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Authors: Grace Thompson
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presumed he would remark on it as soon as she told him about the baby.
‘I’m so ashamed of the way I’ve left you to deal with Sadie and the gossip,’ he said, holding her close. ‘I know you agreed – in fact it was your idea for me to get my qualification before risking talking to the police – but I still feel guilty.’
‘Two years out of a lifetime isn’t much when the rest of our lives will be so perfect.’
‘I’ll never forget what you’re doing, my darling Sally. I only hope it does have a satisfactory ending. There have been no more burglaries , and that, together with the fact I ran away, could make persuading the police I’m innocent very difficult.’
‘Looking back, was it the right thing to do? There has been no contact from the police. I’m sure they’d have found you if they’d really wanted to talk to you. A few miles wouldn’t deter them, would it?’ He didn’t reply and she asked, ‘Why did you leave? What convinced you that the police would accuse you? More than two years have passed and now I can’t remember what happened to make you run away.’
Rhys had never told her of the threat hanging over him from the plot set by David Gorse. He changed the subject with a brief silenceand a shrug, and her heart raced at his refusal to discuss it. She waited in silence, hoping he would explain, but when he spoke again it was about their daughter, asking about the latest developments. Then he asked casually, ‘See much of David Gorse these days? Did he find another job after the factory closed?’
‘No, he just hangs around, being kept by his doting mother, and complaining a lot about how life is unfair.’
‘He was sweet on you once. And he’s always hated me.’
‘He calls often and tries to become a friend, but I’ve always suspected he helped to spread the rumours. Many were easily convinced that you were a thief even though they disliked the man.’ She tried again to make him talk about the reasons he left but again he was evasive.
‘Don’t let’s talk about stuff like that. The few hours we have together are so valuable, darling Sally. I miss you so much when I’m away, I can’t think of anything but being here, close to you.’ He kissed her but there was something restrained about it. He wasn’t acting as the words implied; his mind was elsewhere.
She began to have fearful doubts. Too many questions without answers, no date even hinted at for his return, no news about applying for a job. What wasn’t he telling her?
Rhys’s thoughts were on David. He had often wondered whether David’s attraction to the shy, quiet Sally had been the reason for creating incriminating evidence then not using it. He’d had a few anxious moments after leaving, wondering whether Sally had been tempted by the presence of David’s admiration and the absence of his. Thank goodness his trust had been justified. Sally had already been pregnant when he’d left although he hadn’t known until later, at which point Sally had agreed to continue without him, support him and keep his whereabouts a secret. The thought of David bringing up his daughter was the stuff nightmares are made of. ‘Darling,’ he said with a sigh, ‘I have to go.’
‘Just another hour?’ she pleaded. She was filled with increasing alarm. Something was wrong.
‘No, I hate having to leave but this time I must see Mam and Dad. They’ve survived all this time on occasional postcards to remind them I’m still alive. It’s time to trust them with our secret.’
Your secret, she thought, not mine. She stood still for a longmoment when, after a prolonged goodbye, he slipped silently out of the house.
Sally was left with the feeling that their meeting was unsatisfactory , unfinished. She usually felt a glow of happiness when he had stayed for a few hours. Stolen hours, secret loving hours, and she daydreamed happily for days after his visits; of how soon they would be together, sharing their secret love.
‘I’m so ashamed of the way I’ve left you to deal with Sadie and the gossip,’ he said, holding her close. ‘I know you agreed – in fact it was your idea for me to get my qualification before risking talking to the police – but I still feel guilty.’
‘Two years out of a lifetime isn’t much when the rest of our lives will be so perfect.’
‘I’ll never forget what you’re doing, my darling Sally. I only hope it does have a satisfactory ending. There have been no more burglaries , and that, together with the fact I ran away, could make persuading the police I’m innocent very difficult.’
‘Looking back, was it the right thing to do? There has been no contact from the police. I’m sure they’d have found you if they’d really wanted to talk to you. A few miles wouldn’t deter them, would it?’ He didn’t reply and she asked, ‘Why did you leave? What convinced you that the police would accuse you? More than two years have passed and now I can’t remember what happened to make you run away.’
Rhys had never told her of the threat hanging over him from the plot set by David Gorse. He changed the subject with a brief silenceand a shrug, and her heart raced at his refusal to discuss it. She waited in silence, hoping he would explain, but when he spoke again it was about their daughter, asking about the latest developments. Then he asked casually, ‘See much of David Gorse these days? Did he find another job after the factory closed?’
‘No, he just hangs around, being kept by his doting mother, and complaining a lot about how life is unfair.’
‘He was sweet on you once. And he’s always hated me.’
‘He calls often and tries to become a friend, but I’ve always suspected he helped to spread the rumours. Many were easily convinced that you were a thief even though they disliked the man.’ She tried again to make him talk about the reasons he left but again he was evasive.
‘Don’t let’s talk about stuff like that. The few hours we have together are so valuable, darling Sally. I miss you so much when I’m away, I can’t think of anything but being here, close to you.’ He kissed her but there was something restrained about it. He wasn’t acting as the words implied; his mind was elsewhere.
She began to have fearful doubts. Too many questions without answers, no date even hinted at for his return, no news about applying for a job. What wasn’t he telling her?
Rhys’s thoughts were on David. He had often wondered whether David’s attraction to the shy, quiet Sally had been the reason for creating incriminating evidence then not using it. He’d had a few anxious moments after leaving, wondering whether Sally had been tempted by the presence of David’s admiration and the absence of his. Thank goodness his trust had been justified. Sally had already been pregnant when he’d left although he hadn’t known until later, at which point Sally had agreed to continue without him, support him and keep his whereabouts a secret. The thought of David bringing up his daughter was the stuff nightmares are made of. ‘Darling,’ he said with a sigh, ‘I have to go.’
‘Just another hour?’ she pleaded. She was filled with increasing alarm. Something was wrong.
‘No, I hate having to leave but this time I must see Mam and Dad. They’ve survived all this time on occasional postcards to remind them I’m still alive. It’s time to trust them with our secret.’
Your secret, she thought, not mine. She stood still for a longmoment when, after a prolonged goodbye, he slipped silently out of the house.
Sally was left with the feeling that their meeting was unsatisfactory , unfinished. She usually felt a glow of happiness when he had stayed for a few hours. Stolen hours, secret loving hours, and she daydreamed happily for days after his visits; of how soon they would be together, sharing their secret love.
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