Elm Tree Road (26 page)

All too soon, it was time to leave and the sisters were in tears again.

‘Why don’t you come over to visit us?’ Hugh asked, guessing Nell wouldn’t feel she could be the one to invite them to his house.

Jacob frowned. ‘It’d not be easy going cross country. We’ve not got a motor car and I’m not so sure I’d want one, either. Perhaps you could come and see us again instead? Come at the weekend and bring your niece, Hugh. She can play with my Sarah.’

‘I can’t ask Hugh to—’ Nell began, embarrassed.

‘You don’t need to ask. I’d love to come again and I’m sure May would enjoy the outing. Didn’t we say we needed to get her out and about more?’

She could only nod and wish he didn’t fit in so well with her family. If only things were different! Whatever he said or did, she simply couldn’t believe it would all work out. Or that she deserved such luck.

When they collected May from Pearl’s house, she was so rude to Nell that he scolded her.

‘You always take her side!’ she screamed at him. ‘I hate her! She’s spoilt everything, taken you away from me. No one loves me any more.’

He looked at Nell aghast, but the child was sobbing so hard, looking such a pitiful lonely little figure, he had to cuddle her.

‘I think you need to talk to her,’ Nell said. ‘I’ll go and tidy my bedroom.’

Upstairs she plumped down on the bed, feeling like crying herself. What had got into May? Well, she knew,
didn’t she? May had lost the two most important people in her world and now she felt she was losing her uncle to Nell. And in a sense, she would be if …

No, it was yet another reason why this wasn’t meant to be.

She stared bleakly out of the window. She’d known that from the start, hadn’t she? Hugh might like being with her now, while he was living so far away from all his friends, but once he got back to London, she’d not fit into his life and he’d soon grow disillusioned.

No, she had to face facts squarely. She wasn’t going to run away, though. She’d done enough running away. She’d work on here till a suitable time came to leave, but was going to tell him straight out that it was better to end their relationship now, before they tore one another apart, and before they ruined that poor child’s life.

She shivered at the memory of how terrible her marriage to Cliff had been. She still had nightmares about it. Once you were wed, you couldn’t escape.

She wouldn’t do that to Hugh, spoil his life by tying him down to someone unsuitable. She loved him far too much.

He came up to find her, of course. ‘I’m sorry. I can’t get May to realise that my caring about you doesn’t affect how I feel about her. As for apologising to you for her rudeness, she threw another tantrum at the mere idea of doing that.’

‘There’s no need. She’s a child, and an unhappy one at that.’

‘Nonetheless, you don’t deserve to be treated like that, my darling, and—’

She held up one hand. ‘Leave that for the moment. I have something of my own to say.’ She swallowed the lump of anguish in her throat and said baldly, ‘It won’t work between us, Hugh.’

‘Yes, it will! Nell, we love one another.’

‘You think you love me, but once you’re back in London with your fancy friends, you’ll notice my faults, my lack of education. People in Lancashire laughed at the way I speak with a Wiltshire accent. And they would in London too.’

He took hold of her hands and wouldn’t let go. ‘Nell, I—’

‘I won’t let the way I feel spoil your life – and mine. And you can’t force me to. Let me go.’ She tugged her hands away.

He looked horrified. ‘I wasn’t trying to
force
you to do anything.’

‘Then why will you not take no for an answer?’

‘Because I know you love me and I know you’re wrong about it not working out.’

‘It’s my choice. If you won’t let the matter drop, I’ll have to go and live with my sister.’ She heard his breath hiss inwards as she said that, but hardened her heart, for his sake.

‘Nell, don’t do this!’

‘I must. I’ve been in one unhappy marriage and I can’t bear the thought of another. So what’s it to be, Hugh? Will you stop pestering me, or must I leave?’

His eyes searched her face and she could have wept at
how sad he looked, but she didn’t give in. ‘Well?’

He spread out his hands in a gesture of helplessness and took a step backwards. ‘I’ll stop pestering you. But that won’t stop me loving you.’

She held back the tears till he’d left her bedroom, then she locked the door and wept into her pillow, fighting to muffle the sound of her pain.

