police car, she muttered, ‘They’ll likely take him to hospital. It’ll be in all the papers. Oh, Mam! Oh, Dad!’ Then, her hand going inside her coat, she winced, and again she was speaking aloud, saying, ‘Oh, my breast. Oh, my breast. He would have raped me. He would! He would! He’s mad. Oh dear Lord! And I was too. Oh, that terrifying feeling. Oh, Lord! Oh, Mam!’

  At this she turned quickly and vomited against the wall. Three times she retched. It was as she staggered onto the path and towards the lamp-post that a couple, passing with a dog, paused for a moment as if they were going to commiserate with her. Then the woman said, ‘She’s drunk. Dear! dear! Tut-tut! She’s been sick. Come away from that, Cherry.’ There was a tug on the dog’s lead now, and as they moved away, the man’s voice could be heard, declaring loudly, ‘A young lass! Likely drink and drugs. What’s the world coming to?’

  She actually put her arms around the lamp-post and leant her brow against it and said, ‘He meant it. He meant it. He meant it. His flies…I saw his flies open. Why me! He’s had all the girls. Why me? I…I must go back to Sammy.’

  She now looked down at herself. Her coat was open and her school blouse was ripped down one side, and she muttered, ‘Oh, my breast.’ She cupped her breast with her hand, then winced. ‘Dirty swine! Dirty swine!’ The tears now were running down her face. She pulled her coat tightly about her, then again she stumbled into the Laburnum Walk, only to peer down it and realise she could see the lamp at the far end, and more than one light. There was a revolving light, indicating a police car.

  Now she was running and when she reached the end of the Walk it was to see what would have been the second of the police cars disappearing into the distance.

  Two men and a woman, who had been standing a little way further along the pavement, now walked towards her, talking to each other. And as they went into the Walk, she heard one of them say, ‘I’m having different ideas about it now. Perhaps he had attempted something on the young lad and he retaliated. That’s why he blamed him.’

  She turned and watched the three backs disappearing into the dimness and muttered to herself. ‘He must have blamed Sammy.’ Of course, he’d have to blame somebody; and he would never say it was her. Oh, no, not the big macho fellow he was. Oh! Oh! The exclamation was loud. And now she turned, and in a stumbling run made her way to her dad’s club.

  Bristol’s Club was the most exclusive in the town and it sported a doorman. But it wasn’t until she stood in the small car park to the side of the building and saw Bill’s car there that she asked herself what she was going to say to him. It would happen that Mr Ferndale was one of the men he was meeting tonight. What would happen if she said to him, ‘That man’s son has tried to rape me’? He was a member of the trust and the trust controlled the development that had made her dad what he was today. But her dad would have to go to the police station and clear Sammy, and Sammy would tell him. As she stood wondering what she was going to do, the door opened and Bill came out, accompanied by another man. She heard them parting and Bill saying, ‘Goodnight, Ralph.’ Then he was coming towards her.

  ‘Dad!’

  ‘Oh, you’re on your own. Where’s—? Good God! What’s the matter with you, girl?’ He looked at her hugging the coat tightly about her waist, then at her tousled hair and the part of the head scarf hanging over her shoulder.

  She whimpered at him, ‘Dad! Dad!’ He said, ‘You’ve been attacked? Where’s…where’s Sammy?’

  ‘Dad, let me sit in the car for a minute, please!’

  After he had helped her gently into the passenger’s seat, she said, ‘Yes…yes, I was attacked, and Sammy…came to my aid…and he pushed me away. He told me to go because…well, Dad, I went mad, and I’ve hurt somebody again.’

  He made no comment, but his grip tightened on her hand as he said, ‘Who was it? D’you know?’

  ‘Yes. Yes…but, I’m not going to say just yet.’

  ‘Why? In God’s name, girl!’

  ‘Don’t shout, Dad. Please, don’t shout. Sammy pushed me away…well, he
didn’t want me mixed up with this. I know…I know what he meant. But now he’s having to…well, stand the racket. The police took him away.’

  ‘When was this?’

  ‘Just…just now, about half an hour ago. Will you go to the station and…and get him out, if you can? But…but if you can talk to him on the quiet, would you do something for me?’

  ‘You know very well I will, girl; just tell me.’

  ‘Will…will you say to him that I don’t want him mentioned…I mean, the one who attacked me. Not yet anyway. We must…must talk about it.’

  ‘Good God! Mystery…mystery. Well, look; let me get you home.’

