Read My Novel, Free: Chapter 9.

You've come this far, soyou don't need me blathering on with stuff you already know. Enjoy the read.
If you missed the start,here's the link to it: http://stuartaken.blogspot.com/2012/01/read-free-my-novel-here.htmlChapter 1 appeared on 13January and following chapters appear each Friday. You can find them via thearchive.
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Chapter 9
Wednesday 31st March
We had travelled for halfan hour in uncomfortable silence. 'Have I upset you,Leigh?''I don't say much about the way you look at work,Faith, because I know you've no fashion sense and clothes are just covers toyou. But I thought I'd made it clear today was a bit special. I mean, thatdowdy old tweed skirt, a blouse that'd look better on your grandmother andthose shoes that seem to be all you ever wear. And that's hardly an eveningbag, is it?''I'm sorry I'm a disappointment. Perhaps you'dbetter take me back home.''Don't get all injured with me. I hoped you'd makean effort, that's all.''I did what I could. I took up the hem of my skirtas far as I dare, persuaded Father to let me have a bath and washed my hairlast night.''And that's it?''What else could I do?''Oh, come on! A bit of make up? Your best dress orskirt? A pair of new shoes? I'm sure you could…''Oh, you're sure are you? It's easy for you,Leigh. You have a wardrobe full of clothes. Several pairs of shoes. What I'mwearing is what I have, Leigh. I can't do better than that. Unless you'd haveme travel in the stuff I wear for housework? Or naked?'His silence unnerved me but I had said enough. Theday had started badly and now I had made it worse. I wished he had neversuggested the trip out.'I'm sorry, Faith. I just assumed that… Well,you're a young woman, earning a decent wage. I automatically assumed you'd havenew clothes and make up. What else would you spend your money on?''Father doesn't work because of his back andbecause he has to stay home to care for Hope. My money goes into thehousekeeping.''All of it?''All.'Again, he was silent. The hostility had gone buthis continued silence unsettled me. From Ma and Old Hodge I had learned some ofthe basic social skills my father had neglected. A change of subject mighthelp.'I never said before, but the lift you gave mewhen you asked me to come back to work was the first time I'd been in a car.'His silence persisted for a few seconds thatseemed an eternity. 'I'm an idiot. I've taken on a bright, gifted, generous andhardworking assistant and I know nothing about you. It's so easy to take thingsfor granted. So easy to assume. Faith, I need to know something of yourpersonal history. I need to know more about you.'It was my turn for silence. Where to begin?'Begin from your earliest memory and take me asfar as you like.''I was very young; perhaps not even four. Fatherwas shouting at my mother. At the time, I'd no idea what caused the argument,but now I know it must've been when Mother finally accepted Hope would never beany different, would always be a baby. Father won't see it. He still believes;he has faith that she'll somehow miraculously emerge from her silentimprisonment and start to talk and walk and laugh and cry. Of course, she neverwill. But that was the beginning of a change that made my mother leave andabandon me when I was six.'I'd had my first year at school and was doingquite well, I think. In any case, I remember Mother praised me, cuddled andkissed me for my efforts. Then, one day, I was waiting for her by the schoolgates and she didn't arrive. Father came at last, with Hope in her pushchairthat was too small, and took me home. I haven't seen my mother since.'I gazed at the curling strip of tarmac flowingquietly beneath the car, unwinding as we drove over hills and vales as foreignas a distant land. Pictures of my childhood filled my mind and I was suddenlyaware that Mother took all joy and laughter with her. All the days since thenwere grey.'Don't dream it, Faith, tell me. I can't hear yourunspoken memories.''Sorry. I just discovered something very sad.''Tell me.''When my mother left, she took all the colour withher. Father only works in black and white, mostly black.'Don't grow all lyrical and metaphysical on me.Now isn't the time for poetry. Just tell me what happened.''I went to school for one more day, but Fathereither wouldn't or couldn't take me after that. He was supposed to teach me athome. At any rate, when I was about thirteen, someone came to check and hepersuaded her, with my help, that he was teaching me well enough. I'd startedto learn to read before school and I was quick enough to learn the rules oflanguage so I could read well very early.'There was an atlas, a history of the world, anold encyclopaedia and a dictionary in the house. Father had been through themwith a thick black pen, crossing out words and paragraphs. There were entirepages missing from the encyclopaedia. There was the Bible, of course, and somebooks of sermons by eighteenth century clerics.''You had no television, I know. Radio?''Father says they're instruments of the Devil,won't have them in the house. Same with newspapers and magazines. I've seenthose at Mrs Greenhough's, of course, and I can understand why Father rejects alot of them. All that flesh and talk of sex. It's as if nothing else matters inthe world.''I know you've only travelled within a few milesof home, so all this is new to you?' He waved a hand at the passing countrysidewith its flat fields and huge sky.'If I had to get out of the car now, I wouldn'teven know which way to go to get back home.''Any idea how far you are from home, Faith?''About ten miles?'Leigh chuckled. 'Sixty. Another ten and we'll bein York. One thing you can teach me regarding local geography; you oncementioned a small tarn above your cottage. I don't know of it. Is it far?'I smiled secretly. 'It's my refuge. Small butquite deep in places. It's where I go to be alone. I discovered it one day whenFather wanted me to get some fresh air and sent me off for a few hours in thesummer. Later on that same summer, it's where I learnt to swim, almost by accident.'I was too ashamed to tell him I had been trying to drown myself because my lifewas so miserable.'I'd like to see your tarn, Faith, like to see youswimming.''I bet you would! But you're not going to.''Hey, no need to get all haughty. I'm not suggestinganything improper. Your swim suit would cover your...''People don't wear suits to swim. You're pullingmy leg again, Leigh. I'm not that daft. They'd get all wet and drag you underthe water.''No, really, it's a special sort of…' He realizedthe import of my words even if I did not. 