She straightened her shoulders, desperation and determination in her stance. Another train disgorged its passengers, and as they streamed from the station she saw a tide of faces. Hand held out, she once again proffered her leaflets.
It was dark before Emma gave up, uncaring that she was soaked to the skin and almost dead on her feet as she trudged home.
The house felt empty, desolate, as she walked inside, the plush décor meaning nothing to her now. She was alone. They had all gone, but it didn’t matter. The only one she cared about was her daughter.
With hair dripping onto the thick red carpet and wet tendrils clinging to her face, she wearily climbed the stairs to her bedroom, peeling off wet clothes before throwing on her pink, quilted dressing gown. Tears now rolling down her cheeks, Emma flung herself onto the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. It had been over three months and she feared the police had given up, but she wouldn’t. She would die first and, if anything, death would be welcome.
Why had she had let money become an obsession? It had begun in her childhood–and her iron will had grown from her desperation to lead a different life from the one her mother had suffered. But there was more to it than that. It was men! Her need to make them pay–her need for revenge.
And they
had
paid, and she
had
made her fortune, but at what cost?
Oh, my baby! My baby!
The money was meaningless now. She’d burned it all, given up every last penny, but still they
hadn’t found her daughter. What more do you want from me? her mind cried, eyes heavenward. She sobbed, unable to stand the fears that plagued her. She forced her thoughts in another direction. To the past, and to where it had all begun.
Emma was drifting, reliving it all when she heard a loud banging on the street door. She opened her eyes, but the room was in darkness and, having no idea of the time, she tiredly climbed out of bed. She swayed, her body so weak now that it was an effort to walk downstairs.
Her hand reached out to switch on the hall light, and then she pulled open the door. No! No, it couldn’t be! Her arms reached out, tears spurting, and then her legs finally gave way.
‘Mummy! Mummy!’
She was dreaming–she had to be–but as Tinker flung herself down and across her body, with a sob Emma held her. ‘Oh my baby! My baby!’
‘Come on, you two,’ Terry urged, but Emma couldn’t let go. She was holding Tinker! It was real!
Terry leaned down, pulling Tinker to her feet,
and then helped Emma up. ‘Oh, Terry, you found her! I…I don’t know how to thank you. Where? How?’
‘It’s a long story, Em, but it’s after midnight and I think it can wait until the morning. The nipper’s had a long journey and is almost dead on her feet.’
As Emma gazed at this man, the man who had found her child, her heart overflowed with love. She flung her arms around his neck.
For a moment he held her, but then both pulled apart as Tinker forced her way between them. ‘I’m hungry, Mummy.’
Emma spluttered, then she laughed. For the first time in over three months she laughed, clutching her daughter to her with joy.
Terry stood watching them and Emma saw that he looked exhausted. She sobered, feeling
a frisson
of fear. Was Tinker all right? Had she been…been touched?
As though sensing her thoughts Terry said softly, ‘Don’t worry. She’s fine.’
Emma’s mind filled with questions, but she knew as Tinker pulled on her arm that they’d have to wait. They went to the kitchen, where Emma quickly poured a glass of milk for Tinker before making her a sandwich.
‘What about you, Terry? Are you hungry too?’
‘No, I’m all right. I’d best be off now, but I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘No, don’t go,’ Tinker cried as she ran to his side, throwing her arms around his waist.
He gently disengaged them. ‘You’ll be fine now and when you’ve had something to eat, you’ll be going to bed. I’ll be here when you wake up in the morning, I promise.’
Emma’s heart was singing. She had her daughter back and it still felt like a wonderful dream. She wanted to hold her again, to never let her go. ‘Terry’s right, darling, and I expect Auntie Doris will be waiting to hear the news. Now come and eat your sandwich.’
Terry gave Tinker another swift hug. ‘’Bye for now.’
Emma’s face was ablaze with joy as she looked at Terry. ‘Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.’
‘Yeah, well,’ he said brusquely, ‘maybe you’ll eat something now. ’Night, Tinker, I’ll see you in the morning.’ Then, with a wave, he was gone.
Yes, Emma thought, it was true, she was ravenous, but only managed to eat half a sandwich, her throat constricted with tears of happiness as she gazed at her daughter.
