Read Online A Daughter's Disgrace by Kitty Neale - Free Book Online Page A

Make yourself useful and do this.’
    Alison looked up from her seat by the fireplace. ‘And am I going to be a bridesmaid?’
    Hazel glared at her. ‘Why would I want you to spoil the wedding pictures? Linda’s different, she’ll look the part, but you’ll only depress people. Besides, God knows how much material we’d need to make you a frock. If you were normal height there’d be no problem and we could use the same pattern for both of you but no. You’re too tall and you’re a weird shape.’ She threw her handbag to the floor.
    ‘It’ll seem odd though, won’t it?’ Alison went on. She didn’t particularly want to be a bridesmaid, it would make her the focus of too much attention, but she knew how to rile her sister. A little spark of new confidence made her do so now. ‘Is Neville’s sister going to be a bridesmaid too? Cos if she is it’ll look a bit funny if I’m not one too.’
    ‘Of course Kathy’s being a bridesmaid. She’ll look really pretty. Which you won’t.’ However, Hazel hated the thought of doing the wrong thing in public. It didn’t matter how rude she was to her sister behind closed doors – she wanted to be seen to be respectable and nothing must spoil that impression. ‘I’ll think about it but don’t push your luck. And if –
if
– I say yes, you’ll have to stand at the back.’
    ‘Obviously,’ said Alison, setting down the salt and pepper. ‘As I’m going to be looking over all of your heads. Including Neville’s.’
    ‘Give it a rest,’ Cora shouted. She’d had enough. ‘I’m sick to death of hearin’ you go on. I don’t know what’s got into you. Don’t you dare ruin your sister’s big day.’ She almost groaned as her back gave her a painful twinge. Standing over the stove hadn’t helped. ‘Alison, you dish up while your sister puts away her work things. And less of your lip.’
    Alison dished up a meal for the second time that day, giving herself the smallest portion as she was still full from lunch at the butcher’s. She liked eating in the middle of the day – it gave her energy to work hard all afternoon. She found herself enjoying it more and more, as long as she didn’t have to cut up offal. She had at least stopped being sick at the sight of it or the smell of blood, and now her appetite was back with a vengeance. She had also started to chat to the customers and found herself even bantering with some of them – she couldn’t have imagined doing that a few weeks ago. It made it more difficult to put up with her mother and sister, though. She was more and more tempted to answer back, which she’d never have done before. Still, Linda and June were going to be here on Sunday. She could look forward to that at least. And maybe, just maybe, she would see Paul again tomorrow.
    ‘I don’t know what you think you’re smilin’ at,’ Cora snapped, seeing a dreamy look pass across her youngest daughter’s face. But Alison didn’t care. There was no way she’d mention him to her mother, but already she was thinking of what items they might be short of so she could make an excuse to pop in to the hardware store as soon as possible.

Chapter Eight
    ‘It’s your round, Paul,’ said Paul’s best friend, Kenny Parker. They’d been in the pub since six o’clock and this would be their third pint. Paul was in no hurry to go home. He shared his flat with his father and two older brothers, and it was a tip. He hated the place but his father was adamant they couldn’t afford anything else, even with all of them working. Paul guessed that was because his father spent everything at the dog track, or if he couldn’t go there in person, at the bookies. It had been the same ever since his mother had died. This was the fourth place they’d moved to since then and each had been worse than the last.
    ‘Same again, mate?’
    Kenny nodded.
    ‘Here you go.’ Paul set the drinks down on the sticky table-top. ‘How’s work?’
    ‘Same old,’ said