Tangled Threads (21 page)

‘’Course I can. I learnt on Ted’s.’

Eveleen glared at him. Yet another skill that Jimmy had learned under Ted Morton’s guidance. She wished everything that Ted had taught him could have been as useful.

Andrew confided in a whisper, ‘And I was daft enough to lend ’im a bicycle an’ all. Now he’s going to be riding alongside Rebecca all day. I don’t know which would
be worse. Ridin’ beside her but knowin’ he’s on her other side or not being able to be with her at all.’

‘Oh dear, you have got it bad.’ Eveleen tried to tease him out of his despondency, but the only reward for her pains was a baleful glare from the lovesick young man.
‘Don’t worry,’ she tried to reassure him. ‘When my uncle gets here, I expect Rebecca and I will have to ride alongside him.’

But when Harry arrived riding his own bicycle, sitting very upright so that his bowler hat did not fall off, he solemnly led off the procession from the green and did not appear to have noticed
that his daughter was riding between two very attentive young admirers.

It was, as Rebecca had remarked, a beautiful day. The sun was high in a cloudless sky as the cyclists forged ahead, shouting and laughing with the horsedrawn wagons plodding
along behind them. They passed through the village and came to the place where the brook, bordered by trees and bushes, meandered through the fields.

Already she could hear the shouts and squeals as the youngsters took off their boots and stockings and paddled in the cold water. When the wagons arrived with the rest of the party, the younger
children ran about the meadow, shrieking and laughing, like caged wild birds suddenly set free. Eveleen smiled. She could remember herself and Jimmy on their one and only outing to the sea, running
across the sand to the sea to dance like mad things at the water’s edge, playing catch-us-if-you-can with the waves rolling on to the shore. Now she watched indulgently as the youngsters
pranced about at the edge of the brook, daring each other to put a toe into the water.

She turned to see Andrew offering his hand to Rebecca to help prop her cycle against a tree while Jimmy fetched the wicker basket that she had packed for their picnic from one of the wagons.
Andrew offered her his arm and, when Rebecca put her hand through it, Eveleen saw the look of triumph that the young man threw at his rival, who was struggling with the heavy basket.

If it had not been for her niggling worry about her brother and Rebecca and the trouble it might cause, Eveleen would have been amused by the antics of the two young men.

Andrew spread a rug on the grass for Rebecca to sit on, while Jimmy placed a cushion behind her. Andrew handed her the parasol he had been carrying for her. Jimmy opened the basket and offered
her a cooling drink.

Eveleen had never seen her brother playing the courteous suitor and soon her concerns were pushed aside by the comedy being played out. She saw Rebecca glance around her, but her father was
taking a walk along the banks of the brook, one of the local preachers at his side. They were deep in conversation, no doubt on chapel business, Eveleen thought, so engrossing, it seemed, that for
once he had completely forgotten about his daughter.

Rebecca, seeing her father at a safe distance, lay back against the cushions. The two young men glared at each other and then sat down, one on either side of her. They lay down too.

Andrew snuggled his shoulder close to hers. Boldly Jimmy took hold of her hand. Rebecca closed her eyes and Andrew’s eyelids began to droop.

Only Jimmy lay staring up at the bright sky above them.

Eveleen sighed and leant back against a tree, resting her head against its gnarled trunk. She felt comfortably, blissfully drowsy in the warm sun with only the sound in the distance of the
children’s laughter as they played among the trees and splashed in the brook. A light breeze rustled the leaves above her and bumble bees buzzed close by . . .

‘There’s a fight in the woods. Come and see.’

At the sound of a voice close by, Eveleen awoke with a start.

The young lad who had made the announcement was already running back towards the trees on the far side of the meadow. All the youngsters, the children and youths and girls, rose with one accord
and began to run too.

Eveleen glanced round. The rug where she had last seen Rebecca and her two admirers was unoccupied. Feeling as if her heart was rising into her mouth, Eveleen scrambled up. Instinctively she
knew that the fight would be between Jimmy and Andrew.

Eveleen began to run.

‘Come on. Through here.’ The lad leading the way was already crashing through the undergrowth, brushing aside branches in his excitement. ‘This way.’ He panted out an
explanation to those nearest to him as he ran. ‘Burns started it. He found Hardcastle in the woods with his girl. Kissing and carrying on, they were. There’s going to be fireworks when
her father finds out.’ For the sake of those who had not already guessed, he added triumphantly, ‘It’s Rebecca Singleton.’

