Unspoken: A story of secrets, love and revenge T. Belshaw (good books to read for beginners txt) 📖

I really am. I don’t want to be harsh, but you put me in an impossible position.’ He slowly removed the arm that was protecting her face and pulled her to him, her head rested on his chest. She sobbed uncontrollably as Calvin stroked her hair, her neck and her shoulders.

‘There, there, Jess. I love you. You know I do. I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

Jess looked up at him through tear-soaked eyes. Her mascara had run and her make-up was smudged.

Calvin tilted his head to one side and studied her wet face.

‘You look a right mess. Go and clean up, I’ll make us a milky nightcap.’

Jess snuffled her way across the flat. As she reached the bathroom door, Calvin called to her, his voice soft, almost sympathetic.

‘I hope you’ve learned something from this, Jess. I really do.’

Chapter 16

Alice

‘Right then, Lovely, that’s you sorted. I’ll get you some breakfast now.’

Alice settled herself into her chair. She felt better after her shower. Gwen understood her need for privacy as she bathed, and she always kept her eyes averted and always looked at the floor, or wall as she passed Alice a huge beach towel at the end of her ablutions. When she had wrapped herself in it, Gwen helped her off the shower seat and walked her slowly to the stair lift. Once downstairs she dried her hair and brushed it into Alice’s favoured style. Then she disappeared while Alice got into her underwear and appeared again, like magic, to help her dress.

‘Does your family ever object to you working a seven-day week, Gwen?’ Alice asked.

Gwen didn’t answer.

‘Gwen?’

She came to the kitchen door, holding a whisk and a bowl of whipped eggs.

‘No, they don’t mind. I only do for you Saturdays and Sundays anyway, it’s only a couple of hours really.’

She turned to go back to the cooking.

‘Wait, Gwen.’ Alice was suspicious. ‘When you say you only ever come to me at weekends… are your employers all right with that arrangement? It seems to me like I’m getting special treatment that I’m not paying for.’

Gwen studied her mixing bowl.

‘They’re okay with it,’ she mumbled then turned away again.

‘Gwen?’ Alice called her back again. ‘You’re not being paid for this, are you?’

‘I, err, look… I don’t mind, I, err, I don’t mind looking after you, honestly.’

‘Oh, Gwen,’ Alice’s face softened. ‘You really are a dear. I’m going to make this right. I can easily afford to pay you for these extra hours. You’ve been doing it for weeks now. How much do I owe you? I’ll pay the going rate, more as it’s weekends. I really do appreciate what you do for me, even if I don’t show it all the time.’

‘There’s no need,’ said a clearly embarrassed Gwen. ‘I do it because I want to. I like caring for you. I wish the others were as easy.’

‘You’re not looking for something in my will, are you?’ Alice narrowed her eyes.

‘Of course not, what a notion,’ replied Gwen. ‘I’ve never considered such a thought. I—’

Alice’s eyes were bright, ‘I’m only teasing you, Gwen. Please don’t take that remark seriously.’ Alice beckoned her to come closer. ‘Now, listen. I am going to pay what I owe and there will be no argument about it. I’ll work it out with Jessica when she arrives. You’ve done so much for me and that effort has to be recognised.’

Gwen opened her mouth to protest but Alice was having none of it.

‘Go and finish my breakfast, woman, I’m starving to death here. I don’t want to have to report you to the council for neglect.’

Gwen gave up and returned to the kitchen.

Jess arrived at ten. She was relieved to see that Alice was looking a little better. Her skin didn’t look as papery, she wasn’t slumped into her chair like she had been on Friday, she looked alert. Her eyes had regained that glint of mischief. Maybe Alice’s gloomy prediction was wrong after all.

‘You’re looking a lot better today, Nana,’ she said with a smile.

‘You’re not,’ replied Alice. ‘You look like you haven’t slept for a month. Come on, out with it. What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing.’ Jess looked away. ‘I didn’t sleep very well that’s all.’

‘What’s he been up to now?’ Alice demanded to know.

‘Nothing… well, not much. We went out for dinner with Sam and her new man last night. It was fun…

Look, all it is… I’ve been working on a new article and it’s such hard work. It’s all boring research, I don’t think I’ve done a very good job so far and it has to be submitted by Friday.’

Alice didn’t believe a word of it.

‘Since when have you ever been worried about writing an article. You can do them in your sleep. When you do sleep that is. Now, what’s been going on? It’s him, I know it is.’

‘Oh, we just had a big row that’s all, Nana. It will all be forgotten about by tomorrow.’

Alice let it go, for now. There didn’t seem much point in pushing her. She’d talk about it in her own time.

‘All right, seeing as you’re not going to let me in on the secret, get the tea made. I want to talk to you about Gwen, she’s been working weekends for nothing, the silly woman. I want to make it right.’

‘Oh, bless her,’ said Jess. ‘I’ve got a calculator on my phone; we can work out what you owe on that.’

‘Add some extra too,’ said Alice. ‘She’s worth every penny.’

Thirty minutes later, with Gwen’s remuneration worked out. Alice resumed her story.

Chapter 17

1937-1938

Through the final three months of nineteen thirty-seven, and into the January of thirty-eight, I was in denial. Although I obviously noted my missed periods, I put it down to stress. The harvest, whilst a bumper crop, was a difficult one to manage. We usually had extra casual labour to help out, but this year, as the Great Depression came to an end (in our neck of the woods at least), men were finding full