Chaff upon the Wind (45 page)

‘Before you what, Mr Thorndyke? Knock Kitty senseless again? Kill her? Do you really think,’ Edward’s voice dropped to a low, controlled, yet menacing growl, ‘do you
really think I am going to leave her one second longer with you?’

Jack took a step towards Edward. ‘Oh yeah? And what are ya going to do about it,
Mester
Franklin? Knock me down, eh?’

Jack stood a good three inches taller than Edward. Despite the loss of one arm, his shoulders were still broad and he wielded the axe as if it were as light as a feather.

‘If I have to, yes,’ Edward said quietly. ‘And don’t think I’d have any compunction in hitting a one-armed man, Thorndyke, because I wouldn’t. Not after what
you’ve done to Kitty. You’re a very brave man, aren’t you, Thorndyke, with an axe in your hand against a defenceless woman?’

A low growl came from Jack. ‘Just ’cos you’ve been in the war, Mester High ’n’ Mighty, it dun’t mean—’

‘I said nothing about the war, man. That has nothing to do with this. Put the axe down and let her go.’

Jack hesitated for a moment longer, then he flung it away from him. It clattered against the chopping block and lay there at a drunken angle. ‘What makes you think she’ll come with
you?’

Kitty saw a flicker of sadness in Edward’s eyes but he said firmly, ‘She’ll come, if only for the sake of the boy.’

‘Ah yes.’ Jack’s tone was suddenly as smooth. ‘The boy.’

There was silence as the two men challenged each other like two fighting cocks.

‘The boy,’ Jack said slowly and with deliberate menace, ‘stays with me.’

Edward shook his head. ‘Oh no. A boy of his age should be with his mother.’

Jack’s sudden bellow of laughter startled both Kitty and Edward.

‘His mother? His
mother
?’

Kitty moved swiftly and caught hold of his arm. ‘No, Jack, no. Please – don’t . . .’

He flung her away, knocking her to the ground. She fell awkwardly on her arm and winced in pain.

Jack pushed his face close to Edward’s, bending slightly so that their eyes were on a level. Slowly and deliberately, he said, ‘She is not his mother.’

For a long moment Edward stared at him. ‘Don’t be stupid . . .’ he began and then his glance slid past Jack to where Kitty, still sitting on the ground, gave a low moan. She
closed her eyes and, bowing her head, buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook as sobs convulsed her. She rocked backwards and forwards, the tears coursing down her face and sobs choking
her throat. ‘No, no, oh no.’

Above her the two men faced each other, Edward’s gaze now meeting Jack’s malicious eyes. ‘Then who . . .?’

Enjoying every moment, the triumph evident in his voice, Jack said, ‘Your dearly beloved sister, Miriam Franklin, is Johnnie’s real mother.’

Kitty, daring to look up, saw Edward’s face turn deathly pale. He continued to stare at Jack for what seemed an eternity, a moment suspended in time, and then very slowly his gaze came
down to rest upon Kitty’s upturned, tear-streaked face.

‘Edward,’ she began. ‘Please – I . . .’

With a sudden movement he turned and walked away.

‘Edward,’ she cried out with hollow desperation. ‘Edward, please . . .’

But Edward Franklin continued to walk away from her and though she watched him until he passed through the small gate and into the lane, not once did he look back.

Jack turned and looked down at her. ‘There now, that’s how much ya fancy man thinks of you. Can’t take the truth, can he?’

Anger surged through her, a red, uncontrollable rage that made her scramble to her feet and clench her fists. She raised her arms and beat his chest. ‘You fool! You stupid, stupid
fool.’

He caught hold of her, pinioning both wrists easily in the broad grasp of his one hand. ‘Don’t you call me a fool.’

‘You promised, Jack. You . . .’

‘I never promised any such thing.’

‘Let – me – go,’ she cried, wrenching herself free. Standing back, a little way from him, she shook her fist. ‘I’m done with you, Jack Thorndyke. The only
thing that’s held me here these last few years has been the truth about Johnnie. And now that’s out, there’s nothing to keep me here.’

His lip curled. ‘The boy stays with me. He is
my
son.’

‘Prove it,’ she spat back at him. ‘Your name’s not on his birth certificate, because I registered him. I am his mother in the eyes of the law.’

He stepped closer, menacing, trying to intimidate her, but Kitty was too angry now to be afraid. ‘In the eyes of the law, then, you’ve committed a criminal act if you’ve
registered yourself as his mother.’

