An Unbreakable Bond

by Mary Wood

  This brought a peace to Laura. She relaxed and closed her eyes. Her hand tightened in his and then went slack as a heavy sigh released her last breath.

  They stayed still for a moment and gazed at her. To Jack, some of her beauty returned in her death. Her passing had been peaceful, and he was glad they had been able to help it to be so. A deep sigh escaped him as he gently placed Laura’s hand back on her breast and joined her other one to it. Leaning forward, he kissed her still cheek and whispered goodbye. Megan kissed her too as she said her goodbyes. They got up to leave, holding each other as close as they could. As they reached the door, Lady Crompton entered the room.

  ‘Am I too late, Jack?’

  He nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak.

  ‘Oh, Charles!’ She collapsed into her husband’s arms.

  ‘Come on, my dear, she’s at peace now.’ Lord Crompton steered Daphne towards the balcony. ‘Jack, will you wait outside for us? I’ll need to talk to you.’ Over his shoulder he said, ‘We’ll only be a few minutes.’

  ‘Take all the time you need, m’Lord. Me and Megan’ll be walking by the lake.’

  The full beauty of the lake and the mountains engulfed Jack. ‘This must be the most beautiful place on earth, Megan. Thou knows, if I could choose where I wanted to die, I would choose somewhere like this, with you by my side. I love you, Megan, more than I can say. In fact, I’m going to say it as loud as I can. I’m going to listen to it being echoed all around the mountains.’

  He put his head back, but it wasn’t a shout that came. It was a strangled sound and then a sob, and he sank down onto his knees and wept. Megan sat down beside him as his sobs brought forth all the grief that was knotted tightly within him.

  ‘Oh, Megan, I’m crying for Cissy, our sweet Cissy. And for me little Bella . . . me mam and me dad, and me brothers – all gone. But they are all still so very dear to me. And Laura, poor, sad and lonely Laura. But mostly, Megan, me heart breaks for all you have been through because of me affair with Laura. The deep scars on your back: they’re a daily reminder of your pain, and of the fact that I so nearly lost you an’ all. Every night I have nightmares. That prison – oh God! – and the hell of only seeing you once a month, and then not being able to touch or hold you. How could I have opened those wounds again? How could I have thought Laura’s forgiveness of me, or us forgiving her, was worth that?’

  ‘Don’t – oh, my love, don’t. Don’t torture yourself any more. It is over. It is truly over, Jack.’

  After a while a calm feeling came over him and he felt cleansed. He knew he and Megan had both been cleansed. There was no bitterness left in Megan to gnaw away at her. He knew that; he could feel it. He took his hanky and blew his nose and then went to wipe Megan’s tears.

  ‘Eeh, Jack Fellam, I’m not having that all round me face!’ Her giggle was the best sound he’d ever heard in his life.

  Megan wiped her own tears on her own hanky, then snuggled into him.

  The peace of the mountains settled them and they sat in silence, allowing the cool air to bathe them. The lowering sun dappled on the lake.

  ‘Ah, Jack . . . Megan, here you are. Well, it’s a sad day. Poor Laura. She was only thirty-eight, you know. Well, well, poor Laura. She had a sad life, really, what with everything.’ Lord Crompton stood for a moment looking at the ground.

  Megan and Jack rose.

  ‘I want to thank you both for coming. All the arrangements will be made for your return.’ He paused.

  Neither Jack nor Megan said anything.

  ‘Bad business. Sad. Very sad.’ He paused again. They could see he was fighting for control.

  ‘We’re very sorry, m’Lord,’ Megan said. She felt Jack squeeze her hand.

  ‘Yes, thank you, very decent. Well, must be off. I’ll send everything you need to your guesthouse, and I’ll contact you when I get back. Did Laura say how she left things?’

  ‘What things, m’Lord?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Her last will and testament, Jack. She’s – well, I’m not speaking out of place, I’m her executor. I am charged with arranging everything. The will is to be officially read, of course . . . after . . . Anyway, she meant to tell you today. She has left the bulk of her estate to be shared equally between you and Megan. By way of an apology. Quite right, too.’

  Megan looked at Jack. He had an incredulous look on his face.

  ‘I can see it’s been a shock to you, on top of everything. Laura wanted to tell you herself.’

  ‘But – no, she shouldn’t have. We can’t accept. It wouldn’t be right. We all played our part in it. Me, Bert, Jack . . . we were all as much to blame. I told her. What she did, she did because she didn’t understand. We forgave each other, and it’s over. That money is yours and your family’s.’

  ‘I have never heard such generosity of spirit, Megan. But no. It is what Laura wanted. She has thought of us all, and you are not to worry about that. Look, I must get back to Lady Crompton. You have everything you need at the guesthouse?’

  ‘Aye, we’re being well looked after. They told us dinner is laid on for us tonight, and breakfast in the morning,’ Jack told him.

  ‘Good, now don’t worry. My man will bring over your return tickets and sort everything out for your journey home. And about the will – I’ll help you. Laura made a couple of requests as to how she would like you to use some of the money, but she stipulated that they are only requests. You’re not to be beholden to them. I’ll be in touch as soon as I have everything sorted. But, Jack and Megan, your life is going to change quite significantly, as the sum you will inherit is around ten thousand pounds. Take care and, like I say, I’ll be in touch, probably in about two to three weeks. Goodbye, and thank you once again for coming. I know your doing so will have helped my sister-in-law to die peacefully. She looked . . . beautiful. Yes, beautiful.’

