Unforgettable (Gloria Cook) - By Gloria Cook Page 0,103
have fared without you helping us from the start. Oh God though.’ He threw out another sigh. ‘It doesn’t seem right that Mrs Mitchelmore won’t be here for the opening of the village hall.’
‘I’m sure she’ll be thinking of us all on the day. Mrs Sanders says she’s arranged for the newspaper article to be sent to Mrs Mitchelmore, and that also Mrs Mitchelmore has written a little speech for Greg to read out on the day.’
‘So she’ll be there in a way, bless her,’ Tilly sniffed. ‘Well, better go to the gates. It’s very kind of Miss Verity to come and collect me. Finn is going on to the hall to help put up the opening bunting. Funny, you never know what’s going to happen in the course of a year, do you? Never thought I’d be working at Miss Verity’s bridal home and . . . and poor Mrs Mitchelmore . . .’ She shook her head and sobbed again.
Finn put the baggage into one arm and wrapped the other arm round her shoulders. ‘Don’t cry, Tilly. You’ll be closer to Merrivale from now on. Mum will be there when I’m away at the academy, and I’ll never let you down, not ever.’
Dorrie allowed them to walk on ahead of her, smiling in sweet emotion. Finn and Tilly didn’t know it yet but they would be linked together for always, soul mates. She could tell by the way they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes. They walked in synchronization ensuring their bodies kept touching. They were in line in every way.
The little company reached the gates. Someone was running towards them pell-mell, her hair flowing out behind her in a stream of tangles. It was Jenna. She was weeping as if in utter despair. ‘You’ve got to do something, Finn. Dad’s going to kill him!’
Verity drove wildly along the lanes and brought the car to a screeching halt outside The Orchards, making the tyres smell of acrid burning rubber. Denny’s mud-splattered van was parked skew-whiff across the lane, making it impossible for motorized traffic or horse and cart to pass, showing his anger and speed at getting here. Verity, Dorrie, Jenna, Finn and Tilly spilled out and hurried towards the cottage kitchen door. Shouting, shrieks and scuffles and thudding sounds took them running down through the back garden and into the leafy windfall-strewn apple orchard.
‘Dad!’ Jenna screamed hysterically at Denny, who was pounding Charlie Lawry’s chest with his fists. Charlie was equal in the fight and butted Denny hard in the guts. The men had been at it long enough for both to have suffered cuts and bruises. Dorrie grabbed Tilly to stop her rushing at the men to try tearing them apart. ‘Stop it! For heaven’s sake, stop! I don’t want this.’
On the other side of the battlers were Sam and Belle. ‘It’s too late for that, girl!’ Belle yelled in fury. ‘See what you’ve done? Get your beast of a father and yourself off our property.’
Hearing the aggressive interchange and needing to catch their breath, the two bloodied men staggered apart to the sides of their respective children.
On the way there Jenna had filled in the reason for Denny’s furious venture to The Orchards. Finn now loathed the gypsy-like beauty who had once filled his dreams, and now presented her visage as a gorgeous revengeful witch – no one must challenge her precious family no matter what rotten deeds they had committed. He bawled at her. ‘You can’t blame Jenna alone for this. Your cowardly bastard of a son got Jenna pregnant. Nothing would have happened if he hadn’t pressured her into it, that’s for sure.’
‘Oh, you know that, do you, criminal’s son?’ Belle hissed, advancing on Finn with her hands on her hips, while glancing antagonistically at all the Vercoes. Weeping and sobbing in anguished gulps, Jenna shook violently and Tilly joined Dorrie in holding her up.
Belle continued taking her venom out on Finn. ‘Who are you to judge? Tell me that. Not so long ago you looked at me with eyes filled with lust. Dir-ty lit-tle swine. How dare you? As soon as I knew I cut myself off from you. That’s the reason you don’t come here any more, do your girlfriend and your mother know that? My son says that girl was just as willing as he was. The reason why his bullish father is here on the warpath is because Sam doesn’t want to marry the girl. Sam told her he’d