For a Mother's Sins (32 page)

‘I bloody hope he is! Look at my face. And here – I’ll show you my ribs.’ Helen started to undo her bodice.

‘No, there’s no need. I can see that you’re in pain.’

‘Aye, well, there’s only so much you can take. I’ll be better off without him. He was or is a bastard.’ Helen stood by the bar, looking at the faces peering through the
pub’s windows, wondering what was going on and if they were going to get their pay.

‘Right, I understand,’ said the constable. ‘I’ll be back later.’

He walked out to the anxious crowd and announced that Henry Parker was missing and that their pay would be with them later that day and would be paid from the Midland Railway hut. The crowd were
angry. This would put their weekend out, and things had to be done on a Saturday. A cry rang out:

‘I hope the bastard’s dead! He’s never to be trusted.’

‘Who said that?’ the constable yelled and hurried to where he thought the shout had come from, but the crowd was dispersing, concealing the owner of the voice. A group of four men,
one of whom was Ted the pig stealer, stood by as the constable talked to various people. They knew nobody had seen them, and even if they had, nobody would tell. They saw Helen peer out of the
window; they’d collect their blood money from her later that night. The cash would be the icing on the cake, but the fact that Henry Parker was off the earth was a big enough payment in
itself.

‘You sure you’re all right, pet?’ Molly looked Helen in the eye, she couldn’t quite believe that she was taking her husband going missing so well.

‘I’m fine, it’d suit me if the bugger never came back.’ Helen smiled, she looked more relaxed than she’d ever done in all the time Molly had known her. She’d
washed her hair, changed her clothes and even spent time on the children’s appearance.

‘Now, Mrs Parker, I’m sure you don’t mean that.’ Both women turned, nearly jumping out of their skins at the voice coming from the other side of the room. ‘Mrs
Mason? I was told that I’d find you here.’ The constable looked at both women, thinking that a woman scorned could be a whole lot of trouble.

‘Yes, I’m Mrs Mason.’ Molly sniffed and gathered her shawl around her. She wasn’t going to be intimidated by the little man who had been sniffing around the camp for
days.

‘I’ve been talking to Mrs Thistlethwaite and she told me that while you were bandaging Mrs Parker’s ribs she heard you say that you would like to kill Henry Parker. I’d
like you to accompany me down to the cells at Ingleton. I believe you could have something to do with the disappearance of Henry Parker. If you’d accompany me and this officer I’ve a
cart waiting outside.’

‘Bugger off. It’s nothing to do with me, anyone will tell you that. That stupid bitch will say anything she can think of to get at me!’ Molly yelled at the constable and pulled
her arm out of the grip of the officer who had appeared from the shadows.

‘Now, Mrs Mason, this is only going to make things worse. You were heard saying you’d like to kill him. Come quietly or it’ll be the worse for you.’ The constable urged
the young officer to tighten his grip as Molly was pulled kicking and screaming across the stone floor of the inn and dragged into a waiting cart with the officer cuffing her hands.

‘Help me, Helen! Tell them I wouldn’t do anything like that, tell them it’s that lying bitch of a doctor’s wife.’

Helen pulled on the constable’s arm. ‘She’s not done owt. She could never do a thing like that. Let her go!’

The constable pushed her aside, climbing in beside the young officer and the screaming redhead.

‘Get John! Tell him what they’ve done and look after Lizzie for me.’ Molly’s voice trailed off as the horse was whipped into action and she was forced to be quiet.

A crowd had gathered, wondering what the commotion was and why the constable had arrived with an extra pair of hands. A rumble of discontent went throughout the crowd. They all knew Molly
wasn’t responsible for Henry’s disappearance. She might be mouthy but she’d never kill anyone.

Helen climbed the horse-mounting steps next to the Welcome Inn’s door and shouted at the group. ‘Go on then, one of you run and get John from up at Jerusalem. I’m off to sort
that bloody doctor’s wife out, she’s the one who’s accused her. Jenny, you look after the kids and tell young Lizzie what’s happened to her mother.’ She looked down at
her serving lass, Jenny. ‘Tell her not to fret, her mother’s done nothing and we’ll get her home before nightfall.’

A young lad shouted, ‘I’ll get John, I know where he’s at.’ And he flew off like the Devil was on his heels.

