Flowers on the Mersey (28 page)

When he was out of sight she staggered inside and sat down on the sofa. She tried to think what to do but could not. Then she smelt burning. She got to her feet and took the frying pan from the fire. She threw the burnt oats on to the peats, watching them blacken even further. Hell’s fire. She had thought it terrible when she believed Daniel dead but now she experienced a different kind of loss. Often she had marvelled that he had loved her, but had believed in that love. Now he might not love her any more. She could not bear the thought. She had to speak to him. And without stopping to think any more, she opened the door and went after him.

Daniel was striding along the river bank with visions of violence in his mind. He had wanted to hit Rebekah, that was why he had to get out. His
white-hot
anger had abated somewhat and he was no longer dwelling on her deception but on a childhood memory of his father knocking his mother to the floor, and of her whimpering when her belly was big with Shaun. His brothers had been out and he had put his arms round his father’s leg and hung on to prevent him from kicking his mother again. He shuddered even now at the scene. His father had fallen over, and his mother had lumbered to her feet, and grabbing Daniel’s hand had fled with him to Old Mary’s house.

As he thought of Old Mary, he remembered the day he had walked with Rebekah to the bay. The attraction between them had been strong even then.
Holy Mary, why had he had to love her? He paused and gazed down into the water. It was where he normally fished and they had bathed here once or twice. He remembered the marks on Rebekah’s back and shoulder and there was a tightness in his chest. A Cat o’ Nine Tails! It was a bad moment as he struggled with his emotions. He was about to turn round when he saw his brother running towards him.

‘Troopers,’ panted Shaun. ‘I told you they were after me and when they realise who you are, they’ll be after you too. Although with that beard—’He paused, bending over and resting his hands on his knees, getting his breath back.

‘Is this another one of your tricks?’ snapped Daniel. ‘Because I’m in the mood to biff you one.’

‘Don’t be like that, Danny,’ he protested. ‘We’ve got to get away from here, and quick. You can drive. You can get us out of here.’

‘I can what? You’re joking if you think I’m going to get involved in anything to do with you! I wouldn’t put it past you to be making all this up.’

Shaun laughed. ‘I’m not! Why would I do that? I’m telling you, Danny, they’ll be up here soon and we’ve got to get away.’

‘We’ve got to get away!’ Daniel’s eyes narrowed. ‘What about your friends in the village? I bet they’ve put you up to this to get me back.’

Shaun protested, but Daniel did not believe him.
‘Go and put your head in a pot and boil it!’ He pushed his brother out of the way and began to walk back to the house.

Shaun followed him. ‘Were those rings really her mother’s?’

‘You heard what she said.’

‘Why wasn’t she wearing them?’

‘Would you wear a ring like that fancy one to do chores?’

‘She could have worn the wedding ring. I bet she’s been deceiving you.’

Daniel turned and his expression was bleak. ‘Don’t talk to me about deception. You told me she was dead! Green told us both that the other was dead! Now get out of my sight before I forget that I once cared that you’d been born alive.’ Shaun stopped in his tracks and Daniel walked away.

He saw Rebekah half a mile further up the river, running towards him, and when she would have flung herself at him he held her off. He gazed into the drawn face that was blotchy with tears.

‘You were coming back to me?’ she stammered.

‘How should I know? You’ve got me that way I don’t know where I am. Let’s go before Shaun catches up with us.’

‘He’s still around?’

Daniel nodded and hurried her along, making her run to keep up with him.

‘What are you going to do?’ she asked.

He stared at her unhappy expression and dropped her hand. ‘You want me to make you feel better by saying I forgive you?’ he said in a seething voice. ‘Straight away! Just like that!’ He snapped his fingers.

‘I don’t suppose you’ll ever forgive me. You hate Joshua too much for that.’ Her voice trembled. ‘But I thought you loved me enough to stay with me. After all, I left him to find you and it wasn’t easy for me to come to Ireland alone. I was scared, not only of the fighting, but of what I might find out when I met you again.’

‘And what did you find out?’ he muttered, looking away from her towards the house.

‘That I still loved you,’ she cried. ‘But I soon realised that I’d been living in a fool’s paradise thinking that you would understand why I had married Joshua, so I decided not to tell you. I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

He looked at her. ‘I’ll never understand women. You really thought we could carry on without my ever finding out the truth?’

‘I didn’t want to think,’ she said. ‘It seemed simpler just living from day to day and pretending Joshua didn’t exist. We were happy.’