In the bedroom next door, May was wide awake, though it was long past her usual sleeping time. She couldn’t help hearing the two of them start arguing. Well, she wasn’t going to apologise.
That woman
wasn’t going to take her uncle away from her, if she could help it.

But what she heard surprised her. It was her uncle who was asking Nell to give him a chance, and Nell who was refusing.

When May heard her uncle go downstairs again, he was walking slowly and heavily. She was glad
that woman
didn’t really want him but she didn’t want him to be upset, and he’d sounded so sad.

Perhaps if they went to live in London, it’d happen the way Nell said it would. He’d start seeing his old friends and forget about
her
.

May scowled into the darkness. She didn’t want to go and live in London, was frightened of finding her way around in such a big city, where no one knew her.

A sound caught her attention. She couldn’t at first make out what it was. It was so faint she could hardly hear it, but her mother had always said she had excellent hearing. The sound went on and on, faint and soft and sad. Suddenly she realised what it was. Nell was crying again.

But Nell had just said she didn’t want to marry May’s uncle, so why was she crying?

It took a long time for her to stop. May was worried now. People only cried like that when something had upset them badly. She’d cried for days after her parents were killed. And she’d heard her uncle crying too.

It must mean … Nell must be unhappy about what had just happened. She wouldn’t have cried if she’d meant what she said … so she must love him after all.

Well, May was sorry that she was upset, but she couldn’t have Uncle Hugh. May needed him too much herself.

Over the next few days, May watched her uncle and Nell carefully. They both looked unhappy and that made her feel bad.

He watched Nell when she wasn’t looking at him, and she watched him too, sneaking glances, blinking away tears.

May heard the crying again. Every night. She didn’t like to hear it.

One morning she tried to talk about it. ‘Your eyes are red and puffy, Nell. Are you all right?’

‘I think I’ve got a bit of a cold, that’s all.’

May caught a glimpse of her uncle’s face in the mirror on the wall, and wished she hadn’t. He’d been looking at Nell so longingly.

It was all very confusing.

They were so upset, she didn’t want to make things worse, so didn’t tell them about the man who’d come to the school yesterday and stared at her. She knew it was her he was looking at because she always stood on her
own in the playground and there was no one else near her.

He was the same man who’d stopped in a car last Sunday to look at them. She didn’t like him.

Still, he hadn’t done anything to her, had he? And he’d gone away again, so it was probably nothing.

She’d tell them if he came back again, though.

When May had left for school on the Friday, Hugh looked at Nell across the kitchen and risked asking, ‘Are you happy with what you’re doing to me, to us?’

‘No, of course I’m not. But it’s the right thing to do. I know it is.’

‘It isn’t. Only I can’t think how to convince you. And if you carry out your threat and leave, I’ll follow you, and keep turning up at your sister’s till I’ve made you change your mind.’

‘You promised not to pester me.’

‘Is that what I’m doing? Pestering you? I thought I’d be allowed to speak to you sometimes. We’ve been such good friends, could be so much more.’

She couldn’t answer, so turned back to the washing-up and let her tears splash down into the bowl of soapy water where he couldn’t see them.

In the afternoon, he came into the kitchen and said abruptly, ‘I’m going out for a walk. I need to think.’ It was looking like rain, so she was a bit surprised.

When she went into the hall a little later, she saw his mackintosh still hanging on the hall stand. He’d get wet. If he fell ill, it’d be partly her fault.

Why did it hurt so much to do what was right?

Was it really the right choice to make? Should she give in and marry him? Or should she leave and go to Mattie’s, end it properly?

Heaven help her, she couldn’t bear to do that. She wasn’t going to leave him until she absolutely had to. Anyway, they still needed her here to look after them.

The house seemed empty without Hugh, and when two hours passed and he didn’t come home, Nell began to worry. It was a cold wet day, not the sort where you went for a long walk.

She settled herself by a side window from which she could keep an eye on the path across the fields. As an excuse for sitting there, she started a letter to her sister but couldn’t settle to writing. After two failed letters, she cried out in dismay as a big blob of ink plopped off her carelessly filled pen nib. Muttering in annoyance, she screwed up the third piece of paper and abandoned the attempt. Nothing was going right today.

