There was a knock on the door. ‘Ma, it’s for you. Are you decent?’
‘Yes.’
She opened the door and took the handset from her son-in-law.
‘Hello?’
‘Are you Daniel Everett’s daughter?’
She gasped and saw Simon turn back and mouth, ‘You all right?’
She nodded vigorously.
‘Hello? Is anyone there?’
‘Sorry. I was just a bit surprised. And yes, I am his daughter.’
‘Oh, what a relief! I’ve been trying to contact you. I went to his house, but I was too late. It’d been sold. A neighbour said he’d died. I’m sorry about that because he was my great-grandfather.’
‘Oh, my!’ Gina plumped down on the bed.
‘Are you all right? I’m not… upsetting you?’
‘I’m fine, just a bit surprised. Actually, I’ve been trying to find out about my father’s English family, so this is… Look, where are you staying? I rang several hostels and left messages. You see, the note you left in the letter box at Dad’s blew away so I didn’t know where to contact you – not even your name.’
‘We went to see the estate agent who sold the house and asked them for your address but they wouldn’t give it to us. Did they ring you?’
‘No. I spoke to the neighbour and left messages everywhere I could think of.’
Gina heard a mutter of voices, then the girl said, ‘Sorry! I’ve not introduced myself, have I? I’m Lou, short for Louise Lorrie. Sounds awful, like a stage name, doesn’t it? That’s why I prefer Lou. My granddad is Daniel’s son by his first wife.’
‘I’m delighted to meet you, Lou. I’m Gina Porter. Can we get together?’
‘Yes, please! We’ve hired an old car, so we could come and see you tomorrow, if that’s all right?’
‘Of course. Who’s “we”?’
‘Me and Rick, my boyfriend. We’re backpacking together. Just a minute, Rick’s getting something to write on.’
Lou repeated the address back to her to check she’d got it right.
Gina gave her directions and agreed to meet at ten o’clock. She stared at the phone as she put it down, bemused. Such a cheerful young voice and with a similar northern accent to her father’s. It took her a minute to pull herself together then she went to find Simon and tell him what it was all about.
‘They must come and stay,’ he said at once. ‘They’ll be watching their money if they’re backpacking and we have another spare bedroom. Obviously we need you here while Mel’s in hospital, but you’ll want to spend as much time as you can with them.’
‘Thanks, Simon. There are two of them so they can have my room and I’ll go into the smallest bedroom. Isn’t it exciting?’
She went to bed again but couldn’t sleep. She had longed all her life for relatives, now she was about to meet one. And there were others in England. Even if she couldn’t go to find them as she’d planned, one of them had come to find her. It was wonderful, just wonderful.
Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
CHAPTER 16
England
Brad found a message pushed under the door of his hotel room when he returned there after breakfast. He picked up the slip of paper and read it.
Casey rang. Rosie does want to see you, but her mother’s taken her mobile away.
An address and phone number were scrawled below this message.
Who was Casey? And how had he known to contact Brad here at the hotel? The only person in England who knew where he was staying was Rosie.
If Jane had taken away her daughter’s phone, perhaps… there was no perhaps about it: she must have got hold of his last letter.
Was this Casey person telling the truth? If he was, Jane had been lying when she said Rosie had changed her mind about meeting Brad.
Oh, hell, what should he do? He went to stand by the window. It was fine today, if still somewhat brisk for an Australian used to warmer summers. He put the piece of paper carefully into his wallet – not that he needed it now, because he’d memorized the address – and went for a walk. He always thought better while walking.
He strolled along the promenade, lost in thought. When he grew tired of walking he stood by the wall, overlooking the beach. Who was Casey? A brother? A boyfriend? He hadn’t meant to cause trouble in Rosie’s family, but clearly he had done. Only… he ached to see his daughter and she clearly wanted to see him. That was only natural, surely?
In the end he came to the conclusion that it was Rosie whose wishes should be considered first, not her family’s. He’d read enough to know that adopted children could have a burning need to meet their biological parents.
