His Brother's Wife by Val Wood

Author:Val Wood
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781448152650
Publisher: Transworld

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

And apart from that, Harriet thought, as they walked slowly back down the track, their fingers touching, he’s my husband’s brother and it’s forbidden in scripture and in law. What do the Commandments say? Thou shalt not commit adultery – and what’s ’other one? Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife. So coveting and committing adultery with your husband’s brother must be a hundred times worse. Bound to be, cos women are allus blamed – look at Adam and Eve. She stifled a sob and knew she was wicked because she wanted to; if he’d asked me before to go with him I would have found it hard to say no. But now . . . she swallowed hard. How can I when I’m expecting Noah’s child?

She had told Fletcher that Noah didn’t yet know she was pregnant, that no one knew, and he in turn said that he hadn’t told anyone he was leaving the farm.

‘Ma will tek it hard,’ he said. ‘She won’t want me to go, but I must. If I don’t break away now then I never will. Before you came,’ he said softly, ‘I’d often thought of moving on. This place isn’t big enough for Noah and me, or Da either. I don’t mean in size, I mean because we don’t get on. Da was allus a bully when we were bairns. He used to beat Noah, and me too when he could catch me, but Ma was allus there wi’ a broom handle to flay him, and if it hadn’t been for leaving her with ’pair of them I might have gone sooner.

‘Then when you arrived, I wanted to be here where you were; but I can’t live like this any more.’ He clasped her fingers in his. ‘Not now; especially not now. Harriet, this might sound like a terrible thing, but just once before I leave, I want to hold you in my arms. I’d like to know what it’s like to kiss you and imagine that you’re mine and not Noah’s.’

She had had the same feeling, but had known that it was sinful; but would it be wicked, she asked herself, if he was going away and she might never see him again? Would it be so terrible?

‘Perhaps we could,’ she said, in a shaky voice. ‘I don’t know. Would it be just a goodbye kiss?’

He smiled and dropped her hand as they neared the end of the track. ‘No, I don’t think so. And it might mean that I wouldn’t want to leave.’

They agreed that Fletcher would be the first to tell the family his news: that he was leaving at the end of the month. After he was gone, they decided, it would make it easier for his mother if she knew a child was expected. ‘She’ll like that. It’ll take her mind off ’fact that she’s lost a son.’

He announced it after supper the following day. He stood up from the table and said, ‘I’ve got summat to say and it’s not about ’farm or ploughing or sowing, cows or sheep, or ditches and drains.

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