At the usual time, May came back from school, entering the house quietly, without her usual burst of chatter.

‘Did you have a good day?’ Nell asked.

‘No, of course I didn’t. The teacher made me do the same work as the others. Baby work! Boring!’

‘It’ll be better when you get to London. Your uncle will make sure you go to a good school there.’

‘I’m
not
going to London! Why will you and my uncle not believe that? If he drags me there, I’ll run away and come back here. Cross my heart and hope to die.’ She made an ‘X’ sign in the air over her chest to emphasise her promise, and when Nell said nothing, yelled, ‘This is my
home
!’

‘It was your family home, but it isn’t anymore. Your uncle’s job is in London and—’

‘What do you know about anything? You worked in a laundry before you got married! I shouldn’t think
you
did very well at school. And you’ve only been to London once, so I know a lot more about what it’s like there than you do.’

This rudeness took Nell’s breath away and she was just about to scold May when she heard footsteps outside. ‘There’s your uncle coming back. Please … try not to upset him because he—’

The door banged open and a man burst into the kitchen. Frank Greenhill.

Nell was so shocked she couldn’t speak.

‘I’ve come for you, Nell,’ he said.

‘What?’

‘You’ve got the Greenhill money. It should have come to us after Cliff died. But that’s all right. You can come and live with us and we’ll all—’

‘You must be mad!’ she exclaimed. ‘I’m doing no such thing. I have my own life now and—’

He smiled, such a nasty threatening smile that she moved instinctively to stand between him and May.

He saw it, of course. ‘Ah. That’s the key.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The girl.’ He shoved Nell out of the way and grabbed May by the arm, dragging her towards him so roughly she cried out in pain.

Nell tried to free the girl, but he sent her tumbling across the floor. All the memories of her father flooded back, making her freeze. She couldn’t move for a moment or two, kneeling there, terrified.

‘Now listen to me. The insurance money you got belongs to the Greenhills by rights, all of it. But we can’t leave you unprovided for. That’d not be fair, either. So I’ve worked out that you and me can get married. You had a child once, so you’re not barren, and if you’re acting as housekeeper here, you must be good at that sort of thing. My aunt’s let things go and needs someone to help her in the house. Anyway, it’s time I got some sons.’

‘You must be mad! I’d never marry you.’

‘You will. But if you try to delay things, you’d better start worrying about this one.’ He shook May again, roughly, and she yelped in pain as she bumped into a corner of the table.

Nell tried again to get between him and May and this time he let her. ‘Run away if you can,’ she whispered to the girl, then said more loudly, ‘You can’t force me to marry you, Frank, whatever you threaten.’

‘I’m sure I can. A few accidents here and there, people you care about hurt.’ His eyes went back to the girl. ‘And that sister of yours is expecting. A fellow at work’s brother delivered some goods to her, says she’s rich now. But even the rich can tumble. Be sad if she had a fall, wouldn’t it? In her condition.’

She couldn’t hold back a gasp of shock at this. ‘I’ll report you to the police.’

He laughed. ‘I’ll apologise for threatening you today. A man in love says foolish things. I was carried away. They won’t be able to do anything.’ He paused for a moment and added softly, ‘But
I
will. I’ll be able to do a lot of things later, things you won’t like.’

She was shaken by the wild light in his eyes and said, ‘You
are
mad!’ before she could stop herself.

He pointed to May and mimed a slap. ‘Oh, no. I’m just practical when I want something.’

Nell swallowed hard.

Frank looked at May and said harshly, ‘Where’s your father, you?’

‘My father’s dead.’

‘Who’s the big fellow who lives here, then?’

‘He’s my uncle. He’s gone out for a walk but he’ll be back soon, and he won’t let you hurt us.’

‘I saw no sign of anyone walking across the fields, so I reckon we’ve got time to finish our talk.’ He turned back to Nell. ‘Make me a cup of tea. It’s cold outside.’

She hesitated, then moved across to push the kettle onto the heat.

