Lovers and Liars (4 page)

They didn’t see the old man as he sneaked out of the house. It was only when he was directly behind Clem that Aggie spotted him and her heart fell. Dear God! If Clem turned, her father-in-law wouldn’t stand a chance.

Thankfully, Clem was far too intent on training his eye on John, so that when he did hear a movement behind him and felt the cold sharp end of the shotgun thrust into his neck, it was too late. ‘You ain’t the only one who knows how to use one o’ these!’ Thomas Isaac chuckled. ‘I expect you thought I were too old and past it to shift outta my rocking-chair?’

Shocked and frightened, Clem began to plead. ‘Now then, Grandad, don’t do anything silly. Put the gun down.’

But the old fella had no intention of doing that, as he told Clem in no uncertain terms. ‘I can’t see yer hammer that young man into the ground, without doing summat about it.’ He slowly raised the shotgun, until it was level with Clem’s forehead. ‘Happen I should just blow yer ugly ’ead off, right now.’

Fearing for his life, Clem stretched his arms up. ‘All right, all right! What d’yer want from me?’

‘I want you to leave the lad alone!’

Searching for a way out of a bad situation, Clem appealed to him. ‘Open yer eyes, man! Can’t yer see the young scoundrel’s got a yearning for the girl? That’s what he’s ’ere for … to ask if the pair of ’em can couple up. Is that what yer want for yer granddaughter … to be tekken advantage of by this young thug?’

Thomas pursed his lips in thought. ‘I don’t reckon John has any such thing in mind, but even if ’e
did
want to see our Emily, then I’d say that was for her mammy to deal with, wouldn’t yer agree?’

‘If yer say so.’ It galled him to kow-tow to the old man.

‘I
do
say so.’ Thomas saw how Aggie was helping John to his feet. ‘Ain’t that right, Aggie, lass?’ he asked pointedly. ‘Anything to do with our Emily is first and foremost
your
business?’

She nodded. ‘Leave it now, Dad. It’s all right.’ She feared he might well have taken on more than he could handle. ‘I’m sure Clem knows the score, now you’ve spelled it out.’

She considered asking him to go back inside but it would have been of no use. From somewhere – she didn’t know where – her father-in-law had gathered enough strength and courage to come out and fight for his loved ones – and what right had she to interfere? No right at all, she decided, with a little burst of pride.

All the same, just now she had seen Clem eyeing the old fella with a cunning look on his face. And it worried her. One way or another, she needed to get them all back inside and out of harm’s way. ‘Come on now, Dad,’ she urged. ‘Give me a hand to get John inside, will you?’

Unfortunately her little ploy came too late, for just then, while her father-in-law was observing young John’s sorry plight, Clem made a sudden move that took everyone by surprise. With the cry of a madman, he lunged forward to wrench the shotgun out of the old fella’s hands. ‘Yer never learn, do yer?’ he snarled. ‘I should empty this barrel into yer dozy skull.’

Proud and defiant, the old man looked him in the eye. ‘You don’t frighten me,’ he declared. ‘I’ve had more experience of bullies in my life than you’ll ever know, and they’re allus brought down, somehow or another.’

Clem laughed aloud at his show of defiance. ‘Hmh! So, yer reckon you can bring me down, do yer?’ With a poke of his finger in Thomas’s bony ribs he jeered, ‘An’ how do yer plan to do that, might I ask?’

The old farmer shook his head. ‘I don’t know yet,’ he answered, ‘but I’ll find a way in time. Right now, you’ve got the upper hand – but it won’t allus be like that.’

‘Really?’ Leaning forward with his face almost touching that of the old fella’s, the younger man demanded, ‘Got some money tucked away, ’ave yer? Manage without me, can yer?’

‘I wish to Gawd I had got money behind me!’ the old man replied harshly. ‘You’d soon be on yer way, an’ no mistake!’

Clem merely laughed. ‘All show and gab, that’s what you are. Go on! Get outta my road!’ With a hefty push he sent Thomas Isaac toppling backwards, into the wall. ‘As for you … !’ Grabbing Aggie by the arm, he wrenched it up behind her back, making her almost faint with the pain.

Blood pouring from his wounds, the injured youth took a step forward as if to go for Clem yet again. ‘Take your hands off her!’ His mouth was so swollen he could hardly spit out the words.

‘Or what?’ Clem jabbed at him with the shotgun. ‘Look at yer!’ he jibed. ‘By! Yer can hardly bloody stand.’