  As he turned to go, he shook hands with both of them. They could only nod. Megan stood stock still in shock, and Jack looked as though he’d been all but turned to stone.

  ‘Meg . . .’

  ‘I know, Jack. I can’t take it in.’ A nervous giggle escaped her. ‘Oh. My. God!’

  ‘Eeh, Meg. Meg . . .’

  Her feet left the ground. She was being held aloft by Jack. The mountains swirled around her. When he lowered her, Megan looked down at the lake. In its depths she saw the reflection of the swishing pines. She was reminded of the pattern made by the sun dappling through the leaves of the tree when she had first lain with Jack. She had likened it then to a protective lace canopy. That canopy had slipped from over her, but it was back in place. She could feel its protection once more. Everything in her world was coming right. She thought of Hattie. Oh, Hattie. We came through, lass. Me and you. The unbreakable bond we formed as young ’uns brought us through. And aye, the one between me and Jack has proved true an’ all. For now forgiveness has removed the shackles that held me bitter towards him and nothing will ever come between us again.

  Author’s Note

  The use of the word ‘Mongol’

  ‘Mongolism’ was the medical term for Down’s syndrome during the historical period in which this book is set. At that time people born with this condition were known to the profession as ‘Mongoloids’ – or ‘Mongols’ for short. This term is now considered an insult, but for authenticity I use the expression in this book. I do not intend to use the term in a derogatory way.

  Just as they are today, Down’s-syndrome children were very much loved and cared for by their family and immediate neighbours, but all of these people would use the word ‘Mongol’ then, as they knew no other. Like today, there were ignorant and hurtful people who would call names and cause problems. There are two characters of this ilk in this book. Their ways, and their use of language, are not mine, and they depict the worst of our society, then and today. I do hope no one is offended by my use of the term ‘Mongol’ – as soon as medical science discovered the real cause of the condition, it became obsolete, and rightly so.
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br />   Yorkshire dialect

  An Unbreakable Bond is set in a fictional West Yorkshire town in the North of England. The following words are used in the dialogue and are common to this area:

  Ginnal – an alleyway

  Beck – a brook or stream

  Owt – anything

  Nowt – nothing

  Reet – right

  Neet – night

  Eeh – an expression often used before a sentence

  By – another expressive word to begin a sentence

  Sommat – something. For example, ‘It will be sommat and nowt’ means ‘It will be something and nothing’.

  Acknowledgements

  A book begins with an idea, it is nurtured and sweated over, and yes, has tears shed over it by the author, but no one person can bring it into being. I am lucky that when I self-published the first edition of this book, I had the expert help and guidance of freelance editor Rebecca Keys, proofreaders Julie Hitchin and Stanley Livingstone and talented cover artist Patrick Fox. And I am very grateful to them. I was also encouraged along the way by many, many people – too many to mention – but you know who you are and how grateful I am to you all.

  And now An Unbreakable Bond is going out into the world thanks to all at Pan Macmillan whose faith in me, and whose guidance and help and belief in me have fulfilled my dream.

  This new edition, the follow-up to To Catch a Dream, has been expertly and sensitively edited by Laura Carr and her team, especially Mandy Greenfield, whose input has enhanced the novel in a special way. Thank you all.

  And how can I thank my wonderful editor at Pan Macmillan, Louise Buckley, who spotted my ebook self-published works and had faith enough in my ability to help me to make the step into traditional publishing, and has since taken care of me, encouraged me, and brought me through the stages of the traditional publication route? Thank you isn’t enough, Louise.

  No acknowledgement would be complete without giving my thanks to my brilliant agent, Judith Murdoch. Always in my corner, always guiding me and encouraging me, I’m very lucky to have you. Thank you.

  And lastly, but most importantly, I am blessed to have such a wonderful family, who all support me in every way they can; my husband Roy and children Christine, Julie, Rachel and James, and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who are all a source of great joy to me. Not forgetting sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews of both my Olley and Wood families. Thank you, I love you all dearly. With your help I am able to reach the top of my mountain.

  An Unbreakable Bond

  Mary Wood was born in Maidstone, Kent, and brought up in Claybrooke, Leicestershire. The thirteenth child of fifteen born to a middle-class mother and an East End barrow boy, she had a childhood that was a mixture of love and poverty. This encouraged her to develop a natural empathy with the less fortunate and a fascination with social history.

  Throughout her life Mary has held various posts in catering and office roles, and in the probation services, while bringing up her four children. She now has numerous grandchildren, step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren. An avid reader, she first put pen to paper in 1989 whilst nursing her mother through her last months, but didn’t become successful until she began self-publishing her novels in the late 2000s.

  Mary now lives in Blackpool with Roy, her husband of fifty-three years.

  Mary welcomes interaction with readers on her Facebook Page: Books by Mary Wood, and on Twitter: @Authormary

  BY MARY WOOD

  The Breckton novels

  To Catch a Dream

  An Unbreakable Bond

  Tomorrow Brings Sorrow

  Time Passes Time

  Proud of You

  All I Have to Give

  The Cotton Mill saga

  Judge Me Not

  First published 2013 by Books by Mary Wood

  This electronic edition published 2016 by Pan Books

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan

  20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-1-4472-6743-0

  Copyright © Gaskin Hinkley Ltd 2013

  Design © www.blacksheep-uk.com

  Models © Colin Thomas

  Church © Futurilla/flickr

  The right of Mary Wood to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Pan Macmillan does not have any control over, or any responsibility for, any author or third-party websites referred to in or on this book.

  You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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