And he had a burning desire to meet his child.
* * *
When Peggy awoke, she couldn’t for a moment think where she was. Then it all came rushing back to her and she buried her face in the pillow, wishing it wasn’t true, wishing she was still in her own home.
Footsteps went past her room.
‘Jake? Is that you?’
Her brother opened the door and peeped in. ‘You’re awake, then?’
‘Yes. What time is it?’ She reached for her spectacles because she needed them even to see her watch properly these days. ‘Ten o’clock! You should have woken me.’
‘Why? Your appointment with Gillah isn’t till this afternoon. I reckoned you must need a good sleep. Do you want me to bring you up a mug of tea?’ When she didn’t answer, he said, ‘Peggy?’ in a questioning tone.
She blinked and looked at him. ‘What? Oh. Tea. No, I’ll get a quick shower and come down.’
‘All right.’
She’d washed out her knickers and bra overnight and though they were still a bit damp, at least they were clean. She had a quick shower and got dressed.
Jake was waiting for her downstairs. He didn’t say much, but made her some breakfast. To please him she forced down a slice of toast and marmalade, but it might as well have been cardboard for all she tasted, and there was no way she could eat a second piece.
‘Do you want to go shopping?’
She hesitated then shook her head. ‘I’d rather speak to Gillah first, work out what to do.’
‘You should leave him.’
Jake’s voice was harsh, so unlike his usual gentle tone that she looked at him in shock.
‘For years I’ve watched Hartley turning my sister into a timid mouse and I’ve kept my mouth shut. It got so that I didn’t even see you any more, and I wanted to. He kept putting me off coming. I should have insisted, come around when he was at work. I blame myself for that. But when I saw the state you were in yesterday… well, I can’t keep quiet any more. Leave him, Peggy love. Make a new life for yourself.’
‘How can I? I’d not have anywhere to live. Or any money to live on.’
‘You could get social security to help you, I’m sure. And there’s your old age pension plus you’d be entitled to a share in the house.’
‘It’s in his name.’
‘It’s the marital home, you’ve contributed to the family by running it. I’m pretty sure you have some rights there.’
‘I – can’t seem to think straight. And I don’t want to leave my home, Jake.’
‘Even with Hartley in it?’
She bowed her head, not knowing the answer to that because her thoughts were so tangled. She waited for Jake to say something cutting but he only patted her arm.
‘Sorry, Pegs. I shouldn’t be pressing you. It’s a hard decision to make, I’m sure.’
She smiled at him gratefully. But his very kindness was a lesson after the scornful way Hartley treated her.
‘If you’ve finished, come out into the garden. A bit of sunshine will cheer you up.’
It was a lovely oasis, and she sat again on the bench strategically placed to overlook the flowers and behind them she could see vegetables standing in sturdy rows. For the moment, it was enough just to sit here and wait for her appointment.
Jake l
eft her in peace, going to pull up a few weeds, remove a caterpillar, smile down at his neat row of young cabbages. ‘I’ll just take some stuff out to the front,’ he said and went to unlock the side gate, before turning back to get his wheelbarrow.
Suddenly the side gate banged against the wall and Peggy opened her eyes in shock as the peace was fractured by a voice roaring, ‘There you are, you stupid bitch! I might have known I’d find you here.’
She opened her eyes to see Hartley advancing across the garden towards her and screamed in sheer terror at the fury on his face.
* * *
Without making a conscious decision about his destination, Brad drove to Poulton again, still worrying about whether he was doing the right thing or not. With the aid of the satnav he found his way to the address Casey had given him. At least the house existed, he thought as he drew to a halt in front of a neat, semi-detached residence in a street of very similar dwellings.
He sat for a minute or two gathering his courage, then got out of the car and went to ring the doorbell.
There was no answer and he was about to ring again when he heard footsteps. The door swung open and he found himself facing Jane. Older, but he’d have known her anywhere, even though she wore her hair short now and had grey threads at her temples. He smiled. ‘Long time no see.’
