by Anna Jacobs
She didn’t know anything about her own ancestors – the blood relatives, that is – not a single thing, because of being adopted. Her mother had always vehemently refused to consider contacting her birth mother to find out, she wouldn’t say why.
In the evening, Libby decided to go to bed early and read a book she’d picked out of Grandma Rose’s huge collection of romance novels. Not that she believed in that sort of romance, not any more. But you could enjoy a fairy tale without believing it was true, couldn’t you?
Outside a car turned into their close and pulled up. It was likely to be Joss, but her heart began to thump in apprehension in case it was Steven. It’d be so like her ex to turn up at night.
In the front room she peered carefully out of the window, letting out a huge sigh of relief when she saw it was indeed Joss’s car. He was back.
A heavy burden seemed to fall off her shoulders and it took her only a few seconds to work out what it was: the burden of trying to keep her son and herself safe, trying to make sure Steven couldn’t ill-treat either of them again.
He’d been violent once. Very. Her rib still hurt when she moved carelessly. Maybe he’d got a taste for violence now. She’d never forget the savage triumph on his face as he punched and thumped her. Or how afraid she’d felt that he was going to kill her.
As Joss got out of the car, he looked towards her house, she wasn’t imagining that. Then he moved towards his own home, turning to lock his car with the remote before taking his backpack inside.
She went back into the kitchen, but a couple of minutes later there was a knock on her door. It didn’t have a peephole in it, and though it wasn’t likely to be anyone but her neighbour, she still called out, ‘Who is it?’
‘It’s me, Joss.’
She’d opened the door before she remembered she was wearing a rather flimsy nightdress and dressing gown which she’d found in a drawer, neatly covered in gift wrap. She didn’t know who Grandma Rose had meant it for, because there was no name on it, but she hadn’t been able to resist trying it on. It had been so long since she’d owned something frivolous and pretty.
Joss stared at her in surprise and she could feel herself blushing, even though her outfit was perfectly decent, being suggestive rather than revealing.
‘I didn’t mean to disturb you, Libby. I saw your light and just wanted to let you know I’m back, so that you don’t worry if you hear noises from next door.’
‘Thank you.’
He turned to leave and she remembered something. ‘The postman left a parcel for you this afternoon. Please come in while I get it.’
He moved into the hall and followed her into the back room. ‘I suppose Ned’s in bed?’
‘Yes, and sound asleep. We went for a walk up to the church and the graveyard this morning and played ball this afternoon. That tired him out nicely.’
Joss nodded. ‘It’s like Wuthering Heights come to life, isn’t it, up there? A walled graveyard on the edge of the moors, with the wind howling round the tombstones.’
‘That’s what I thought. I’d like to think I have ancestors buried there, but I have no idea what my birth mother’s connections were. The graves are all overgrown but I do wonder if some of Grandma Rose’s ancestors are buried there.’
‘Rose investigated it and found out where her ancestors were just before she fell ill. She wanted me to show you once you’d settled in. She would have liked to be buried in the churchyard near them, but they don’t allow burials there any more, so she had a cremation and we scattered her ashes near her grandmother’s grave.’
‘You must show me where. I’ll take some flowers. Um, have you eaten recently?’
He grimaced, ‘An airline snack.’
‘I baked a cake. Would you like a piece? And … I bought a bottle of wine. To celebrate coming to live here. Only it doesn’t feel like a celebration when you drink a toast on your own.’ She gestured towards an almost full glass on the table.
‘I’d love both the cake and the wine, if I’m not keeping you up. I’m still too wired from travelling to fall asleep.’
‘Do sit down. We’ll stay in here because the front room feels damp and unused. I’m going to light a fire in there tomorrow.’
‘Rose didn’t use it much.’
Libby got out the chocolate cake and the bottle of white wine. ‘Did your business go well?’
‘Very well. It’ll give me some intermittent work, but I’m not quite sure what my role will be yet.’
