Classic Bestsellers from Josephine Cox: Bumper Collection

Throwing her aside, he paused, his eyes drawn to the necklace round her throat. ‘Looks to me like you don’t need any money.’

‘What do you mean?’ His mood unnerved her. ‘I’ve earned every penny of what you owe me, and I want it. Now, if you please!’

‘If you’re so desperate for money, why don’t you sell that!’ His wicked gaze focused on the necklace; a sparkling thing with a single hanging jewel. ‘Looks to me like it’s worth a bob or two.’

Beginning to think he was entirely mad, she put her hand over her necklace. ‘It was a gift. I’m not selling it. I want the money you owe me. Just hand it over and let me go.’

Eager to be gone, she was half-tempted to leave without her money, but her pride kept her there a moment too long, because suddenly he snatched at the necklace and ripped it from her neck.

‘If you value this trinket so much, you’ll have to go fishing for it.’ And to her horror, he threw it as far into the field as he could, laughing when it landed face-up in a boggy dip. ‘You’ll need to get your feet wet, though.’

‘You bastard!’ Pummelling him with her fists she was taken by surprise when he merely smiled and walked off.

For a moment she stood there, her attention divided between him and the necklace. ‘GET IT BACK, YOU BASTARD!’ When he took no notice but kept right on walking, she made to go through the gate, but finding it locked had to scramble over, unaware that he had stopped only a few feet away, hidden behind the trees, out of sight yet able to see everything.

The bulls were lazing not too far away. Now, sensing that their territory was being invaded, the larger of the two rolled over and up, to emerge agitated, from the thicket. The other looked on, but made no immediate move.

The woman was only a short distance from the gate when she saw the beast regarding her with its bright, angry eyes. ‘Oh, dear God!’ The bull held her gaze for that split second before she turned to run, and then it was after her, its long strides covering the ground with amazing speed.

She had managed to make it to the gate when its thick short horns jabbed at her body, mangling her dress and slicing her leg from knee to ankle. Terrified and bleeding badly, she forced herself upwards, loudly yelling for help, and fearing for her life as the bull prepared to come at her again.

As she clung on, her senses beginning to slip away, she saw Clem looking across. ‘Help me!’ Sobbing, more afraid than she had ever been in her life, she implored him: ‘Please help me!’

With a hostile stare, he coldly abandoned her.

Only feet away now, the maddened creature pawed at the ground for a second or two before charging towards her, intent on finishing her off. Weakening by the minute, she summoned every ounce of strength, trying to pull herself over the top of the gate. It was too late. She felt the butt of the bull’s head against her leg, the sharp sear of pain, and a feeling that it was all over for her.

‘Hang on to me!’

Hearing her cries, Danny reached down and snatched her away. ‘It’s all right,’ he told her. ‘You’re safe now, miss.’

In the farmhouse, Aggie set Cathleen a task in the bedroom. ‘You fold the towels and put them in a neat pile,’ she instructed, ‘while I find the lady a suitable dress to wear. It won’t be as fine as her own, but it’ll get her home with dignity.’

‘What’s dignity?’

Aggie thought on that for a moment. ‘It’s when you feel right, and you know others feel the same about you.’ That was as far as she could explain it.

‘Who hurt the lady?’ All Cathleen knew was that when they heard the cries, Danny had run to help. ‘Was it the bull? Did she go in the field?’

‘Yes, she did!’ Aggie wagged a finger. ‘It was a foolish thing to do, and now you know why I’m allus telling you never to go anywhere near that place.’

‘I don’t, Grandma.’ The child’s eyes grew big with fright. ‘I don’t want the bulls to get me.’

‘That’s right, lass. So you think on. Stay well away from there.’

Downstairs, Emily washed and cleaned the wound. ‘It could have been worse,’ she observed. ‘If you hadn’t been so near to the gate, that bull would likely have finished you off in minutes.’ Going carefully, she dabbed at the wound and staunched the bleeding. ‘Whatever possessed you to go into that field?’

‘It was him.’ Grateful for all they had done for her, the woman, whose name was Ruby, couldn’t help but wonder why decent folks like these allowed a man like Clem Jackson to live anywhere near. ‘He deliberately threw my necklace into the field, then watched while I tried to get it back.’ It was hard to believe, even of him, but, ‘He hid behind the trees and watched while that beast tried to kill me.’ She started to cry.

