Nothing is Forever by Grace Thompson Read Free Book Online Page B

of silver, china and glass and she made a low offer which was swiftly accepted.
    ‘Will you put your name and address on this form, please?’ she said and, still unsure, she phoned the police station and spoke to Sergeant Miller who checked but found no report of the silver being stolen. Nervously the man wrote down an imaginary address in Cardiff and hurried out grasping the money tightly.
    Jack gave him a generous percentage and the men parted company.
    Tabitha didn’t bother telling Henry about her purchase when he rang later; he had been in a hurry and she knew she had got it for a good price.

    A few days later, Henry was driving along the road on Gower that would take him to Rhossili. He had left Penarth, where he had stayed the night with his mother, and now, instead of going back to the shop and the flat above, he had turned the van away from the town.
    It was very early and he didn’t expect to see anyone, apart from maybe a few dog-walkers. Today he wanted to avoid people, he needed a peaceful place to sit and think. His mother rarely interfered in his life, but she had been hinting for a while that it was time he gave up on any hope of marrying Ruth Thomas. ‘Now, with the boys all gone she’s still finding reasons to delay, and,’ she had added firmly, ‘I want you to face facts and let her go, find someone who will love you, who won’t find excuses, who’ll provide me with grandchildren one day soon.’
    He walked along the wide cliff path where sheep grazed and gulls wailed their mournful cries, accompanied by the cackling laughter of the herring gulls, out to the point where he faced The Worm, an island at high tide but which could be reached once the tide went out. Today the tide was high and the Worm’s Head was a safe haven for the birds.
    He sat on the grass, his eyes following the path that led downward to where the tide played among the rocks. It was cold, with a wind rising and flapping his coat, but he seemed unaware of its chilly embrace. His thoughts were chilled too, thoughts of being alone, if he walked away from Ruth. He couldn’t imagine sharing his life with anyone else. Could he accept friendship with no hope of anything more?
    Passion was rarely aroused between them these days. Their meetings were usually when they were surrounded by her brothers and their friends. He felt that he was included in that group in Ruth’s mind, with no value that separated him from them.
    Even when he invited her out, to the pictures or for a meal to celebrate a birthday or something, she arranged for some of the others to join them. He frowned. Had he been a fool? Had she been trying to tell him how it was and he had been too stupid to see the signs? She had made vague promises that they would marry as soon as she was free from caring for her brothers, but they were gone and she still had no intention of giving up her home, or her hope that Tommy, Bryn, Emrys, Geraint and the rest, would still need her. The problem was, he needed her and he didn’t know how to persuade her of that.
    A woman walked towards him, a spaniel quartering the ground, his nose searching for interesting smells, his tail wagging furiously. He turned and waved, then quickly turned away, hoping she wouldn’t want to talk. To discourage her he took a notebook out of his pocket and perused it diligently until she had turned and walked back towards the village. He glanced at his watch. Seven o’clock. Time he was moving too.
    With no decision made, he walked back to the road then set off to drive slowly back through a village that was just waking, windows lit, garages opening, the sound of engines disturbing the quiet, a few people walking towards the bus stop, a boy delivering morning papers, a bike thrown against a hedge waiting for its owner to return. His mind was drifting lazily, but a dog suddenly ran out of a gateway startling him and making his brakes squeal. The dog began barking at his car and he stopped completely,