‘You must miss having a career. You were doing quite well before the accident, weren’t you?’
‘I suppose so. Detective Inspector. I miss being busy, but I don’t miss being fitted into the straightjacket of rules and regulations, and the higher I rose, the more paperwork there was. Thank you.’ He took a bite of cake and chewed it slowly, murmuring in appreciation. ‘That’s absolutely delicious.’
‘I like baking better than any other sort of cooking. My ex didn’t eat cake. He insisted on a very healthy diet, which was fine by me. But never to have cake or biscuits seemed a bit too much, so I sometimes made it anyway and hid it.’ She clapped one hand to her mouth. ‘Sorry!’
‘Whatever for?’
‘There’s nothing as boring as someone who goes on and on about their ex.’
‘I’ll swap tales with you one day.’
She looked at him in surprise. ‘You were married?’
‘For a couple of years. It wasn’t the best time of my life.’
‘What was?’
And they were off swapping stories of their childhoods until suddenly she realised they’d been doing this for an hour, it was nearly midnight and he was yawning.
‘You look exhausted, Joss. I shouldn’t have kept you so long.’
‘I’ve enjoyed your company. Thank you for inviting me in. I’ve … been a bit reclusive since the accident.’
She walked with him to the door.
‘Lock up carefully,’ he warned.
‘Oh, I will.’
She went to bed marvelling at how easy Joss was to chat to, how he didn’t seem to judge her or put her down. It made the contrast with Steven even more vivid. Why had she put up with that for so long?
She walked slowly up the stairs. She’d sleep better knowing Joss was next door.
It was only as she got into bed that she realised she hadn’t changed out of the negligée while they chatted. That was because he hadn’t stared or done anything to make her feel underdressed. In fact, she’d felt totally comfortable with him.
But still, she ought to have put on something more … more … No, her dressing gown was so dowdy. She was glad she’d been wearing the lovely negligée.
Steven wasn’t enjoying living on his own. Even after a few days, the house needed thoroughly cleaning, a task he’d never undertaken before. And he didn’t intend to do it now, either.
He went online and found a cleaning agency, but when he tried to ring them, a mechanical voice referred him to office opening hours. Which would mean ringing from work. He hadn’t told his team leader that Libby had left him. His home life was no one else’s business.
He decided to do something he’d never done before: take a day off sick. He’d plead a gastric upset, which seemed to be the most common excuse offered.
He rang the cleaning agency as soon as office hours started, but they only dealt with commercial properties. He had to try three places before he found one that grudgingly agreed to do a residential house – though the price they were going to charge for this made him furious.
After that, he went shopping to a big centre where he hoped no one from work would see him. He needed to buy fresh food, healthy stuff. Since he wasn’t used to shopping, it took him two hours to go round the supermarket and pick out what he needed, including some frozen dinners and pieces of meat he could cook quickly, like steaks or chicken breasts.
There were cookery books in the house. He’d find some recipes. If Libby could manage to cook, then he was damned s
ure he could too. He could do anything if he set his mind to it, as his mother had always assured him.
On his way home he saw an office building whose discreet sign announced a legal practice. On an impulse he turned into the car park and went inside.
‘I’m looking for a lawyer specialising in marital problems,’ he told the woman at reception.
‘That’ll be Ms Whorton.’
‘I’d prefer to consult a male lawyer.’
Her expression suddenly became chilling. ‘We don’t distinguish our lawyers by gender. In fact, I believe that’s illegal.’
‘Fine. I’ll go elsewhere.’
He heard her say, ‘Good riddance!’ as he left and turned to glare at her.
When he got home, he put the frozen food away, made himself a healthy salad and sat down to eat.
As he was clearing up, he suddenly remembered Libby’s lawyer’s name: Greaves, Henry Greaves. Pleased with himself, he went online to find out more about the fellow, only to discover that his firm didn’t have a web presence.
So he looked Greaves up in the online telephone directory and found an address and phone number for Greaves and Hallibourne. That had to be the one. He copied the details down.