When they arrived at a small clearing and ranged themselves around its edges, the fight was still going on. Already, Jimmy’s nose was bleeding and Andrew had a cut above his left eye. But
neither seemed to feel, or even be aware of, their injuries. They stalked around each other like fighting cocks. A sudden flurry of punches was exchanged, bringing exclamations from the
watchers.

‘Go on, Andrew, smash his face in.’

‘My money’s on you, Jimmy. Go on.’

Several of the lads watching were already inching forwards, punching the air themselves as if they were already involved.

Jimmy stepped forward and landed a punch directly on Andrew’s nose. He fell to the ground while Jimmy stood over him, victorious. The shouts around them grew louder but Andrew was already
struggling to regain his feet. Jimmy stood back and allowed his opponent to get up, but the lad, though upright, was unsteady, swaying backwards and forwards. One more punch and . . .

Eveleen pushed her way through the crowd and ran towards them. ‘Stop it. Stop it, this minute.’

She ran between them, turning towards Jimmy, trying to protect Andrew from any further punishment. With his blood up and intent on his adversary, Jimmy did not see her and the punch intended for
Andrew’s chin landed instead on Eveleen.

She fell, face downwards, and lay quite still.

At once their fight was forgotten as both youths bent over her prostrate form.

As if through a thick blanket of fog, Eveleen heard Jimmy shouting at her and felt him shaking her shoulder. ‘You stupid thing, Evie. What did you do that for?’

Then everything seemed to go very dark.

Eveleen could not understand why her bed felt so hard and cold and why, as she slowly opened her eyes, she could see sunlight filtering through the trees and hear the rustling
of leaves. Then she became aware of voices around her and of someone stroking her head. She opened her eyes, saw faces peering down at her and heard Rebecca say, ‘Oh, Evie, please wake up.
Please be all right.’

Then she heard another voice, louder and angrier.

‘What’s going on? Make way.’

Harry was standing over her, a towering giant of disapproval.

‘They was fighting, mister.’ A village lad, too young to be at work yet and therefore ignorant of Harry Singleton and his harsh rules, piped up. ‘It was that Jimmy Hardcastle
and Andrew Burns.’ The boy’s grin widened. ‘They was fighting over your Rebecca, mister.’

‘What?’ Harry grabbed the informer, as if it was his fault. ‘What’s that you say? Fighting over my daughter? What do you mean? Speak up.’

The boy squirmed in his grasp. ‘Le’ go, I’ll get my dad on to you.’

There were sniggers around them. The boy’s father was a stockinger at the workshops and would not get involved in an argument with Harry Singleton if he valued his livelihood. Harry
released the boy, pushing him away from him so that the youngster fell to the ground. The boy scrambled up and shoved his way through the crowd, realizing, too late, his mistake in opening his
mouth. It would earn him a hiding from his father.

Harry reached down and hauled Eveleen to her feet. Already the side of her jaw was swelling. ‘What’s all this about, Eveleen? I demand to know.’ He glanced at his daughter.
‘Rebecca?’

‘Nothing, Father. It was just Jimmy and Andrew being silly. They – they were just messing about and then it – sort of – got out of hand.’ Her voice faltered and
faded away and she hung her head to hide her face, now no longer flushed with excitement but fiery with shame and embarrassment.

Eveleen put her hand to her head. The earth still felt as if it were swimming around her. All she wanted was to lie down somewhere and go to sleep. She felt sick too.

Harry released her and she swayed, threatening to fall again, but Rebecca put her arm about Eveleen’s waist to support her. ‘Please,’ the girl whispered, close to
Eveleen’s ear. ‘Please don’t tell him, Evie.’

Tell him what? Eveleen thought stupidly, her thoughts still reeling.

Then, as her senses began to return, she asked, ‘Where – where are they?’

‘Gone. They fled when they saw Father coming.’

Eveleen closed her eyes and shook her head a little, trying to clear it. ‘Just as well,’ she said tartly. ‘But wait till I catch up with the pair of them, never mind your
dad.’

‘Whatever were you thinking of?’

When they arrived home, Eveleen grabbed her brother and hauled him into a corner of the yard, anger giving her strength.

‘I’m sorry, Evie, I didn’t mean for you to get hurt. You shouldn’t have stepped between us like that.’

