Maddy suffer would be to hurt her child.
In the end, common sense prevailed, and Ellen had decided on her course of action. “All right, Maddy. I’ll do as you ask,” she promised. “I’ll take care of little Michael, and somehow, I’ll cover your tracks here.”
She crept back into Maddy’s room and gazed down on the tiny boy. “Your mammy said she would stay in touch,” she whispered, “and I know she will. Meantime, you will have me and Grandad Bob to look after you.”
Reaching down, she stroked his silky hair. “When the danger is over, your mammy will come back for you.” She thought of Maddy, of how loyal and loving she was, and how she had never asked to be put in such a frightening situation. “I promise you, Michael, your mammy won’t let us down. She loves you more than life itself, and she’ll be back for you one day.”
She smiled tenderly at him. “So we’ll wait here, you and me,” she breathed. “We’ll do exactly as your mammy would want. We’ll stay safe. And we’ll wait.”
But there was another worry niggling at her now. What on earth could she tell Grandad? He was nobody’s fool, so whatever story she cooked up, it would have to be convincing. She didn’t want him suspecting anything untoward, and getting involved. She gave a nervous glance toward the door. What if he should ever be involved? Dear me, no! That would never do.
So, while the young and the old slumbered on, Ellen laid back on Maddy’s bed where, drawing the covers over herself against the early morning chill, she thought of a plan.
It was eight-thirty when Grandad finally came down. “Good Lord!” Ruffling his red hair, he came into the kitchen and flopped down at the table. “Have you seen the time?” He was incredulous. “Half past eight! I can’t ever recall sleeping till this time of the morning. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because I’d already disturbed you once,” Ellen replied, placing a mug of freshly brewed tea before him and putting some toast under the grill. “And I expect that phone call disturbed you early on as well.”
He looked up, his brow furrowed with puzzlement. “What phone call?”
Ellen reached into the cupboard for the marmalade; she dared not look into his face, or he might see how she was lying. “It woke me an’ all,” she said innocently. “Half past six it was – frightened the life out of me. I’m surprised you didn’t hear it.”
“Who in God’s name was that, ringing here at that time of the morning? I hope you gave them an earful.”
“It was for Maddy.”
He took a long slow sip of his tea. “Oh, aye?”
“It was her old aunt from Bournemouth.”
He frowned. “An old aunt, eh? I don’t rightly know why I should think it, but I were under the impression that Maddy didn’t have no relatives?”
“Well, she hasn’t – except for this old aunt in Bournemouth. They were very close when Maddy was young but I don’t think they’ve seen each other in a long time, not since both her parents died.” She felt ashamed at lying to this darling old man. “Maddy always kept an eye on her from a distance, if you know what I mean.”
He nodded. “What, like birthdays and Christmas and that sort o’ thing?”
Ellen was relieved that he seemed to understand. “Yes, that’s it,” she said, giving him a plate with two buttered slices of toast. “Sometimes they talked on the phone, but that’s all. The old aunt respected that Maddy had a life of her own, and Maddy respected her wish for independence.”
“Aye, well, I can understand that.” He spread some marmalade on his toast and bit into it. “Sounds a bit like you and me, eh?” he mumbled. “We’ve allus been here for each other in times of need, but we’ve never lived in each other’s pocket, have we, lass?”
“That’s exactly right, Grandad,” Ellen answered brightly. “I hope you don’t mind, but when Maddy asked if it was all right to give her aunt this number in case she needed to get in touch, I said yes. I’m sorry if I did wrong.”
“Well, o’ course I don’t mind.” He glanced about. “Where’s Maddy now?”
“She’s gone.”
“Oh?” He grew anxious. “Is everything all right, lass?”
“Not really, Grandad, no.”
“Then you’d best tell me all about it.” He put down his mug and sat up, his face wreathed with concern. He had a feeling that Ellen was nervous about something or another, and it wasn’t altogether because she had given out his phone number. “Come on, lass,” he urged. “Out with it!”
Ellen gave her explanation. “It’s the old aunt I was just telling you about,” she said. “Her neighbor heard a noise, ran round and let himself in, to find her unconscious at the foot of the stairs. He sent for an ambulance, and then he looked in her notebook for Maddy’s number. He knew about Maddy, because the aunt often talked about her.” She had to be careful here, “Anyway, he tracked her down.”
“And is she all right? Do they know what happened? Did she take a tumble down the stairs or what?” Though he was sorry for the old dear, his first thoughts were for Maddy.
