Foxden Hotel (The Dudley Sisters Saga Book 5) by Madalyn Morgan (ebook reader ink txt) 📕

‘Yes,’ she whispered. She looked at Bess through red-rimmed eyes. ‘He used to come into my room at night after my father had turned in and lay on my bed.’

‘Who did, Katherine?’ Bess asked, fearing she knew the answer to her question.

‘David. At first it was just that. He would just lie next to me. Then,’ she held her breath and buried her head in her hands.

‘Take your time.’ Bess reached out and gently touched Katherine’s arm.

Katherine looked up, her eyes wide, tears falling onto her cheeks. ‘Then,’ she took a juddering breath, ‘one night he-- touched me.’ She fell silent as if the words were too distressing to say. ‘The next night,’ she said at last, ‘he came to my room again. He got into bed with me and he touched me again. He asked me if I liked it. I said no. I told him to stop, but he laughed. He said when a woman says no, she means yes. I said if he didn’t stop I’d scream, and he said there was no one to hear me. I told him Daddy would hear me. I said my father would come in and throw him out, but he laughed again and said, your old man’s drunk, he won’t hear anything until the morning.’

‘Did you tell your father in the morning?’

‘No. David said if I told him he would say that I had gone to his room and asked him to come back to mine. He said he’d tell him that I’d led him on, teased him, and that it was me who wanted--’ She lowered her gaze and whispered, ‘sex.’

‘Surely your father wouldn’t have believed him over you, his own daughter.’

‘David said he was a hero, a respected officer in the Association, and that everyone would believe him over a silly girl.’

‘Association?’

Katherine caught her breath and put her hands over her mouth.

‘What is it Katherine?’

She shook her head. She had clearly said something she shouldn’t.

‘I’ve said too much. I’ve got to go.’ Katherine jumped up. ‘I shouldn’t have come here, but I wanted to tell you that I was sorry about - what he did to you - in London before the war.’

‘He told you that he raped me?’

‘Yes, on New Year’s Eve. He didn’t use that word. He said you had wanted him to do it. He said you were asking for it, like I was. It was then that I knew he’d raped you, because I didn’t want him to do it to me, but he did it anyway. He raped me, Bess, and he said it was my fault.’

Bess stood up and wrapped her arms around the girl. ‘It was not your fault, Katherine. None of it was your fault.’

‘I’ve got to go.’ Easing herself out of Bess’s arms, Katherine took a step backwards. Her eyes searched Bess’s face, as if she was wondering whether she could trust her. Bess was sure Katherine wanted to tell her more, but the frightened girl ran to the door.

‘You know where I am if you want to talk again, Katherine.’ Bess called after her.

Katherine’s steps faltered and she turned and faced Bess. ‘You saw me, didn’t you?’

‘When, Katherine? When did I see you?’ Katherine didn’t answer. She had the frightened look of a cornered animal in her eyes. The same look that Bess had seen on the day Katherine ran in front of the car on Lowarth High Street.

Afraid that she would run away again, Bess went to her and slowly led her back to the chair next to the fire. When they were both seated, Bess said, ‘Are you referring to the day you ran in front of the car, or to New Year’s Eve?’

‘New Year’s Eve.’

‘What did I see on New Year’s Eve, Katherine?’

‘Me, kill David Sutherland.’

Bess heart almost leapt out of her chest. ‘I did see you on New Year’s Eve, Katherine, but you didn’t kill David Sutherland.’

Tears fell from the tormented young woman’s eyes. ‘Mrs Burrell saw me too, and that American.’ Bess had to stop and think who the American was. Then the penny dropped. The American was a Canadian, her brother-in-law, Mitch. Bess didn’t correct Katherine about the man’s nationality. She hadn’t told McGann about him when he questioned her on New Year’s Eve. It would look suspicious if she acknowledged his presence now.

‘Yes, Margot and I both saw you. You were running away from David Sutherland.’

‘That was afterwards.’ Katherine took a deep breath that made her thin frame shudder. ‘Before that he said he was going to give me what he’d given that snotty bitch in there.’ Katherine looked embarrassed repeating Sutherland’s words. ‘He meant you,’ she whispered.

‘I know,’ Bess said, nodding sympathetically in an attempt to ease Katherine’s discomfort.

‘He grabbed hold of me and pulled me to him. I was so frightened I kicked out and the toe of my shoe caught his shin. He cursed and slumped, but he didn’t fall down, so I hit him as hard as I could with my handbag and I ran.’

‘But you didn’t see him go into the water, did you?’ Katherine shook her head. Looking at the thin frightened girl before her, Bess found it difficult to believe that she could hit anyone hard enough to knock them off their feet, let alone send someone the height and weight of David Sutherland flying into a frozen lake. Bess needed the poor girl to understand that. ‘So,’ she said, looking into Katherine’s face and waiting until Katherine looked into hers, ‘You can’t be sure it was because you hit Sutherland that he fell into the lake and drowned. Well, can you?’

‘No, but--’

‘No buts, Katherine! I think you should go home now, but first I want you to promise me that you won’t tell anyone what