Emily and Danny exchanged glances. It was a hard way for this woman to find out what Clem was really like, Emily thought. God forgive her, but she herself still harboured murder in her heart for what he had done to her.

On hearing what had happened, Danny went out looking for Clem. He searched the outhouse and the barn, and walked the whole way round the perimeter of the farmyard. But there was no sign of him.

Passing the field for the second time, he saw the necklace glittering in the mud; not too far away, the bull was keeping watch. ‘Hmh! I’m certainly not going in there to rattle him again,’ Danny said aloud. He knew if he did, he would be taking his life in his hands.

He thought it out, noticing two things in the meantime. Firstly there was a tree whose branches overhung a small area close to the bog. And secondly, the overhanging branches appeared stout enough to hold his weight.

Convinced he had found the answer, he made his way over there, collected a fallen, sturdy branch, climbed the tree and going as far out as he dared to the edge of the thicker branch, he reached down and hooked up the necklace. He managed to get it halfway up to him, when it slipped off again.

Cursing, he hooked it again and this time he had it in his grasp. ‘Gotcha!’ Climbing down from the tree, he saw Aggie coming towards him. ‘I’ve managed to get the necklace,’ he told her. ‘It needs a bit of a wipe, mind.’ Handing it to her, he said, ‘I’ve been round here God knows how many times and I can’t catch sight of him. I’ll have another look. I shan’t let him get away with this.’

‘No. Leave it, Danny! I don’t want you messing with him.’

Though he respected her wishes, Danny found it hard to understand. ‘The man wants telling,’ he replied, his eyes burning with anger. ‘What he did was shocking! That poor woman might have been killed.’

‘All the same, I’d rather you didn’t go after him.’

By nature Aggie was a private person. Although Emily had probably told him all about it, she could not bring herself to explain the way it was with Clem – the huge amount of money they owed him; the terrible hold he had on all of them; the fear of eviction they lived under day after day.

Then there was the other thing. The thing that gave her nightmares. The thing she could never talk about to anyone.

All she could say was, ‘I know how you feel, Danny, but it’s best to leave him be. I want no trouble. None of us do.’

He was surprised at her stand, but the last thing he wanted to do was to go against her. ‘If that’s what you really want,’ he said. ‘Only remember I’m here for you if you need me.’

‘I know, and I thank you for that.’ Danny had long been like a son to her.

He gave a reluctant nod. ‘How’s the woman?’

‘Yon Ruby will have a pretty scar for some long time, but she’ll be all right, thanks to you.’

They walked back to the farmhouse together, talking more easily now – about Emily mostly. ‘She’s a grand lass.’ Aggie never lost an opportunity to sing Emily’s praises to him. ‘I’m hoping to see the day you and her get wed.’

‘You know how I feel about that, Mrs Ramsden.’

‘Aggie!’ she corrected. ‘Haven’t I allus told you to call me Aggie?’ Lightening the mood, she told him, ‘I think I might just manage to find a new hat for the occasion. The last time I treated meself was for me own wedding – and Queen Victoria still ruled over us all then, God bless her. I should think the moth’s got to it by now and it’ll be riddled with holes. Would be handy to stick me feathers an’ hatpins in, though, wouldn’t it?’

They were still laughing when they arrived back at the house.

Emily was putting the finishing touches to Ruby’s bandage. ‘I’m about finished,’ she said as the others came into the room. ‘I’ve done as much as I can.’

Grey-faced and still shaken by her experience, the unfortunate woman was sipping tea, while Cathleen dutifully stood by with the dress which Aggie told her to look after.

‘You’re welcome to use my bedroom to get changed,’ Emily told her, and that was what Ruby did, emerging some short time later looking far more splendid than Aggie ever did in the blue flowered dress. ‘By! It’s been years since I wore that dress,’ Aggie sighed. ‘I were younger and slimmer then, but even at that I never looked like you do now. You’re a pretty thing, Ruby, an’ no mistake. So what in God’s name are you doing messing with a scoundrel like my brother?’

‘I didn’t know he was such a scoundrel,’ the woman replied in self-defence. ‘If I had, I’d never have gone with him.’

Aggie had been showing the necklace to Emily and now, as Emily fastened it round the woman’s neck, she said, ‘It’s a beautiful thing. I don’t blame you for trying to get it back.’