Who's Sorry Now (2008) (50 page)
The day Gina was released from prison the sun cast golden rays over all of Manchester. This special day brought the kind of radiance and joy to Champion Street Market that hadn’t been seen since VE Day, or the Coronation, or maybe when Amy and Chris had returned home safe and well from Gretna Green.
Gina heard the clang of those huge gates closing behind her for the last time, heard the scrape of a key against a lock, knowing she was on the outside, and not in. She lifted her face to feel the sun’s soft warmth and let it caress her face. An idle breeze ruffled her newly-washed hair, and she noticed how loud the birds sounded as they chirruped happily in the trees. A mild winter’s day which she was now free to enjoy.
Free! What magic there was in that simple word.
She was instantly aware of her family waiting for her, their happy faces smiling in delight. There were her loving parents, her brothers and sisters, and Patsy and Marc with their arms wrapped tight about each other. But her gaze was focused most particularly upon one face.
Many hands pushed Luc forward, not that he needed any encouragement. He strode quickly across to the shy young girl standing uncertainly with paper bags at her feet, and gathered her hands gently in his.
‘I’m still here, Gina, still waiting for you, as I promised I would be.’
She didn’t ask him this time about Carmina. The story of how her sister’s obsession had grown beyond control had already been carefully explained to her.
Following Papa’s disastrous birthday party it had been agreed that justice must prevail. Constable Nuttall had been called immediately, and the truth told.
Carmina was now the one serving time; her marriage, and her life, in ruins. Alec Hall had seemed surprisingly unconcerned to lose his new bride so soon.
‘I am fond of her, and I certainly wanted the best for my child, but I confess the marriage wasn’t really legal anyway,’ he admitted to Papa Bertalone. ‘I’m still married to a Korean girl, assuming she’s still alive. Who knows? She was my third wife, my first died during World War II and my second ran off with a Merchant Sailor in nineteen forty-eight, or was it forty-nine? So even my marriage to Joo Eun might not have been strictly legal, come to think of it. I’d be quite happy to care for the baby though, once it is born.’
Papa told him with barely disguised contempt that this was a decision only Carmina could make.
But no one was worrying about any of this now. No one wanted to be miserable on this special day. The children were noisy and giggly, Momma was beside herself with joy, Papa stood tall and proud. Marc and Patsy were not only speaking again but kissing and cuddling and happily making plans for a spring wedding in which all the Bertalone girls, Gina included, would act as bridesmaids. Being in love, it seems, means you don’t have to say you’re sorry, although Marc’s humble apology to Patsy for his lack of faith in her certainly helped.
Now, Gina slipped her hand into Luc’s and smiled up at him with shining eyes. ‘I knew you’d come for me one day. Let’s go home.’
***
Also by Freda Lightfoot as ebooks
The stall-holders and customers of Manchester’s Champion Street market are a lively and varied bunch. Find out more about their lives and loves in
Putting on the Style
,
Fools Fall in Love
,
That’ll be the Day
,
Candy Kisses
and
Who’s Sorry Now
.
Fools Fall In Love
9780956811974
When Patsy talks her way into a job on their Champion Street market millinery stall, the Higginson sisters get more than they bargained for. Coping with a rebellious teenager is far from easy. Riddled with insecurities, Patsy’s impudence and chirpy personality win her enemies as well as new friends. And her determination to solve the riddle of her own past soon starts to unravel secrets Annie and Clara would much rather keep hidden.
Fat and jolly, Molly Poulson hasn’t a care in the world until her two daughters both fall in love with the wrong young man. Molly is determined that Fran and Amy see the error of their ways, but the more she interferes, the more complicated it gets, bringing yet more trouble to her door in the shape of the notorious Billy Quinn.
Lonely Teardrops
9780957097810
‘I need to tell you summat, lass. Summat you should’ve been told years ago . . .’
It’s the day of her beloved father’s funeral and Harriet can hardly take in her grandmother’s words. Joyce, the woman she has always called Mam, isn’t her real mother after all. At least that explains why Joyce has always favoured Harriet’s brother, Grant – blood is thicker than water. Her emotions in turmoil, Harriet discovers a streak of rebellion that puts into jeopardy everything she holds dear. Can she come back from the brink or will her life be full of lonely teardrops?
Historical sagas
Lakeland Lily
The Bobbin Girls
The Favourite Child
Kitty Little
For All Our Tomorrows
Gracie’s Sin
Daisy’s Secret
Ruby McBride
Dancing on Deansgate
The Luckpenny Series
:
Luckpenny Land
Storm Clouds Over Broombank
Wishing Water
Larkrigg Fell
Poorhouse Lane Series
The Girl from Poorhouse Lane
The Child from Nowhere
The Woman from Heartbreak House
Champion Street Market Series
Putting On The Style
Fools Fall In Love
That'll Be The Day
Candy Kisses
Who’s Sorry Now
Lonely Teardrops
Historical Romances
Madeiran Legacy
Whispering Shadows
Rhapsody Creek
Proud Alliance
Outrageous Fortune
Contemporary
Trapped
Short Stories
A Sackful of Stories
Available in print and ebook
Historical sagas
House of Angels
Angels at War
The Promise
My Lady Deceiver
Biographical Historicals
Hostage Queen
Reluctant Queen
The Queen and the Courtesan
The Duchess of Drury Lane
About Freda Lightfoot
Born in Lancashire, Freda Lightfoot has been a teacher and bookseller. She lived for a number of years in the Lake District and in a mad moment tried her hand at the ‘good life’, kept sheep and hens, various orphaned cats and dogs, built drystone walls, planted a small wood and even learned how to make jam. She has now given up her thermals to build a house in an olive grove in Spain, where she produces her own olive oil and sits in the sun on the rare occasions when she isn’t writing. She’s published 40 novels including many bestselling family sagas and historical novels. To find out more about, visit her website and sign up for her new title alert, or join her on Facebook and Twitter where she loves to chat with readers.
http://www.fredalightfoot.co.uk/
http://www.fredalightfoot.blogspot.com/
If you find any faults with this ebook please do contact the author so that it can be put right for future readers.
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