Tinker’s eyes were drooping and, with an arm around her daughter’s shoulder, Emma led her up to bed in her own room, unable to bear the
thought of letting her out of her sight again. They snuggled closely, Emma wanting to ask questions but holding them back.
Tinker yawned, saying tiredly, ‘I was glad when Terry came to fetch me, Mummy. I like Uncle Luke, but I wanted to come home.’
‘Luke! You were with Luke?’
There was no answer, Tinker had gone to sleep.
Emma hardly slept, tossing and turning. She was burning up with anger, unable to believe that Luke had taken Tinker. Her brother had put her through months of agony. Why had he done it? Why?
True to his word, Terry was at the door first thing in the morning. As Emma let him in she held a finger to her lips. ‘Tinker’s still asleep.’
They walked through to the kitchen, the questions that had raged in Emma’s mind half the night immediately springing to her lips. ‘Tinker said she was with Luke. How did you find her? Where were they?’
Terry heaved a sigh. ‘It was just a long shot, that’s all, and to be honest, I couldn’t believe my luck when I found her.’ He paused, drew out a chair and sat down. ‘I’d searched everywhere, Em, and had all but given up hope. If you remember, I asked Doris to let me have all the addresses in your book, but Tinker wasn’t at any of them. That left only Luke, but he was a priest, living in Ireland
and until I had tried all the other avenues, I dismissed him.’
‘But why did he take her? It makes no sense. Why did he do it?’
‘Religion can do funny things to people, Em, and sometimes they can become fanatical. Luke thought he was saving Tinker.’
‘Saving her?’
‘We had a long talk, and well, I sort of understand. He spoke about the brothel, of taking Tinker away from sin. He didn’t hurt her, Em, and apart from missing you, she was well cared for.’
‘My God, I’ve been almost going out of my mind with worry, thinking the worst, when all the time she was in Ireland with Luke.’
‘They weren’t in Ireland. It was a wasted journey and when I arrived I found out that Luke left his church a week before Tinker was taken. That aroused my suspicions, but it took me on a right old wild-goose chase to find him. Suffice to say that I had to ask a lot of questions, and there were a lot of people that didn’t want to answer them. It seems your brother was well thought of, so well that I was told he had been left a cottage by one of his flock. It wasn’t easy to get the address, but there’s a certain solicitor in Ireland who ain’t gonna forget me in a hurry.’
‘Oh Terry, will he report you to the police?’
He shrugged, ‘Maybe, but don’t worry about it.
I’m out of the country now and he doesn’t know my name.’
‘And the cottage?’
‘It’s in North Wales, close to Snowdonia and miles away from anywhere. As I said, Luke and I had a good talk and I found out that he’s been watching you on and off for years. He hoped you’d stop running a brothel, but when you carried on he became obsessed with taking Tinker away before she became tainted.’
‘Tainted!’ Emma rubbed her hands over her face. ‘Yes, I can imagine him saying that. He came to see me many years ago, and that was one of the words he used.’
‘I’m not surprised. He’s got a thing about women. He mentioned his stepmother for one. To be honest, though he seems harmless, I don’t think he’s quite right in the head.’
‘Have you told the police?’
‘No, not yet. Look, Em, I know Luke did a terrible thing, but Tinker’s back now, she’s unhurt, and surely that’s all that matters.’
‘I’m not sure I, or the police, will see it that way.’
‘No, I suppose not, but do you really want to prosecute him?’
Emma first instinct was to say yes, but something Luke had told Terry resurfaced in her mind. Luke had mentioned their stepmother, the sins of
women. Had what happened in the past twisted his mind? Had her own refusal to stop running a brothel tipped him over the edge?
‘Mummy! Terry!’
Emma rose to her feet, pulling the child into her arms. She didn’t want to think about Luke now, or the police, all she wanted to do was hold Tinker and never let her go.
‘Well, Tinker, it’s about time you got up,’ Terry said, smiling widely.
‘I keep forgetting, but she prefers to be called Patricia now,’ Emma said.
‘No. Uncle Luke called me Patricia. He said I’m too big for nicknames now, but I want to be called Tinker again.’
Emma refrained from telling her daughter that Luke had originally picked the nickname, saying only, ‘Yes, of course we will. Anyway, I think you’ll always be Tinker to all of us. Now come on, I’m going to cook the three of us a nice big breakfast.’
