still resisted, arousing him, his actions becoming frantic as his fists beat again and again into her soft flesh. She was a woman, fighting him, and he punished her, his teeth sinking into her flesh.
At last she lay compliant and he loved it. He had won, she was helpless – his to control now as he forced her legs apart. He thrust inside her, groaning with pleasure, mindless as he sought the release he craved.
When had she become so still? Kevin had no idea, only aware, when he was finished, of Mary’s motionless body beneath him. In the darkness he ran his hands over her, the breath leaving his body with relief when he felt her ribcage move. Christ, for a moment he thought he’d killed her.
His relief was short-lived as panic set in. Bloody hell, he was still in trouble. He’d raped her, beaten her. Staggering to his feet, he rushed blindly through the trees, thinking only of self-preservation.
Mary would go to the police, tell them she’d been raped, but what else could she tell them? Think, man! Think!
She didn’t know his name; with the job in mind he’d been careful to give her a false one. Had he mentioned where he lived? No, of course he hadn’t. His mind raced with his feet. How many people had seen them together? There had only been a couple of customers in the pub, old men playing cribbage, but the landlord might remember him and give a description.
Kevin’s thoughts were still raging as he broke free of the woods, relieved to find himself close to the small car park. His car! Bloody hell, could they trace him through his car? He rushed towards it, diving into the passenger seat, at the same time realising that without them knowing the number plates, it would be unlikely.
He had to get away and quickly! Frantically gunning the engine to life, he roared out onto the narrow country road, sweat pouring down his face and almost blinding him as he screeched away around a corner.
Bessie locked the shop. She hadn’t seen Pearl for a few days and was missing the girl. Pearl had been married for a few months now, and though she hadn’t appeared happy at first, nowadays it seemed that everything in the garden was rosy.
They were still living with Dolly and, despite Pearl’s protestations, Bessie thought Kevin was a lazy sod. He wasn’t well, Pearl insisted, suffering from nerves, but Bessie didn’t believe it. What did Kevin Dolby have to be nervous about? He’d been mollycoddled since childhood, spoiled rotten, and in her opinion it was just another excuse to avoid getting a job.
Bessie went upstairs, the empty living room cheerless as she walked in. Pearl had lived with her for only a short time, but since she’d left it emphasised her loneliness. Still, she had a card reading to do, and maybe Pearl would pop over to see her later.
She had barely made herself a cup of tea when the client arrived. Taking her into the living room, Bessie began to set the scene. She sat the woman opposite her at the table and then took out her cards, unwrapping them from a deep purple silk cloth. With a serious expression on her face she began to shuffle them, the cards old and worn after so much use. She then handed them to the client, the woman looking deeply worried as she took them. Bessie studied her, and judging by her age felt the consultation might be due to marital problems.
When the cards were returned she laid them out, glancing at the woman as she said, ‘Ah, I see a dark-haired man, one you may have worries about.’
‘Yes, that’d be my husband,’ the woman replied eagerly, her back straightening in the chair.
Bessie hid a smile. She had hit on the problem almost immediately, making this reading easy. ‘You care deeply for this man,’ she offered.
‘Yeah, I do,’ she said sadly.
Bessie fished again, hoping she was right. ‘You’re suspicious about something, perhaps an affair?’
The woman’s eyes filled with tears and, nodding, she sobbed, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket. ‘Yes,’ she whispered.
Bessie turned another card, surprised to feel a sudden flash of intuition. ‘You’re wrong, he isn’t having an affair.’
‘But … but he hasn’t been himself lately. Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I’m sure. I think it’s his health that’s worrying him, and maybe you should talk to him about it.’
‘Oh, no! It ain’t anything serious, is it?’
‘The cards aren’t clear, but I don’t think so.’ She placed a card across the last one, smiling softly. ‘I see a good marriage, a strong marriage, and if your husband hasn’t mentioned his concerns, it’s because he wants to protect you from worry.’
‘Oh God,’ the woman said, ‘and here I am thinking that just because he ain’t touched me lately, he’s having it off on the side.’ She rose swiftly to her feet. ‘Thanks, Bessie, but I don’t want to hear any more. I just want to go home and talk to him. I’ve been giving the poor sod a rough time, and now I know that he doesn’t deserve it I feel awful.’
As the woman opened her purse, Bessie held up a palm. ‘No, love, it was only a short reading and there’s no need to pay.’
‘Thanks, it’s kind of you,’ the woman said.
She hurried from the room and Bessie had a job to keep up with her as she ran downstairs. She let her out, calling goodbye and then, puffing, returned to the living room. With a sigh she picked up the cards, shuffling them as her mind moved. The flash of intuition had come in handy, making the reading an easy one, but she couldn’t help feeling a little concerned about the woman’s husband. She hoped his illness wasn’t serious, her intuition unclear about that, but at least now he would have his wife’s support.
Bessie glanced at the clock, once again wondering if Pearl would pop over, and then, as she absentmindedly laid a card on the table, intuition flashed again. Her face stretched in horrified surprise as she stared at the card. She didn’t want to see it, wanted to shut it out, hastily returning the card to the pack.
Pearl smiled as Kevin stretched out beside her. He had changed so much during the last few months, hardly ever going out now, and since he’d persuaded his mother to buy another television for their bedroom, they spent every evening together.
They still hadn’t made love, but Pearl didn’t mind. In her eighth month of pregnancy her stomach was huge and she found it difficult to sit or lay comfortably.
She still worked in the kitchen, but for the first time there was a common consensus between Pearl and her mother-in-law, and that was their concern over Kevin’s nerves. She still felt Dolly’s animosity towards her, but at least she was used to it now and mostly able to ignore it.
Kevin was a little better, but there was a marked change in his personality that worried them. His swagger had gone, his confidence, and he was far too quiet. Not only that, his car, once his pride and joy, sat dirty and unused in the yard.
Pearl turned carefully onto her side, snuggling closer, her tummy pressed against him. ‘Emergency – Ward Ten is on in a minute.’
He moved away as if repulsed by her stomach. ‘Huh, it’s a load of old claptrap. I prefer The Adventures of Robin Hood.’
‘Richard Greene is a bit of all right.’
‘If you say so,’ he said, swinging his feet to the floor and surprising her when he added, ‘I’m popping out to buy a packet of fags. I won’t be long.’
As Kevin left the room, Pearl turned onto her back again, feeling a twinge of pain. It soon passed and for while she was able to concentrate on her favourite programme, but then another small pain had her squirming uncomfortably. She’d had this before, and Dolly had told her the baby was probably pressing on a nerve. Thankfully the episodes were short-lived, and as she shifted into another position,