Helen stormed through the crowd, which opened like the parting of the Red Sea. Molly had been good to her and she wasn’t going to stand for her being accused of Henry’s murder when
she’d nothing to do with it. She marched all the way to the hospital and up the steps, then barged through the door. Gladys Thistlethwaite was with her husband at the far end of the ward,
discussing a patient’s notes.

Helen marched down to where they stood and said it as it was:

‘The woman that’s stood by me through all my troubles has just been taken down to the cells in Ingleton because of you.’ She pointed an accusing finger at Gladys.
‘Molly’s done nowt and you know it.’

‘I beg your pardon, Helen, what do you mean by this intrusion?’ Doctor Thistlethwaite laid his glasses down and looked at the furious woman.

‘Ask her, she knows. Your wife has accused Molly of killing my Henry. She told the police what she said when she was bandaging my ribs, and now they’ve taken her off to the cells.
You lying bitch!’

‘I don’t know what you are talking about,’ said Gladys primly. ‘Besides, for all we know, she could have killed him.’ She was blushing from head to toe. It was
humiliating being spoken to in this manner by a lowly barmaid.

‘Mrs Parker, if you could leave us for a minute, please. I want a quiet word with my wife.’ Doctor Thistlethwaite, sensing that Gladys knew more than she was prepared to say in
Helen’s presence, ushered her to the hospital doorway where a crowd had started to gather.

Helen went with him, protesting all the way. When the door was closed behind her she joined the rest of the crowd eavesdropping in the doorway, while others tried to listen under the
windows.

Doctor Thistlethwaite pulled up his sleeves and glared at his wife. ‘Gladys, tell me you didn’t! You know Molly wouldn’t do a thing like that – she has a heart of gold.
She may be have a fiery tongue but she’s too soft to hurt anyone.’

Helen and the others pressed their ears closer to the door, straining to hear the response.

‘All right, I did. And I’m glad I did – I wanted rid of her. She’s always flirting around you and you’re always praising her. You never look at me the way you do
that brazen slut.’ Gladys flashed her eyes and looked as if she was about to stamp her foot like a child in a tantrum.

‘Then you must go straight to Ingleton and tell the constable that you said what you did out of jealousy. You know damn well she hasn’t killed Henry Parker. And damn and blast,
woman, I married you, not her! Although at this moment in time I don’t for the life of me know why.’

The door opened suddenly, taking the rowing couple by surprise. ‘She can come with me in the trap. I’ll take her to Ingleton, and I’ll also tell that jumped-up constable that I
was with Molly all night on Friday.’ John marched down the hospital aisle. ‘You always have been a jealous bitch! Did you not know that Molly turned this man down long before you
married him? She needs a proper fella like me, not a man lost in books and flowers. What good’s one of them on a cold night.’ John grabbed Gladys’s arm and marched her out through
the cheering crowd. ‘Sorry, Doc,’ he called over his shoulder, ‘but it was time she knew she was second best. Happen it’ll learn her a bit of humility.’ He patted her
skirted bottom sarcastically as he pushed her on to his horse and trap. Tears were streaming down her blushing face as she held on for dear life to the buck-board.

Lizzie ran up to the trap as it went past the Welcome’s door.

‘Fetch my mam back, John! She didn’t do it, I know she didn’t do it.’ She couldn’t keep up with the trotting horse.

‘She’ll be back before dark, Liz. You mind yourself, we’ll get this straight. Don’t you worry, pet.’ John whipped the horse and the dust flew up from the road
beneath its galloping hooves.

Helen Parker had remained outside the hospital along with the rest of the crowd that had gathered. All of them were angry about Molly being arrested. Nurse Gladys had never
tried to fit in, always acting as if she was too good for them, but this time she had gone too far. The doctor came and stood in the doorway, looking in the direction John’s cart had gone and
anxiously running his fingers through his hair. When a group of men started to make their way up the steps, he hurriedly closed the door, trying to bar them from the hospital.

‘Shutting the door won’t close us out, Doc. It’s time that wife of yours learned to shut her mouth.’ Ted, the ringleader, opened the door and bellowed down the hospital
to the table where the doctor was burying his head in his papers. ‘You sort her out, else we will – won’t we, lads?’ A cheer went up outside. ‘She needs reminding that
she’s no better than any of us. Here at Batty Green, all us misfits have to rub along to survive.’ Ted slammed his hand on the doctor’s table and glared at the quivering doctor.
‘Understand?’

Doctor Thistlethwaite nodded his head and whispered, ‘I understand. I’ll talk to her.’

