Lonely Girl (18 page)

‘Yes, that sounds like Aunt Molly all right!’

‘Rosie’s life has not been easy under her mother’s iron rule. As far as I’m aware, Molly has never praised or encouraged Rosie in any way. Not when she managed to tie her own shoe-laces at the tender age of three. And not when she won a school prize two years later for her first attempt at writing a letter. What Molly said to her then was deeply hurtful to Rosie.’

Harry was curious. ‘What happened?’

‘As far as I can recall, it was Rosie’s second term at school. Every child in the class got a little certificate for writing a short note to tell what they liked about school. Rosie was so proud of bringing her award home to show her parents. She was devastated, though, when her mother said she had not done anything special and that she had no right to be proud; that pride was wicked and sinful. Then she took pleasure in watching Rosie cry as she tore the certificate into a hundred pieces, in front of her.’ Kathleen shook her head in disgust. ‘According to John, when Rosie came running out to him in the yard she was inconsolable.’

Harry was shocked. ‘How can a mother not love someone as lovely as Rosie? It’s not like Rosie is a difficult and nasty person.’

‘I can’t answer that one either.’ Kathleen herself had always wondered how Molly could be so hateful and wicked to Rosie. ‘Maybe something bad happened in Molly’s own childhood and she has never told anyone about it, even me.’

‘Even if there was, that is still no excuse to treat Rosie the way she does.’

Kathleen nodded. ‘You’re absolutely right. Let’s just hope that somehow, sometime or another, Molly will realise how fortunate she is to have Rosie.’

Harry felt sad for Rosie. ‘Well, at least her father loved her. They had such a special bond, although I’ve noticed Aunt Molly standing in the doorway sometimes, looking daggers when she sees Uncle John and Rosie laughing together at Barney’s comical antics.’ He gave a deep sigh. ‘I’m so afraid for her. I don’t dare to think how she’s going to manage without her father there.’

‘You’re right, son. When Molly told me the shocking news, I wasn’t sure how to deal with it myself. I’m certainly not looking forward to telling Rosie that her daddy won’t be coming home ever again.’

‘Did Aunt Molly tell you what happened exactly?’

‘No. Molly did not go into any detail as such. So I can’t really let Rosie know how her father was killed. All Molly said was that there had been some kind of accident, and that she called an ambulance, but it was too late. Then the police were involved, and that’s why she was giving a statement at the police station.’

‘But, if she was there – and it sounds like she was, seeing that it was her who called the ambulance – don’t you think it strange that she didn’t tell you everything? I mean, where exactly was this accident? And who else, if anyone, was involved? And who was it that called the police? It seems to me that she kept back more than she told you.’

‘Well, obviously she must have been in a state of shock. Or maybe she was just nervous, calling me from the police station.’ In truth, Kathleen had wondered herself why Molly had been so brief and straight to the point. And she never once seemed heartbroken, or conveyed even the slightest regret.

Instead, it was almost as though Molly was making a cold, brief statement … like Harry implied.

‘Although she didn’t ask outright, I understood that Molly wanted me to tell Rosie.’

‘Did she ask after Rosie … where she was, or if she was safe? Did she even ask that Dad might go and bring Rosie back here?’

Harry thought that might have been Molly’s first question on contact. But then, why would Molly care about her daughter now, when she had never cared before?

‘She hardly mentioned Rosie,’ Kathleen admitted, ‘except to say that her father would not be coming home … ever again!’

‘What?’ Harry was shocked. ‘You mean she actually said it like that … in those words?’

‘Yes and, like you, I thought that was most insensitive. I told her I could not tell Rosie in that way. I simply promised Molly that I would make sure Rosie was told about her father, but I would try my very best to be as gentle as possible in the circumstances. And that we would keep her here with us for as long as necessary.’

Something was weighing on her conscience. ‘Harry, do you think I should have asked Patrick to tell her about her father straight away? Did I do wrong to keep it from her even for this long? Only, I thought it might be easier, particularly for Rosie, if there was just the two of us together when she learned the tragic news.’