But he wouldn’t get in touch until the bruises on Libby’s face had had time to fade, and anyway, he was still gathering information, planning his strategies.
Once he set out after her, he had no doubt that he’d find her. No doubt at all. He’d take some leave – he had plenty owing – and bring her back where she belonged.
And Ned, of course.
What’s more, he’d take an interest in his son’s upbringing from now on. It was time to set some standards for behaviour, to inculcate the child with the right attitudes and beliefs.
As his own father had done.
Seven
Two days later, Libby tried to start her car, but the motor only coughed and refused to do anything.
Not again! She covered her face with her hands, feeling like bursting into tears. She’d planned to go into Rochdale to wander round the markets and perhaps a few charity shops, to buy toys for Ned and a few more clothes for herself.
She’d hoped the new battery would have sorted out the car’s problems, but clearly not. She’d better join a motoring organisation, in case she ever broke down while she was out and about. In the meantime she didn’t know what to do about this car. If it cost too much to repair, she wouldn’t be able to afford to have it seen to.
Once again, Joss came out to help her.
‘I’m so sorry to trouble you again.’
‘It’s no trouble, because I’m not a mechanic. That car of yours seems terminally ill to me. Mind if I fetch someone up from the village to have a quick look at it? Giff’s semi-retired but he still repairs and services cars for people, as long as they’re not major jobs.’
‘Would you?’
‘I’ll stroll down to see him now. I could do with a brisk walk.’
‘I could too, but that’s impossible with a small child.’ She glanced down at her son, smiling involuntarily. ‘But Ned’s worth it.’
‘I’ll just lock up then I’ll be off.’
Like her, he was always careful about locking up. She watched him stride down the track that connected the group of four houses with the rest of the world, before going back inside. She was going through the contents of the front room today.
A quarter of an hour later a van turned into the parking area, and Joss got out, followed by a rather large man in stained overalls.
‘We have to go outside,’ she told Ned.
‘Don’t want to. Want to draw.’
‘You can draw after we come back. Joss is outside.’
Ned immediately got down from his chair and ran towards the front door, fumbling at it, but not able to turn the key.
She opened it for him, holding his hand firmly, even though he squirmed, then went out to meet the mechanic.
‘Giff, this is Libby, Rose’s granddaughter.’
‘Pleased to meet you. I won’t shake hands, love, because mine are filthy.’
‘And this is Ned.’
Giff beamed at the child. ‘Fine young fellow. Rose would have loved him. Now, let’s have a look at this car of yours.’
She handed over the keys and he bent over the motor.
Joss moved closer and whispered, ‘I took your name in vain and promised him a piece of chocolate cake and a big mug of strong tea. His wife died last year and he misses her greatly. She was an excellent cook.’
‘I’ll get a snack ready. I’m no use out here. You’ll call me if he finds anything?’
‘Of course.’
She went inside and put the kettle on, hunting out the biggest mug in Rose’s collection and setting the chocolate cake on a plate, ready to offer Giff a piece or two.
She let Ned stand in the doorway to watch the men, telling him not to move from there. Sadly, she knew he’d do as he was told, for fear of his father coming to shout at him.
It was about fifteen minutes before she heard voices and Ned came running to say, ‘Joss is here. And a man.’
‘Come in!’ she yelled, switching on the kettle.
Ned stood beside her, eyeing the stranger suspiciously.
‘Now that looks like a home-made cake,’ Giff boomed.
‘Yes. I love baking. I thought you might like a piece with your cup of tea.’
His beaming smile was answer enough.
She waited till they were all sitting round the table to ask, ‘Well, how’s my car?’
Giff shook his head. ‘Not good, Libby, not good at all. It’s well past retirement date. I can repair it but I can’t make it reliable and it’s sure to let you down again. And the bodywork isn’t so good, either. One thing always leads to another when they’re in this condition. You didn’t have it serviced very often, did you?’
