Josephine Cox Sunday Times Bestsellers Collection. Josephine Cox

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СКАЧАТЬ It was too late, Barney … all too late.’

      When she paused, choking back the pain of remembering, Barney looked up. He was so ashamed. ‘How are you now, Lucy?’ His voice was merely a whisper, but it came from the heart.

      Looking up with bright eyes and a sorry smile, she told him, ‘I’m coping, Barney. But I’m so worried about you … we all are. What is it? What’s wrong? You have to let me help. You have to let us all help.’

      She could sense that he was weakening, when suddenly the front door was pushed open and in walked a woman, tall and attractive, with wild hair and a ruddy complexion, and the smell of booze about her. ‘You shouldn’t leave your door open of a night-time,’ she quipped. ‘And who might this be, Barney? I know it’s not your wife because you told me she’d be out with the family.’

      ‘Jesus!’ Thrusting Lucy aside he took hold of the woman by the arm. ‘What the hell are you doing here, and drunk into the bargain!’

      She smiled. ‘I remembered you saying your family were going out and that I should come and pay a call on you if ever I was passing. Well, I might not have been passing, but I’m here now, and I’ve brought us some cheer.’ Holding up a bottle of sherry, she taunted him with it. ‘If you don’t want to stay here, we can always go to my place. I’ve got a car outside.’ Staggering sideways, she almost lost her balance. ‘The driver is an old friend of mine …’ she gave a wink ‘… if you know what I mean?’

      About to throw her out into the night, Barney stopped himself. No! This might be his best chance. Just now, Lucy had almost got him to confide in her, and if his unwelcome visitor hadn’t turned up, he might well had said things he regretted. And that would have been a disaster.

      ‘She’s the woman I saw you with in Liverpool.’ Lucy was shocked and angry. ‘Ask her to leave, Barney. She’s tainting Vicky’s lovely home.’

      Enraged, the woman made a grab for her. Barney stepped between them. Turning on Lucy he sounded like a stranger. ‘Good night, Lucy. I don’t want to see you again. You can leave now.’

      Lucy was taken aback. ‘You don’t mean that?’

      He gave a slow, affirmative nod. ‘Thank you for coming here tonight, but I don’t need your help.’

      Lucy could have argued with him, but there would have been no point. Instead she reached up and, placing her hands on his shoulders, she kissed him on the cheek. ‘Think what you’re doing, Barney,’ she pleaded quietly. ‘We all love you so much.’

      For what seemed an age he looked at her, and just for the briefest moment she really believed he was listening. Then he took her by the arm and led her to the door, where he pushed her unceremoniously onto the outer step. One hard, appealing stare, and then he closed the door.

      As she walked down the path, Lucy could hear their laughter. ‘May God forgive you, Barney Davidson,’ she whispered.

      Climbing into the car she sat for a moment, unsure what to do.

      ‘I saw the woman.’ Adam’s voice interrupted her thoughts. ‘I wondered if I should come in, and then I thought it best not to.’

      ‘If you’d come in, it would only have made matters worse.’

      ‘What about the woman?’

      Lucy shook her head. ‘She’s the one he’s been seeing. He’s got her in there now, and he’s not in the mood for talking.’ She turned to him, a sad little smile on her face. ‘He almost confided in me,’ she revealed. ‘If that woman hadn’t arrived, he would have talked, I know he would.’

      They sat a moment longer; Adam feeling as though he should go in there and throw her out, and Lucy thinking how low Barney had sunk.

      ‘What’s wrong with him, Adam?’ she asked now. ‘Why is he doing this?’

      Adam didn’t know any more than she did, although a suspicion lurked at the back of his head. ‘Maybe we didn’t know him as well as we thought we did,’ he answered thoughtfully. ‘Or maybe he’s pushed himself so hard, and then … your awful tragedy …’ He paused, making sure he had not upset her. ‘Who knows what it takes to turn a man like Barney?’

      Lucy had to agree. ‘We’ve tried,’ she murmured. ‘We couldn’t have tried any harder. Maybe there’ll be an opportunity later on.’ She gave a deep sigh. ‘I don’t know any more.’

      ‘Home then?’

      When Lucy nodded, he started the engine, turned the car about, and went down the lane at a leisurely pace. They did not talk. For now, there was too much on their minds.

       Chapter 19

      LEONARD MAITLAND HAD welcomed the family into his home, and for a time they had enjoyed his hospitality. When the discussion turned serious, he asked Vicky outright, ‘So, with the way things are at home, will you and the family still be able to come with me to Boston?’

      Vicky looked at her sons, and her heart was breaking. ‘I’m sure you know what’s happened with Barney?’

      Leonard nodded. ‘I’m sorry.’ He was more sorry than she would ever know, he thought, because if he was going to Boston without Barney, he would be going without Vicky. He knew that, even before she told him.

      ‘I’m not sure if we’ll be able to come or not,’ Vicky said solemnly. ‘We so much want to – in fact, we’ve all been so excited about it …’

      She would have explained, but Ronnie blurted out: ‘Tell him the truth, Mother! Tell him how we might have to give up the greatest adventure we’re ever likely to have, and all because my father’s turned into a drunk and a laughing stock.’

      ‘That’s enough!’ Now, when Thomas put his hand over his brother’s arm, Ronnie bent his head in shame. ‘It’s true though, isn’t it?’ Getting out of his chair, he strode across the room and ran out of The Manse into the night.

      ‘Go after him, Tom. Take care of him.’ Vicky was desolate. As Thomas went to look for his brother, she addressed Leonard with a degree of pride. ‘I’m sorry we’ve caused you so much concern,’ she said. ‘If you have to look for someone else to help you with the farm in Boston, we will understand.’

      Leonard stopped her there. ‘Vicky, listen to me.’ Coming to sit beside her, he spoke with real compassion. ‘I fully understand what you must all be going through at this time, and I wouldn’t dream of rushing into looking for anyone else.’

      ‘Do you mean that?’

      ‘Of course. We still have a little time. Until then, I’ll assume that Barney is going through some sort of crisis; probably stemming from the idea that he should have saved the child and couldn’t. He’s a good man, and he did his best, that’s all any of us can do.’

      ‘Pray it will turn out all right,’ Vicky said. Deep down she feared that Barney had gone so low he might never come back to her. ‘All I’m saying is, I don’t want you to be hampered in your plans, especially when you’ve been so good to us.’

      Outside, СКАЧАТЬ