‘Prove it,’ she said again boldly. ‘Who’s to prove it?’

For a moment he looked nonplussed then the devious smile curved his mouth again, a mouth, Kitty noticed now, that had a cruel twist to it. ‘There must have been people who knew when he was
born just who did give birth to him. There must have been a midwife or a doctor present.’

Now it was Kitty’s turn to smile deviously. ‘Oh aye, and where was he born then? Only me and Miss Miriam know that and we aren’t going to tell.’

His face was thunderous, but he was not beaten yet. Not quite. He shook his fist in her face. ‘I’ll report you for giving false information on his birth certificate. That’s a
criminal offence.’

Kitty realized he was probably right, but she had one final card to play and it was as if her whole future depended upon it. ‘Go on, then. Report it. But just think – before you do
– what it would do to Johnnie. You make out you care for him so much. Let’s see if you really do. You know full well that you are his father, but is it the action of a loving, concerned
father to drag such a scandal through the courts? And how would you come out of it? When you seduced Miss Miriam, she was a young, genteel girl who, for all her fiery temper, was very naive and
probably didn’t know much about how babies were made. But you did, Jack Thorndyke. How will that look, eh, splashed across all the local papers?’ She paused, seeing the glimmer of
uncertainty creeping into his eyes now. Then she made her final thrust. ‘Go on then, Jack, report the whole sorry story. You can’t hurt me any more than you already have done. But
there’s others you will hurt and badly. Miss Miriam and her family – and that includes Sir Ralph now, because despite the way his son died, he’s stuck by her and he’s very
fond of her. Treats her like a daughter, he does, even though she mebbe doesn’t deserve it. And you – who do you think is going to employ Threshing Jack around here after that? Because
Sir Ralph and Mr Franklin will see to it that no one does.’

‘By, you’re spiteful, Kitty Clegg, when it comes to it, ain’t you?’

Kitty shook her head and said, with infinite sadness in her tone, ‘There’s no spite in what I’m saying. I’m just stating the simple truth. But I’m finished with
you, Jack, ’cos there’s no more you can do to hurt me now. I loved you once, oh how very much I loved you. I’d have done anything for you . . .’ she nodded, ‘and I
did. But slowly you’ve killed that love and now I feel nothing for you, except perhaps a great sadness for what might have been.’

‘I suppose you think your genteel lover, Master Edward, is going to rescue you, eh?’

She shook her head. ‘No, not now,’ she said hoarsely. ‘Not after what he’s learned this day.’

‘No, turned his back on you, hasn’t he, now he’s found you out for the scheming little hussy you really are.’

They glared at each other, but no more was said. Everything had been said, and that had been a mite too much. How true it was, Kitty thought, that you could never undo something once said.

Jack’s outburst could never be undone and oh, what tragedy might yet unfold because of his few vengeful words.

‘Good morning, Mrs Clegg. Are Kitty and – and young Johnnie staying with you?’

She heard his voice at the door and, straightening up from where she had been bending over to black-lead the range in her mother’s kitchen, Kitty’s heart began to pound.

‘Teddy,’ she breathed, the pet name of their youth coming to her lips. She half-turned, looking towards the door, absent-mindedly rubbing her hands down her apron, leaving grubby
streaks. A smudge on the end of her nose gave her a vulnerable, girlish look and this was how Edward saw her when he came into the room at her mother’s invitation. They stood staring at each
other while behind Edward, Mrs Clegg quietly closed the door and tiptoed out of the house.

On the day her world had finally fallen apart, Kitty had spent three hours searching the fields and woods for Johnnie. At last she had found him, once more huddled in the hayloft in the stables
at the Hall.

She had climbed up and sat down in the warm dry hay beside him. For a long time they had not spoken. Then he had moved in the hay beside her and she felt his warmth as he snuggled against her
side. ‘I met Mister Edward in the lane and he – he asked me if anything was the matter. I – I . . .’ The boy hesitated, as if ashamed to admit it. ‘I was
crying.’ Her arm went about him and in the dusk, she smiled sadly. It seemed to her infinitely sad that a boy as young as Johnnie should feel shame at shedding tears.

‘I didn’t tell him anything, but he must have just come to see what was happening.’

‘It’s all right. It – it doesn’t matter,’ she tried to reassure him though it was hard to keep the tremble from her voice. If only, oh if only, Teddy hadn’t
come at that moment.

