as he picked up his mug. ‘And what if I tell Mum?’
‘You won’t.’ He slurped his tea. ‘And I’ll tell you why, shall I? Because it will ruin her life. And you wouldn’t want to do that to your poor mum, would you? Not after everything she’s been through.’
‘It couldn’t be worse than living with a monster like you.’
‘Is that right? Maybe you can tell her that when she’s living in the workhouse with the rest of the family.’
She watched him, supremely confident as ever. A tingle of hatred spread upwards from her toes.
He looked up and caught her staring. ‘What you looking at?’
‘You.’
‘Well, don’t.’ He frowned irritably. ‘You get on my nerves. I’ve a good mind to tell Rose I don’t want you round here any more.’
‘She’d never do that.’
‘I reckon I could make her do anything I wanted,’ he smirked. ‘Just like I can make you and your sister do anything, too.’
Helplessness washed over her. Alf was right. She was powerless to hurt him any more. Not without hurting the rest of her family too.
All she could do was try to appeal to his better nature. If he’d ever had one.
‘Leave Josie alone,’ she begged. ‘She’s just a kid, she doesn’t deserve to be treated like this.’
Alf tipped the last of his tea into his gaping mouth. ‘You know what I think?’ he said. ‘I reckon you’re jealous of that little sister of yours.’
Dora gripped her hands together to stop herself lunging at him.
‘That’s it, isn’t it? You’re jealous because she’s got me now and you haven’t.’
Dora stared at him. He really believed it, she thought. He was deluded enough to actually think that she and Josie wanted him.
In that moment a plan came into her mind. ‘You’re right,’ she said flatly. ‘I am jealous.’ She forced herself to move towards him, her legs as stiff as a puppet’s, her smile fixed. ‘Get rid of her, Alf. Then it can be just you and me again. Just like old times.’
His eyes narrowed for a moment, as if he couldn’t quite trust what he was hearing. Then he leered, showing dirty yellow teeth.
‘I knew it,’ he said. ‘I knew you wanted me for yourself.’
Dora held herself rigid as he stood up and came towards her. She could smell the sweat on him, see the wiry greying hair of his chest curling above his stained vest. His hands gripped her arms, pinning them to her sides as he forced himself against her, his mouth clamped on hers. As his tongue invaded her mouth, Dora forced her mind to go blank.
Do it for Josie, she told herself over and over again. Do it to protect your sister . . .
And then suddenly, abruptly, he released her, throwing her across the room with such force that she landed against the back door with a crash.
‘No thanks,’ he said gruffly. ‘Why would I want an ugly little cow like you in my bed when I could have a pretty little thing like Josie?’ He looked down on her, pityingly. ‘Shall I tell you something?’ he said. ‘I really had to force myself to do it to you sometimes. God, if I hadn’t been desperate . . .’
He broke off at the sound of Nanna’s voice in the back yard.
‘All right, Danny love? You guarding that coal hole again? No danger of anyone getting their hands on our coal with you around, is there, mate?’
Dora barely had time to scramble to her feet before her grandmother came in through the back door, laden down with shopping.
‘I’m telling you, that market isn’t what it was,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Time was when you could – oh, hello,’ she stopped when she saw Dora. ‘This is a nice surprise. D’you want a cup of tea?’
‘I—’
‘She’s on her way out,’ Alf interrupted Dora before she had a chance to speak.
Nick knew something was wrong the minute he walked in through the door. Danny was huddled in a corner, his head buried in his arms. He’d been picking at the ends of his bony fingers until they bled, a sure sign he was anxious.
‘All right, mate?’ Nick shrugged off his coat and went over to him. ‘What’s the matter? Has Mum had a go at you again?’ He would swing for her if she’d hit him again. You only had to raise your hand to Danny to send him into hysterics.
As Danny lifted his face to look at him, Nick saw his red-rimmed eyes and the rivulets