The Girl with the Creel by Doris Davidson

stomach turned over. ‘I’m sorry, Babsie,’ she said, tremulously, breaking into Mrs Berry’s flow, ‘but I’d like to have a wee word with this man coming along. I haven’t seen him for a long time.’
    The woman gave a quick glance round. ‘An old flame, is he?’ Her house being next door to the Jappys’, she went on chuckling to herself.
    Wanting to run to George, to tell him how much she had missed him, to kiss him till her lips were swollen and sore, Lizann had to keep telling herself that he was another girl’s husband. The trouble was, he looked the same, his hair still stuck up in the same places, his clothes were still untidy … he couldn’t have a wife looking after him. Peggy May must have got hold of the wrong end of the stick! This last thought gave her the power to move, but her trembling legs refused to hurry, which was maybe just as well, for she could be taking things for granted that weren’t really so.
    He too was walking slowly, as if unsure about what he was doing, and she felt like shouting to him that she loved him more than ever, but all that came out when she opened her mouth was a weak, ‘I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, George.’
    He gripped her hands and she was sure that his eyes were telling her what she wanted to know, but she needed him to say it and they couldn’t talk properly here. ‘I’m on my way to the shops if you want to …’
    Letting her go, he turned and walked alongside her, both seemingly struck dumb, but very soon she knew she couldn’t wait much longer to find out, and tried to think how to phrase her question. At last, giving up all pretence, she whispered, ‘I was told you married Katie.’ His quiet, ‘I did,’ drained the colour from her face. Why had he tortured her by coming back?
    Obviously anxious not to prolong her agony, he said quickly, ‘But I found her out in something I can’t forgive her for.’
    She was ashamed of how her heart had started to pound in what she could only describe as excited anticipation; what he was saying really made no difference to anything, Katie was still his wife when all was said and done, and nothing either of them could do would change that. Nevertheless, she murmured, ‘I didn’t marry Peter.’
    â€˜Oh, thank God!’ He looked at her beseechingly now. ‘I wish I hadn’t … but I’m going to ask her to divorce me. The thing is, I’ll have to give her grounds.’
    Too ecstatic about his marriage being over to take in the meaning of what he was saying, she asked idly, ‘Grounds?’
    He looked embarrassed. ‘I’m going to book a room in a hotel for you and me to …’
    This shocked her out of her euphoria. ‘George Buchan!’
    â€˜It’s the only way. I’d never have married her if I’d known the awful things she’d done, and when she divorces me …’
    â€˜Divorce?’ Her horror made the word come out louder than she meant, and she looked around her in agitation, but thankfully no one was near enough to have heard. ‘I never thought … oh, George, you can’t let her divorce you.’
    â€˜It’s the only way I’ll get free of her,’ he protested.
    â€˜I can’t help it. Divorce isn’t something that happens to nice men …’ Realizing that he might take this as a slur on him, she said, quickly, ‘I didn’t mean that like it sounded. You’re the nicest man I know, but … I can’t sleep with you. I couldn’t get away, even for one night …’
    â€˜It doesn’t need to be at night,’ he urged, ‘and we don’t actually need to … to sleep together. It’s just … I have to get a hotel receipt to prove I’ve been unfaithful to her. We could go some afternoon.’
    She could feel her face flaming.