‘Try not to get upset about it, Mum.’ He slid his arm about her shoulders. ‘We must try to be strong for Rosie’s sake.’ He was hurting desperately for Rosie.
For a long time, Harry had had deep feelings for Rosie, but only now, in this very serious moment, when he desperately wanted to hold her and take care of her, did he realise just how very much he loved her.
‘Dad?’
‘Yes, son?’
‘Try not to frighten her. I mean, do you need to say anything just yet? After all, we’re not altogether sure what’s happened, are we?’
Kathleen agreed. ‘She’s bound to ask where her parents are. But Harry’s right to suggest we go gently with her. When she asks about her parents, just try somehow to be evasive, without telling any lies. When she gets here, and we’re all together, we’ll break it to her in the gentlest way possible. She will be absolutely devastated when we tell her what we know.’
‘Yes, of course, you’re right. But we don’t really know the full story ourselves, do we?’
Kathleen nodded slowly. ‘Yes, that’s true. We don’t know everything, but what we do know is so bad it threw us all into panic. That’s why we have to be so gentle and careful in what we tell that lovely girl.’ She wiped a solitary tear from her eye. ‘Now, go and get the poor child, Patrick. And, please, be very careful what you say, won’t you?’
‘O’ course I will, my lovely! And don’t you worry. I’ll have her back here in no time at all.’
‘Dad?’ Harry stood up. ‘Shall I come with you?’ He was desperately worried for Rosie and he knew how that lovable man could sometimes let his tongue run away with him.
Patrick smiled at his son; he knew what he was thinking. ‘No, thank you, Harry. It’s best if I go on my own, especially with that big dog taking up three places in the truck. Look, while I’m gone, you two can try to make some sense of what we’ve been told. And don’t worry, I won’t let my tongue run away with me.’
‘No, you had better not,’ Kathleen told him. ‘Oh, and leave the truck. Take my car. I don’t want young Rosie flung about like a sack of potatoes in that rattling old wagon of yours.’
‘Ah now, there’s me lovely girl! I thought you would never offer.’
A few minutes later, Harry went to the car with his father, while Kathleen watched from the doorway.
‘You go back inside now, my love, in case we get another call … if you know what I mean?’ Patrick called to her.
Kathleen understood, and after blowing him a quick kiss, she did exactly what he told her.
Harry was anxious. ‘Dad, are you sure you don’t want me with you?’
‘Yes, son, it’s best if I go on my own while you watch over Kathleen. I don’t expect to be gone more than a half-hour at most. I reckon Kathleen is holding back because she wants to stay strong for Rosie, but she’s had a terrible shock – we all have. She hides it well, but I know she’s really upset.’
‘You can count on me, Dad,’ Harry reassured him.
‘Thank you, Harry. You’re a good lad. Nobody knows better than me how fortunate I am to have you for a son, and to have that dear woman in our lives. Kathleen brought us through a bad time once before, and here we are again, eh?’
For Harry, the bad memories were never far away. ‘That’s true, Dad. Only this time it’s Rosie who’s about to have her heart broken.’ Choking back a tear, he stepped away from the car and waved his father off.
Patrick drove up the road at some speed, leaving Harry shaking his head. ‘Why does he always think he’s on a race track whenever he gets into that car? Fifty-six going on sixteen, that’s my dad!’
Harry gave a wry little smile. However bossy and argumentative his father could be at times, he was also deeply caring and supportive, and Harry worshipped the ground he walked on.
Since the brief telephone conversation, Rosie had stood at the window, patiently watching for her uncle Patrick to arrive.
Equally anxious, Barney leaned over her shoulder, panting his hot breath into the back of her neck.
‘Oh, look! He’s here!’ Relieved when she saw the car turning in, Rosie was on her feet and hugging Barney. ‘Come on, boy, let’s go meet them!’ The two of them were outside and at the car before Patrick could even climb out.
‘Woa!’ Scrambling out of the car, he grabbed Rosie in his arms. ‘Oh, me little darlin’, have you been watching for me all this time? After I told ye to close the curtains and stay away from the windows!’