‘No. I couldn’t afford it. I did manage to change the oil.’ Mary’s husband had shown her how to do it. She saw Joss look at her sharply and guessed he’d figured out that Steven had refused to pay for her car to be serviced.
‘Can you get her anything for it as a trade-in, Giff?’
‘Couple of hundred, maybe a little more. Someone might want a cheap fixer-upper. You’ve kept the upholstery nice, and it’s an easy model to put a new engine in, so someone wanting a cheapie might do up the bodywork.’
She bit her lip. She couldn’t afford to buy another engine, let alone a new car.
Giff drank the rest of his tea with every appearance of enjoyment, and popped the last mouthful of cake into his mouth. ‘I’ll leave you two to discuss this. If I can help, get back to me. Nice meeting you, Libby. See you, Joss.’
He was gone before she could gather her wits together. ‘Do I owe him some money?’
‘No. But if you were to bake him a cake, he’d appreciate that.’
‘I can do that easily.’ She stared down at her plate. She’d been crumbling her cake without realising it and there was quite a big pile of crumbs there now. ‘If I haven’t got a car, and if Steven comes after me, I have no way of escaping.’
‘We’ll do our best to keep him away from you.’
She shook her head. ‘It’s only a matter of time. I’ve been thinking about it … about him. He never gives up when he wants something. It’ll be a matter of pride for him to drag me back.’
‘Are you sure he’ll still want you?’
‘Oh, yes. Not me specifically but a housewife and someone to raise his child … someone to bully. We haven’t, you know, shared a bedroom for a couple of years.’
Joss took her hand. ‘If he’s that bad, we must make sure you do have a means of escape and somewhere to go.’
‘How?’
‘There’s a contingency fund in the trust for emergencies.’
‘You mean I can draw on the inheritance money now?’
‘No. I mean we can supply you with a car as an extra. Not a new one, but a reliable one. It’ll be in Henry’s name, n
ot yours, so no one can take it away from you. Giff will find you a vehicle, if you like. He has friends still working in the trade. Well, Giff has friends everywhere. He’s a universal uncle.’
She looked at Joss uncertainly. ‘Are you sure you’re not just making this up, being kind to me?’
‘You mean, would I be supplying the money?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m not a rich man and there really is a contingency fund, Libby.’
She sighed in relief so deep it came out as more of a groan. ‘You always seem to be there when I need something.’
‘From now on, my job will take me away from time to time. But I’ll make sure there’s someone else you can call on for help. Not Giff. His fighting days are over. But Rose was well liked in the village. She helped a lot of people and they in turn will be happy to help her granddaughter, I’m sure. Now, where did you want to go today?’
‘It’s not important.’
‘I have nothing to do, so I can easily take you, as long as you don’t mind waiting while I nip into Henry’s rooms to discuss the question of a car.’
‘I don’t mind waiting at all. Are you sure? I was going to stroll round the markets in Rochdale and look in a few charity shops. Ned needs some more toys and I need some clothes.’
‘From charity shops?’
She flushed at the surprise in his tone, but wasn’t going to lie to him. ‘I’ve bought everyday clothes from charity shops for years. You can pick up some real bargains.’
‘I’ve never even been inside one. It might be fun. How soon can you be ready to leave?’
‘A few minutes.’ It was kind of Joss, she thought, as she got Ned ready to go out. If Henry hadn’t said Joss needed something to do, she might have been less ready to accept his offer to take her, because she didn’t want to impose.
But there again, she enjoyed her neighbour’s company and so did Ned. Could it do any harm to spend time with him occasionally? You could never have too many friends, and she’d lost touch with most of hers. Which reminded her, she must email Mary to say she was all right, and arrange to have Allie round for a drink.
They left the car in a town-centre car park and Joss led the way down a maze of stairs and passageways into the markets. The indoor area didn’t seem to have changed all that much, and Libby stood for a moment listening to the familiar Lancashire accent issuing just as happily from people of a variety of races.
