The Haweaters by Vanessa Farnsworth

Author:Vanessa Farnsworth
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781773240701
Publisher: Signature Editions
Published: 2020-04-13T15:52:04+00:00

7

THE TREES BACKED THEM UP

Eleanor spits blood into the corner of the room. “You’ll have to do a far sight better than that.”

No, he won’t. Despite her bravado, Eleanor is nearing her breaking point. A few more strikes and the truth will come pouring from her like water from a pump. Bill can almost taste it.

As he tightens the strap around his knuckles, Bill contemplates his wife. What a tragedy she turned out to be. The polar opposite of the angel she’d been in her youth. The moment Bill set eyes on her, he knew she was the woman to cure his sorrows. Strongest feeling he ever felt. Thought it would last a lifetime. Lasted a couple of years. Maybe three. Now she brings his soul to ruin.

Bill slathers birch syrup on a hunk of stale bread and stuffs it into his mouth. Then he licks his fingers. The bitch still hasn’t answered his question and he’s growing tired of waiting. “Well?”

Eleanor’s back is to the wall and her knees are tucked tight against her chest. Her voice is an anvil. “I can hardly say as fact a thing I know not to be so, husband.”

Still with that. Is she really going to force him to beat her a third time?

By the looks of it, yes. Eleanor’s eyes are fixed on the door. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out she’s plotting to make a dash for the woods the moment Bill lets his guard down. So guess what he isn’t going to do? “No good will come of you pretending ignorance, woman. You know when Amer is going to show his deceiving face next or you have an idea. Tell me and this whole thing ends now. Keep speaking coy and your bones will break as surely as winter twigs under my boots. Your choice. Make the wrong one and you’ll be lucky to see the light of the moon. Art too.”

That got her attention. Eleanor flicks her eyes loft-ward. Bill follows the flick and glimpses Art peeking over the edge of the raw boards. It’s not like he didn’t know the boy was there. Art had scampered from under the table like a frightened squirrel the moment Bill began striking the strap against the wall. Coward. Just like his momma. Well, a few months out in the fields will toughen the boy up. Toughened all the boys up. Gave them the fire they need to survive in this world filled with villains and traitors and English. Was his duty as a father to make sure that happened.

Now it’s his duty to make sure other things happen. Bill catches the flash as Eleanor signals to the boy to duck out of view. Just as well. Bill can’t deal with them both and his insolent wife is presently the one in greatest need of correcting. He leans down and bellows. “You’re really going to make me come at you again, aren’t you? You and your wicked ways. Not even the sense to save yourself.

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