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

the crutch to the knees, and there were a few teeth marks and scratches on my legs, but apart from that, there didn’t seem to be any other damage that we could see.

‘What happened?’ asked Miriam. She held both palms over her mouth, one on top of the other.

‘She was on the menu for a pig’s banquet, that’s what happened,’ replied Frank. He undid the straps of my overalls and slid the top down over my shirt. ‘Lift your arse,’ he commanded. I did as I was told and he pulled the dungarees down to the top of my boots leaving me showing off my soaking wet bloomers.

‘Shit,’ said Frank, realising his basic error. He pulled the slimy wellingtons off, one at a time, then he dragged the overalls over my feet and dumped them on the floor. He moved his hand towards a scratch on my leg but Miriam stopped him with a curt, ‘Frank.’ He looked up and she shook her head. ‘Wash your hands first; you’ve got pig muck all over them.’

While Frank was washing his hands, Miriam moved to my side and stroked my hair. ‘You must have been really frightened, Alice, you wet yourself. Hang on, there’s a dry pair of your pants, on the clotheshorse.’

Frank came back, drying his hands on a towel. He had a close look at the nips and scratches on my legs, then turned away when Miriam reappeared clutching a pair of warm, clean knickers. I smiled at her gratefully, then clutched my stomach as a wave of pain shot across it.

‘I didn’t wet myself,’ I said to her. ‘My waters broke while I was in the pig pen.’

‘Did you get any pain beforehand?’ Miriam asked in a concerned tone. She opened the cupboard under the new sink and pulled out a clean flannel and an enamel bowl. She filled it with hot water from the tap, grabbed a bar of soap, and dumped the lot on the table at the side of me.

‘Do you want to do it or shall I?’ she asked.

‘I’ll do it, I’m fine, honestly.’

Miriam gave Frank a head flick to tell him to leave the room. He walked through to the parlour, and sat on a wooden chair that was in the same spot his foldaway bed used to be.

I lifted up my backside and pulled my pants off while Miriam wet the flannel and rubbed soap into it. I washed my bits first and then my legs, front and back then I lay on my side and let Miriam do my backside as I couldn’t comfortably reach.

When I was dried off, I pulled on the clean knickers and struggled to a sitting position.

Frank came back into the kitchen and asked where the shells were for my father’s gun.

‘Why would you need bullets?’ I asked.

‘I’m going to shoot those bloody boars,’ he said. ‘They nearly had you for lunch. You don’t know how close you were to being seriously hurt.’

‘You’ll have to shoot me first,’ I said, dragging myself off the table. I staggered to the back door and stretched my arms out wide. ‘I mean it, Frank, hurt those pigs and you’re out on your ear.’

‘I was only thinking of you,’ he replied. ‘You’ll have to get back in with them sooner or later. What if they fancy a second course?’

‘They won’t,’ I said, firmly. ‘I’m in with them every day, Frank, and they’ve never come close to hurting me. It was my waters breaking, it got them excited. I’ll make sure I’m drenched in Eau De Cologne, the next time I go in.’

Frank shook his head, wearing the slightest sign of a smile.

‘All right, then, carbolic soap, the smell of that would stop anything wanting to get close.’

‘You’re right there,’ he said, and a full smile lit up his face. He looked so different when he smiled. As the saying went, that smile could charm the knickers off a nun. I’m pretty sure it could too. It melted my heart as we stood facing each other in the kitchen. I thought back to the row we’d had earlier; I could even forgive him that.

Frank held out his arms and I walked straight into the softest hug. He wrapped those strong arms around me and whispered, ‘I’m so glad you’re safe.’ Not I’m so glad I got there in time. Not, I saved you from certain death, both of which were true, but, I’m so glad you’re safe.

Those whispered words went straight to my heart. Whether it was my heightened emotions or my shifting hormone levels, I don’t know, but I felt I was beginning to fall in love with Frank. I knew I had to be careful, and let it evolve slowly, but the seeds of love were planted that day. I had never felt anything like it before. I hugged him closer and was about to tell him how I felt, when the next agonising pain shot through me.

My hands left his back and I clasped them together around his neck, as I bent forward to try to alleviate the pain.

Frank held me under my armpits to stop me collapsing altogether.

‘Get her back on the table,’ urged Miriam, who had been through this five times herself.

Frank sat me on the table and ordered me to lie down. I immediately slid off and sat in my favourite chair by the stove.

Miriam understood everything. ‘Let’s have a nice cup of tea. This could take a long time yet.’

She made a brew, and handed me a large mug with an extra two spoons of sugar, on top of the two I normally had.

‘For energy,’ she said.

The next contraction was a big one. As I was moaning, Frank went into flap mode and ran back and forth from the back door to the stove.

‘Shall I go for the doctor? What about the midwife, is she coming? Do you need anything? Towels, hot water… anything at all?’

The pain lasted about ninety seconds. When I had recovered, I