She took a deep, deep breath. From the minute Molly told her about John she had tortured herself as to how she might break the news to that darling girl, whose world was about to crumble around her.

‘You did what was right,’ Harry assured her. ‘I think you’ll be doing the right and proper thing in telling Rosie with just the two of you there. That way, it will be easier … for both of you.’

Kathleen was greatly relieved. ‘Thank you, Harry, you’ve made me feel a little better. After all, it won’t really change anything in the end, will it? And what can she do about what’s happened? Nothing! But she will be absolutely devastated. Much like the rest of us.’

Closing her eyes, she murmured under her breath, ‘How do I tell a young girl, about to grow into adulthood, that the father she adores has been taken from her? He will never advise her on her first love, or walk her down the aisle with her arm in his, while she looks up at him with shining eyes.’

The tears flowed, and she could not speak. Harry took his stepmother in his arms and held her until she was quiet again. ‘I love you,’ he told her softly, ‘… always. I bless the day Dad found you.’ For a long moment, they sat together, comforting each other, their grief heavy because a good, strong and honest man was gone for ever. And his daughter was on her way to learn that she would never again experience the joy and comfort of being held in her father’s protective, loving arms.

For a time, Harry and his stepmother stayed sitting together, quietly talking and drawing strength from each other, though deeply apprehensive about Rosie’s imminent arrival.

‘I won’t be able to explain the manner of how he died,’ Kathleen fretted. ‘And she’s bound to ask.’

‘So how will you put it to Rosie?’ Harry was nervous.

‘Well, of course I shall be as gentle as possible, but I need to make sure she knows the truth of it, and I must be especially careful not to leave her with any false hopes …’ Her voice broke. ‘That will be the hardest part of all,’ she whispered. ‘No hope! Oh, Harry, that will break her heart … and mine.’

Angry with herself, she wiped away the falling tears. ‘Come on, Kathleen … you can do this!’ she told herself. Her resolve must be strong. For Rosie’s sake.

‘The awful thing is, I cannot give her any information as to how it happened. All I know is that there was an accident in the hay barn, and John was killed. That’s what Molly said … and then she hung up.’

Harry was intrigued. ‘But what was he doing in the hay barn anyway? As far as I know, everything was put away at the end of the day. Uncle John had finished his work as I was leaving. He would have locked the barn and gone home.’

‘So why would he have gone out again, and why would he open the barn?’ Kathleen asked. ‘Do you think he heard noises or something? You know how alert he’s been after those thieves robbed him blind.’

‘Yes, and I also know that there’s a key hidden outside in case of fire. The thing is, only three people know about that key. That’s Uncle John and me, and Aunt Molly. So either Uncle John returned to the barn because he suspected thieves were trying to get in, or the barn was opened by Aunt Molly. But why would she go into the barn after we had all finished and gone home, especially when she hates coming anywhere near the yards, even in the daytime? She thinks the yards and stables are dirty and smelly.’ He shook his head. ‘No, I can’t imagine she would ever have gone in there at night. And why would she, anyway?’

Kathleen shrugged. ‘She told me she didn’t have time to go into any detail. She just said that the police were asking all manner of questions, and that she would be there for some time yet. We just need to look after Rosie. She has to be our priority now.’

Thinking of Rosie, she choked back her tears. ‘Lord only knows what will happen with her. I’m wondering if we might persuade Molly to let Rosie come and stay with us – for a time, at least. But then once Rosie is away from her mother, we could maybe somehow make it more permanent …’

Harry was relieved to think of Rosie away from the farm and all its sad associations for her now, and also away from her mother. ‘Oh, really? Do you honestly think her mother would allow it, though?’

‘Well, I suppose it’s possible that with John not there, maybe she would rather keep Rosie with her than be alone. You never know, she might even grow to love her. Like a mother should.’