‘Right then, now you know where we stand, that’s grand. Isn’t it, men?’ Ted raised his arm and the men behind him shouted ‘Aye’ in agreement. ‘Nothing
more to be said then, long as she’s taken in hand.’

Ted and his gang lumbered out of the hospital leaving the shaken doctor mopping his brow. For a while there he’d been convinced he would end up a patient in his own hospital. It
wasn’t an experience he would care to repeat.

‘You know I could charge you for wasting police time.’ The constable glowered at Gladys Thistlethwaite as he unlocked the cell door.

Gladys hung her head and didn’t say anything.

Molly pushed the door open and rubbed her wrists where the handcuffs had been. ‘Bitch!’ She pushed past Gladys and walked out to the trap, not even acknowledging the constable.

‘I’d moderate your language in future and think what you’re saying,’ the constable warned Molly.

‘Aye, and I wouldn’t listen to idle gossip and jealous wives.’ Molly smiled sweetly at the officer, getting in the last word as John flicked the reins and they set off for
home.

John grinned at his quiet Molly next to him.

‘Well, we got you out of there. At least Gladys came clean!’

‘Aye, but you told that constable you’d stopped with me all night. There was no need for that.’ Molly was annoyed.

‘What are you complaining about? Did you want them thinking you spent all night with the doctor and that’s why his wife was jealous? That middle-class shrimp would never be enough
for you! I gave that plod something to gossip about.’ John grinned, watching Molly’s face wrinkle as she tried to work out whether it was an insult she’d just been given or a
compliment.

‘But the truth is, John Pratt, you were on top of Blea Moor with a load of fellas that night, not with me.’ Molly turned and looked at him.

‘Now don’t start. I needed to go and get my mind settled, what with my mother and father dying. Then there was her confession and our Bob . . . my head’s all over the spot
– no brass and no prospects. Why the hell should you want me?’ John blushed and played with the reins of the horse, overwhelmed by his feelings for this woman.

Molly placed her hand on the side of his face and pulled it around so that he was looking at her. ‘I love you, John Pratt. How many times do I have to tell you. Let’s forget about
our families – they’re gone now, we can’t bring them back. We need to live for us and Lizzie.’ She kissed him on the lips. ‘Come and join Lizzie and me. We
needn’t do it legal and get married. Reputation be damned, mine’s already shot to hell anyway!’ Molly suddenly wanted to throw caution to the winds and be irresponsible.
She’d put up with the gossip if it meant catching her fella.

John didn’t say a word but he held Molly tightly and kissed her with passion. He did love her, he loved every inch of her, every word she spoke, every smile that crossed her lips. Damn the
woman! She was right: the past didn’t matter, it was the future that counted. Money or no money, something would turn up. He held her with both arms and the horse neighed as he dropped the
reins, sending the trap jolting forward.

‘Put her down, you know where she’s been!’ a gang of workmen shouted at the passionate couple embracing, totally lost in one another.

‘Aye, I know where she’s been and I know where we’re going. And what’s more, I don’t care if the world knows about it!’ John shouted back at the gang.

As the men roared their approval, John grinned and turned back for another kiss.

Molly responded with passion. She’d got her man and she was suddenly happy with life.

When they came up for air, John grasped Molly’s hand. ‘If we’re going to do this, we do it right. I’ll not have anyone calling you common, so Molly Mason, like I’ve
asked you before, will you marry me? I know it’s not right romantic, but the time’s right. And bugger me, I’m not being put off again.’ John squeezed her hand and pressed it
hard against his heart. Pleading to hear the right answer.

Molly’s eyes filled with tears. ‘You’re not just saying it? You mean it?’

‘I should have kept on asking you and not been put off. For God’s sake, Moll, please say yes . . .’ John held her hands tightly as the horse stepped a pace or two forward and
he had to shout a command to halt the inpatient animal.

‘Then the answer’s yes. Yes, I will marry you, John Pratt! And I promise to always love you and you alone.’ Molly kissed him and smiled, her heart beating as if a trapped
butterfly was in her chest. She was to be married! She who was down and out and nearly in the gutter over a year ago.

The dusk was falling as she watched John drive away, the arches of the viaduct just visible as he made his way up the fellside to Blea Moor. They’d agreed to take it slow
towards their wedding day. Another few weeks and John would have finished work at the tunnel and then they would get married and John would move in. Lizzie had been over the moon with happiness
when they broke the news, nearly strangling John as she hugged him tight to welcome him as her mother’s new husband-to-be.