  ‘No, Dad. Put me in a taxi and then go straight to the police station.’

  ‘If he’s in the police station, he won’t rot before I get there. Dear God! Davey’s son now. Did he batter him? Because he’s got a lot of his father in him.’

  ‘No, Dad. No, he didn’t. It was me. It was me. Well, what happened, Dad, was, I went mad. I did, like I did before. But he…he was going to rape me.’

  ‘You went mad, girl? When I get him, whoever he is, I’ll kill him.’

  ‘Dad! Please do as I ask, please! I beg of you. Say to Sammy, straight away, she won’t tell me who it is and she asks you not to. Will you do that? Don’t ask who it is?’

  ‘Well, the police’ll know.’

  ‘No, they don’t know. They think it was a fight between him and Sammy.’

  When Bill started up the car, Katie begged again, ‘Dad! Put me in a taxi.’

  Bill had never driven so fast through the town. And after he got out of it he must have exceeded the speed limit. Then, he was helping her out of the car and straight into the house because the door was open. And there was Fiona, Willie and Nell awaiting them.

  ‘What…what has happened?’ Fiona gaped at her daughter, whose coat was open, her blouse in ribbons, and she said, ‘Oh, my dear! You’ve been attacked! You’ve been attacked!’

  When Katie fell into her arms, sobbing, Fiona looked at Bill and said, ‘Sammy’s in the police station; he wants you to go as soon as possible. What’s all this about? How’s it happened?’

  ‘She’ll likely tell you more than she’s told me. There’s a mystery here I’d like to get to the bottom of and I will before the night’s out. See to her; I’m going back for Sammy.’

  ‘Dad! Dad!’ Katie swung round from Fiona. ‘Do what I ask. Please! There’s a reason. Please!’

  He stared at her for a moment, shook his head, then went out.

  At the police station there were only two officers present. One looked up and said, ‘Good evening, sir.’

  Bill did not respond to the greeting, but said, ‘I understand you have my boy here.’ He had not said son.

  ‘Mr Bailey?’

  ‘Yes. I’m Mr Bailey.’

  ‘We are holding a youth named Samuel Love.’

  ‘Yes, you are holding a youth called Sammy Love, and he’s my boy. And I would like to speak to him, please.’

  ‘Yes. Yes, of course, sir…you know what he may be charged with?’

  ‘No, I don’t know what he might be charged with.’

  ‘Well, sir, he apparently attacked another young man and left him in a pretty sorry plight. This could be described as “assault and battery”; but, more so, he has used language to the police and resisted arrest.’

  ‘Is that all?’

  The policeman’s face altered, as did his tone, and he said, ‘I think it will prove to be enough, sir.’ Then he turned and nodded to his associate, who stood up and, looking at Bill, said, ‘Will you come this way, please?’

  The sight of Sammy sitting in the bare cell on a wooden plank bed, his elbows on his knees, caused Bill to groan inside. It was as if he were looking at Davey again, for the expression on Sammy’s face was exactly that of his father’s after he had come up against the law.

  When the policeman hesitated to leave, Bill said, ‘He has not been officially charged yet with any offence?’

  ‘Not exactly, sir. But the victim,’ he paused, ‘pointed him out. And as you heard, he has resisted arrest, and so on.’

  ‘But has he been officially charged?’

  ‘No, sir, not yet, as I understand.’ The reply was snappy and Bill’s was equally so as he said, ‘Well, then, I would like to speak to him in private.’

  When the door closed, Bill pulled up the single chair to the side of the bunk. Sammy was still sitting as if unable to move. But what he said straight away was, ‘I didn’t do anything, Mr B. I didn’t.’

  ‘I know you didn’t, lad.’ He put his hand on his shoulder. ‘And before you go any further, Katie has tried to extract a promise from me to say to you that you are not to name the culprit who went for her. Now why, I ask you, should she want to keep that a secret? D’you know who went for her?’

  Sammy stared up into Bill’s face, and it was some seconds before he said, ‘Yes. Yes, I know who went for her. And Katie said that?’

  ‘Yes. At least she wants to talk about it first. Can you explain why?’

  Again Sammy stared at Bill, and again it was some seconds before he nodded and said, ‘Aye. Yes, in a way, I can. But it’ll all come out later; it’s bound to.’

  ‘You don’t know why she wants it kept dark now?’

  ‘No. No, I don’t.’

  Bill hitched his chair forward to get closer to Sammy. And what he said quietly now was, ‘Did she really beat him up that much?’

