The Madness by Alison Rattle

Author:Alison Rattle
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781471401923
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Published: 2014-06-02T16:00:00+00:00

39

A Lying Little Tart

The sky began to lighten and Marnie yawned. She knew she should make her way back to the cottage now. She heaved herself to standing, her knee stiff and sore now. Then suddenly she remembered Eldon Cross. A deep frown creased her face. As she walked slowly back across the beach and up the steps, she thought hard. There had to be a way of dealing with him. All the way back along the esplanade she thought and thought. By the time she got back to Ratcatcher’s Row, she knew exactly what to do.

Marnie opened the cottage door and let the latch clunk loudly back into place. Through the first gauzy light of morning, she saw Eldon Cross start awake in the chair where he was sitting, waiting for her. She walked over and stood in front of him, letting her stick fall to the floor with a clatter.

‘Marnie?’ he growled sleepily.

Suddenly, Marnie threw herself to the floor. ‘Ma!’ she screamed. ‘Ma! Get him off me!’ Eldon Cross jumped from his chair. ‘What are you doing?’ he shouted. ‘Stop it!’

‘Ma! Ma! Ma!’ Marnie screamed until her throat hurt.

There was a bang from above, then the thud of hurried footsteps coming down the stairs. The door crashed open and Smoaker flew into the kitchen, his shirt tails flapping round his knees. ‘I done nothing, Smoaker! I done nothing!’ yelled Eldon Cross, dancing around Marnie as she lay, whimpering now, on the floor. There were more thuds and Ma appeared in the doorway clutching a shawl to her throat.

‘Whatever’s the matter? Marnie? Smoaker? What the Devil’s going on?’

‘He tried to touch me, Ma!’ Marnie screeched. ‘He … he hit me and tried to touch me!’

‘I never!’ shouted Eldon Cross. ‘I didn’t go near her, Smoaker. I swear I didn’t go near her! You lying little cow!’

Ma bent over Marnie and tried to lift her from the floor. ‘Come on and get up from there now. And hush that noise.’ Marnie turned her head to make sure Ma got a good look at the graze she’d got on her cheek from earlier. It was hard not to laugh seeing the looks on their faces.

Ma gasped. ‘Smoaker! He’s bashed her face. Look. See?’ She twisted Marnie’s head so Smoaker could see her cheek.

‘Wasn’t me!’ bleated Eldon Cross. ‘I been here all the time. She went out, she did. She went out!’

But it was too late. Smoaker was across the room and his fat fist crunched into Eldon Cross’s face. Ma pulled Marnie out of the way as Eldon crashed to the floor. The room went still for a moment as Smoaker hovered, fists clenched, and Eldon lay unmoving. Marnie’s heart was bubbling fast, like a pan of milk coming to the boil; a few plain words and she’d made all this happen!

Then Eldon groaned and lifted his head from the floor. Blood, glistening and thick as bramble jelly, seeped from his nostrils. ‘You get out of here now,’ Smoaker demanded. ‘Fetch

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