‘I can stand up to you any day.’ Squaring up, John clenched his fists. ‘Come on. I’m ready when you are!’

‘I would stop while the going’s good,’ Clem warned him angrily. ‘I haven’t got time for games.’ Turning his attention to Aggie, he ordered her to, ‘Get that old fool inside, and stay outta my sight, the pair of youse.’ Jerking a thumb to John, he suggested fiercely, ‘I’ll deal with this young thug!’

Aggie was in a dilemma. She couldn’t let go of the old fella, who by now was growing heavy and limp in her arms, and she feared for John, who was in a bad way. ‘You heard what Dad said,’ she answered with a warning. ‘If it’s to do with our Emily, then it’s for
me
to deal with it.’ Beckoning John she told him, ‘Come inside, lad. I need to see what damage is done.’

John shook his head. ‘There’s no need,’ he answered. ‘I’m all right. Look, you’d best do as he says … take Mr Ramsden inside.’ The last thing he had wanted was to cause trouble for Emily’s family.

Aggie hesitated, but then Clem said meaningfully: ‘You’ve got a choice, woman. Yer can watch me use the shotgun on this young bugger, or you can go inside, while I try and talk some sense into ’im.’ He kept a wary eye on John. ‘It’s up to you,’ he told her. ‘Either way don’t bother me.’

Aggie looked at John, who gave her a smile and a nod. ‘Go on,’ he urged. ‘Go inside.’ He gestured at Thomas. ‘He’s all done in.’

Clem appeared to have calmed down somewhat, so Aggie had little choice, because now the old man was beginning to shiver, and so was she. The ordeal of facing up to Clem had taken its toll.

‘Come on, Dad,’ she said kindly, letting him lean on her. ‘You’ve had enough excitement for one day.’

Hoping things would settle down now, she guided him inside.

Once they were gone, Clem turned on John, though he deliberately kept his distance. ‘
You want the girl, don’t yer
?’ His voice was little more than a whisper, with a certain inference that riled the younger man. ‘Want ’er real bad, don’t yer?’

John knew well enough what he was implying and answered him with a rush of disgust. ‘Not in the way
you
mean.’

‘Oh, an’ what way is that?’

‘Whatever you might think, I would never take advantage of Emily,’ John said proudly. ‘I mean to wed her – if she’ll have me.’

Clem took a step forward, the anger reddening his face. ‘
I’ll
tell yer what you’ll do, you young pup! You’ll stay away from my niece. In fact, you’ll get as far away from ’er as you can, an’ never show yer face round these parts again.’

John shook his head. ‘I’m not going anywhere. Like I said, I mean to wed her one day.’

‘So you’ll defy me, is that it?’

‘You can do your worst, Mr Jackson, but I’ll never leave her!’

For a time they regarded each other, the air heavy with hatred. When next Clem spoke, it was to dash all John’s hopes into the ground.

‘What if I decided not to punish you, after all?’ he asked cunningly. ‘What if I decided it were
the girl
that’s bad – and not you at all? By! A young harlot like that would need some discipline, wouldn’t yer say?’

As he watched the horror unfold on John’s face, he chewed the fleshy part of his bottom lip, like an animal devouring its prey. And all the while observing John, with a sense of delight that he could hardly conceal. ‘Yer wouldn’t like that, I’ll be bound, but there’d be nowt yer could do about it.’

‘I could rip your heart out … that’s what I could do!’ Stumbling forward, John realised he was in no fit state to do anything at that minute, but he wouldn’t let this bully beat him. He couldn’t let Emily be hurt. ‘You touch one hair on her head, and I swear to God, I’ll kill you.’

The dog bared its teeth at him and growled.

Clem merely took a step back. ‘You’re not going to kill anybody!’ he snapped. ‘But if yer think anything of the girl, you’ll get as far away from this place as you can, and as quick as yer can! Because if yer don’t, it’ll be Emily that suffers, I can promise yer that.’

With a flick of his wrist he had John by the throat and the gun pushed into his belly. ‘I could do for yer right now,’ he whispered, ‘but there’s no need. I can see now how I might have got it all wrong, and that it really were the girl that led you on.’ He gave a little sideways turn and spat on the ground. ‘Yon Emily’s no more than a little slut – I can see that now. She needs teaching a lesson, that’s what!’

He gave a sly wink. ‘If you were to sling yer hook and clear off from round these parts, I dare say she would realise her mistake and be the good girl she allus was.’ His face darkened. ‘But if yer insist on staying, I reckon she’ll just go on being bad. An’ then – well, I’d have no option but to give her a good hiding.’