‘I doubt that!’ Harry said bluntly. ‘But she might keep her there so she can bully her and work her into the ground, and humiliate her whenever possible. She would – she absolutely would – because Uncle John won’t be there to protect her. And if that happens, who would help Rosie then, eh?’ Harry was so afraid.

‘You do have a point, Harry,’ Kathleen said thoughtfully. ‘She might insist on keeping Rosie at the farm for such reasons. And another thing: what if she’s already planning to sell the farm, lock, stock and barrel? Once she’s got the money, she’ll be away to distant parts, and we’ll probably never hear from her again … which would not bother me or you, I’m sure, but what about Rosie?’

‘Oh, don’t worry, there’ll be no danger of her taking Rosie away from us. I bet all she wants is the money from the sale of the house and farmland, and everything on it.’

‘You’re absolutely right. And I don’t suppose Rosie will ever see a single penny of her inheritance if her mother swans off, roaming the world with money in the bank to pay for it. And once she’s gone we won’t see her again. Whatever happens, we must make sure that Rosie stays here with us until she’s of an age to make her own choices.’

Harry was already looking forward to that particular day.

‘I’m sure you’re right about Aunt Molly’s plans,’ he told Kathleen. ‘She will sell everything down to the last hay bale, and then be away before Rosie even realises.’

He had seen a great deal while working on his Uncle John’s farm. ‘I know she’s never liked the farm,’ he confided. ‘I heard her tell Uncle John that she hated the sight and smell of the place. She wanted it sold so they could move to somewhere in town. She said if he didn’t like that idea she was prepared to settle for a big, fancy house at the seaside, where they could take it easy and enjoy life … have holidays abroad, and see the world. She said it was time they enjoyed a better standard of living, like other people with money to spend.’

Kathleen smiled knowingly. ‘Did she now? And I can imagine what John had to say about that.’

‘Well, first of all, he was shocked, but he didn’t shout or anything like that, because that was not his way. He told her it was his inheritance, and his responsibility to respect his father’s wishes, and his grandfather’s before him, in passing the entire holding and everything on it to the next generation. He told Molly that he had been entrusted with that duty, that he was just a part of the Tanner dynasty, which he had always considered to be an honour and a joy.’

‘Oh, and I bet she took umbrage at that, didn’t she?’ Kathleen tutted. ‘She’s always wanted everything for herself. She was never sharing as a child. She certainly wouldn’t be pleased for the Tanner inheritance to pass her by and go to Rosie. She’d have got angry at that.’

‘She did, yes. Even after Uncle John promised her that if he died before her she need not worry because he had made generous provision for both Molly and Rosie.’

‘Good for him!’ Kathleen was not surprised at John’s strong sense of duty, to both his immediate family, and the Tanners who had gone before. ‘And how did she take that? Not too well, I can imagine.’

‘Well, she went a bit crazy, and started a big argument. Then she stormed off, cursing him to hell and back.’

Harry recalled the occasion vividly. ‘She never knew, but I was cleaning out the stables nearby, and I heard them arguing. After she’d gone, Uncle John called me out and apologised. “I’m sorry about the disturbance,” he said. But I knew he was embarrassed, so I told a fib. I said I was so busy doing my work that I was not aware of any disturbance.’

‘You’re a very thoughtful young man.’ Kathleen was not surprised he’d witnessed her sister’s foul temper and big ambitions. ‘Molly has always been a greedy, spiteful person, even when we were children.’

She fell silent a moment, remembering her childhood, when her older sister had often made her cry, for whatever selfish, cruel reason.

‘Do you really think Aunt Molly will sell the farm?’ Harry asked, jolting her thoughts back to the present.

‘I would not be surprised. I’m pretty certain she would not want Rosie to share any of the money she would surely make from the sale of everything – yards, barns, stables, livestock, pastures and, of course, the machinery, the house and everything in it. Molly would have more money than she might ever need, but you can bet Rosie would not see a penny, either now or when she comes of age.’