When May would have followed her, he growled, ‘You. Stay there.’

Nell made the tea as quickly as she could, pouring him a cup and carrying it across the room. When she was nearly by his side, she yelled suddenly, ‘Run, May! Run!’ and hurled the hot liquid into his face.

As he screamed in pain, she saw May running across the room and prayed she’d get outside safely. She tried to
follow her, knocking over a chair behind her in an attempt to slow him down.

But May fumbled with the door latch and it took longer to open it than Nell had expected. By then, he’d reached them.

She barred his way, shoving May through the door and trying to fight free of Frank. But he was so big she hadn’t a chance.

‘You’ll be sorry for that!’ He threw her against the wall and her head hit the door-frame.

She cried out in pain as everything seemed to explode round her.

Hugh was walking back down the hill to the farm through the narrow path along the depression where the elm trees flourished. He heard someone scream and began to run even before he saw May burst out of the house, coatless. She kept glancing over her shoulder as she set off running towards the village, every line of her body speaking of terror. She was so busy checking she wasn’t being pursued, she didn’t see him till he caught her shoulder. ‘What’s happened?’

She screamed, then clung to him. ‘Uncle Hugh, there’s a man! A horrible man. He’s hurting Nell. Go and save her, Uncle Hugh. Go and—’

‘Who is it?’

‘The man who stopped his car to look at us after church.’

Heaven help him, Hugh thought. Nell had been afraid then, and he’d dismissed her worries. ‘Fetch help from the village, May. Quick as you can.’

He began running towards the farm, his heart pounding
in his chest with terror for the woman he loved.

It was agony to slow down as he approached the house, but Nell hadn’t followed his niece outside, so he had to find out what was happening, not rush in and leave her open to threats. He walked quietly across a muddy part of the yard, rather than clumping over the paved part.

When he risked a glance inside, he saw a huge brute of a man staring down at Nell’s unconscious body. Dear God, had the fellow killed her?

He swung round to rush inside, then stopped himself. He wasn’t an experienced fighter. He needed surprise on his side. Opening the side door, he crept into the house through the laundry door, picking up the possing stick with its blunt round end as he passed through, for lack of a better weapon.

‘Wake up, you stupid bitch,’ the man was saying, still bending over Nell.

Hugh was behind him, so started creeping across the room. But his foot crunched on a piece of broken crockery and the man spun round, bunching up his fists.

‘Get back!’ he yelled.

‘Get out of my house!’

He laughed. ‘I’ll go when I’m ready and she’s coming with me. She promised to marry me and she’s going to keep that promise.’

Hugh didn’t dare attack him openly, so paused as if doubtful. ‘She didn’t. She wouldn’t lie to me.’

‘She’s lied before. I don’t know why I bother with her, but when you’ve lain with a woman, when she’s so loving in bed, it’s hard to let her go.’

‘No. No, I don’t believe you.’ Hugh raised one hand slowly, covering his eyes as if upset.

‘As soon as she wakes up, I’ll take her away. You’ll be better off without her, and once we’re married, I’ll make sure she behaves as a good wife should.’

Nell regained consciousness to hear Frank say they were engaged to be married. She hastily closed her eyes, as she remembered what had happened. She didn’t want him to know she was awake.

It seemed as if Hugh believed him, because he was hesitating. How could he say he loved her one minute and not trust her the next?

Through her lashes, she saw Hugh move sideways a couple of paces. Beside her, Frank tensed as if ready to fight, then relaxed a little as Hugh continued to speak brokenly. ‘She seemed to love me. I believed her. How long have you been engaged?’

‘Since after my cousin’s funeral. It wasn’t a happy marriage and Cliff was to blame for that. I comforted her then and we agreed to marry once enough time had passed. I came here today to name a day.’

She took another quick peep and as she did so Hugh moved again. He must have seen her eyes open.

‘What happened to her? Why is she unconscious?’

‘She tripped on the rug and—’

Nell could see Frank’s feet on that same rug, could feel it beneath her hand, and that gave her an idea. She edged back a little, leaning against the wall to give herself some purchase, then gripped it tightly with one hand. Hugh noticed and gave the tiniest of nods.

