Chapter 35: Richard Schormann

Ashford: Saturday, September 27th

Richard yawned and moved his neck from side to side, trying to ease the crick that had formed over the last couple of hours, and adjusted one of his hearing-aids that had become dislodged.

A line of bright light forced itself through the half-drawn curtains he’d hastily pulled together. It shone across Karen as she slept on the settee, clasped hands beneath her face. He was stunned that a girl as beautiful as her could like him so much that she’d stood up to her bigot of a stepfather.

Yet it worried him as well; what would happen now? He’d come to Manchester for a job and he’d be taking a girl, a stranger to his parents, back to Wales. She’s not a stranger to me, though. I’ll make them understand, he told himself, pushing to the back of their mind their worries about his missing sister

A group of people passed the house, their heads and shoulders shadows that moved swiftly across the window. He glanced down at Karen; she hadn’t budged. But he needed to, he needed a pee. Badly needed a pee. He shuffled off the settee, inch by inch, watching her all the time.

He could hear that someone was already up; there were voices in the kitchen. But at the door, one hand raised to push it open, he stopped. One voice sounded agitated. He angled his head, listening.

‘No, she can’t stay here.’ It was his aunt.

‘Shush.’ His uncle’s low voice.

‘I won’t have that girl in the house any longer.’

The blood rushed to Richard’s head. They were talking about Karen. Guardedly he moved the door enough for him to see through. Ellen was pacing the kitchen floor, smoking.

‘We can’t just kick her out.’ Ted was sitting on one of the kitchen chairs, his hands clasped in front of him. ‘We owe it to Richard to—’

‘We owe nothing to Richard.’

‘That’s harsh, Ellen.’

‘I’m sorry, Ted, but he’ll be going home.’ Ellen leaned on the table facing her husband. ‘He’ll go home and probably forget the girl. What happens then? Where does she go? Are you suggesting we let her stay here? For pity’s sake, Ted, use your head. If that man ever finds out, God only knows what he’d do.’

‘You’re getting way ahead of yourself, love.’ Richard shifted sideways, saw Ted rub his hands over his face. ‘It won’t come to that—’

‘You know for sure, do you?’ Ellen passed across Richard’s vision again. Her face was flushed. ‘Use your head, man. If he’s still as bad as she’s made out—’

Still? Richard frowned in puzzlement.

‘He is.’ Linda was in there as well. Richard couldn’t see her but he heard the quiver in her voice. ‘That’s why we must look after her.’

‘You’re as bad as him – we don’t even know her.’

There was a loud scrape of a chair. ‘For goodness sake, Ellen, stop it. Not even you can be this selfish.’

‘Are you saying we should do nothing?’ His aunt’s voice was lower now; he strained to hear. ‘We’ll be the ones threatened by that man. Again.’

Again? What did she mean? Richard touched the door, it opened further. He saw all three of them now. They hadn’t noticed him.

‘It won’t come to that, will it, Dad?’ Linda looked terrified.

What was going on?

‘No, love, it won’t.’ Ted was glaring at Ellen. ‘But if Richard gets into the university, he’ll come back to Ashford, and if he and Karen stay together…’ he reached out for her hands. ‘We might have to deal with … things … then.’

Richard pushed the door wide. ‘What things?’

In the silence, Ted cleared his throat, coughed, looked uncomfortable. Linda crossed to put her arm around Richard’s shoulder and turned to face her mother. The colour drained from Ellen’s face and then returned a crimson red.

‘Your Auntie Ellen’s scared Karen’s father would be angry we’re letting her stay. But …’ Ted waved both hands in front of him in a gesture of denial, ‘it’s nothing for you to worry yourself about, lad.’

Ellen’s lips were a thin line. ‘No, I’m sorry, Richard, it’s best she’s gone.’ She paused as though thinking what to say. And then, ‘From what I hear, her father—’

‘Stepfather—’

‘Yes, well … stepfather, then … has got a temper on him. We don’t want any trouble but—’ She was stopped by the warning look on Ted’s face.

‘The way you were talking,’ Richard looked first at Linda and then at his aunt and uncle, ‘it sounded as though you already knew him.’

‘No.’ Linda and Ted spoke together.

‘It’s just what Karen said last night,’ Linda said.

Richard thought Linda’s answer came too quickly.

His temper, usually slow to rise, took hold of him. ‘Don’t worry, Auntie, we’ll both be gone soon.’

‘Hey up, lad, she doesn’t mean for us to kick you out.’

‘Sorry, Uncle, but if Karen goes, I go.’

Linda squeezed him. ‘No…’

‘It’s okay, Lin. Honest. I’ll take her home with me.’

‘No!’ This time it was Ellen. ‘No, you can’t—’

‘Why?’ As Richard stared at her, Karen appeared behind him.

‘What’s wrong?’ She gazed from one to the other of them.

No one spoke.

The doorbell rang, shrill in the silence.