Struggling to free himself, John was frantic.

‘The thing is,’ Clem took pleasure from seeing the boy cornered, ‘I can do whatever I want. Like the old man said, it’s
me
that’s got the upper hand round this place, and it’s me that will ’ave to keep order, if yer know what I mean?’

‘You hurt her, and it’ll be the last thing you do.’

‘Oh, I
will
hurt her! I’ll have to, won’t I – unless you do as I ask. Look now, if you really are fond of the girl, you’ll sling yer hook an’ never come back. Do that, an’ the girl will be safe. But if yer defy me, then like I say, it won’t be
you
as suffers. It’ll be
her
. An’ even if by some unlikely chance you get to me afterwards – well, by then it’ll be too late, won’t it?’ Grinning wickedly, he let his next words sink in. ‘Because I’ll ’ave got to our Emily first.’

‘You bastard!’

‘Oh, I’ll not deny it.’ Clem paused, before going on in a low, trembling whisper. ‘You’re right – I am a bastard. Of the worst kind.’ His eyes hardened until they shone like marbles. ‘It might pay yer to remember that.’

With that he turned away and strode into the distance, Badger trotting at his side, leaving John to reflect on his words. And the more John thought on them, the more afraid he was – for Emily.

Because now he knew without a shadow of doubt that Clem Jackson was capable of anything, even murder.

Down at the brook, Emily had no idea of the horrible scenes happening up at the farm. All she knew was that John had arranged to meet her here at their usual place, and now here she was, patiently waiting for him, her heart leaping at every sound and her face flushed with anticipation.

Time and again she had wandered along the water’s edge, her eyes trained on the top field. She knew from their meetings in the past, it was the track he would take. Never once had he been late, not even when he had to put in extra work. He always got through it in time to be there when he promised.

Today, though, he was already late, she thought anxiously. And what did he have to tell her that was so urgent?

When they spoke last night, and he told her he would have some good news for her today, there had been a sparkle in his eye, making her think that he was going to see her mammy, and maybe ask if it was all right for him and Emily to start courting. She smiled at that. ‘A surprise’ – that’s all he would say, so now she would have to wait and see what it was.

Waiting wasn’t so hard though, she told herself. Not if she knew for certain he would be there.

Sitting cross-legged on the bank, with the sound of the brook playing over the boulders, she felt so content. This was a beautiful place, where the two of them had sat many a time over the past six months or so, talking and laughing, putting the world to rights. Making plans, dreaming dreams, and every passing minute, learning to love each other. John had been at Potts End Farm for just on eight months now, living with his Aunt Lizzie in a cottage over the rise in Salmesbury. Nearly twenty years old, the lad had been just a good friend to Thomas’s granddaughter for a few weeks, chatting to her while he worked on the wagons, and occasionally helping her with the animals when his own chores were done. From being good mates, the two of them had discovered love, and by now, each knew they were made for the other.

While she waited for John, Emily watched the late spring lambs at play and smiled. God’s world was a wonderful place, she thought.

Just then, a fat little lamb came to her side, curious as to what she was doing there. She ran her hands along its woolly shoulders. ‘My! You get bigger every time I see you.’ She laughed when it skipped off to find its mother. ‘Look at you … tapping your mammy for milk, and you’re almost as big as she is, poor thing.’ She watched with pleasure as the lamb nuzzled under the ewe’s belly, its tail wagging and its mouth locked onto its mammy’s long red teat, while the noise of its sucking echoed in that quiet morning air.

Emily loved it here. The bottom field was the furthest from the house and the prettiest of all. With the ragged hedges of dog roses and other wild flowers spilling their colour across the skyline, and the soft ripple of water as it meandered along, she thought this must be as close to Paradise as anybody could get.

Here in this idyllic place, alone or with John, she could sit and think, and wonder, and hope that one day her Uncle Clem would leave and their world would be happy again.

For now though, as the lambs skipped about her, she held out her arms and embracing the smallest of the flock, she gazed into its big dark eyes. The love in her heart spilled over. ‘His name is John,’ she whispered into its woolly ear. ‘We like each other a lot, and one day, maybe we’ll get married.’ Her face flushed a bashful pink. ‘Oh, I don’t mean he’s told me that’s what he wants, but I can feel it,’ she said to the wriggling creature. ‘At least, I
hope
he wants to marry me, because I don’t think I’ll ever want to marry anybody else.’