‘I’m sorry, Uncle Patrick, but I was worried.’ She peeked into the car. ‘Where is he?’ Her face showed her disappointment.
‘Who?’
‘My daddy. I thought you were bringing him home.’
‘Ah, sure, I never promised no such thing, me darlin’.’ He was dreading her next question. ‘I’m just here to fetch you back to our house. Auntie Kathleen’s waiting for ye, so she is.’ He opened the rear passenger door and ushered Rosie and Barney inside. ‘You stay there now while I secure the house.’
As he ambled away, Rosie confided in Barney. ‘I got it wrong, Barney. It seems Daddy is waiting back there with Auntie Kathleen. But why didn’t he come home with Uncle Patrick? Now he’s got to drive all the way back, and then later he’ll probably run us all back here again. It seems an awful lot of trouble to me.’
Rosie was beginning to think the world had turned upside down, and everything had gone awry.
She shrugged. ‘I expect Mother’s with him now and they needed to spend some time with Auntie Kathleen. Dad was saying only the other day how we haven’t seen Auntie Kathleen in a long time. Ever since she and Mother had a falling-out over nothing at all. When he said Mother should apologise because it was her who had started the argument, Mother got angry and told him to mind his own business.’
The two of them watched Patrick going from window to window, checking everywhere. Finally, he shut the door, giving the door handle a little shake. ‘There ye go!’ He climbed back into the car. ‘All safely locked up.’ He handed the house key, which she’d left inside, in the lock, to Rosie. ‘Right! Off we go. I expect Harry and your auntie Kathleen are anxious to see us back, eh?’
As they drove, Rosie had many questions, but one in particular. ‘Uncle Patrick?’
‘Yes, sweetheart?’
‘Me and Barney searched all over for Daddy, and we couldn’t find him, so where was he?’
‘I’m sure I have no idea.’ Patrick had been dreading the question.
‘But he’s at your house now, waiting for us. Isn’t he?’ Rosie had that deep-down feeling again that something was very wrong.
Patrick began to panic. What should he tell her?
He followed the truth as far as he was able. ‘No, sweetheart, he is not at our house, and neither is your mother. The truth is, I don’t rightly know where your daddy is, but I do know your Auntie Kathleen had a phone call from your mother a little while ago. I’m sure she’ll know where your daddy is. Don’t you worry now, me darlin’. I’m sure Kathleen will explain everything when we get back.’
He felt totally out of his depth and not at all sure what he should or shouldn’t say in this sorry situation. He did not know the full story that Kathleen had been told so he was doubly uncomfortable trying to answer Rosie’s questions in case he inadvertently lied to her. He recalled Harry and Kathleen’s suggestion that Rosie should at least be gently warned of the serious situation she would need to face at some point.
With that responsibility weighing heavily on his mind, he parked the car at the side of the road, switched off the engine and took a deep breath. ‘Rosie, sweetheart? There is something you should know.’
Rosie was concerned. ‘Has the car broken down, Uncle Patrick?’
‘No, no, sweetheart. Nothing like that.’ Turning in his seat, he took hold of her hand. ‘I’ve pulled over because I know you’re worried, and the truth is I don’t have the answers to your questions. But there is something I haven’t told you, and I’m about to tell you now.�
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Rosie was suddenly filled with dread. ‘Is it my daddy? Has something happened to him?’ Her voice trembled. ‘Barney and me, we searched everywhere and we didn’t find him. Has he gone away? Is he hurt? Is that why the—’
She stopped short, remembering how her mother had threatened to hurt Barney if she talked to anyone about what she had seen and heard. But she had to know. ‘Please, Uncle Patrick,’ she asked, fighting back tears, ‘where’s my daddy?’
‘Well, like I said, I don’t have all the answers, but what I do know is that your Auntie Kathleen had a very serious phone call. It was from your mother and, as far as I can tell, she’s in a deal of trouble.’
‘What kind of trouble?’ Rosie felt some relief at this news. Wherever she went her mother was always causing trouble.
‘Now, don’t go panicking, sweetheart,’ Patrick assured her. ‘I’m sure I don’t know the full story, and neither does your Auntie Kathleen.’