Next time Frank looked away, she was going to pull it as hard as she could and throw him off balance. She’d yell to Hugh to hit him. Frank was worse than her husband had been, far worse. But others might believe him.

Suddenly Hugh’s voice rang out, ‘Now, Nell!’

As fast as she could she yanked on the rug. She couldn’t pull it out from such a heavy man, but she did distract him and throw him off balance.

As he’d been speaking, Hugh had raised something and now he smashed it down on Frank’s head.

But it wasn’t hard enough and Frank gave a bull-like roar and turned on him. She jumped to her feet, looking for something to hit him with. But by the time she’d grabbed the rolling pin, the two men were rolling about on the floor.

Hugh knew he was fighting for his life. He managed to land a punch on his opponent’s jaw, but although his fist connected, Frank only grunted and shook his head.

In the meantime a giant fist slammed into his body. Hugh had time to move back a little and prevent it hitting his stomach with full force, but though he wasn’t winded, it hurt. And if he didn’t do better than this, he’d not save Nell.

He avoided the obvious knee thrust towards a tender part of his body, but he couldn’t avoid all the blows that were raining down on him.

A voice yelled suddenly, ‘I’m here, Mr Easton!’ and Fred ran into the room, brandishing a chunk of wood.

There was no hope of such a frail old man hurting a huge man like Frank, but his brave effort did distract
Frank, and Nell seized the opportunity to smash the rolling pin down on their attacker’s head. She felt sickened by the sound of it connecting, but he dropped like a stone.

‘Get the washing line,’ Hugh yelled. ‘Quick!’

She ran for it, but even so, they were nearly too late, because as they were tying him up, Frank began to regain consciousness. His hands were trussed, but he still managed to jerk his body backwards and forwards, and kick out at them. There was nothing he could do to get rid of his bonds, but they didn’t dare get close enough to tie his feet.

‘Are you all right?’ Hugh panted, pulling her back as Frank tried to slam into them.

Then they heard feet running towards the house and Pearl’s husband Ronald burst into the room. Puffing along behind him were two other men from the village.

‘Thank goodness! Oh, thank goodness.’ Nell leant against the wall, trembling all over, feeling clammy and distant now that the worst was over.

Ronald seemed to sum up what was going on at a glance, and soon he and the others had secured Frank’s feet.

‘What happened?’ he asked as he stood up.

‘That man attacked me,’ Nell said. ‘He’s my husband’s cousin and he wants the insurance money I got.’

‘She’s lying. She’d promised to marry me and I came to claim her. Then they both attacked me.’

‘Mr Easton?’ Ronald laughed. ‘He’s the last man to attack anyone.’

‘I saw that man attack Nell,’ May said. ‘He was going to hurt me and she saved me. She threw a cup of tea over him and I got away. But he caught her.’

Hugh had put his arm round Nell’s shoulders. Now
he reached out the other arm and May went to stand in its shelter for a moment, then reached across him to hug Nell.

But she must have moved against an injured part because he winced. May stepped back and grimaced at the sight of her uncle’s battered face, then looked at Nell. ‘You should both come and sit down. My uncle’s hurt and you look ready to faint, Nell.’

Ronald took over. ‘I’ll see to your uncle, May. You take Mrs Greenhill to sit down before she falls down.’

Leaning on the girl, Nell stumbled across the room. It seemed a long way, and although Hugh followed her, he looked very wobbly too.

‘Fine champion I am,’ he muttered. ‘I’m nearly as big as he is but he was making mincemeat of me.’

May picked up a chair for Nell and made sure she was all right. ‘I’ll get some water to wash my uncle’s cuts.’

‘Good girl,’ Hugh said to his niece, but his eyes were on Nell.

May set her hands on her hips and looked at them. ‘Oh, go on, kiss her better. She deserves it.’

They both stared at her in surprise.

‘I don’t mind now,’ May said. ‘She saved me from that man and she got hurt doing it. I thought I’d lost my uncle, but I hadn’t, had I? Instead I’d got someone else who cares about me as well.’

‘Of course I care,’ Nell said softly.