‘I’m not bothered about that.’ Eveleen brushed aside her own discomfort and the swelling bruise on her jaw. ‘Are you stupid? Uncle Harry knows now, doesn’t
he?’

‘It was him. Burns. He started it,’ Jimmy muttered morosely.

‘I don’t care who started it. What I want to know is, what’s going on between you and Rebecca? I’ve warned you before. You’ll get us thrown out of here.’

‘So what?’

‘So what? You ask me “so what”? Are you stupid, Jimmy Hardcastle?’

‘Oh leave off, Evie. You’re getting as bad as him. Preaching. You’ll be standing in that pulpit alongside the minister soon.’ He pulled away from her. ‘I’m
going out.’

‘You’ll do no such thing.’ She lunged at him, trying to catch hold of him again, but he stepped smartly away. ‘You’ll come to Chapel tonight, Jimmy. At least that
might—’

‘Oh no, I won’t. ’Bye, Sis. I’ll be late home. I’m keeping out of his way till he’s calmed down a bit.’ Safely out of her reach now, he grinned cheekily
and added, ‘Say one for me.’

‘It’s more than one you’ll be needing, Jimmy Hardcastle.’ Eveleen shouted after him. ‘I’d wear me knees out before I’d said enough to save you.’
But he was gone, banging the gate behind him.

Shaking her head in exasperation, she opened the door into the cottage to be met by the full force of her uncle’s wrath.

‘I want him out of here.’ He shook his fist in her face as if she were to blame for all the trouble. Eveleen faced him bravely, though her heart was thudding painfully. Out of the
corner of her eye, she could see her mother sitting in the chair by the fire, her head in her hands. ‘He’s not to go near Rebecca again. As for Burns, well, I’ll deal with
him.’

Eveleen licked her lips. ‘Uncle Harry,’ she said, with far more calmness than she felt. ‘I’m sure Jimmy and Rebecca are only friends. Just—’

‘Oh aye. And do “just friends” lie on the ground, deep in a wood, kissing and—’

Eveleen felt the flush creep up her neck and face. ‘Who told you that?’

‘Rebecca, of course. I got it out of her. She’s in her room. I’ve warned her, I’ll take me belt to her if I catch her even speaking to either of them again.’

‘It was wrong of them. But . . .’ Before Eveleen realized what she was saying, her rash tongue was asking, ‘But are you going to keep Rebecca locked away from young fellers all
her life? She’s seventeen. Surely . . . ?’

Harry’s face was contorted with rage. ‘You dare to question me, girl,’ he thundered and began to raise his hand. For a moment Eveleen thought he was going to strike her, but
then he seemed to be aware of what he had been about to do and, with a supreme effort, the big man controlled himself. Instead, he shook his fist close to her face. ‘While you live under my
roof, you’ll do as I say. You hear me?’

‘I hear you, Uncle,’ Eveleen said, her quiet tones a deliberate contrast to his wrath.

‘I want him out of this house,’ Harry said again. ‘I’ll not sack him this time, but if he dares to try anything again, he’s out. In fact, you’re all
out.’ He glanced around at Mary, but she made no move, gave no sign that she had even heard his threats. ‘Now.’ Eveleen could see that he was making an effort to control his
temper. ‘I’m going to the chapel. I’ll expect you to be there for the special service in half an hour. All of you.’ He jerked his thumb upwards indicating his wayward
daughter sent to her room in disgrace. ‘And mind she comes, Eveleen. I’m counting on you.’

As the door slammed behind him Eveleen looked helplessly at her mother. It was gong to be a hard enough job to get Mary and, possibly, Rebecca too to the chapel in time for the service Harry
evidently always insisted should be held after every Chapel outing. As for Jimmy, she had no chance.

Andrew Burns was already seated with his mother in their usual pew when Eveleen entered, pushing a reluctant Mary in front of her. Rebecca, her head down, followed dutifully.
She, more than any of them, knew what her father would be like if she dared to disobey him again. Eveleen glanced at Andrew and saw that his left eye was swollen and closed. It looked raw and
painful and his mother kept darting anxious glances at him. But the young man stared sullenly ahead and did not even acknowledge the presence of the girl over whom he had been fighting. Eveleen
hoped that perhaps he had learned his lesson and would leave Rebecca alone. Moments later she was on her knees praying fervently that this was so.

As for Jimmy, well, she would think of a way to deal with him.