'You swim nude?''Of course! Doesn't everyone?''But I thought you believed it was immoral to benaked?''Only in public. I don't wear anything in the bathor in bed, so why should I wear anything to swim? There's never anyone about.No footpaths for walkers. And I'd hear a farmer with his dogs or tractor inplenty of time.''But not a peeping tom.''What's a peeping tom?''Doesn't matter. Are there trees at the tarn, ornearby?''There's a small copse of mountain ash at thesouthern end, a few rocks along the western shore. Why?''The farm where Merv lives with his father andbrothers hugs the slopes on the other side of the hill above your cottage.'This had nothing to do with what we were talkingabout. 'I know; horrible family.'Leigh grunted. 'That explains that.' He was silentfor a while. 'Apart from teaching yourself your many skills, keeping house foryour father, nursing Hope and cleaning that barn your father calls a chapel,what else do you do?''Read and sleep mostly; of course, I only have thebooks Father thinks are suitable.''Does your father actually do anything at all?''He has a back problem. He can't lift anything oreven walk far without pain. He hides it very well, though. Some people believethere's nothing wrong with him, but that's because he's so brave anduncomplaining.''Or such a good actor.''What do you mean?''No matter. We'll be in York in a few minutes.After we've found somewhere to park, and that'll take half a day, we'll go forcoffee and then find our new typewriter. Once that's out the way, the rest ofthe day is ours to have a bit of fun, do some sightseeing, okay?''Sounds exciting. Is it a very big place?''You know we passed through Hawes earlier on?''That big market town?''That big market town is a very small market town.Think of fifty of them packed together, add a few buildings four or fivestoreys high and you're getting near to the size of York. And York's not aparticularly big place.'I shook my head and let him have his joke on me. Iwould discover the truth when we arrived.'There is one thing, Faith.''I'm listening.''I want no argument about what I'm going to say.No refusals, no fuss. Today is a treat for you, for me as well, but mostly foryou. I'm going to spend some money on you, buy you a few presents, treat you.Okay?''Why?'He opened his mouth to speak and then shut itagain and drove in silence for a few moments. 'Faith, you're extraordinary. Anyother woman would've started suggesting things I might buy her. You just wantto know why. I'm having to learn a whole new set of rules in dealing with you.''You're having to learn?''Okay, fair point. Anyway, as to the "why?", it'squite simple. You earned me a great deal of money with your handling of thosebad debtors and....''I was just doing my job.''Faith! I want to reward you. I want to buy yousomething. I want to do it, I can afford to do it, and I'm going to do it. Isthat clear?''Yes, Mr Longshaw, sir.''Good. And don't be so cheeky.''No, master.''Mmm. In a couple of minutes, we'll be on theoutskirts of the city. You'll begin to see what I mean about the size of theplace. Do I have your word that you won't argue about the presents I want tobuy you?''What will you expect in exchange?''What?''I'm sorry, Leigh. It's just that Father said I…''Your bloody father's got a lot to answer for. Andhe's wrong. Not all of us expect to be paid with sex for presents. Not all menexpect a girl to whip her knickers off for the price of a dress or a piece ofjewellery. Some men like to give women presents because they like to give womenpresents. I like to give women presents. I expect and require nothing inreturn. Not even your gratitude. Do I make myself clear?''I keep making you angry and disappointed. I'm sorry.There's so much I don't know and almost everything I do know has come fromFather. His views differ so much from those of most other people. Thank you foryour offer, Leigh. I accept gladly and I'll try my best not to embarrass you.'Leigh took his hand from the steering wheel, foundmine and squeezed it gently. 'Thank you. I'll try to remember you're aninnocent with a fanatical puritan hypocrite for a father. Here comes York.'We were travelling in a long queue of traffic.Leigh had called Father a hypocrite and I worried about that for a moment,especially when I remembered Mrs Greenhough had said the same thing. But thenthe volume of traffic and the buildings took my attention instead. In fact,there were more cars visible from my seat than I had ever seen in the space ofa single day before. And houses lined both sides of the street; a street thatseemed to go on forever. Where did all those people go when they wanted to bealone?There were so many people on bicycles; so manypeople on foot. Men with beards and flared colourful trousers, men wearingshorts and coloured vests, women with skirts as short as Abby's, some evenshorter, some a lot longer, women with bare shoulders and necklines that madetheir breasts obvious. People in all sorts of clothes, people with differentcoloured skins, people of all shapes and sizes. And a huge stone wall with anarched gateway and towers. And so many shops I could not count them. It wasamazing, exciting, frightening, fascinating, wonderful, alarming, incredible.We drove into an open space that seemed big enoughto hold my entire village and Leigh parked the car amongst hundreds of othercars in an area that seemed to exist only for that purpose. He switched off theengine and laughed at me. 'Close your mouth, Faith, you'll catch flies.''It's… everything's so… I've never seen so many… Ifeel so small and … there's so much to look at and…''I thought it might be a little overwhelming foryou. But you're bright and brave and I'm sure you'll cope. Don't stare and gape,especially at people; they're not so tolerant of innocence in cities. Countryfolk are a lot more accommodating of strangeness, rather oddly. I'll answer anyquestion you want to ask. And, please, do ask. Don't be afraid or embarrassed.I'd much rather you asked than made an idiot of yourself.''Or of you.''True. But it's you I'm most concerned about.Right. Stay in the car whilst I get the ticket.''I want to come with you, Leigh. I want to see. Iwant to see everything.'
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