“Apparently, she can’t remember what happened, but she’s really shaken up. She’s covered in bruises and her arm’s broken at the elbow. And now she’s threatening to leave hospital and go home.” Ellen was amazed at how easily she could lie when necessary; though the bad feeling she had right now was not pleasant. This was the second time she had told an outright lie to someone she loved, and she hoped it would be the last, although one lie always led to another.
“She’s being very silly!” Grandad declared angrily, though to be honest, he would probably feel the very same if he was in her place. “She needs to stay where she is and get proper treatment. Besides, she won’t be able to manage at home, not with a broken arm she won’t. And who knows what other damage she’s done?”
He was admiring of Maddy. “It’s no wonder our Maddy took off at the drop of a hat. She’s a grand lass.” He smiled. “The pair of you make me right proud.” He set about making his toast.
Turning away, Ellen flushed pink with shame. If only he knew what lies I’ve told him, she thought, he wouldn’t be feeling so proud of me then.
“The old aunt’s not married then?” Grandad muttered through his toast and marmite.
“No.”
“Brothers, sisters?”
“Apparently not.”
“So, there are no children and no other folks to care for her?”
“No, Grandad. She lives completely on her own. Maddy is the only one she keeps in touch with.”
“I see. And Maddy’s gone to take care of her for a while, is that it?”
“That’s right, yes.”
“And what about the babby?”
“I told Maddy that I would take care of him – you and me together. If that’s all right with you, Grandad?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he declared soundly. “In times like these we all have to do our bit.”
“Me and Maddy both thought it would not be right for her to take little Michael with her straight away. If she can persuade her aunt to stay in hospital, she’ll come back for him, she said. She’ll stay at her aunt’s house with Michael, and visit the hospital every day if needs be.”
“Aye, lass, I understand all that. But even then it won’t be easy. What if her aunt takes a wrong turn and they send for Maddy in the middle of the night? She’ll have to wake the child and take him with her. On the other hand, if the old dear insists on coming home, Maddy will have her hands full taking care of them both.”
He tried to see it from Maddy’s point of view. “Yes, the pair of you did right in keeping the lad here with us. What’s more, I don’t think Maddy should come back for him, until her aunt is mending and settled. So, in my opinion, the sensible thing is for her to concentrate on the situation in hand, and let us get on with our bit at this end.”
“That’s exactly what we thought,” Ellen said, relieved. “And we mustn’t forget that little Michael has only recently stopped his regular checkups. He’s still a bit wobbly after that bad start he had.”
“That settles it then.” His face beaming with a smile, Bob informed Ellen, “When the lass calls, make sure you tell her that everything’s all right and she’s not to worry. The three of us will still be here, fine and dandy, when she gets back.”
“I will – and thank you, Grandad.”
Crossing the room, Ellen threw her arms round him. “I knew we could count on you.” She had a nagging thought. “What if the neighbors start asking where Maddy is? Especially Nosy Nora from next door. Lately, she’s taken to drooling over little Michael every time Maddy takes him out.”
“We’ve got nowt to hide!” he retorted. “So you just tell that interfering old biddy how it is! Knowing her, she’ll have it round the street in no time, and if everybody knows the truth, there’ll be no need for anybody to make up stories, will there?” He gave her a wink, then tapped the side of his nose in a conspiratorial fashion. “Keep the enemy close. That’s the way to win a war.”
“Shame on you, Grandad,” she chided. “You’re a canny old devil, that’s what you are.”
“It’s old age,” he grinned. “You haven’t got the strength to run, so you learn how to duck and dive.”
The sound of Michael crying for his breakfast, sent Ellen running up to fetch him.
“Give him to me while you get his bottle ready.” Grandad tickled the baby under the chin. “See here now, little fella, yer mammy’s gone away to look after your great-aunt.” He lowered his voice. “Poor old thing, all alone like that. It wouldn’t surprise me if she didn’t throw herself down the stairs to get a bit of attention…”
“Grandad!” Ellen wagged a finger. “That’s not a very nice thing to say, is it?”
“Aye well, it were only a passing comment.” He paused, his voice falling to a whisper. “Mind you, there’s many a poor neglected soul who must think of it from time to time, especially when there’s no one to care if they live or die.”
Sensing a sadness about him, Ellen went to hug him. “Grandad?”
“Yes, lass?” The smile was back, and suddenly he was his chirpy old self again.
“What you just said…” The girl had to ask. “Did
“Wherever did you get an idea like that!” He looked shocked, then burst out laughing. “I wouldn’t
In spite of herself, Ellen had to laugh.
As she walked back to the cooker, she turned to see him gently blowing bubbles into Michael’s neck, the two of them chuckling, and felt a surge of sadness. She could not help but think about the way he had looked, when he talked about lonely old folks, and it struck her how hard it must have been for him, when she had stayed