‘Happy? Living in a fool’s paradise?’ He shook his head and stared down at the ground.

‘What are we going to do?’

He looked up. ‘Bloody hell, Rebekah, why keep
asking me that? I bloody don’t know,’ he said savagely. ‘Perhaps we should just to go bed and pretend – that – none of this – has happened?’ He did not know why he said it.

‘Bed?’ She stared at him, her eyes twin pools of shock.

Suddenly he wanted to hurt her. ‘Do you think it’ll be different? Perhaps it will now I know I’m having it with a married woman.’

She flushed. ‘You make it sound more sinful.’

‘It is more sinful.’

‘How can you say that?’

‘I just open my mouth—’

‘Daniel, don’t be cruel.’

‘Cruel! Me?’ His voice was harsh. ‘The way you went on about Lily, and all the time you were married to bloody Green!’

‘I know,’ she said miserably. ‘If you want to know, I was thoroughly ashamed of myself for going on about Lily.’

‘You should be.’

‘Daniel, I do love you!’

‘So you say. You’ll have to prove it.’

‘I thought I had by leaving Joshua.’ She tilted her chin. ‘I’ve given up a lot for you, you know. Perhaps you should think about that.’

For a moment he said nothing, then with some satisfaction he said, ‘Green would be bloody mad if he knew we were together. I wonder what he’d
say if he found out?’ He took hold of her wrist and hurried her into the house. For once he bolted the door before running her up the stairs.

Daniel no longer wanted to strike her but was in no mood to be nice to her. It seemed to him that she had not grieved long for him, but perhaps he would not have minded so much if it had been anyone else but Joshua Green. Then again, he could be kidding himself because he loved and did not want anyone else to have her. He could hazard a guess to how much she had suffered at Joshua’s hands and it did occur to him that she had paid for her mistakes. Even so the pain she had inflicted went deep. He wanted to be rough with her but surprisingly she did not seem to mind that and somewhere along the way desire took over and their passion for each other seemed greater than before. He wondered if she believed that this could be the last time they would make love.

‘Would you really have gone through with marrying me?’ he panted.

‘Yes,’ she gasped. ‘I didn’t want to hurt you.’

‘Good God!’ He was shocked, but incredibly he was flattered at the same time. ‘You’re more ruthless than I thought.’

‘I love you,’ she whispered before he kissed her once more.

Afterwards, Rebekah fell into an exhausted sleep and Daniel lay watching her, considering what to
do. He was still thinking when he heard someone trying the front door. He got up and looked out of the window. As he did so, Shaun called in a loud whisper, ‘Danny, open up! You’ve got to let me in!’

He opened the window. ‘I don’t want you in here. Go away!’

‘Danny, for God’s sake!’ called Shaun in desperate tones.

Not wanting Rebekah wakened, he turned from the window and crept downstairs.

His brother almost fell over the step in his haste to get inside. He had a gun in his hand. ‘Danny, they’re here! The troopers! They’re just up the lane! We’ll have to fight it out, but we’ve got a chance in here.’

Daniel stared at him. ‘I could kill you!’ His voice was harsh. ‘Why do you always have to come and muck up my life? D’you think I’d risk a fight in here?’

‘I wouldn’t have thought you’d have cared where we fought.’ Shaun licked his lips. ‘You’re not worrying about her after the way she deceived you, now?’

Daniel said nothing, only shutting the door and going to look out of the window. ‘If they get us, they’ll get her,’ he murmured. ‘They mightn’t believe she’s not in on it. Where about are they? Near the gate or what?’

‘Not that close.’ Shaun’s eyes shifted away from his brother’s. ‘Why?’

‘Because I want to get them away from here.’ He moved swiftly over to Rebekah’s bag on the floor and took something from it. ‘Come on,’ he said to his brother.

‘What are you going to do?’ stammered Shaun.

‘You’ll find out.’ He opened the door and pushed his brother in front of him. ‘Give me the gun and over to the car!’

Shaun stared at him and slowly a smile crossed his face. ‘You’re gonna run the sods down!’

‘Not if I can help it. You’ll have to turn the starting handle.’ Daniel loped across the ground and through the gateway. He glanced up the lane which curved a few hundred yards down. The men could be just round the bend.

He got in and flung the handle to Shaun, who hurriedly inserted it. The engine coughed into life as Daniel, ears straining, tossed the gun inside. Shaun jumped in, slammed the door and picked up the gun on the seat. He pulled another from his belt, only to be flung back against the seat as the car started up the lane.