She stared at him in shock, her mouth forming his name, then tried to shut the door in his face.
‘Ah, Jane, don’t do that!’ he pleaded. ‘Surely we can talk this over?’
‘Go away, Brad! We don’t want you here.’
‘But Jane—!’
‘Go away!’
‘When I hear Rosie say that, I’ll leave and not until.’
‘If you don’t go now, I’ll call the police.’
‘That’ll create an even bigger fuss.’ He kept his hand on the door, holding it open. ‘Is Rosie in?’
‘No, she isn’t. She’s at school at this time of day.’
That hadn’t even occurred to him. His grip on the door must have slackened because Jane slammed it in his face.
He felt foolish now. He’d been so excited, hadn’t thought about it being a weekday. It was such a disappointment. Sighing, he turned away. He wasn’t giving up, though. He’d come back later.
* * *
Inside the house Rosie heard the doorbell as she was going back to her bedroom from the bathroom. She was feeling better today, but still a bit wobbly.
She heard her mother walk along the hall below and open the door, stiffening in shock as she heard her say harshly, ‘Go away, Brad! We don’t want you here.’
It couldn’t be him, could it? No, surely not? How would he know where she lived?
Then she heard him saying her mother’s first name, pleading to talk about this, to see Rosie, and she knew it really was him. Without thinking, she flung on her dressing gown and rushed down the stairs in time to see her mother closing the door and sagging against it, an expression of distress on her face.
Jane looked up and scowled at Rosie. ‘Go back to bed this minute.’
Her mother was bigger than her and far stronger, so Rosie turned and fled up the stairs. But she didn’t go to her own room, she ran into her parents’ bedroom and flung open the window. ‘Brad! Don’t go!’
He turned round and she stared down at him, unable to say another word, marvelling that this was the man who’d fathered her. He was staring up at her with equal intensity.
She heard her mother running up the stairs and shouted desperately, ‘I do want to see you. Don’t let her send you away.’
Her mother tried to pull her away from the window and she fought back, begging, ‘Don’t do this to me, Mum! It’s not fair. I need to see him.’
And suddenly her mother let go of her and leaned against the wall, fighting against tears. ‘Please, Rosie.’
‘I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t. But I have to meet him. Can’t you try to understand? He’s my father!’
Her mother swallowed hard then spread her hands in a helpless gesture. Pushing herself away from the wall as if it was a huge effort, she moved to the open window, calling down, ‘Come back in half an hour, Brad. We’ll talk about it then.’
He stood frowning up at her, then nodded and walked away.
Jane looked sideways at Rosie. ‘I hope you don’t regret this.’
‘I’m sure I won’t. He – looks nice.’
‘Oh, yes. He’s a good-looking man, even now. He must be what… fifty-four or five?’ She stared at her daughter as if she’d never seen her before then said sharply, ‘You’d better go and get a shower before you dress. You won’t want to meet him looking like that.’
As Rosie turned she saw her reflection in the long mirror on the wall and gasped in horror. ‘Look at my hair! It’s like rat tails. What will he think of me?’
She rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door. A minute later the water started running.
Jane stayed where she was, feeling disoriented. Brad hadn’t changed much, still had that rangy, long-limbed look that had attracted her to him in the first place. And he still had that crooked smile, too. ‘I wish you hadn’t come, Brad Rosenberry,’ she whispered, turning to examine her own face in the mirror and wondering what he’d thought of her.
But it was her daughter’s face she saw in her mind’s eye, so like Brad’s. Why had she never realized that before?
Because she hadn’t wanted to, that’s why.
And what was Stu going to say about all this? He was so lost just now. He needed stability more than other people, her Stu did, and this world didn’t give you much of that, it seemed. Even if they did offer him another job, she couldn’t imagine Stu agreeing to move home and family to a different town. He’d lived here all his life, except for his time at university, and he’d been horribly homesick then.
