Andrew Worthington was not a strong believer, but he imagined that some divine hand had entered the arena. The trigger would not budge, though every ounce of Worthington’s energy was focused on the effort. His arms throbbed and ached. A fist was closing itself around his heart, filling his inner core with a pain that defied description. ‘He’s having a heart attack,’ someone said. Someone? Prudence. Yes, Prudence had delivered that particular verdict.
The gun dropped to the floor with a thud, its arrival on polished wood preceding its owner’s head by a mere split second.
‘His temper killed him at last,’ somebody said. Prudence again. Yes, yes, he knew that voice. The taking in of air was now impossible. Although no longer breathing, he still heard, still knew where he was. He was in Paradise. Though his body had ceased to work, a fury coursed through him and rattled his heart until it fluttered into silence. For a few sweet moments, the agony left him, then he drifted away into a final, painless sleep.
A lone figure made its way along Crompton Way, head lowered in contemplation, black-gloved hands joined together beneath the waist of a princess-line coat of dark grey.
‘She’s coming,’ said the old woman at the window. ‘Stick that kettle on, Gert. She’ll be fair clemmed after what she’s been through, poor lass.’
Lottie jumped up from the sofa and joined her mother-in-law. ‘She shouldn’t have gone, Ivy. We shouldn’t have let her go, not on her own.’
Ivy’s head nodded with an ague brought on by advancing years. ‘Have you ever tried stopping her when her mind’s made up?’
The younger woman managed a rueful grin. ‘She’s took after you,’ she declared without malice. ‘Stubborn as a mule. Still, I should have gone with her.’
Outside, Sally Crumpsall lifted her gaze, saw her mother and grandmother looking for her. They hadn’t wanted her to go, of course. But going had been important. At the funeral, there had been just a handful of people – a lawyer, Victor Worthington, the undertaker’s men. Even the dead man’s daughter-in-law had stayed away. Sally waved at Gran, opened the gate, turned into the garden and walked up the path. Next week, Sally would be in Hampshire with her mother. The two of them would need to get to know one another all over again.
The door opened. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes, Mother.’
Lottie sniffed. ‘Funny, being called Mother. Funny in a nice way,’ she added hastily.
Sally removed the gloves, stuffed them into pockets, took off her coat and hung it on the stand. ‘It was like the end of a book,’ she told Lottie. ‘I had to read all the way through. Anyway, it’s over now.’ There had been no proper service, because Andrew Worthington had demonstrated few good points on which the vicar might have eulogized.
‘Were the papers there?’ asked Lottie anxiously.
Sally nodded.
‘Did they take your photo?’
‘I suppose so.’
Lottie sighed deeply. ‘Will there ever be an end to it?’
‘Of course,’ replied her daughter. ‘You see, we all know who we are now. We all know where we belong.’
Lottie wondered anew about Sally’s calmness. ‘He weren’t your dad, love. He didn’t count, ’cos it were my fault and—’
‘Stop it,’ said Sally quietly. ‘None of that matters any more, not really. We’ve got one another and Auntie Gert and Granny Ivy. I went to the funeral because it was part of the story. But for him, it was the last chapter. We have a new page now.’ They walked into the sitting room and sat on the sofa.
‘Cold day for it,’ remarked Ivy by way of greeting. ‘Went off all right, did it?’
Sally nodded.
Ivy Crumpsall turned her head and looked out into a leaden sky. She had outlived him. A smile lingered at the corner of her lips, and she ironed it out quickly. Whatever the circumstances, nobody should feel glad about another person’s death. ‘You growing that tea, Gert?’ she shouted.
‘I’m cutting parkin,’ came the response from the kitchen.
Ivy lifted her head into a steadier position and looked at the daughter-in-law she had once hated. Lottie had been so brave, had quietly laid her life on the line to save Prudence Spencer. By the time Worthington had finally dropped, Lottie had been well within his sights. ‘Sally got some of her guts from you and all,’ the old woman said. ‘Go and help Gert with that cake, Sal. Me stomach thinks me throat’s cut.’
Alone, the two women sat in silence for a while, then Ivy cleared her throat. ‘Funny, isn’t it?’
‘What?’ asked Lottie.
‘The way he died. Where he died.’
Lottie shrugged. ‘I suppose so.’
‘Think about it,’ said Ivy softly. ‘Straight from Paradise to hell.’
Lottie opened her mouth to make comment, found nothing to say.
‘Whereas my Derek went the other road – from hell to paradise.’
Sally came in with the tray, Gert hot on her heels with a plate of Ivy’s favourite cake. ‘Here you are, Gran.’ The young girl handed a cup to Ivy, watched while the old woman’s hands trembled. She’d been so certain, had Granny Ivy. Like a rock, she had always been there. ‘I’ve stirred it,’ said Sally.
‘I can still fettle, you know,’ snapped Ivy. Then, in a gentler tone she asked, ‘Will I still do as your granny, love?’
Sally bent and kissed a withered cheek. ‘You’re my dad’s mum, aren’t you? So I’m stuck with you whatever I think.’
Ivy wiped away a rheumy tear before sinking her teeth into a piece of cake. ‘That’s a fair parkin, Gert Simpson,’ she announced through a mouthful. ‘Given time, you might even get it right.’
While the elders continued their banter, Sally went into the kitchen, looked through the window and saw the sharp winter sun piercing a cloud. She smiled at the ray of light. ‘Thanks,’ she said to Derek Crumpsall. ‘Thanks for being my dad.’
Ruth Hamilton was born in Bolton and has spent most of her life in Lancashire. Her novels,
A Whisper to the Living
,
With Love From Ma Maguire
,
Nest of Sorrows
,
Billy London’s Girls
,
Spinning Jenny
,
The September Starlings
,
A Crooked Mile
,
Paradise Lane
,
The Bells of Scotland Road
,
The Dream Sellers
,
The Corner House
,
Miss Honoria West
and
Mulligan’s Yard
, are all published by Corgi Books and she is a national bestseller. She has written a six-part television series and over forty children’s programmes for independent television. Ruth Hamilton now lives in Liverpool with her family.
For more information on Ruth Hamilton and her books, see her website at:
a whisper to the living
with love from ma maguire
nest of sorrows
billy london’s girls
spinning jenny
the september starlings
a crooked mile
the bells of scotland road
the dream sellers
the corner house
miss honoria west
mulligan’s yard
and published by Corgi Books
TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS
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PARADISE LANE
A CORGI BOOK : 9780552141413
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781446487303
Originally published in Great Britain by Bantam Press, a division of Transworld Publishers
Printing History
Bantam Press edition published 1996
Corgi edition published 1996
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Copyright © Ruth Hamilton 1996
The right of Ruth Hamilton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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