Beside her, the boy shifted again and the hay rustled. His voice was muffled against her as he said, ‘I don’t want to stay with Dad if that Milly’s going to come. I don’t
like her. Why does he want her when he’s got you?’

Now Kitty did smile. ‘It’s all very complicated. Maybe some day I will explain it all to you. It’s grown-up silliness. But your dad isn’t happy with me any more and he
thinks he can be with Milly.’ She sighed. ‘Maybe he can. I don’t know.’

She was tired of it all. Tired of all the secrets and the lies. In a way she was glad it was out, glad that the ties that bound her so tightly to Jack had been severed just as if he had cut them
with the axe he had been wielding.

‘Then I want to come with you. I don’t want to stay with him – and her.’ His arms tightened about Kitty and happiness and relief flooded through her. His voice was
muffled as he buried his face against her breast. ‘I love you, Mam. Whatever happens, I’ll stay with you.’

They had climbed down from the loft then, hand in hand, and made their way back through the darkness to the cottage. Jack was gone and Kitty neither knew nor cared where. But she packed their
few belongings and left, anxious to be out before he should return. She was not sure what he intended to do about Johnnie. She feared that he would still, if he could, try to take the boy from
her.

In the early hours of the morning they were knocking on the door of the stationmaster’s house.

‘It won’t be for long, Mam, I promise,’ she told a startled and bleary-eyed Betsy Clegg. ‘Just until I can sort out what I’m going to do. We ought to get away,
right away from here, but I can’t go yet. Not just yet.’

Something had held her here. Was it a vain hope that, even yet, all was not lost?

And now here he was standing in the centre of the cramped and crowded kitchen, the only sound the singing of the kettle on the hearth. She rubbed her hands down her apron again, feeling them
damp with nervousness.

‘Master Edward.’ Aloud the courtesy title still came automatically. ‘Won’t you – sit down?’ Her voice was hoarse.

But he continued to stand, just looking at her. ‘Oh Kitty,’ he said at last and a small, sad smile touched his mouth. ‘Still not “Teddy”?’

She glanced down, awkward and unsure. Then she lifted her head and looked at him again as she felt the tears prickle her eyelids. ‘Oh Teddy,’ she burst out, no longer able to contain
the words. ‘I’m so sorry, so terribly sorry. How you must hate me, despise me . . .’

He covered the space between them in two strides and put his hands gently on her shoulders. ‘How could you even think that of me? Don’t you know how very much I love you, adore you.
I always have. All I have ever wanted was your happiness. And now I find that your life has been wretched and all because of my selfish sister. And my mother, if it comes to that. Yesterday, when
Thorndyke blurted it out, it was a shock naturally, but when I’d – well – calmed down, I realized that it wasn’t so much of a surprise after all. Everything fell into place
at once. Even though I was only a boy at the time – and a sick one at that – I remember being concerned about Miriam. I used to see her riding off across the fields, but I thought she
was going to the Hall to see Guy. And I knew he would never have done anything to harm her. When you both went away so suddenly, I was puzzled for a while but I believed my mother’s
explanation that she wanted Miriam to see a bit of the world before she settled down as Guy’s wife. And then, when you came back, all I could think of was that I’d lost you for ever to
Jack because you’d had his child.’ He paused and wrinkled his forehead and there was a note of surprise in his tone now. ‘But do you know, even then, it didn’t ring quite
true that my selfish sister would have been so thoughtful and caring about her maid that she’d have taken her away and looked after her. Now I see that it was much more likely to be the other
way about. And it was, wasn’t it?’

Kitty nodded wordlessly.

His tone hardened. ‘I am not proud of how my sister and my mother have used you, Kitty.’

She was shaking her head. ‘No, no, it wasn’t like that. I am as much to blame. But they were going to place Johnnie for adoption. They were going to give him away and I
couldn’t bear it. And that part of it, I’ve never regretted. Not for a moment. But I was wrong when I – I tried to deceive Jack.’

‘Ah yes, Jack Thorndyke.’ Edward’s hands fell away and his mouth was tight. ‘He’s at the centre of everything, isn’t he?’ He ran his hand through his
hair. ‘Kitty, do you, despite everything, still love him?’

‘No, no, I don’t.’ Briefly, she covered her face with her hands and then she felt him gently pulling them away and taking them, dirty as they were, into his own and holding
them tightly. ‘Kitty? Kitty, look at me.’