Maybe it’d do them all good to move somewhere else, though. Maybe they’d been here too long, lying cosily in the same velvet rut. Only… they’d been happy here, hadn’t they? And there was Stu’s father to think of. He couldn’t have long to live now.
Stu had been a good father, especially when the kids were young, though he’d got a bit engrossed in his work in the past few years. But fairness obliged her to admit Rosie was right. He did favour Casey just a little, looked at his son with an degree of extra fondness.
She hadn’t realized Rosie had noticed or that her daughter felt diminished by this. She ought to have. They ought to have been open about her birth from the start. Only Jane had met Stu almost as soon as she got back to England from Australia and when he found she was pregnant, he’d begged her to marry him anyway and put him down on the birth certificate as the father.
And now – now she would have to try to persuade him to let Rosie and Brad get acquainted with one another. That was going to be very difficult indeed.
Was it even possible?
* * *
Jake stepped between Peggy and her irate husband.
Hartley drew himself up and said in that sharp, icy tone that always made Peggy shrivel, ‘Get – out – of my way!’
Jake held his ground. ‘I’d like you to leave my garden.’
‘I’ll leave with my wife. Go and get your things at once, Peggy!’
As she shrank back behind her brother, Hartley lunged forward and tried to elbow him aside, then suddenly rammed into him hard, trying to knock him out of the way.
Jake had grown up in a rough street and automatically side-stepped, letting Hartley’s momentum carry him past. Recovering quickly, he stood ready for anything.
But Hartley had lost his balance and with a yell, he fell into a muddy patch that had recently been watered. He stared up at Jake for a minute, a ludicrous expression of shock on his face, then pulled himself to his feet, trying to brush the mud off his clothing. ‘Look what you’ve done! You attacked me. I’ll damned well sue you for that.’
‘Nonsense. You attacked me and I acted only in self-defence.’ Jake turned to Peggy for support, but s
he was curled up on the seat, face buried in her hands, sobbing. And the sight of her, looking so abject, upset him so much that he turned back to yell at his brother-in-law, ‘You’re not only trespassing but you’ve damaged my prize flowers. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.’
Even as he was speaking, Bob from next door popped his head over the fence, proving that as usual he was eavesdropping. Only this time Jake was glad to have a witness.
‘Need some help, lad?’ Bob glared at Hartley as he added, ‘I can testify that you acted in self-defence because I saw it all through the gap in the fence.’
‘I might need some help if he doesn’t leave now.’ Jake turned to look at his brother-in-law and repeated, just to make things plain in case of future trouble, ‘Please leave my property.’
‘Not till my wife comes with me.’
Weeping, Peggy stood up. ‘I’d better go.’
Hartley let out a snort of triumph. ‘Go and get your things this minute. And don’t try this sort of thing again, you stupid bitch!’
Jake took a hasty step forward before he could stop himself, fists clenched.
Peggy stepped back a pace, staring at her husband. ‘What did you call me?’
‘Stupid!’
‘You said bitch as well and your tone…’ Her voice broke for a moment and she wrapped her arms round herself. ‘Is that what you really think of me?’
‘Well, running away like a silly child wasn’t the brightest thing to do, was it? It’s not as if I’ve been beating you or anything.’
Jake watched, praying that she’d not let that bugger browbeat her into going back to him.
‘Go – and get – your things!’ Hartley repeated, speaking in a staccato manner.
She took a deep breath and said in a voice which wobbled, ‘I’ve an appointment this afternoon with a counsellor. I’ll decide whether to come home or not then.’
Jake watched, almost holding his breath, willing her to stand firm against this bully.
Peggy studied her husband as if she’d never seen him before then shook her head. ‘I can’t carry on as we have been doing, Hartley, I just can’t. And when you retire, it’ll be a lot worse, because you’ll be there all the time. I’ve been worrying about that for months, the thought of you watching me, criticizing me all the time. Every single minute.’
Family Connections Page 12