  ‘Yes, she did, and some. She must have gone berserk for a time, because he’s a biggish fella.’

  ‘But why did she leave you there? Why did she not stay and sort it out with the police herself?’

  ‘I…I made her go. It would have made big headlines. And we both knew…well, I mean, the consequences. We didn’t want that. At least, I didn’t think that at the time; it came to me afterwards. But I can tell you this much about him without telling you his name; he’s a dirty swine. He pointed me out as his assailant; he couldn’t bear the thought that he had been roughed up by a girl.’ Then, his voice dropping, he said, ‘Can you get me out of here the night, Mr B?’

  At this, Bill shook his head slowly, saying, ‘I…I doubt it, Sammy. Perhaps I could if you told me the fella’s name. If you know him and she knows him, then why not? Was it somebody at that Centre?’

  ‘No. No.’

  ‘Anyway, you know you shouldn’t have got back at the officers. That wasn’t a sensible thing to do, was it?’

  ‘You don’t know how they treated me. They just took his word. And, oh’—Sammy shook his head—‘it’s funny. No, it isn’t funny, it’s odd and it’s frightening. But, you know, since Mamie’s business, and when I thought I was done for on that floor and me dad came and spoke to me, as I told you, well, he’s been back several times, and I’m getting worried. For there he was again, and it was as if it was he shouting at them when I bloodied and buggered.’

  ‘Oh! You bloodied and buggered, did you? Anything worse?’

  ‘No. No. Except that I threatened to put one on his back.’

  ‘Oh, my God, boy! Threatening to toss a policeman. Well, apart from anything else, I think that’ll keep you in the night. But I’ll be round first thing in the morning. You’ll likely have to go before a magistrate, then be bailed out. But, like your da, you’ll have to plead guilty.’

  ‘If I plead not guilty, I don’t get out?’

  ‘That’s about it. Oh, my God!’ Bill tossed his head. ‘I’m back with your dad, explaining these very same things to him.’

  ‘But I’m not guilty. All right, about the police, yes, but about the other thing, no! And that’s the main thing, and I’m not going to say I am.’

  ‘Are you going to say who is, then?’

  ‘No, of course not.’ It was a growl now from Sammy. ‘What d’you think I am? But…but he’ll have to say mistaken identity or some such to get me off this hook.’

  ‘Don’t worry, lad. You’ll be off the hook. In any case, you’ll be home t
omorrow; I’ll see to that.’

  As Bill rose, Sammy also got to his feet and, looking at him, he said softly, ‘D’you know something, Dad? I’m more afraid now than when I was lying on that floor trussed up and the needle was working on me. I suppose, like me da, I’m terrified of bars and locked doors.’

  Bill’s arm went about him and he pressed him tightly to him, saying thickly, ‘The night’ll soon pass. I’ll be here first thing in the morning.’ Then, pressing Sammy back onto the bunk, he said, ‘I’ll have a word with the officers. We’ll soon have you home.’ His own voice was near breaking now; he couldn’t stand any more, and, turning swiftly, he went out of the cell, but stood in the corridor for a moment the while the officer locked the cell door.

  Following the officer back to the enquiry room, he endeavoured to regain his composure, and to the officer in charge at the desk, he said, ‘There’s something here I can’t get to the bottom of. But I’m sure it’ll be cleared up tomorrow. Until then,’ he paused and looked straight into the man’s face as he added, ‘I hope you will deal with him fairly.’

  ‘We always try to, sir.’

  Then on a lighter note, and with a slight smile, the officer said, ‘I understand, sir, that he’s a karate expert?’

  ‘Yes, he is.’ Bill nodded at him. ‘A brown belt and ready for his next step in that direction.’ And now the man, leaning further towards Bill, said in a low and amused tone, ‘I understand he offered to throw one of my associates!’

  Bill was forced to answer with a smile, saying, ‘What a pity the man refused.’

  ‘Yes. Yes, it is in some ways, sir. Yes, it is. Goodnight, sir.’

  ‘Goodnight, officer.’

  There were decent ones among them. Oh, yes, there were decent ones among them …

  Back in the house, Fiona met him in the hall, saying, ‘You haven’t brought him back?’

  ‘No, woman, I haven’t brought him back. He’ll be in the cells the night, because he’s standing the racket for what Katie did to the fella, and rightly so. Oh, yes, and rightly so. But more so than that, he’s not only used some of his father’s language on the police, but offered them ju-jitsu on his own terms. Now that last bit’ll take some getting over.’