Tinker ran from her arms, scrambling onto a chair, and Emma found her heart singing again. It felt so strange, yet so normal, but there was one person missing. ‘Terry, where’s Doris? I thought she’d be with you.’
‘I gave her a knock, but we had such a late night and she was dead to the world. No doubt when she wakes up she’ll be round here like a shot.’
‘She must be so proud of you.’
‘Proud of me? Well, I don’t know about that.’
‘You found Tinker and she must be over the moon.’
‘Well, she’s certainly chuffed.’
Emma turned her back, busying herself at the cooker. Oh, she’d been such a fool, but it was too late. She loved Terry, but he had Doris now and there was no way she’d ever come between them.
The rest of the morning was fraught. Emma rang the police, told them that she had her daughter back, and when they came to the house, Terry had to put up with many questions.
She kept Tinker out of the way, trying to keep her daughter amused, but found a subtle change in her. Tinker had been so loving at first, wanting cuddles, kisses, but now she was becoming belligerent. Emma was puzzled by her behaviour but indulgent, and when there was a knock on the door she found Doris there, beaming widely.
‘See, Em, I told you not to give up.’
‘Auntie Doris,’ Tinker cried, throwing her arms around the woman’s waist.
‘Hello, ducks,’ she said, hugging the child to her. ‘Where’s Terry?’ she then asked Emma.
‘The police are still questioning him. Oh, Doris, I’ll never be able to thank him enough for finding Tinker.’
They walked through to the kitchen, Doris laying a hand on Tinker’s shoulder as they crossed the hall. ‘I bet you’re pleased to be home, love.’
Tinker frowned, and as they drew out chairs to sit down she said, ‘Mummy let Uncle Luke take me on holiday.’
‘I did no such thing,’ Emma spluttered.
‘Yes you did.’
Emma’s eyes were wide as they met Doris’s, and it was she who answered.
‘Your uncle took you away without telling Mummy and she’s been worried sick.’
Tinker shook her head. ‘Uncle Luke said the only good woman was Mary, Mother of Jesus. He read the Bible a lot and made me read it too. He said I’ve been a bad girl, and that Mummy said I had to stay with him until he made me better.’
‘Oh, darling, that isn’t true, and of course you aren’t a bad girl,’ Emma protested.
Tinker suddenly flung herself into Emma’s arms, crying for the first time. ‘I…I thought you didn’t love me any more.’
‘Oh, sweetheart, of course I love you. You’re my precious girl and I always will. I’ve missed you so much.’
Dabbing at her eyes, Doris stood up, saying she’d make a drink, whilst Emma held her daughter, rocking her in her arms.
It was the catalyst that Tinker needed, and over the next few days the child appeared normal, untroubled, and unhurt by what had happened.
It was only eight in the morning when Doris called the following week, Tinker still asleep as they sat in the drawing room.
‘Well,’ Doris said tersely, ‘I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I reckon you should see that solicitor. You’re still Horace’s wife and have a right to his money.’
‘No, I don’t want it.’
‘You may not want it, but you should think about Tinker’s future.’
‘I’ve still got this house and I can sell it. It’ll raise enough to buy a smaller place, with money left to tide us over for a while.’
Doris shook her head. ‘I still think you’re mad.’ She paused then before asking, ‘How did Dick take it when he found out it was Luke who took Tinker?’
‘He was shocked–the rest of my family too.’
‘It’s nice that you’re in touch with them again. Now that you’ve got Tinker back I expect you’ll soon see your other sisters, and what about your father?’
Emma was about to answer when there was a knock on the front door. Her eyes widened when she saw who was on the step. It was as though Doris’s question had conjured him up. For a moment she floundered, unsure of how she felt, but then she stood back to let him in.
‘Hello, Dad.’
‘Hello, Emma. I hope you don’t mind my calling uninvited, but one of us had to make the first move.’
Emma led him through to the drawing room, still unsure, still full of bitter memories. Doris immediately rose to her feet and, after Emma had made the introductions, she insisted on leaving, saying she’d call back later.
‘You need to talk in private, love,’ she said as she and Emma parted.
When Emma was alone with her father, she found the atmosphere strained, but then he began to talk.
‘I know I ain’t been much of a father, but it was the war that changed me.’