Family Drama 4 E-Book Bundle. Leah Fleming

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СКАЧАТЬ isn’t what I asked, Derek.’

      His eyes glared, but then he sighed heavily. ‘All right, Pearl said she wasn’t forced.’

      ‘Well, there you are then. If you ask me we’ve all been taken in by Pearl Button and she isn’t the innocent she pretends to be. You should count yourself lucky.’

      ‘Lucky?’

      ‘Yes, lucky. After all, she could have named you as the father and then you’d be raising another man’s child.’

      ‘She’s right, Derek,’ Connie said.

      ‘Leave it out, Gran. She couldn’t have named me. We never …’ His face reddened. ‘Well, you know what I mean.’

      Connie sighed with relief. ‘Thank Gawd for that.’

      ‘As I said, she fooled us all,’ Dolly said bitterly. ‘I think the girl was looking for a meal ticket and thought my Kevin would be a better catch. He soon sussed her out and told her he wasn’t interested.’

      ‘Huh, how come he got her pregnant then?’

      ‘She invited him up to her room, threw herself at him,’ the lies tripped off Dolly’s tongue, ‘and told him she intended to give you the elbow.’

      Derek’s face stretched with shock. ‘Pearl said that?’ He slumped onto a chair, face in his hands for a moment, but then his huge head rose, anger in his eyes. ‘He still shouldn’t have slept with her. It ain’t right.’

      ‘Oh, Derek, you can’t blame Kevin. With Pearl saying she was going to break things off with you, he thought the coast was clear. He’s a man and, all right, maybe a weak one, but now he’s got to face the consequences and marry the girl.’

      ‘Marry her! He’s gonna marry her?’

      ‘She’s carrying his child so he doesn’t have much choice. I came round here to explain the situation and hoped to allay any nastiness between you and Kevin. I would hate you to fall out over Pearl Button.’

      ‘Huh! Well, I still think he deserves a slap.’

      ‘Now what good would that do?’ Connie said, laying a hand on Derek’s shoulder. ‘As Dolly said, the blame lies with Pearl.’

      Derek rose to his feet, his voice strangled. ‘I don’t want to talk about it any more. I’m going upstairs.’

      Connie waited until he was out of sight before speaking to Dolly. ‘Like Derek, I reckon your son deserves a slap or two.’

      ‘How dare you? It’s Pearl who’s to blame, not my son.’

      ‘I’m not as gullible as my Derek and can read between the lines. How come you’ve just accepted that Kevin is the father? I mean, if Pearl is such a tart, it could have been any number of men.’

      Dolly’s face suffused with colour, but her stance was rigid. ‘Just what are you accusing me of?’

      ‘Bending the truth, but don’t worry, I’ll talk Derek round. I don’t want him going down for giving your son a beating, even if Kevin deserves one.’

      Dolly leaned forward, towering over Connie. ‘Good, we understand each other then.’

      ‘Yes, we do, and now I’d like you to leave.’

      ‘Don’t worry, I’m going,’ was Dolly’s parting shot as she sailed out, the street door slamming behind her.

      Connie sat down, gripping the edge of the table, her mind cursing the lot of them – Pearl Button, Dolly Dolby, and her bloody no-good son. Bitter thoughts raged. What a mug she’d been, allowing herself to become fond of Pearl, the girl becoming like a daughter. She’d welcomed her into her home, made her a part of the family, when all the time the bitch was sleeping with Kevin on the side. Derek had been made a monkey of and, God, she’d like to get her hands on Pearl bloody Button.

      Connie looked up as Derek came back into the room, his face looking haggard and drawn. ‘I know you’re hurt, love, but you’ll get over it.’

      ‘No I won’t, Gran. I love Pearl … still love her.’

      ‘Derek, she ain’t the girl we thought she was,’ Connie said bitterly. ‘She’s just a tart.’

      ‘I can’t believe it, Gran. You know Pearl, and at any time did she strike you as a tart? Maybe I should talk to her again, hear her side of the story. She may not want to marry Kevin, and if she doesn’t—’

      ‘No, Derek,’ Connie quickly interrupted, ‘don’t even think about it. She pulled the wool over my eyes and yours, but she’s a slut all right. She was going out with you, but that didn’t stop her from inviting Kevin up to her room and offering him sex. As Dolly said, Pearl thought he was a better catch and set out to trap him. I reckon she was hoping to get pregnant, but kept you on the side just in case her scheme didn’t work. Christ, love, ain’t the fact that she’s carrying another man’s child proof enough?’

      Derek’s eyes darkened. ‘Yeah, you’re right, but I’m off to find Kevin. No matter what Dolly said, he still slept with my girl and he deserves a slap.’

      ‘No!’ Connie cried, jumping to her feet and grasping Derek’s arm. ‘Think before you act. Kevin ain’t to blame. Pearl made a mug of him, just as she did you, and now he’s lumbered with marrying her.’

      Derek’s huge hands clenched into fists, veins bulging on his forehead. ‘All right, I won’t touch Kevin Dolby, but I’m going to the gym. I’ve got to take my anger out on something, so it had better be a punch bag.’

      Connie sagged as the door slammed behind Derek. She’d done it, talked him out of attacking Kevin Dolby, and now she slumped onto the chair again. The room was quiet, with only the ticking of a clock breaking the silence as her thoughts raged. Yes, Dolly had bent the truth in some way, but she was trying to protect her son and it was understandable. Anyway, there was no getting away from the fact that Pearl had used Derek. Tears filled Connie’s eyes. The girl had broken his heart and she dreaded how long it would take him to get over it.

       Chapter Twenty-Four

      It was seven o’clock that evening when Kevin sneaked out of the café. At first he’d balked at the idea of marrying Pearl, but his mother had been relentless – until he reluctantly accepted his fate.

      He knocked on Bessie Penfold’s door, just wanting to get this over with so he could go down the pub and drown his sorrows. The old woman glared at him, but he forced a tight smile. She was another one like his mother, a dominant, mouthy old woman, whom he usually kept well away from.

      ‘Yeah, what do you want?’

      ‘I’d like a word with Pearl.’

      ‘You’d better come in then.’

      Kevin stepped into the shop and through the back, following her upstairs. When they reached the first landing Bessie СКАЧАТЬ