The Unloved by John Saul Read Free Book Online Page A

of earshot did Anne face her husband, no longer attempting to keep the anger out of her eyes or her voice. “Why didn’t you say something, Kevin? Your mother treats her like a slave! Shouldn’t she at least be allowed to finish her dinner?”
    “You heard her,” Kevin said mildly. “I really don’t think she minds. And she’s used to it.”
    “But her leg!” Anne exclaimed. “You can see that it hurts her. And for that awful old woman to make her run up and down the stairs all the time—well, frankly, I don’t see why she puts up with it! If I were Marguerite, I’d have put her in a home years ago!” And yet, despite her brave words, Anne wondered if she were speaking the truth. Wasn’t it morelikely, given the strength she’d seen in Helena earlier, that she, too, would have given in to the woman’s demands rather than face her wrath? She suspected she would have.
    Kevin shrugged. “I don’t disagree with you. In fact, I think you’re right—I wouldn’t tolerate it, and I wouldn’t expect anyone else to either. That’s why I got out—it was either that or knuckle under to her. But Marguerite’s not like me—she deals with things, and she doesn’t complain. She never even complained about her leg.”
    Julie put down her spoon and faced her father. “What happened to her?” she asked.
    “An accident,” Kevin replied. “I was just a little boy, and she was in her teens. I don’t remember much about it, really, but she fell down the stairs and broke her hip. She was in the hospital for a while, and in a cast for a long time. But it never healed properly, and she’s had that limp ever since.” His lips tightened into a grim line. “She was going to be a dancer, and I guess she was damned good at it. The accident put an end to that, but I can’t ever remember hearing her complain about that either. In a lot of ways,” he added, “your aunt is a remarkable woman.” He smiled. “And in a lot of ways, you’re very much like her. You look like her, and you dance like her, and sometimes when I hear you talk, I’d swear I was listening to Marguerite when she was your age.”
    Julie’s brows arched. “Well, I like her, but if Mom ever treated me the way Grandmother treats Aunt Marguerite, I sure wouldn’t be around very long.”
    Kevin chuckled. “All right, so you’re not exactly like her. Which is fine with me. I like you just the way you are.” Then his voice turned serious again. “And as for your mother treating you the way my mother treats Marguerite, you needn’t worry about it. If your mother were anything like mine, you can believe I wouldn’t have married her.”
    Anne drew herself up in mock indignation. “That, Kevin, has to be the weakest compliment I’ve ever received. From what I’ve seen today, nobody in the world is like—”
    But before she could finish, there was a sudden shrieking from upstairs, followed by a loud thump. Instantly Kevin and Anne rose to their feet and hurried up the stairs, followed byJulie and Jeff. Behind them, moving her bulk more slowly, Ruby, too, started up the stairs.
    Kevin opened the door to his mother’s bedroom to find the old woman propped against her pillows, her eyes fixed furiously on Marguerite, who was sprawled on the floor by the bed, her lame leg twisted beneath her, her face contorted into a grimace of pain.
    Kevin glanced quickly at his mother, then dropped to the floor to help Marguerite. “What happened?” he asked.
    Marguerite looked at him ruefully. “She said I didn’t get her dinner up quickly enough, and it was cold.”
    Kevin’s jaw dropped as he stared at the plate of untouched food on his mother’s tray. “But—for Christ’s sake! You brought it up an hour ago, before we even started. Didn’t she eat it?”
    Marguerite shook her head quickly, but said nothing. Kevin stood up, glaring at his mother and the heavy cane still clutched in her hand. Suddenly he understood. “So you hit her, Mother? You sat