Family Drama 4 E-Book Bundle

He shook his head sadly. ‘It’s madness, if you ask me, but it seems you’ve made up your mind. I just hope that I can still persuade Dolly to move.’

Dolly didn’t surface until the following morning, her long hair hanging lacklustre down her back, and her complexion wan.

‘How are you feeling, love?’ Bernie asked as he lowered his newspaper.

‘I’m all right.’

‘Did you take your pill?’

‘Not yet.’

‘Well then, how about having a cup of tea and a couple of slices of toast first?’

‘I’ll do it,’ Pearl offered, rising to her feet with the baby in her arms.

‘Can I hold him?’ Dolly asked.

With Bernie in the room, Pearl didn’t mind, ‘Of course you can.’

Bernie waited until Pearl left the room and then leaned forward, speaking earnestly. ‘Dolly, how do you feel about moving out of the area? We could sell up and buy a little tearoom in the West Country. Nobody would know about us and it’d be a fresh start.’

‘But that’s miles away! No, I need to be near Kevin.’

‘Dolly, he’s in prison and doesn’t want to see you.’

‘I know that, but he’s sure to come round. When he does, I’ll be able to visit him.’

‘Maybe, but even so, you won’t be able to see him every day. I’m only talking about moving to Devon or Cornwall, not Timbuktu.’

With infinite gentleness Dolly stroked the baby’s cheek. ‘It might be nice for Johnny to grow up in the country.’

Bernie knew there was no putting it off. Pearl had made up her mind to leave and he couldn’t see her staying for much longer. ‘No, love, Pearl won’t be coming with us. She’s moving in with Bessie.’

A spark returned to Dolly’s eyes, her voice indignant, ‘She can’t take Johnny away from us. We’re his grandparents.’

‘She can, love. Now that the marriage is over, Pearl can do what she likes.’

‘Who said it’s over? Pearl is still Kevin’s wife and it’s her duty to wait for him until he comes out of prison.’

‘Dolly, for Gawd’s sake, you’re talking rot! He beat up a man, raped a woman and, if you ask me, Pearl’s better off without him.’

Before his eyes, Bernie saw the transformation in his wife’s demeanour. The spark in her eyes turned to fire as she spat, ‘He didn’t rape that woman, and I am not talking rot. Like it or not, Pearl must stay with us. I’ve already lost my son, and I don’t intend to lose my grandson too.’

‘It’s Pearl’s decision,’ Bernie said.

‘She’ll move in with Bessie over my dead body.’

‘Dolly …’

‘Enough! I don’t want to hear another word about it.’ Dolly stood up and, finding a clean nappy, she laid the baby on the rug to change him.

Pearl came back into the room, carefully balancing a tray, smiling at her son’s antics. He loved being free of the binding, his chubby legs kicking, and hands waving before going down to pull on his little penis. Dolly slapped it away, her voice loud. ‘Stop that, you dirty little boy,’ she cried. ‘Bad boy, it’s nasty to do that.’ Then, seeing Pearl, she added, ‘What’s this about you moving in with Bessie Penfold?’

Dolly looked surprised when Pearl slammed the tray down before moving swiftly to her side. She picked the baby up, her face and voice tight, ‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘Well you can forget it.’

‘But—’

‘No buts. You’re Kevin’s wife and your place is with us. Bernie has suggested that we move out of the area and I think it’s a good idea. Mind you, Devon or Cornwall is a bit far, but Dorset would be all right. It’ll be lovely for Johnny to grow up in the country and while we’re waiting for Kevin to come home, we can all work together in a nice little tearoom.’

Bernie held his breath, but Pearl didn’t argue, just saying, ‘Johnny needs a wash and then I’ll get him dressed.’

Dolly, he saw, had a smile of satisfaction on her face. ‘See, I soon sorted her out. Right, Bernie, let’s see about getting this place on the market.’

Bernie heaved a sigh. He should have stood up for Pearl but, like Dolly, he didn’t want to leave their grandson behind. ‘So, you fancy Dorset then?’

‘Yes, and the more I think about it, the better it sounds. We can offer sandwiches and home-made cakes, served on pretty china. There’ll be no more getting up at the crack of dawn to cook flaming breakfasts. Oh, I can just see it, Bernie. Lovely fresh white linen tablecloths and small vases of flowers on the tables.’

‘Sounds good to me, love.’

‘I’ll be able to spend a lot more time with Johnny.’

Whilst they happily made plans, unbeknown to them, Pearl was rapidly making her own. She was stuffing clothes into bags before hiding them in the bottom of the wardrobe. She’d wait until that night, wait until her in-laws were asleep, and then she was getting out of there.

Chapter Thirty-Six (#ulink_0f17ab20-75b2-5288-a90b-a4f028890d68)

The house was silent. Pearl’s nerves were jumping as she crept downstairs. She had taken all she could carry, stuffing bags into the pram, and now, fully loaded, she carefully opened the street door. With infinite care she closed it behind her, stepping outside into the dark night. She was leaving, her shoulders stiff with resolution. Dolly was back to normal, laying down the law, but Kevin had told her to keep Johnny away from his mother, and she intended to do just that. She was going to Bessie’s, and there was no way Dolly Dolby was going to drag her back.

Pearl banged on Bessie’s door again and again, relieved when at last she opened it.

‘Bloody hell, love, what are you doing here at this time of night?’

‘I’m sorry, Bessie, but I had to get away.’

‘All right, come on in, but why didn’t you wait until the morning?’

‘Dolly’s back to normal and if I hadn’t sneaked out now, there’s no way she would let me leave.’

‘She couldn’t have kept you a prisoner.’

‘Dolly’s capable of anything,’ Pearl said as she put the brake on the pram, leaving Johnny asleep as she lugged her things upstairs. She then went down again to get her son, laying him gently on the sofa.

‘Right,’ Bessie said. ‘Start at the beginning.’

‘They’re going to sell up and move out of the area, and it’s as though the decision has given Dolly a new lease of life. Only yesterday she was a wreck, but now she’s back to laying down the law. She won’t accept that my marriage is over and insisted that I go with them to Devon or Cornwall.’

‘For goodness’ sake, Pearl, you’re not a child. You’re a grown woman and she can’t force you to go.’