Chapter Forty-Five #2
It was dark by the time they got back and very cold as Annie ushered her son up to their rooms. Within an hour he was sound asleep, so Annie did a little more packing.
It was strange to think she would only be sleeping there for two more nights, but she was ready to go now.
Already the little home she had made for them didn’t feel the same without Nancy.
Luckily, most of the stuff she had packed had already been sent on to her new address, so there wasn’t too much left to do.
Peggy phoned her later that evening to see how the wedding had gone and she was delighted to hear it had been a success.
‘All your stuff arrived,’ she told her cheerfully. ‘An’ I’m really lookin’ forward to you bein’ back where you belong, although I don’t know why you ’ad to rent another house! I told you yer were more than welcome to stay ’ere wi’ me an Levi while yer had a good look around fer one.’
Annie chuckled. ‘I’m sure you newly-weds don’t need me and Adam taking up space.’
‘I don’t know why not! It ain’t as if we’re kids, is it? It’s the second time round fer both of us, an’ you’re family. But anyway, I’ll look forward to seein’ yer both the day after tomorrow. Have a safe journey.’
Once Annie had put the phone down the loneliness closed around her like a cloak and she sighed.
She could quite easily have sold the London shop and turned her back on the city altogether, but it was a going concern now and she might want to return to it one day when Adam was a little less dependent on her, so for now it was better to leave it in Ruth’s capable hands.
Soon after she climbed the stairs to her rooms and after checking on Adam she crawled into bed and was soon fast asleep.
The sound of Alfred growling woke her sometime later and she blinked as she looked towards him.
He was sitting at the side of the bed, his eyes fixed on the door with his hackles raised, and as she listened, she heard the faint sounds of someone moving about downstairs.
With her heart in her mouth, she got out of bed as quietly as she could and crept to the door, and yes, after inching it open, she knew she hadn’t been mistaken. Someone was definitely downstairs.
‘Lie down, Alfred,’ she whispered as she looked around the room for something she could use as a weapon. Her eyes lit on the heavy brass candlestick that she kept on the drawers at the side of the bed and after snatching the candle out of it she began to creep down the stairs.
She was clad only in her long white cotton nightdress but she was so frightened that she didn’t even feel the cold as she cautiously crossed to the door leading to the shop.
She inched it open and peeped inside, grimacing as it squeaked.
And it was then that she saw a dark figure moving towards her.
They must have seen her too, as the figure suddenly raced towards her, forcing her back into the kitchen so quickly that she almost fell.
She gasped with pain as she slammed against the cold Belfast sink, and then the figure was in front of her and as her eyes adjusted to the gloom she gasped with shock. It was Mrs Taylor-Lloyd.
‘Wh-what do you want?’ Annie asked with a catch in her voice.
The woman laughed, an unholy laugh that sent shivers up Annie’s spine.
‘I want you, of course,’ she rasped, her voice laden with hatred.
‘I need to make sure that you can never wreck another family as you have wrecked mine. Because of you one of my sons is in his grave and the other is facing the hangman’s noose. You’re evil!’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Annie said. ‘You know that Monty could have died at any time and I didn’t make Reggie kill those poor women. How did you get in here?’
The laugh came again. ‘I came in posing as a customer and stole the keys while the slut who works here was distracted. You didn’t really think I was going to let you live when my sons are either dead or about to die, did you?’
Annie’s mind was racing to find a way out of this situation. But the woman was quite mad, and all she could do was try to calm her down.
‘Look, why don’t I make you a nice hot drink and we’ll talk,’ she suggested.
Mrs Taylor-Lloyd shook her head and Annie could clearly see the light of madness in her eyes. Spittle was running down her chin and as she raised her hand to wipe it away, Annie’s blood ran cold as she saw a glint of cold metal in the moonlight filtering through the window. She had a knife.
The woman began to rant. ‘My husband thought I didn’t know about all the women he had over the years, but I knew . . . oh yes, I knew. And your dear friend Eve was one of them, working for me and leading him on. You are all whores, the lot of you . . . and now you’re going to pay.’
She advanced menacingly and slashed the knife down. Annie managed to step to one side and felt the cold steel slice into her arm. She screamed but there was nowhere to run. To get to the door that led up to her rooms she would have to get past Mrs Taylor-Lloyd.
‘Look, please . . . you don’t need to do this. Adam is asleep upstairs. He’s an innocent and who’ll look after him if you kill me?’
‘He’s no innocent, he’s a bastard who you tried to pass off as my son’s child,’ the woman screeched as she raised the knife again.
‘But I knew as soon as I saw him that he was nothing to do with my Monty. The trouble was he was besotted with you and so was my poor Reggie, more’s the pity.
You’re a witch! I’ve been hiding over the road watching you for a long time, plotting how I could get my revenge.
I thought I had you once, but it turns out it was Nancy I attacked because I thought she was you.
But I’ve got you now, haven’t I? And there’s no one to help you this time.
You’re finally going to pay for all the grief you’ve caused me! ’’
She swung the knife towards Annie again and as she moved her head, she felt the cold steel slice into her cheek and a gush of warm blood.
She raised the candlestick and with all the strength she had she swung it towards her attacker, catching her a glancing blow on the shoulder.
The woman screamed and Annie made a desperate attempt to get past her.
Suddenly the door flew open and Alfred appeared, his teeth bared as he raced forward to protect his mistress.
Mrs Taylor-Lllyd viciously kicked out and Alfred yelped as he went flying into the air before dropping to the floor like a stone.
‘No, no!’ Without thinking of herself Annie flew towards Alfred, and as she passed, Mrs Taylor-Lloyd made another swing at her and lost her footing and fell forwards.
There was a sickening crunch as her head connected with the edge of the sink and she slithered down onto the cold tiles.
Shock took over as Annie began to shake and fell heavily to her knees.
Blood was trickling down her cheek and gushing out of her arm, warm and sticky, and as she reached Alfred, who was lying frighteningly still, darkness closed in on her and she knew no more.