Two for Sorrow by Nicola Upson Read Free Book Online Page A

hell have you been?’ she whispered angrily. ‘I said five o’clock.’
    Walters was dressed respectably enough in the brown cape which she always wore, tied tightly with a black ribbon at the throat, but her smile seemed grotesquely out of place in a face which had been destroyed by hard living and which looked much older than its fifty-odd years. It reminded Amelia of the terrible old women who haunted the fairy tales that she read to Lizzie, and the impression was hardly dispelled by Walters’s response. ‘A few minutes isn’t going to make any difference to the little one, is it?’ she said, and held out her arms. Amelia noticed the dirt under her ragged fingernails, and hid her disgust as she handed the baby over: she needed help, no matter what form it took; Walters knew it, and never missed an opportunity to exploit the fact. On a previous visit, when Amelia had been called away for a moment by one of her patients, she had come back into the parlour to find Walters holding Lizzie in her arms, and the triumphant expression on her face was enough to remind Amelia how easily they could destroy each other; there was no doubting who had the most to lose. Now, Walters kissed the newborn’s forehead and the child stopped crying immediately. ‘She’s a pretty little thing,’ she said softly, laughing as the child stretched out a tiny hand to touch her face. ‘I’ll be sorry to see her go.’
    â€˜I’ve told you before,’ Amelia said angrily, realising how like her husband she sounded, ‘I don’t want to know what happens after you leave here.’
    She went hurriedly over to a small bureau in the corner, unlocked the top left-hand drawer and removed a cash-box, feeling Walters’s eyes on her all the time. As she counted out thirty shillings on to the table, the other woman laid the child carefully down on the settee and scraped the money into her purse without waiting to be asked. ‘It’s not much to pay for aclear conscience,’ she said quietly. ‘Not when you expect me to do all your dirty work.’
    â€˜It’s what we agreed.’
    Walters picked the baby up and wrapped her in the thick blanket which Amelia had put ready. ‘That was a long time ago, though, and you’ve kept me very busy just lately. Seems to me you should face up to the truth or pay a bit more for your ignorance.’
    â€˜I’m not listening,’ Amelia said, still clutching the rest of the money. ‘Just take the child and go.’
    â€˜What will it be this time, I wonder?’ Walters mused, running her hand lightly across the baby’s cheek. ‘River or rubbish dump? Which do you fancy, my little one?’
    Amelia turned away and put her hands over her ears. ‘Stop it!’ she screamed. ‘Get out—now!’
    There was a tentative knock at the door and a young woman looked in on them. She was the latest intake, and it was obvious from her swollen belly that the birth was only a matter of days away. ‘Is everything all right?’ she asked, looking curiously at Walters and the baby.
    â€˜Yes, Ada, we’re fine,’ Amelia said, pulling herself together. ‘Go back upstairs—you should be resting.’
    â€˜You’re kindness itself, aren’t you?’ Walters said sarcastically as soon as they were alone again. ‘Always so concerned for their welfare. But what about my welfare, eh? Who looks out for me? I’m taking all the risks here, while you sleep easy in your bed. How do I know you won’t turn me in?’
    â€˜Because we’re in this together,’ Amelia said, horrified at how true it was. ‘Now just leave.’ Walters opened her mouth to speak but changed her mind, and turned to go with nothing more than a defiant glance. Amelia heard the front door closeand, in response, footsteps from the room above, and realised that the baby’s