forward to the holidays so we can have our little tête-à-tetês, and you’re about to run out on me. Are you deserting your Uncle Vince, Josie?’
‘No, me and Lily are going to Mass, the nine o’clock one. It’s Holy Week, see. She’ll be here in a minute.’
‘No, she won’t, luv,’ he said mildly. ‘That’s three quarters of an hour off. There’s still time for a cuddle.’ He came into the room. ‘Come on, luv, let Uncle Vince give you a nice big kiss.’
‘ No! ’
He frowned, hurt. ‘No?’
Backing away, Josie furiously shook her head. ‘No!’
‘Why not, luv?’ He shrugged, mystified.
‘I don’t like what you do, the other thing.’
‘There’s no harm in it, luv.’ He came closer. Josie took another step back and found she’d reached the bed. She sat down, though she hadn’t meant to. Uncle Vince sat beside her and laid his arm across her knees. She was trapped. He idly played with her hair, making curls around his finger. ‘You know, luv,’ he said softly, ‘if you’re not nice to me, I might tell Ivy one or two things, not very nice things. A word from me, and you’ll go shooting out the door faster than a bullet. You’ll end upon the streets like Mabel, or in one of them orphanage places I mentioned before. You’ll never see your friends again.’
‘But I haven’t done anything.’ Her voice trembled. She tried to push his arm away, but it felt like a rod of iron. He was stronger than she’d thought.
‘I know, luv, but it wouldn’t stop me saying I caught you nicking a quid out me wallet, or I saw you up to no good with that little boyfriend o’ yours. What’s his name, Robert?’
‘Ben, and I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He was being dead horrible, worse than Aunt Ivy because he spoke so kindly and reasonably and smiled the whole time. ‘Anyroad, Ben’s not little,’ she said heatedly. ‘He’s bigger than you.’ She threw caution to the winds. ‘You’re only a little sprat, Lily ses.’
His pale eyes narrowed angrily. He shoved her back on to the bed, and began to untie the cord of his pyjamas, watching her all the while. Then his face seemed to melt. ‘You’re a lovely girl,’ he said huskily. ‘Almost a woman, almost ten, double figures. You get more like Mabel every day. Take your clothes off, there’s a good girl. It’s time we were a proper couple.’
‘ No! ’ She tried to push him away, but when this had no effect she remembered the way Mam had got rid of Roger and Thomas. She planted her feet forcefully in his stomach, and pushed with all her might. His blue eyes popped, he gave a funny little hiccup, folded his arms over his stomach and fell back against the wardrobe with a soft thud.
She flew downstairs. Outside the house, she panicked. Which way to go? If she didn’t get a move on, Uncle Vince might come out and drag her back. No one would stop him, they’d consider he had a perfect right. Shebegan to ran towards St Joseph’s. By the time she reached it she had a stitch in her side. The iron gate was padlocked, as expected, and she wondered why she’d come. A few boys had managed to climb over the high, spiked wall and were playing football in the playground. She watched them through the gate, envious. They seemed without a care in the world.
Where now? She needed somewhere quiet, to think. More slowly now, she walked towards Sefton Park, to the fairy glen.
The gently sloping banks were a carpet of yellow daffodils, and the trees looked as if they had been sprinkled with pale green confetti as buds sprouted into tiny leaves. Josie watched two squirrels chase each other up and down the branches, leaping skilfully from one tree to the next. There was a fresh, invigorating smell, springy. Could you smell the spring?
A pale sun shone weakly through a veil of light grey cloud, and it made the dew glisten like little diamonds on the grass. It was too wet to sit on, and the only bench was already occupied by a girl in a
‘No, me and Lily are going to Mass, the nine o’clock one. It’s Holy Week, see. She’ll be here in a minute.’
‘No, she won’t, luv,’ he said mildly. ‘That’s three quarters of an hour off. There’s still time for a cuddle.’ He came into the room. ‘Come on, luv, let Uncle Vince give you a nice big kiss.’
‘ No! ’
He frowned, hurt. ‘No?’
Backing away, Josie furiously shook her head. ‘No!’
‘Why not, luv?’ He shrugged, mystified.
‘I don’t like what you do, the other thing.’
‘There’s no harm in it, luv.’ He came closer. Josie took another step back and found she’d reached the bed. She sat down, though she hadn’t meant to. Uncle Vince sat beside her and laid his arm across her knees. She was trapped. He idly played with her hair, making curls around his finger. ‘You know, luv,’ he said softly, ‘if you’re not nice to me, I might tell Ivy one or two things, not very nice things. A word from me, and you’ll go shooting out the door faster than a bullet. You’ll end upon the streets like Mabel, or in one of them orphanage places I mentioned before. You’ll never see your friends again.’
‘But I haven’t done anything.’ Her voice trembled. She tried to push his arm away, but it felt like a rod of iron. He was stronger than she’d thought.
‘I know, luv, but it wouldn’t stop me saying I caught you nicking a quid out me wallet, or I saw you up to no good with that little boyfriend o’ yours. What’s his name, Robert?’
‘Ben, and I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He was being dead horrible, worse than Aunt Ivy because he spoke so kindly and reasonably and smiled the whole time. ‘Anyroad, Ben’s not little,’ she said heatedly. ‘He’s bigger than you.’ She threw caution to the winds. ‘You’re only a little sprat, Lily ses.’
His pale eyes narrowed angrily. He shoved her back on to the bed, and began to untie the cord of his pyjamas, watching her all the while. Then his face seemed to melt. ‘You’re a lovely girl,’ he said huskily. ‘Almost a woman, almost ten, double figures. You get more like Mabel every day. Take your clothes off, there’s a good girl. It’s time we were a proper couple.’
‘ No! ’ She tried to push him away, but when this had no effect she remembered the way Mam had got rid of Roger and Thomas. She planted her feet forcefully in his stomach, and pushed with all her might. His blue eyes popped, he gave a funny little hiccup, folded his arms over his stomach and fell back against the wardrobe with a soft thud.
She flew downstairs. Outside the house, she panicked. Which way to go? If she didn’t get a move on, Uncle Vince might come out and drag her back. No one would stop him, they’d consider he had a perfect right. Shebegan to ran towards St Joseph’s. By the time she reached it she had a stitch in her side. The iron gate was padlocked, as expected, and she wondered why she’d come. A few boys had managed to climb over the high, spiked wall and were playing football in the playground. She watched them through the gate, envious. They seemed without a care in the world.
Where now? She needed somewhere quiet, to think. More slowly now, she walked towards Sefton Park, to the fairy glen.
The gently sloping banks were a carpet of yellow daffodils, and the trees looked as if they had been sprinkled with pale green confetti as buds sprouted into tiny leaves. Josie watched two squirrels chase each other up and down the branches, leaping skilfully from one tree to the next. There was a fresh, invigorating smell, springy. Could you smell the spring?
A pale sun shone weakly through a veil of light grey cloud, and it made the dew glisten like little diamonds on the grass. It was too wet to sit on, and the only bench was already occupied by a girl in a
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