Rebekah woke, recalling instantaneously the traumas of the day. She reached out for Daniel but he was not there. A twinge of anxiety made itself felt as she clambered out of bed and dressed. There was no one
downstairs and the fire was almost out. How long had she slept? Her stomach rumbled. She had not eaten all day and neither had Daniel. Where was he? Would he have gone fishing? The rod was in the cupboard. A walk?

Opening the door Rebekah went outside. It was quiet except for the sound of birds. She hurried towards the river and walked further than she had ever done until bushes and undergrowth made it impossible to go any further. Her anxiety grew and she felt light-headed with hunger. Had Daniel gone to the village? Retracing her steps she made for the gate and suddenly realised that the car was missing.

For a moment Rebekah just stared at the vacant spot, hardly able to take in the evidence of her eyes. Then she thought of Shaun but remembered he could not drive. Daniel could. Perhaps he had taken his brother to the nearest town? She gnawed at her lip. When? What time? How long would it have taken if he had done so not knowing the roads?

Rebekah meandered along the lane as far as the bend but there was no sign of anyone. She went back to the house and found the fire out. She did not have the heart to attempt to light it again and made do with a slice of bread and jam and a drink of ginger beer. There was a sock to darn so she set to doing that. She checked for Daniel’s spare clothing upstairs. It was still there.

She went outside and wandered up the lane again. Her fear was growing. Perhaps he had decided to leave her? Had been so disgusted with her deceit that he had not been able to stand the sight of her any longer. ‘Don’t be stupid!’ She said the words aloud but it did not make her feel any better. She went back to the house. She would light the fire before it became dark because Daniel would want something warm to eat.

It should have been an easy task because she had watched him get the fire going often enough, but it would not light. She could have cried with frustration as the peat smouldered but did not ignore properly. She longed for Daniel to come back but a voice inside her kept saying, ‘He’s not coming back.’

Again she went outside to the gate. Nothing! It was getting dark and even the birds were silent. Her loneliness was complete. She went back to the house, lay on the couch and pulled a coat over her. It was only just before dawn that she slept.

It was a horse whinnying that roused Rebekah and she sprang up, only to sit down again because everything spun round her. There was a knock on the door but before she could get up, or ask who it was, the door opened.

Joshua, wearing breeches and a tweed jacket, tossed a riding crop down and leant on the table. ‘My dear Rebekah, I’m glad to say that you look bloody awful! It serves you right for making me
chase after you to this devilish place. You can get your things together. You’re coming home.’

‘How did you know where to find me?’ Rebekah’s voice was barely above a whisper.

‘It wasn’t easy.’ He picked up the crop again and toyed with it. ‘A gentleman doesn’t expect his new bride to be missing when he returns home after weeks away. The house was empty. There was no Janet. I visited your aunt and she said that you were in London but did not know where. I went to see Edwina and she said the same.’ He whacked the table with the crop and his voice rose. ‘It was very embarrassing not knowing where my wife had gone!’ His eyes glinted. ‘I waited a week and still there was no word. Edwina called to see if you were home.’ He hit the table again. ‘She suggested that you might have gone to Ireland. Something about Florence Nightingale and the Red Cross. I remembered how you’d wanted to come here. What were you thinking of? Where you looking for ghosts? O’Neill’s perhaps?’

Rebekah’s fear was now so great that it took her a full minute to answer. ‘Don’t be silly. I just had a yen to see the place again,’ she stammered, rising to her feet. ‘I knew that you were much too busy to bring me so I came alone.’ She crossed her fingers behind her back.

‘I see.’ He touched her chin with the crop. ‘It was naughty of you. Anything could have happened. It’s
a dangerous country and that’s why I didn’t bring you in the spring.’

‘As you can see I’m perfectly all right.’ She pushed the crop away but he immediately touched her face with it again.

‘Joshua, please!’ She moved out of his reach but he followed her.

‘No welcoming kiss for your husband, my precious?’ His pale blue eyes rebuked her. ‘I would have thought that after six weeks apart you would have missed me. I’ve missed you.’ He had forced her into a corner and now reached for her. She would have ducked beneath his arm but he was too quick. He attempted to kiss her but she averted her face and his lips touched her cheek instead. He shook her. ‘What’s changed you, Rebekah?’ His tone had altered, was sharp instead of velvety. ‘I’d started to believe that we could rub along quite nicely.’