After that long and fruitless search for her father, Rosie now feared her mother’s trouble must involve her father somehow. ‘Is Daddy in trouble, too, Uncle Patrick? Please … has he gone away? Is he never coming back?’ Her voice shook with emotion. ‘Is that why we couldn’t find him?’
‘Hey, don’t get yourself in a state, because then I’ll be sorry I ever told you the little that I do know. But I honestly don’t recall there being any mention of your daddy being hurt, or any such thing. So don’t upset yourself. The thing is, apparently your mother is at the police station. All Auntie Kathleen said is that there was some kind of accident and an ambulance was called.’
Afraid he was getting in over his head, Patrick was keen to extricate himself. ‘Look, sweetheart, I’m sorry, but your auntie Kathleen will need to tell you the rest. Now you know as much as I do: that there was some kind of accident, and your mother reported it to the police.’ This was near enough to the truth.
‘So, my daddy is all right then, is he?’
‘Like I said, you know as much as I do. There was a bad accident, your mother was there, and now she’s at the police station, giving them any information she might have. That’s what happens when there’s been an accident. The police take statements from any witnesses, and then they follow up what they’ve been told. That’s really all I know.’
‘Maybe Daddy was there, too, when the accident happened.’ Rosie grew hopeful. ‘Maybe he had to tell them what he saw.’
‘Maybe … and maybe not. I honestly don’t know the full story.’ That was as close to the truth as Patrick dared to say. ‘We will probably learn more when we get back to your auntie Kathleen.’
Still on edge, still concerned for her father, Rosie was reluctant to wait until then. ‘Did Auntie Katheen tell you what Mother said about the accident? Did she mention where it was?’ She desperately wanted to tell Patrick about the ambulance men who had turned up at the barn, and how her mother had chased her and Barney away.
She could still hear her mother’s wicked warning about what she would do to Barney if Rosie said anything about what she had seen or heard, but even so, Rosie was anxious enough that she was sorely tempted to defy her mother and tell Uncle Patrick everything she knew about her mother being in the barn with that man – the man she had seen talking to himself and sobbing as if his heart would break.
Who was that sad, pitiful stranger? Why was he crying like that? She wished now that she had gone to him. She had so wanted to help.
Her mother said there had been an accident, and then the ambulance came. From what Uncle Patrick was saying now, it seemed her mother was telling the truth. So who was hurt? And why had she not seen anything that could be described as an accident? Yet she had seen the urgent arrival of the ambulance with her own eyes. When Rosie tried to answer one question, it just threw up another. The one and only thing she could be absolutely certain of was that her mother was at the root of it all.
Right now Rosie desperately needed to tell Uncle Patrick everything she had seen, but for Barney’s sake she had to keep her mouth tight shut. However, she could still ask about her father. Her mother had not threatened her and Barney if she spoke about him.
‘Please, Uncle Patrick, I’m really worried about Daddy. He went out ages ago to look for Mother. When he didn’t come back, Barney and I went to find him. We went everywhere we thought he might be, but there was no sign of him. And he still isn’t back yet.’
‘I do understand you must be worried, Rosie girl, but I can’t tell you any more than I already have. The thing is, I heard only a snippet of the conversation between Auntie Kathleen and your mother. But listen, Auntie Kathleen might have heard more from your mother while I’ve been away. We shall just have to wait and see, won’t we? It’s best not to let your imagination run away with you.’ He felt guilty, knowing that when they got back this dear girl was most likely in for a terrible shock.
‘All right, Uncle Patrick, I understand.’ Though even after her uncle’s reassurances she was far from content.
The events of the night were like a jigsaw puzzle, when some of the pieces were missing. She just hoped Uncle Patrick was right and that Auntie Kathleen really had learned more about what had happened, and who it was that had been taken to hospital.
Growing increasingly nervous with every passing minute, Rosie whispered a little prayer that her daddy would be safe.
