The Father's House by Larche Davies Read Free Book Online Page B

up abruptly she wiped her face with her sleeve. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
    â€œDon’t be daft.” Dorothy handed her a tissue. “David told me what Matthew said. We’re upset too, but it’s not such a shock for us because we already knew about the Magnifico’s ways.”
    â€œIt’s his purpose, isn’t it?” sniffled Lucy. “Why use poor harmless John to carry out his purpose?”
    She stopped, aghast at what she had said, and looked around, almost expecting to see the fire licking towards her and melting her flesh.
    Dorothy hesitated. This could all go terribly wrong. “There isn’t a purpose,” she said.
    â€œYes there is.” Lucy sniffed and wiped the crumpled tissue all over her face. “Aunt Sarah told me. She knows. It’s called having faith.”
    Dorothy was wondering if she dare say more when the bell rang, and they could hear the playground aunt clapping her hands for them to go in. “Having faith isn’t the same as knowing,” she said as she jumped to her feet. “And listen,” she added hastily, “David and I want you to be our friend. We’ll talk about it some other time.” She walked quickly away.
    Lucy waited behind and then sidled out on her own, and made her way back to class. It was impossible to concentrate. Her mind switched back and forth from John to Dorothy. The astonishing offer of friendship had brought fleeting joy followed by puzzlement and suspicion. She’d never had a friend and would love to think she could be seen as potential friend material, but why? After all, they’d known her for the past ten years. Anyway, she couldn’t even contemplate it. They’d both had the guidance cane and there was the risk of being tempted to their ways. It would be wrong to put herself in the way of temptation. Perhaps there could be a sort of friendship if she were to make it her task to persuade Dorothy that there was such a thing as the purpose. But was there? She wouldn’t dare ask Aunt Sarah, so she’d have to ask Thomas.
    Thomas wasn’t there when Lucy got home. She was disappointed, but not surprised. He only came to do the father’s garden when he could fit it in, and he couldn’t always stay long because he had two proper jobs – one as a corporation gardener, and one as a nurse at the Mortimor Hospital at the end of the road. Even so, she sat down on a pile of sacks inside the garage door and waited, just in case he did come. Sometimes he called in after his shift at the hospital finished.
    Lucy thought she loved Thomas. She wasn’t sure what love was, but she certainly knew that she liked him very much. He wasn’t good-looking or clever enough to be a father, but he worked hard and was useful to the Holy Envoy, so he must be a good man. Not only did he look after the local parks and do three days a week as a nurse, but on top of that he was paid by the Holy Envoy as an infiltrator into the local authority and into the health service. If anyone knew what was going on it was Thomas.
    He was skinny and pimply with thin, sandy hair, but he had such a kind face. Leaning up against the garage wall he would roll himself a cigarette and chat, asking Lucy about herself and Aunt Sarah and the father, and how things went on at the house. He was the one person in the world who seemed interested in her, and what was more he always answered her questions if he could without making her feel guilty for asking. And he told her things. Once he had shown her the secret hand signal the infiltrators used if they needed to make themselves known to other infiltrators. He’d crossed his right thumb over his palm and dropped his hand to his side in a twisting movement. It had to be done very subtly and quickly so people wouldn’t notice. According to Thomas some of the councillors used it when they came to meetings at the town hall.
    Lucy had practised it over and over