threw Gran out of the house. She ended up on the cobbles with a broken wrist and leg, and covered in bruises. Your mother must have known that what she’d done would cause serious harm to my gran, but she just shut the door on her.’
Arch was staring at her, both astounded and appalled. ‘Mam never said a word to me about it! Not even that you’d been round. I don’t know what to say … really I don’t. I’ll go and apologise to your gran.’
He made to go through to the back room but Aidy held up a warning hand to stop him. ‘I told you, she’s asleep. Anyway, it’s not you who should be apologising to her. And we both know the person who should, never will.’ She prompted him, ‘So what did you come to speak to me about, Arch?’
‘You know what, Aidy.’
Of course she did, but she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. ‘I’m no mind reader.’
He took a deep breath. Aidy could be exasperating at times. But then, that was one of the many things he loved about her: that she wasn’t the submissive type who only did exactly what her husband dictated, whether she wanted to or not. Now, though, she was looking drained, obviously worried how she was going to manage in the future, both financially and physically, and he fought a desperate urge to go over to her and hold her, tell her he’d an answer to their every problem. But knowing she would only rebuff any advance in the frame of mind she was in now, he decided against it. But she would think better of him when she had heard him out, he was positive of that.
Speaking hesitantly, Arch said, ‘Look, Aidy, after yesterday and today, there’s no point in me trying to cover up the fact any longer that my own mother terrifies the life out of me. I’d sooner face an axe-wielding lunatic than her when she’s annoyed, and it don’t take much to get Mam’s dander up, as you well know. I promise, though … swear on God’s honour … cross me heart and hope to die … that I’ll never be such a coward in future and let her treat you and the kids and Gran the same way again. You have my word on that.
‘And about what me mam told you, about me not wanting to help you look after your family … Well, I admit, after she pointed some things out to me, I did have a few reservations. After all, it’s a big thing for a man to give up everything he’s worked for and take on someone else’s family, but that doesn’t matter now. Looking after your brother and sisters is not our responsibility … not when there’s someone else whose responsibility goes beyond that.’
Aidy frowned at him, bemused. ‘You know it’s not possible for Gran to care for them, so just who are you talking about being responsible for them? We haven’t got any other family.’
He smiled at her, looking pleased with himself. ‘But you have. Your father.’
Aidy gawped at him, utterly astounded and appalled by his suggestion. ‘Are you serious?’ she exclaimed.
He looked taken back. ‘Yes. He is their father, Aidy. It’s his job to look after his kids now their mother’s no longer here to do it.’
She stared at Arch in shocked disbelief that he could even contemplate such a diabolical option. Her husband was well aware what type of man her father was, and what Aidy herself thought of him.
‘Even supposing he would do it … provided we could find him, that is … do you really think that I would leave my own brother and sisters in the care of that … that … bastard who’s already abandoned his family twice! Marion has never even met him.
‘And what about Gran? Do you think he’d ever agree to look after her when she’s not even related to him, except by marriage. And do you actually think she’d ever agree to live with the man she hates and blames for her own daughter’s death?’ Her temper kindled, Aidy cried furiously: ‘I can’t believe you hate the thought of helping me look after them so much you’d suggest handing them over to a devil like that. How could you, Arch? How could you?’
He looked stunned, totally shocked by her reaction to his suggestion. He really had thought she would jump at his idea, be relieved to have the