The Knapthorne Conspiracy by Malcolm Ballard (best english novels for beginners txt) 📕

his drug. You may be thinking, like I did, why does a man like that marry? I don’t know! I’m not even sure if he could explain it.”

“You haven’t told me everything, have you, mama?” Bella had fetched a brandy for them both, then returned to her armchair. Whilst pouring their drinks she couldn’t shake off the feeling that Maria’s story hadn’t finished. Surely being diagnosed with cancer wouldn’t convince her to confess to a failed marriage. There had to be more. Maria stared down at her brandy glass as she toyed with it in her lap, swirling the liquid around first one way then the other.

“You are as perceptive as your mother, Arabella. The world can be an unpleasant place and sometimes people act in a way that is foreign to them. I loved Patrick, bella mia.” There were tears in her eyes as she looked at her daughter. “I loved him with all my heart, but he was not worthy of that love. When he became abusive and violent he turned me away. He crushed that love beneath his angry words and his fists and I turned to the one person I trusted and respected…”

“Rupert!” Bella whispered.

“Yes, his brother who had always been so kind and understanding.” A flicker of thought somewhere deep in the recesses of Bella’s mind was suddenly ignited into a firestorm as everything became clear. It was there in her mother’s eyes. As plain as the headline on the front page of a morning newspaper.

“You and Rupert…” Her voice could barely be heard.

“Yes,” Maria acknowledged the unspoken assumption. “Rupert is your father.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Does Laura know?” It was the first thing that entered Bella’s head, knowing that Maria had been to see her sister first.

“Good God, no!” her mother replied, looking appalled. “What do you take me for? Your sister is so"....she searched for the word... "unpredictable I wouldn’t dare. I see so much of Patrick in her it frightens me. The news is for your ears only. Laura I tell only about my illness, nothing more.” Maria’s eyes shone in the lamplight, perhaps reflecting an inner peace now that Bella knew the truth.

“You are not shocked? Surprised even? Maybe a little disgusted with the morals of your mother?” In truth Bella was still coming to terms with what she had just found out. Maybe if she had been twenty years younger it would have meant a great deal more. Certainly, had Patrick still been alive. Now her instinctive reaction had been to be secretly thrilled at the discovery. Instantly, the warm glow of affection she had always felt for the man became something deeper and stronger. The love of a daughter for her father. Caught up somewhere in the tidal surge of her emotions was a feeling of sympathy for Maria and a sense of being pleased for her mother in that she had found love in the arms of someone else. As for being shocked or surprised? That was the last thing she had felt. It was more a matter of everything seeming to make a kind of sense, finally. Her new-found knowledge went a long way towards explaining the feelings she had experienced as a young girl, and through her adult years, the origins of which had always been a mystery to her. Bella felt she should have known. Little pointers along the way which she should have picked up on she had chosen to dismiss. In hindsight now it seemed so obvious. Overwhelmed by the need to express her love for her mother Bella went to her and helped her up from the chair. They fell into each other’s arms and Bella clasped her mother to her. No words were necessary as they held each other tight, their cheeks wet with silent tears. A lonely, ageing woman and her loving daughter drawn even closer by the events of the past and an uncertain future.

Not long after Maria succumbed to the tiredness which she had been trying to keep at bay for the previous two hours. Bella had noticed her struggling to keep her eyes open and suggested it was time for bed even though it was relatively early. For someone who was carrying the burden of an illness, who had driven on strange roads for many hours and then been through a traumatic emotional experience, it was time to rest.

“That was a lovely meal and a nice evening, thank you.” She kissed her daughter lightly, on both cheeks.

“An interesting evening, certainly.” Maria started to mount the stairs, eager to get bed as soon as possible. “If you’re up to it, tomorrow,” Bella said,  “I’ll tell you all the exciting things that have happened to me since I’ve been living here.”

“I can’t wait,” Maria replied, wearily, from the top of the stairs. “Buona notte.”

Bella woke feeling invigorated from a restful night with no interruptions. It was the best night’s sleep she could remember having in a long time. Her most immediate thought, on waking, was that she wished her mother had have told her while Rupert was still alive. Now, Willow Cottage held an even more special place in her heart. Content to let her mother lay in until she was ready to get up, Bella found one or two little jobs to do to in an attempt to keep herself occupied until Maria appeared. When there was still no sign of her, for no other reason than it was a joy to be outside, she took a stroll around the garden savouring her mother’s recent news with every step. By the time she got back in the kitchen Maria, still in her robe, was in the act of taking a large container of juice from the refrigerator.

“Good morning, mama! You obviously slept well.” She did indeed look rested and relaxed. “I thought we might take a walk later. Either through the woods or across the fields, whichever you wish.”

“Sounds wonderful, cara mia. Will it