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and her mother did try to support herself, but she had never had to work outside of the home, and it was all too apparent that she neither enjoyed nor was cut out to stand in a shop serving all day, or to sit in an office trying to get to grips with a computer. Mallon couldn’t bear it—her father would have been utterly distraught that life should have treated his beloved Evelyn this way.

      ‘You don’t have to go out to work, you know,’ Mallon insisted. ‘We can manage.’

      Her mother looked uncertain. ‘I have to contribute something. It isn’t fair…’

      ‘You do contribute. You’re a wonderful homemaker.’

      ‘But…’ Evelyn Jenkins tried to argue, but Mallon could see that her heart wasn’t in it. And eventually, with Mallon using every persuasion she could think of, her mother gave in—and for about eighteen months more they limped along on Mallon’s salary.

      Then suddenly everything started to improve. Mallon and her mother went out to dine with widower John Frost a few times, and invited him to their small flat in return. It didn’t take much for Mallon to see that John was keen on her mother, and Mallon liked how protective he was with her.

      The next time he asked the two of them to dine with him Mallon found a convenient ‘work’ excuse at the last minute, and left it to John Frost to persuade her mother that he would be equally delighted to take her out without her daughter.

      On the work front matters were looking up too. Mallon had made steady progress and was rewarded with promotion to another department. With the move came a very welcome raise in salary which meant that she and her mother could begin to renew the odd item here and there that had worn out. While not riches—they still had nothing in the bank—her pay rise made life just that little bit easier.

      With her move to a new department Mallon met two people she would be working with. Natasha Wallace, a pleasant if plain girl of about her own almost twenty-two years, and Keith Morgan who was three years older.

      Mallon became friends with both of them. And, with John Frost and her mother seeing just a little more of each other—John taking care not to rush Evelyn—Mallon started to go out and about with Natasha; sometimes Keith would go with them.

      Mallon had been well and truly put off men by the behaviour of Ambrose and Lee Jenkins, and while it did not particularly bother her she just could not see herself entering into any kind of a relationship with any man.

      Which was why it came as something of a surprise to her that, four months into her friendship with Natasha and Keith, she began to realise that she had some quite warm feelings for Keith. Feelings which, to her further surprise and pleasure, she discovered were returned.

      They did not always go out as a threesome. When Natasha started to put in some extra practice for a violin exam she was about to take, Keith and Mallon went out more and more as a twosome.

      Even now as she lay wide awake in Harris Quillian’s bed Mallon felt sick in her stomach as she recalled how, only three months ago, their feelings for each other starting to take over, she had been on the brink of committing herself to a very intimate relationship with Keith Morgan.

      It had started on a Saturday when Natasha had been busy with her music and Mallon and Keith had been to the cinema. Keith had been kissing Mallon goodnight when he’d suddenly begged her to go away with him. ‘I want to go to bed with you—you must want the same,’ he urged. Oh, help—it was such a big step! ‘You know you want me as much as I want you.’

      She said no, but week after week for the next two months he again and again urged her to go away with him. Then one Saturday he told her he loved her. It was what she needed to hear.

      She agreed, albeit, it was with a rather shaky ‘Y-yes,’ that she answered.

      Keith didn’t waste any time and told her on Monday that he had arranged their romantic tryst for the coming weekend, and would pick her up from her home on Saturday morning.

      Why couldn’t she tell her mother? Her mother had met both Keith and Natasha and would have understood. Mallon later wondered—could it be that at heart she had known that something was not quite right? But just then she managed to convince herself that, after the dreadful years her mother had endured, and with everything going so right for her just now—she seemed to be spending more and more time with John Frost—she did not want to give her parent the smallest cause to worry about her.

      Mallon made her way home from work on Friday and made up her mind to tell her mother that night. For heaven’s sake, Keith would be calling for her in the morning!

      Her mother wasn’t in but had left a note saying that John had phoned and had particularly wanted to discuss something with her, so could she meet him later that afternoon? She didn’t think she would be late back.

      Mallon hoped not. She was on edge, and knew that feeling wouldn’t go away until she had told her mother her plans. When each hour ticked away and her mother didn’t appear, Mallon guessed that John had taken her mother to dinner.

      Which proved correct when, just after ten, John Frost brought her mother home. ‘Um—we’ve got something to tell you,’ Evelyn Jenkins said, but didn’t have to—Mallon could see the joy they shared with each other.

      ‘We’re going to be married,’ John could hardly wait to tell her. ‘Is that all right with you, Mallon?’

      She hadn’t seen her mother looking so happy in years. ‘You know it is!’ Mallon beamed, and forgot all about Keith Morgan when she went over and the threesome embraced.

      John had brought some champagne in with him and they talked for an age as the newly engaged couple shared with Mallon that they had steadily got to know each other over the years, and saw not one single reason to wait. They would marry next month and Mallon would give up the flat.

      ‘Give up the flat?’

      ‘Your mother will be moving into my home, Mallon,’ John answered. ‘It’s my wish that you move into my home too.’

      ‘Thank you,’ she answered, not wanting to blight this happy time for them. But she somehow knew, much as she liked John and much as she would miss her mother dreadfully, that her place was not in her mother’s new home. This, after all she’d been through, was a special time for her mother.

      ‘That’s settled, then.’ John smiled, and went on to outline how he’d telephoned his married daughter in Scotland and she was flying down tomorrow for a family celebration dinner.

      ‘Oh!’ Mallon exclaimed. Oh, grief, she had forgotten all about Keith Morgan!

      ‘Don’t say you can’t make it, darling. Did you have some other arrangement?’

      ‘Keith—er…’

      ‘I’m sure he’ll understand. This is a family occasion, after all.’ Evelyn Jenkins beamed.

      ‘Of course. I’ll give him a ring,’ Mallon said with a smile and realised, perhaps because of her mother’s lovely news, that she didn’t feel unduly upset that her weekend with Keith was off.

      He did not understand when she rang him. Instead, he was furious. ‘I’ve booked the hotel!’ he protested angrily. ‘Your mother’s been married before—what’s so special now?’ If he couldn’t see, Mallon wasn’t about to try and explain.

      ‘I’m sorry,’ she apologised. ‘I’ll see you on Monday.’

      The celebratory dinner went wonderfully well. John’s daughter, Isobel, was as thrilled as Mallon that the two had finally decided to marry.

      By Monday, feeling uncomfortable that she had let Keith down, Mallon went to seek him out to apologise again and to try and make him see how important it had been to her mother that she had been there.

      ‘Keith,’ she began, going over to his desk.

      ‘Mallon, I…’ he said at the same time, for no reason she could think of, looking almost sheepish.

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