The Mallen Litter by Catherine Cookson

Author:Catherine Cookson [Cookson, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780361031
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

But it was some minutes before Brigie said, ‘Do you imagine that Michael would ever leave his mother and his crippled wife…and his daughter for you?’

Barbara should have come back immediately with, ‘Yes, yes, I know he will,’ but there was a telling pause before she said, ‘If I ask him he will. He’ll do anything I ask of him.’

‘I doubt it. I know Michael Radlet better than you do. He’s a big man in bulk, but he was a weak youth, his only strength lay in stubbornness and I cannot see that in these last few years his character will have changed much. If his love for you had been so strong he would have defied Constance years ago. There was only one obstacle in his way then, and it was her, now there are three, his wife and his child…and his mother. So I shouldn’t count on the fact that he’ll sacrifice anything at all for you. He’ll carry on the clandestine meetings. Oh yes, because he always struck me, even as a young boy and in spite of his charm, as one who’d want to eat his cake and still have it.’

‘You’re just being spiteful now; you know it isn’t true; you don’t know Michael.’

‘You are not a stupid woman, Barbara; you know what I’m saying is true. However, we won’t discuss his character any further, but we will come to Dan. I never thought I would say this, but Dan is much too good a man for you. You took advantage of him in making him marry you…Yes, yes, you did.’ She lifted up her hand. ‘You made him marry you, partly, as you informed me in no mean manner, in order to get away from me and my authority. And I can only guess how little you have paid him in return. You may point to your sons as a form of payment, but a child can be born through indifference or rape, as we only too well know, don’t we?’ They stared white-faced at each other before Brigie ended, ‘The conception of children is not dependent on love.’

The nursery became silent, yet the silence vibrated with the emotions emanating from them both.

‘Do you hope to go on keeping Dan in ignorance?’

‘Just that, since you ask, because he is happy in his ignorance. Were I to leave him he’d be devastated. Michael and I have talked this out. We want to hurt no-one, but we want each other, we need each other, and we mean to have each other. We are discreet; we shall go on being discreet…So there you have it. If you bring this matter into the open you will wreck a number of lives; if you leave things as they are no-one will be hurt. It isn’t up to me, it’s up to you.’

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