Page 74 of The Midnight Secret

‘If you’re thinking of doing what I think you’re thinking...don’t. Don’t tell her.’

‘But if she knew he was humiliating her like this—’

‘It’s none of our business. It’s their marriage. Jayne’s no fool.’

‘No, but she’s naive! And too loyal. She’s too good for him. Even when he beats her black and blue, she defends him! Doesn’t she see she’s protecting him by staying silent?’

Effie put her hands on his arms, seeing his agitation. ‘David, if you want to be her friend, you’ll trust her to do what’s best. She married him for better or for worse.’

‘And she’s got worse than she could have dreamt!’

‘You’ve got totrusther.’

David shook his head. ‘You don’t understand, Eff! He’s a dangerous man. Far more dangerous than you think. It doesn’t stop with wife-beating with him.’

Effie looked at him, alarmed. ‘What do you mean?’ she frowned.

He looked away, raking both hands through his hair, squeezing his elbows in front of his face. What wasn’t he saying?

‘...David?’ she pressed.

He stepped back suddenly. ‘I’ve got to go.’

‘No – what did you mean by that? Tell me! David!’ she called as he strode away, arms swinging.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he said, disappearing into the darkness so that all that remained with Effie was the fading sound of his footsteps and a feeling of dread.

Chapter Twenty

MHAIRI

6 January 1931

Lochaline

The bus door opened with a hiss and Mhairi stepped down into a puddle. She waited where she was as the door closed and the bus pulled away with a groan, continuing on up the lane until it summited the low hill and disappeared down the far side.

Mhairi stood at the small junction and looked at the row of white houses, gates askew from where the children blew in and out like autumn leaves, lights shining from almost every window. Bicycles were propped against the walls and buckets sat beside the coal boxes, ready to be filled. Her own house lay at the end of the row and she saw the rosebushes her mother had been so excited about planting, now in the ground ready for next summer; a small ball lying on the grass...

Mhairi walked slowly up to the gate. It creaked on the hinge – she had forgotten that – and she was halfway up the path when she saw a face appear at the upstairs window. Even silhouetted, she recognized her little sister Red Annieat a glance, and she could almost hear the girl’s gasp through the glass.

She disappeared in the next moment, and Mhairi had scarcely got to the front door before it flew open and Annie was leaping into her arms. Mhairi laughed, dropping her bag as she hugged her sister back. She was braced for a cold reception and she was surprised at how comforting a child’s hug could be. She nuzzled her face in Annie’s hair, so like her own, and smelled within it all the scents of home.

By the time they pulled apart, the others had heard the commotion and were gathering at the door. Wee Murran stood there holding a wooden train toy, an impressive scab on his knee; Christina, the next oldest after Mhairi, had a book in her hand. Her big brother Fin, holding three-year old Alasdair on his shoulders, pushed a new pair of spectacles up his nose.

‘Hello, everybody,’ she said quietly, her eyes searching for her parents in the background but finding no sign of them.

There was a pause and the younger ones looked over at Fin, as the eldest assembled there and therefore the default authority.

‘You’d better come in,’ he said, stepping back so the others could do the same.

Mhairi followed him through to the front room. The fire was lit, even though they had radiators, and she set down her bag, taking in all the changes accrued during her absence. A framed needlepoint she suspected was Christina’s handiwork decorated a corner of the wall. There was a small bookshelf half-filled with books, and a rug had been laid on the floor, which was currently covered with wooden building blocks.

Fin put Alasdair back down on the ground and he toddledover to them as Mhairi set down her bag and shrugged off her coat. She was aware of the way Christina and Fin were looking at her, as if she had two heads, and she realized David must have told them what she and Donald had revealed to him on Boxing Day. They hadn’t sworn him to secrecy on the matter and he was no tittle-tattle, she knew that; he must have done it in the hopes of somehow pleading their case with her parents and the rest of the community.

‘Mhairi, we weren’t expecting y—’ Fin began.

‘I didn’t give warning,’ she replied, just as a commotion in the hall made them turn and Mad Annie burst through, followed a few moments later by Ma Peg.

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