Durham Trilogy 03. Never Stand Alone by Janet MacLeod Trotter

Author:Janet MacLeod Trotter
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: MacLeod Trotter Books
Published: 2011-03-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Carol sat holding Linda like a small child while she cried into her neck.

‘It’s OK, cry all you want,’ Carol crooned. Denise sat in the chair opposite, her legs curled beneath her like a cat, observing.

‘I was so frightened on me own,’ Linda wept. ‘It was terrible when he left. . .’

‘It must have been,’ Carol sympathised. ‘But you’re not on your own now; you’ve got your family around you.’

Linda pulled away. ‘It’s all their fault in the first place. Me dad going on at Dan all the time to marry us. And Mam didn’t stick up for us either, like she should’ve done.’

‘Your mam’s always stood by you,’ Carol reminded her gently, ‘and your dad was thinking of the baby.’

‘Everyone thinks about the baby but no one thinks about me,’ Linda wailed. ‘It’s ruined me life - I wish I’d never got pregnant. Dan doesn’t want a bairn and now he doesn’t want me because of it!’

Carol held her young sister-in-law close. ‘It doesn’t help getting all upset. Everyone’s under a bit of strain at the moment, but it won’t go on for ever. Dan will come round to the idea in time and you two’ll be back together.’ Carol was not sure if she believed her own words, but all that mattered just now was that Linda calmed down. She sent Denise into the kitchen for water and coaxed Linda to go and lie down on Laura’s bed.

‘I don’t even know where Dan is,’ Linda sobbed as Carol covered her with Laura’s pink eiderdown. ‘I haven’t seen him for a week.’

Carol suspected that Dan might be away picketing with Mick, but said nothing.

Later in the day, she persuaded Linda to see her mother and hurried down to the Welfare to fetch Lotty. Her mother-in-law climbed on her moped and rushed straightaway to see Linda. When Carol got back, having collected Laura from school, she found them cuddling on the settee together sharing a precious packet of custard creams, as if there had been no rift. Denise had left.

Carol marvelled at how Lotty could lose her temper one minute and forget and forgive the next. She never carried grudges or nursed slights as her own parents did, bringing them up years later as evidence of their child’s worthlessness. Lotty scolded and fussed and loved and forgave in equal measure - a tiny woman with an enormous heart, Carol had learnt.

‘Linda must have her old bedroom back for as long as she wants to stay,’ Lotty announced. ‘Eddy will have to move out and find somewhere else in the meantime.’ She gave Carol a direct look.

‘He can come and kip here,’ Carol offered at once, knowing that’s what Lotty wanted.

‘Thanks, pet.’ Lotty smiled at her and touched her hand briefly.

It was while they were carrying Linda’s belongings over to Septimus Street that news of trouble came through. Charlie came rushing down the lane to meet them.

‘Come inside,’ he urged. ‘Some of the pickets are back.’ Only then did he notice Linda.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.