CHAPTER SIX
‘WHY DON’T YOU sit down a minute? Watching out the window won’t get them here any sooner.’ Harry walked across the room to lay a gentle hand on Kathleen’s shoulder. ‘I’ve made a fresh pot of tea.’ He had set the small round tray on the coffee table. ‘Please, try and drink it while it’s hot, eh?’
Kathleen smiled up at him. ‘Thank you, Harry. But I don’t think I could even swallow it.’ She gave a deep sigh. ‘I can’t stop thinking about what Molly told me. Passing the bad news on to Rosie will be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.’
‘I know that.’ Harry had never seen his stepmother so uncertain of herself, so nervous and afraid. ‘I wish there was something I could do to make it easier for you … and for Rosie. We both know how very hard it will be for her to accept what’s happened, but I’m grateful that it’s you who will pass on the bad news. You’re gentle and caring, and she loves and trusts you. All the same, it will be hard for both of you.’
‘You’re right, Harry, it will be hard. And it should not be this way. Rosie deserves a mother who would love and comfort her, and keep her safe through all the heartache to come.’
Harry agreed. ‘It’s what she deserves, but sadly it’s not the case. That’s why I’m relieved you’re here to help her through the worst time in her life. Dad and I will be here for her too, but it’s a mother she needs – a mother who truly cares – and for now it has to be you.’
‘We won’t let her down,’ Kathleen vowed. ‘Between us, we’ll bring her through it, somehow. It’s just unfortunate that poor Rosie’s mother is a cold-hearted woman who never wanted her and would be happy if she never saw or heard from her again. I know I should not be saying these things, because Molly is my sister, but I am not proud of that, and I have never understood why she is like she is.’
She recalled how Molly had sounded when she relayed the bad news to her from the police station. ‘There were no regrets in Molly’s voice when she told me about what had happened. In truth, she sounded cold and distant, as if she was delivering a list of shopping. It was as though she felt nothing.’ Kathleen shook her head in disbelief. ‘I have never understood her, and I don’t suppose I ever will.’
‘Why was she calling from the police station?’ Harry asked. ‘Why did she not wait until she could tell Rosie and us face to face? That would have been kinder, don’t you think?’
‘That’s exactly what I thought, but I imagine she wanted us to know as quickly as possible, and maybe with the police questioning her she couldn’t be certain of what time she might get home. When someone is involved in a fatal accident, the police need all the detail
s and she’d be asked to give a statement for their records.’
‘Did she tell you exactly what happened … I mean, about the accident?’
‘No … nothing.’ Kathleen had wondered about that herself. ‘All she said was that there had been an accident … and that John had been …’ She stopped, unable to say it out loud.
Harry persevered, thinking it might help her get her thoughts straight if she talked about it before Rosie got there. ‘Was she or anyone else hurt in the accident?’
‘She didn’t say, but she sounded all right, so I assume she was not involved.’ She began to feel easier now. Talking to Harry was, in a strange way, helping her to relax before Rosie arrived. Rosie would no doubt have her own questions.
‘Did she tell you what kind of accident it was?’ Harry asked.
‘No.’
‘Hmm.’ Harry was surprised. ‘That’s odd.’
‘Yes … it is, isn’t it?’ At the time, she had been far too shocked at the news concerning John to ask.
‘Did she say where the accident actually happened?’
‘No. In fact now that I think of it, she didn’t really give me any details. When I asked questions she simply acted as though she didn’t hear. Mind you, it might have been because she was still in a state of shock.’
‘It could be, yes … I suppose.’
‘The thing is, you can never tell with Molly, but I know her … and I know it takes a lot to shock her. She’s always been like that: cold and hard as nails.’
Kathleen cast her mind back to when they were children. ‘I could tell you tales about when we were kids, and how she liked to taunt and hurt me when no one was looking.’ She gave a wry little smile. ‘In the end, I simply learned to stay out of her way.’
Harry was not in the least surprised. ‘She hasn’t changed over the years then, has she?’
‘Obviously not. But I will never understand how she can hate her own daughter, that lovely girl. What is it that makes my sister so cruel?’
‘It seems to me that some people are born wicked, while others have a goodness about them from the start. That’s just the way it is.’
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